Butler 5 Miler Training : Back at It

This week I got back to training, and I could not be more excited.  I talked about how much I enjoyed training this entire year to get ready for the Gettysburg Marathon, so I was really looking forward to jumping right back in.  I'm going to be focusing on shorter distances for a while, and trying to get some speed back in my legs!  I'll share more about my plan and what races I'll be doing later this week, but here's a look at what my week of training looked like.

Monday

Rest day!

No running, but lots of yard work!  Sometimes I think that's just as much of a workout as actually going to the gym or out for a run...

Tuesday

3 miles / 9:39 pace

First run of my new training cycle!  Just an easy 3 miles before work.  I felt a little sore from the yard work but otherwise felt great.

Wednesday

Rest day!

Another day of no running, but I did an arm workout.  I'll be sharing the routine that I came up with (along with my entire training plan!) later this week.  It was definitely more challenging than I expected, which is probably because I haven't lifted weights in a long time.  Definitely need to get my strength back.

Thursday

5 miles / 9:37 pace

It was pouring rain when I went to work in the morning, so I ended up doing my easy run inside on the treadmill.  I watched some highlights from the Pens game 7 win and also watched some Parenthood.  The run was great and went by really quickly!  The gym was also completely empty, which meant that I could pick any treadmill that I wanted :)

Friday

Rest day!

After work, Dan and I took Selma to the park for a walk and some time in the off-leash dog park.  There were only a few dogs there, but they all followed Selma around which cracked me up.  Doesn't she look like the leader of the pack?  Starting next week, I'll be adding a leg day workout to this rest day, but I'm easing back into it and really didn't feel like lifting again.

Saturday

4 miles / 8:36 pace

First speed workout of my training, and first one in quite a while!  Speed work is always my favorite kind of workout, because I love to push myself and the feeling that comes after a hard workout is over.  Each week my plan has a pace run, where I run a few miles at my 5 miler race pace goal.  I ran a mile to warm up, then 2 miles at 7:45 pace, with a mile cool down.  The pace felt great but a bit challenging, which is exactly what I would expect for a first workout!

Sunday

7 miles / 9:16 pace

I went into this run thinking that it would be a piece of cake and would fly by, since 7 miles seems so short to me at this point.  I just ran 13 miles last weekend with no problem, just finished marathon training where 7 miles was an easy mid-week run.  NBD right?  WRONG!  I started out at an easy pace and could not get comfortable..my breathing was off, my body felt slow, my legs felt heavy.  My watch was also acting up and would go from a 6:00 pace to a 15:00 pace and randomly shut off a few times which was annoying me as well.  At around the 4 mile mark, I stopped to take a quick picture and took a moment just to look around and enjoy a beautiful, tranquil scene.

There was a crane sitting in the water, which was covered with trees and vines and flowers.  It was so serene and I felt lucky to get to see it and realized that even though this run was a struggle, I was still lucky to be able to struggle through it.  I started running again and felt 100 times better, my pace picked up, my body clicked and felt more smooth, my watch started working again, and I ran into a friend.  Funny how taking a moment and being appreciative can make such a difference.

I also ended the week with a little yoga session.  I'm trying to keep incorporating this in my training.  I really think it helps me avoid injuries (except when I mess up my chaturanga...) so I want to add it at least once a week!


What race are you training for?
Anyone else taking a break from distance?
Who likes speed work!?

linking up with Holly from HoHo Runs , Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin , Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC and Steff from Run Steff Run!