Fast Thoughts and Positive Vibes

I'm started to feel like a Floridian with how much more comfortable training in the heat feels lately. After several weeks of runs and workouts in over 70 degree weather with regularly high humidity, I'm getting into a really satisfying summer training groove. 

Part of my optimism this past week also just stems from how good my running has felt lately. It feels good to feel good! I'm starting to creep up to heavy mileage weeks that in the past would leave me feeling tired and hungry all of the time. Now, I'm truly taking recovery runs easy, eating enough food to fuel my body across more miles, and drinking electrolytes and water like I'm stuck in a desert without any signs of escaping. I'm also making sure to stay on top of my foam rolling and letting my Sunday rest day be a true rest day-- no going on long walks just to get my step count up. 

Summer this year has been so much more meaningful and fun than last year. Last year I was depressed and isolated without having a job to go to or a race to train for. My social life was whittled down to when my running friends' schedule allowed us to run together, which I always looked forward to. When my calendar fills up with work and social obligations, I feel much more focused and ready to get it all done. I find calm in the chaos. I'm so happy that the world is slowly emerging from the fog of this global crisis. It really helps ya girl's mental health stay up. 

As I already mentioned, the weekly pulse of my training has flowed really well this month. I'm running unique and interesting routes daily, prioritizing rest and nutrition, and just looking forward to getting out the door for every run. One part of enjoying this process that has helped me tremendously is switching my watch to only show HR on easy runs so I don't see the time elapsed, distance ran, or current pace. This has been so helpful in letting my body dictate the pace on easy days instead of my watch dictating the pace. It's super freeing and I can focus on keeping my HR low, which I usually do. 

Lots of eggs, English muffins, and sausage are in my diet. 

Ferry Field after 4x150m strides on July 15, 2021. 

My big workout this week was hills again (Coach wrote in my log: 'This will be difficult, so is a hilly 10 miler in Flint :).' I had 3xArb hill (1km), 3xHarvard, and 3xRidgeway. The air was so thick you could see it but my attitude was light and positive. I went into each tough rep smiling and knowing I was giving my best effort under the conditions. I got in almost 3 miles worth of climbing (994 feet elevation gain) on an 11 mile day and was truly happy with how the workout went even though I know I can be slightly faster under cooler conditions. While I really like most types of workouts, hills are especially fun for me because of how much I love to climb and climb well. 

I also had two doubles this week, yesterday and today. I went to the trails for my second run both days for some shade and to really let my body go slow. For today's morning run I ran from Ferry Field to finish out with strides on the track. Last time I did 4x150m strides with walk back recovery I averaged just under 5 minute pace in flats. Today I was in trainers and was able to run roughly the same paces as last month! This was a big confidence boost going into the second half of July. 

Tomorrow I have my short run day of the week (due to a change in my work schedule) and Saturday I am looking forward to crushing a 14 mile long run to top the week off at 65 miles. It's going to be a busy weekend of training, Ann Arbor Art-Fairing (so happy it's back again!) and resting, and I am so ready for all of it!