This week was pretty busy with non-running related activities for me- I had my last day at my current job (it’s been a fun six years, but super excited for my next chapter), we toured and signed a new lease, and are officially in the 3 month countdown for our wedding!
Let’s get into it the good stuff-
Monday- Rest day- aka, bath day. As I was stewing, I really got to thinking about the need to incorporate more foam rolling/mobility work into these days.
Tuesday- 3 miles easy run with strides- there’s been something about Tuesday runs lately. I fully intended to get out before the sun, but I slept horribly (dogs, man) and couldn’t quite pull myself out of bed. I knew I’d still get it done after work that day (which I did), but I was still bummed that I put it off.
Wednesday- 4.5 miles tempo- WOW this was challenging. Here we go with another evening run- crazy to think that even around 7PM the feels-like temp is still mid 90s. This has been my first tempo run of the training, and the ranges at threshold pace felt harder than I expected. I have to kindly remind myself that with the heat and humidity, my summer efforts will not be equivalent to my winter!
Thursday- Rest #2 for the week- and officially done with my current job! Since I didn’t have anything planned for today, I figured I’d keep myself busy by getting some strength training in. While training for my last half, I did experience some pain in my hamstring towards the end, and I want to better myself from those mistakes. So far so good!
Friday- 4 miles easy with strides- today actually felt really great. I know hydration is key when running outdoors, but I think I underestimate its value sometimes. I brought the trusty handheld with me (usually I stick with a smaller attachment for my belt), and let me tell you- I felt unstoppable. There really aren’t any water fountains on my routes (or anywhere?), so I know I can’t rely on getting water anywhere else along the way.
Saturday- aerobic cross training- which called for a nice, long, morning walk with Ryder. Sniffing is so enriching to dogs (gotta work those brains), so we were out for quite a bit. Nothing too crazy to report here today.
Sunday- 6 miles easy- today felt like a peak summer morning. The birds were chirping, sprinklers were blasting, sun was rising, and runners were running.
The goal of today’s run was to start off slow, and then finish faster- essentially getting in the habit of negative splits. My plan was to cut about 10-15 seconds off each mile (give or take), so that my last mile would be one minute faster than my first. Pacing is something that I struggle with, and I usually just run based on effort (nothing wrong with that, but I want to align the two more), so I did end up looking at my watch quite a bit to make sure I was staying within that reasonable range. This was the most fun I’ve had on a run in a while!
Do you hydrate on your runs? If so, what type of equipment do you enjoy using?