Week 6

It was a recovery week and I felt like I needed it. Some bad weather had been interfering with my mojo and most of my workouts were feeling harder than I thought they should. I enjoyed taking it down a notch by cutting some miles and eliminating my LT/tempo run for the week.


Monday - rest or xtrain

On Monday I was feeling pretty beat-up from the previous day's snowy 20-miler and decided to try P90X Yoga X to work some kinks out of my muscles. I only got through the first 45 minutes because I was short on time, but I was relieved to have an excuse not to continue - it was tiring! This was hardcore power yoga (at least based on my limited experience) and made for quite a workout. I did enjoy it and felt good during/after, so I hope to incorporate this on a somewhat regular basis.



Tuesday - 16K MWML (2 runs)

I ran the first part over lunch on a very cold (-17C/1F and several degrees colder with windchill) but sunny afternoon. The wind was awful and the sidewalks were extremely icy after a mild weekend followed by another cold snap. The fresh air was nice in the sun, but I decided to wimp out on the treadmill after work for part 2. I just wasn't up for another cold and windy run, this time in the dark.

I didn't have an LT/tempo run scheduled, but I decided to push it just a little bit outside of my usual "just run" pace and felt good doing so, both outside and on the treadmill. I ended up with almost identical paces for both runs.

lunch: 8K/5mi - 42:07 - 5:16/KM (8:28/mi)

eve: 8.1K/5mi - 42:09 - 5:14/KM (8:26/mi)

After the second run, I came home and finished off the second 45 minutes of Yoga X, which is definitely the less challenging half, but there's still nothing relaxing about it - except maybe the last 5 minutes.



Wednesday - 6K easy

I had plans over lunch and wanted to take a spin class after work, so I decided to get up early for a treadmill run. Unfortunately I got to the gym and realized I forgot my shoes! My morning was off to a late start since I had to boogie home to grab them, but I put in a nice and slow recovery run.

6.0KM (3.7mi) - 37:00 - 6:10/KM (9:55/mi)

Wednesday night I was back at the gym for a fantastic strength/cardio/cross-training workout with an hour+ Spin class. I really love it and wish I could make it to a class more often.



Thursday - 10K: 5x800

First, I got to meet Mel (and a mutual friend of ours) at lunch. It was great to catch up!

Thursday night brought more treadmill running! With the dark/cold/icy conditions, I had no interest in tackling 800s outside. I brought my little cheat sheet with my goal 800 times and respective paces/speeds, strapped on my Garmin for the timer/lap function (GPS off) and off I went.

2 mile warm-up
800 @ 3:31 (8.5 mph)
800 @ 3:27 (8.6 mph)
800 @ 3:25 (8.7 mph)
800 @ 3:21 (8.8 mph)
800 @ 3:20 (8.9 mph)
(400 recoveries at 6.0)

Disclaimer: I don't give this workout the same merit when completed on the treadmill, and it's very unlikely that I would be able to achieve these times outside. It's a lot easier to hit target splits when you plug in the speed and the rotating belts dictates how fast you need to move your legs, That being said, I didn't fall off trying to keep up, so that has to count for something. :-)

10.0KM (6.2mi) - 52:52 - 5:17/KM (8:30/mi)

Hubs was still plugging away on the treadmill when I was done, so I grabbed a mat and spent a good half an hour stretching and doing some random ab exercises afterwards leaving a nice puddle of sweat behind.



Friday - 8K recovery

Friday was a nice recovery run over lunch. I kept it comfortable and enjoyed the fresh air. I'm getting better at keeping these runs where they need to be and I know it makes a difference in keeping my legs fresh for my next run.

8.1KM (5mi) - 48:13 - 5:57/KM (9:35/mi)


Saturday - xtrain

I hit up my bootcamp class on Saturday morning for a great full-body workout. My abs are still screaming today!


Sunday - 30K long

They call these ones "Confidence-Boosting"

30.0KM (18.6mi) - 2:42:42 - 5:25/KM (8:44/mi)


Total Week 6 Mileage: 70.2KM (43.6mi)
(Cross-training: 4 hours)
Total time: 6:25:03
Average pace: 5:29/KM (8:50/mi)



13 weeks to Mississauga Marathon!