605 Series 8 Mile Race Goals

I was hesitant to sign up for the 605 Race Series, because I knew I wouldn't race any of the distances other than the 4 mile. Toni convinced me that we'd do the 8 mile and 12 mile as our training runs together, and our finishing time would be NBD. Thank goodness for Toni, right?

Sunday's 8 mile will be a part of our 11 mile long run for the day. According to the Pfitz plan we're following, we're supposed to increase our long run pace, finishing the last 3 miles near Lactate Threshold pace. Uff da! Our LT pace lately has been between 9-9:20. Our long run pace has been creepily 10:39 almost every week no matter the distance or temperature/humidity or if I'm running with Toni or solo. So weird.

Our plan:

To run 3 miles at our regular pace before the race, with minimal time between those miles and the gun start. I think we'll continue another 2-3 miles at our regular long run pace, with another 2 around 9:30-10 pace, and the final three around, or slightly above 9 minute pace.

Last year I ran the race in 1:16:03, a pace of 9:49. Apparently my race plan was similar last year (I had to look up my race report to be sure): race plan 2 @10:30, 2 @ 10, 2 @ 9:30 2 @ 9-9:15.

I would love for my time/pace to be faster than last year's especially as it's at the end of an 11 miler, but we'll see! Since it's more of a workout vs. a race like last year's was, I'm just excited to get out and run with a bunch of 605 runner friends!

Recovery + Injury Prevention

My running has been going really well for the past year and a half, and I have a ton of things to attribute my health to. I've really been focusing on recovery. I've started tracking my recovery in my training log, as a reminder of how important of a component it is to my training.

My favorite recovery practices are:

• Epsom baths: At least 2 times a week, I am taking an epsom bath for 20-30 minutes. Sometimes this is after a run, sometimes it's a true rest day, or other times it's when work has been crazy and I need just some quiet moments to chill. I'm obsessed with the Dr Teals Lavender Epsom Salt . Lately I've been adding the Dr. Teal's Lavender Bubble Bath which takes it to an awesome level. I do need to drink a ton of water after doing it, as epsom bath's can be dehydrating.
• Hydration: Speaking of drinking all of the water, I've really been upping my water intake this summer. When it's hot out, I sweat like crazy, so I know I need to drink a ton of water to replace everything I've lost. It's been helping to flush out some of the soreness in my legs.
• Compression socks: I've been a firm believer in compression socks for years, so I've been wearing them a lot in the evenings and after runs. I've even contemplated wearing them to work with knee-length dresses, but I think I might get weird looks. Kyle just loves when we go out to lunch and I refuse to take them off. 
• Massages: I started doing monthly massages this past spring, and I think it's really helping! I look forward to massage day so much! I would really like to do 2 massages a month but that's just not in the cards money wise. It's moments like this that I wish I was a sponsored runner. :P

In addition to recovery work, I've been focusing on injury prevention as well!

Injury prevention practices:

• Glute activation drills: I'm doing these before EVERY run. Whether it's a see-saw lift, or clam shells, or a standing banded leg lift, I'm doing *something* to get my booty woke up and ready to run. And it's truly making all the difference. Sometimes when my legs feel super heavy on a run, I will stop and do some quick leg lifts to invite the booty to the party. I got a pair of resistance bands for Christmas that were just okay, but I recently ordered this set, which is what we use at POWER and they're amazing.
• Sanford POWER: This is one of the #1 things that has kept me injury free, and I know I've bragged about it a million times, but I'm going to keep doing it. I LOVE POWER. It's functional strength-training specifically for runners. My runs after POWER are always rockin' because my form is so spot on after a 60 minute session. 
• Foam rolling/stick: This is probably my least favorite practice. I know I need it, but I don't love it. And my runs the day after doing it usually feel junky, but I still do it. 
• Core work: Somewhere during the time of doing all the yoga during teacher training, I stopped doing core work. I thought I was getting plenty during yoga, right? Wrong. But now I'm getting back to it. I know that my posture is the first thing to go when I'm tired on a long long run or a race, so I'm hoping that more core work will lead to better form when races and runs get really tough and tiring. Not quite Operation: Alba Abs of days past, but I also wouldn't mind being able to shed the shirt on some really toasty runs without fear of being judged.

**I've included a couple of affiliate links to Amazon for specific products that I have been buying, using, and loving. If you purchase from the links, I get a few pennies back!

Twin Cities 10 Training Week 4

Week of July 31-August 6

Monday Planned: General Aerobic 4 miles 
Monday Actual: Sigh. Another rest day. I took a yin yoga class that was amazing, and I spent about 15 minutes foam rolling before class. I probably *could've* run after, but I opted for one more day of recovery to be on the safe side.

Tuesday Planned: General Aerobic 8 miles 2 sets 5x150m strides
Tuesday Actual: 3 miles and 30 minutes of yin yoga. We ran 3 miles for the group run, and my right quad was still pretty tired and fatigued feeling. I contemplated running the extra miles after but opted not to. Pretty hopeful it'll be back to normal tomorrow *fingers crossed*.

Wednesday Planned: General Aerobic 3 mile Wednesday Actual: Ugh. My legs hated me. During a downhill portion, my right leg locked up on me and I knew I was better off turning around and heading for home instead of pushing it for 3-4 miles, as was the plan. Womp. I got in two super easy miles, and then spent some time with the rumble roller before yoga class started. 

Thursday Planned: General Aerobic 7 mile 
Thursday Actual: General Aerobic 7 mile. I was really nervous about this run and how my legs would feel. I brought my stick to work and spent all of my breaks working on my quads/it bands. And we were treated with a gorgeous afternoon of 7 miles!






After our run, we met a bunch of our running friends at our favorite local brewery to wish Sally safe travels as she departs on her next adventure. She's such a lovely human/yogi/runner and will be missed dearly!!

Friday Planned: Sanford POWER
Friday Actual: Sanford POWER. I really wanted to do an easy 2-3 miler after POWER to get the fatigue out of my legs, but I didn't have enough time to get ready for work. Womp.

Saturday Planned: Endurance 9 miles
Saturday Actual: Ugh. My legs just weren't having it on this run, and I was way underfueled. I ended up calling it quits and turned around at 1.5 miles for 3.33 for the day.

Sunday Planned: Rest
Sunday Actual: Endurance 9 miles. Whoo! I was nervous my legs were still going to be toast like yesterday. My hamstrings were kind of ouchy before I started, which is something I never deal with, so that was weird. I suspect I was working them extra hard with weird form on Saturday. Extra bonus points for calling it early, I think. Luckily they warmed up within a mile.

The rest of the run was great. Really smooth, fairly even splits, and it was magical being able to run long at 10:30am in August and not melting. I finished and felt like I could've ran for another hour which is a damn good sign for where my fitness is right now. Wahoo!!


Recovery game: so strong. 
Recovery socks AND recovery sandals. Hoka sandals are just as weird looking as Hoka shoes but they feel magical!


Total Mileage Planned: 31 miles

Total Mileage Actual:  24.37 miles

Weekly Reads: Windfall

Windfall is the latest teen book by Jennifer E Smith. I've read quite a few of her books, usually good sweet love stories. One of my co-workers told me I had to read this one, and it did not disappoint. I love a good lottery story, it always gets my gears turning. I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a sweet fast read.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:

Let luck find you.

Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes. 

At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall. 

As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined…and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

How to Fail a Long Run

Saturday I was scheduled for a 9 mile long run during our cut back week. I did not complete that 9 mile run. Not for lack of trying... ish. But I also failed along the way. I was so excited. *ONLY* 9 miles! Cut back week! NBD distance! I love that our training has gotten to this point where a 9 mile run is NBD. But apparently I should've respected the distance a bit....

Things I Did Right:

• Hydrating heavily Friday night and Saturday morning. I drank so much water I had to pee all through my yoga class Saturday night. I thought about leaving them in a lunge for 3 minutes but decided that'd be rude.
• I went to bed early. A friend was in town, but we both planned to go to bed early, so I was in bed by 10pm. I only had a glass of Champagne instead of the six that I would've liked to have.
• I packed all of my running things so I had no excuses to skip the run after yoga class.
• I checked the weather, and it was supposed to be lovely and cool all day, so nbd that I pushed my long urn until after yoga!
• Yoga before running. Ahhhh bliss.
• NOT drinking my beer after yoga at the brewery. I didn't even take one because I knew it would upset my stomach or lower my interest in running.
• Foam rolling Friday night. My quads and IT band have been slightly annoying lately, so I spent some good time foam rolling them, as well as my calves and working on my feet.

Things I Did Very, Very Wrong:

• I went on an impromptu walk with one of my college BFFs, in sandals that maybe weren't the most supportive, resulting in swollen legs/feet and blisters.
• Not eating breakfast. Not bringing a snack for after yoga. Attempting to run 9 miles on one singular luna bar at 1:15pm after teaching a yoga class.
• Not running at 6am as originally planned. If I had gone, I would've been fine with not eating beforehand! My GUs would've gotten me through, and I would've been able to take a glorious post long run nap after yoga.
• I skipped my epsom salt bath Friday night because I wanted to hang out with my friend who was in town. Had we not gone on a walk, it would've been a-ok. But going on the walk and having tired legs, spelled disaster....

So do as I say, not as I do. Drink a lot of water, get good sleep, fuel properly, and don't except your body to be able to perform if you're not setting it up to do so properly. Duh.

605 Series 4 Mile DNS

Last weekend was the first race in the 605 Series, and the only one of the series I planned to race! I ran long on Friday so I'd be able to race on Sunday. Buuuuuuut, my legs had other ideas. Friday evening my legs started to feel really tight. I foam rolled and sticked and took some ibuprofen before bed. When I woke up Saturday morning, I could barely move them, my IT band was so tight, my quads felt completely locked up.

I had lunch plans with a friend and just assumed they'd loosen up as the day went on. After lunch I realized, maybe that wasn't the case..... I spent more time foam rolling, took more ibuprofen, found some biofreeze, and took a two hour nap.... in the name of recovery, mind you.

I woke up, foam rolled some more and took an epsom bath. They felt a little better, finally. I texted Toni that I was going to try to do my warm up miles before the race, and decide if I'd race after that. I woke up Sunday and my legs were still super tight and painful. I turned off my alarm, mopey, and tried to go back to bed. Until I realized that I had picked up friends' packets and had to bring them to the race. Grr....

I did some more foam rolling throughout the day, but not as aggressively as the previous days, as they were still super tender to the touch and maybe I overdid the foam rolling a smidge. I really wanted to run that race, so I was doing everything I could to get there. Oh well.

I had another epsom bath and took a restorative yoga class. Monday my legs felt almost okay. I took a yin yoga class and 15 minutes of foam rolling, and my legs felt almost back to normal. I opted to take another rest day just to be sure.

So I'm back to normal, I think. This is similar IT band issues that I've had when my form is crappy during a long run or race. I think going to POWER for the first time in three weeks may have worked my glutes too hard, so they were just off completely during my long run. It's a good reminder to keep my foam roller nearby as the miles are increasing, and to make sure that my glutes are ready to rock during runs. Eeps.

July in Review + Goals

Total Miles:   112 miles up from 52.6  miles last month. 100.6 miles last July.

Total Time:  20:09:56 up from 9:11:57 last month. Uff da!

Total Runs: 21 for an average of 5.33 miles a run.

Highest weekly mileage: 7/17-7/23 33 miles 5:53:23

Favorite run: Toni and my first long run of this training cycle. I was nervous about a double digit long run after taking a bit of a break from long runs after the Brookings half. It flew by.

Most hardcore run: 8 miles with tempo and uphill portions in all the humidity. barf.

Favorite Race: Lennox Firecracker 5k

Bike Miles: 0. Oops.

Favorite Jam: I went to the AAR concert so the only time I've listened to music has been a playlist of all their music.

July Goals

This month I have two goals I'm going to try to work on:

• Daily meditation: I've totally fallen off of my meditation practice and I desperately want to get it back.--Womp womp. I'm going to re-attempt this goal for August!
• Water: I've been drinking so much coffee and enjoying all the beers on beautiful summer nights, and I have not been drinking nearly enough water. I re-downloaded an app to help me stay accountable. Fingers crossed!--SUCCESS! Operation: Drink all the Water is going well!