I updated my About Me page this week. It was completely out dated so I figured it was time for a little revamping!

 

I honestly miss doing my weekly marathon training posts. Not only were they fun to write, but I still like to look back on them for reference. It’s also a great way to look back and see your progress.

I thought even though I’m not actively training for a specific race right now, I’d still share my running for the week. I haven’t really talked about it much that week. That’s surprising right?!

 

Last week was my first week bringing back in some small speed workouts on Tuesday and Thursday. I decided since I was still feeling pretty good I’d try it again this week.

It will also give me a base for when I start back training here in several weeks. I’d love to be someone who can go out there every day and just run what they feel like, but I’ve noticed when I don’t have at least some type of plan it is much easier for me to just talk myself out of it.

 

Here is a break down of my running this week:

Monday

8 easy miles

8 Easy Miles


Tuesday

7 miles (workout) – More to come on that in a minute

Tuesday Workout


Wednesday

8 easy miles

 

Thursday

7 miles (workout) – More to come on that in a minute

Thursday Workout

 

Friday

Off

 

Saturday

11 miles

11 Miles
 After this I ran a 2.5 mile cool down for a total of 11 miles for the day.

 

Sunday

8 miles

 

I went on search for some new workouts for this week. I was tired of the typical track workouts (400s, 800s..etc) and the tempo runs. I wanted something different but still quick and fast.

Here is a look at Tuesday’s workout:

15 x 1 Minute Speed Workout

15 x 1 Speed Workout

Fast of course is a very relative term but I set out with a goal of keeping it in the 6:55 – 6:40 range. My first 5 were done at 6:49, second set of 5 at 6:44, 4 at 6:40 and the final at 6:30.

My legs were tired at first but they actually felt pretty good once I got started. It seems for me that when it comes to speed workouts the first set is always the hardest, then I get better. It’s a great workout to help breakup the time on the treadmill as well.

 

Here is a look at Thursday’s workout:

5 x 5 minute Speed Workout

I got this one from the great Bart Yasso.

After the warm up I ran the first 3 sets of 5 minute intervals at 7:24. The 4th interval I ran slightly faster at a 7:19 and then last I started at a 7:19 and ended at a 7:03.

This workout really felt like it flew by and was over before I knew it!

 

My goal going into this week was to shorten my workouts a little bit and then SLOW DOWN my easy days. Sometimes running in the early morning gets a little bit frustrating when it comes to pacing, but I really focused on slowing down and truly taking it wasy on Monday and Wednesday’s runs.

I really looked forward to my easy days this week and took full advantage of allowing my body to relax on the runs. Sometimes I run “easy” and don’t even realize I’m not relaxing.

This week I didn’t look at my watch while running, but each time it vibrated to let me know I had hit a mile, I looked at the pace just to make sure I was staying in range of “easy” for me.

 

Another focus this week was core work. I was going to begin going to the gym after work 2-3 times this week for strength trianing, but since it was my husband’s last week of nights and that would mean I wouldn’t see him at all on those days I opted to push that to start next week.

Core

During my marathon training, I did core work maybe 2-3 times a week. It was an improvement over the none I used to do but I knew I needed to make a bigger effort to do some sort of core work every day.

As a runner, a strong core goes a long way not only in improving your running but in keeping you injury free.

 

Every day this week at a minimum I did 3 x 1 minute planks. I’m hoping to work up my time as I get stronger. I also tried to fit in bicycle crunches, leg lifts and some mountain climbers if I had time.

Week days are tricky so I go by the motto something is better than nothing.

 

There you have it. Another week in the books and I felt so much better this week!

 

How did your running go this week?

How often do you do core work?

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