Friday, July 10, 2015

Fitness Friday

Hello and Happy Friday! This week really dragged at times, but I can't believe it's Friday already. Weird how that happens sometimes! This was kind of a rough training week, mainly due to shoe issues.

Saturday - 14 mile run, easy pace. I was supposed to do this on Sunday, but I knew I would be tired after the 4th of July and wanted to be able to eat what I wanted at the BBQ rather than being super careful (sticking to veggies, lean meats). That's no fun. So I got this done on Saturday morning instead. It was actually pretty pleasant, despite being on the warmer side. For the last two miles, I kept thinking about how an ice bath sounded really great. I've never done an ice bath before, but I know they're supposed to be really good for your legs post-run. When I got home, I tried it out with just cold water in my bath tub. Holy cow was that painful! I lasted all of 5 seconds...don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon!

I ran in my new shoes, and had almost no knee pain. Hooray! The left shoe of this new pair (Brooks Adrenaline) slips a little at my heel, so then I have to tie it up higher. But then it pinches a little at my ankle. So I'm not sure if I just need to break the shoe in a little more, or if it just isn't the right shoe for me. I'll run in it a few more times before making my mind up. Average pace: 9:39

Sunday - R&R.

Monday - Hip & lower leg strengthening exercises.

Tuesday - Hills. Oh hills! Love hate relationship, let me tell you. The workout was 1 mile warm up, 6 x (30 sec @ 7:10, jog down rest, 75 sec @ 7:50, walk down rest), 1 mile cool down. My paces were kind of all over the place, and definitely did not hit those prescribed paces. But they make a huge note that you should run this by effort, and it's ok if you don't hit those paces. I really tried though. I found a good hill, recommended by another local RC friend, than had that 6-7% grade we're supposed to aim for.


It doesn't look steep, but this was a KILLAH HILL. My paces were anywhere between 7:02 and 8:13 for the 30 sec repeats, and 8:03-8:23 for the 75 sec repeats. Then my legs were jello.

Wednesday - So sore. That sums up today. I was feeling ok yesterday, but sometime over the night my hips, glutes, and shins started letting me know that they didn't like that awesome hill workout yesterday. Uh, sorry body - get over it. So...off I went for an easy 5 miles. Hey, I had to shake things out a bit. Average pace was around 9:43. Also? Not loving my new shoes. I think I'm going to keep them for easy days, though. I ordered a pair of Saucony Guides for long runs, workouts and races, even though they are still a support shoe. Hopefully switching back and forth will make for a stronger foot and lower leg. That's the idea, anyway.

Thursday - rest and a few core strength exercises in the evening. Still walking like a duck, but slightly better.

Friday - Easy 3 miles, average pace of 9:44. Hips and glutes are feeling much better, although my shins are still a little sore. I concentrated on having "floppy feet" by relaxing the foot a bit, so hopefully that didn't add more strain to the area. It was a beautiful morning though, and still under 50 degrees. Which is why I am a morning runner #4life.

Tomorrow I'm running a local 10k, as part of my planned 11 mile long run. So I'm going to run 3ish miles there, do the race, and run 2 miles home. That should be interesting!

Do you have shoe issues? How do you feel about hill workouts?

4 comments:

  1. When I have shoe issues, usually changing to a new pair solves it. It's a bummer that your new pair isn't working out so well :(

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    1. Especially after spending $100 on them. I could always take them back, but eh...it's more of a hassle to drive down to the running store an hour away. I'll just work with them!

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  2. Great week of training Ali! Way to tough out those hills, and yes, always better to go by effort levels as our speed changes based off various factors that affect us! Glad you were feeling stronger by the end of the week. Keep an eye on those shins with icing and massage of the calf, and we hope your 10k goes well! Thanks for sharing!

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