The first week of training in February started off well. Like I mentioned last week, February is a month to get through. I’m training through the month and not tapering for anything. All of my planned races will provide quality workouts for bigger Spring Races.
| Monday: | Easy Run |
| Tuesday: | Easy Run |
| Wednesday: | 6X1 mile repeats (6:27 pace) |
| Thursday: | Easy Run |
| Friday: | OFF |
| Saturday: | Easy Run |
| Sunday: | Pregame 4 miler (24:47) |
| Total: | 71 miles |
To be honest, there isn’t a lot to say about this week. My easy runs were done easy and for the most part, they were uneventful. I did run into this guy on Thursday.
South Jersey is not for the city slickers I guess.
Workout Wednesday: 6X1 hill mile repeats with 90 seconds rest
I posted on Instagram, but I was not in the mood for this workout. I was tired and had psyched myself out for the run. Most of the time, I don’t get nervous for a workout but this time, I was. I let negative thoughts creep in, and I almost scrapped the workout altogether.
I can typically tell how I run will go by my warm up, and the warm up did not feel good. Even though I felt awful, I decided to do the workout. Why? Because I wasn’t sick or physically hurt, I was just mentally tired. There was no reason not too, except my nerves.
I plugged along the repeats and averaged a 6:27 pace. I was surprised they were that fast to be honest.
Workouts #2: Pregame 4 miler:
I ran this race in 2014 but not 2015 (I was in Rochester that weekend). Despite the race being a far drive, it’s a race I enjoy doing. My husband and I make a day trip to North Jersey out of it. Plus, with the Panthers in the Super Bowl, I had to find some way to support my team. In summary, I ran a 24:47 which is a 6:11 pace (with a 19:00 5k). It didn’t feel good or bad, but it did feel like a workout. I have no complaints, and the race was exactly what I wanted. My husband had a great breakthrough race for his current fitness and ran a 23:20.
It’s hard to tell, but I was rocking plenty of Panthers tattoos and colors.
Thoughts:
I’m happy with how both the workout and race went. Both are the most important runs of the week, and I was pleased to have solid efforts in both. As I said in my monthly log last week, February is about getting quality miles and training for Spring races.
I’m not getting enough sleep recently, and it has played a role in my training. Some days it’s because I’m tossing and turning in bed, other days it’s because I’m living my outside of running life. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do a little better next week.
Questions for you:
How have you been sleeping?
What do you do to get over running nerves?
Great week! I don’t know how you didn’t freeze during that race ha yesterday I woke up and it was like 20 degrees outside so I can’t imagine racing in a sports bra and runderwear!
Possums freak me out! They’re such an ugly little creature and scare me every time I see them.
I too have seen possums on the run… that is the joy that is suburbia by the swamps in Charleston (my neighborhood wasn’t a neighborhood until a few years ago, it was really rural). Glad you did well in the 4 miler and hooray for rocking the Panthers gear/tattoos- even though you had to be cold racing in a sports bra. We were rooting for the Panthers too.
i see snow on the ground in the last pic and you are wearing summer running clothes…how do you not freeze! is your body just used to running in those cold temps and they dont bother you? im really impressed right now!
It wasn’t as cold as you think. I’m the biggest baby when it comes to cold do believe me I wouldn’t be out there like that if it was too cold LOL.
That possum is terrifying haha. I get nervous for my long runs; I think too much about my pace for the entire run and sometimes I psyche myself out to the point that I dread the run. Last training cycle when this would happen I would tell myself to just forget about the pace and just run to run. There was 1 run where I thought this and it happened to be my fastest, best run. Our minds are strange things haha.
I used to have animals near me all the time when I would run living in Indiana. We were out in the middle of nowhere! Sometimes they just stare.
My running nerves are always due to me not trusting my training. I have them a day or two before a race but never other than that. I have learned to just know that what I can do is all dependent on my mental state. I am by no means fast but when I struggle it is always mental. So I taught myself to just focus on the fun and let everything else work itself out.
When I went to college in upstate NY, it was the same thing. There were animals everywhere. Sometimes I would see more animals then people!
I get nervous about long runs, but I’ve started to just go with the flow, whatever happens, happens. I’ve been more motivated on my workouts because I have a fitbit, and I’m constant competition with someone! I always want to get all my steps in!
I know a lot of people love their fitbits. I’m glad you’ve felt motivated from it too!
I think I am actually sleeping too much lately and trying to wean myself down. Some nights I get 9 hours! My body is so off from my Crohn’s and anemia when things were bad I was exhausted. I think I can sleep less now 7-8 so am trying to make myself stay up later. Which is hard when at 7:30 you are dreaming of bed time haha
I haven’t been sleeping great lately either which is very strange for me. I think that’s a huge reason why I lacked motivation all last week. Sleep changes everything.
It is seriously HARD to get through hard workouts. I find that is amazing mental training for race day!
Wow. First of all, that’s some serious mileage. At least by my standards. And your 6 x 1 mile repeats sound tough. But for me, those are the workouts that I always feel accomplished when I finish. And the workouts that come race day I’m really glad I put the work into.
I’ve been sleeping terribly lately. So I feel like my workouts have suffered. I’m over it.
I have a speed workout tomorrow I am dreading, but determined to put in the work to reap the benefits come race day!
I wish I could blame having a life on my sleep issues LOL
Nice race you did.
I sleep ok I work 11pm to 730am, so I do toss and turn once in awhile I get a good sleep.Though I have been doing graveyard for 19 years.
It has it tolls.
Happy running
I slept pretty well this weekend but I’ve been in a sleep rut lately. Either I don’t stay asleep or I have trouble falling asleep. It’s no fun! I don’t really get nervous for races anymore unless it is a race I’m hoping for a PR or have a specific time goal, which I haven’t recently because my hip has been acting up. That’s a whole other story though! Glad it was a good week of training for you! Have a great week Hollie, hope you get better sleep this week!
I can’t get over your mileage – I’m exhausted just looking at it!
I have been sleeping pretty well, though I really need to be better at going to bed earlier. I keep snoozing like crazy this week!
I thought the possum was cute, but reading the other comments, I’m guessing it’s not a cuddly animal…? Sorry, no possums in South Africa…!
6x 1 mile repeats makes me feel sick to my stomach! Great job on your 4-miler and clocking in 71 miles in one week! That’s some serious work!
Here we go, February! Congrats on a great pre-Super Bowl race–way to represent and do major work!
My sleep has been garbage lately!! Honestly I contribute it to a lot of nervous energy. I know you’re like me and value sleep so hopefully we can both get back into our sleeping cycles!