Sunday, May 26, 2013

Weekly recap

So for our training we have been doing 3 runs per week plus some cross training with free weights and a kettlebell. I told Jeff ( my Hubby) that I wanted to ramp up our runs to 4x a week and we did just that!!

After our 10k on Sunday this is what our week consisted of:

Tuesday - 4 k Tempo

My daughter has Field Hockey practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays right next to a track so we like to change things up and do track laps on these nights.  Tempo runs tend to be really hard for me but I know they are good as I am pushing my pace a bit. The weather was nice and cool, a bit windy but I like that.  I felt tired but good and of course still itching to be faster.

Total time: 24:15
Pace: 6:04 (faster than last week's 4k so improvement is nice to see)

FUEL REPORT

I have been testing out all kinds of energy bars/ gels etc since our long runs will be getting longer. It has been hard to find something I like. Gels gross me out. I just can't get them down, the texture does not work for me and I have a really bad gag reflex! I don't mind the sports jelly beans but they are a little sweet. My fave so far are the Raspberry Power Bar Gel Blasts. YUM!!! They taste just like real candy gummies. I love them!

Jeff just recently brought home the Honey Stinger all natural waffles for me to try. I really like them! They are like a tasty little cookie! I tried chocolate and vanilla so far and like them both.

So I think I am all set! It's all trial and error so I am just glad I found some things that I can swallow!

Wednesday - 4x400m Hill Repeats. I have decided to rename this WICKED WEDNESDAY!

UGH! Hills are SO hard for me! I am just not used to pushing my heart rate like that. Therefore aptly titled Wicked Wednesdays. Not the good wicked but the evil wicked!

So we live in Richmond which is completely flat. Not a hill to be seen. Good for regular runs but makes hill training tough.  Last week was our first hill training on the schedule so we had to drive about 20 minutes into Vancouver to get an appropriate 400m hill. We did 3 last week and I thought I was going to die after the first one but I did them all without stopping. However I did walk down the hills to recover instead of run.  We didn't time it properly so I don't have any stats.

This week we did about a 2.5k warm up and cool down plus the 4 hill repeats. We just timed the hill repeats. This time I only walked a few steps at the top of the hill and then ran the rest of the way down. I did feel stronger this time and felt like I was recovering faster. Still hate hills but nice to feel improvement. Still don't know how I am EVER going to get to 9 repeats but one Wicked Wednesday at a time, right!  Hubby really helped me this time by staying ahead of me so I had to work harder to keep up with him. Oh and JayZ and Kanye also really helped get me through the last repeat!!

Total time: 20:58
Total distance: 3.2k
Pace:  6:33 (faster than I ever thought or hoped for)

Thursday - 5k steady

I was really tired on Thursday and did NOT want to run. I almost bailed because Mikayla (daughter) got a ride to Field Hockey practice. But alas we laced up and got our butts out there. The steady runs are supposed to be at a really slow pace and I told myself I was going to run as slow as possible since
I was tired and not really feeling it. I said I would NOT run over a 7:30 pace!

Oops, I was feeling really good as soon as we started and did the first 2k in an average of 6:58. So much for that! I think because I just put zero pressure on myself I just really enjoyed this run and was loving how I was feeling. I also did nasal breathing again which I haven't done in a long time since I have been trying to go faster.  I find nasal breathing really calms me.

It was a beautiful night and we are so lucky to live by the water. BUT we also live by a lot of  farmland! So we were almost at our 1/2 turnaround point and I was SO in my groove.... "What's that smell!!??" Jeff is scrunching his nose too. "Keep running, just cover your nose! Oh NO, it's getting worse... OH GOD IT'S LIKE SOMEONE SHIT IN MY NOSE!!!!"

I proceeded to gag about 5 times and came SO close to puking!! I just spit a bunch and immediately turned around. There were tears in my eyes but I kept running mostly to get away from the smell. There is nothing grosser than ripe, fresh, thick manure!! Luckily it subsided when we turned around and surprisingly it didn't ruin the run. We just had a good laugh!

The rest of the run was great. I even had a negative split. I just really enjoyed myself and that hasn't happened in a while!

Total time: 33:47
Pace: 6:45 (not bad considering I said I wouldn't go over 7:30, more importantly I enjoyed it!)

Friday - Rest Day for the MUMFORD & SONS CONCERT!!!

LOVE, love, love this band!! Have been dying to see them for awhile!! They were amazing live. The venue kinda sucked but we still had a great time! They have gotten me through many runs!



So to recap:  4 runs this week - GREAT!!! 0 strength training - NOT SO GREAT!! Will work on that next week!!



An awesome couple of shots Hubby took on our Tuesday night run. Beautiful scenery in our neighbourhood! Love these shots!




Mumford & Sons concert at Holland Park




                                                            I heart Marcus Mumford!



The gang enjoying an amazing show!!




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