Second Half Marathon Training Week 5

Aaaah, vacation.  Being able to run outside in the mid-afternoon when the sun has warmed everything up into the 60s if it’s too cold in the morning.  Being able to not feel rushed out the door, and having the time to do a nice, lengthy stretch before getting cleaned up.  Moments like this could make a gal want to quit her job and…

…yeah, reality check.  Never gonna happen.  But I am certainly going to enjoy the hell out of it for the next 2 weeks.  The only problem is once I get into “relax on the couch” mode, sometimes it’s hard for me to wanna get up.  I could easily sit here and continue to be a lump on the couch and play video games all day, but it’s a nice sunny day and as soon as the sun does it’s warm up thing a little more, I’m gonna head out to the track and do some sprints.

So, last week.  I posted a lot about it.  I always have this weird feeling when something’s good, it’s hard to believe it’s gonna last.  Week 3 I felt so damn strong, finally.  I figured week 4 was gonna trip me up.  Go back to being rough.  Hey, sometimes you just have to have a little faith, I suppose.  I didn’t just continue, I blew the last week out of the water.  Now, week 5 is supposed to be a recovery week.  I’m almost sad – I don’t feel like I need it.  This 3-day a week training keeps me feeling rested, I’m never running and feeling worn down, I’m rocking some of the most amazing paces I ever have, and I like it.

By the day:

Monday: 6×400 sprints  @ 1:58 pace – check.  Not much to say about these except it seems weird when my sprint days feel like my easiest.  Oh well, I’ll take it.

Tuesday: DDR circuit – check.  I probably need to vary my cross training a wee bit more, but for now it’s working.  It’s not as if I’m lacking cardio on the other days…

Wednesday: 6 mile tempo @ 8:55 pace – check (technically 8:56 but who’s counting).  Oh hell yah.  I was dreading this, and it was ROUGH, but I made it.  And I think I could probably tack on another 2 miles if I promised myself something REALLY nice after.  Pain by Jimmy Eat World is always my last song on the playlist for these for a reason, tee hee,

Thursday: 30 Day Shred Level 2 – check.  Had to be up early and off work early so I only had time for a short workout.  For the 30 mins I put into these, I always feel pretty worked.

Saturday: 8 mile run @ 9:40 pace – check.  More than check.  I have NO idea how I accomplished this, but I ran this at a 8:50 pace.  Maybe it was finally getting to run outside.  Maybe it was the gorgeous 60 degree weather.  Maybe it was my awesome new playlist.  But I finished my 8.03 mile course around the neighborhood in 71 minutes.  And – I wasn’t feeling AT ALL like I was on the treadmill.  It was a fast pace that was pushing me, but not uncomfortable and no head games needed.

So, this week is recovery week.  I *almost* wanna keep the building going for the next 2 weeks since I have the time and recover AFTER vacation, but that kinda sounds like playing with fire to me.  So I’ll kick off the first vacation week with a low mileage week to boot.

Monday: 3×1600 sprints (and I even get to do them outside yay!)

Tuesday: DDR circuits

Wednesday: 4 mile tempo (chance of rain that day, but it’s supposed to be warm, so maybe I can squeeze it in outside)

Thursday: 30 day shred/DDR circuits (depending on how the day goes, this is my one 3-ish hour workday)

Saturday: 10k pace (hope to run this outside, but it IS supposed to be chilly that day – I’ll wait until mid-afternoon and see if I can tough out the 50s, heh)

This is all sorta subject to magic hat picks.  This week I hope works out just about the way it should above, because I’ve got set plans on Christmas Eve and Day.  Speaking of magic hat picks, we drew the first one today and it is…

…wait for it…

…wait for it…

CLEANING OUT THE PANTRY!!!  WOOHOOO!

Heh, well, at least I have plenty of time to relax, wake up, and run when it’s warmer.  Well, I’m gonna keep things short and sweet because as I mentioned a few times, it’s vacation.  Happy Monday, everyone!