Day Six had a rocky start. I'm not sure if you remember a couple weeks ago I had a speedwork session that I couldn't get my head around and so I did hillwork instead. This same speedwork training session came up again on my schedule so I automatically decided to do hillwork again.
Well I set my alarm for 5:30Am and pulled another silly move by putting my head back down for a moment and then waking up at 6:30...which is when I wanted to be leaving. I was pretty aggravated at first and I was hoping that the day would have been overcast so I could still go...but no luck. I wondered if I should just suck it up and face the heat...or if I should just cross train...but I really didn't want to miss out on a running session. So I thought about it and I remember reading a hillwork training session that could be done on the treadmill and I considered doing that but then I decided to revisit the original speedwork session that threw me for a loop:
"2 miles at 10-K pace, 2 x 1 mile at 5-K pace, 2 x 800 meters at slightly faster than 5-K pace, with 5 minutes recovery after the 2-mile and 3 minutes recovery after the miles and 800."
I then realized, 'Ah-ha! I can do THIS on the treadmill!'. I had spoken to my running partner a couple weeks ago and we discussed how this session was to be run and he said the progression was warm up-2 miles-5 mins recovery-1 mile-3 mins recovery-1 mile-3 mins recovery-800m (half a mile)-3 mins recovery-800m-3 mins recovery-cool down.
After some calculating using my time and pace estimations from runnersworld.com (I pasted them to my last post) I worked out that my 10k pace would be 6.8 mph, my 5k pace would be 7.2mph and slighter faster would be just that. I'd try 7.5 which I thought was adventurous. Suddenly I was excited again and itching to start my run. I also think it was a blessing in disguise that I woke up too late for my hillwork because the treadmill is much lower impact and my hip is better but not perfect.
I uh...forgot to photograph my breakfast. Sorry. :P I had a soy cheese and egg white omlette with whole rye and a cup of chopped watermelon.
I have to tell you...I much prefer running outdoors. I can't run on a treadmill without a movie on...more specifically a Disney movie (shut up...) so I put on my usual choice of The Little Mermaid and plodded away happily to Alan Menken's genius of a soundtrack guiding my stride for my warm up mile. Everything seems to take that much longer on a treadmill...even with the movie playing. I was only really able to pay close attention to the movie during the warm up mile because once that was over it was time to pick up the intensity.
Longest...two...miles...ever...Even though you have the little monitor showing you every 0.01 of a mile that you've completed it still feels like you're getting nowhere. I guess because in reality you aren't getting anywhere...you're just running on the spot! It kind of felt like a moderate tempo run difficulty-wise though. Some runners say that running on the treadmill doesn't do much for you because the belt moving the world beneath you makes it easier...but then you also have the challenge of keeping the pace constantly or prepare to be thrown off (or in my case slammed into the wall just behind the treadmill. And yes it's happened before.) I was definitely counting the minutes but it was lessened by my occasional ability to zone into the movie. The two miles took me about 23 mins.
I had a 5 minute recovery after the two miles in which I decided to run and get my camera so I could see what my stride was looking like. I set the timer and jumped on the treadmill to do the second section of the workout.
I upped the speed to 7.2 mph and it didn't feel that much horribly harder. I started to feel it half way through but I wasn't ever at the point where I was dying to finish. After the mile I quickly checked the camera and none of the shots caught my full stride so I set it and then tried again.
Another mile...felt a little bit harder. Each mile took me about 8:30 mins.
Then it was time for the 800m.
I started at the 7.5 mph but it felt too easy. I knew I was only going to be running for half of the time of the last mile so I could run faster and I definitely had the energy. I upped the speed to 8mph and then 8.5 mph. That felt amazing. No I didn't have the world whizzing by me but it just felt so good to be moving at that speed. I finished the 800m huffing and puffing happily. One more to go!
I started at 8.5 mph again and then my enthusiasm took hold and I upped it right away to 9 mph. Now I really felt incredible. It was fatiguing to hold the pace but I wasn't dying. It was a wonderful feeling. I was glad that I set up the camera one more time for this session because I felt like I was flying. I finished the .5 mile at about 3:25 and then did my cool down mile at about 5 mph. The Little Mermaid was over by this point and I realized I hardly watched the movie at all. Oh well! The workout was so enjoyable and I didn't even have to leave my house to run those 8 miles! I wouldn't want to do my long run on the treadmill but it was fun for a change today...except having to mop up my sweat. :P
I made myself a protein shake right after and photographed it because I felt bad about breakfast. :P
Soymilk and whey protein
While enjoying my shake I poured over the photos and I was pleased to see that my stride was bigger than I expected along with my form being better as well!
This shot didn't catch my full stride but I liked it because both of my feet are off the belt. Hee hee
And I took this one just for you. :)
Looks like I am doing the running man. :P
I stiffened up pretty quickly after this run. I felt it particularly in my calves and hips this time around. I did some around the house chores and then made a quick lunch.
Fish tacos in a corn tortilla and baked plantain.
I'm loving the plantain these days. I haven't had any in the house in a while so I am taking full advantage.
And so the rest of my day went on as usual. Chores, cooking...quick nap and then off to work.
Before I end today's post I'm going to talk to you about my 'must haves' when it comes to hydrating. I make sure to have all of these in the house when I know I have a run coming up.
You can click to enlarge.
What's in the photo and why? Starting from the left:
Smart Water: This is electrolyte enhanced water. I mentioned before that I like to have this on the first leg of my runs now instead of Gatorade because I get tired of the sweetness of the Gatorade especially when the drink warms up. I also need to have this in the evening of the run and the day AFTER the run so that I can continue to rehydrate with electrolytes without having all of the sugar, carbs and unecessary calories of Gatorade. This is all that has been saving me from my runner's hangover. When I can't get this, the zero calorie vitamin water would be my next choice and I'd just have to put up with the sweetness. The added vitamins are most welcome though!
Gatorade in powder form: A bottle of Gatorade costs almost $5 here. I didn't realize at first how much it was adding up but once I did I was happy to discover that I had the option of buying the mix instead. This container yeilds 35 servings (a Gatorade bottle has 2.5) and only costs about $20. This also cuts back hugely on the amount of plastic bottles that I'm going through! I recycle but still! I also like being able to control the portions. When I do shorter runs that I don't necessarily need the 2.5 servings of carbs that I would get from the pre-mixed bottles, I can just add one serving to a full bottle of water which reduces calories and also the drink is like mildly flavoured water instead of that choke-me-tenderly koolaid taste.
Protein Powder: In this case BioPure. I sometimes have some whey protein before my runs but I always have protein in a shake form post-run without fail. Ingesting protein within the first 30 minutes after running increases muscle recovery by 20%. I also like to add it to milks, yogurts or oatmeals on days where I feel like I need to up my protein or haven't had enough. Great for repairing and building lean muscle.
EAS ready-made shakes: I'm not always home after a run so when I don't have the option of mixing my own shake, or when I am in a rush and don't have time its great to have these handy. EAS makes a great line of protein shakes that are low in fat, good calorie wise and most importantly, have high amounts of quality protein. Myoplex Lite shakes and AdvantEDGE Carb Control are my favourites.
Soymilk: This is Silk Lite Original Soymilk. Its got a great amount of protein, good fats (but not too much) and its only 60 calories. Its also delicious and has less sugar than the almond milk that I was buying. Almond milk is also a great choice but I've been going with the light soymilk because of the reduced sugar and the fact that it has more protein. I drink this a lot to help take the edge off of my hunger if I'm overly peckish at night and already ate a snack but I also drink it through the day with meals because its just sooo good. This is also my preferred milk of choice for when making protein shakes.
And that's all for now!
Thanks for reading! <3
No comments:
Post a Comment