hinckley lake – Masher Runs

Week two is in the books, and it went so much better than the first. I was happy to be back on somewhat of a routine, but having friends around to join in my runs helped to keep me on track. I’m definitely feeling a lot more confident about training after this past week. Especially because I hit my highest mileage in a single week since Wineglass training!

Monday: 0

Tuesday: 5.5 Miles, 1 mile w/u, 3×1600 with 400 recovery (9:05, 8:57, 8:57), 1 mile c/d + Abs & Lifting

Wednesday: 7.1 Miles + Abs

Thursday: 6 Miles + Abs, Butt & Arms from Daily Workout App (DWA)

Friday: 0

Saturday: 12.22 + Abs

Sunday: 0

Total: 30.82 Miles

Even looking over each day, I feel a bit exhausted! I skipped any sort of yoga on Monday, mostly because I just can’t get into it by myself. Which is fine, because Monday is rest or yoga, but hopefully I can find a yoga class to join that fits my schedule.

Tuesday I wasn’t feeling so hot, so instead of going to the gym, I stuck to the treadmill. I had mile repeats on the schedule, so I pushed through and got them done, just above the time I needed. I think I’m actually starting to enjoy speed work on the treadmill because it keeps me focused on the pace, even if it doesn’t exactly line up with the set speeds. I followed up with abs and a little bit of lifting.

Wednesday I met up with the marathon girls and we ran along Lester Trail. My legs were a bit stiff from Tuesday, but it felt good to be on softer ground. I hadn’t been able to run Lester much since the time change, so it was nice to get out there and run one of my favorite trails. Once I got home, I did some abs.

Thursday was a bit tough. My legs were definitely feeling the increase in mileage, but I wasn’t going to back out of the run. I met up with Mallory and we ran two loops at Hinckley Lake. It was a nice change, but it can still be a bit challenging with the smaller hills. We kept an easy pace and walked the slippery bridges, no need to fall and injure ourselves!

So peaceful, but so chilly.

After I got home, I tried a new app that Jennifer had mentioned to us. Daily Workout App or DWA from now on, has a variety of workouts ranging from 5-10 minutes and focuses on different parts of the body. I had been using workouts I’d found from Pinterest, but from now on, I’ll be using this to tone my abs, arms, legs,etc. I think it will be perfect to keep me motivated on lifting and my ab routine.

Home screen of Daily Workout App. So many options!

Saturday was my long run, and I met up with a group of 10-12 at Hinckley. Some of us came early and ran a lake loop. After we finished, we met up with the rest of the group and headed out for our road loop. I hadn’t done a long run in a while, so I was a bit concerned how this would go. The first three miles, most of us stuck together, which helped the miles fly by. It was about the three mile point of the road loop/sixth mile of the day, I took advantage of a decent sized hill and walked/fueled while I had the chance. But once I got to the top, I found myself in between groups and spent the next two miles trying to catch up. Eventually I decided to just do my own thing, and run the pace I was comfortable with. I ended up running the last six miles alone but always had the next group in sight. Typically I would have dreaded being by myself, but I spent the time reflecting on the year, thinking of what I want to accomplish in the next 12 months, and singing “Hello” by Adele.

Tough run, but Bart Yasso approves!

I planned on doing a recovery run on Sunday, but my legs were really sore. I jumped a bunch in mileage, and I didn’t want to overdo it this early on in the training cycle. Instead, we watched the entire Making a Murderer series. Netflix marathon for marathon training? It works.

Overall this week was so much better than last. I ran more, I drank more water and I was able to sneak in a few extra minutes of sleep each day. Mentally I feel a lot more prepared for training, and I just hope I can keep the momentum up.

*Also, Nuun is currently having a discontinuation sale on three of it’s flavors. Right now, Kona Cola, Lemon Tea, and Lemonade are just $4.00! Watermelon is also on sale, but not being discontinued. So stock up before they’re gone!

With week 7 complete, we’re half way through training for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Half Marathon. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well training is going, even with a few bumps in the road. My long run is already longer than it was at this point last year, and I’m at the highest mileage during the first three months of the year than I can ever remember. It’s been a painful winter, but I think it will pay off.

Monday- 0

Tuesday-5 Miles

Wednesday- 5 Miles, 1 Mile, 5×800, .5 Mile

Thursday- 0

Friday- 0

Saturday- 1.5 Miles, 1 Hour Yoga

Sunday- 12.6 Miles

Total Miles- 24.1 Miles

Something I was excited to start this month was the new MCRR 30 day challenge. Last month were planks, but I could only make it so far without struggling. But I’m excited for this challenge…buns, guns and abs! Darren has also joined in, so suddenly it has become a competition.

Tuesday was spent on the indoor track, which I actually missed for once. It felt so good to be moving around, rather than staying on the treadmill. Mallory and I ran 5 easy miles, pushing the speedwork to Wednesday.

Wednesday I ran my 800’s at home on the treadmill. I was feeling a little feverish all day, so I was hoping to sweat it out. I pushed myself more than I normally do on this workout, and hopefully it will pay off.

Saturday I wanted to try something new, so I went to the local yoga studio for an hour of relaxation. I started with a 1.5 mile warm up run, and an hour of super warm yoga. It was a good class, but a little warmer than I was used to. I’m definitely interested in going back and trying a few other classes. I think getting back into yoga will help with my hips and hopefully keep me from getting injured.

Sunday I was finally able to do a long run outside. We went to Hinckley Reservation and were met with almost perfect road conditions. There were a few spots of ice, but with the temps between 25-35 degrees during our run, it was perfect!

Morning miles on the back roads

We had a group of 5 and we kept a pretty steady pace. The 9 mile loop is full of hills of all sizes, and considering I hadn’t run anything with major hills for a while, I was a little nervous. I made it through and even tackled Effie without stopping, knowing the hardest part of the run was over at 6.5 miles in.

Looking down on Effie, with no sight of the beginning

We finished up the 9 mile loop and dropped three runners off. Mallory and I hit the lake loop to get up to 12 for the day, dodging ice and conquering some smaller hills. I’m looking forward to warmer weather and hitting up the lower loop and trails without falling.

Hinckley Lake

Even though our pace was slower than normal it was still great to get out there and get the miles in. I always feel like running Hinckley is more of a challenge than most places, but I also feel that I’ve pushed myself harder as well. I’m still getting used to the hills and each time I can tackle Effie, I know I’m getting stronger.

Hills, hills, and more hills!

Half way done with training, and my long runs are exceeding expectations. I’m looking forward to continuing my speed work and making my long runs stronger.