So I realized after publishing last week's post that I forgot to mention something really cool - during a giveaway spree by my favorite running blogs last month, I won a free month of run coaching from offtorun.com. I am by no means an elite runner and I thought getting a coach would be kind of... well, snooty. I have to tell you how excited I am that having a run coach, especially when you don't have many friends who run in the area, is proving to be an amazing experience. With LouAnn's guidance, I'm hoping to PR in my next event - The Strawberry Plains Half Marathon. This week in running went much better than last week. I felt stronger and seemed to have worked out my nutritional needs with my coach's help.
Monday 1/4: Advanced Yoga with Nike Training Club - 45 minutes. I did have to modify some of the poses that required me to hold my weight with my left wrist. The small cyst that developed does make it painful to hold planks sometimes.
Tuesday 1/5: 7.1 miles slow run/45 min. cross training. NoKey had to have some dental work done, so I drove him to his appointment and went running in the neighborhood, which is one I run in quite frequently. By the time I finished my cool down, he was ready to head back out to the car so timing couldn't have been better! I felt great and did the Body Buffer workout from my NTC app in the evening.
Showing off on Instagram :)
Wednesday 1/6: Active rest day. After a 7 mile run and 45-minute workout the day before, I earned this one!
Thursday 1/7: 6.5 mile run. This run felt more difficult to me and I thought about doing just five miles instead of the 6.5. There was a bit of a headwind a few times and I felt slow, but pushed through.
Friday 1/8: Curve Carver from NTC - 30 minutes.
Saturday 1/9: 10 mile long run with intervals. I have to say I was skeptical of this run. With LouAnn's coaching, she recommended on my long runs of more than 10 miles I simulate water stops during a race, running for 9 minutes and walking for 1 minute. I decided that since my pace has been a little slower lately, I would run 10 minutes and walk 30 seconds. I cannot believe that 1) This didn't affect my time on the run - I ran pretty much the same as I do without the break; 2) My legs actually felt good and I was able to push strong on my last mile. I also carried hydration with me on this run which was awkward at first, but it really helped me. I've been getting headaches a few hours after my long runs for a few months now and the extra water I drank during the run really seemed to help it go away.
Sunday 1/10: NTC Jump Around (30 min) and Leslie Fightmaster's Relaxing Yoga Flow (30 min.)
So, how did your training go this week? Are you training for any upcoming races? Leave me a comment or catch me over on Facebook to talk about it!
