Busy Week Recap

So this past week I've been completely swamped and totally fell behind blogging, but I finally have a spare moment for an update! Saturday morning was our first training with Team In Training (TNT), doing a "long" run of just 30 minutes. Really reminds me that running is all relative : ) We started at 7am and had a beautiful sunrise to start us off as we ran along the palm-lined path at East Beach. Most of my mentees made it out there and did great! Afterward we got breakfast at a nearby cafe. It was a gorgeous morning and a great way to start off the day! Then I was off to shower and head to a full day of work.

Sunday was another early morning for a 14 mile (14 on the 14th!) training run with my TNT pal Courtney. She actually saved me big time. My usual running partner, Tom, has been sick for the past few weeks. We had planned to train for the LA Marathon together, but now it looks like it might just be me : ( At first I had arranged a ridiculous plan for the run - Courtney thought she could do at least 10 with me (she's not actively training) and then Tom would meet us and do the last 4 with me. Courtney ended up deciding to go the full 14 though, and we had a fabulous time running along the coast in downtown Santa Barbara, around a lovely lagoon, and along a hidden little trail, blue skies and sunny the whole way. We also got to run by the art fair downtown which was a great distraction from the run. I have to admit I was a bit tired and sore by the end. We kept up a great pace though, so I was pretty happy. Afterward we went for an ice bath in the Pacific Ocean : )

Monday was a much needed rest day. Tuesday was our first TNT track workout. I'm super excited to be doing speedwork again! We did a 6 lap (2 with strides) warm-up, then 1x800, then 2 laps cool-down. I can't wait for them to get harder! Wednesday I was swamped with work and then spent every waking moment working on a paper due Thursday. When I finally got it turned in, I went for an exhilarating 4 miler at sunset. Today I worked all day so it ended up being another rest day. I don't really feel too guilty though since I have a pretty busy weekend coming up running-wise. Tomorrow morning we have another TNT training at 7am, cranking it up to 40 minutes. Then right after that, I'm heading downtown for the Roses en la Playa 5k! I don't really know how tired I'll be for the race, but I know I can easily PR since I've only run 2 official 5ks: one a week after my first marathon, and the other with my dad. We'll see what happens! It also looks like it's going to be a very wet weekend : ( Sunday I have a 16 miler on schedule, but as of yet I haven't found a running partner, so we'll see what happens! Happy weekend!