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! :)