Week three is complete, and the heat and humidity have arrived in full force. I’ve really been struggling with exhaustion and this week was no exception, in fact, it was actually worse. I haven’t been getting enough sleep, and although I don’t think it’s hurting my runs now, I want to make sure I don’t let it slip too far before I’m at much higher mileage.

I started the week with Body Fusion, and it was another tough class. I’m almost back to the weights I used before I took May off, but I can tell we’re also working harder in class too. My muscles are definitely coming back, but my jeans are fitting tighter, balance?

Tuesday I was back on the track, and decided on 800 repeats since I haven’t done them in about 5 years. I chose to run four and I think that’s just about all my body could handle. The heat and humidity were rough, but I was able to fight through and finish each 800 around the same time. I didn’t have an exact time I wanted to hit, but the 4 minute mark sounded like a good place to start. I have a lot of work to do on my 800’s, and Tuesday reminded me just how much I hate them.

Wednesday a few plans changed, so I went out for a run on my own. I’d been hearing of an old golf course that a few members of the group had run. The views were pretty, but the rolling hills were taking a toll on my legs. I only managed to get three miles in before the storm broke, but I think it was all that my legs could handle.

Thursday I took part in Ladies Night on the Square, so I intended to move my run to Friday. But by 4:30pm on Friday I was nursing a huge headache and was starting to feel sick. So I took the day off from running and hoped I’d be better by Saturday morning for my long run.

Monday: Body Fusion Class – 30 minutes of lifting/abs/squats & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday: 4 Miles, 1 Mile W/U, 4×800 repeats (3:52, 3:57, 4:04, 3:59), 1 Mile C/D

Wednesday: 3 Miles

Thursday: Off

Friday: Off

Saturday: Flirt with Dirt 10k + 5 Miles

Sunday: 4 Miles

Total Miles: 22 Miles

Saturday I ran the Flirt with Dirt Trail 10k, recap to come later this week. I managed to run a mile before and then followed it up with four road miles with Jeanne. The miles after were definitely a lot harder than I expected, but it was an easy way to get my long run for the day.

Sunday I was feeling pretty beat up from the trails, so I waited until about 8pm to run. I started on the trail and finished up in our development to get four in for the day. I kept it relatively easy for recovery and was glad I waited until evening.

With the exception of Friday, I just about hit all my miles. I don’t regret skipping the run because my body needed an extra rest day. I’m still getting used to running higher mileage and more days per week and my body is still catching up. I need to pay better attention to my sleep cycle and try to keep not only injury, but sickness away.

This next week I’ll be back on a regular schedule and I have a half marathon Sunday that I’ll use for pacing, and possibly add on additional miles. Three weeks are done, how is this going by so quick?