Training Rundown: 3/22-3/28

It’s been a few days 😅I ended up getting a head cold at the end of last week and then went into a 4-day work stretch and THEN we found a house! So, I’ve been a bit busy and blogging had to take a backseat, but I’m back! I had a solid training week and am heading into my taper already?!? I have no idea what time goal I should have for my race next week, but I know that I definitely want to STAY POSITIVE and HAVE FUN! I’ve missed racing so so much and cannot wait to just be able to pop a bib on again.

Monday, 3/22: 1 hour super easy & some stretching before a night shift

Tuesday, 3/23: 10 up/ 4 x 6min at 7:45/ 10 down & 15 minutes of PT exercises before another night shift

Wednesday, 3/24: 45 minutes easy & 30 minutes of strength

Thursday, 3/25: 5 miles easy/ 6 miles at 8:10/ 1 mile at 9:00/ 4 miles easy & 15 minutes of Pilates

Friday, 3/26: 1:10 minutes easy & 30 minutes of strength

Saturday, 3/27: Rest Day

Sunday, 3/28: Scheduled to do an hour of cross training, but woke up feeling super congested so decided to take another rest day plus had to work!

Total Miles: 37.73 miles

Training Rundown: 3/15-3/21

Humpday! I have a few days off before another 4-day work stretch, so am trying to savior the time off as much as possible. Last week I had a really long work week (was at the hospital everyday for 7 days straight), so training definitely took a backseat. I think I’ve gotten a lot better at stepping back from running when I recognize that I’ve got additional stress going on. It’s almost super important to realize and honor your body when you do have that additional stress (running and training is stress, but so is being on your feet at work all day). I’ve also gotten better at prioritizing sleep. Rather than getting up early to run/workout if I’m going to be getting less than 7 hours of sleep, I push my workout to later in the day. It’s no longer worth it (to me) to lack sleep or put additional stress on my body when I don’t really need to.

Monday, 3/15: 45 minutes easy & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday, 3/16: 10 min easy/ 4 x 7 min hard (3 min recovery)/ 10 min easy

Wednesday, 3/17: 1 hour easy & 35 minutes strength training

Thursday, 3/18: Rest Day

Friday, 3/19: 10 min up/ 20 minutes at 8:00; 5 at 9:00; 16 minutes at 8:00/ 6 minutes cool down and 30 minutes of strength. Finally got around to doing this run at 7pm (and did the run split-up between dinner). Sometimes, you just have to make it work. I immediately fell asleep on the couch at 9pm afterwards 😂

Saturday, 3/20: Rest Day again- saw a few potential homes (got out-bid on one that we put an offer on) & had lunch with Alex’s parents!

Sunday, 3/21: 4 mile walk outside & 1 hour of Pilates and yoga. Achilles felt a bit tight, decided to rest from a run and do extra stretching/ other stress-relieving activities

Total Mileage: 23.3 miles

Feature Friday: Why Racing Mindset Is So Important

Happy Friday! I picked up an overtime shift this week, so I worked last night (gotta save up for that house we’re trying to buy!) and am very much looking forward to lots of SLEEP this weekend. I recently hit my 2 year anniversary from running my strongest half marathon (not my PR) and wanted to share some tips that I learned from racing it (since hopefully we’ll get to race again REAL SOON!).

Mindset is 90% of race day. You’ve done the training, put in those longer runs, pushed your limits, and it’s now all in your head & heart to perform to your potential. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve raced and gotten into really terrible mindsets/ talked myself out of performing to the best of my ability. It’s the races where I’ve remained super positive and stuck on my goals that I’ve raced really well (for me).

It’s also much more challenging to keep your mind positive in longer races because you have more time to think (obviously). I still need to work on my mind during marathons, but feel like I’ve gotten much better at remaining positive in half marathons. The best 26.2s that I’ve had all included me smiling and enjoying the race basically the entire time.

I’d love to know what your favorite races were and WHY. Did you smile the entire time and what was your race mentality (did you even have one?)

Training Rundown: 3/8-3/14

Humpday & St.Patty’s Day! I wish I had planned something festive for the day, but I haven’t. I guess there’s still time! What’s your favorite St.Patty’s Day food? Irish Stew, Corned Beef, or Soda Bread? I actually haven’t tried any of these. Maybe this year should be ‘the year’?!

Monday, 3/8: 10 minutes on the indoor trainer, 35 minutes of strength, & 9 x 800m

Tuesday, 3/9: 1 hour easy run between night shifts

Wednesday, 3/10: 20 minutes of strength & 45 minute easy run

Thursday, 3/11: 35 minutes of Pilates & PT exercises & 3:15 long run

Friday,3/12: 15 minutes on the indoor trainer, 25 minute tempo run, & 35 minutes of strength

Saturday, 3/13: Rest Day

Sunday, 3/14: Another rest day! Originally planned to do yoga after work, but the time change got the best of me and I fell asleep almost directly after work.

Total Mileage: 43.08 miles & ALL OUTDOOR RUNS!

Feature Friday: Why Take A Rest Day?

Happy Friday! This is basically like my Sunday, since I have to work for the next four days so I’m taking advantage of the day off and trying to get as many chores done as possible. I like to get all my meal prep and clothes laid out in the morning so I can have the rest of the day to do fun things (like running or reading)! My body is TIRED from my 19.5 mile long run yesterday, so I’m very much looking forward to my rest day tomorrow. I am NOT looking forward to losing an hour of precious sleep Sunday morning (since I already get very little sleep between my shifts), but it will be so nice for it to be lighter out later in the evenings. YAY for longer days ahead.

So, why are rest days important each week? They allow your body time to recovery, replenish, ‘fill its tank’ for the week ahead, and adapt to the previous weeks training load. If you never take rest days (I.e. very gentle movement), then you’re putting your body at an increased risk for injury or burn-out.

Everyone’s body is different, so some can run everyday of the year and never get injured, but it’s also important to recognize that they are probably also running at a wide range of speeds to give their body the necessary time it needs to adapt and get stronger. When we rest, our muscles rebuild the fibers that slowly get broken down during harder/longer training runs. I like to think of it as we’re stitching our body back together.

It’s good to get some movement in your body during rest days- like walking, yoga, light cycling, gentle stretching, or swimming to help stimulate the blood flow to your muscles (helps repair them faster), but listen to your body. Sometimes I really just need a day of total ‘nothingness’ and that’s OK! Over time, you’ll come to know your body better and be able to recover from your workouts more efficiently.

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—How do you like to spend your rest days?
-Favorite cross-training activity?