Monday: 3.75 miles. 29:30. Ran down Summit with -5 temps and significant wind. My legs started to feel a bit sore by the end. Added a core workout at the end, but couldn’t add my normal arm routine because they were too tired.
Tuesday: 3.75 miles. 31 minutes. Ran out in a windchill advisory, and even though it was warmer than the day before. Added to that, there was an extra 3-4” of snow from the night before, which made the trip down Summit a little more interesting. I get the feeling that here, unlike Boulder, I will have to do the majority of trail breaking myself. Full leg stability/dynamic strength routine.
Wednesday: Rest.
Thursday: 4.5 miles. 35 minutes. I got a scare on this run, which was a little snowy and very windy Right when I got to the snowy section down Summit, I started getting a twinge in my Achilles tendon. After less than a block, it was so bad that I cut over to the sidewalk and was ready to give up on the run. Apparently it was triggered by the loose, unconsolidated snow. Once I got back on the sidewalks again it seemed to go away, and I actually got a good, fast run in. Added another leg stability/dynamic workout later.
Friday: 3 miles, 25 minutes. 0 degrees with another windchill advisory. Had planned for two miles, but ended up pushing on to three. My achilles tweaked a bit at about a mile into the run, but cleared up quickly. It seems as though the idea of staying on the sidewalks worked pretty well. Did a full core workout plus pushups and inverted rows back at the house.
Saturday: Took a (mostly) rest day. I can definitely feel that I’m ramping back up into my full-on training mode. Went to Snelling State Park to check out their winter trails day, and ended up doing about a mile or so of classic skiing while we were there.
Sunday: 2 mile shakedown. Need I say more?
For some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that something big is going to happen this year. I’ve gone into previous years with big plans, big hopes, big dreams, and feeling good about the year ahead, but I’ve never had the feeling that there would be something majorly different about this year than others before.
I don’t know what it’s going to be. I know I’m shooting higher than I ever have before and that, despite not making the Altra Ambassador roster (yes, that was the position I applied for earlier), I will do more with running this year than I ever have.
In short, I have a very good feeling about this year.
Monday 1/12: Rest day, with a core workout. All of the books I’ve read with workout plans lately have Monday as a rest day. I presume that’s because I’m getting to the point where I need to incorporate Back to Back runs on the weekend. Core workout in the afternoon.
Tuesday 1/13: 4 miles. 5 degrees below zero. Overall I felt pretty good on this run. I ran about two miles in the snow with no Achilles pain. Added a leg stability/strength workout in the afternoon.
Wednesday 1/14: ~3 miles, 24 minutes with 4x1 minute pickup. Ran east on summit, and added in some impromptu pickups to get some turnover in. Added a core strength workout.
Thursday 1/15: 4 miles, 35 minutes + leg stability and dynamic strength workout. The cold spell finally broke!. Of course, this meant that the snow was soft and footing was iffy. After two days, I was definitely getting tired, and am glad to have the next day scheduled off.
Friday 1/16: OFF. No core workout, no run.
Saturday 1/17: 5.5 miles, 51 minutes on the nose. I took this one down to the River Gorge area, a personal favorite of mine, to get back on the trails after a long absence. I took it pretty easy, by and large, but decided to pick it up a bit on the bridges (as I tend to do). I was surprised to find that I ran my second-fastest time ever on the Ford Bridge. I clearly haven’t lost any leg turnover during my off season, and my endurance seems to be coming back more quickly than it did last year.
This was one of those days when I remembered why I love running in general, and why I run trails in particular. I hit my third-best Strava-proven time on the River Gorge loo, and felt fantastic. It was a gorgeous, just-below-freezing, sunny day, and I had the trails to myself.
Sunday 1/18: ~4 miles, 31 minutes. I again added some pickups in for the fun of it. Frank Shorter once said to always do a little speedwork, however much or little you can do, the day after a long run. I guess I’ll give it a try.
No comments:
Post a Comment