two weeks in training | 10.5 – 10.11 & 10.12 – 10.18

Greetings! Vacation disrupted my typical scheduled programming, so here is two weeks of training thrown into one big post. 10k training did not go as planned and both of these weeks I abandoned specific speedwork for it since I suddenly grew meh about the whole process. I committed the error of comparing my current speed to last year and found that I haven’t made much improvement at all – if anything, I may have become slower, even though the injury bug has been deterred which is progress to some end. I don’t really know how I’ll proceed with 10k workouts, or speedwork in general, really. I guess I’ll see what comes as the days move forward.

Some of these workouts were completed at home before and after my trip, and I’m quite proud that I kept up with a good routine at our Airbnb! Asheville naturally came with a good deal of social distanced hiking to accompany my daily workouts, so I obtained plenty of altitude and incline work without having to seek it. I’ll tell you what, those hills are insane. Our neighborhood was riddled with inclines that hurt like nothing I’ve before experienced, not even when running Big Sur.

For ease of reading, the weeks are separated by nice big font! Do you keep up with training when you’re on vacation?

Week of 10.5 – 10.11

Monday, 10/5: 20.01 miles, 17.2 mph cycling (1:09:56) + 6.67 miles, 10:30 pace

I broke another trainer record! 40 minutes at tempo with one 5-mile split at 16:58, or 17.7 miles per hour. I am so proud of my effort and this didn’t feel all too stressful! The other split clocked in at 17:20, and for the final 5 minutes I moved up a gear and climbed at the same effort as the gear below. I’ve broken 17 minutes outside once but didn’t think it’d occur so quickly after achieving sub-18 with consistency.

Run was uneventful, just easy post-work miles. It grew pretty hot by the end and my heart rate jumped up significantly, but my legs were fine. Since J and I are leaving for our trip Thursday I figured I’d try to get as much mileage in while we’re home as possible, since longer runs likely won’t happen while we’re gone!

Tuesday, 10/6: 45 minute strength + 30.05 miles, 17 mph cycling (1:45:45)

100% not inspired to do a run today after viewing a 103 real feel after my nap, so I settled for the training I’d already completed. I had a rough mental day and I think it showed on the bike – just didn’t enjoy it as much as I could’ve and my back and neck started hurting towards the end. My heavy, long hair might be to blame for the latter, honestly. I need to chop some ends off badly. Regardless, I performed a 5 mile threshold effort (16:50!), 3 x 2 miles at 60-65 RPM/2 miles steady, and 2 miles threshold to close it out.

Strength: 6 sets of 10 reps

• goblet squat
• dumbbell hikes
• OH lunges (per side)
• deadlift

22-16-10 reps

• lateral hops
• banded hip flexions
• plank jacks

4 x 20

• shoot-through
• stability ball leg drops (first two sets)/stability ball deadbugs
• hover toe taps

3 x 5 burpees, last one ending in a :60 plank.

Wednesday, 10/7: 12.51 miles, 9:36 pace + 1,700 yard swim (32:00)

My God, was this run awful. I started in 78 degree/83 real feel conditions, 90% humidity, and all of the ingredients of a disastrous speed session that eventually did come to fruition. I ran 3 miles as a warmup, then performed 4 x 1 mile hoping to hit my 10k paces but was :10-:20 off on each one and my heartrate blew out so quickly that I started seeing spots. Cancelled the rest of the workout, rehydrated and took in a Pumpkin Spice Fig Bar, and ran steadily home with a couple stops to work out a cramp. Got my 2 hours in so that in itself was enough of a feat. I originally planned a double run but wasn’t in the mood for two miserable sessions in one day, so I skipped it.

The swim, on the other hand, kicked ass! 2 x 300-200-100, 2 x 200, and 100 to finish with an average pace of 1:53/100 yards. It felt wonderful to get in the water after breakfast, and I figure it might be my only swim this week so I’m glad I made it count.

Thursday, 10/8: 17.3 miles, 17.3 mph cycling (1:00:00) + 4.01 miles, 10:00 pace brick run

Knowing I’d spend the next 10+ hours in the car, I planned a brick workout to squeeze in one last Pittor adventure before I missed him for about a week. I began in the dead hours but finished up well before we planned to leave and even had time to whip up a recovery shake and slurp it down prior to loading the car.

Power Hour: 10 minute warmup, 3 x 5 min @ 7/10 effort, 3 min recovery, 10 minute steady spin, 5 x 1 minute 9/10 effort, 1 minute easy. Cooldown to end.

Friday, 10/9: 60 minute HIIT strength *Asheville

First morning in Asheville! I woke up naturally around 6:30 and since I hadn’t seen the neighborhood in daylight after a very late arrival (I’ll share what happened later), I wasn’t comfortable venturing out for a run along the winding, hilly streets. I settled for a good living room circuit that left me sweaty and definitely tired in a good way. These sessions will really help tide me over until I return home to my weights.

Strength: 6 rounds EMOM (every minute, on the minute)

• 12 banded step-out jump squats
• 10 pushup knee to elbow
• 20 side plank rainbows, per side (E2MOM for this one)
• 15 explosive single leg jumps, L
• 15 explosive single leg jumps, R
• 10 banded behind-head pulls to archer row
• 12 burpees
• REST

Burnout – 2 sets

• 30 cross mountain climbers
• 30 alternating curtsy lunges
• 10 inchworms

Saturday, 10/10: 6.01 miles, 11:38 pace *Asheville

Almost 2,000 feet of elevation gain! I wore my New Balance QOM trail shoes for this workout since the rain rendered the leafy roads pretty slick. I REALLY struggled to keep a good pace and realized with these grades, probably 10+% if I were to guess, I would have to be modest and let myself slow up a ton to keep from overstressing my body. Otherwise, I created a solid hill session and didn’t get lost!

The workout: 4 mile warmup (during which I almost maxed out my heartrate climbing one of the brutal hills), 4 x 1 minute uphill at 7/10 effort with downhill recovery (ended up being about 80 seconds worth of jogging), 6 x :30 uphill at 9/10 effort with 1 minute recovery, jog until I hit 70 minutes.

Sunday, 10/11: 45 minute HIIT strength + 3.03 miles, 12:21 pace + 7.41 miles, 13:30 pace trail run *Asheville

I didn’t think the 3 solo miles would be as slow as they were, but my first mile was 13+. I wonder if that was entirely accurate, but it doesn’t really matter. After breakfast, J and I wandered up a neighborhood route to the Hard Times/Old Mill trails so he could complete his Big Surreal 12k. Most of the fireroads led downhill but the final 1.5 or so miles was a steep uphill we walked in its entirety. My legs, for one, did not want to try jogging against gravity any more that day. Either way, we were surrounded by fiery leaves and babbling waters and aside from fatigue, the run was quite soul-nourishing.

Strength: 5 rounds, every minute on the minute

• 10 plank banded lateral touches with jack
• 20 reverse lunge with punch
• 12 alternating single leg extension with kick
• 20 side plank hip dips, R (top leg lifted)
• 20 side plank hip dips, L (top leg lifted
• 20 band retractions/5 jump squats
• 25 marching triceps dips
• 20 lateral hops
• REST

Total running mileage: 39.7

Total cycling mileage: 67.4

Total swimming yardage: 1,700

_________

Week of 10.12 – 10.18

Monday, 10/12: 65 minute HIIT strength+ 3.32 miles, 10:33 pace *Asheville

I was surprised to note that run-walking yielded a far more normal average pace than running alone on these steep neighborhood undulations. The intervals helped break this run up a lot and mentally made the tough segments more doable. Even walking up those hills proved challenging.

Strength: 7 rounds every minute on the minute

• 20 banded lunge knee-ups, alternating
• 20 explosion band hip flexions to 8 front-and-back broad jumps
• 14 alternating one knee pushups with bear squat
• 14 alternating banded side lunge
• 8 split squats per side
• 20 banded pop squats
• 20 rolling plank
• REST

Burnout: 10-10-8-8-6-6-4-4-2 reps

• sprinter crunch to toe tap
• single leg extension to jump

Tuesday, 10/13: 6.79 miles, 10:19 pace *Asheville

70 minute neighborhood run/walk that once again left me gasping for air on the uphill and loving life on the downhills. We had a 3 mile hike planned on the Graveyard Fields trail later in the day which made my legs screech, but it was so nice to have such a large amount of outdoor time on our last full day in Asheville.

Wednesday, 10/14: 60 minute HIIT strength

4 am workout before we planted our butts in the car for 10 hours. I couldn’t stomach the concept of not moving for a whole day and this workout did me well in cardiovascular and muscular ways both. We didn’t have anything notable occur on the drive, I slept intermittently and we stopped a couple times for food and refueling – a nice change from the drive up, which turned quite dramatic as I noted prior.

HIIT: 6 rounds

• 20 banded marching glute bridges
• 12 pushup to shoulder taps
• 6 burpee with squat twists
• 24 mountain climber to knee-elbow
• 25 marching triceps dips
• 20 alternating curtsy lunge press-out
• 15 side plank oblique crunches/side
• 20 plank swivel knee taps to bear hover

Burnout: AMRAP 6 minutes (I got through 3.5 rounds)

• 10 banded squats
• 20 banded monster walks
• 10 shoot throughs

Thursday, 10/15: 25.02 miles, 17.6 mph cycling (1:25:33) + 6.27 miles, 10:22 pace brick run + 1,700 yard swim (32:18)

First day home and I kick off my Florida return with an entire Olympic-distance triathlon set. Cycling felt AMAZING and I really missed Pittor while we were away – apparently he missed me, too! My heart rate in all of my workouts was uncharacteristically high but my legs and breath synced up well to my efforts, so I wonder if returning to sea level/not ascending absurd 10%+ grades threw my body off. At any rate, I turned what was to be a gentle bike interval workout into 60 minutes at threshold. I averaged 17.8-17.9 mph and clocked splits at 16:53, 16:46, and 16:45 at the 5-mile blocks.

The swim was a simple set of 7 x 200, all ranging from 3:46-3:49, and 3 x 100 at 1:53-1:54. Gorgeous morning at the totally empty pool!

Friday, 10/16: 17.59 miles, 17.6 mph cycling (1:00:00) + 7.33 miles, 10:14 pace

Morning power hour focused on neuromuscular stimulation rather than purely cardiovascular. I warmed up for 15 minutes, then performed 5 minutes at threshold (17.9 mph average), 3 minute recovery, followed by this sequence: 3 x (:20 full gas/:40 recovery, :40 full gas/:20 recovery, :60 full gas/:60 recovery, :40 full gas/:20 recovery, :20 full gas/:40 recovery) with 5 minute spin in between sets. I hit 26 mph during one of the sets and averaged well over 20 for each. It was damn hard but I love noting how much stronger I get every week!

My first day back at work was really trying so I opted outside for my afternoon session. Super hot day with the mercury around 90 degrees and a 75 dew point, but I wanted to run/walk so I did a bunch of sets of 2 minutes run/:30 walk until I hit 75 minutes. I was sweaty and my heart rate ran pretty high in the temperature I dealt with, but I finished much more relaxed and even-keeled than I started.

Saturday, 10/17: 13.52 miles, 9:59 pace + 900y OWS (20:06)

As isn’t uncommon now, I didn’t really want to run when I got up, but I grumbled my way into my shoes and my newest Pros and headed out. I wasn’t feeling it for the entire first hour but eventually the winds shifted, the air cooled off suddenly, and I was on a progression run roll…until I took a big fall in the final half mile. Another passing runner kindly ensured I was okay as I sat there and waited for me at the end of the road to check on me again. I have some pretty harsh scrapes and road rash, and definitely sat there hiccuping a few sobs (I think more out of surprise and from all of my systems stopping so suddenly) before I finished off my session. At least my socks weren’t harmed!

J and I weren’t sure a swim would happen when we got to the beach. The waters were quite choppy so we opted for a walk along the beach instead, but on the return trip the surf seemed to calm so we gave it a try before our parking expired. We didn’t make it too far and the waves got pretty irritating, but I’m proud that I didn’t freak out from the less-than-ideal conditions!

Sunday, 10/18: 18 miles, 18 mph cycling (1:00:06) + 3.8 miles, 10:32 pace + 60 minute strength

I don’t know where this bike speed suddenly came from but I’ll take it! Formed a track cycling-inspired session for my early morning ride: 7 x 3 minute flying builds with equal recovery. I warmed up for 10 minutes, then during each interval worked from a steady pace at a gear above normal to as hard as I possibly could. I hit 28.4 as my highest speed. I wonder if I’m secretly a more sprint-oriented athlete?

Strength: EMOM, 5 rounds

• 8 deadlift to suitcase squat
• 15 boat hold triceps extensions
• 12 squat to curl to press
• 8 panda bears
• 12 alternating weighted reverse lunges
• 12 alternating clean to press
• 10 underhand to traditional row
• Rest

AMRAP 20 minutes:

• 12 reverse fly
• 12 single leg hop
• 12 dumbbell plank raise

Total running mileage: 41

Total cycling mileage: 60.6

Total swimming yardage: 2,600