Since my running has started to get back into a semblance of what it was pre-baby, I have really been starting to notice my body coming around too. Dropping a few lbs has helped my easy pace come back to where it should be. And with that loss of weight, my body feels much more resilient. I think at first when I was starting to increase the miles again, the extra weight didn't feel so good on my legs. But now that things are starting to turn, I'm noticing quite a bit more oomph in my step.
So after a slightly slow start on Monday due to feeling like I was hit by a truck from the 10 hr drive the day before, I hopped back on the mileage train for the rest of the week, nailing a run every day. When it was all said and done, I'd top 50 miles on the week for the first time since Z was born. And while 50 miles isn't huge in and of itself, with a little perspective, it is a huge deal for me. It signifies an ability to put in enough miles for me to consider getting into race shape. A turning point, if you will, from going from training to get fitter to training with the idea of racing.
You see, it wasn't too long ago, while on a much more flexible schedule (pre-baby of course), that I was averaging in the 30-40 miles/week range. This was mostly dictated by what my body could handle at the time and what I was training for. With the exception of marathon training, I had no real reason to put in a crazy number of miles above that. Well that was then. Now, on a much more compressed time schedule, I'm putting in the work when it counts, and rattling off pretty much all quality runs. Here is how this week played out:
- Monday - Off, since my body hadn't recovered from 10+ hrs in the car.
- Tuesday - AM - 8 miles to start the day in the morning, with 4-5 5k paced pickups in the middle. PM - 2 miles easy with Rebecca, Z, and Tucker.
- Wednesday - 6 miles easy with 6 x 30s strides at the end
- Thursday - AM - 6 miles easy with 6 x 30s strides at the end. Had to push my speedwork till Friday due to lack of time. PM - 3 miles easy.
- Friday - 8 miles with 4 x 1 mi @ threshold pace.
- Saturday - 14 miles with the last 5 mi progressing to slightly faster than marathon pace.
- Sunday - 5 miles easy with 6 x 30s strides at the end.
Total - 52 miles
I'm pretty proud of that week, because I didn't struggle to hit those numbers. Aside from my usual schedule of waking up just before 5 am so I can get the weekday runs done, its easy to see how I could get in some more from there. It really is all about just getting it done.
So I enter this week with a renewed sense of what is possible, eager to see if I can keep this streak of solid miles alive. With the Fall quickly approaching, now is the time to start pushing for fitness gains. And I feel more ready than ever!
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