Week 5

Going into this week, I was pumped to get back to my regular training schedule after the toe debacle of Week 4. Of course, things then got interesting thanks to a new goal. Since I am planning on two short-distance triathlons later this season, things inevitably have to change. I will be incorporating more cycling and swimming for the first time. I am having a bit of a hard time accepting the fact that it is okay to run less mileage in order to accommodate these other activities (which should also have a positive impact on my running), so this will be a learning process.


Monday - rest/xtrain

I took all of that energy/motivation/excitement from Sunday's tri relay and got out on my bike after work. I am getting more and more comfortable each time I go out, braking less on the downhills and pushing it on the flats. And the uphills? Well, the uphills are hard - but I'm getting the hang of it.


Tuesday - 21K (2 runs) with 4 x 2000 tempo (400 recoveries)

I was up early for my workout and was treated to a nice cool morning. Juliana joined me and we decided to hit the track so we could each do our own thing. I had no idea what to expect out of my legs after barely running last week - in fact, my only two runs were races where I pushed very hard. I guess the super low mileage still left my legs feeling rested enough, because I had no trouble hitting my target paces on the tempo intervals consistently.

Goal: ~4:30/KM
2000 intervals: (4:32, 4:31) - (4:32, 4:33) - (4:30, 4:30) - (4:31, 4:31)

AM - 15.0KM (9.3mi) - 1:18:14 - 5:13/KM (8:23/mi)

I just had another 6K to round off my medium-long day, so I decided to run over lunch (despite the heat!) to keep my evening free. It was hot, hot, hot but kind of nice to get in a mid-day sweat-fest... at least until I returned to my desk and continued to sweat!

Noon - 6.2KM (3.9mi) - 34:17 - 5:32/KM (8:54/mi)

After work I took advantage of having some free time and went for a nice easy ride. Triple Tuesday!



Wednesday - 10K recovery

I was not surprised to discover exhausted legs when I set out for my recovery run in the morning. I allow (and encourage) myself to be sloooow on these runs, but to felt hard no matter how slow I went! I made a deal with myself to just run 5K and another 5 over lunch, but I started feeling better after a few KMs (as usual) and finished it off. I didn't quite hit the distance I had planned, it was enough.

8.4KM (5.2mi) - 49:36 -5:55/KM (9:31/mi)



Thursday - 11K with 4-5 x 800

Thursday morning I went for my first swim!

That night was clinic night; I rode my bike there and back, and the group headed to the track for our workout. We had 4-5 Yasso repeats on deck at a moderate effort, which worked great for me since I didn't want to tire myself out before Rebecca Run on Saturday.

The goal was 3:40/800 - significantly slower than my 800s in Week 3 (3:10-3:12), but it was just enough to get the legs moving.

3:39 - 3:37 - 3:36 - 3:35 (200 recoveries)

12.4KM (7.7mi) - 1:09:40 - 5:37/KM (9:02/mi)



Friday - 10K recovery

I was able to meet up with Juliana in the morning for an easy run, though I passed on our "barefoot bootcamp" routine since I was in "conservation mode" for the 5K on Saturday.

We kept the pace easy and chatted away as usual - the 10K was done in no time.

10.1KM (6.3mi) - 1:01:55 - 6:08/KM (9:52/mi)



Saturday - 30K long run with 5K race

Recap

pre-race: 7.0KM (4.3mi) - 44:02 - 6:17/KM (10:07/mi)
race: 5.0KM (3.1mi) - 20:40 - 4:08/KM (6:39/mi)
post-race: 18.0KM (11.2mi) - 1:44:09 - 5:47/KM (9:19/mi)



Sunday - 5K recovery

Spectating a triathlon/duathlon, 5K run and my first open water swim!

5.0KM (3.1mi) - 0:29:11 - 5:50/KM (9:24/mi)



Total Week 5 Mileage: 87.1KM (54.1mi)
Total Time Running: 8:11:44
Average Pace: 5:38/KM (9:05/mi)

Cycle: 53.5KM (33.2mi)
Swim: ~900m

What will this week bring?