Spring Training Week 6 – Beast Week

Week 6 was a pretty epic week. I can tell my training is working and I’m making gains. Paces that I previously never saw in training runs are starting to pop up and I’m starting to feel fast. I felt energized for my workouts this week and felt really good overall.

I’m still using Brad Hudson’s “Run Faster” half marathon plan, adapted to my personal needs. Although I don’t strictly follow his plan, I use his key workouts each week (although I do modify them at times to make them shorter since I think the book focuses on faster people who can easily bust out 8-10 miles on a weekday).

Brad really emphasizes the final 4 weeks of training and I’m definitely in peak training now. Brad calls it the “Sharpening Period.” He focuses particularly in those final weeks on runs close to goal pace. Previously, I had 3 key runs a week – short intervals (think strides or 50 second hill repeats), one threshold interval run ( eg. two 15 min intervals) and one long run. Now, it’s a speed workout (longer but still short, like 3 minutes), a longer threshold run at near goal pace (eg. 2 x 3 miles), and a long run. Now the focus is specific endurance – i.e. lots of work to get me ready to run 13.1 miles FAST.

Monday: 

PM: Since we wanted to sleep in, Mike and I did a double workout after work. We ran 4.2 miles easy and then came back and did P90X3 Eccentric Upper. Due to nearly 3 full days off after being out of town for the bachelorette party the previous weekend, my legs felt super light on this run and I had a ton of energy. It definitely reminded me of the importance of rest!

Tuesday: 

AM: I had happy hour plans after work so I knew I had to get my interval workout done in the morning. Due to the previously mentioned rest, I felt pretty good on this run. The workout was 1 mile easy, 8 x 3 minutes @ 10k pace with 2 minute easy recovery, 1 mile easy cool-down. I really am not sure what my 10k pace is, so I just ran fairly hard and tried to make it at least 20 seconds faster than my goal half marathon pace. The first two intervals felt SO easy. I thought I was taking it too easy and the rest periods seemed so long, but but the end, the rest periods felt too short and I was working hard! All my intervals were in the high 6s/very low 7s, except for one up a hill that brought down my entire average to 7:05 min/miles. I was pretty happy with that pace and was kind of shocked at the fact that the majority of the intervals were in the 6s.

Wednesday: 

AM: Double P90X3 workout – Triometrics (plyometric leg exercises) and Yoga. 

PM: I wanted to do more, but ended up with a 45 minute Zone 2 Trainer Ride due to working later and needing to hit up Target to shop for my Mom’s 60th birthday party on Saturday.

Thursday: 

AM: A massive heat wave hit San Diego (90s in April at the beach – unheard of) so I knew I should do my threshold run in the morning. The run was 1 mile warm-up, followed by 3 miles at marathon pace, a 5 minute recovery, 3 miles at half marathon pace, with a 1 mile cool-down (in Brad’s plan this was 2 miles easy with 4 miles of each pace + 5 min between, with 1 mile cool-down – that gives you an example of how I modify his workouts to my own needs. No way I would run 11 + miles on a weekday). My legs were a little heavy but overall I felt good. I ran the marathon portion at 8:05 average and the half marathon portion at 7:40 average. The 8:05 felt pretty easy which is good and the half marathon 3 miles included the hill on my route that I always hate running up so I’m confident that on flat it would have been even faster.

PM: After work I got in P90X’s lower body workout – Eccentric Lower. My legs were tired but I powered through!

Friday: 

AM: 6 mile easy run with my friend Allison. Asia also joined us for 5 miles – her first run post-Boston!

Saturday: 

I got up early so that I could get in 90 minute spin on the trainer before driving to Temecula to host my mom’s 60th birthday picnic. The 90 minutes on the trainer FLEW by because I started watching the Netflix original series “Orange is the New Black.” I was instantly hooked and totally enthralled. I wore my heart rate monitor and kept this ride entirely in zone 2.

My mom’s picnic was a success and she had a great time. It was mostly my extended family (which is big!) and we BBQed, played volleyball and chatted for hours. My mom requested I make her favorite banana cake and it was seriously amazing. I think this was maybe the first cake I’ve made from scratch (i.e. not out of a box and other than that, I usually make cupcakes!) and it was a success!

Sunday: 

AM: 12 mile run with 4 miles fartlek intervals. Sunday after 10 hours of much needed sleep, I met up with Asia and we ran about 7 1/2 miles together before I headed out for the final 4 miles which included fartlek intervals. My legs felt heavy for the first mile or so but then felt better and the miles with Asia flew by. I love running with friends! The 4 miles of fartlek intervals were pretty simple : 90 seconds at 10k pace, 90 seconds easy. My splits were kind of all over the place because of hills/wind but overall they averaged 7:06. I could tell my legs were a bit heavy from a big week but overall I felt good on this run. It was over 70 degrees and sunny by the end so I was very ready for a cold shower!

PM: I got a second wind in the evening and was able to do my final P90X3 workout of the week – Incinerator. This is a total upper body workout so it was a good one to add on a long run day (if you’re going to add any workout to a long run day). This is a tough one and ends with a brutal 2 1/2 minute push-up/plank/forearm plank series!

Weekly Totals: 

• Miles Run: 38
• Hours of Cycling: 1.75
• Hours of Strength Training: 2.5
• Total Time: ~10.5 hours

When training plans say “10k pace” or “5k” pace how do you know how fast/hard to run? Is anyone else hooked on Orange is the New Black?