Hello out there!
Last week we were visiting family in Michigan so I let the blog go dark. You can expect more of that for the rest of this week as we’ll have family visiting us. Summer is short so I’m doing my best to make the most of it.
So last week’s workouts.
My coach wiped my training plan clean for the time we were gone. No expectations, just do what I want.
Of course, I had seen what he had on the plan prior to wiping it clean so I stuck with my running workouts and skipped strength training and yoga. We were active every single day so I think I got more than enough cross training in.
Monday
7 miles walking/hiking
I was going to go for a short run but Ron said he’d take a walk with me to check out the new paved bike path near my parents house. The county converted an old railroad bed to a community trail that stretches 6 miles with plans to expand. Ron and I did an out and back of 2.5 miles before heading to the Porcupine Mountains with the kids and my dad for a day of exploring.
We hit up Lake of the Clouds and followed the Escarpment trail for a bit. You know you are a trail runner when you immediately think, “I want to run these trails!” I had thought about running the trail around the lake by myself but then realized that there’s no cell service, lots of bears, wolves and coyotes in the area. If I knew the area better, I’d do it solo but since it’s new, I opted out. Don’t worry, next time we visit I’m recruiting friends to join in!
We followed our hike up with picnic and a dip in Lake Superior for the kids. It was only in the low 70s and super windy but it didn’t phase them one bit. Lake Superior is freezing but it’s bath water when you are used to the Atlantic!
Tuesday
46 minute run, 8:56 avg/pace, 532 ft elev gain
On our last day in Michigan, I opted for a road run but took a route that had great climbing. The road is a straight climb for about a mile. The whole time I was running, I kept my eyes peeled for bears. Years ago I saw one peek it’s head out from the tall grass along the road so I’m always extra vigilant. No bears this time around. It must have heard my extra loud panting from shuffling up the mega hill.
Later in the day, we hit the road to Duluth, MN. Ron and I lived there for some time while attending UMD but haven’t been back in a very long time. We enjoyed torturing the kids with a tour of all our favorite places. Lol!
Fun fact: Ron proposed to me at this very spot almost 19 years ago.
Wednesday
Rest day/travel day
Thursday
53 minute trail run, 10:17 avg pace, 411 elev gain
It’s always nice to travel and run in new places but there’s nothing like home sweet home. I met Kyle for some trail time to catch up on what’s been going on.
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
16 mile trail run, 10:36 avg pace, 1450 elev gain
I had planned on running my long run on Friday with another friend. But those plans got scrapped so I opted for Saturday. I really didn’t want to do 16 miles solo. I haven’t run that far in maybe 3 or 4 years. And I knew I didn’t want to do a large chunk of it on the roads.
Friday night we went to a friends house to hang out. My friend, Jess, that I had met 9 years ago through a moms of multiples club was there with her family too. When Jess introduced me to her husband, Jeff, she said “She’s a runner, too.” I immediately said, “Oh, you run? Want to run tomorrow?” Guess what? He did. Lol! My solo run now had company for at least 8 miles. I then found two other friends to cover more miles.
So out of 16 miles, I ran 3 miles solo. Not bad, right? I will say that those last three miles were slow and more of a run/walk. My hamstrings started cramping up so I opted for walking the hills and running the flats. I really slacked on keeping up with my nutrition. I know I need to work on that to squash the leg cramps.
Overall, I’m quite happy with how the run went. The miles are creeping up!
Sunday
40 minute recovery run, 9:58 avg pace
I had more company on my recovery run – Avery and Lukas on their bikes and Max on his new hands free leash. I kept it slow and easy since Max wanted to mark his territory on every.single.bush. We ended up at the park and I finished the last mile or so on the dirt track that goes around the baseball field. It was the perfect recovery run!
How was your week in workouts?
Linking up with the Weekly Run Down.
The post Last Week’s Workouts appeared first on Happy Fit Mama.