Got a little off track when it comes to training logs... the week prior to this was pretty much a wash thanks to a snowstorm in Texas followed by going out of town over the weekend. I ran two miles total the week before this. I love how far I have come when it comes to not stressing about a week off, but I often think I'm going to launch back into training and just light it on fire with all that rest. This week is proof that that is not necessarily the case - it was a tough week.
Monday: Rest Day. We were traveling.
Tuesday: Today I did the workout I had planned to do the previous week (but couldn't do because there were 6 inches of snow on the ground and it was -5 degrees outside at the time). I know that's not a big deal for those who live in cold climates, but in Texas we are NOT EQUIPPED. The workout was 1.5 miles at HM goal pace x 2 with a 90 second rest in between sets. This is a modification of the workout I did two weeks before the storm (3 miles at HM pace) because that one bothered my hammie, and my PT suggested trying a modified version with a rest in the middle to improve the sensitivity. The goal with the hamstring is to continue to see progress without sensitizing it, which means finding a balance between work that aggravates it and work that strengthens it while getting back to baseline within 24 hours. First rep was right on target, second rep was slower than I'd like, but it was my first run longer than 2 miles in a week, so I'll take it. (6.75 miles total).
Wednesday: EZ Miles in the morning + 30 min strength workout in the afternoon. Normally I like to do strength on Tuesday and Thursday, but Tuesday evening was chaotic. This week I had an issue with my soleus muscles tightening up and it didn't really resolve until Friday. I did manage to do some rolling on a tennis ball on Wednesday evening. (5 miles total)
Thursday: I have been running 8 miles on Thursdays for a few months now, and I figured I'd just do my usual for this week even though I could tell my body was not responding very well to the combination of launching back into a full training load after a week mostly off + a stressful week at work + probably didn't quite fuel my best (I didn't make it to the grocery store until Friday, so we ate a lot of leftovers and takeout this week). This was a terrible run - it was hard, it felt hard, and eventually I noticed how elevated my HR was getting and let my running buddies drop me. I made it through, but when I looked back at my Garmin data, I knew I had gone too hard relative to what my body had to give that day. (8 miles total).
Friday: Normally an easy day for me, but I didn't run since Thursday was so hard and I could tell my body was getting run down. I did a ~25 minute strength workout, but otherwise took the day to rest.
Saturday: Long run day! Although I did take it easy on Friday, my body must not have been fully recovered, because my heart rate was pretty high again today. It was also quite humid here, which never helps. I did 10 total and that was all I had to give. However, I got a nap in later in the day which was truly life-giving. Naps FTW, y'all.
Sunday: I had to be at work early in the morning, so I opted for some extra sleep and ran in the afternoon. Today I really took it easy - turned on a podcast and just let my legs go at whatever speed felt good and kept my heart rate low. (6.5 total).
Weekly Mileage: 36.25
Positives: Taking extra time off when my body needed rest; getting back into a routine after a couple of crazy weeks
Areas for improvement: Not trying to "win" my weekly runs (meaning - going faster/harder than your body really wants or needs to go based on pride, ego, or trying to keep up with others)
In March I'll be (hopefully) getting my mileage back on track after a lower mileage month in February (thanks to the weather!) and changing up my training schedule a little bit to keep things fresh mentally and progressing physically. I have a goal race at the end of April (it's very small, has extra safety precautions in place, and I am fortunate enough to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19), so I'll be building towards that. I am also continuing to work on getting comfortable with discomfort, which I recognize is something I have room to grow in as an athlete.
What are you working on this month?
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