Monday, 70 minutes, 7.93 miles (2.55 miles in two walks)
I wondered when I started if my legs felt a little tired at the start due to the fact that I ran the day after the long run. After a mile or so I forgot about that thought and settled into the run. I actually felt really strong and think that our pace averaged about 10 seconds faster per mile than a couple of the similar runs last week. That might have more to do with the fact that Mom and I did not talk as much on this run as we did yesterday. After the run my right glute feels a little more sore so I will focus on foam rolling and stretching as the miles start adding up.
Tuesday, 70 minutes, 7.78 miles (1.25 miles walking)
I definitely felt the fatigue today so instead of squeezing in my virtual 5k tomorrow morning for a Wizard Run (I’m a sucker for the bling and right now all I can get is virtual stuff) I will stick with just a walk tomorrow morning. At around the 30 minute mark my heart rate felt really high so I actually walked for a little bit, hence the slightly shorter mileage. Overall though, I did not feel extremely fatigued so after a “rest” day tomorrow, I think I will be able to tackle even more mileage the rest of this week.
Wednesday, strength training, 1.26 miles walking
Mom brought the weights back over since she has gone back to work on a limited basis. Since work already brings her over this way, it made more sense to work out here instead of trekking out there. We did the same workout as last week, just twice this time. Instead of taking the easier option on a couple of the exercises, I chose the thing that made it slightly harder to push myself. I definitely did that throughout this workout. Hopefully I will feel the work I put in.
Thursday, 70 minutes, 8.11 miles (1.25 miles walking)
After checking the weather, I brought hydration along with me. Definitely a good idea. I felt fairly good throughout the run despite the warmer temperatures. Somewhere during the run, on one of the hills, I noticed some tightness in my right calf, something I will definitely ask them to focus on during my ART appointment next week and something I will work on through foam rolling until then. I ended up maintaining a slightly faster pace either because Mom did run with me (which slows me down because I talk so much) or because I did not do the short loop near home with extra hills.
Friday, 70 minutes, 7.73 miles (1.31 miles walking)
I took hydration along with me again today since the temperature had already risen above 80 degrees. I also planned to run at a slower pace and pay attention to my heart rate. I also planned to walk if my heart rate got above 180 which I knew it would be prone to do in the heat. My legs felt a little tired but not too bad. I just focused on getting in the time and the mileage.
Saturday, 13.1 10 miles (1.40 miles walking)
Originally I planned to get in half of the virtual Ottawa Marathon. (I love the fact that they gave a “segmented” option for completing the race.) Right away I felt the start of chafing on the inside of my upper arms and realized that my arms were rubbing slightly against the fabric at the bottom of the arm holes of my tank. Lovely. I already felt pretty sweaty even by mile 3. When we fueled at mile 3 Mom asked if I was trying to push the pace. Whoops. I actually thought I was trying to pull back and run smart in the heat. I offered to walk at each mile to help regulate our pace and heart rate. About a quarter mile past mile 4 I knew for sure that running the full length in that temperature and humidity would likely leave me feeling as drained as a couple weeks ago when I ended up with a massive dehydration/heat induced headache. Thus, we cut the run down to 10 miles. I think I summed up my body’s response pretty well in my daily instagram post. “To run smart you have to know when pushing on crosses the line from endurance to stubborn stupidity. Near 80 degrees with 50% humidity and a body not yet acclimated to summer running means 10 miles today instead of 13.”
Sunday, 25 minutes easy, 3.99 miles
So, I decided Saturday afternoon that I would make the GVART1000k challenge a streaking challenge as well, run streak that is. So I headed out for a short run Sunday morning. (Close to a mile and a half of the above distance comes from a cool down walk afterwards, not the run.) My legs definitely felt tired so I took it easy and concentrated. on form, walking when. my heart rate got above 170 bpm. I definitely need new shoes though.