Week in Review: Jul 2 - 8

This is my weekly training journal. Including it in the blog gives me a little extra accountability in the mileage department & helps me stick to my schedule. :)

3 weeks to Summer Breeze 10K

6 weeks to Santa Rosa Half Marathon

Grand Total: 38.23

* 29.23 easy (sort of)
* 4 HM pace
* 5 hills

Monday: Karate + strength work. My friend Anna got her yellow belt, too! YAY ANNA!!

Tuesday: 6.83 "easy" (not). In my current job situation, I have a little bit of time during the middle of the day on Tuesdays when I don't have to be anywhere, so I've been trying to use it to get a run in. On Tuesday I took my running stuff to school in the morning & then drove to Golden Gate Park for a stop light-free run. I ended up with almost seven miles, but at a pace which was totally inappropriate for something we're calling an "easy" run, especially when you consider the rolling hills, direct sun / lack of shade, and the humidity that results from SF watering the park during the hottest part of the day. (Which, really, SF, wtf??) I don't really think I can log it as a HM pace or LT run since that's not where my brain was, but subjectively I'll at least know I got a toughish one in this week.

Wednesday: 10 (actually) easy. The best thing about my July 4th was having time for a double-digit run without feeling rushed, which meant I actually ran at an appropriate pace for an easy run. A little bit of soreness in the feet / heels, but otherwise a pretty good run. Second best was having a giant cheeseburger & milkshake & then seeing Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Highly recommend.

Thursday: 5 miles hills. Originally I had thought I might get a track workout in Thursday evening, but after work on Thursday I was exhausted & really didn't feel much like running at all. So I made a deal with myself -- a small number of easy miles was okay, but only if it was hills. So hills it was! Realistically they're never as bad as I think, and afterward I feel like I've been very productive. :)

Saturday: 2 wu + 4 @ HM pace + 2 cd. "Alright, self," I told myself Saturday afternoon, "it's time to buckle down & get some REAL half marathon pace miles in. Not just like, 'Oops, I ran a couple of those easy splits too fast.'" It's funny how I don't have to go very long without running at that pace before it starts to sound scary fast again. But I sucked it up & did it, ran the first uphill-into-the-wind mile too fast as per usual & panicked a bit about being out of shape, then settled into slightly-faster-than-HM-pace for the rest & felt fine. In fact, halfway through the first cool down mile, I looked down & realized I was *still* running at HM pace (downhill, but still). If nothing else, it's encouraging that that pace can still feel comfortable and manageable once I settle into it. 7:37, 7:35, 7:24, 7:17 for the splits.

Sunday: 8.4 easy. On Sunday morning I met a bunch of my run blogger friends in Golden Gate Park for a run, followed by ramen for lunch, which was awesome. I don't run with people all that often, so when I do, it's always a treat (not to mention a welcome distraction). We even made a little detour up Strawberry Hill, which I'd never done before. If you need to get some hill repeats in, this is definitely the place to go.

The only thing I can really complain about this week was that I miscounted my miles when we were running in the Park on Sunday. I got really excited that I was going to break 40, then was a little bummed when I realized I didn't quite get there. Then I reminded myself that, given my mileage lately, 38.4 is DAMN GOOD and I should be happy about it. Which I am.

If I can only keep it up through the end of August....