We only got 2 run days in this week. I was feeling kind of burnt out after 2 really good weeks of long runs. So I guess in a way it was good to cut back now. I haven't been following the training program and have just been increasing the long runs by a km each week. Last week I was supposed to cut back to 11k and then have another long run this week so I guess I reversed it. It was not planned that way but sometimes you just have to listen to you body.
Tuesday: Yoga
Our regular instructor is back! Yay! Her classes are such a good workout. Lots of push-ups, planks and quick transitions get our heart rates really going. She also does lots of tough core work. Happy to have her back!
Wednesday: Nothing
Was feeling tired and girl crampy so decided to push our speed training session back a day. I call this time of the month "Head in the Hole Day" so that is what I will refer to it as from now on.
Thursday: Speed Training (Fartleks) and Yoga
Our speed training session was Fartleks - 5 x 3 minute surges. We did a warm up, surges with recovery in between and a cool down. Total was about 6k. The surges were between 5:16 and 5:45mins/km. Not crazy fast but I was tired so just happy to get it done. It was a tough one for me but it's supposed to be hard.
Bad idea to do sprinting and then yoga after. My legs were spent and in some of the poses they were really cramping up. But we did it! I can't believe we do double workouts some days. This is so unlike me! Well I guess the old me : )
Friday and Saturday: Nothing
Friday was a planned rest day and Saturday was not. We had to head out to the White Rock area so decided to fit in a run. We fully planned to do a 5-6k run, we were fully dressed, had a light lunch but then by the time we got to our run area, it was pouring rain. Not just spitting, but pouring. We didn't bring a towel or anything and didn't want to get back in the car soaking wet. Probably not a good enough excuse but it worked for me.
Instead we went to a bakery, drove to a spot that overlooked where we were supposed to run, ate our cake and talked about how much it was raining. Lol!!
Sunday: 11k Slow Trail Run, Pace 7:24mins/km
The original plan for today was a 19k run. Due to Jeff's IT Band issues he was told to change up his running terrain/surface. His issues could be due to running on the same road surface repetitively. I was game for a change in scenery. We decided a trail run would be a good idea because of the varying surfaces and elevations you can get. We found out that Burnaby Lake has an exact 10k trail run around it.
I had a few things going against me on this run 1) I hate running on gravel 2) I am not used to running on an undulating course 3) My blister band aid had ripped off taking the covering skin with it. But I decided to take one for the team since I knew this would be best for Jeff.
The trail is actually really nice. It is primarily gravel with a few bridges in there. It is definitely what I would call undulating with lots of quick ups and downs and uneven terrain. It was a beautiful sunny day and quite warm. I stripped down to a t-shirt for the first time this season. This was outside of my comfort zone since I am used to flat road and not thinking about where I am stepping. Being outside of my comfort zone took that extra bit of energy out of me to make this more of a challenge. Because I was constantly watching where I was stepping and looking to see what was coming I could never settle into my breathing or get into my zen. It was challenging the whole time. Jeff was really loving it though and that's what was important since he really needed to feel good.
The trail was pretty busy with lots of runners and walkers. We had to stop to tend to my blister. It was just irritating since I found the band aid had ripped off and my skin was exposed. There was also a section up a set of stairs and a narrow bridge that we couldn't run across. I was struggling a bit but I knew it was a good strengthening/training run for me instead of my usual flat paved surface. The trail is a dead on 10k all the way around. We decided to finish the loop and discuss what we wanted to do. I knew I didn't want to do another loop of the trail and Jeff was just starting to feel an ache in his knee. There was a long road beside the lake that we could finish the run on. We ran another 1km on it and decided we were done. Jeff didn't want to push it and I decided to quit this time with him. My blister was bothering me and it was probably a good day to cut back the mileage since the run was more challenging. I did want to continue but I didn't want Jeff to wait an hour for me while I finished or to have him continue running to the point of pain.
The pace was really slow but considering the new terrain, my blister and Jeff's issue I was happy to just get through it.
Not all weeks go as planned but you just have to keep moving forward. We are only 3 weeks away from the race and I just have to put my head down, keep pushing and trust in my training. I am looking forward to being back on the flat road though for my next long run!
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