Magical Miles

Welcome back to another week of training! This was the halfway point of my plan, and I felt like things are really starting to click into place. I felt strong and great for almost every run, and also figured out a good morning routine for important runs! I'll try it out a few times and then share what's working with me since it's taken me a while to figure out.  Here's how my week went-

Monday

3 mile Run + Core

I honestly did not feel like getting up and running in the morning, but today that was the only option to get it done. Once I actually started I was so happy to be out there- I felt fantastic the entire run. It was a bit windy out but the temperature was perfect! I love runs like this, when you just feel free and the miles come easy.

Tuesday

5 mile Run + Yoga

I met up with Erica for an early 6AM run at the Art Museum. I donated blood last night so I still felt a little off, so we took the run really easy. It was a tiny bit chilly out but luckily there wasn't much wind at all and it actually felt great. I was really happy to run with a friend because otherwise I would have stayed asleep and skipped this run!

Wednesday

Rest Day!

I had to miss Run Club today so I decided to move my rest day to today. I still did my yoga and core (which finished week 1 of the Crush Your Core program) and went on an easy walk with Selma. Felt good to take it easy, but couldn't resist going outside since it was really nice out.

Thursday

6x800 with warmup and cool down

The last time I did my 800m repeats (only 5 of them) I really struggled, but today I felt amazing! We ran in the same spot on the Tobacco Trail, and I felt so much stronger and better on each rep. It was still really hard and I had to fight to hit the paces, but I can feel the progress happening. Even better- I compared my heart rate data for the two runs side-by-side and today's was much better. Two weeks ago my average was 183 and max heart rate was 203. Today the average was 170 and max 181! That part was even more exciting to me than the paces.

Friday

3 miles + Yoga

Early miles with some friends through the Art Museum, followed by some really chilly outdoor yoga. My toes were absolutely freezing the entire class, so next time I need to remember to double up on socks! Otherwise I felt great, especially on the run.

Saturday

7 miles + Yoga + Core

Today was one of those magical runs where everything felt good and I could have run forever. I started out at Old Reedy Creek trailhead and headed into Umstead park for 3.5 miles, then came back. It was such a great trail and I can't believe I haven't gone there before! There were so many people and I could see a bunch of side trails that I'll have to explore next time. It was also nice that the first half was mostly uphill so I had a nice negative split on the way back. Plus- I got to run with a friend which made the run even more perfect! When I got home I did yoga and started week two of Crush Your Core!

Sunday

30 min Disney Ride + Yoga + Core

I've been neglecting my bike so far this year, so it felt great to get on it and shake out my legs to end the week. This Disney class with Emma was so much fun and I was probably singing more than I was sweating during the ride! Afterwards I did day two of Crush Your Core and finished up with my yoga (which was thankfully a recovery class).