A Week of my Training
This post is going to walk you through a week of training that took place from 1/30 - 2/05. This week was sandwiched in between two race weeks, and a great opportunity to push my fitness forward.
Monday
11.22 miles - 1:16 (6:47/mile)
Mondays are typically easy runs after a long run and before a track session. This week was much the same. Did a loop in some neighborhoods in Saint Paul, underestimated how long this loop would be and it ended up being 11 instead of 10. Had some nice conversation with an old teammate Matt and had some good vibes rolling, so not mad at it.
Tuesday
AM - 11 miles - 1600, 6x800, 4x200
PM - 4 miles - 29:25 (7:17/mile) & Lift
Had a good, hard track session this morning. Started with a threshold mile to prime the body and clicked off 4:45. Then moved into the meat of the workout with 6x800 with 2’ recovery. These are my bread and butter, and have been my whole career. They are super hard, but I can grind them out, and I’ve found my fitness responds super well to them. Had a nice group working together and rolled 2:12, 2:11, 2:09, 2:08, 2:07, 2:04. Finished with 4 quicker 200s with 60sec rest from 29-26. I love ending a good session with a few quick 2’s to get some confidence in my closing ability. Was really happy with this workout, especially this early in my training. It’s nice to check in on all the systems and to see where they are at, and all systems responded well! Jogged 4 miles in the evening to 1, help start the recovery process and 2, warm up my muscles before I lifted.
Wednesday
10.37 miles - 1:12 (6:47/mile)
Ran a nice loop around Como Lake in Saint Paul. The sun was out, a rarity in the last few weeks, and it felt so nice. Enjoyed some solo miles, just dreaming about where I want to go in the sport.
Thursday
AM - 6 miles - 42:15 (7:01/mile)
PM - 7 miles - 50:18 (7:11/mile)
When I’m training hard I often opt for an even split double. Both runs are super easy, I get a double hit of recovery hormones and cell signaling to prime the body for the next day's work. This ended up a sneaky 13 mile day! Did some hurdle mobility, and strides after my afternoon run to get my legs turned over a bit and to keep the hips loose. Big mile specific session tomorrow! Doing the little things like mobility, strides, strength, etc keep your body moving efficiently and are key to getting to the next level (if you have nailed the big stuff first!)
Friday
9 miles - 1k, 2x(600,400,300,300)
Hit a hard mile specific session today. We are still early in the season so sessions like these don’t come around too often, so you have to make the most of them when they do. This type of workout is one of the reasons I fell in love with running. I remember ripping fast repeats with longer rest with my high school teammates and feeling pure joy in the session. We did a 1k to warm up at 72s/400, then moved into 2x(600,400,300,300) at 1:28, 58, 43, 43. We had short rest in between the reps (60”-2’) with a full recovery in between the sets (8’). Felt really good to get after it today. Colin and I worked one rep at a time and hit our paces, or a bit faster on everything. Haven’t done too many sessions like this in my life, but they are so fun. Hoping this translates to a good mile in a few weeks, but can only control what I can control, and can only be in the present. Happy with the day's work.
Saturday
10 miles - 1:08 (6:51/mile)
Beautiful easy loop of River Rd to the Ford Bridge and back. I don’t normally listen to music when I run, but listened to some Daniel Caesar today and caught a vibe on the easy run. I don’t like looking at my watch on days like today, just run easy and enjoy running for the simplicity of running. I think too many people forget how to run by feel, and lose a sense of the effort which is detrimental in both training and racing. Also listened to some Old Man and the Three with JJ Reddick and Steph Curry, let me know if you have podcast suggestions, I’m always looking!
Sunday
13 miles - 1:22 (6:22/mile)
Shorter long run this week, as I’m only 6 days out from a 3k race. Felt like spring out on the Dakota Rail Trail (MN’s best kept secret) and had a lovely group with some lovely convo. Today, I felt great and it felt better to let the legs do what they want a bit the last few miles rather than force them to go slow. Ran a few 5:50’s to finish the run feeling recovered and energized. I live for driving out to a nice trail for a long run, so this was a great way to start my day. Hit McDonald’s breakfast after for a McGriddle and a hashborwn. I like to eat healthy, but I also like to eat what I like eating, so I don’t worry about it too much.
Totals
81 miles
2 track sessions
1 long run
1 lift
A great week of training, where intensity was more of a focus rather than volume. If you enjoyed this training breakdown let me know! You can also follow me on Strava for daily recaps, although usually not as detailed as this.