Training: Mile Repeats and Hilly 5ks

Training wise last week was relatively boring. Boring is good because it means I’m healthy and injury free.  While I haven’t been PRing this summer I have stayed healthy and that is half the battle! It was also my highest mileage week in a while. I also felt pretty good. I’ve been focusing a lot on my sleep, which is benefiting my recovery.

Monday: 10 miles easy
Tuesday: 10 miles easy
Wednesday: 3X1 mile track workout (6:03, 6:08, 6:08)
Thursday: Rest
Friday 10.75 miles easy with T
Saturday: Wilmington 5k (20:33)
Sunday: 14 miles easy
Total: 68 miles

Thoughts: 

Both Monday and Tuesday were easy runs. On Tuesday it down poured rain. As a fair weathered runner, I was both proud and surprised with myself for running outdoors. Normally I would just run on the treadmill, cross train or take the day off. The run itself felt good though!

On Wednesday, my husband and I headed to the track. My original plan was to run 400s but he suggested we do mile repeats. About two years ago I did mile repeats on the road but haven’t sine then. I didn’t feel great during the miles but I did do them. I know going to the track and keeping consistent is key.  It was nice to switch it up but mile repeats are challenging.  Eventually I would like to work up to more.

3X1 mile with 2 minutes rest (6:03, 6:08, 6:08)

On Thursday I rested and on Friday I ran with my husband again! It was a nice easy paced run and we explored several roads I had never been before. It went by quickly! Long time readers know we met through running since it is nice to be able to enjoy that again.

On Saturday I ran another hilly race in Wilmington. I have been enjoying the recent hilly races. Since we don’t have a lot of hills in NJ, it’s been nice to run on hills. I think it will benefit in long-term training. While 20:33 is not a great time for me, it’s one of my faster times recently. I know I’ll eventually break through my plateau.

Today was a nice easy run. I have been running 14 miles to keep me familiar with the distance. I will be racing a few half marathons this fall so I plan keep my long runs between 10-15.

Cliff notes: I’m going to the track, racing on hills and staying injury free (knock on wood)

Thoughts for Next Week:

Next Saturday is the Belmar Chase 5k. I’ve been looking forward to this race all summer. My fitness is not at the level I had hoped but I will still give it my best shot and see where it goes! There are several 5ks I have begun looking at in the fall that I will hopefully PR. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is fitness!

On another note I wrote about a post about lessons I’ve learned through running.  I enjoy reflecting each week as well as my life long running.

Finishing the 5k
Finishing the 5k from last weekend

Questions for you:

What is your favorite track workout?

Do you train on hills?

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10 Comments

  1. Nice week!
    I was wondering if you were going to try to go for lighter mileage the day before your race… not take off, but I can imagine a PR is easier to get if you run 5 miles instead of 10… but then again, my fitness is not half as great as yours!

  2. BOOM. You’re going strong. It must be awesome right now running with your husband! So nice!

  3. I’m so impressed with those mile repeats! I haven’t been doing much speed work lately since I’ve been focused on increasing my mileage. Every so often I like to throw a 6:50-ish mile into an otherwise easy run; it switches things up and makes the rest of the run feel more like an enjoyable cool down. 🙂

  4. Mile repeats are *tough*. That was one of my final speed workouts going into Nationals, and it was much more challenging than I thought it would be. My coach and I agreed it will become a staple workout for me–bring on the pain! 😉

  5. super speedy on those repeats! our running club coach loves those for 5k training. if you can do that consistently just imagine stringing the together for your overall 5k pace. easy right?;) but seriously after doing the mile repeats more often i bet you’ll be able to do that in a target fall race. very exciting!

  6. Yay for staying healthy! And those mile repeats are awesome. You definitely have the speed in you… just need to see it all come together in the right 5k!

  7. AWESOME week! I never really do track workouts (bad runner..) but I do like incorporating hills into my longer runs. Definitely a total bummer running up them, but the way down feels so good 🙂 Haha.

  8. i have a love/hate relationship with the track. if i had to pick a workout, i think i’d go with 800 repeats. but it all hurts, lol 🙂

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