Weekly Workouts: Refresher

I took a slight cutback week last week. My goal is to reach 40+ miles per week soon and in order to do so, I needed to give my legs some time to refresh. Since I am increasing mileage to levels I have not hit in two years, I am including frequent cutback weeks to make the build sustainable. I was also feeling a bit heavy-legged from the previous weekend’s 10K time trial!

Isla started crawling this week. She spent most of the past four weeks progressing from rocking on her hands and knees to army-crawling. Now, she is fully crawling – just in time for Mother’s Day. She is in perpetual motion! 

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: 6 mile run

Even though we have a rain cover for the stroller, I’m hesitant to take it out in cold rain. Instead, I opted to run six miles on the treadmill. I used one of my favorite iFit courses with a few gentle incline changes and cruised along for six miles easy. 

Wednesday: 4 mile surges run & strength training

I woke up early to run before Ryan left for work. It takes a bit more time to get out the door early, since I still feed Isla as soon as I wake up. (As many moms will understand, it is a comfort thing – and it helps her sleep until 8-8:30 AM!). However, I can take the time to drink some coffee and wake up a bit, which helps me feel more alert on the run. 

I included 8 x 30 second surges, with 60-second easy in between. These felt sharp and snappy yet controlled; most of the surges were in the 6:15-6:30/mile pace range. 

After the run, I tried a new strength workout. I tried one of the precision workouts (stability ball) from Running Rewired. Some of the exercises were similar to the ones I completed in ReCore2, so the workout felt like an appropriate progression. 

Thursday: 6.2 mile stroller run

Since I want to increase my mileage, I am trying to moderate my effort better with the stroller. The stroller requires a fine balance, at least for me: if I generate a bit of force, it feels easier, but then I start creeping up from an easy run to a moderate run. I focused on controlling my effort more on this run and aimed for a ~9:00/mile pace. I averaged 8:53/mile and felt comfortable throughout. 

Isla currently enjoys yelling out of happiness, so more than few times she let out a joyful yet ear-piercing shriek. It often occurred when we passed a dog. 

Friday: 3 mile trail run

It has been forever since I ran on the trails! The park by our house was closed for months due to construction. They were laying down pipes to improve drainage, which will improve the park in the future but made it impossible to run in for a few months. Finally, the park is open again, so I took Ollie on an early morning easy run through the park. 

This was my #IRunWithMaud run. I still cannot fathom that someone could go on a run and get gunned down due to the color of their skin. It is beyond tragic, both the individual circumstance and what it indicates about our culture. It disgusts me that some people are filled with so much malice and hatred. I often take for granted how safe it is to run alone where I live. I currently coach and have coached people of various ethnicities and it upsets me greatly that any of them could ever be in fear during a run. 

Saturday: 6.2 mile progression run

I intended to run longer, but I delayed and then had a twinge of mom guilt. I started the first couple miles with Ryan and Isla, and then broke off for my own. I decided I didn’t want to be gone too long, so I picked up the pace and turned back home. My final three miles were 8:04, 7:53, and 7:42. At least since it was a cutback week, I did not feel bad about running less.

Sunday: 3 miles + strides & strength training

Ryan wanted to make me a big breakfast, but I wanted us to enjoy a mother’s day run together. We headed out for a family run after watching virtual church and enjoying coffee. At about one mile in, we observed some ominous clouds rapidly rolling in. We kept the run short to avoid getting caught in rain with a stroller. I quickly did some strides after my run and felt raindrops during those!

After breakfast and getting Isla down for her nap, I tried another workout from Running Rewired. Even with the modification of reps and sets, this one kicked my butt. It included burpees, lateral hops, bear crawls, and more. 

This coming week will focus again on building mileage. I am going to aim for ~38 miles before jumping into the 40+ range the following week! It feels good to be running higher (for me) mileage again. 

Linking up with Weekly Rundown! 

How often do you try new strength workouts?
How was your week in running?