Training Rundown Week 7- MS Run The US

Happy Humpday! I cannot believe I'm already almost 2 full months into my training plan! It really flys by and next week I'll be LESS THAN 100 OUT from my May start line (and much sooner for my Salt Lake City Marathon). I honestly feel like January just came and went so quickly. I've been in a bit of a funk lately and so I switched up when I did each of my workouts last week and that REALLY helped. I ended up starting my week with some tempo miles and did my long run on Thursday afternoon/early evening. I really had an inkling to run long all day at work Thursday and had the perfect window to do it after I got out at 3:30!

Monday: 10 miles; 1.5 warm-up @ 10:00; 7 miles tempo 8:20-8:35 (actual: 8:27); 1.5 cool-down. Rocked it. Felt strong and pace never felt hard.

Tuesday: 6 miles easy @ 9:55. Split this run up between teaching skating in the afternoon. 2.6 miles with Stella; 45 minute break; 3.4 miles solo

Wednesday: 8 miles (actual: 7 miles); 1.5 warmup (.5 warm-up); 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400 (400R- all done @ 7:08-7:13 pace on the treadmill); 1.5 cool-down (.75 cool-down). I started and finished this run by 6:30 in the morning at the gym (had to be to work by 7) and felt really strong and was going to finish out and get that last ~1 mile later in the day, but I felt strong and was good with just leaving it as is. 60 minute Jumpboard Reformer at the Pilates studio over lunch

Thursday: 14 miles long slow 9:03-9:18; 14 miles (8.6 miles; 1 hour break; 5.4 miles on treadmill) @ 9:03 . Felt strong and a bit sore. Normally I try not to do two hard workouts back-to-back, but where my Wednes run was done by 6:30pm and this run didn't even start until after 3:30pm, I felt recovered and ready to run hard (knowing that I'd take the next few runs super easy)

Friday: Rest Day. Switched around my rest days again. I had a terrible day at work and was feeling a cold possibly coming on. Slept in and just focused on recovery.

Saturday: 8 miles @ 9:59 on the treadmill & 30 minutes strength (started a new strength training program)

Sunday: 7 miles @ 9:58 599' elevation gain

Positive Splits:

• Hit all my workouts
• Sleep was a priority this week
• Foam rolled almost every night before bed
• Took a few Epsom Salt baths to recover
• Hit over 200 miles in January!

Negative Splits:

• Was 2 miles short on weekly mileage goal
• Didn't get in 3 strength sessions (only 2)
• Still no yoga :( 

Happy Wednesday! How's your training going?!

Training Rundown- Week 6 MS Run The US

HUMPDAY! I am still re-adjusting to my running schedule and last week was a bit of a disaster in terms of half of my runs were on the treadmill and I had a hard time hitting my tempo pace on Wednesday. I still got my mileage in, but it was not pretty. OH WELL. Time to move on from it! 

MONDAY: 1.5 warm-up; 4 x 1200 @ 5:20; 1.5 cool-down (actual: 1.0 warm-up; 4 x 1200 (5:20, 5:20, 5:20, 5:20); 1.0 cool-down

TUESDAY: 6 miles easy on the treadmill @ 9:55

WEDNESDAY: 1.5 warm-up; 7 miles Tempo @ 8:20; 1.5 cool-down-> 10 miles total. This was hard on the treadmill and the gym that I was at in Denver just had a different vibe. Change is never easy folks. 

THURSDAY: 6 miles easy; (actual: 7 miles easy @ 9:40); Went a bit too fast on this one, but felt so good to run outside! 

FRIDAY: Rest Day. I was so exhausted from traveling and driving home on Thursday, that I decided to take the day off. 60 minute CoreReformer class at lunch.

Saturday: 10 miles easy @ 10:06 (actual: 10.25 1, 025' gain).

Sunday: 8 miles easy @ 9:54 with 627' gain

Positive Splits:

• Hit my mileage
• Hit my speed workout paces
• Kept easy runs easy
• Gained a significant amount of elevation

Negative Splits:

• Tempo run was really hard and had to take a few breaks during it.
• Just felt tired and over worked
• Only one strength session fit in this week.

MS Monday- Guest Post

Happy Monday! Today my mom wrote a post about how MS has affected her and the view of the disease through her eyes. I'm so fortunate that she agreed to write this post and was so strong to share her thoughts with us. 

I have experienced a loss. My family experienced a loss. Our community experienced a loss. My father experienced the ultimate loss. Multiple Sclerosis is responsible for every one of these losses.

First, by having his mobility taken away a little bit at a time, my father wasn’t able to continue to do the things that made him who he was every day. He lost his “person”. It’s what makes everyone of us the individual that we are today. He worked with his hands on everything. He was a mobile person, always in motion.

Dad’s day job was a Fork-Lift driver at a wood mill. I remember riding with him on the Fork-lift sometimes after school when I would catch a ride home with him. He was impressive to watch. The Fork-Lift would almost glide across the lot, maybe he was showing off just for me but I thought he was pretty cool. The smell of the wood mill is something you never forget. Whenever I pass by a fresh-cut woodlot or a wood mill (not many left) I always have the memory flash of hanging out at Dad’s work.

He wasn’t much of a reader, unless you count the tool catalogs that he would scour for the next best thing that he would use in the garage. He also was the original Uncle Henry’s shopper (think before Craigslist). Every Sunday morning was spent listening to the “swap shop” on a local radio station where people would call in with things for sale. I don’t even remember if he ever bought anything or not but he sure did like the thrill of the “hunt”. I can identify with this and find myself scouring E-Bay for bargains.

My dad was a driving fiend. He loved to drive anytime, anywhere. He wasn’t the biggest fan of the Interstate or big cities though. My childhood is filled with memories of Sunday drives, camping trips, and outings throughout New England.  He liked to explore and experience new places. Especially if food was involved, he liked to eat out (but who doesn’t).           

As we get older, we have to make changes to our daily routines because physical limitations make us adjust to where we are today. However, when MS decides when you are going to have to make these changes it is frustrating to the person.

I know my dad was frustrated when he first started having walking issues but I don’t really remember a time when he curled up in a ball and stopped fighting. It would have been so easy to just stop doing things but he continued to fight.

At first, using a cane to help him get around and gradually moving into a wheelchair but he still kept going back to the garage and tinkering. He was so patient with his disability, I don’t think I would have been able to be that patient. He had his days when it would get a little overwhelming but honestly, I think he just took it in stride and kept on keepin’ on. Looking back now, I’m surprised he didn’t complain more. I guess everyone has their pain-threshold and tolerance-threshold, well, his was pretty strong.

So, I started with what has been lost but I find that I want to focus on what I have been given instead. I am a lucky girl, to have had my dad for as long as I did and for everything that he gave me that makes me who I am today. Multiple Sclerosis will never take my memories of him.

THANK YOU to the moon and back mom, you are so brave. 

Training Rundown- Week 5 MS Run The US

Week 5 is done and gone! Last week went really well (for the most part). It has definitely been challenging to run and train during the month of January (normally I take this month off from any serious training programs and begin in mid-to-late February). I've also been working a BUNCH on the weekends and week nights teaching skiing, so that has not left a lot of room for any sort of flexibility. I got in 4 outdoor runs and 2 treadmill runs, so I'm pretty proud of that ratio and try to keep a few of my runs a week on the treadmill (just to keep my pace extra easy). I fit in 3 strength training sessions (including one Jumpboard Reformer Pilates class) and also was able to Epsom Salt soak twice/ foam roll a few times. I haven't gotten sick yet this year, so that is also a HUGE step in the right direction because normally this is where I start to get a week or two of a cold during marathon training as my body adapts. 

Monday: 7 miles; 1.5 warm-up; 6 x 1 km @ 4:24 (actual: 4:38*, 4:33*, 4:24, 4:24, 4:21, 4:20--> *done outside in single digit temps (too cold for me to do speedwork & did the remaining on the treadmill); .5 cool-down. I just became frustrated with this run (having to do some indoors & some outside) and ran out of time and just was ready to be done so cut it a mile short. Finished with 7 miles. 60 minutes of Jumpboard Pilates Reformer at lunch. Taught a ski lesson at night..so tired!!

Tuesday: 6 miles easy @ 9:40 on the treadmill. Slept in a bit too much (thanks to the kittens for being WAY too cuddly) and had to go at a faster easy pace than I normally like to between my speed & tempo days. 

Wednesday: 9 miles; 1.5 warm-up; 6 miles @ tempo 8:35 (actual: 7:51? I think my garmin was off and thinking my pace was more around 8:05/8:10); 1.5 cool-down. 30 minutes of strength training afterwards. I waited to do this run in the afternoon when the sun was shining and temps were right around 30*. It was beautiful and gained 202', which was pretty good for a tempo run! Epsom salt bath to recover at the end of the day. I also saw a bald eagle during the start of my tempo run and this was so important to propel me forward because the day that my grandfather passed, I was out on a run and saw a bald eagle and decided that that was his spirit animal! It was so great to know that he was watching me run. 

Thursday: 7 miles easy @ 9:55 on the treadmill. Kept the pace easy and felt strong on my run. 

Friday: 12 miles @ 9:03-9:18 long-slow pace (actual: 9:08). Gained 266' during this run and started before 6am. It was SO cold and most everything I had ended up freezing, but I got it done! 

Prep for my long run the night before! Getting up at 4:30 is definitely NEVER easy!

Saturday: 6 miles easy

Sunday: Rest Day

Positive Splits:

• Hit my long run pace
• Hit my tempo pace
• Fit in three strength training session
• Fit in two epsom salt recovery baths
• Foam rolled a bunch
• Nutrition was pretty good & hydration was on point!

Negative Splits:

• That speed workout was terrible. Total disaster!

Happy humpday! I hope your training is going well! 

MS Monday- A Closer Look At My 175-Mile Segment

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend full of play and NOT working (.....like me....). I am coming at you today from beautiful Denver! It's a crazy week ahead of me, but I am still planning on getting in my runs no matter. The extra challenge is what makes me a stronger runner! I got to the gym at 5:30 this morning (and even did my warm-up outside) so I could get my speedwork session in before meeting my co-workers at 7 to hit the road (which ironically I will be running in 120 DAYS!)...Alas, perfect segway to my topic today- previewing my running route for MS Run The US relay! 

I have several major climbs through my 7-day running streak, all of which go to around a 7% grade. My biggest challenges will be the peaks that you see ~mile 15 & ~mile 100. I've slowly started to do the following with my training:

• Not shying away from a hill. I NEVER used to run a hilly route (like ever)- mainly due to my achilles tendonitis, but also because they would leave me feeling so defeated. So I've learned to 'embrace the hill'
• Tempo runs done on a slightly hilly course. Yes, trying to hit my paces on something that is not completely flat is definitely hard, but that is what I will be faced when it comes to my relay (and SLC marathon in April) so better start training for it now!
• Building up my leg strength. Helllloo squats with kettlebells, one-legged squats, split squats, bridges..yup! they are ALL in my strength training routine. Look out for a feature of what strength exercises I'm incorporating in my training coming up SOON!
• Running on the treadmill at an incline. I used to never bump it up even 0.5% grade, but now I am consistently running at either 0.5% or 1.0% on my easy days and throwing in a few minutes at 2% or 3% incline (not typically on my easy days). I'm working my way up to a 10% incline, but slow and steady progress wins the race!
• Once-a-week picking a VERY hilly route for an easy run. Paces are thrown out the window and I focus on my running form and getting up and over each hill.
• Incorporating a trail run (when the weather gives me a dry trail...). Not so much right NOW, but trail running when I can because my relay segment is a mix of dirt and road trails.

I have also hit 35% of my fundraising goal thus far! I'm super excited and have a GREAT fundraiser coming up for the month of February and can't wait to announce the details with you all very very soon (stay tuned)!

I hope you have a wonderful Monday and don't worry... the week isn't going to be nearly as terrible as Monday is! 

What are you up to today?

Weekend plans- anything fun coming up?