Enjoying the Course: Training for Grandma's Week 7

4.01.2012

Training for Grandma's Week 7

This week's training wasn't perfect, but it was at least better. Plus, it ended on a high note. All's well that ends well, right?

This week's schedule:

Mon, 3/26 - Rest Day + Core. I successfully accomplished my rest. :-) Core? Not so much. Why oh why can't I bring myself to making this a priority??

Tues, 3/27 - 4 mile speed workout. It was a little gloomy outside, so I decided to do this speedwork on the treadmill instead. I basically alternated between 6.0mph @ .5% incline and 6.5 mph, 6.7mph, and 7.0mph @ 0% incline. It was a good workout. I really had to push myself to get through it, but I DID IT!

Wed, 3/28 - It was a real struggle to get my bum out the door to do anything on Wed! Finally I headed to the gym. When I asked Jeff if I should do the elliptical, stairmaster, or stationary bike, he said, with no hesitation "Stairmaster. It's better for the butt." LOL. Per his request, I did 30min on the stairmaster. I chose the random setting, level 10. I possibly could have handled a higher level, but it was still a great workout. I finished the workout off with a 1.68 mile walk to Whole Foods. It was a nice cool-down. Still no core. Ugh!

Thu, 3/29 - I apparently couldn't win the mental battle today. :-(

Fri, 3/30 - I don't know where this day went. Oh, wait! We went downtown to watch The Hunger Games. Not sure why, but I was exhausted when we got home, so I took a nap. I wanted to meet Jeff after his shift to walk home with him, and I left for a run later than I would've liked, so I only got in a 3mile run. Sallie came with me on this one, and it was fun! Plus, I always enjoy walking home from campus with Jeff. Still no core. Booo!

Sat, 3/31 - Cross training day. I went for an 18+ mile bike ride. It was a little gloomy outside, but I still enjoyed riding a somewhat unfamiliar route. You can read more about this ride here. When I got back from the bike ride, I actually did a few core exercises. Go me!

Sun, 4/1 - If you read yesterday's post, you know that I'm starting two challenges for April. One is 30 Days of Fun. I'm definitely including today's 12mile run for my first fun thing in April. It was a little chilly for probably the first 5 miles, but then I was nicely warmed up plus the sun came out around mile 7! I was just enjoying being outside. The first 6.2 miles was dedicated to the Jelly Bean Virtual Race. This race is all week long and there are 4 different events you can do. I'm planning on doing all 4 - 5K, 10K done!, Half Marathon, 21K bike ride. Wish me luck!

Today's route

The route I took included stairs! What was I thinking? Actually they weren't as bad as I'd feared.

After running down the stairs to get to the bridge

About to run up the stairs after crossing the bridge

After finishing the 10K, I took a short break to tweet my status. Dork, I know!

After a few minutes rest, I took off again. I'd finished the 10K, so the pressure was off. I wanted to spend the rest of the run just enjoying the course. hehehe.

Between miles 8 & 9, I stopped off at Minnehaha Falls. I'm a sucker for waterfalls! So, I really couldn't help but stop.

View from the top of the falls. Aren't they pretty?

While taking a short break, I ate some Sport Beans.

Because, you know, they're kind of like Jelly Beans.

After a short respite, I took off again to finish the last 3 or so miles. By now, I could really feel the sun on my face. I was tempted to take off my LS shirt and just run in my tank, but I thought I'd probably get a bit too cold. 'Cuz I'm weird like that.

All-in-all, it was a great way to end a week of training!