Pick Me Up #MIMM

Whoa. I feel like weekends are never really long enough. I definitely caught up on sleep, and was able to get in a decent long run (if by decent you mean running in 96% humidity and surviving, then it was decent). I’m going to link up with Erin for Weekend Recap, Tara for Weekend Update, and Katie for Marvelous Monday to recap everything that was/is marvelous.

I’m going to start things off by going over my weekly workouts from 8/17 – 8/23.

I’m starting to get a little nervous with my training. I feel like I’m behind, although I know I’m ahead milage wise. I wanted to feel confident in New York and was hoping to get to a place a few weeks out KNOWING that I will hit my goals. I’m not there yet. While I still have time, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get there. But to be honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever have the “I got this” feeling before any race, regardless of my training.

Monday:
Needed to get a solid run in after a week or mediocre workouts, I was pleased with the milage and pace since the humidity has seemed to returned to CT.
AM Run (7.60 miles, 7’38” pace):

Tuesday:
After a very unexpected late night, I ended up bagging all workouts today. I was beyond tired and my stomach was still on the mend from a week long vacation. Disappointed with having to cut milage for the second week in a row, but I figured it was for the best.

Wednesday:
AM Run (8.03 miles, 7’54” pace) & 30 Minute Upper Body: Absolutely nothing special about the run, but rather just happy to get a longer run in after an additional day of rest.

Thursday:
AM Run (7.5 miles, 8’12” pace):
PM SoulCycle: Wow. I took Yavuz’s class for the first time. Holy sprint work. One of the biggest reasons I love to cross train at SoulCycle is the classes usually push me to step outside my comfort zone and push the speed work on the bike.

Friday:
Rest day. I wanted to see how my legs would respond for my long run with a complete and total day of rest. I doubled up on Thursday so my legs did feel a bit heavy. I ended up walking the dog for about two miles to loosen things up at night which seemed to help a bit.

Saturday:
AM Run (16.1 miles, pace 7’56”): Long run day. First long run in almost two weeks. And to be quite honest, I figured with the extra time off it would be a mentally easy long run. But it wasn’t. I was mentally struggling for the first 10-miles, but finally got in the groove and finished up with some (definitely not all) negative splits. The humidity was 96% when I went out and it did not get any better. At the halfway point I ended up taking my shirt off and tucking it in my shorts. I swear it weighed 10 lbs. Towards the end of the run I also noticed my toes squishing in my sneakers because my socks were so sweaty. I think that was a first. Maybe my negative splits were due to wanting to be done so desperately. Highlight of the run = finding $5. I can now officially say I made money by going on a training run. Paid athlete… okay : )

All about those Benjamin’s … Or Lincoln’s

Sunday:
AM Run (6.0 miles, pace 7’47”): Easy shakeout run. Which felt miraculously short since running 16 the day before was no joke. Probably why the pace was a bit quicker than I anticipated.

I finished this week with 1 day of cross training, 1 SoulCycle class, and about 45 miles of running. Again, not super pumped with the milage drop, but I’m hoping to go on a double run Tuesday (tomorrow) and see a pick up of milage again this week.

Now onto non-running related things that are fabulous:

This acai bowl. It was everything. It was also the first time I’ve ever tried bee pollen. I’ve heard about all of it’s great “healthy” properties… which I then googled as I sat eating it. Although it’s said to help asthma, allergies, be good for health maintenance and aid in relief of stomach problems, there hasn’t been any proof of these benefits. It’s also thought to increase athletic performance? Who knows. Bee pollen itself doesn’t taste like anything. It’s just kinda crunchy. Either way, this was one of my favorite bowls ever.

S’cute

This sky. Hello gorgeous. Nothing makes me happier than blue skies – I know I’ll be missing these in a few short weeks. But after Saturday’s run, I might trade them for the humidity (don’t hold me to it!). 

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What was the best part of your weekend?

Do you ever have runs that you feel like you just can’t get into?

What’s a health fad that you’ve tried that you just don’t get?