Before I forget, Dr. Levine will be at Jack Rabbit Upper East Side this Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to talk ART. If you’re local, check it out because he is the man with magical healing powers.
Training was good this week, but I’m pretty tired – probably from a combination of working what seems like 436987 different jobs and upping the mileage. And sweating a whole hell of a lot since this hot and humid air mass over NYC is never, ever leaving. Here’s the rundown, with some thoughts.
Monday – 4 miles super easy, 50 minutes yoga
Tuesday – 9 miles, 4 x 1 mile repeats with 2 minutes rest in between, strength (abs, arms)
Mile repeats are probably one of my most hated workouts – I’ve never had a good one and they are usually a blow to the confidence (<– and clearly, I have developed a complex about them). But I know they’re an important and effective workout, so I suggested them to Betsy and she was down. The goal was 3-4 repeats at about 7:30 pace around the reservoir, and I tried my best to psych myself up and think positively as B and I met up and started the workout.
Each repeat was a bit slower than goal, but given the weather I am pretty ok with it. Betsy and I stuck together the whole time which was so, so helpful even though all conversing was replaced with grunting until cooldown. We pushed each other to stay on pace and keep going when we both wanted to stop and jump into the rez (gross).
Wednesday – 8 miles easy, strength (abs, legs)
Thursday – 8.25 miles with 5 x 30 second strides, strength (arms, abs)
Friday – 5.25 miles easy, 25 minutes yoga for runners, strength (abs)
Saturday – 16 miles, 5 minutes pick-up, 1:30 rest, 10 minutes pick-up, 2:00 rest x 2, 5 minutes pick-up
It had been gloriously cool on Friday, but the humidity was back with a vengeance by Saturday morning. I wanted to get in a decent workout with some marathon pace miles in the middle of the run, so after a short stint in the park (everything was maddeningly blocked off for the Mariah Carey/MLB All Star Concert), I headed to the West Side Highway for the majority of the miles.
The pick-ups were ok – ideally, the 5 minute ones should be at about half marathon pace, the 10 minute at marathon pace. I felt a little slow and sluggish but managed to eek out marathon pace (~8:12) ok. I did this workout last training cycle before I got injured and the repeats were all sub-8:00 pace, which is a little discouraging. Sure, the weather was much better in late winter/early spring, but I wonder just how much of a role weather plays when it comes to pace and whether I am just not “there” yet in terms of fitness. I guess only time will tell, and there’s nothing else to do other than keep plugging away. My route got a little screwy and I ended up running 1 more mile than planned (oops).
Sunday – 7 miles super easy, strength (abs, legs)
Total: 58 miles
One piece of advice I always keep in mind during weeks like this is that “Nobody cares if you’re tired. We’re all tired.” I’m not even sure where I heard it – past jobs? the subway? Today Show? – but it’s so true. No one really gets their ideal amount of sleep each night, yet we all manage, so complaining about being tired is sort of pointless. So I won’t do that, but I will say I think I’m getting to the point of training where getting enough sleep is a little more important. I can barely keep my eyes open past 9:00 p.m. (thanks Susan for getting dinner with me at Grandma o’clock the other day) and am even struggling to get up when my alarm goes off.
bison burger with grilled pineapple, mozzarella cheese, onions, fries, beer and spicy pickles from Bareburger
One of my goals this summer was to work on life/work/running balance, and this is when it gets tough. My work commitments are starting to increase (couldn’t be happier about it!) and Wineglass is now less than three months away. So far I’ve done pretty well with the whole having a life thing after grad school, and I think it helps to make me a happier, more well-rounded person. But running and my goals for the fall are also important, and I want to keep in mind that balance can go both ways. Sometimes sacrificing a night out or drinks with friends to be well-rested for a long run is what it is. But I also don’t think I’ve ever regretted staying out a bit later than usual to hang out – it’s usually worth missing an hour or two of sleep for.
I think I’m getting better at figuring out the give and take (and not feeling guilty about whatever choices are made), but as always, it’s a work in progress 