One foot in front of the other, one pedal stroke before another, one arm stroke before another… whatever your movement is (run, walk, hike, bike, swim, etc…) there’s nothing more true than this statement. Forward motion is progress, and that’s the goal.
This morning’s run was a little test of fitness in prep for this weekend. As per usual, I’m never satisfied with where I am, but considering a string of ups and downs (aka injuries) over the past 2 years I guess I should just sit back and enjoy this ride.
Warmed up then went into a 30’ tempo on the “easy” end of my pace range. Legs felt strong, body was in good alignment, mental fortitude on point. Now we hydrate, continue to fuel well, and focus on optimal rest and recovery for the next 72 hours!
Had a great morning run today breaking in my new Brooks Ghost 14s. Yes, 14s. I have no problem snagging a great deal on last year‘s model as closeout prices are way more affordable than the new releases! Combining a sale and my rewards points at Dick’s Sporting Goods, I was able to get this pair for $55 delivered to my front door 👏🏼
I’m not usually one for pastels, but if the price is right … and ironically I scored a sweet deal on these Tres Pinas shorts as well. Another clearance find! I realized a mile into this run that not only do my shoes and shorts have a theme but I also match the spring season too 😂
All in all today’s run was just perfect! I’m training myself not to carry water for shorter distances, and I felt just fine. Ended up with 3.12 miles in 31 minutes. Had to reign in the pace since today was prescribed as “easy Z2”, but there were times I wanted to push faster and harder. But one thing I’m learning is that not all runs need to be fast. You really can run slow, to in turn, run fast!
Saturday’s race was #4 out of – 4 race sprint triathlon series. I racked up 2 more medals – one for the race and a another for completing all 4 races (June, July, August, September) in the series. Also brought home a course 1:49 PR (5:32 improvement since the June race) 🙌🏼
There was a lady on my shoulder the for the ENTIRE run, and I wasn’t about to let her beat me! Best part – when we crossed the finish line she was 2 SECONDS behind me, and we congratulated each other, hugged, and are now friends on Strava! I love this community and how we cheer one another on! 🫶🏼
Even though I have raced better, faster, and stronger in each month’s race, I still remained a solid 4th place in my age group. The series, however, has their own awards with different qualifications, so now I will wait for the email with the series standings to arrive sometime this week. I might have a chance at placing, as I was 2nd AG going into this one!
I attribute my improvement to not only to more consistent bike workouts, but also to running more weekly mileage and hill training, as I prepare for my upcoming mountain 50k. I’m about 8 weeks out from race day and the excitement is definitely starting to build! I also have an accountability partner now who pushes me {gently} to be a better me!
I was able to hold 800 paces that have been a struggle over the past couple years – 7:45/:52/:47/:48/:50/:35
It felt so much easier today with just some simple tweaks to my pre-run routine. Insert taking a GU gel prior to my workout instead of coffee {although the chocolate one at 6am was hard to manage} and focusing on my running form {specifically elbow drive}.
2 weeks ago I did 5x 800s, but needed 4’ recovery between each effort compared to 2’ today. And the effort felt much easier! I can’t wait to see where these simple changes take me moving forward. I’m always striving for improvement, never settling for less than my best {or what feels like my best each day}.
I do I know about you, but I seemed to sweat more AFTER this run than during 😅 and yeah, my garage is messy 😂 .
Today I choose to: Get up early {no snooze button} Do the hard things {speed work} Focus on the positives {is it a little cooler today?} Smile {instant mood booster} Spread light and life to others
The #tracktuesday workout this week: 13’ warm up jog with dynamic drills, 8x 400m + 2x 200m, 9’ cool down.
The splits, that didn’t go as quick as I would’ve liked them to: 7:02/6:57/:55/:47/:54/7:06/7:14/6:56 6:12/:25
But the view at the end … 😍
A quick stretch {and most certainly a shower} + a cup of coffee, and I’m off to a couple work meetings. Centered. Grounded. Ready for what the day delivers.
I spent a few days last week up in the mountains of western North Carolina. Ahhh…so peaceful and scenic. It was hard to come home! But, I am extremely grateful for the time I got to spend up there running and hiking the mountains and trails.
Chasing a little vert at Moses Cone Park And a little dirt
Now that I’m back home in flat Florida, my typical training resumes. I have a sprint tri in a couple weeks, and several trail races lined up this fall. My “A” race is a north Georgia mountain 50k in early November. And, today is Track Tuesday!
Our cardiorespiratory system, the heart and lungs, can’t tell the difference between speed work and climbing at slower paces. All the heart and lungs know is effort. Now the legs, they know, but that is a different topic for a different day! I do plan to mix in both speed work and hill repeats into this training block, as well as continue at least twice per week lower body strength and conditioning. I just have to work with the terrain I’ve got here in Florida to properly train for the upcoming events.
The flat and fast local track
Todays workout: 5x 800m repeats with 4 min recovery between each interval. Start with a 10-15 min warm up jog with dynamic drills (skipping, leg swings, high knees, butt kicks, carioca, etc.). Finish with another 8-10 min of easy pace running and a minute or 2 of walking.
Yes, you are allowed to walk!!! It really helps bring the heart rate down and prevent blood pooling in the legs after hard effort sessions. And, hiking workouts on the treadmill set to inclines 5% and higher can supplement trail race training too!
My pace is fast to some, slow to others, but it’s all relative. I controlled my paces today to stay sub-8 on each interval. This was not an uncomfortably hard effort, but rather felt like steady work.
The whole workout, start to finish
I could’ve gone faster, but wanted to finish feeling like I could give one more, as I have a bike sesh on tap this evening. I feel grounded and ready for the work day ahead after a workout like this!
This morning I was back at it, chasing that sunrise, but with a nice easy pace! It’s officially time to ramp up my mileage for this fall’s big race, the Sky to Summit 50k. Even though I just covered a tough 30k less than 72 hours ago, this is no time to kick back and relax too much!
Basically I just went out and logged some easy miles to get time and distance on my feet. I’m working on building my weekly mileage to the 25-30 mile per week range from 20-25.
In order to prevent injury, one must ramp up gradually and add easy miles on the schedule. Tuesdays or Wednesday will be speed workouts with tempo runs on Thursdays or Fridays. It all just depends on weekend activities, how much recovery my body is asking for, and what races are thrown in the mix.
Another component of my training will be hill work, as the big event of my season will be in the Blue Ridge mountains of Georgia. I plan to incorporate the hill training either on one of my speed or tempo days, or as part of my weekend long run. My goal this season is to get stronger but yet avoid injury like the plague!
All in all, I feel like this morning‘s run was a perfect start to the training block that lies ahead. I am learning with each season that pace does not matter. What matters is how well you are preparing yourself for your “A” race while most importantly staying healthy and happy in the process!
Does anyone actually pay attention to warning signs? 🚧
I’m definitely trying! Tonight I had 4 easy zone 2 miles on tap. It was truly hard to get out the door! Motivation was lacking and fatigue from the long week was starting to set in. But I told myself just do 10 minutes, that’s all. After that if you want to call it, then go ahead. If you’re feeling good, then finish the run!
The first half of the run I was taking it nice and easy on stiff joints & sore glute muscles. Yesterday was a short, but intense, leg day followed by a tough interval spin on the bike trainer. In spite of all my recovery methods (foam rolling, stretching, protein, fluids, turmeric, tart cherry), I’m feeling ALL the feels today! Hoping for better sleep tonight so I can really hone in on better recovery.
Moral of the story: Easy runs on paper are not always easy in real life. Don’t compare yourself to others. Give yourself some grace in times like these and listen to your body! It will thank you!
Track Tuesday. It’s a thing. I mean, certainly you can run a track workout any day of the week, but #trackTuesday just has a special ring to it! So, I like to partake as much as possible.
But, then there are mom responsibilities and work and all the other things that try to push my workouts aside. Try as they might, I always remember what my grandma would say. “If there’s a will, there’s a way!”. So, I’m working on making these mornings (or evenings) happen.
Speed work is my absolute favorite of all running workouts! Short intervals, such as 200 or 400 meter repeats really help keep the leg turnover strong and boost our VO2 max. There are many ways to incorporate this into your running, and you don’t even have to use a track if you can program your watch for the distance or have a way to measure out those splits. For me, the track helps me focus, and I don’t have to worry about cars, curbs, or other people so much.
My track at sunrise 😍
I’ve been building back the speed workouts lately after a hiatus of long (read: slow) distance triathlon training last year. I started with 4x 400, then 5x 400; today’s workout is listed below:
1 mile easy pace up w/ dynamic drills 6x 400m with 1’ jog in between sets 1 mile easy cool down
Speed, much like everything else, is a work in progress. My goal was to hit a 7:40 pace each interval, and I managed to go a little faster than planned at 7:33/:30/:21/:17/:26/:19. The most important part here is that I did not slow down on each interval – I actually picked up speed on all but #5. This tells me I was ok going faster than the my planned effort. If I had gotten progressively slower, or needed longer rest breaks in between, then the effort would’ve been too intense.
I’ve been working on a speed block for about the last 8 weeks. I really don’t want this to come to an end! I have some mid- and long-distance events planned later this year, but I plan to keep my track Tuesday workouts as long a I can. Consistency over time is the key to anything we do. My 5k times are gradually dropping, and while they are not quite back to where they were in years past, I am hopeful for the future!
1st place AG finisher Most recent 5k time. A 16 sec/mile drop since February with limited speed work due to a hilly half marathon in March and a trail half at the beginning of April.
There’s something feral about trail running that draws me in. The freedom, the connection with nature, the anticipation of the unknown! It’s a feeling like no other, and I’ve gotten to explore many places I didn’t even know existed once I stepped out of my comfort zone!
The roots, the rocks, the mud, all add to the adventure. I’d happily trade my Mon – Fri for this if I could earn a decent paycheck, but let’s be honest here too. It wouldn’t be any fun all alone! Part of the excitement is being surrounded by other trail runners, even complete strangers.
We’re all out here for a common purpose, and I’m pretty sure we thrive on both the adrenaline rush and our love of the great outdoors…Except maybe those first timers that didn’t know what they were in for. I’ve been there and done that too! 😆 But with faith over fear I kept putting one foot in front of the other, and here I am loving every minute! You should give it a try!
Determined to Tri AND Run 