make a run for it: Chicago Week Six + August

8/29-9/4

This post is waaayyy overdue, but it was quite a tiring week, and when I'm exhausted blogging just doesn't seem to happen. I managed to get back in the pool this week for some cross-training which felt amazing (note to self: make this happen more often!), and I got in some speedy double digit runs midweek. The weekend was a whirlwind as I headed down to Santa Barbara with a couple friends/coworkers for the epic Pier to Peak Half Marathon. After 4,000' feet of climbing, with amazing views that almost made up for the fact that we were running up a mountain, we spent the rest of the day relaxing before hitting the road before sunrise the next morning so we could work that afternoon. I welcomed September with open arms and dreams of fall, only to get a slap in the face with temps in the high 90s alllll week. Barf.

Monday

swim: 2,000 yds, 45 min.

repeated twice:

50, 50 w/ pb
100, 100 w/ pb
150, 150 w/ pb
200, 200 w/ pb

After nearly 2 weeks off from swimming (the last time was at the Folsom Sprint Tri!) I finally made it to the pool. I had the day off but it was a scheduled rest day, so I figured a nice easy swim would feel pretty nice on my legs. I didn't really have any set workout in mind, and ended up just doing a ladder-type swim. I could feel the fatigue set in a little sooner than usual, but I just took it slow and easy. I've really missed the pool and I'm actually looking forward to swimming more often once Chicago is over.

Tuesday

run: 4 mi, 8:53 avg pace.

I had intentions of running at least 5-6 miles, but per usual I got a late start and had to kick up the pace just to fit 4 miles in. So much for making this a recovery run!

Wednesday

run: 10 mi, 8:46 avg pace.

This was supposed to be a moderate paced medium-long run, but for some reason my legs wanted to run much faster than usual...like mid-8, nearly tempo pace fast. I decided to just go with it and listen to my body, but I kept it up til I hit 10 miles. The nice thing was that it gave me plenty of time to stop at Starbuck's for a smoothie and to get ready for work, far more leisurely than my usual hurried pace. Runs like these really put me in a good mood for the rest of the day, and this one in particular has boosted my confidence for upcoming Chicago.

Thursday

run: 10 mi, 8:58 avg pace.

This run was actually supposed to be 12 miles with 7 at tempo pace, but I didn't get started til about 10am and it was already hot by then. I figured my speedy 10 miler the day before could basically count as a quasi-tempo, so I decided to simply make this one a medium-long run. I didn't have to be at work til later that afternoon so I was able to take my time, although I still ended up running faster than usual with an average just under 9 min/mi.

Friday
rest.
After two back-to-back 10 milers, a rest day was very welcome!

Saturday

run: 5 mi, 9:32 avg pace.

I met up with my coworker for an easy recovery run before work. We'd planned on doing 6, but partway through we both decided to cut it short and ended up with 5. This was the weirdest run, though because while I felt like I was running fairly fast (to keep up with my faster coworker), when I checked our pace mid-run I couldn't believe what the Garmin said! Now I know 9:30s are not slow, and for a recovery run they're perfect, but my perceived effort just seemed so much harder than that. Maybe it was the faster runs earlier in the week catching up to me?

Sunday
run: 13.2 mi, 12:58 avg pace.
Epic is the only word I can think of to describe the Pier to Peak Half Marathon in Santa Barbara. Oh, and painful. And long, exhausting, miserable, and even beautiful. And standing at the top at 4,000', looking down at where we'd started hours earlier, was quite the reward. Working on a recap to come soon!

Totals:
swim - 2,000 yards
run - 42.2 miles

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August

Week Six

Total: 187 miles

swim - 2,880 yards

bike - 13.7 miles

run - 171.7 miles

I can hardly believe that August has come and gone! While I actually love fall and everything that comes with it (pumpkin, sweaters, hot cocoa, holidays, scarves, cozy fires...), it's hard to even think about a new season when summer seems to be determined to give us one last heat wave here in Sacramento. Despite the warm weather, I'm looking forward to what's coming up in the next few months! August was a pretty big month, full of lots of miles in preparation for the Chicago Marathon now looming on the horizon. I also said adios to triathlon (for now) with one last race, the Folsom Sprint Triathlon. It was fun to do a shorter distance race and really be able to push myself. And it actually left me looking forward to getting back into training come December.

Folsom Sprint Triathlon

triathlon buds

August actually ended up being my highest monthly mileage ever at 171 (running) miles! I finally got into a groove with training, consistently running 40+ miles a week and embracing a much higher training volume than I've done before, as well as more intense, quality workouts every week. I've finally started seeing results, too, including a new half marathon PR at The Giant Race in San Francisco. August also had some less-than-exciting moments, too, like nasty chafing that lead me to invest in some new running wear. That's one more reason I'm looking forward to fall - crops and tights!