I can’t believe May is over and June has arrived. Summer training is right around the corner and my 5k speed goal continues to be a training roller coaster. It’s been two steps forward, one step back. Linking up with hosts Deborah and Kim for this weekly training recap.
Monday 5/27
Run: Easy. With no work and lingering tiredness from my race on the weekend, I chose to do an easy run down to Stair Monday in lieu of a track workout. The last time I joined Stair Mondays was way back in September before leaving for Berlin. Time flies!
Other: Strength.  All my gyms were closed for the holiday. Instead, I did my own bodyweight strength workout. Lots of twisting core work, single leg balance and resistance bands.
Tuesday 5/28
Run: 5k speed training. My legs were still feeling TOAST from the 5k on Saturday. The heat really zapped me. Monday’s stair workout didn’t help. The workout was 2x 1200, 2x 800, 4×400, 4×200. The first in each set was at 5k pace, the second was pushing to mile pace. My legs felt great on the first interval, but then quickly felt flat. No pop at all. Luckily, I was able to rebound on the final 400s and all the 200s. I ended overall feeling ok about the workout. Sprint Tuesday had their own workout – 200s to prep for the Humboldt Mile on the weekend. We convened for our photo afterwards and I got a bit too trigger happy with the camera button…but I kinda like the result.
Wednesday 5/29
Run: Strength + NP.  I went to a 5:30 am strength class so that I could do my easy run to November Project after. Back in 2015 and 16, I would make every Wednesday and Friday workout… and lately it’s been maybe one workout a month. For the month of May, they were meeting mere blocks from my apartment; I felt obligated to make it to at least ONE of these workouts. I’m glad I went!
Thursday 5/30
Run: Speed.  Ugh. What a training roller coaster. Last week I NAILED my workout, this week not so much. The goal was 25 x 30s mile repeats, then one mile at 5k perfection pace. I started off so strong, doing my mile repeats at 5:39 pace. But when it came time to do the 5k mile, I struggled HARD. Mentally, I was so anxious about this mile; on paper the workout had psyched me out.
Other: Strength.  In the evening, I went to EDGE for a HIIT class. Working on building more lean muscle mass!
Friday 5/31
Run: Rest. I rode a bike down to the November Project workout and brought resistance bands with me. No workout for me, just some prehab type exercises. Luckily, there was a crew of about 10 of us who had all brought bands. We had our own “band practice” ha!
Other: NEW POST.  Last week, I got a DEXA Scan and learned a TON of useful training information from it. Hence the renewed focus on strength classes. Check out WHY I am doing all this strength in my review. Â
Saturday 6/1
Run: Trails.  Oh trails, I love thee. Let me count the ways. I’ve been in a funky head space due to my training roller coaster. All I wanted to do was escape to the trails on Saturday for some solace. Upon arrival, I spotted Cary, a fellow EDGE athlete, in the parking lot. We ended up running together…. and then walking through the mud together. The trails were a SWAMP. After 6 good miles, we found ourselves in a stretch of unrunnable MUCK. We just had to stop and walk through some of it, trying not to lose our shoes in the dense mud. The mosquitoes feasted on me – 16 bites all over my arms, back and legs. But it was totally worth it.
Sunday 6/2
Run: Easy + strength. Initially, I was going to be out of town this weekend, but because of the weather, I decided to stay put. The Saturday storms were insanity. Tornado warnings, downed trees, hail. Anyway, this meant that Sunday I had a free day. Like last week, I ran to On Your Mark for a strength class and then biked home. I love that my run commute pack
And that’s a wrap! I ran 38 miles for the week, completed 4 strength workouts, one trail run and wrote one new blog post. Outside of my training roller coaster, life was a roller coaster too. I spent the week meeting with athletes, coaching, entertaining visitors Saturday, and catching up on some reading.
June goals:
- Improve my running mental skills
- Race one 5k
- Pick a fall marathon
- Strength 3x a week minimum
What do you do when your training is a roller coaster? Do you have any June goals? Let’s stay in touch! Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more food/fitness related posts. Â
Happy running,
Becca
Will definetely be telling my friends about this! Thanks for the tips
Sorry it’s been such a roller coaster! Do you think maybe the stair workout on Monday was too much? Or that you were still recovering from the 5K? It’s good you got out to the trails on Saturday – sometimes you just need a sort of break from the training madness. I have some June goals – they are mostly related to me getting back in shape to start training for Chicago. I gained 4 KG after my surgery (even though I was still active once I was “allowed” to exercise) so I’m back to tracking and keeping on the… Read more »
For every bad run there’s a good run waiting around the corner. Although someone said if you have a bad run before a race, you’ll have a good race. Not always!
I’m always up early, but I used to be more physical earlier. Now I just don’t want to move that early! It’s cool here right now, and I am procrastinating on my run. I really thought by waiting til the afternoon that I’d be running in a skirt — it’s actually chilly out there. Now why couldn’t we have these temps for our race? Oh well!
Such a busy week for you! Also thanks so much for your post on the DEXA scan.
You also reminded me that I haven’t given any thoughts to my June goals. I should probably start thinking about that today…lol.
Glad you enjoyed the DEXA article! It’s never too late to set new goals 🙂
You ran more miles last week than I ran in all of May! You do great with the double workouts. Fun group photos. Sometimes the accidental candids are the best.
Where did you do your trail running? I was up in your neck of the woods today as my sister and I cycled from her house to Ravinia and then the Botanic Gardens. I was covered with mud when we got back–the trails were so swampy!
I was on the opposite end as you, down in Palos near Bullfrog Lake I haven’t been to the Botanic Gardens in so long but you’re reminding me that I need to go.
Busy week for you! Isn’t the info you can learn from a DEXA scan amazing? Good for you for upping your strength training – I need to follow your lead!
Gosh, I haven’t even though about June goals…But I need to maintain my base mileage (possibly build a teensy bit) to prep for marathon training next month. I love the pic with your peek-a-boo eyes along the top 😉
You did have a busy and productive week!