FCHM Training: Weeks 2 & 3

I disappeared for a few days, so you get two training week recaps in one.

Here's what the schedule called for:

Week 2:
Monday - 3 miles
Tuesday - speed work at the track, 4 miles total with 2 sets of (200, 200, 400)
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - 3 miles
Friday - rest
Saturday - 5-6 miles
Sunday - rest

Week 3:
Monday - 4 miles
Tuesday - speed work at the track, 5 miles total with 2x200, 2x400, 800, 2x200
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - 4 miles
Friday - rest
Saturday - 6-7 miles
Sunday - rest

What happened:


Week 2
Monday - This is also known as the week that Wisconsin became an oven. Seriously. You know it's going to be a rough week when a heat advisory is issued Monday morning lasting through Friday at 10 p.m. Temps in the 90s and high humidity means feels like temps in the 100-105 range. Not fun. So I took this run indoors on the treadmill.

Tuesday - This was supposed to be speed work. But it was also my first session with my physical therapist for my cranky knee. And even though there wasn't much therapy done, it was still really sore. That soreness combined with nasty heat outside and the lure of fireworks meant I skipped speed work. Plus I justified it by telling myself I had a race to run in the morning.

Wednesday - I ran the Firecracker 5K. Look for a race report in a day or two.

Not only was it hot, this is what it looked liked when I left the YMCA Thursday. Minutes before the storm rolled in.

Thursday - Still hot outside, but I knew I needed to get that speed work in, so I headed over to the indoor track at the YMCA, where I figured out 1.5 laps would be a 200. The 1.5 mile warm up (14:56) was a little rough, the knee was cranky, but I gutted it out. Pretty happy with the speed session. Splits were 0:59, 0:58, 2:05, 0:57, 1:01, 2:09. Finished with a 1.5 mile cool down (16:08) for a total of 5.1 miles.


Friday - rest

Saturday - Uh, this was supposed to be a long run with the group, but I managed to turn my alarm off in my sleep. Thought about doing it Saturday late afternoon/evening at my parents house, but got a little freaked out about running near the park in their neighborhood after a report of a stranger stabbing earlier that week with a suspect still at large.

 Lake Winnebago as seen on my bike ride.

Sunday - No running, but I did do 880 yards of water walking with my mom and logged a 14.1 mile bike ride out to High Cliff State Park.

Week 3
Monday - I skipped my run today after getting out of work really late due to training. By the time I got home at 7 p.m. I was hungry and figured food was way more important than 4 miles.

Speed work directions. 

Tuesday - Another later night at work, but I was bound and determined to make to the track to do my speed work, even if it meant having to do it solo. I headed over to the track, ran my 1.5 mile warm up (15:26) but then had to find myself another track since the one I was at was taken over by what looked like the HS track team. Very intimidating. Luckily we've got two public high schools in town, so I headed over to the other school, where some police recruits were just finishing up some testing. Armed with my workout, I got to work. I was supposed to do 2x200, 2x400, 800, 2x200. My splits: 0:56, 0:59, 2:01, 2:01, 4:27, 0:58, 0:59. Finished with a 1.75 mile cool down run/walk (19:20). The 800? HARD!

Wednesday - rest

Thursday - Headed out for a run after work. The miles got done, but I really need to remember to bring hydration with me, even for shorter runs, when the temps are above 80. The first two miles went fine, the second two miles were brutal.

Friday - rest


Saturday - Met up with the group for the weekend run. Finished 7.1 miles in 1:22 and ran with Jenny, another woman in the group. Her pace was a little bit slower and she took occasional walk breaks to get her heart rate lower, but I was OK with that. Didn't want to anger the IT band too badly. I also made the decision to walk the Racine Street bridge in Menasha on both loops. Even though I like hills, my IT band isn't so fond of them right now. So I thought I'd better play it safe.

Sunday - I rested. I planned on getting in a bike ride, but it just didn't work out.

Totals for the two weeks: 27.35 miles running, 880 yards water walking, 14.1 miles biking. Not bad. Bring on Week 4.