RACE WEEK?! What? This was my first race week in a looonggg time, and to be honest….I loved it. I talked during pregnancy about how I realized that my love of running was tied to competition so this felt like a big turning point for me to pin a bib on again. While I have actually found myself enjoying running lately even without specific goals/training plans, it was still nice to feel those pre-baby feelings again.

The week as a whole was good though and not just race weekend. I got in a little bit of everything this week between stroller miles, a mini speed workout, some walking, easy running and then the race of course. I cut back on strength a bit the second half of the week for the race, and recovery on the weekend.

II will recap the race in another post, but the short of it: I went out too fast (6:16), but somehow held on for 6:47-48 miles for  2 and 3. Finished in 20:47 for what will be by now 5k postpartum PR! Having Hannah at the race was honestly the best feeling, I loved finish lines before but babies at finish lines- hard to even describe!

This was a slightly lower mileage week (again), but with the race I kind of wanted it that way. I have been hanging between 25-28 miles for a few weeks now and it seems to be a good spot. While I want a bit more, I also like the loose plans I have and flexibility with my running schedule. If I get more in, great. If I run a little less that is cool too. Now that I have done a race though, I feel a bit better about maybe putting a few fall goals on the calendar but still nothing crazy- I don’t see myself getting into a rigid training cycle for a few more months at the least. I’m enjoying flexibility and balance that I have at the moment and want to continue that in hopes to keep it going even when I do start officially training for something.

Monday 8/7: late evening 12 min core/PT, my ancient loop band finally snapped so I had to order some new ones

Tuesday 8/8: 5.2 stroller miles (9:05 avg) + 15 minute strength circuit (w/kettlebell & dumbells @ home)
Wednesday 8/9: 20 minutes upper body strength at gym + Evening run with 4 x 3 minutes with 2 minutes recovery
Thursday 8/10: 1.9 mile evening family walk
Friday 8/11: Evening 20 minute shakeout run + 6 x strides
Saturday 8/12: 1st Postpartum race! Bergen 5k/USATF Niagara Champs
Sunday 8/13: 7.6 easy miles
Totals: 24.9 miles runs, 47 minutes fitness/strength, 1.9 miles walked
Beers Drank: Sam Adams Summer Ale, Sam Adams Golden Hour (Still working on that Sam craft pack obviously)

Goals for coming week: 25-30 miles, 2-3 strength/fitness sessions, at least 10 minutes of recovery work each night this week, Also finish any remaining SA beers in the fridge to make room for some new ones!

The last few weeks I have talked about working more hours and juggling training with two jobs. This week was different, I only had to work one of my jobs- but had more social engagements in one week than I have in a loonnnggg time. It made fitting things in a little tricky, but was much more manageable mentally because I was making room for fun events. Mileage wise it ended up being on par with the last few weeks (last 6 weeks have all been between 45-47 miles), but was a bit lower on the strength/fitness end. I’d say that the mental break and extra “life” outside training more than made up for that though. I think I’ve finally turned a corner a bit with my fitness, and look forward to building more in the coming weeks. I also think I’m ready to start looking forward to making my fall goals a bit more concrete.

Monday: The only night of the week we were actually at home- got out late evening for a 4ish mile recovery run while Brian walked Pepper. Finished with 10 minutes of yoga before bed.

Tuesday: Afternoon treadmill workout, 60 minutes total. 2 miles warm-up followed by 4 x 1 mile at 6:35-45 with 90 seconds recovery, cool down. 10 minutes of yoga afterwards. This was a decent workout for some turnover in prep for half marathon on the weekend. Evening plans was a dinner date with 2 great friends who came in from out of town.

Wednesday: Scheduled rest day, I almost threw in a short recovery jog but I didn’t end up making it happen- and that was totally fine. Spent the evening with Brian’s family for a rehearsal dinner.

Thursday: Started the day with 6ish mile morning run, nothing crazy. After work, enjoyed a birthday celebration dinner with Brian and his family.

Friday: Half day of work, followed by Chiropractor appointment. Snuck in a 6ish mile run again before getting dressed up for a wedding and dancing all night.

Saturday: Slept in (thank goodness!), and got in 5ish miles for a shakeout in the afternoon followed by 6 x strides

Sunday: Birthday & Oak Tree Half Marathon (1:29:05) {16+ mile day with warm-up and cool-down}. This was a great morning, and was VERY happy with the race. This course is challenging as there are 2 major climbs (with the second being placed between 10-12), and about 8 of the miles are on gravel dirt road. I have run it twice before, so I was prepared but also knew that it would be a good test to see where my fitness is after rebuilding this summer. I expected to be around 1:31, but the miles clicked off a bit faster and when 3rd place was in reach the last few miles it pulled me along on the chase (ran a 6:15 last mile, and 5:35 pace to the finish to take over 3rd). I felt really good, and was happy that I mentally hung in there better than I have all summer. The race was made even better by having Brian there cheering, and a few other good friends racing as well. Can’t complain about friends/running to start your Birthday!

Weekly Total Miles: 47.1 miles

Cross training: None

Strength/Fitness totals: 20 minutes (2 sessions)

Beers Drank: Dos Equis, Shock Top Lemon Shandy

Another week down in the road back to running. Overall it was a good week, and almost 50 miles of running which is definitely a step from where I was a few weeks ago. I wasn’t as good about my strength training this week- being consistent about that can be kind of hard for me for some reason. I need to keep reminding myself that even 10 minutes makes a difference. I need to practice what I preach, damnit. BUT I won’t beat myself up too much, again it was still a pretty good week-and ended with a “race-workout” to bust off the rust a bit. I think after this week, I should probably stop labeling my logs return to running- I think at this point, it’s just running.

Monday: Rest Day!

Tuesday: 8 mile evening run

Wednesday: 9 treadmill miles at the gym after work with 12 x 1 minute intervals (2 min recovery) mixed in. Then went to chiropractor for some more tuning up afterwards- we’ve made a lot of good progress so far! Later in the evening I did 25 minutes of at home strength while watching TV with Brian.

Thursday: 7 mile HOT afternoon run (my own fault for not running in the morning)

Friday: 9 mile early morning run before a busy day, nothing crazy just time on feet. Saw Chiropractor in the afternoon as well.

Saturday: Sauerkraut 20k (as a workout) 1:30:16. It was a much needed chance to push myself a little and rip off the bandaid to pin another bib on. Total of about 14 miles for the day, and a race win.

Sunday: Rest Day! This wasn’t a planned rest day but I was admittedly exhausted. Saturday was the race/workout (longest run in months), then time with Brian before heading to work for the evening. This left me sleeping in Sunday before working for a few hours on my feet and then playing hostess to his parents for dinner. Life and rest took priority over running, and I think it was the best choice.

Weekly Total Running Miles: 47.1 miles

Cross Training: None

Strength/Fitness Totals: 1 session (25 minutes)

Beers Drank: None (I did have some wine though).