The theme of my work week was 3:00 AM. I was up every morning before 4:00 AM to get in my runs. Not something I hope to repeat every single week, but I got it done!
I’ve spent a good part of the weekend catching up on sleep, and I think I am finally feeling more human again. The upcoming week will allow slightly later wake up times, which I look forward to embracing!
Now let’s get a bit more into the details.
Monday – 8 miles
I did my first workout of the week on Monday. I typically do Tuesday/Thursday but decided to switch things up this week.
My workout looked something like this: 2.5 mile warm up, 4 x (1:30 at 5k pace, 1:30 jog; 1:00 slightly faster, 1:00 jog; 30 seconds even faster, 30 seconds jog), 3 minutes recovery between sets, an a short cool down.
My pace per mile breakdown was: 9:48, 9:29, 8:56, 8:02, 8:10, 8:16, 8:05, 9:40
The workout wasn’t extremely difficult, but a good start to the week.
I honestly didn’t realize how much distance the workout would cover, so the original plan was not to run 8 miles.
Tuesday – 5 miles
I knew after Monday’s run ended up being a little longer than expected, that my miles would be cut back and slow.
My pace breakdown: 9:34, 9:00, 9:12, 9:29, 8:31
As you can see it was nice and slow. I really just focused on keeping my heart rate down.
I was racing the rain on this one, which you can tell by my hair I didn’t win.
Wednesday – 7 miles
I had two workouts in mind when Wednesday morning rolled around. To be honest, the moment my alarm went off and I rolled out of bed I knew it was going to be a tough one. I felt so tired and one workout was definitely easier mentally for me than the other, so the decision was made.
My workout was: 2 mile warm up, 2x – (5 minutes at half marathon pace, 2 minute jog, 3 minutes at 10k effort, 2 minute jog, and 1 minute at 5k effort), and a cool down for a total of 7 miles.
My pace breakdown per mile: 9:08, 8:37, 7:22, 7:49, 7:39, 8:19, 9:44
My body is definitely back to me, but my mental ability to want to do workouts isn’t quite there yet. I’ve kept them pretty simple and short this week and won’t rush it. Once I’m ready for harder ones, I’ll do them.
Thursday – 5 miles
I ran another very slow (for me) 5 miles on Thursday morning.
Here is a breakdown to show you: 9:46, 9:23, 9:29, 9:25, 8:36
I don’t think my legs even thought about running until about 4.5 miles in. Oh well, you can’t win them all! I was pretty beat after Thursday’s run. These early mornings catch up with you.
Friday – Off
I slept in until the wonderful hour of 6:00 AM, and it was amazing!
I guess that really makes me an adult when 6:00 AM is considered sleeping in.
Saturday – 10 miles
Going into my run on Saturday I didn’t have anything planned. I just wanted to run without any real plans and see how my body felt.
The first couple miles were slow and easy, just letting my body get into it. The weather was cool but sunny, which pretty much made for perfect weather.
I started to feel really good around mile 5 so I decided to pick up the effort a bit.
My final splits: 8:50, 8:30, 8:05, 8:06, 7:50, 8:03, 7:45, 7:37, 7:41, and 7:20.
I really felt like I was 100% back after this run. I’m still keeping my miles lower for a while, but it was nice to feel 100% like myself again.
Sunday – 5 miles
The goal is 5 slow an easy miles to cap off he week.
My mileage was a little higher this week, but only by about 2 miles. I’m okay with that as long as I know I don’t need to be working it up too much more.
Next week I will focus a bit more on 5k/10k type workouts and slowly try to start getting back into a speed focus. Again, I’m only doing it as my body allows so we will see how quickly it will adjust to quicker workouts.
The winners of both the Folgers Flavors and Hemp Hearts have been chosen. They have been emailed. Thank you to everyone who participated!
What are your running plans for the weekend?
How many workouts do you do a week?