Monday, February 14, 2011

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!

24 comments:

TNTcoach Ken said...

I want to be like you when I grow up!!!!! HA

fancy nancy said...

What a recovery week!!! Seriously girl you rock!! I love the comment above....me too!!!

Laura said...

Your recovery week is harder than my middle of training.
another awesome week!

ajh said...

THat does seem like a pretty intense recovery week! It is easier to do speed on the treadmill when the TM does it for me. But yeah if I don't fall off it certainly counts!

macnic said...

What a week! Er, glad you took it easy?!?

J said...

Well done this week! I always get nervous for interval workouts, especially on the treadmill because I worry about not being able to keep up with the moving belt!

bobbi said...

That was a recovery week? Wow! Nice job!

Heather said...

What a great week, nice job with the training!

Jill said...

Nice recovery week, Chica!! Don't you hate it when you forget your shoes!! Grr. Have a great week...and Happy Valentine's Day!!! : (and thanks for the hugs...so needed that!)

Gotta Run..... said...

You deserve a freaking award to getting out in those weather conditions...week after week..after... well you get what I am saying.

Great Recovery Week! Sounds like you were busy :)

Robin said...

I agree with Laura, your recovery week sure looks tiring!

Jen Feeny said...

Recovery Week...Check! Now time to ramp it up and start cranking out the real workouts!!!! 13 weeks!!!! :)

Runners Fuel said...

Once again, great week!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

You are AMAZINg still manage to fit it all in even with cold, icy and lack of MOJO.. I say that the treadmill speed work rocks.. you did it, take FULL credit.. wow 13 weeks!!

Denise said...

hey, give yourself a lot of credit for those paces on the treadmill. it's not easy staying on that thing when you're bookin'! i purposely do most of my speed work on the treadmill to make sure i hit the pace and then take it one step faster.

Jess said...

I think the phrase "recovery week" deserves quotes aroudn it because for some, that would be a peak week!

misszippy said...

Great, solid week and it was recovery! You're going to have a really nice marathon this spring!

Anne said...

You are so amazing! I looked up recovery in the dictionary and it said, "not what Marlene does" ;)
Wow!! :)

Bethany + Ryan said...

doing a great job lady! keep it up!!

Johann said...

That is a very impressive week of training! You are dedicated for sure, well done! You are a great example and inspiration for many people out there.

5 Miles Past Empty said...

Dang girl!!! Great weekly mileage!!

And yes, those 800s are killer! Way to go!! Treadmill or not you did it! Amazing!

P90x yoga in my opinion is more like crazy yoga! I remember pouring buckets of sweat while doing it! I like to sweat but not so much in yoga. I like to stretch and lengthen and feel the burn with a tiny bit of moisture beading up on my skin....not pouring on to the floor! =)

Aron said...

great job on taking a recovery week when you need it! will definitely pay off in the BIG weeks to come!

Nicole said...

Nice job on the recovery week! :) your awesome!

Unknown said...

KMs for recovery, you are really marathon runner.