In search of the 5k PR (week 6 training)

The quest for the sub-24 5k continues...


Last week's plan / actual:

• Monday: strength circuit + 4 mile run or 50 min bike / Jillian Michaels 6 week six-pack workout + 50 minutes on stationary bike (lightning is not my favorite running buddy)


• Tuesday: 8 x 400 meter intervals / I swapped the planned track workout with Thursday's 5 mile tempo run: 1 mile warm up, 2.5 miles at 8:00 pace... (ok... the last mile was 8:30 - my legs and core were exhausted from the JM workout on Monday!) and 1.5 mile recovery.


• Wednesday: yoga / 30 minutes of gentle yoga via YouTube... The first 5 minutes of this video taught me that the past several weeks of sprinting, strength training, and power yoga have been wreaking havoc on flexibility my hips and lower back. I used to be able to do a forward fold... Note to self... must stretch more.


• Thursday: 5 mile tempo run + core / Tuesday's planned track workout: 4 x 800 at a 6:53 pace! (And I did some planks and crunches, too.)



So proud I took a picture of my stopwatch as evidence.

• Friday: rest day / 3 mile walk


• Saturday: 6 mile run / The weather was so good, so perfect for running, that I thought I might turn Saturday's run into a double-digit run. Within a mile, I knew distance was delusional. With track work at the end of the week, by Saturday my legs were dead. D.E.A.D. Dead. I considered postponing. Two voices waged a war in my head over whether it was smarter to run on tired legs to get used to the fatigue or to hobble home and avoid injury. In the end, I kept moving forward. I paused several times to stretch my screaming calves. Ugh. But I ran those 6 miles... (if only barely).


• Sunday: anything goes / 3.5 mile hike at Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

This week's plan:

• Monday: strength circuit + 4 mile run* + stretching
• Tuesday: speedwork: 6 x 800 meter intervals
• Wednesday: yoga
• Thursday: 5 mile tempo run + core work
• Friday: rest day
• Saturday: 8 mile run
• Sunday: fun day - any workout

*Or 60 minute bike ride, depending on how my calf / potential flare up of PF is doing... I suspect this will be a bike ride kind of week...

Are you working today or do you have a long weekend?