Sunday, July 3, 2011

Fall Four: Weekly Round-Up (1)

My first week of training is done, and it feels great to be back in training mode.  There were a few bumps this week, so I hope you can forgive me for whining about my first world problems while I walk through this week's workouts.

I had a really great session on Monday. For the first time in months, I increased the resistance on the stationary bike.  It was a little challenging at first, but it went well.  Then, it was onto working muscle groups that I have neglected for quite some time.

On Tuesday, there were threats of thunderstorms so I hit the treadmill for my three-miler.  Not too far into my workout, I remembered how boring treadmill running can be.  I also had some weird side pain going on, and my iPod playlist did nothing for me. Did I mention that running on a treadmill is boring? Anyway, my three-miler turned into a two-miler because I’m lame. 

Wednesday, I went back to Ladies Night after a very long absence.  I was excited to go back, and they organized a great route -- if only I wasn't such a fail. Although I missed a turn on the loop back, I ended up running farther than I planned (success!)

On Thursday, I did my tempo workout.  I looked forward to it, but hated that I had to waste an absolutely gorgeous day on the treadmill -- especially when only one of the three treadmills in my apartments fitness center worked...sort of. The newer treadmills – which have also just been repaired – have some disconnect between the belt and the main screen.  It would have been fine if I didn’t care about my pace, but I wanted to know exactly how fast I was going. The third treadmill shut off every 4 minutes.  This actually was fine because my workout consisted of five 3-minute repeats at 7.0 MPH, followed by a one-minute recovery jog.  It's much easier to count to five when the machine stops abruptly and you nearly tumble to the floor.

Saturday was incredible.  It started with a brunch at my apartment to watch the US Women's National team play Colombia in the Women's World Cup. I tried a few new recipes, and I think it went very well.  The USWNT won their game - which is always a bonus - and have secured a place in the quarterfinals. Whoo!! After cleaning my apartment, I took a long walk and then went out for a run before dinner.  It was one of the best runs that I've had in a very long time.  I felt fast again, and I was able to charge up several hills with little trouble.  

On Sunday, I completed my long run.  I decided to run a route that I haven't run since training for Baltimore -- the one that starts with running on an incline for three miles.  (The only good thing about running uphill for three miles is the promise of running downhill.) It was a little humid, and I need rebuild my tolerance for running in the heat.  Overall, it was a great run.

Onto Week 2:

Monday: Rest (Happy Independence Day!)
Tuesday: Speed Work - 30 minutes (Time to hit the track!)
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: 3 miles

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