Week Two 1/29/2023 35 Miles total with 15 mile long run and 6 mile hill workout.
It’s such a mental game. I start out my week by checking the weather and looking at my calendar to schedule runs around the chaos of life and the predicted -20 degree windchill.
2/2/2023
There was a break in the weather yesterday with temps topping out with a feels like temp of 10! I decided to go for it and do my long run outside. I live about a mile south of a town with a population of 600 on a busy day. Most of my outdoor runs are on country roads, carrying pepper spray to ward off aggressive dogs. The roads had a dusting of snow on the shoulders, and glare ice underneath. I did my best penguin waddle to avoid cars. At the start of my run it was cloudy with a slight wind and temp of 8. My hands, especially my thumbs, got cold but after switching directions and pulling my fingers into a fist they warmed up. I had planned to do a route to the south for an out and back but the wind was straight out of the south and felt frigid. I opted to do a couple of west to east out and backs instead. At mile 6 I was 4 miles from my house and questioning why I thought running outside was a good idea. I really had no option but to keep moving, so I powered through and when I hit mile 9 in town, with a reprieve from the wind, I was determined to finish. Mile 12 one of my friends drove by and gave a wave, my legs were heavy, my hip flexor was starting to get tight but I made it.
Last week I used a Tailwind on the treadmill but didn’t want to carry liquid with me in the cold. I have a sensitive stomach and have found that a couple of fruit snacks every mile are enough to power me through a long run. I didn't have stomach trouble on this run but did feel nauseous afterwards and completely exhausted for the rest of the afternoon.
Today I did a 4 mile recovery run on the treadmill, feels like temp was -20, and then did Eliud Kipchoge’s Killer Core Workout. This is my 4th time going through this workout and I can tell my right glute is weaker than my left. Overall I am not as sore as I expected today. I’ve been pretty active cleaning my house and getting groceries with little sitting. I probably should’ve forced myself to keep walking after my run yesterday, that usually helps me recover from my long runs more quickly.
2/4/2023
Hill day and a heatwave in Minnesota, 26 degrees! The nearest hill to my house is 2 ½ miles away, so I opted to drive out to a friend’s neighborhood where the hills are abundant. The bonus was she joined me on my run.
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