This week FLEW by! You won’t see my complaining but I can’t believe it is already time for my weekly recap.
As you all know, this week was the start to my 10k training plan. The purpose of the next 12 weeks is to take a step back from distance running and work on my speed. Working on speed and running higher mileage can be dangerous so this allows me to really focus on speed before I move into full on marathon training.
Before I get into how my first week went, here is a breakdown of the workouts this week.
Monday (4/28)
8 miles:
2 mile warm up
8 x 400 (averaged 1:40 per 400)
400 m jog in between each
2 mile cool down
Tuesday (4/29)
5 miles w/ strides
Wednesday (4/30)
5.5 miles:
45 minute fartlek:
1 mile warm up
1 minute (7:03 pace) x 2 minutes (9:30 pace) repeat until 45 minutes
cool down
Thursday (5/1)
5 miles easy
Friday (5/2)
Rest Day
Saturday (5/3)
8 miles easy
Sunday (5/4)
1 mile warm up
20 minutes hard effort (approx. 8 minute pace)
1 mile cool down
The first part of the week was the toughest. Monday’s workout was pretty killer. In all honesty, looking back on it I probably should have slowed it down a bit so I wasn’t so wiped out after.
It took several days for my legs to really feel rested again.
I was proud I listened to the training and took the easy days easy. That has been a problem for me in the past. There is a point to every run, even if that point is simply to relax and recover.
I’ve decided that I will be repeating weeks 1 and 2 of the training plan to help get to the 12 weeks of speed training I had planned. This coming week I will begin week 2 and then repeat 1 and 2 again. This will also allow somewhat of a “step back” week after 2 pretty tough weeks.
Here is a look at this coming week:
The days may be switched around slightly due to my schedule.
I’m excited that I am already seeing subtle improvements. My “slow” pace is getting easier, not huge amounts yet but I am excited to see where I will be in several weeks.
On top of sticking to my running schedule I also fit in 4 days of strength training. I am pretty sure that is a new record for me. I am still primarily focusing on my core, back, hips and quads. I do a few upper body strength exercises as well.
Another focus this past week was doing my meals a little differently. I usually am a 3 meal a day eater. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. There may be a small snack thrown in during the evening.
I was noticing though that my energy levels were all over the place. I decided this week to start eating 6 smaller meals per day. I still have the breakfast, lunch and dinner but instead now I add a mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and evening snack.
I started it Wednesday and even after just a few days I have noticed a bit difference in my energy levels. I am really hoping this helps in my recovery as well.
This was an example of my mid-afternoon snack on Friday. Apple with peanut butter and honey. Delicious!
Are you a big meal eater or 5-6 small meals?
How did your training go this week?.
looks like you had some good workouts. I eat 3 big meals a day plus something small in the afternoon and sometimes before bed. 6 small meals never worked for me because I like eating until I’m full and then not having to think about food for a while. Eating paleo has helped stablize my energy levels so the 3 meals works well and I don’t get energy crashes.
I have never done Paleo but I do have a few books with paleo recipes. Just trying it out it seems to really help me these week we will see if it continues to!
Congrats on a great week! Obviously you should do you and you’re not showing us a whole day so there’s noooo way of us knowing, but for me personally, there’s no way that small amount of fat would sustain me with all that activity!! Or maybe I just love nut butter so I can’t imagine that tiny of a serving :).
Haha well it was about a tablespoon of PB. I can get REALLY carried away with nut butters but it seemed to be the perfect amount for the apple. I end up eating every 2-3 hours so it kept me full until dinner! 🙂
Great tips on incorporating speed work into your fitness routine. I need to start that. My schedule is so crazy when i work since I don’t do a 9-5 job so I eat whenever I can, which is so difficult. However, on my days off I try to eat very healthy and stay in to cook.
I am enjoy this break from distance training for more speed. I am surprised how many miles that go along with a 10k training plan! It’s tough but so worth it. I know how you feel when I used to work 9-5 it took A LOT of planning to make sure I ate right.
I usually like to eat big meals later in the day, like for dinner. I usually like to eat smaller meals throughout the day
I tend to snack more thru the day, but just depends! Whew girl, those workouts look tough! Good job!!
Anything with peanut butter and I will probably eat haha. Your work outs look tough but good for you for doing your easy runs easy, I know how hard it is to go “easy.” My pacing is always so terrible when it comes to easy runs
Yeah taking the easy runs easy is always tricky! 🙂
I definitely eat 5-7 times a day. Even if I eat a large breakfast I’m starving at 10am. 🙂
I am the same way Diana!