week in training | 5.31 – 6.6

A vacation in Golden marks this training week! I admittedly got a bit too mileage-happy since I couldn’t resist some mountain-view runs, though I did drop it back a bit from my highest number last week. Nor, honestly, can I say any of the Colorado treks were recovery runs. Elevation and altitude don’t really allow for low heart rates and easy miles for someone untrained in that environment. Nonetheless, I tried to keep my mellower runs less intense and even managed a killer interval session without overstraining my cardiac system.

Monday, 5.31: 9.19 miles, 10:53 pace + 30 minute strength

Bit less time than usual for a Monday, but since it’s a down week with slightly truncated sessions were just fine for me, and I got some good work in anyway! Easy miles at 155 bpm, fairly sweaty but not nearly as bad as Sunday.

Strength:

• 3 x 10 front squat
• 3 x 10 ea. side lunge OH press
• 3 x 10 curtsy lunge press-out
• 3 x 8 weighted pushup
• 3 x 10 curl to press
• 3 x 15 weighted v-up SS leg drop
• 3 x :45 hollow rock hold

Tuesday, 6.1: 8.03 miles, 10:43 pace + 1,700 yard swim (35:26)

Easy morning miles, felt much nicer outside than yesterday and I averaged 156 bpm. After work I dove into the pool for an efficient workout good enough for a 1:56/100 yard average and 42 SWOLF. 400 warmup, 2 x 150 steady/150 pull, 150 steady, 2 x 100 steady/100 pull, 50 sprint, 100 cooldown.

Wednesday, 6.2: 15.22 miles, 9:51 pace + 1,800 yard swim (37:48)

Probably the best long run yet of the Chicago training cycle! Funny, because I woke up absolutely wanting to cut it short, but despite the 77 degree clime I got into a really good groove early. I think, too, some of the excitement of landing an A boarding group for my flight tomorrow helped propel me through my midrun intervals. I run/walked for 65 minutes, then jumped into a fun speedplay meant to help me feel the difference within the broad range of possible goal paces: 3 x 3 minutes at MP + 15 seconds (8:50-55)/3 minutes at MP – 15 seconds (8:20-25), 2 x 2 minutes at MP + 10 seconds (8:45-50)/2 minutes at MP – 10 seconds (8:25-8:30), 1 minute at goal pace range (8:35-40). I nailed each and was really good about not letting my legs wheel any faster than programmed!

The swim was slow at 2:02/100 yards and a 44 SWOLF, but felt wonderful. I swam a straight 1,500 yards in 31:01, 6 x 25 yard “swim strides” around 25 seconds each, and finished with a very clunky 150 yard cooldown. Might be my last swim of the week so I took advantage of my time and stroked a bit longer than planned.

Thursday, 6.3: 18.01 miles, 23.4 mph cycling (46:06)

Woke up at a VERY ungodly hour since I knew I’d feel more refreshed having a workout in before sitting on the airplane for almost four hours. Turned my solo weekly ride into a somewhat difficult session that I ultimately enjoyed. 5 minute warmup, 10 minute building to threshold, 2 minute recovery, 4 x :30 climb/1:30 easy, 5 minute tempo, 10 minute cooldown. I averaged 140W.

Friday, 6.4: 7.35 miles, 10:12 pace + 30 minute miniband circuit

Hello Golden! I always underestimate the hills here plus the impact of altitude. Followed the path up Clear Creek and along the trail down 6th Street. The outbound trip was ridiculously inclined in spots and I stopped and walked a few of them, though my heartrate didn’t really come down all that much. Rewarded, however, with a mostly downhill return trip and a beautiful sunrise over the mountains. Garmin said I hit 6,010 feet above sea level and gained 564 feet. Challenging for someone who never runs over anything more strenuous than a footbridge.

I have access to a gym near our bnb but opted for a miniband session instead immediately following my run. It kicked my butt nicely and was a solid substitute for my normal ritual!

Strength: 4 rounds of…

• 12 squat twist + 6 step-out jumps
• 12 reverse lunge knee-ups (6/side) + 6 reverse squats
• 12 pushup swivels + 6 bear jumps
• 12 curtsy lunge kicks (6/side)
• 1 minute rest

• Core set: 2 x 20 v-ups, 2 x 10 ea. side plank rainbows, 2 x 20 leg drops, 2 x 20 sprinter crunch, 2 x 12 ea. band single leg bridge

Saturday, 6.5: 7.09 miles, 9:53 pace + 20 min strength

Attempted speedwork and actually had some success! Plowing up hills at any given pace is beyond my reasonable capability, so I trudged up Clear Creek until I found a relatively flat area to perform some of my intervals. 2.7 mile warmup, 4 x 300m with 2 reps downhill, 5 x 50m uphill sprints (maxed out at a 5:08 pace!), 800 fast at 3:37 before a cooldown.

Some time later I stopped at a bench along the creek and performed a circuit workout. I plan to hit the gym sometime during the coming week, but a quick outdoor session seemed more logical at the time than waiting for the community center to open.

Strength: Circuit 5x through

• 10 ea. step ups
• 8 decline pushups
• 10 marching triceps dips
• 10 jump squats
• :30 rest

Core set: 1 min plank, 1 min ea. side plank, 1 min side plank toe taps, 1 min deadbugs

Sunday, 6.6: 3.69 miles, 10:51 pace

Quick neighborhood miles to top off my weekly mileage. My heartrate was a bit lower at 161 bpm but I’m okay with it considering my constant war with undulating terrain. I walked back to our bnb for 25 minutes with a few random stops along the way to take photos.

Total running mileage: 50.6

Total cycling mileage: 18

Total swimming yardage: 3,500