MCM Week 3: Seasons of Run

Full of smoked and barbequed proteins from the long weekend’s patriotic festivities, I calorically had enough food for an entire week of training. I didn’t overindulge on the delicious food and desserts for the Fourth of July weekend, so the work that I had to put in this week shouldn’t feel too bad.

Here's the plan breakout for Week 3:

·       Sunday – 8 miles Long

·       Monday – 4 miles Easy

·       Tuesday – 9 miles Speed: 1.5 mile WU, 12 x 400m @ MP w/ 400m jog, 1.5 mile CD

·       Wednesday – Cross-train

·       Thursday – 6 miles Easy

·       Friday – 6 miles Easy

·       Saturday – 4 miles Easy

What actually happened:

·       Sunday – 8 miles Long

·       Monday – Heavy Lifting

·       Tuesday – 6 miles Speed: 1 mile WU, 8 x 400m @ MP w/ 400m jog, 1 mile CD

·       Wednesday – Heavy Lifting

·       Thursday – 10 miles Easy

·       Friday – 6 miles Easy

·       Saturday – 4 miles Easy

Because part of the rail trail was closed off, I decided to try a hilly road loop near Mark’s parents house on Sunday morning. We knew a 6-mile loop and had an idea for an 8-miler, but to show me exactly what to expect on the route, we put hopped in the car and put the odometer on. There were only 3 right turns I would have to take to get back to the house, but the roads were long and hilly. I noted the areas with shade and where there might be blind spots for cars that I would have to look out for. When we pulled back into the driveway, we clocked exactly 8 miles so this was the perfect loop for the day.

I put on my Aonijie hydration vest with one bottle of LiquidIV and one spring water in the chest pockets, and a third water bottle in the pack where the water bladder would go. I’m not a fan or using the bladder; the straw is too much work and gets gross so I’d rather just stop to swap bottles if I needed. I had my bone conduction headphones on my ears, but decided to hold off on music as long as possible. It was a peaceful morning and the birds sounded nice, so I wanted to focus on efficient form.

The first mile was uphill, and I was told that would be the steepest and longest so I was surprised when I still felt fresh for the first few miles. I passed a large dead snapping turtle, a wedding venue, a lily pond, and some nice houses along the way. It was a nice day, so some bikers were taking advantage of the curvy roads to rev their engines past the speed limit. There were 2 hills that I walked for a minute instead of run, and it didn’t affect my timing. This run was about spending time on my feet and building endurance again, so speed didn’t matter. I naturally went faster on the declines. When I got back to the house, I spent about 20 minutes cooling down and stretching under the canopy of trees while listening to the babbling brook at the bottom of the hill. I was appropriately tired, but not completely beat from the hills.

On Monday I thought lifting would be more productive to my fitness than a short recovery run, so I did some back squats and bench press in the morning before work. I still wake up before the sun rises no matter what is on the workout menu.

I told my running client that I was going to start much earlier than him on Tuesday and to meet me at the soccer field. I didn’t have my stuff together the night before, so I was scrambling in the morning. I left the house at my normal time, but it took nearly 2 hours to get to work when it should only be 1 hour without traffic. I also had to deal with a sensitive issue at work and wanted to make sure I spoke with them in person after all the emails the previous day. I had a 15 minute head start instead of 60 minutes, and between the extreme heat and the fact that I had a cutoff time in order to shower and make my team meeting, I only did 6 miles instead of 9 miles. The intervals were still tough and I walked parts of my recovery jog, sipping on my frozen water bottle that was quickly turning lukewarm. I was angry about the traffic, but also glad I wasn’t out the door when I intended because I could have easily been in that car crash that caused the traffic in the first place.

I almost swam in the pool on Wednesday, but decided against putting on my tight goggles. I need a better pair that doesn’t leave marks around my eyes hours later. I also wanted to deadlift and work on upper body accessories to maintain my strength. I hoped I could swim in the ocean later in the week to make up for it.

Thursday was overcast and relatively cool compared to the extreme heat of earlier in the week, making 70 degrees feel like 50 degrees for those who were walking with sweatshirts outside. On the spectrum of summer running conditions, this was ideal. I was supposed to run 6 easy miles and packed my hydration vest to run 8 miles. Since it was foggy and there wasn’t much to look at, I ran over the bridge and headed south toward Sea Bright for a nice flat jog. I didn’t bother with music, took my time, and sipped on my water and electrolytes every few minutes. I felt good 4 miles out, so I tacked on another mile in that direction before I turned around. I kept a consistent slow pace throughout, so I felt really strong on the last mile. I could have done a half marathon if needed, but I already overachieved by doing 10 miles. I was glad to do a good workout before my (overdue) scheduled massage to make it worth the treatment. I was able to relax for 90 minutes while the massage therapist beat up my back and hamstrings.

Holy humidity! Friday I was drenched within the first mile from the sticky salty air. Fog was forming over the ocean and moving toward land; the breeze was moving the opposite way it normally does. I’ve described running in the humidity as running through soup, but this was like running through chowder or a bisque! I carried a water bottle with me for the easy 6-miler solely because I was sweating out more water than in a steam room. I was close enough to the ocean to look like I went for a dip. I felt like I was drinking water all day after my run and still couldn’t quench my thirst.

After staying out late Friday night to see a local outdoor theatre performance of Rent, I was glad that Saturday would be my easy day. I meant to run my 4 miles to the beach yoga class then we would drive home, but I slept in a bit. I drove over to Sandy Hook, put down my beach towel, and followed the instructor’s baritone voice. Between poses he talked about how if we’re stressed out and want to lash out we should ask ourselves if what we want to say is “truthful, necessary, kind, and timely”. I remember this particular lesson from last year, but it was a nice reminder about how simple it is to be a respectful person. I was not stressed or achy during this yoga practice, so I felt flexible and warmed up for my run.

I put my towel and sandals back in the car and wiped off as much sand that stuck to my sunscreen as possible then jogged on the bike path. It was much later in the morning than I prefer, and as the temperature climbed, the serious cyclists were leaving, and amateur hour began. There’s nothing like having grown adults (sans helmets or closed-toe shoes) swerving on bikes with tires half-filled sneaking up from behind to make you feel at ease. I didn’t bother with a playlist this time so I could hear them coming and to change the lyrics from “Seasons of Love” to “Seasons of Run” in my mind. The Rent soundtrack was my earworm of the day.

I completed 34 miles for the week (just 3 miles shy of planned), but my lifts and the early double-digit long run were my wins for the week. My calendar is packed with potential training interruptions for Week 4, so I was glad this week went well.