Week one of half-marathon training got off to a bit of a mixed start. Because it was the week before the start of classes and I had various meetings to attend, my real routine hasn't quite been established yet. Here's how it went down.
Monday - scheduled 3 miles easy. Actual 3 miles at an easy pace with some rolling hills. It was nice to get in a run on my first day back at home and feel like I was getting off on the right foot.
Tuesday - scheduled yoga. Actual yoga. I went to a 90 minute Open Vinyasa class at a local studio, and I really enjoyed it. It challenged me, but, as it was my fourth yoga class in just over two weeks, I was able to walk pretty normally the next day.
Wednesday - scheduled 3.5 miles easy. Actual rest. I had planned to meet up with a local running group in the evening, but cramps and car sharing schedules conspired to prevent this work out from happening.
Thursday - scheduled rest. Actual rest. I thought about trying to make up Wednesday's missed miles, but I had a ton of errands to run all over town and still wasn't feeling that great so I took the rest day.
Friday - scheduled 3 miles easy. Actual 3 miles at an easy pace with some rolling hills and progressive splits. At first, my body didn't respond well to running in the afternoon. The first mile was pretty much sucktastic, but I just kept slogging away and it thankfully got easier as I went along.
Saturday - scheduled 7 miles LSD. Actual 7 miles LSD. I explored the coastal trail, which made for a stunningly beautiful run with views of mountains, downtown Anchorage, and the estuary. I saw quite a few other runners out, as well as some walkers and cyclists.
Sunday - scheduled yoga. Actual 90 minute Hatha Yoga class. We did a lot of really simple poses, but I felt like I was working hard the whole time.
Up next for Week 2:
Monday - scheduled 3 miles - 800s.
Tuesday - scheduled rest. (My original plan called for yoga, but our things are scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday so I plan to spend the evening unpacking as much as possible after I get home from campus.)
Wednesday - scheduled 3.5 miles easy.
Thursday - scheduled yoga. (I'm swapping Tuesday and Thursday this week.)
Friday - scheduled 3 miles easy.
Saturday - scheduled 8 miles LSD.
Sunday - scheduled yoga.
I have to admit that I'm still a bit in awe of Alaska. When I'm running here, I feel like I'm constantly on the lookout for bears and moose, and it's been hard to get into the zone because I'm afraid to let my guard down and end up getting mauled or trampled. Some of my new friends and colleagues have said that this will pass and others have said that after decades they are still scanning for bears with something akin to paranoia. I'm hoping that if I find some people to run with some of the time I will feel a little bit less anxious. I'm also on the market for bells and bear pepper spray.
Good luck getting your training going in your new location. You've been travelling so much recently! I don't think I'd be able to kick off training with long runs of 7-8 miles after that much travel.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great first week! I'm also still figuring out my schedule + training - which days are best for long runs, which days I will never manage to fit in a workout, no matter how hard I try (Tuesday and Thursday, I'm looking at you).
ReplyDeleteGood luck with week 2! I'm excited to follow along with your training while I work toward my own half. :)
I would be paranoid, too! Yikes! Investing in bells and bear pepper spray sounds like a good strategy, though!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great, solid week of training!!
You had a great first week of training! Your long run sounds really lovely, minus fearing for your life. You'll have to keep us updated on your evolving relationship with running in Alaska--I'm looking forward to more Alaska stories.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great week of training! I love that you are doing 3 or 4 days...so much more doable with a busy schedule and it allows you to have fun with it and not let it take over. Don't worry about the bears! They are very cuddly. ;)
ReplyDeleteI would be anxious, too. But I also think of sharks every time I'm in the ocean, in fact I'm so busy worrying I don't notice how hard I exert myself! A secret to more speed work?!
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