Hello, my friends! It’s been a busy day so far, and I began it with some early morning track workout action! It was REALLY cold (24 degrees, “feels like 12” when I woke up), but the sunrise halfway through the workout was well worth it.
The crazy cold doesn’t bother me as much as crazy hot does – it’s really hard to get out of bed and get going when it’s that cold, but the key is just to dress smart and wear layers. Once out there, you warm up quickly! That said, I was thankful for a hood today! Brrrrr. Here’s an awesome no makeup hooded sweaty selfie for your viewing pleasure. 🙂
This morning’s workout was 1200’s – 3 laps around the track at a speedy/mid-range threshold effort pace, but with the last half lap (aka the last 200) at an even speedier “push” pace. I did my laps around a 7:30 average pace and felt good – I did 4 rounds, plus 2 minute recovery jogs in between (and a few laps to warm up/cool down). I forgot my watch, so it was even more helpful to have a coach telling me my splits as I rushed by!
So – as I mentioned in my last post, I have a fun spring full of races planned! I LOVE spring running in DC – there are so many awesome races and the weather is usually great, too. Here’s what’s on the docket:
- March 14: Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon
- April 12: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
- April 26: GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler
I haven’t decided yet which ones I will try to PR (aka set a personal record at – I probably won’t try til the 10 milers since RnR is so soon, but we’ll see) – I want to wait and talk to my running coaches to see what they think once they get to know me/my running a bit better. Stay tuned. But here is the general plan for the next few months:
- Tuesdays/Thursdays: Run workouts. Tuesdays are higher intensity speed type workouts, Thursdays are tempo runs and/or hill workouts. Both of these are with the PR Running training group I joined.
- Saturdays: Long run. Usually at a more casual/easy pace.
- Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 1 full rest day, 1 day of lower key yoga or swimming, and 2 days of higher intensity cross/strength training (likely 1 day of Urban Athletic Club and 1 day of CorePower Yoga Sculpt class). I’ll mix these up based on how I feel/what I need, but I will aim to not have back to back hard workout days – variety and spacing are key for recovery.
My long run plan is looking like this so far, up to the RnR half marathon. Per my coaches, unless otherwise noted, I’m doing long runs at an “easy” pace. Perfect – I can run with friends and chat the whole time. 🙂 In the week leading up to the race, I’ll be skipping other higher intensity workouts and chilling out/resting my legs.
- Weekend of 2/7: Travel – downhill or cross country skiing/snowshoeing to replace long run. 🙂
- Weekend of 2/14: 7 miles
- Weekend of 2/21: 8 to 10 miles
- Weekend of 2/28: 9 to 11 miles
- Weekend of 3/7: 10 miles – alternate 2 miles at goal half marathon pace with 1 mile easy. I might talk to my coaches about doing this the weekend before – I don’t like to do too long of a run the weekend before a race. We’ll see!
So there you have it. What are you guys up to this spring on the running front? Any fun races on your calendar yet and/or specific goals? Such a great way to stay motivated! If you’re looking for training plans, I have shared some of my previous training plans in more detail here on the blog in the past – check them out over on my running tips page. 🙂
And speaking of motivation – keep those Winter Shape Up updates and comments coming! Gina and I love seeing your progress. 🙂
Have a happy day, my friends! <3
