Again, not a perfectly executed week, but pretty good overall. Nervous and excited that now I'm less than a week away from race day! eeeeks. Nothing to do but keep myself healthy and rested for the next week. Fingers crossed on that one.
Weekly Steps:
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| Another week, another streak. |
Monday
Planned: strength
Did: .5mi elliptical + strength & core
Today was another good strength session. Somehow I seem to have gotten over my strength training funk that I was in for a long time. Maybe I've finally stuck with it enough that I'm seeing improvement? Who knows.
Warmed up with 0.5mi on the elliptical (didn't run because TIRED LEGS), then proceeded with a "Perfect 10" workout (did 10 reps of everything). Now that I can do a full 3x10 for everything, it's time to start upping the weights next time.
pull-ups (30lb assist)
tri-dips (30lb assist)
hamstring curl (40lb)
quad extension (40lb)
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hammer curl (2x18lb)
tri cable pulldown (40lb)
goblet squat (40lb)
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bench press (65lb)
side-step w/ band
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rotator cuff (2x4lb)
arm side raise (2x4lb)
upright row (50lb)
seated leg press (70lb)
calf press (70lb)
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arnold press (2x14lb)
deadlift (40lb)
Finished with the P90X Ab Ripper X routine with 10 reps for each move.
Tuesday
Planned: #10kTuesday
Did: 6.23 mi @ 9:57/mi
Ran the cross-country course today to get some more off-road miles under my belt. I was tired and walked a bit due to some soreness/tightness in my left calf. I'm sure it's just residual tiredness from the weekend's long run. It was really nice out, and I got to run through the fields of flowers :)
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| Pretty day on the trails |
Planned: bike ride
Did: 10.8mi @ 12.5 mph
Robin and I did the Upstate Loop plus the extra hill at the beginning. Beautiful day for a ride and felt great out in the sunshine! Got some hill sprints in for an extra push.
Thursday
Planned: speedwork or hills
Did: nothing
Work and stuff and things. Also rain. Blergh.
Friday
Planned: yoga
Did: yoga and Swamp Rabbit 5k
I did yoga at lunch as planned (yay!) which was a good stretch sesh as always. That evening was the GHS Swamp Rabbit 5k in Travelers Rest. I have avoided this race for several years due to it being far too large for the small town that hosts it, but decided to give it a try thinking that it surely couldn't be as bad as I'd remembered it (spoiler alert: it was).
I arrived in TR around 5:15pm, picked up D, and headed down main street to park. I parked at a local beverage shop that I needed to go to later anyway, and it was far enough from the park where the race started, I figured it would be less chaotic. I cursed as I pulled in the driveway, thinking there were already no parking spots left... thankfully I found one. Halleluia. Loaded D up in the stroller and headed down to the pre-race festivities. Picked up my bib and shirt, chatted with some friends who were also running, then headed to the start line area with about 30 minutes before race start.
And then it started raining.
I wheeled D over to a tree that we stood under, and I huddled myself under his stroller cover. With about 10 minutes to go, I went and got myself in line for the start. This is the biggest issue for this race: self-seeding start corrals. There are signs that marked pace guidelines for where you should line up: <6min, 6-7min, 7-9min, 10+min, and then Walkers/Strollers. I quickly decided to line myself up by anticipated race pace, not by "stroller" category, despite repeated announcements by the organizers that STROLLERS GO IN THE BACK.
No. No they do not.
Anyway, I nestled into the ~9min/mi pace group and exchanged knowing glances with a few other rogue stroller runners. Right at 6:30pm, we were off, and the chaos began immediately. Like most races, there's the initial surge then stop as people do something as they cross the start line... hesitate? Start their Garmin? Who knows, but it happens at every race.
I ended up walking almost a full block before I could start to carefully trot. I weaved in and out of the crowd as much as possible, but constantly was stuck behind blocks of people. Inevitably, within 100 yards of the starting line there were people in front of me WALKING already. Seriously people, you cannot do that and finish with an 8min/mi pace. Just no. You should start in the back.
This chaos and frustration continued throughout the entire 3.1 miles of the race. I never got to a point where I felt I could run freely the pace I wanted to. Even up the hills I was passing people left and right. I don't think I've ever cursed so much during a 5k.
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| "Just get me to that d@mn finish line." |
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| My little running buddy. |
669/3628 overall
173/2084 overall women
24/428 age group women
I will say, what I like about this race is that it is accessible to non-runners. It's on an "easy" course (though it's actually not that easy... the fact that it finishes on the Swamp Rabbit trail belies the hills early in the course!). It's cheap ($6, and you get a shirt!). It really does appeal to those who have never done a 5k, and of course that's why you have all of the problems with self-seeding.
Anyway, I'll stick to volunteering for this one in the future.
Saturday
Planned: March of Dimes 5k Walk
Did: March of Dimes walk (~3.5mi in about an hour)
I wore my Garmin, but completely forgot to turn it on. Oh well. It was a beautiful walk for a beautiful cause. So happy I could share it with D.
Sunday
Planned: long stroller run
Did: 10.05mi @ 9:50/mi
I met up with Robin at Furman and she joined me for the first 6 miles of the run. (She's starting marathon training for her first marathon! Woohoo!!) 😃
We did a loop through campus then headed south on the Swamp Rabbit for the remainder of the miles. After we parted ways, D and I ran north for a little out-and-back to finish off the 10-miler. Felt great in the unseasonably cool weather, and happy to share part of the run with a buddy! Also pretty excited that my splits for 3 of the final 4 miles were all sub-9 pace (8:45, 8:34, 8:31 for Miles 8, 9, and 10 respectively). Holler!
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| Post-run selfie by the Furman Lake. |
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