Hi, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful St. Patty’s/ Pi Day weekend!
Life Lately
Spring finally (finally!) arrived in Northwest Indiana, which brought plenty of much-needed time outside for all of us. Nothing says spring like bright and beautiful flowers, which Ryan surprised me with. ( Also, I spy a puggle butt).
Saturday was Pi Day, which of course we had to celebrate! Pies are Ryan’s all-time favorite dessert. We had corned beef shepherd’s pie for dinner and I baked this pretty cinnamon-ginger apple pie. Pies have never been my baking forte, but I think I’m finally starting to master them…except the pretty lattice tops. Recipe coming soon on the blog!
Sunday morning we watched the LA Marathon, since one of my favorite runners, Sara Hall, was running her first marathon. Maybe it’s because we’re both northern Midwesterners, but 70 degrees seems so hot for running a marathon! Charlie was more interested in snuggling than watching the race.
St. Louis Go! Half Marathon Training Week 4
Training went so great this week, mostly because I got to run outside most days! I almost always run faster outside than I do on the treadmill, so I was glad to get to gauge my fitness as I get closer to the race. This week was also a recovery week, so I only ran five days and cut down my easy day mileage.
Monday: 8 miles fartlek run on the treadmill, 8:02/mile average pace. After a 2 mile warm-up, I ran 5 x 5 min at 8.4 (7:08/mile pace) with a 2 minute recovery job, followed by a 1.5 mile cool-down. I immediately followed it up with some squats, reverse lunges, single-leg deadlifts, single-leg bridges, and planks. The Go! course has a lot of downhill segments and I want to make sure my quads can manage the pounding.
Tuesday: 5 miles easy outside, 8:32/mile average, followed by 10 minutes of Pilates.
Wednesday: 9 miles with threshold intervals outside, 7:47/mile average pace. It was super humid when I started (96%!) and I was low on fuel since I waited for heavy fog to subside before leaving, so conditions weren’t ideal for this run. I ran a 2 mile warm-up, 3 x 2 miles at goal half marathon pace at (7:23, 7:27), (7:26, 7:27), and (7:29, 7:28). The last 2-mile repeat was hard, and I cut my cool-down short to get home and eat breakfast. I did run my repeats faster than expected, so hopefully my race day pace (7:30-7:35/mile) is well within reach!
Thursday: 3 miles recovery run outside with Charlie, 9:03/mile pace. He loves running so much and hasn’t been on a run since December! He was so happy during our run and kept a great pace—I had to rein him in to keep my pace easy. Of course, when I tried to take our picture after the run, Charlie stopped smiling and put on his pensive photo face. I followed the run up with this core workout.
Friday: 14 miles long run, 8:19/mile average pace. This was my longest run yet, and I loved it. The weather was perfect and the lower mileage this week left my legs feeling energized. I didn’t throw in the 4 mile fast finish my plan called for but instead focused on keeping a consistent pace throughout. Charlie, Ryan, and I walked about 2.5 miles later in the day, which kept me from feeling sore on Friday.
It’s amazing to see what progress we make in running! For my first half marathon in November, my goal was to run a sub-1:50. I beat that goal, and now I easily ran a 1:48 half during an easy training run!
No running on Saturday or Sunday, just plenty of wonderful long walks with my boys.
I’m having some trouble adjusting to running in spring weather after months of bundling up on runs or running in shorts and a tank on the treadmill, but these Brooks gloves have been the best. Ryan has the same pair and we both love them. They keep my hands warm but are wicked and ventilated enough that I don’t overheat when running in slightly warmer temperatures (mid-30s). (Not an affiliate link, just want to share a great product!)
Goals for Next Week
1. Lower my sugar intake. After making pie and some muffins to share on the blog, I want to cut back on sugar for the weeks before the race. Not eliminate it completely, but just clean up my diet a bit to optimize my nutrition during these peak weeks of training.
2. Hit my paces on my tempo run next week. I have a mid-week tempo run with 7 miles at race pace this week and it’s my longest effort at goal pace before the half marathon in April.
3. Remember to adjust my running routine to spring! This means less layers, allergy meds, and sunscreen!
Questions of the Day:
Did you race this weekend? How did it go?
What are your goals for next week?
If you have a dog, do you run with them?
8 Responses
I also tend to run faster outside than on a treadmill. It looks so sunny and nice in your pictures- I hope you are enjoying the spring running weather!
Thank you! We are enjoying the spring weather, especially since the weather is so fickle up here! Hope you are enjoying the spring weather as well or get to soon! 🙂
hahaha I love how you said about lowering sugar intake. That is how I feel every day, I tell people I am going to eat better, and you need to eat this and that, but then my sweet tooth rules, and I realize i post a lot about sugar!! You can do it, but celebrating pi day was a must! I did too! 🙂
I have such a sweet tooth! It doesn’t help that my mom and friends keep sending me ideas for desserts that they want to see made on the blog 🙂
I used to run with my dog Champ, and I seriously miss it. Ps love the puggle butt photo bomb behind the flowers!
The puggle butt bombs most of our photos! He loves the attention of the camera.
Great week and welcome back to the great outdoors! I am loving the warmer temps and lack of snow on the ground. I do run with my dog (she’s a whippet). It is her absolute favorite thing to do in the world, so it makes me happy to see her in her element!
Thank you! It is SO nice to finally not have any snow! That’s so cute about your dog – I love how much dogs love to run!