One thing that excites me about writing these training recaps is not only do I get to look at numbers and see progress in speed and endurance, it’s an interesting way to get a snapshot of how my mood can affect my training and vice versa.

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that this is a big mental game. It’s funny how 3 quick miles one day seem like they take longer than a 4-mile run at a much slower pace the following day. To help me get through the progressively more challenging tempo runs, any time I felt like I wanted to stop this week, I told myself YOU’RE IN IT.

I’m 5 weeks into training for this race. When I am supposed to do 3 fast miles and I am only 1.5mi in, I’m already IN IT. I am in the workout. I am in the training program. I am in the gym. I’m in the race. I am in this to PR my half marathon time by more than just a few seconds. I’m here, I’m in it. Run 1 more minute. Run 1 more mile. Just keep running, because you’re already here. Might as well make it worthwhile.

#SeaKatyWheeze – Week 5 Recap

Day 29 – Sunday 5/7/17

Run 7 miles

Wahoo! A day without any speed or heart rate parameters to follow! Sunday’s long run felt good. In addition to the usual bandaids on the toes, I gave a new pair of padded running socks a try. Figure now is a good a time as any to perform gear & food experiments.

I am also trying to test out what kind of morning food helps energize me on long run day. Seeing that Seawheeze is a morning race, I am doing what I can to go for my long runs on the earlier side of the day. This morning, 2 slices of potato bread with peanut butter along with a coffee with a splash of coconut milk creamer about 45min before I went out sat well. The run felt solid and energized. It took until mile 6.5 before the run started to feel like ‘work’.

They’ve now been on many long and tempo runs, and I can’t say enough good things about lululemon’s nulux Fast & Free Crop. (No, nobody is paying me to say that.) They simply don’t move during my workouts. Chances are high that I’ve already found my Seawheeze race day crops.

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Day 30 – Monday 5/8/17

CrossFit Strength & Metcon

Back Squat
5 Reps at 65% – 115lbs
5 Reps at 75% – 135lbs
5+ Reps at 85% – 10 x 150lbs

*be sure to add 10lbs from the last time you did Back Squats for each set. This is based off of 90% of your 1 rep max, final set perform as many reps as possible*

WOD
Squatting DT
5 Rounds For Time:
12 Deadlifts 155/115
9 Hang Squat Cleans 155/115
6 Jerks 155/115

Result: 12:52 – 85lbs

My body was NOT having it on Monday. I like to hope/think that the 7 miler from the day before had something to do with it. Squats felt creaky, and when I loaded up the bar for the WOD, I knew the 105lb bar was going to defeat the cardio purpose of the workout.

A disheartening showing, to be honest. DT at RX weight used to be my jam, but everything feels heavier than it used to. I’ve been consistently showing up and working out for a while now, yet there are days where it feels like none of it matters. Like today.

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Day 31 – Tuesday 5/9/17

CrossFit Strength & Metcon

Bench Press
5 Reps at 65% – 70lbs
5 Reps at 75% – 80lbs
5+ Reps at 85% – 7 reps @ 90lbs

*be sure to add 5lbs from the last time you did Bench Press for each set. This is based off of 90% of your 1 rep max, final set perform as many reps as possible*

WOD
Every 5 minutes x 20 minutes
350m Row
400m Run

R1 – 3:30
R2 – 3:40
R3 – 3:47
R4 – 3:43

Strava claimed my fastest 400m run was 1:45, but those 400’s FELT like crap. The rowing 350’s felt ok for 150m and then my legs quit on those too. Both types of sprints, call me Fizzly McFizzleson. I’ve been in and out of shape multiple times over the past 4 years, but CrossFit is feeling heavy, bad, and different lately and I can’t figure out why.

I fixed myself a hot chocolate of self pity at 9:30p (complete with whipped cream and sprinkles), and proceeded to exercise my retail muscle and place a Tuesday evening lulu order.

I should probably note that I unexpectedly worked until 11:30p on Monday night, which may have had something to do with the extra dose of TIRED that I seemed to be feeling.

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Day 32 – Wednesday 5/10/17

REST DAY

Woke up feeling like I got hit by the struggle bus with the words “Bench Press” scrawled along the side. Tuesday night I thought maybe I’d have it in me to go for an Easy 3mi before work, but I slept like crap. When I woke up, my brain said “maybe?” and my body said “LOL NO”.

It doesn’t help that the torn meniscus in my left knee has been making its presence known lately.

Got my nails done for the first time in over a year. Sometimes I do girly things.

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Day 33 – Thursday 5/11/17

Tempo Run – 6mi

2mi Warmup – 11:32/mi (5.2mph)
3mi Tempo – 9:05/mi (6.6 mph)
1mi Cooldown – 11:32/mi…ish

A spicy one yet again! Apparently my failure to fail on my 2-mile tempo runs means that I earned a 3rd fancy mile this week. Commence mental freakout all day all over again.

Two tempo miles feel tough when you only have to do two miles. Two miles seem like peanuts when you’re going for a third. The third is what gets you in the psyche, especially when it’s in reality your fifth mile of the day.

I tried the Thorlo Experia socks again on this run, and they got bunchy under the toes in my right foot only around 4.5mi in. I ended up speeding up on the cooldown just to finish faster and fix my stupid sock.

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Day 34 – Friday 5/12/17

Treadmill Run – 3mi

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a predictable work/travel schedule for the first 4 ½ weeks of Seawheeze training. Friday broke the streak, as I was up at 3:30a to start moving my way across the country from CT to Portland, OR.

Food and rest were not optimal, nor was the rainy weather when I arrived in Portland. So much for a waterfront run before donuts, sushi, books and the Flaming Lips.

Running on 3 hours of sleep and not much food, I headed straight for the hotel gym, set the pace at 6.0mph and just went with it for 3 miles. Felt longer and faster than it should have. Not my best work, but at least I showed up.

I like to think I earned the 3 donuts I was about to go to town on in the next 24 hours. See that first one right there? Blueberry bourbon basil… and it was bliss.

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Day 35 – Saturday 5/13/17

Treadmill Run – 4mi

When I work on the west coast, jet lag usually does me a solid and gets me up out of bed so I can work out before going to work. This is what I planned to do, until I found a last-minute ticket to a Flaming Lips show on Friday night. I ended up staying up for about 23 hours straight (minus 2 short airplane naps). Worth it.

Thankfully, the work day ended a little bit earlier than I’d planned. Still rainy outside, I wasn’t keen on the treadmill idea (again) but with the weather in PDX this weekend… meh. I’ve worn my Hunter Boots all day every day since arriving.

I laced up my big girl sneakers and back onto the hamster wheel I went. The goal of this run was to do a HR <145 handful of miles. It got tedious.

After the 3rd mile, I decided to have a little ‘fun’ at the end. I jacked up the speed to 6.0 mph, and every tenth of a mile, I increased my speed by .1 mph. After being in the steady state mode for over 30min, it took my legs 2-3 minutes to wake up and open up my stride. I think I need to start doing pigeon pose/stretch with regularity.

It’s weird to run on a treadmill with a mirror 3 feet away from your face. Better than staring at a wall, I suppose.

This Week’s Mileage: 21 miles // #SeaKatyWheeze Cumulative Total: 72.25 miles