Week 9: Running Naked and Mixing It Up

I've been having a new theme each week to help get me through this daunting training cycle.  I have only referenced the heat and humidity about a zillion times, so I won't waste too much time discussing how much training in the summer during Florida absolutely sucks.  But as the weeks move on, the mileage builds and the temperature rises, I'm finding it harder and harder to stay motivated.  So this past week, I decided I was going to go off the grid a little, ditching my strict training program, sleep in a bit, and just run for the pure joy of running.  In the middle of the day, in the middle of the summer, in Florida!  And despite it being a thousand degrees and zero cloud coverage or any shade, running with no goal, no pace and no time was actually pretty awesome.  It was very liberating and reminded me of what it was like when I first started running.  Back before GPS or smart phones, back before I knew of speed work or tempo runs, back before I cared how fast or slow I ran, as long as I was out there running.  I got back to my plan later in the week, but for those few tech-free runs, it was pretty damn fun and just what I needed.

So here is a recap of my week of naked running...

Monday: Spinning + Total Body Strength
Taught Spinning as usual.  Had a kick ass class that day too.  I love it when there is a full house and everyone is feeling it too, the energy was through the roof!  Before class, I got my lift in.  Since I had ditched my expectations for the week as far as running goes, I figured this would be a great chance to get back to some of my Olympic lifts for my legs.  It was AHHHmazing getting to lift heavy in the first time in what felt like forever.  I was so amped up that day.  But later that evening and for pretty much the rest of the week, my legs were DEAD, ha!   Spent a lot of time with my foam roller as well as some stretching and yoga.

Tuesday: 5ish Miles
Since I had already decided I was not going to do my speedwork that morning, I got about 30 extra minutes of sleep then headed down to my office to work rather than run.  I have to admit though, I did feel a little guilty about deviating from my plan.  I do have a big goal that I will not obtain if I don't train hard, but as I learned last Fall, if I train too hard, I won't get to even try for my goal if I sidelined with an injury.  I knew I would still get my run in that day, so that helped with the guilt a little.  On my lunch break around 12:30pm, I was able to get out for my first watch-less run of two watch-less runs of the week.  I didn't concern myself with pace or time, I was just out there (in the 110 degree mid day sun) running my little heart out.  I would venture to guess I was going rather slow, but I didn't have a care in the world.  It sure was fun!

Wednesday: Upper Body, Core + Yoga
Rest day from running but not from the weight room.  Hit the weights pretty hard for a great upper body and core workout on my lunch break.  Spent some time foam rolling my super sore legs (from Monday) and it was back to work.  After my last group, it was off to get the kids then teach Yoga for my usual Wednesday night routine.  I typically teach quite a bit off the mat, but I did sneak in some much needed pigeon and crescent poses during class.

Thursday: 6ish Miles
I had so much fun with my naked run on Tuesday, I figured why not do it again on Friday.   I even went a little further this time around!  The nice thing about running in the middle of the day is that even though it's the hottest, there is the least amount of humidity.  There was also a bit of a warm breeze blowing too, so it actually felt (somewhat) nice outside.  Also, all that running in the heat really, along with the foam rolling and yoga, really warmed up and loosened up my insanely sore legs.  I was finally starting to feel human again!

Friday: MetCon + Hills
About a month ago, Hunter (the hubster if you didn't already know) suggested we go do some hill work out at a place he has worked with some of his NFL guys at.  You know me, if it involves running, a good challenge and my husband (who actually hates running) running with me, I'm all for it!  So a few weeks ago, the two of us went out and gave it a shot.  It was tough but not stupid hard, until later that evening when we could barely move due to pure exhaustion.  So we decided to make it a little tradition, of course planning it around my long runs, and even recruited some friends to join us.  I, of course assumed the 2 miles of hill work would simply not be enough of a workout for me that day and went through a 45 minute MetCon workout prior.  KB swings, box jumps, jump rope, battle ropes, etc., probably wasn't the best idea before running hills.  Man oh man was I tired the rest of the day.  But who am I kidding, I live for this sh*t, it's so fun!

Our hill crew, minus Hunter who took the pic

Saturday: 8 Mile Tempo Run
Last time I ran hills on a Friday and had a tempo run the next day, I actually ended up crushing it.  Maybe it was the mental toughness it gave me or my legs were just on another level from the day before, but I had one of my best tempo runs again this past Saturday.  I had forgotten my headphones and the run was on the dreadmill, but it was all in all pretty kick ass and just what I needed to close out the week.

By my training plan standards, this was not necessarily the best and most efficient week of training, but for my own sanity, it was what I needed.  I really enjoyed those naked runs, getting to run for the pure joy of running.  And it was also good getting to breaking up the monotony of running by hitting it hard in the weight run and having some fun with the hills.  Looking forward to getting back to the program this week with a long run.  It will be my first 20 miler since February and my last of three long runs this training cycle.  So it's time to really get focused if I'm going to turn this Boston dream into a reality!