Triathlon Training: Week 5 – Lactic Acid Threshold Week – Thursday Foundation Run

aarmau@gmail.comDecember 29, 201170.3 Ironman, running, training, triathlon

I needed a good run today for several reasons.

First, I fell off my training plan yesterday. Not because I was being lazy or did something unhealthy. Rather the six days of poor sleep due to Ava having a double ear infection, bronchial infection, and throwing up has caught up to me. Add in the mix of pushing my body pretty hard so far this week and the result ended up with me feeling worn out and almost the sense that I am getting sick.

After the swim workout yesterday I felt pretty good, but as the day progressed my body started to wear out. I had to make some sacrifices. First, I skipped my bike workout. As I was laying on the couch falling asleep around 7:30 I decided it not be best to hammer out a bike ride. Second, I had to withdraw from hanging out with my friends for some cards and basketball. I really wanted to get out and socialize outside of family, but I decided against going after Ava being fussy last night trying to get her to sleep. Needless to say 8:30 I was bed sleeping. Good thing because Ava was up several times last night. I also did not allow myself to get up early and workout. I hate working out later in the day, but I know that sleep was the best medicine.

Today I got up around 7 am, drank some coffee, and read/finished the most amazing book that I have read in quite some time(Training Camp by Jon Gordon). The silence and peace was perfect for my mind and the sleep helped me regain my sense of well being. I felt ready to tackle the day. My mind and body were back on the same playing field. I made the right decisions.

Around 9:45 am I took off for my run

This was the plan. My goal was to run 6 miles in the 45 minutes. I also realized as I took off that I don’t really feel comfortable with the strides yet. I need to seek some guidance on how to do these properly. I know it is pretty much an easy sprint, but I feel like there is something I am missing.I decided to skip the strides and instead add some hills. I made my way to Crow Creek Park, ran in the fields, the cross country trails, and the Incinerator hill to get some hill work done.
I felt good on this run. I did not get my goal of 6 miles in 45 minutes, but I did get it done in 46:30 for a 7:45 minute pace. I am happy with this. Had I not done the hills and ran with the wind as opposed to against the wind I know I would have met my goal easy.
It did feel nice to feel good on a run. I pushed a little beyond the easy/moderate level on this run, but I needed this. I knocked out the mile times of 
Mile 1: 7:56
Mile 2: 7:44
Mile 3: 7:36(so far keeping true to a tempo run which is what I was listening to….a Tempo Playlist)
Mile 4: 8:07(time dropped off due to the hills that I ran and ran and ran to replace strides)
Mile 5: 7:42
Mile 6: 7:22(finished strong because I felt like it)
Running in the sunshine was nice. It was a great 46 minute escape. I love running as it clears my mind and gets me ready for the rest of the day. Back home to cleaning out our house. It is amazing how much stuff one family can accumulate. GETTING IT DONE! felt great today.

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