Week 4- 24M running, 240' x-training

Hello!!
This week Jake and I are heading down to his family's place on Wednesday night. Time to workout will be pretty limited and I won't have access to a bike or weights, so the second half of the week will be really light. Since I know that in advance, I'm planning cross training every day that we're in Dallas so I can still get a decent amount in.

Sunday, June 29th
55' bike + 35' elliptical for a total of 90' cross training.

Monday, June 30th
4M + 8 x 8" hill sprints. First 2 miles with Jake in 16:04, finished the full run in 31:02 for a 14:58 last 2 miles. I ran did a 180 turn every mile (I wanted to make the first 2 miles be the same route/ wind as the last 2 miles). My shins were really bad today and my left heel was hurting, but the TFL was manageable.
Cross training. And today is a PERFECT example of why I schedule cross training every day it's possible... because there is always a chance I won't be able to get it done. I managed to get into my doctor's office early this morning (I've been fighting stomach pain for about 2 weeks), and that meant I could bike before work, and I had to drive home from Plano during lunch so I couldn't bike then. Plus I work until 7 now and by that time my stomach was hurting bad again (it's worst at night). No worries... It's supposed to be a light week anyways and I have a big workout tomorrow!

Tuesday, July 1st
7M w/ 3M tempo (start at ~6:55 pace) and 4 x 2:30 easy, 30" hard during last 2 miles. Warmed up, did 3 strides, and got to work. Jake paced me again and we ran 6:54, 6:51, 6:49 (6:52 avg). I'm glad that I maintained for the entire run this time, but I'm still really frustrated with how much trouble my lungs are giving me. It's like I'm breathing through a straw. The 30" surges were all faster than last time.. Two of which were in the low 5:20's. I felt really strong on them. Shins & heels still hurt; right TFL is still bad too, but always much worse after stopping and restarting.
Weights. 3 x 6 of the same circuit I've been doing. Added a 60" plank in between each set.
45' cross training. This was a crummy day for cross training. I lost access to the gym I've been using, so I had to wait until my lunch break to workout. Then all the bikes in my new gym were broken so I tried an elliptical. It's a different kind than the one I usually use and was really hurting my TFL, so after 13 minutes I resorted to my only remaining option... uphill walking on the treadmill. Did that for 27 minutes (making my 15 minutes late for work, but allowing me to at least get 45 minutes in). Bleh.

Wednesday, July 2nd
Long cross training day. Got in 1 hour and 45 minutes. I'd like to work my way to 2 hours for my long cross training days, so this was a good stepping stone. It went by pretty quickly because I changed machines every 45 minutes - recumbent bike to elliptical and back to recumbent bike. I feel like I get the best workout on the elliptical, but people have told me they aren't very good for you (messing with your hips and stuff), so I am trying to use the bike for most of my time.

Thursday, July 3rd
4M 5M + 8 x 15"/15". Brilliant me decided I didn't need to double check my calendar this morning, so I ran one extra mile on accident. I also skipped the strides. My right TFL was really bothering me bad today, so I went through some drills and called it a day. I'm basically going to get "strides" 3 out of 4 days this week, so I figure it isn't too big of a deal. There is a 24 hour fitness less than 10 minutes from where I'm working today, so I think I will actually get to fit in some biking during my lunch break! They have a pool, too, which would probably be best for me - but I didn't bring my goggles down!

Friday, July 4th
8M w/ 8 x 2' hard, 1' easy. This was a pretty crummy run.. Slow and broken up.. But I got in the mileage and I got in the 2 minute higher intensity intervals. My TFL was the worst it has been and I contemplated stopping several times, but I ended up getting everything in at the end of the day.

Saturday, July 5th
Basketball at Seabrook Trails while Jake runs! :)

Week 3- 24M running, 270' x-training

We are back from one of the most tiring trips I have ever been on, haha! Lots of travel issues and late nights! Despite it all, my husband and the athletes he coaches ran personal bests and we had a lot of fun! I managed to get in all of my miles last week and kept the paces in their correct ranges, so two weeks are officially in the books! Just have to keep the ball rolling and let it build up!

This is the lady he coaches just after she qualified for the US Olympic Trials. She ran 1:14:56!

This is my husband finishing out his race. He qualified for the US Championships with a time of 1:08:48.

This is a group of the Texas runners that were in Duluth for the race! We have such a fun group of friends!

This is my husband's best friend, whom he also coaches. Both ran PR's in their matching Adidas kits. :)

Sunday, June 22nd
60' bike before a long day of travel. Still lots of pain on the outside/ back of right knee. Super sore on both calves as well?!

Monday, June 23rd
5M easy run + 6 x 8" hill sprints. I ran on the gravel trail at DBU. Kept things nice and relaxed, and I felt really good energy/ strength-wise! Same problem with the outside/back of my right knee, and both shins were a bit sore, but not too bad.

Tuesday, June 24th
Rest day.

Wednesday, June 25th
Full chiro warm up.
2M warm up, 2M tempo, 2M cool down. 16:24, 13:05 (6:27, 6:38), 15:30. Did the entire workout on our neighborhood loop with Jake as a pacer (he is THE best!!)! The warm up went off without a hitch. Really kept things relaxed on the first mile (8:45!!!) and then on the second mile I threw in a few surges and tried to pick it up a bit. Did some drills and two strides and then we started the tempo. I felt GREAT thru the first half mile, but then lactic acid started to hit. By the time I finished the first mile, I was empty and felt like I was running through quick sand! Yikes! Ended up averaging 6:32 pace, which is actually the slow end of my adjusted pace range for 75 degrees, 91% humidity. Since the "tempo" (more like a race) was not as good as we hoped, we added 4 x 2:30 easy, 30" quick to the last two miles. Those paces were upper 5:30's to mid 5:50's. 
60' bike. I mimicked the run, so 20' easy, 20' high effort, 20' easy.
3 x 6 weights circuit A. Too tired to do this in the morning so I knocked it out at lunch.

Thursday, June 26th
90' bike. I did 60' before work and 30' during lunch since I overslept. It worked out for the best though because I was still a bit fatigued for my morning bike, but I killed the lunchtime one. I did 2:30 easy, 30" hard for the entire 30 minutes and really pushed the tempo.

Friday, June 27th
5M easy run + 6 x 8" hill sprints. Got it all in. Nothing crazy to report. My shins were KILLER today (both), but especially the left!
60' bike.

Saturday, June 28th
8M progression. Got in the run, but took a massage/ stretch break after 4 miles and 6 miles. My TFL has really gotten bad and always seems to be much worse out at the Trinity Loop. No Garmin, so I had to go by loop splits, and brilliant me didn't get the 3rd split and deleted the times after my run. Based on the overall time, I averaged 7:56 pace and my last ~2.2 mile loop was 7:03 pace. The first loop was like 8:50 average!! :/ TFL and stomach were the worst today. In fact, not even doing weights, core, or my bike because of my stomach. Hopefully it's better tomorrow!
3 x 6 weights circuit B.
60' bike.

Week 2- 23M running, 280' x-training

We are flying back to Duluth this week! Jake is racing the half and we have some friends running the half and full as well. I'm not sure what kind of fitness center I'll have access to or what our schedule will look like, so I'm squeezing weights in before we leave and scheduling cross training for every day we're there in case I have to miss it once!

Last week was my first full week of training without lots of aches and pains! It gave me such a boost of confidence that Jake and I sat down and put together a real training plan instead of the novice one I was following. The truth is, I wasn't going to get back to the fitness level I want to work back to by running 20 miles a week. The new plan is a mix between the Hanson's structure and Hudson's philosophies. I'll be on a three day cycle of rest, easy, quality, and I'll keep short hill sprints, long runs with quality, and fartleks from Hudson's plan.

Here's a pic from after he finished the Full Marathon last year! 2:30:43! Was on pace for 2:24:xx thru 24.5 miles and then crashed over the last mile and a half. Looking forward to seeing him crush 13.1 this week!!!

Sunday, June 15th
Full warmup.
80' on the stationary bike.
3 x 6 strength circuit A.

Monday, June 16th
Rest day. In order to get the 3 day cycle to fit next week's schedule, I needed to push things back a day. An extra day of rest before I get started won't hurt anything though! :)
20' cross training during lunch. I had nothing to do and this was a good way to pass time. :) 10 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes rowing. Kept the biking very relaxed but really pushed on the rowing!

Tuesday, June 17th
Full warmup.
4M easy + 6 hill sprints. I stayed in the neighborhood for this one so I would have easy access to hills for my hill sprints. I don't have splits because about 1.2 miles in there was a car parked in an alley that I didn't want to run by and I left my measured loop. The first mile was 7:52 and the "third" mile was 7:43 according to Jake's garmin (he ran with me for his cool down). Hill sprints were okay but I didn't feel as powerful and poppy as I felt last week. Both shins hurt today, but that's about it.
60' on the stationary bike after my run.

Wednesday, June 18th
6M easy with 10 x 1' @ 5k effort, 2' easy. Fort Worth trails today! I only had 8 surges planned, but I finished the 8th one with about a mile to left and I didn't want to run easy the whole time. I felt pretty good on the run thanks to a very windy morning (13+ mph), but my both of my shins still hurt. I also had to stop after my first ~2 mile loop to massage my right IT band... For some reason that knee stiffens up and hurts really bad every time I go to this loop. Ended up averaging 7:52 pace for 6.4 miles. 
3 x 6 strength circuit B.

Thursday, June 19th - Flying to Duluth
50' cross training. That's all I could fit in before heading to the airport and we didn't get to Duluth until after 11 thanks to weather delays and cancelled flights.

Friday, June 20th
.5M easy, 4M run + 6 hill sprints. LOTS of shin and knee pain today, but other than that it was a fine run. I did it on the treadmill (including the hill sprints, which was really hard). I averaged 7:52 pace for the 4M run. I actually ran 4.5M continuous, but I ran so slow the first 1/2 mile that I decided to count it as a warm up.
70' cross training.

Saturday, June 21st
6M long run with 3 x 8' steady, 2' recovery. 2 miles in 16:46, then stopped to stretch because I almost called the run quits due to so much shin and knee pain (more like outside hamstring tendon on the back of my knee). Then 4M with the long fartleks; I progressed the pace each time, so the first one was .5M at 7:30 pace, then 7:19 pace for the rest of it. Second one was 7:19 pace for 4 minutes, then 7:09 pace for 4 minutes. The last one was 7:09 pace for 4 minutes, then 6:59 pace for 4 minutes.
2M easy. I ran out of time to finish my run before Jake's race, so I snuck in the last two miles while the marathon was going on. This is the only run I did outside while in Minnesota.
No cross training because the outside/back of my knee was so painful.

Week 1- 20M running, 110' x-training

21 weeks out from what will hopefully be my peak fall race!

Last week I hit 20 miles for the first time, so this week we're looking for a repeat... but without the unplanned double I threw in last week! Instead of doing 4, 4, 3 + 3, 6; I'm looking to do 4, 6, 4, 6, still taking three days off for the week. As I've told Jake, I am really tired of running and not getting in better shape, so we decided to focus on lengthening the runs a little sooner than Hudson's plan calls for. Of course, I will definitely back off if I feel it's getting too risky health-wise.

I needed this reminder. Hope it helps a few of you as well. :)

Sunday, June 8th
Total rest day. My left quad muscle has been killing me and I think it's from the split squats I did in Friday morning's strength workout. Trying to nurse it back to health so no cross training distractions! :)

Monday, June 9th
6M + 5 x 8" hill sprints. This run was like an unexpected early present on Christmas Eve! It was 69 degrees (instead of the usual upper 70's), a cool breeze, clouds covering the sun, AND I wore my Sauconys instead of my clunky Hoka's. All of that combined and I had my most natural run since starting back. I felt like myself again and it was SO nice! I ran on the gravel trail at DBU, which is about 1.3 miles. Assuming 1.3 is accurate, I ran 7:24 pace for the last 5.2 miles of the run! Which means even if the distance is off, it was still a solid pace! I felt really strong on the hill sprints too!

Tuesday, June 10th
4M w/ 8 x 150m surge, 250m natural after the second mile.8:18, 8:06, 7:37, 7:27 for 31:28 total. I am so grateful for these two cooler, lower humidity days. They have given me a vote of mental confidence so I don't feel as discouraged about my training. I didn't run as hard on the 150m surges as I did on the 100m surges last week, but it was still a solid pace change and it allowed me to maintain a normal run in between each one.
Full body strength. 3x8 from the same strength plan I've been doing.

Wednesday, June 11th
Rest day.

Thursday, June 12th
Full chiropractor warm-up. I've actually been doing this every day but decided if I start including it on my notes it will hold me more accountable. :) It takes about 15 minutes so it's not terribly quick.
40' steady cross training during lunch. I spent 33 minutes on the bike and 7 on the elliptical. For some reason it was causing pain underneath my knee on the inside. For the middle 20 minutes I kept my HR above 160, the rest of the time it was between 145 and 160.
30' fartlek cross training after work.
3x8 full body strength. Session 2 from my same strength plan.

Friday, June 13th
Full chiropractor warm-up. Timed it today and it took exactly 15 minutes. Definitely gets my HR up!
4M + 5 x 8" hill sprints. I want to work to where all of my daily runs are sub 7:57 pace (McMillan calculator's slow end of the easy run pace range for a 1:25 half). I don't expect to run that every day from here on out, but I do want to be consistently there for the last two months before race day in November. With that in mind, I started a little quicker than usual and ran 7:40 for my first mile (probably closer to 7:55 since my loop is about 30m short) and kept the pace pretty steady finishing in 30:11 (again, probably closer to 31 for the full four miles). 31 minutes is 7:45 pace which is well under my range! Feeling full of gratitude for the health God has given me this week! It has been so rejuvenating to go out for runs without terrible pain the whole time!!
60' cross training. I spent the first 40' on the bike and the last 20' on the elliptical. No surges, just a good steady effort for the full hour.

Saturday, June 14th
Minimal warm-up. The warm-up my chiro gave me involves a lot of laying down or putting hands on the ground and there was glass on the concrete, etc.
6M w/ 3 x 5' steady, 2' recovery after 25'. I wore my Hoka's and ran on the gravel loop in Ft Worth. Bad combination!! A little shin pain, but other than that, just a hard run. I found a training pace chart that allows you to enter the temp and humidity and get equivalent paces. My first 25' easy needed to be between 7:52 and 8:12 and the steady states needed to be between 7:11 and 7:31 (without 75* and 85% humidity, paces would be 7:38 to 7:57 and 6:58 to 7:18, respectively). My first 25' averaged out to 7:59 pace; 5' steady segments were 7:24, 7:13, 7:22. I ran the 5' parts very poorly though... Killer first 2 minutes, then coast the last three minutes. First time in a Garmin this training season though!

Trying a fartlek this week!

How about a little motivation to start the week with?! :)
PS. That picture in the background is the entrance to my neighborhood. Pretty nice, right?

Sunday, June 1st
30' bike + 30' elliptical. Still feeling super fatigued. Keeping things relaxed all day so I'll feel better tomorrow.

Monday, June 2nd
4M w/ 8x20" pick-ups. Since 20" pick-ups are so close to 100m, I just went to the track and did 1M easy, 2M of 300 easy, 100 surge, and then 1M easy. Mile splits were 8:40, 7:53, 7:34, 8:26 for 32:33 total time. It was ridiculously windy so I had to really work in between the surges. I got really discouraged when I came through the first two miles. Even though the instructions said "easy" I still have a hard time being okay with my current easy pace. Definitely have to change my mentality!
30' bike. 2' easy, 30" hard for the first 25 minutes. Then 20" hard, 10" easy for the last five minutes.

Tuesday, June 3rd 4M easy + 5 x 8" hill sprints. I stayed in our neighborhood as the hill at DBU still has some construction going on at the bottom. No clue what pace I was running through the neighborhood, but I do know I had the IT band/ knee pain from last Saturday on my right leg again. That was really the main ache today; everything else was good enough to work with. I still feel ridiculously slow and out of shape, which I am not a fan of! Hah!
Full body strength. 3 x 10 (week 2) from the strength workout plan I posted a link to last Thursday.

Wednesday, June 4th
Rest day.

Thursday, June 5th
Rest day.

Friday, June 6th
3M + 5x8" hill sprints. Best feeling run in ages. Hardly any aches at all. Still feeling very fatigued and uncoordinated, but I'll take that over aches any day! 8:00, 7:50, 7:34 for the miles. Hill sprints were nice and strong.
Full body strength work. 3x10 of the exercises for the second workout of the week.
3M easy on the treadmill at lunch. This was supposed to be a cross training session, but I really really didn't want to bike or elliptical and Jake said an easy 3 wouldn't hurt if I didn't have pain. :) 8:27, 8:19, 8:12 for the first half, 7:47 for the last half of mile three.

Saturday, June 7th
6M, last 3 miles moderate. Icky run. HOT, humid, super windy. Left quad muscle is really hurting bad (after the run) and right knee bothered me during the run. I actually stopped and paced around about 30 seconds twice over the course of the last 3 miles. Just had to regain breath and cool my face. 25 minutes out, finished in 46:20 something.