Beats Half Marathon Training – Week 3

Hey there!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and took your shoes out for a run or two this weekend. It was insanely hot by Seattle standards last weekend, so my 5 mile long run at noon on Saturday turned out to be a bit more challenging than I had hoped it would be. That’s the good thing about training though is that you’re TRAINING and LEARNING what works for you and what doesn’t.

This weekend I learned that long runs at noon, the heat and sweet potatoes paired with half a banana and some PB for pre run fuel do not mix well. Who would have thought? Definitely not some of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made, but you live and you learn. Right? Anywhoo… I’d definitely rather learn that lesson now than on race day…

As you all probably know by now, I am training for The Beats Half Marathon in August, with the help of Laura, and YOU can join me by using the code “coupledashes16” for 10% off when you register. I’d love to see you all there!

Here’s a snapshot of what my training looked like this week:

M: XT/Strength workout

5 minutes warm up
8 x 20 seconds sprint followed by 10 seconds recover (4 minutes total)
3 minutes hills
10 x 20 seconds sprint followed by 10 seconds recover (5 minutes total)
4 minutes hills
12 x 20 seconds sprint followed by 10 seconds recover (6 minutes total)
5 minutes cool down

Followed by strength training including: squats using smith machine, seated leg press, assisted pullups, assisted dips, seated rows, lat pull down, glute bridge using resistance band, clam shells using resistance band, pilates 100, Russian Twists, Good Mornings, and stir the pot (plank on a balance ball and rotate 5 times to the R and 5 times to the L like you’re stiring a pot). Do each exercise 3×15.

Tu: 4 easy miles; L1: 10:03 L2: 9:57 L3: 9:50 L4: 0:05, 29:56.2 total

W: XT/Strength workout from Monday.

I don’t know if I should love or hate the person who created this. OUCH!

Th: 3 mile progression run; 2.5 miles easy with .5 miles moderate to hard. L1: 9:46 L2: 9:47 L3: 9:20 L4: 0.02, 29:12.0 total + post run core/strength workout.

I’m lucky enough to be by the water and also have a view of CenturyLink Stadium (where the Seahawks play) and the Space Needle on this route. I’ll try to get a better picture next time to show you how cool it is!

F: Rest

Sa: 5 miles long run; L1: 9:59 L2: 9:58 L3: 9:50 L4: 10:13 L5: 10:30.

I waited too long to get outside for this run so it was in the high 70’s when I was out there. I was doing okay with the heat at the beginning but it felt like the temperature dramatically increased towards the end and had to slow down my pace to accommodate. Definitely won’t be making that mistake again!

Dirty shoes = good run right?

Post long run recovery looked a little something like this… watermelon Nuun, torture devices and Rip Girls. Anyone else enjoying all the old Disney channel original movies they have available On Demand right now? This has been a hot topic of conversation with my friends recently because apparently we all love to remissness.