second sole group run – Masher Runs

Well here we are, the time between two training plans and I need to prevent myself from losing everything I’ve done over the past 11 months. So, to make sure that I’m still putting in the time and miles, I wanted to start up my weekly fitness recaps again. It’s my way of making sure I’m not letting everything go, but also, a time where I can try new things without it messing up any formal training plans.

Monday- 3.4 Miles, 9:35 average pace
Tuesday- 4.25 Miles, 10:35 average pace
Wednesday- Off
Thursday-4.4 Miles, 9:00 average pace
Friday- Off
Saturday- Off
Sunday- 3.2 Miles, 8:48 average pace
Total – 15.25 Miles, 9:30 average pace

I was actually pretty nervous to get back into a regular routine, but I knew I needed it. My running had been pretty sporadic over the past few weeks, so I felt like I was extremely out of shape even though I knew I wasn’t. Knowing this would be the last week of evening runs with a sliver of daylight, I tried to get as many miles outside as I could.

Monday and Tuesday were probably my last outdoor runs of the year in shorts. Monday I stuck to the developments checking out Halloween decorations, and Tuesday, I met up with Mallory and we ran Blue Heron. Nothing says Halloween week like running an abandoned golf course at night! Both runs were enjoyable, but Blue Heron definitely pushed my legs because of all the hills. Even during my best week of marathon training, I couldn’t break a 10:15 average pace because of all the ups and downs.

Thursday I met up with Second Sole, and we ran to Roscoe Park and back. We really only got about a mile and a half of decent daylight before we relied on my headlamp and our own memory of the path. It felt a little like the Blair Witch project, but it was a good run, with a faster crowd so I was able to push myself more than I would on my own.

Sunday, after watching the New York City Marathon, I couldn’t help but want to lace up and head outside. I warmed up with Darren, but after about a quarter mile, I headed to the back roads and ran some rollers. I pushed myself to run an 8:50 pace on the smaller ones, and 8:40 pace on the larger ones. And while I know I can go faster, it was nice to ease myself in after focusing so much on distance rather than speeds.

I spent most of my time running routes with rolling hills and navigating the dark. I ended up with just a little over 15 miles, which is right where I want to be. The month of November, I’d like to stay between 15-20 miles per week, just enough to keep me active, but not too much I’ll get burnt out. December I’d like to push the mileage to 20-25 a week, the perfect amount to build my base for spring training. For my first true week back post marathon, I’d say I did pretty good.

The first week of marathon training is complete and I don’t think it could have gone any better! Monday I was finally able to get back to Body Fusion, and after a month off I could tell the difference. I started with lighter weights, but felt great the entire time. I was sore the next day, but over time I’ll get right back to where I was before my May break.

Tuesday I headed to the track for my first speed session of the cycle. I met with some members of MCRR, and we started our warm up together. I originally wanted to hit them at 8:15-8:30, knowing I wasn’t used to the heat, I wanted to be cautious. But my legs had other plans. I started out a little too quick, and kept trying to slow myself down. Apparently it didn’t work, because my 800m split of my first mile was at a 6:25 pace. Whoa! Eventually I got my legs under control and I ended up with two sub 8 minute miles. I went back and forth about trying a third one, but my legs were getting a little sore, so instead I opted for an 800 and followed it up with a mile cool down. I hadn’t run those mile times since college, so it was a nice surprise to see those little 7’s on my watch again!

Feels good to be back

Wednesday I stopped by my parent’s house after work for a short recovery run. I convinced my dad to ride his bike with me (he’s been on a 60+ day cycling streak!) and we went for a short out and back. I held up a pretty fast pace for a recovery run, but I enjoyed every moment of running on my old streets again. Sometimes you need to get back to where it started and really just let go. I may have also felt like a rock star with my own personal entourage.

Thursday I ran with Second Sole Medina and MCRR out at Buckeye Woods. We started out as a group, but as the first mile went on, it was a little too quick for my liking. We spread out and I ended up with a few members as we tried to slow down our pace. We did a loop around the marsh, then headed out toward the inlet and back. I ended up with a little over 4 miles and an 8:37 average pace.

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

Tuesday: 4 Miles, 1/2 Mile W/U, 2×1600(7:28, 7:45),1×800(3:55), 1 Mile C/D

Wednesday: 3 Miles

Thursday: 4 Miles

Friday: Off

Saturday: 13 Miles

Sunday: 1 Mile

Total Miles: 25 Miles

Saturday I met up with a few MCRR members and went out to Hinckley to run my first trail loop in the park. I was definitely excited and a little nervous. Most trails I’m used to are flat and relatively easy. Knowing I’d be up for 13 miles of trails I’d never experienced, well…I wasn’t sure what I was in for. Over the span of a couple hours we climbed rocks, jumped streams, trail blazed through grass, ventured single track and much more.

Hello trails!

I had such a fun time, and forgot how much harder it is to run trails than it is roads. I enjoyed every minute of the run and look forward to adding more miles on my shoes doing a little off road running.

Stream jumping

I enjoyed the trails so much, that I ended up at Second Sole that afternoon testing out trail shoes. Due to my tiny feet they’ll arrive later this week, but I was also able to pick up a pair of the Asics Kayano 20 as my second shoe for rotation. I’m hoping this will cut down on damage to the shoe as I add on miles, and keep any injuries away from my legs.

One pair had more fun than the other

And naturally I couldn’t let them sit in their box all weekend, so I did a short shake out/recovery run on Sunday. I was definitely sore from the trails, but it was nice to get a morning run in before all of the rain.

I’m excited to jump into the second week of training. I’m a little sore from standing for about 4 hours straight on concrete Sunday night, but hopefully that will wear down throughout the day. I’ll be switching my long run to Sunday as I run the Park 2 Park Half Marathon this weekend. One week down, 17 to go!

How many shoes do you keep in rotation? Do you prefer trails or road?