Train: Brain training for runners-week 7

Week seven begins the first of two Build Phases on the Brain Training for Runners plan. The change is immediate in two ways: Hill work is replaced by very specific interval training, and fartleks are replaced by tempo runs. I enjoyed the change, but still kind of hanker for both hills and fartleks, so they'll still make their way into my running.

Continuing to enjoy the progression and specificity of the plan, and feel they are the two key components to my not missing or messing with scheduled workouts too much.

Of course, dailymile keeps me jazzed and in my runners, too.

Week seven of 20-week training program:

July 11 (Day 43 :: stretch + strengthen)
Resistance 00:12:00 - 3 X 15 reps ea. Single Leg Squats, Oblique Bridges, Lying Draw-Ins w/Hip Flexion, Quadrupeds + 2 X 15 Squat Jumps.

AND

Stretch/Breathe 00:30 - Evening yoga/qigong set on the deck under a pretty pink + blue sky.

July 12 (Day 44 :: 6 mi run)
Yardwork 02:00 - Watering, weeding, pruning + helping hubby clear brush left by storms.

AND

Rock Cut SP 6 mi 01:01 10:09 pace - Evening base trng run (temp 77F, 62% hum, 8mph winds) w/drills: 2X20 sec Steep Hill Sprints + 2X20sec One-Leg Hops. Worked on this week's proprioceptive cue, Driving the Thigh. Was hoping to get rained on, but only a few sprinkles at start obliged me. Splits: 10:58, 9:43, 10:03, 10:00, 9:47, 10:27. Elev gain: 257 ft.

July 13 (Day 45 :: stretch + 5.25 mi intervals)
Stretch/Breathe 00:27 - Very refreshing yoga/qigong set on the deck this morning in the cooler air of the day (don't you just love summertime cold fronts?!). Birds chirping (saw a herend fly overhead + a sweet downy woodpecker bravely ate at the deck feeder while I was out there). Phlox fragrance floating around. Got a good night's sleep for a change last night (sleeping by 11...wow!), so I'm already waaaaaay ahead of the usual curve.

AND

Long Prairie Trail 5.23 mi 00:52 09:54 pace - Evening interval run (temp 70F, 60% hum, 9mph winds): 5 mins dynamic stretches, then 1mi warm-up; 6 X 400m @ 3,000m pace (8:52) w/3-minute active recoveries; 1+mi cool-down. Because I haven't used Kurt's workout feature often enough, I ran a 7th interval when I was supposed to be cooling down...d'oh! Checking my trng plan (which just entered its 1st build phase this week), I have a lot of 'em slated from this point fwd, so I'll be a Garmin pro soon enough.

The rest of my splits were all over the place because I'm still such a newbie to serious interval trng -- I basically just pushed it as best as I could while concentrating on form (tried to engage on all proprioceptive cues I've been working on the past 6 weeks). And I repeated the mantra 'Fight, fight, fight' to keep going. I tried looking at my watch to gauge my pace, but I think I need to set its Virtual Partner up to help keep me consistent.

Anyway, the weather was stellar. Lovin' the cool-down (even more since we're back in the '90s by this wknd). Made a 3-variety basil (picked from my garden) pesto Quinoa pasta for an early dinner before my run. There's almost nothing better in summer than making fresh pesto pasta.

Splits: 11:15 (w/u mile) | 6X400m intervals: 8:40, 8:04, 7:53, 8:00, 8:20, 8:03 | 9:21 (c/d mile)

July 14 (Day 46 :: cross)
Yardwork 02:30 - Watering *a lot* of flowerbeds for a vacationing neighbor. This wasn't high impact or super cardio, but I did get a pretty good upper body workout dragging two ginormous hoses around for 2 1/2 hours!

July 15 (Day 47 :: 3.5 mi tempo)
Caledonia Country Rd 3.8 mi 00:37 09:47 pace - Early evening run (temp 83F, 52% hum, 7mph winds): 5 mins dynamic stretches; 1 mile warm-up @ rec pace (11:50); 2 X 1 mile @ 10K pace (9:28) w/2-minute active recovery; 1-mile cool-down @ rec pace. Went great, except went a bit faster than I should have. Still working on getting used to what these speeds feel like so that I can adjust my pace better. Had to cut cool-down mile short because it's dinner + movie night w/the hubby.

Splits: 11:06, 8:47, 8:58, 10:26.

July 17 (Day 49 :: 8 mi run)
Aberdeen Knoll/Parkside/Park 8 mi 01:24 10:30 pace - Sunrise LSD run (temp 70F, 86%hum, 2mph winds). Super busy today + the heat is back, so I woke at 5:20 am (very uncharacteristic of me), and was out the door by 5:40 for my planned 8-miler.

Relatively cool out, but the humidity was brutal + my forehead leaked like a runny water faucet the whole way. Relieved this was supposed to be at base pace because I didn't have as much energy as usual, probably because I didn't get to fuel up with a meal 2 hrs prior + only got 5 hrs sleep last night. Popped a hard-boiled egg and a gel into my mouth + I was off!

Was very, very lucky out there weather-wise. Some helpful low clouds moved onto the canvas above my head just where the sun was rising. Plenty of pockets of blue sky, though, to keep the colors vibrant enough to wake my senses right up. Waved at a few people waking to get their Sunday papers. Running so early is so unusual for me (but as it heats up will have to become a little more routine now) that this run was really a nice change.

Got back + had a super 'down home country morning' breakfast to make for my husband and his visiting brother from Tacoma.

Splits: 11:38, 10:44, 10:10, 10:33, 10:05, 10:30, 10:09, 10:13. Elev gain: 248 ft.


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