It has been a hot minute since I wrote one of these posts!
I didn’t stop working out and I (mostly) didn’t stop reading.
WORKOUTS
I did take a cutback week on vacation (only 32 miles of running even though the running weather was amazing!).
Right now I’m at the start of a marathon training cycle, this time for JAX – the race Josh I and I were supposed to run in 2023 (and then I had my freak injury and he had a running injury, so neither of us got to go). We have 17 weeks to go as of now! My goal is to run a similar race to Bayshore and maybe even beat my PR (3:35:01) if possible. And hey, I just need 2 seconds to get sub-3:35 🙂
Unless they drastically change the BQ standards this would be a very safe BQ for 2026 for me and Josh and I are hoping to go! (We are not applying for 2025 because we have a ~5 min buffer which may or may not work out AND we booked a Disney cruise with friends long ago on those dates and we’ve decided not to mess with those plans since there’s a high chance of disappointment anyway — last year’s buffer was 5:29).
My training will be similar as I’m still working with the same coach. Here was last week:
M: Run with friends – Tracey + Jen! Tracey had a long recovery from a stress fracture so it was awesome to be out with her again. 9 mi @ 9:34/mi ave.
T: Treadmill hills! First warmup outside (9:35/mi), then 12 x 1 min hills (ran 7-7.5 mph on the 1 min hill segments, 4-5% incline, walked/jogged between for 90 seconds), outdoor cooldown 2.6 mi (10:10/mi). Hills always challenge me, even more than regular speedwork. I was dead on this cooldown.
W: 8.1 mi on my square route, 9:24/mi
R: 8 mi @ 9:03/mi just a nice run.
F: 6.7 mi with an unplanned tempo finish because lightning started up fast and furious towards the end when I was ~1.5 mi from home! 8:46/mi ave but I think the last 1.5 were 7:50ish. This is NOT how I want to do speedwork.
S: 16 mi with a progression aspect! Ave 8:53/mi; plan was first 5 easy, next 5 easy/moderate, then last 5 marathon pace, plus a slow cooldown mile. This was a fun one. I went in feeling a bit doubtful as this was my first true long run in about 3 weeks and of course it’s still hot (got another ~1.5-2 months of this same weather, at least!). But I took the easy parts nice and easy and it helped the last 5 marathon pace miles go decently. (1 10-min pace cooldown mile at the end, not shown bc I stopped my watch!).
I would love to get to a level of fitness where I could sustain the pace/feel of that FIRST faster mile over . . . well, more than just the first one. Ha.
TOTAL = 55 mi
STRENGTH = BIG FAT ZERO
I have not done any strength training in over 2 weeks. I am calling tomorrow the official start to Q4 and one of my biggest goals is regular strength training. (I recognize I’ve set this goal in recent months and not done well with it, but this time I mean it!).
In general, in this Quintile I hope I can get back to feeling like I am practicing good self-care in terms of eating / sleeping / strength. I have NOT been doing any of those things, and I can tell. Ready to work on it now.
READING
July was a banner reading month and August has been a total fail of a reading month. I don’t think I have finished a single book! Usually I read a lot of vacation, but I spent a good chunk of that time writing instead. That’s right — my book proposal is about to be done!!!
I am currently reading The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff (neighborhood book club pick) and Get It Done by Eyelet Fishbach (morning reading). But truthfully I made very little progress on either of them the last couple weeks. And that’s okay! I love to read but sometimes I have to remember that I am not in school and I can decide to take a ‘cutback’ month from reading just like I take a cutback week in running without any penalty whatsoever!
(Though I do feel like I need to do my assignment for book club. So there’s that.)
TODAY
Last day of call
Signout email
Planning next week and discussing tomorrow’s Back to School routine w kids (first real day!!!!)
Some Q4 planning / filling out Ideal Week
Last minute back to school items (A got assigned to buy various things last week)
12 Comments
I haven’t been ST lately either. I find it’s hard to do when training for a race as I don’t want sore legs when running, especially before my ‘long’ run (which is far shorter than you are running!!). I plan to get back to ST after my 10 mile race which is in about a month.
August has been a really good reading month for me. I read 3 5 star books that will likely make my best of 2023 list: God of the Woods, Leaving and The Wedding People!! Listen for the Lie was also a really great book. I kind of doubt I will read much on our vacation this week, though. We usually play cards with my parents after the kids are in bed so I give up some reading time which is a good trade off since time with my parents is more important!
I feel like now is a good time for the return to scheduled strength training, since hopefully life will start to feel more “routine” again. This has been just such a weird summer for me. My sister just said she felt the same way too, like it was just kinda a bad vibes summer/ off-feeling. Who knows. I feel like I’ve been all over the place on stuff, too, and not thrilled about it. (In large part because I’m just not always taking action- I mean, I feel like I’ve technically “had time” but my energy has been all over the place and when life feels off kilter then I struggle to always follow through.)
I think your workout schedule is a really tough one, given that you run 6 days a week! It’s one thing if you were a more casual runner and say ran 4x/ week and did strength 2x/ week. But for you to do strength, it essentially has to mean a double workout day. That’s a lot! (You’re also not like, running for 30 minutes and then can do 30 minutes of strength. Your daily runs are…. long!) So I guess just be realistic about how much is going fit in/ when. I think w/ your schedule it’d be quite admirable to even fit in one strength session on top of all that running/ work/kid schedules/ etc. I know I’m certainly nowhere near the volume of weekly workouts you do!! lol. I wonder if on your home days, if Josh drives those days, could you do your run and then basically immediately do strength before showering and starting your home work day? Maybe that’d be less likely to get interrupted. You’re probably hot and tired then, though.
I think the best bet for my strength is my non-clinical days, around lunchtime as a break (or after teaching say, a 12pm BLPA session!). And Sundays are doable too, we generally have a lot of open time on sundays. If I could consistently do even 20 min Tues/Thurs and 30-40 min on Sunday I think that would make big difference!
“bad vibes summer” – honestly yes, here too! last couple were better than this one. too many unexpected pivots (moving A’s surgery, having to add gymnastics team) – just felt a bit chaotic. it wasn’t TERRIBLE, i mean way better than say summer 2020! but we’ve had better and I know we will again someday!
On the reading and writing front. My reading has taken a major hit in 2024 because of my writing. The first half of the year I added writing to an absolutely crazy clinic schedule (90-ish patients per week) but in June my practice changed our business model and I am now seeing a much more reasonable 45-60 patients a week and my reading has picked up a little. But I am happy with the sacrifice because I am enjoying the writing so much!
I finished Act One, Just for the Summer, and We Need to Talk About Kevin (soooooo good) this month and am *almosr* done with The Horse (it’s short and I had a plane ride). I also attended (and did not vomit during) my first yoga class since my trip to South Beach six years ago which was a major achievement! And we got a puppy. It’s been a good month.
Ooh thanks for the book recs! Horse is on my list. And yay for yoga and a puppy!!!
Just fyi Horse (by Gwendolyn Brooks) is different from The Horse (by Willy Vlaut) though I did get both recs from Ann Patchett’s new to you Friday post. Horse is still on my tbr.
It was the Brooks one. My MIL recommended it!
High mileage at the start of marathon training (have you been keeping it high? I am currently building up and I am close to a 30 mi-week). Well, obviously you’re a much more advanced runner since you BQed. I am super-intrigued to follow your training more closely.
How does your coach feel about strength training? I’d assume they would want you to fit it in?
My coach is pretty vague on strength but definitely thinks it’s good (but doesn’t give specifics. If he did I’d probably be much better about doing it!).
I have averaged 50+ miles per week pretty regularly for many months now but def had to work up to it! I peaked at 70 mpw for 3 weeks prior to the last marathon. Are you on Strava? Allows you to really see others’ training and is motivating and fun.
I think you can take a pass on reading since you’re writing a book proposal!!! That’s exciting. Also you were on vacation and normal things usually slide during those times. Now that kids are back in school and we can all get back to a regular schedule. I hope your first day went well!