Lifestyle / September 9, 2019

15k training: week 5 workouts + 5 minute post-run stretch routine

Recording things meticulously inspires me to actually do what I had in mind to do. The stretching routine I created for this post exemplifies this characteristic of mine well. Typically, I plop down in Butterfly (one of the postures mentioned below) and hang there for several minutes as my cooldown. It’s my favorite running stretch of all. Now, though, that an actual routine is tangible and visible, I eagerly take a bit of extra time after showering each early morning to pamper my muscles with a brief spell of attention. This routine is for all of us who lack prolonged periods to stretch after a workout, who lack time anyway, who aren’t quite sure what specifically to do. You’ll find my mini-series below the workout posts. I hope it becomes part of your routine, too!

On with the week in training!

Monday, 9/2: 2,010 yard swim

Sunrise commences later and later as the year wanes, so at least half of this workout I passed in half-darkness. The pool takes on more silence than usual in these predawn minutes, and I love the swooshing sound of water paired with otherwise quiet. I extended this workout longer than intended, but, as the image suggests, I was pretty stoked to hit such yardage.

300 yard warmup, easy free
420 yards as 30 hard/30 easy, 60 hard/60 easy, 90 hard/90 easy, 60 hard
120 yards easy
300 yards as 60 hard/60 easy
120 yards easy
210 yards as 30 hard/30 easy
120 yards easy
120 yards, build to fast
300 yards cooldown as 150 free/150 breast

Tuesday, 9/3: 6.5 miles, 9:14 pace – 1 x 20 min, 1 x 10 min + 30 min recovery yoga

Hurricane Dorian swept up much of the moisture in the air and pinged a pleasant, cool breeze into our morning. I am utterly thankful that monster kept away, and devastated in return for the Bahamas and all impacted by its ruthless fangs, and with gratitude in heart I ran a great tempo workout. With 15K day approaching I’m narrowing down on what pace goal I find realistic, and in these intervals I averaged 8:45 over 20 minutes, and 8:43 for 10. I still don’t know if that pace is realistic – a better indicator will be my peak workout in a couple weeks, during which I’ll likely run about 50 minutes total at race effort.

I am OBSESSED with lavender oil during my gentle yoga sessions. I dabbed a bit on during my yoga flow and, truly, my entire body mellowed from the scent. I mostly nurtured my hips and calves, with a few heart openers to deepen my breathing.

Wednesday, 9/4: 3.4 miles, 9:35 pace (AM) + 30 min strength (PM) & 30 minutes restorative yoga

Another double day in the books. The run felt lovely with a cool breeze and completely unforced tempo, and my weight circuit killed me, in a positive fashion: I left work brimming with nervous, high-strung energy and needed somewhere to let the steam combust so I could cool off and resume a low-key day.

I performed three sets of the following, after a 10 minute elliptical warmup:

12 360-degree jump squats
10 Bulgarian split squats, weighted
15 kettlebell swings
12 high pulls
15 triceps dips, weighted
1:00 plank

Above took me about 15 minutes, and I ended with two sets of 20 fire hydrants, and 50 bicycle crunches.

Thursday, 9/5: 40 min elliptical + 1 hour Power Yoga

To negate the past few days’ pleasant morning conditions, Dorian flung a load of heat back to us, and by 4 am it was already 83 degrees with an 80 degree dew point. Thankfully, my workout today kept me inside for a rather relaxed session on the elliptical, mostly to flush my legs after yesterday’s circuit training. I elliptical-ran from levels 2-6, for two minutes apiece, until completion. Post-work I attended a rather mellow Power Hour class mostly to fulfill some YTT graduation requirements, but also to recharge after my shift. Power isn’t so prevalent in my practice anymore, but the quicker pace felt invigorating and the sequence wasn’t too demanding on my joints and muscles.

Friday, 9/6: 4.3 miles, 9:27 pace – 8 x :30-:60 strides + 30 min gentle yoga

84 degrees, 96 degree heat index, by 5 am! Strangely, I didn’t feel as brutalized as I thought I might, though I did pause for a few breaths a pair of times to swig some Nuun and reset before continuing. I warmed up for one mile, performed four strides during mile two, ran easy for mile three, and finished with four more strides in the final mile. I tried to double up on stimuli by running hard up the bridges I encountered, which may have been three or four as far as noticeable inclines go.

Saturday, 9/7: 9.51 miles, 9:34 pace – long run & 20 min restorative yoga + 1,290 yard open-water swim

A quality morning run, improved greatly by a suddenly diminished dew point – only 66! To some that may still seem obscenely high, but I often slogged through mornings in the 77-80 range. Enormous difference.

This run heightened my awareness of my shoes’ age. My knees, calves, and quads stiffened more than warranted by mile 7, even though my breathing and heart rate remained even-keeled. I’ve felt suspicious of my old Zantes since noting a wear pattern in the tread, and considering I put on a marathon’s worth of miles at once (from Big Sur) and around 15-20 miles plus per week since, upgrading may now be unavoidable. Not that I’m complaining overmuch. A slick new pair to break in a few weeks before race day is a nice incentive to really dial in on running well.

J and I headed to St. Pete Beach for a choppy midday swim. I wasn’t enthralled with the water conditions, as I’m not used to open water workouts let alone those in less than mirrorlike conditions, but we got it done with a surprising pace and enjoyed some Sunflower Bliss Balls as a post-swim snack!

PS – please get a load of that sunrise!

Sunday, 9/8: 3.24 miles, 9:30 pace (AM) + 37 min strength (PM) + 1 hour gentle yoga teaching & new shoes!

Lots to report this Sunday! I took my newly acquired Zante Pursuits out for a spin before work, and love it just as I loved my prior pairs. I’ve worn the Zantes since my half marathon last year and now have cycled through three pairs – this is my fourth and counting, and by far the most fun color I’ve owned.

Stepped into the gym for a core, hip & stability-focused workout later in the day:

10 min elliptical w/u
3 x 15 weighted hip hinges in Warrior 1 stance (I’m going to have to make that yoga-inspired strength post I’ve alluded to in order to properly explain these movements – but the goal in this is glute and hip flexor activation)
3 x 12 weighted standing clamshells
1 min plank
3 x 12/15/15 weighted yogi squats (major glute-isolating exercise)
3 x 12 superset: bent over rows + shoulder press in Chair posture
1 min boat hold (I talk more about this here!)
3 x 15 weighted incline bridge
:90 weighted bridge hold, :45 per leg

In the evening, I welcomed 12 yogis (and a baby!) onto their mats for an hour of gentle practice. We set up in a grassy crop by a yacht basin and waterway, sunset gleaming behind, opening the hips, IT band, and glutes primarily. Incredibly lovely experience, once again, and a nice way to loosen tight spots for myself after the heightened training this week.

Total Mileage: 26.95 miles

Time constraints commonly float up in runners who would love to take extra time to stretch, but have a million to-dos penned in their planners straight after a workout. The everyday runner typically returns from the trail or road, showers, scarfs down breakfast, tends to kids or animals if present in the household, then blasts off to work on a jolt from caffeine gulped way too fast.

I, sometimes, am this runner. When I head out for a super-early march I usually have a half hour between completion and departure to work, and I luxuriate often over my breakfast rather than devoting immediate minutes to a stretch routine. In days I do set aside a pocket of time, though, I utilize much of the same postures one day to the next.

I’ve made them available below: a fast 5 minute stretching sequence for the rushed runner. Hold each position for :20-:30, and you’re on your way.