Last Week’s Workouts: the sorest I’ve been in a long time + increasing my mileage

I felt pretty good about last week’s workouts. I was the sorest I’ve been in a LONG time (which I love/hate) and I also focused on increasing my running mileage. We did back squats at Top Tier CrossFit, and I didn’t think the weight was too crazy so I was a bit surprised by how sore I was. It was challenging and I definitely had to push, but I didn’t fail on any reps, so I’m thinking it must have just been the number of reps (32 total).

I also focused this past week on extending the length of a few of my runs to smartly increase my total weekly mileage. I’ve been wanting to increase my mileage for a while, but the cold winter (which doesn’t seem that long ago!) and then getting a quad strain delayed that effort. I prefer to add on a mile or so to each of my “normal” runs rather than add another day of running so I can have more days of total rest. I don’t have any races on the calendar, but I’m trying to get a solid base of miles in my legs so I can start working on speed again (with intervals and tempo runs) without risking injury.

M – 5 miles, 8:13 pace + CrossFit

• Back Squats: 4 sets of 8 reps with increasing weight each set (I did 95, 115, 125, 135#)
• 12 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)
  • 3 reps of each movement, 6 reps of each movement, 9 reps, 12 repts
    • Right arm kettlebell thrusters (26#)
    • Burpees
    • Left arm kettlebell thrusters
    • Pull-ups

T – 6 miles, 8:21 pace 

• I could feel a little quad soreness during the morning run, but by the end of the day, they were REALLY sore.

W – 7.5 miles, 7:57 pace

• The quad soreness was even worse on this day (DOMS). I gutted through my run, hoping it would help flush out some lactic acid. I couldn’t even foam roll since it was so painful.

Th – REST

• My quads were WRECKED. I woke up a few times Wednesday night when I rolled to my stomach and it hurt my quads. I took a rest day (I had planned on yoga), did a little foam rolling and finally took some ibuprofen.

F – CrossFit

• For time: 10 reps, 9 reps, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. This took me just under 13 minutes.
  • Deadlifts (155#)
  • Burpees Over the Bar
  • Airsquats 2x

S – 11 mile run, 8:21 pace

• I felt great on this run. I started a bit too late (almost 8 AM) and it was really hot and really humid (76 degrees when I started), so I played it smart and forced myself to not pick up the pace even though I felt strong.
• I fueled with GU Salted Caramel along the way. So good! I also ate a couple medjool dates before heading out the door and drank some Nuun.
• I wore ThinkSport SPF50 sunscreen for the first time on a run since I started later in the day, and I really liked it.
• I should have taken water with me (one of Paula’s tips for running in the heat!), so finding this surprise at mile 6 (and I came back by it again at mile 8) was AMAZING. Thank you Twin City Track Club!!! I had been meaning to renew my membership for a while, and this was the tipping point to make it happen.

Su – REST

• Tommy and I went to the driving range that night. It was a gorgeous night!

Total miles: 29. 5

How I feel: I’m so happy to be getting my mileage up, and I’m loving these morning summer runs. It feels great to get out before the heat and I love the extra daylight. So far, I feel like I need to cut CrossFit back to 2x a week in order to keep my legs fresh, and I pick the workouts strategically based on what runs I have planned and what the WOD is. I really wish the full week of WODs was posted on Sunday’s so I could better plan my runs around them. (Um, yes, I love planning and a schedule and a routine!) We’ll see how things continue as I train this summer – I’m trying hard to listen to my body, but I miss my friends at Top Tier. 🙂