Training Updates, and 2 races this weekend!

I have forgotten what life looks like when I’m trying to run 90-100 miles/week! Wow – eat, sleep, run, run again, coach, errands, clean, family time (last but NOT least). Then: repeat!

Things have been going really well! As crazy as the schedule is, I love it! I’ve responded to the higher mileage really well, and have hit some great workouts lately.

-This Tuesday, 4/26, I did 11 miles with 8×5 minutes at tempo pace (30 second rest). I ran with Teresa, and not knowing what I could do, decided I’d take the first four segments a little conservative and then start working those last 4. It went so well! I hit ~6:35-38 for the first 4, and then dropped closer to 6:30s for the last 4 (leaving T a little ways behind me). I definitely could have hurt more, but was a little scared since this was my first time doing 40 minutes at tempo.

-This 20 miler (pic below) was a lot of fun. I met up with Chelsey for the first 8 or so miles, and then met Teresa to run to her boyfriends’ farm ~12 miles away. It was my first 20 miler, and other than having some UCAN before hand, I didn’t think to bring anything else with me. Oops! I struggled a little bit between 15 and 17, but otherwise, my first 20 miler went great! It was fun to mesh two training partners and a “destination” run together!

Proof that we made it to Marco’s farm!

I really like the new Cocoa Delite flavor. Want to try some of your own? Order with code UCANELITENP for 10-15% off your order. Keep that code handy, sometimes it’s worth even more!

-Teresa and I did another classic Daniels’ long/hard run together last week: 2×10 minutes at the beginning, 10 miles easy in the middle (you know, ONLY 10 easy), and 15 minutes hard at the end. It was so fun to run side by side with her! YAY training partners!! Her goal is also to break 3 at Grandma’s.

-I’ve been enjoying some great trail runs lately. It helps to break up my noon 10-12 milers: then it just feels like a 1-3 mile jog over to the trails (Olaf, Carleton, Sechler, Ole Trail – so many to choose from!), a trail run, and a jog back!

At the Carleton arb earlier this week. Teresa had a LONG SLEEVE under her jacket as well. Crazy woman! It has been cool (and rainy) here lately, but still.

Exploring the “Ole Trail”. Gorgeous! Plus, the added benefit of running on the trails is that you have an excuse to go really, really slow! Yay recovery runs!

Remember my quest to try to find $10 in change during my runs in 2016? Well, so far I’m not doing great. I maybe have $3 or so. Those darn street sweepers really put a damper on my collections this last month, ha!

But, what’s better than finding a penny, quarter, or dollar bill? Finding LITTLE KID SKIS AND POLES. Not kidding. Someone had them in a free pile, and everything else had been taken. It was meant to be! This is perhaps the coolest find I’ve EVER come across on a run! Maybe not as cool of a story as Amy’s “gun” (read her comment after this post!), but still.

I’m excited for Greta this winter!

Only thing left in the free pile were these skis, poles, and a shovel. Score! Craig helped me “run” them back. We looked so cool.

I’ve been loving this wet/dry bag from Brooks. I got it for free when I ordered a new bra last month. I didn’t think I’d love it, but I do! It’s been rainy here lately, so I just throw my wet outfit here after a lunch-hour run so it doesn’t get my next outfit wet. It also saves my office from stinking too much, since I am storing two sets of dirty outfits in there by the end of the day (I worry about that!).

Lifesaver. Bonus = lifesaver for my coworkers as well!

Craig convinced me to exchange my 10x100m strides for 10x hills one day. OMG. I am really trying to get my “snap” back after baby, but wow, I have a LONG way to go. Mike “The Moose” (3rd from left) and his running buddy (2nd from left) saw Craig and I about 1/2 way into our workout. I convinced them to do a repeat with us. The Moose schooled me!

Look at the two hoodlums I was able to recruit for a hill repeat! They probably just wanted to give us a distraction for a little bit, we probably looked pretty beat up & miserable 🙂