Mile Markers: Normal Training

After the Snohomish Women’s Half Marathon, I spent about three weeks doing easy, shorter runs. This week, I finally felt the itch to build back up my mileage a little bit and add back in some workouts.  The return to routine felt good – I enjoyed the pop of faster running in my legs and how it felt to run normal mileage again. The recovery weeks served their exact purpose of making training feel fun and refreshing again.

Monday: 6 mile easy run

Ryan and I took Ollie out for an easy run on a flat, scenic paved trail. The trail was busy with cyclists, runners, and walkers out for the holiday weekend. Ollie attempted to race a few cyclists, but overall we kept a comfortable pace. 

Ryan and I spent Memorial Day brewing our first batch of beer for the year. After chatting with employees at our local homebrew shop, we decided to try brewing out outdoors rather than on our small stove. 

Tuesday: 3 miles at tempo (7 miles total)

I prefer long warm-ups and short cooldowns on hard workouts. I don’t mind running for 2-3 miles before the faster running begins, but once the workout is done, I don’t like to cool down for very long. Maybe it’s psychological, but the workout feels better this way. The three tempo miles were in the 7:07-7:10 range on some gentle rollers. 

Wednesday: 7 miles easy

Like many of my easy run days, I split this into two parts: 3 miles with Charlie, 4 miles with Ollie. Charlie loves warmer summer mornings and was so excited to run. 

Thursday: 8 x 2 minute fartlek (7 miles total) & strength training

I plan on running a local hilly 5K soon, so I ran my fartlek along part of the course. Based on the terrain, I ran a 6:13-6:44/mile for the 2-minute repeats. 

Strength training kicked my butt in a good way. I had seen on Instagram a kettlebell variation of deadbugs, which I just had to try. Those were hard, in such a good way. 

Ryan and I joined a gym, and it’s amazing how much of a difference it makes in my strength training. I’m far more motivated to commit to a longer strength workout with so many pieces of equipment and options for weights. 

3 sets of:
5 eccentric pull-ups
10 kettlebell swings (30 lbs.)
10 kettlebell single leg deadlifts (30 lbs.)
10 kettlebell goblet reverse lunges (30 lbs)
5 kettlebell windmills per side (20 lbs.)
10 TRX inverted rows
10 kettlebell deadbugs (15 lbs)
10 side plank twists
5 barbell deadlifts (65 lbs.)
5 box jumps

Friday: Rest 

We went on a long walk, since the weather was too nice not to be outside. 

Saturday: 5 mile run & strength training

Our new gym is right along part of the paved trail system, which makes for a convenient workout. Most of our route was under tree cover along a creek leading to a river and the shade was appreciated on an unusually warm morning.

Ryan and I partnered up for our strength session: bench presses, barbell deadlifts, barbell squats, eccentric pull-ups, weighted deadbugs, weighted single leg bridges, box jumps, and TRX rows. 

Afterward, we enjoyed smoked salmon scrambles at our favorite brunch spot. I was hungry after the back-to-back workouts! 

Sunday: 3 mile easy run

Ryan, Ollie, and I ran three easy miles. My legs were a bit sore from strength training at the start and the run definitely helped relieve the soreness. 

Linking up with Weekly Wrap! 

How was your week in running?
Do you prefer longer warm-ups or longer cooldowns?