Monday, March 13 – 20 minutes warm up, 10 x 1 minute at 5k pace, 1 minute recovery
I felt really good through this whole run, even the faster pace intervals. The recovery portion did not feel nearly as long as I wanted but rather than give into the desire to extend it, I reminded myself that following through on this timing would help me bank fitness.

Tuesday, March 14 – 50 minutes easy
I loved the return of cooler weather with wind so strong that for a portion I needed to grab my gloves. The cooler temps make the effort feel so much easier so even though I had all the hills, I will probably never like.

Wednesday, March 15 – streak mile
I felt so tired when I got up this morning so I definitely embraced the “Rest” day. My abs definitely felt the work I put in Monday and Tuesday. Spring Break, only a day away, cannot come soon enough.

Thursday, March 16 – 20 minutes warm up, 6 x 1 minute at 5k pace, 20 minutes cool down
My body has felt really tired lately which I did not think about until I started the faster pace intervals. After the first recovery interval, I did not feel nearly as recovered as I hoped. I reminded myself that putting in the work would pay off as a way to contradict my desire to walk longer on the recovery intervals. Each time it got harder and harder to resume the intervals even as I told myself that the intervals would end soon. I managed to convince myself that I needed the bathroom and when I did, I realized that I needed to end the interval portion at six. The way my legs felt when I started the cool down portion confirmed that.

Friday, March 17 – 50 minutes easy
For most of the day, a teacher workday, I had felt a little laggy so I wondered how i would feel on the run. Thanks to rain, I ended up inside on the treadmill. To distract myself, I put the treadmill screen on fullscreen (only lap progress visible) and gave myself a number of YouTube videos to watch before I looked at the time. I settled in and sure enough, the distraction worked. I felt solid physically throughout the run. By the time I checked the time, I had only 18 minutes remaining which I got through without fuss.

Saturday, March 18 – 10 miles
We started about an hour later than planned since I wanted to stop by the library book sale first. (I thought, based on the Facebook pictures that they had a vintage edition of the Silmarillion but those were likely old photos.) When we did start, I had the goal of pushing the pace just slightly so that we could achieve a faster average than last week. I didn’t tell Mom though, not wanting to psych her out. The cooler temps we’ve had lately stuck around making the experience much more pleasant than our usual weather would provide. Just like last week we walked every other mile although this time we skipped the walk at 8, moving it to 9 instead so that we could recover a little after the steepest hill of the run. i even decided to try for a fast finish so we could split sub 10 on the last mile even with the walk break at the beginning of the mile. End result? 9:58 split for that mile and 9:46 overall, 12 seconds faster per mile than last week.tt

Sunday, March 19 – streak mile
I loved the cooler temps and the fact that one mile in either direction from my house goes almost completely down hill.

Monday, March 20 – 50 minutes easy
Mom came over so we could run together before going out to eat. We’ve had an extended cold snap lately which made this run feel really good.

Tuesday, March 21 – 50 minutes easy + Wednesday, March 22 – streak mile
Vacation mode definitely kicked in as I completely forgot to write about my runs until Saturday evening and thus remember little about them.

Thursday, March 23 – 1 mile warm up, 2 x 3 miles goal pace, 1 mile cool down
I do remember enough about this run to write a brief recap. Before starting, I did not doubt my ability to complete these intervals. Once I got around a mile and a half into the first interval it started to feel really difficult. I also needed to make a pit stop so I got to the 2 mile mark and decided to settle for 2 mile intervals. When I started the second interval, I felt so much better than the first one (I have no idea why) so I completed the full interval.

Friday, March 24 – 40 minutes easy
I ran inside but I have no recollection why. Physically I felt fine but this run felt long. God it done though.

Saturday, March 25 – Cane Bay Half Marathon
See race recap.

Sunday, March 26 – streak mile
My legs felt more tired but I expected that after the race Saturday.

Monday, March 27 – 80 minutes with 60 minutes easy, finishing with 20 minutes faster pace
When I checked the weather prior to starting and saw 80, I wondered about my ability to complete the run as prescribed. Then I started running and really doubted since my legs felt a little bit tired. Instead of focusing on that, I focused on settling into the run. Looking back at the splits afterwards, I found myself pleasantly surprised at the fact that it hovered between 9:15 and 9:30. Then it came time for the faster pace. All of my normal routes include sections of hills which made this portion…fun. I reminded myself that putting in the work will pay off in the end. It was difficult but I felt great at the end.

Tuesday, March 28 – 50 minutes easy
As soon as I started the run, I knew my legs had put in a lot of work so I relaxed and focused on easy effort. It took a little while to get into the run but once I did, I felt strong even though the legs felt tired.

Wednesday, March 29 – streak mile
My legs felt the work we put in during strength training. The mile went by quickly though.

Thursday, March 30 – 10 minutes warm up, 5 x 1 mile @7:46, 800m recovery, 1 mile cool down
I headed back to my old school to make use of the track for these intervals. Mile intervals intimidate me so why not make it a little more challenging by taking away the artificial help of the treadmill to maintain the pace.
It turns out that I didn’t need to worry.
Before I started, I realized that 20 minutes for cool down and warm up would put my mileage over double digits so I cut both down to 10. Then, as I started the warm up and felt the soreness in my legs from strength training on Tuesday, I wondered if I should nix speedwork altogether. I’m glad I told myself to at least try the first mile and see how that felt. Surprisingly, I managed to hit that pace easier than I thought I could. That didn’t mean that itw as easy but it definitely provided a motivation boost. The second interval felt just as good. In the third interval the doubts started to creep in which made me debate cutting the intervals to 3. The negative thoughts didn’t stick around long after I rebutted those thoughts with the reminder that putting in the work pays off.

Friday, March 31 – streak mile
Since I did not pay extra money for will call packet pick up, we had to make sure to arrive before the “expo” ended. We left as soon as I got to Mom’s house with no time to run. Once we arrived, it made no sense to try to squeeze in a longer run so I ran around the parking lot for a mile to keep up the streak. I felt really strong and excited for the half marathon in the moring.

Saturday, April 1 – Craft Beer Half Marathon
See race recap.

Sunday, April 2 – streak mile
My legs felt a little bit tired but not too shabby after the half marathon effort.

Monday, April 3 – 20 minutes warm up, 12 x 1 min at faster than 5k pace with 1 minute recovery, 20 minutes cool down
I ran inside on the treadmill; the track at my old school isn’t available on home game days. I felt good during the warm up and nervous about the intervals as is usual for me. The first couple intervals felt a little difficult but after I decided to walk a little on the recovery, they felt pretty doable. I felt good and glad that I could execute them well.

Tuesday, April 4 – 50 minutes easy
It didn’t feel as hot before i started but after I started it definitely affected the run. I never felt fresh during the run but I didn’t feel bad either.

Wednesday, April 5 – streak mile
My legs felt tired from the start. The first hill felt like a slog but I plugged away and got it done.

Thursday, April 6 – 20 minutes warm up, 20 minutes tempo, 20 minutes cool down
I felt really tired when I started this run. That made me wonder if I should forgo the tempo portion and make everything easy. I decided against that mainly because I had already chosen to run inside to make maintaining the tempo portion a little easier aka eliminate the hills. It turns out that I could hold the tempo. I started to feel better after that first mile. I had to take a short pitstop and when I resumed, everything felt much better. I distracted myself with a few different techniques while in the tempo portion and that 20 minutes went by faster than I expected it to.

Friday, April 7 – 50 minutes easy
I ended up running inside thanks to the rain. Physically I felt a little bit tired but overall fine. The difficult part came with the mental stamina but I got it done.

Saturday, April 8 – 80 minutes with 60 minutes easy, 20 minutes faster
Because of all day rain, Mom and I switched our long run to Monday. That meant that I ran Monday’s progression run instead. I did not get an early start though because of Hogwarts Legacy. By the time I started, it took a lot of mental effort ot get going. Looking back, I realize that what made it difficult was not being able to settle into teh run mentally. I considered taking out the faster portion but ended up persevering and…I’m not sure when something shifted and the mental effort felt much easier. I ended up managing the whole run fairly well.

Sunday, April 9 – streak mile
Nice and easy. Not much to say.

Monday, April 10 – long run: 13 miles with last 2 miles faster
On the morning of the run, I decided to switch the long runs since the long run rescheduling means to “long” runs in one week so the shorter of the two made sense to run first even though it meant trying to run “fast” up the lovely hill towards the end of our route. I told Mom the plan ahead of time to keep myself accountable. When we first started running, I immediately started to doubt myself. I refused to give in and pushed those thoughts aside until the time came many miles later. Eventually, I settled in and the miles started to pass by. When that time came for the faster miles, instead of aiming for a specific pace, I just increased my effort. It paid off. While it doesn’t show in the splits from the second to last mile because of the walk break., it does show in the last mile that had a split of 8:48. I’ll take that!

Tuesday, April 11 – 50 minutes easy streak mile
I thought I could continue with my plan as usual with 50 minutes easy. As soon as I started though, my legs told me otherwise. I think I feel fresher on Sundays, my usual day after long runs, because I don’t teach the whole day before the run. Seems like common sense but I didn’t think about it until after I started. Thankfully, it’s easy to switch today and tomorrow’s run.

Wednesday, April 12 – 50 minutes easy
I woke up still feeling tired and not sure why.   When it came time for the run though, I didn’t feel too bad although my legs definitely felt tired. I focused instead just on keeping my effort low, especially with the heat. Perhaps I have a bit of a sinus infection or something similar thanks to my cycle. Focusing on rehydrating, for sure.

Thursday, April 13 – 20 minute warm up, 6-8 x 1200m with 600m recovery, 20 minute cool down
Work was really rough today. That combined with how tired I have felt made me doubt if I could do these intervals. I had actually forgotten that they were on the plan for today and did not bring my gear with me. Thus I came home and ran on the treadmill. I considered just running easy, but decided to at least give it a try and see if I could do it. Turns out that I could. The intervals felt difficult, but not so much so that I felt like it was completely out of my reach.

Friday, April 14 – 50 minutes easy
I ended up on the treadmill thanks to rain. I was a little nervous about the shoes because those shoes gave me a little arch pain/soreness that lasted for a while. While this run did not cause more, I could still feel it at times so I will be, hopefully exchanging these for the Guide, something that kind of baffles me because I used the Ride for 25 pairs before this.

Saturday, April 15 – 12 miles
Since I wanted to preserve the shoes as much as possible before returning them, I ran in my Guides for this long run. I wanted to confirm that it was the shoes causing the arch soreness and sure enough, this run confirmed that. I still need new shoes. Instead of going for longer or any sort of pace goal, I focused on effort. My legs felt tired by the end but that’s to be expected as this run was the second 12 miler of the week thanks to the long run rearrange for last week.

Sunday, April 16 – streak mile
I felt decent but not peppy. In good news though, I switched out my shoes and the owner of the store but a new insole in them that makes them feel amazing!

Monday, April 17 – 20 minute warm up, 10 x 1 minutes at 5k effort with 1 minute recovery jog + 20 minute cool down
I got to try out the new shoes (and custom insoles) for today’s run. These shoes work so much better. As far as the run goes, after some debate I decided to go ahead and do the fartleks on my regular route rather than the treadmill. When I started, my legs felt tired but I told myself that they would warm up and I wouldn’t try to reach any certain pace just focus on effort. Then the fartleks started. I didn’t look at my pace while running, just tried to run fast. Occasional glances to check on time showed me that for at least a few of those fartleks I had a pace at or just below 8! I’ll take that. I felt pretty good on the final 20 minutes at easy pace as well.

Tuesday, April 18 – 50 minutes easy
These hills never seem to get easier. Like usual, the run felt a bit difficult at the start. I told myself to just focus on maintaining an easy effort. At my walk break at mile 4 I saw that I hovered right at a 10 pace and if I wanted to dip under a little I needed to pick up the speed a bit. To my surprise, I did so easily. Talk about a motivation boost.

Wednesday, April 19 – streak mile
A long, draining day at work made me wonder how this mile would feel. Physically, I felt good. Mentally, I realized after that I felt a little better. No solutions but I got a bit of an outlet.

Thursday, April 20 – 30 minutes easy
And I thought I had a long day yesterday. I won’t bother with the work details. Suffice it to say, I left work exhausted with a headache behind my right eye. I really wanted to do my 2 x 3 mile intervals but my body said no. I would have just switched it with Friday except I plan to make the 10k on Saturday a tempo in the middle of my long run. Two speedwork sessions in a row is not a good idea. I then decided to try for one interval but again, I just felt tired which while frustrating, I understand and know that listening to my body is better.

Friday, April 21 – 45 minutes easy
This run felt amazing. My body felt completely recovered from yesterday. Did more rest make the difference (I slept another hour or so after getting the admin stuff ready)? Did the lack of draining from being around people all day make a difference? Did both? Probably. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that the PRs stopped after I started teaching. I spent most of the run contemplating what I can do to make this the norm rather than the exception.

Saturday, April 22 – Reedy River 10k (+ miles on either side)
See race recap.

Sunday, April 23 – streak mile
I felt really good and loved the cooler weather.

Monday, April 24 – 60 minutes easy
I decided to try to switch back to morning runs. Of course I went back and forth multiple times but finally decided to go for it. I wanted to run outside but when I went out I felt sprinkles. I probably would have been fine but after the rain Saturday, I didn’t feel like it so I ended up on the treadmill. When I started, it felt more difficult than I expected.  Instead of giving up, I kept going until the two mile mark, walked and the restarted. I figured I would run another two miles and then walk again. However, I ended up getting into the mental groove and didn’t end up walking again until I finished.

Tuesday, April 25 – 50 minutes easy
Certain students tried my patience again today leaving my brain tired. I wondered if that would affect the run. Thankfully, it did not. A few other factors probably counteracted that from getting more rest, longer between runs because I ran yesterday morning, less walking at work, and cooler temps. I started running and felt really good. Instead of pushing the pace, I settled in and enjoyed the run.

Wednesday, April 26 – streak mile
Not much to say about an average rest day mile that felt…well…average.

Thursday, April 27 – 20 minute warm up + 5 x 1600m with 800m recovery with 20 minute cool down
I cut one mile interval off as well as the strides so that I could fit the run in before Mom came to use my treadmill. That was likely the best decision for this run. Although I originally wanted to try to run at the track at my old school, all day rain nixed that idea. When I started the first interval, I felt that familiar doubt but banished it with determination to get it done, with the idea that I need to put in the hard work to make my accomplishing goals happen. The first interval felt doable. Each one after that felt increasingly difficult with the last of the e four being intensely challenging but I did it and feel great about it!

Friday, April 28 – 50 minutes easy
The run felt really difficult when I first started and through the first couple miles. I didn’t get discouraged because the difficulty made sense with the mile intervals yesterday, much warmer temperatures, hills, and a headwind. I gave myself permission to walk at each mile if I needed. Just before the turn around I stop at the library for a pit stop. After that (and a little before that) the rest of the run felt smooth, good even, especially in the last mile when I looked down and saw 8:25 pace on my watch. Though the tailwind (opposite of the earlier headwind) likely contributed a bit, I take that as a sign of definite improvement.

Saturday, April 29 – 12 miles long run
Warmer weather is like here to stay. I definitely needed a Gatorade refill. At the start, I wondered about the prescribed fast finish miles but kept reminding myself that not only did I know I could do it but also, those miles weren’t here yet. The closer we got though, the more I wondered, especially as we left the trail and approached the hills. I even told mom that I wouldn’t be going for them. Then the time came and I decided, even though my legs felt spent to ish it just a little bit. As soon as o knew I could do it,
went for it, averaging 8:50 for the last mile!

Sunday, April 30 – streak mile
I wanted to start first thing in the morning but the ever present rain and then a whole bunch of book related admin work meant I got out after 3:30. My legs felt tired as I expected. I took it easy and plan for even more rest later.

Monday, May 1 – 20 minute warm p + 12 x 1 minute at slightly faster than 5K effort with 1 minute recovery + 20 minute cool down
Of course I went back and forth on whether to run before work but ultimately ended up doing it. I cut down the warm up and the warm down to make it fit time wise but I got the fartlek intervals done and kept increasing the pace because it didn’t feel challenging at first. I need to keep remembering this feeling because I really like finishing my run first thing.

Tuesday, May 2 – 50 minutes easy
My stride felt amazing on this run. When the wind gusted against me or the hills started to make things feel difficult, I pulled my gaze up and focused on plugging away. I enjoy runs like this.

Wednesday, May 3 – streak mile
I woke up so tired this morning. I would love an additional day off but I’m plugging away. My legs felt tired but I knew I would feel more tired after school so I got it done.

Thursday, May 4 – 1 mile warm up, 6 miles at Goal Pace, 1 mile cool down
I’m an effort to give myself a better chance at completing this workout as planned, I drove straight downtown to use the trail. Taking out the hills made it easier physically as well as mentally. Did I still doubt? Of course! I kept telling myself that I could do it, that I wasn’t falling apart and this is what I needed to do to achieve my goals. I aimed for as close to 8:00 as possible although I think 8:15 is closer to my actual goal pace. Around the second mile of this pace I doubted a little bit firmly told myself to keep going. I paused only at the major intersection. I feel so pleased with my work!

Friday, May 5 – 3 miles
I briefly considered attempting to run before school but decided against it. My legs definitely felt the work from yesterday, tired but capable. I focused on keeping my effort extremely easy.

Saturday, May 6 – 12 miles long run
The plan called for more miles than I felt like running after Thursday’s race pace. Plus, Mom hadn’t been able to run as much earlier in the week. We settled in to a fairly easy pace , a pace a little faster than I expected. We even pushed the pace a little on the last mile.

Sunday, May 7 – streak mile
I felt pretty good on the mile although I probably should have left the shirt at home. It’s little warm out.

Monday, May 8 – 20 minute warm up, 10 x 1 minutes at 5k effort with 1 minute recovery + 20 minute cool down
I don’t remember exactly why I decided against running before school, most likely because I didn’t feel like running on the treadmill for the fartlek intervals. When I drove to school in the rain I wondered if I would end up on the treadmill anyway. Thankfully, the rain went away. Unfortunately, it left behind ridiculously hot and humid conditions. I felt drained when I started and wondered if it was a good idea to push in these temps. I decided to do what I could which turned out to be done pretty speedy intervals. I did walk on a couple of the recovery intervals to being my heart rate down. In the end, I feel pretty pleased with my effort.

Tuesday, May 9 – 30 minutes easy
The days feel so long which no doubt affects the run. Combine that with warm temps and thick humidity and this run felt tough. I really appreciated having just 30 minutes on the plan. I feel a bit encouraged though because even though I felt tired, my “easy” effort, aka my effort while pulling back, occasionally drifted below 9!

Wednesday, May 10 – streak mile
I felt so tired this morning but forced myself to run because I had a dentist appointment afterwards. At least I got it done.

Thursday, May 11 – 20 minute warm up, tempo 20 minutes, 20 minute cool down
I headed downtown again for this speedwork, 20 minutes at tempo pace. I didn’t have quite the same success. This run called for a slightly faster pace than I managed last week. When I first started the tempo portion, the pace felt manageable. I felt strong. About five minutes in though, it started to feel tough. Additionally, the tree cover (I assume) interferes with the satellite reception on my Garmin. That makes it difficult to ascertain if I’m hitting the pace or not. I still have not managed to figure out how to have my pace without the watch. I came close but ended up around the same pace as last week which is not bad. It’s just not quite what I wanted.

Friday, May 12 – 30 minutes easy
I did not look forward to the run knowing the 80 degree temps. I also figured that my legs might be sore after yesterday’s run like last week but they felt nowhere near as sore. I focused on easy effort and ended up really enjoying the run.

Saturday, May 13 – 12 miles fast finish
I totally forgot to write about this one.

Sunday, May 14 – streak mile
Legs definitely felt tired so I ran easy for the mile.

Monday, May 15 – 20 minute warm up, strides 8 x 25 seconds starting at 5K and progressing Mile race effort with 1 minute recovery, 20 minute cool down
The plan called for some stride intervals so I headed downtown. Unfortunately, parts of my body not related to running (my sinuses and ovaries) did not feel great. This cycle has been heavy on the symptoms. I decided not to push it but settle for an easy run that felt pretty good.

Tuesday, May 16 – 40 minutes easy
I did not feel like trying to get speedwork done on the hills and went back and forth with myself and eventually decided on just 40 minutes easy. I heard some thunder and hoped it would hold off. It did not so I ended up with just two miles. I probably will add a few more miles tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 17 – streak mile
The route from school always feels difficult thanks to the mostly uphill. Add to that 80 degree temps and the fact that I have to wear a shirt (heaven forbid that my students see me dressing appropriately for the weather) and you get a fairly slow run. Got it done. Two more easy days before the half.

Thursday, May 18 – 30 minutes easy
I probably could have run outside but the potential of rain did not sound appealing. I also felt so much better than I have on previous runs, perhaps because the treadmill doesn’t have hills.

Friday, May 19 – 20 minutes easy
My abs still feel sore from Tuesdays workout (which I love!) but other than that this run felt nice and easy, exactly what I need before the half tomorrow.