Over the Hump! (Kaiser Week 4 of 7)

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Jen — 2 Comments

Here’s how this past week went down:

Mon: Yoga + bike commute
I couldn’t get out of bed in time to make it to my yoga class, so I did a quick 25-minute yoga session at home instead (with this video). I also rode my bike to & from work — 7.8 miles roundtrip. I’m getting slightly less intimidated about the return commute, where I have to make several sketchy left turns. Yay progress?

Tues: Speed-endurance run + stairs.
Workout: Warm-up, 8 x 800m (really, 0.5 mile) with 60 sec rest, 4 x Cleveland Cascade, cool-down.
Goal splits: 4:25 or faster
Actual: 4:23, 4:20, (bathroom/water break), 4:18, 4:19, 4:23, 4:20, 4:24, 4:17. Average: 4:20.5
Like the mile repeats I did 2 weeks ago, the toughest part of this workout was the short recovery period. I focused on staying relaxed during each interval. The second toughest part of the workout were the stairs.
6.6 miles @ 9:29/mile + 4x Cleveland Cascade

Wed: Easy/recovery jog.
I made myself take this run very slowly, which felt awkward and not that enjoyable. However, it was probably for the best that I took it easy, since I had a slight twinge in my lower right calf from Tuesday’s workout.
3.5 miles @ 10:47/mile

Thurs: Yoga.
I got myself to the studio for the 7:30 a.m. class. I’m learning lots of new hip and hamstring stretches, which are very useful.

Fri: Easy run with strides.
The effort level on this run was slightly more intense than “easy”. I also added 3 x 45 second strides toward the end. The run felt great, but after I stopped, there was a noticeable sharp pain in my right ankle. (It’s gone away since then, but still gets a little tender after I do a deep calf stretch, so my vague theory is that it has something to do with dorsiflexion.)
3.6 miles @ 9:51/mile

Sun: Foster City 10-miler!
Recap coming soon! Unofficial results: 1:27:56. 84/235 overall, 12/36 AG, 25/128 F
10 miles @ 8:47/mile

Total mileage for the week: 23.7
Besides the minor issues with my calf and ankle, this was an excellent week! I’m very happy with how I raced today and it makes me even more excited about Kaiser in 3 weeks!

Random Photo of the Week:

Truth.

Plan for the coming week:
Mon: Rest.
Tues: Threshold run + stairs.
Wed: Easy/recovery run.
Thurs: Yoga.
Fri: Long trail run.
Sat: Hike? (Camping @ Big Sur)
Sun: Hike? Trail run? (Camping @ Big Sur)