Last Week in Training: Nov. 1-7

Fall is finally here! While most parts of the northern hemisphere turn vibrant golden hues and then brown, it's the opposite here. After the typical dry summer, the rainy season returns and the whole world comes alive again. My lawn is green, the trees become mossy again, and all the dust and debris is washed away. And after a difficult fall allergy season, I'm optimistic that my suffering is coming to an end, for a few months at least.

Sunday: Run 8 miles easy, not timed. 22 kitties.
Very easy run the day after another 20 miler. My legs were unusually stiff. Pretty solid kitty count.

I don't have any photos from the run, so here's a Zoey. Adorable and sweet, as usual.

Strength: Core, legs.
I added in a few new obliques moves. Legs were as usual.

Yoga: 30 minutes.
Gentle yoga to undo the rest of the stiffness. It really helped to run first.

Monday: Rest!
The chicks are finally old enough to venture out of the coop and into the yard. I had to coax them out with their food dish the first day, but now they're excited for the moment I let them outside to dig for bugs.

The hens aren't happy that the chicks get to take over THEIR yard.

Getting some adult feathers in.

Tuesday: 9.75 miles, 10x0.5 mi. (Goal: 3:25-3:30)
Since I run on a quarter mile track (each lap is 402m rather than 400m), this was a slightly longer version of the classic Yasso 800m workout. My original plan was to run 5x1 mile repeats, but my asthma is triggered most often on windy days and today is very breezy (15-20mph, 25mph gusts), I decided to go with the shorter repeats to prevent any problems. Volume-wise, 10x0.5mi is the same as 5x1mi. so it served its training purpose.

The first few repeats were a little bit tough, but as my body warmed up, I fell into a rhythm and the rest were really strong. I was working hard, but it was definitely within a sustainable zone, and I ended the workout feeling like I could do a few more. That’s pretty cool.

Strength: Core, legs, shoulders.
This routine was the same as Sunday's, except I've added some shoulder work. Since my left arm is so limited, it's hard to find things that don't stress it out. One move I really like is adding weights to my upper arms and running in place in slow motion. It really helps with my running form and giving my arms a little more power.

Wednesday: Bike 10 miles at Matt’s marathon pace. 

My job: take a ridiculous amount of selfies and photos of him, periodically hand him a water bottle, and then spend the last mile (when he’s obviously most tired) telling him my legs are soooo sore from riding my bike at 10mph. hehe.

Run 9 miles with Rachel. 1:19:36, 8:49/mi. 23 kitties.
 Easy run felt easy but was probably a touch on the fast side. Some days, my body drags the whole way, others it feels light and springy. Today was the later. All my evening runs lately have ended with a gorgeous sunset, I need to bring my camera with me!

Thursday: Run 9 miles, 1:11:03, 7:57/mi. Goal: 8@ 7:49/mi. 4 kitties.

I think I’m finally over whatever mystery bug I had last week that was sapping all my energy and playing havoc with my workouts. It was great that there was no wind today too. This run was a touch too fast, so I’ll be working on slowing it down a little next time. Third building week in a row and I’m holding together pretty nicely.

Friday:  Run 8 miles, 1:11:49, 8:58/mi, 5 kitties.
Matt and I ran with the home schooled boys for the first three miles, where they took me out way too fast, then we did five more by ourselves. The second half of the run dragged on FOR-EVER. I'm sure it was because we went out too fast the first three miles, but ouch, it had me nervous for the 20 miler.

Saturday: Run 20 miles, 2:57:20, 8:52/mi. 4 kitties.

Shollenberger Park, Petaluma.

Hawk!

Buddy shot.

Matt, Rachel, and I took an impromptu trip to Petaluma to run long and hang with Brandon, Matt’s favorite running buddy who moved four hours away from us in September. It was fun to catch up and check out his favorite running spots. I had a minor energy crash at mile 10 and was grumpy until mile 13 when the Shot Bloks finally kicked in. It was a beautiful fall day and a fun visit. Eight hours in the car in 24 hours is kind of a lot, but I enjoyed the change of running venue.

Totals:
Miles: 63.75
Kitties: 58

Notes: Very solid week of training. I'm feeling much better, whatever virus must be gone. I'm pretty proud of the fact I survived three building weeks (and 20 milers) in a row. It's always surprising how durable my body is when I take care of it.

I only managed one date with my yoga mat this week. I hit my left forearm on something on Tuesday and it took almost all week for the pain to finally calm down. It hurt like crazy the day I did it, but now I don't even remember what I ran into. Isn't that how it always goes? Matt says I should use a marker and circle each spot I bump and write what I did so I can remember when a bruise appears.

Next week is a recovery week and I'm looking forward to that!