Reflecting on April- Running, Strength, Life

For a month of quarantine, April seemed to go by pretty fast for me! I think my birthday month always does. It also signified one year since I left my full-time job and went back to school full-time (SCARY! EXCITING!). I had a BIG month of training with some of the best long runs I’ve ever had. I mixed in middle tempo miles on roads that weren’t flat and just pushed along at a steady pace. I stayed with it when runs felt like a slog and really tried to slow down on my recovery runs. I honestly still want to slow down more -> goal for the month of May.

I also still continued to do strength training generally 3 days a week and yoga 2-3 days a week. I’m really proud of continuing to both of these because my mileage jumped quite a bit this month from last (~30 miles). Normally when my mileage goes up = strength/stretching goes down.

I’m also proud that I was able to find some elevation to gain during my hilly recovery runs (over 1,000’ is pretty good when you don’t necessarily live in the mountains)- they’re actually one of my favorite days because it reminds me vaguely of being on the trails. All of our trails are closed here, so sadly exploring isn’t an option right now.

I celebrated my 30th birthday! Also weirdly since then I’ve been feeling achier than normal- is that what happens when you turn 30? IDK but oddly feeling no longer ‘like a Spring chicken everyday’.

I’ve got ~14 weeks left of classes before entering the “REAL WORLD” again full-time and am currently starting to apply for jobs. Right now, I’m really interested in working in an ICU-type of environment (also currently interested in becoming a CRNA someday)- so trying to figure out the best positions to help set me up for that later on. I’m also trying to decide on how far I want to travel for a job! It’s exciting/scary. Yup, just adding more fun into the whole pandemic situation over here ; )

I’ve also been loving a lot of Epsom Salt baths lately given that it’s been basically windy/rainy/cloudy for 30 days straight (or so it seems…)

I’d love to know how your month went! Anyone else feel like it went by really fast? What were some of your ‘silver linings’ in April?

Eugene/50 Miler Training RUNdown Week 18: 4/22-4/28

I’m having so much fun adventuring along the Oregon coast! It is SO beautiful here.

BUT I’m equally missing these two cuties and can’t wait to give them a good squeeze tomorrow.

I will have my race recap up for you tomorrow and can’t wait to share it all with you (with no details left out ; ) ….). BUT for now, here is last weeks’ RUNdown of what I did leading UP to the marathon. I kept everything the same, except I did one less strength training session and all of my miles did not go above 6 and were all at a very easy pace. I did notice that I had a really challenging time keeping my legs at a slower speed because they were just so excited to RACE! I also felt oddly calm towards the marathon and never really had any sort of pre-race anxiety or nervousness like I usually do.

Monday, 4/22: 6.11 mi EZ 9:53 113’ up , 10 min on the stairclimber (37 floors climbed), & 20 min strength

Tuesday, 4/23: 6.29 for 29th birthday miles easy @ 9:46 131’ up

Wednesday, 4/24: 6.02 miles EZ 9:58 118’ up & 15 min strength

Thursday, 4/25: 6 miles EZ 9:55 339’ & 10 min soak in the hot springs

Friday, 4/26: Flight to Oregon!

Saturday, 4/27: 3.76 miles to shakeout 9:49 pace 6’ up

Sunday, 4/28: Race Day! 26.31 miles 8:47 pace 311’ up

Total Mileage: 54.48 miles

Total Elevation: 1,018’

Eugene/50 Miler Training Week 16 RUNdown: 4/8-4/14

Ok, so if you say my post yesterday then you know that things did NOT go as planned last week. BUT I’m moving on and not dwelling on it. We can only do so much and sometimes, it’s our bodies way of communicating that we need to slow down before injury or illness happens (and I definitely DO NOT want a repeat of Vegas Half 2018 where I had bronchitis leading up to/at the race!).

Monday, 4/8: 7.55 easy miles at 10:24 157’ up

Tuesday, 4/9: Rest Day/ Yoga

Wednesday, 4/10: 10 miles with 7.52 at goal marathon pace (8:35 I believe today?) & lotsa strength

Thursday, 4/11: 8.5 miles easy at i’m not sure what pace with 480’ up

Friday, 4/12: 5 miles easy @ 9:58 and lotsa strength

Saturday, 4/13: Rest day. 9.5 hours in the car….fun!

Sunday, 4/14: Another rest day!

Total Mileage: 31.05 miles

Total Elevation: 637’ up



Eugene/50 Miler Training RUNdown Week 14: 3/25-3/31

Last week was a recovery week and I’m surprised at how many days it took me to recover from the week before! I think these recovery weeks have been key in insuring that I have time to rest and not get sick. Normally I catch a cold/ sinus infection at least once per cycle, but so far- I have had none! I also focus on sleeping in during these weeks and got up early to run just one day. I still maintain my strength work and really focus on listening to my body - if it’s tired or not feeling speed work, then I just do the mileage as easy miles instead.

Monday, 3/25: 3.43 miles easy at 10:22 13’ up - after work in the sunshine!

Tuesday, 3/26: 1.5 mi warmup / 9 miles tempo (actual - 5.5 miles and my legs felt like jelly. cut it short / .5 mile cool down & extra strength—> i.e. extra wall squats ; )

Wednesday, 3/27: Rest day!

Thursday, 3/28: 6.26 miles easy at 9:58 79’ up & strength

Friday, 3/29: cross training day! 130 stairs climbed & 1/3 mile swim. Followed by soaking in the hot springs

Saturday, 3/30: Rest day! Yoga

Sunday, 3/31: 6.54 miles easy at 9:53 561’ up & strength. Finally felt back to normal on this run and legs felt really good.

Total Mileage: 23.73 miles

Total Elevation: 653’ up



Eugene/50 Miler Training RUNdown Week 13: 3/18-3/24

Happy Humpday! This week is FLYING by. I’m partially happy about that and sad because that means that my recovery week is coming to an end. I got a massage yesterday and WOW did that make a HUGE difference! I’m so glad that I listened to my body and booked one ASAP. Massages & sleep are two of my favorite ways to speed up recovery (and stay injury-free)- along with also increasing my GOOD calories. I’m eating so much lately it’s slightly ridiculous, but I know that food = fuel = less likely to get injured.

Last weeks training went pretty amazing. I was within ~.5 mile of breaking my weekly mileage training high (I peaked for MS Run The US at 67 miles!). I will absolutely cross that barrier during the next two weeks of training and then I’ll do a mini-taper for Eugene (mid 50s for mileage). Then a mini-ramp up again (mid 60s) for my 50 miler before tapering again. My training plan had the next 3 weeks as a big training block, but since I’m wanting to race Eugene I will be cutting one of those weeks out and switching back to Hanson’s Marathon Method for the two weeks leading up to Eugene (my taper). Then I’ll pick back up with the training plan from this book following Eugene (with run/walking for the first week or so to aid in recovery). I’ve done something similar with my MS Run The US training, but using myself as a guinea pig (to hopefully someday become a running coach!).

Monday, 3/18: 6.36 miles easy 10:11 328’ RUNch. Ran to the library & back!

Tuesday, 3/19: 12 miles with 1.5 warmup / 9 miles @ goal marathon effort (8:30 today)/ 1.5 miles down & strength

Wednesday, 3/20: yoga to start the day & 6.95 miles easy 9:58 198’ up RUNch miles

Thursday, 3/21: 8 miles. 20 minute warmup / 4 x 6 min uphill (3 min 6% run & 3 min 12% hike) with 3 min recovery / 5 min easy / 3 x 2 min 3% run (90 sec recovery)/ 5 min easy cool down & a tiny bit of strength. I tried to get this done in the morning, but got a mile into my run and was STARVING. So, I took that as a sign and cut the run to get in some good fuel. Had the afternoon free, so got my run in on the treadmill instead.

Friday, 3/22: 10.16 mi easy 10:45 min/mi 169’ up. I struggled with this one. There was so much black ice that I had to cut it after 6 outside (and my plan for my long long run this morning) and then got in the remaining 4 on the treadmill.

Saturday, 3/23: 22 miles easy 11:37 3, 329’ up & strength. This run was on the slower end, but mentally I felt AWESOME. Who else can run 22 miles on their own with insane hills like that?! This run was a HUGE mental boost for my 50 miler because it gains around 5,000’ in elevation so I didn’t have too many more hills left to go to get there (and that’s spread out over 50 miles!). Recovered with some delicious brunch, foam rolling, legs up the wall, and epsom salt bath. Loving Spring Energy as fuel, but I didn’t fuel as much as I really should have for this run (so much weather elements- wind, rain, snow, ice, sun, clouds!)

Sunday, 3/24: Rest day! Yoga.

Total Mileage: 66.47 miles

Total Elevation: 5, 031’ up