Monday Training Update (Week 8): Week Ending 3/11
This was the plan for the week:
M - 4 @ EA
Tu - 1 @ WU, .5 @ T w/ 1 min RI, 1 @ T w/ 1 min RI, .5 @ T w/ 1 min RI, 1 @ CD
Th - .5 @ WU, 4 mile progression (11:47, 10:58, 10:33, 10:03), .5 @ CD
F - 5 @ EB + strides
S - 2 @ WU, 5 @ tempo, 2 @ CD
This was a tough week of running and my body was worn out at the end. My Monday EA run was fine, but as discussed, the mental shift from doing 3 miles to 4 miles is palpable.
Tuesday: This one was a little easier than my last T. Not sure if that's adaptation already occurring, or just because I'm not (as) sick anymore, or some combination. But my legs didn't feel as burn-y by the end of this one. I also liked the construction of this run, with the .5, 1, .5... I felt like there was a clear crest, and that helped mentally.
Thursday's progression was more mentally though. I knew every mile was going to get tougher. I also knew that I've run at these paces for sustained periods of time before, so it would be doable. It was just going to be a matter of not letting my brain get in the way of my body too much. Honestly, I expected to feel cruddier at the end than I did, but I was still tired. I was glad to get this one done, though, because I had a six hour plane ride later in the day.
Friday we were back in LA.
@MoanasPapa's home town is one of my favorite places to run, and Friday was no exception. Just gorgeous naturally, and the houses are also really something to see. He helped me pick a route that went through some areas I'd never seen before, and that was nice. His neighborhood has some rolling hills and I was feeling pretty worn out, so I wanted to avoid any big inclines, which he said the route did. He forgot about a hill they call "Michigan" (I have no idea why), and it was a doozy. I ended up having to stop for about 10 seconds on the way up to catch by breath, which was frustrating. But the rest of the run was lovely, and I did a terrible job with pacing, which always happens to me when I run in CA.
Saturday's run was interesting. It was my first tempo run. My tempo pace is supposed to be 10:58/mi. I did my 2 WU miles a little faster than scheduled, but they were mostly downhill. I had a route that went from
@MoanasPapa's family's house to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, ran the 5k loop at the Rose Bowl, and then led me to a parking lot, where he'd pick me up at the end of the run. Unfortunately, the 5k loop was closed for a special event, and so I couldn't go down the street that lead to it at all. That means that at mile 5, I had to stop and figure out a new route for my run. So I have one terribly-paced mile there because of it. I ended up deciding to make it a loop that would lead me back to the house, but would let me avoid "Michigan." That meant the second half of my run was all uphill. Oh. And it was raining. I'm OK with my ultimate pacing, but I'll need some more practice with this to get it right. Strava also cut out at mile 6, so all I have to go off of is the data on my AppleWatch, which doesn't capture elevation. Anyways, here are my splits for the tempo portion: 10:55, 10:58, 11:54 (rerouting), 10:54, 11:20. I don't think I faded for the 11:20, I think I just tried to maintain effort on the hill. I will say that my feet and calves were tired and tight at the end. After that, we all went to Universal to see Harry Potter World for my SIL's bachelorette, then the bridal party (me included) stayed out for dinner and drinks. Made for a long day and tired legs.
Unfortunately, this week isn't off to a pristine start. I missed yesterday's run because we had to get to the airport, and the three-hour time change means the day is lost. We didn't get to bed until almost midnight last night, and since it felt like 9:00, I was still awake at 1:00. That meant my normal 5:00 AM running alarm was a big fat NOPE. I'm going to try to get a lunch run in today so that I don't miss two runs this week, but I think I'm only going to be able to get 4 in, instead of the 5 I'm supposed to do. Better than nothing, to be sure.