15k training: week 3 workouts + boat hold benefits

Week three yielded one of my best long runs in quite some time. A few days felt less stifling than prior, though the humidity is still undeniable. Funny how 78 degrees is less hindering than 82. I performed my first open water swim and taught my inaugural organized yoga class on the same day, both glorious, enriching, fulfilling experiences which, from a training standpoint, aided in recovery, and from a life standpoint reinforced my love of the water, and of likeminded community.

This week’s bonus tip outlines Boat pose, a holding posture great for strengthening the deep core muscles and improving abdominal endurance. Find the demo below the workout breakdown!

Week 1 workouts

Week 2 workouts

Monday, 8/19: 5.82 miles, 9:17 pace – 2 x 10 min + restorative yoga & foam rolling

For once, no rain! The morning was significantly more comfortable than days prior, with a small yet notable breeze to circulate the riverside air. Ran a pair of intervals at a tempo effort (possibly a little faster since I haven’t consciously regulated a prolonged pace recently): clocked in at 8:41 and 8:39 for the intervals, with some GPS disruption due to my passage beneath a covered bridge. Tempo runs are a very accessible form of speedwork. I am typically hesitant of 400m/800m intervals since they seem to frequently trigger injuries. Some bodies aren’t meant for those repeats, but the tempo pace – which falls between 10k and 15k pace range – is challenging and improves speed and foot turnover without the gut-busting and musculoskeletal stress. Of course, tweaks can happen regardless, and short anaerobic intervals are wise to incorporate into any training plan, but leastwise in my experience this has proven the case.

Usual recovery protocol followed, with 20 minutes of hip opening restorative yoga and evening foam rolling.

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Tuesday, 8/20: 1800 yard swim

Took it to the pool for a gorgeous sunrise, which I think heightened my aquatic motivation. Broke down the workout as follows:

• 390 yard warmup as 150 free easy/240 alternating 30 hard & 30 easy
• 120 yard @ 2:50, 30 easy recovery
• 210 yard @ 5:02, 30 easy recovery
• 300 yard @ 7:24, 30 easy recovery
• 210 yard @ 5:07, 30 easy recovery
• 120 yard @ 2:50, 30 easy recovery
• 300 yard cooldown as 150 free/ 150 alternating back & free

Wednesday, 8/21: 3.42 miles, 8:59 pace (AM) + 40 min strength (PM)

The previous night I slept poorly and woke up nearly an hour before my alarm, but managed to still run far too fast during my early foray. Of all concepts with which I could struggle, I haven’t mastered the easy run yet. Ideally, I should be running my non-workout miles around 9:45+ on average, but that rarely happens, particularly on the shorter escapades. Note to self.

Lifting felt dandy after work, except when someone let their dog run all over me during my post-training cooldown yoga. Pretty irksome. Below is this day’s breakdown:

• 10 min elliptical w/u (I always do 2 minutes each at level 3-4-5-4-3)
• 3 x 12/15/18 sumo squat
• 3 x 12 curtsy lunge. Not sure what these are? View my demo of this exercise here!
• 3 x 12 deadlift high-pulls
• 1 min plank
• 1 min boat hold
• 30 flutter kicks
• 3 x 15 single leg bridge
• 3 x 12 superset bicep curls + front raises
• 1 min plank
• 1 min boat hold
• 50 fire hydrants (25 each leg)
• 50 bicycle crunches
• 40 pushups, from knees

20 minutes of gentle stress-relief yoga, and a practice of my Saturday swim flow for 20 minutes followed.

Thursday, 8/22: 4.13 miles, 9:27 pace + 75 min gentle yoga

A relaxed run about the neighborhood to shake some of the stiffness out of my post-strength-day legs. I participated in a midday gentle yoga class at the studio, for the first time in probably 2+ months (outside of my immersion weekends for training). The instructor was incredibly lovely during class, and also before when I came to her for guidance on teaching to athletic populations. She understands the psychology behind endurance training, having been a competitive runner and triathlete prior, and I imagine her knowledge will be valuable to me as an instructor-in-training hoping to work closely with active types.

Friday, 8/23: 9.21 miles, 9:36 pace – long run

I quickly grooved into this run after mile one. A soft breeze kicked up the air and this, I think, made a world of difference in how I felt throughout. No temptation to stop, no shortage of endurance, and my legs itched to continue (until my knees got cranky right at the end, but nothing major or problematic). I credit my fueling, as well, for carrying me nicely: a banana + peanut butter and honey beforehand, a scoop of Skratch Lemon Lime during for a few extra calories. I don’t eat on runs shorter than 10 miles, but a bit of oomph from the hydration mix felt appropriate from both an energy and an electrolyte-balancing standpoint.

I recovered with 10 minutes of slow yoga and my usual smoothie. When photographing I realized too late that I had hopped back into my sheep pajamas. Candid at its finest.

Saturday, 8/24: ~2,000 yard open-water swim + MY FIRST YOGA TEACHING EXPERIENCE!

J put me in touch with a guy who organizes weekend open-water swims at Clearwater Beach, with the pitch that I desired to teach a yoga class to the swimmers as part of my YTT graduation requirements. He enthusiastically accepted, and I set up at 7 a.m. to instruct a group of 12+ people through a series of shoulder-openers and ankle mobility postures to prepare them, and myself, for a trek through the Gulf. The entire flow took about 30 minutes, bringing us from pre-dawn to a bright and glorious sunrise which caressed the sand in gold. I took a few moments to settle in to a speaking rhythm, but once I did I felt as if I belonged right there, on my beach towel, teaching a craft I so adore.

Thereafter, we swam a bit over a mile in the gently undulating water. I surprised myself with my speed: I’m guessing the buoyancy of salt water helped my form tremendously. I averaged about 2:07/100 yard, which I’d say is impressive for a swimming newbie with questionable swim posture.

Be on the lookout for a post breaking down the sequence I taught this weekend!

Sunday, 8/25: 3.26 miles, 9:00 pace (AM) + 30 min strength (PM)

Hit the road before 4 am and was accompanied by the blare of cicadas and the occasional hello from giant toads hopping across the sidewalk. I warmed up for a mile, then performed 6 x 1-2 minute fartlek intervals over the bridges in my neighborhood. I don’t have an average but the paces at any point ranged from 6:57-7:50. After work I did a squat-themed gym session which burned like no other:

• 10 min elliptical warmup
• 3 x 20 alternating step-squat-twist (not sure how else to describe these)
• 1 min plank
• 3 x 10/12/15 reverse squats (these are SO BRUTAL)
• 1 min boat hold
• 3 x 10 sumo squat + calf raise
• 1 min plank
• 50 bicycle crunches
• 1 min wall sit
• 1 min boat hold
• 3 x 20 clamshells

Total mileage: 25.84 miles

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Boat, or Navasana, is a pose I practice both when sequencing a flow and as part of a core gym workout. In either context it supplies numerous benefits to the body when held over a period of time or breaths, including:

• Digestive stimulation
• Strengthening of hip flexors and quadriceps
• Improved balance
• Abdominal activation
• Reducing stress levels

Usually, when incorporating Boat into a yoga flow, I hold it for three cycles of three-five breaths, releasing in between repetitions. In the gym, I hold it for a minute at a time, sometimes for only one rep and other times with multiple reps sprinkled throughout the rest of the training, as I did Wednesday. Here’s how to fill the Boat best to reap the most of this amazing posture:

• Start seated with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Raise arms straight in front, parallel to the ground.
• Raise legs so shins are either parallel to the ceiling or slightly diagonal, or legs are straight and body makes a “V” shape.
• Root with the sit bones into the ground, extend through the chest to straighten the spine, drop the shoulders from the ears, engage the abdominals and keep the chin level.