Last week’s workouts were week one of Mount Washington/Loon Mountain race training. As I mentioned last week, this was also the first week with my new coach.  I decided to go with Ascend Endurance Coaching after multiple recommendations from friends and chatting with Chris.  He’s got the education (Clinical Exercise Physiologist like me! In fact he worked in Cardiac Rehab too before getting into full-time coaching) and the experience in mountain and ultra training. He’s also the race director for Cranmore and Loon Mountain races so he’s got a little insider advantage.   The biggest reason why I hired a coach is because I’ve been lacking confidence in my running for many years.  I’ve been afraid of breaking myself so I nonchalantly will “train” for a race but won’t be 100% committed to a plan.  I wouldn’t even write a plan.  With two big mountain races that I want to better my time in and a 50k in the fall, I knew I needed some outside guidance to get me there happy and healthy. We are one week in and I’m stoked to see what will happen with my running this year!

And I ended the week on my birthday so things are looking good!

Monday

30 minutes Elliptical

Strength training:

Mountain Legs Circuit

Bench press

Decline push ups

Eccentric pull ups

Band pull ups

Single arm cable row w/ balance

Med ball slams

Mobility and core

I’m still on a quest to get my first unassisted pull up.  I will admit that I’m not super consistent. I’m doing pull up stuff at the gym twice/week but I’ve been told I need to do something everyday.  A friend, who can knock out pull ups like it’s nothing, told me to get a pull up bar in my house.  Every time that I walk past it, I need to hang from it, attempt a pull up or do eccentric pull ups on it. I was doing that last year but then I slacked off.  Time to get back on it!

Tuesday

35 minute run, 8:45 avg pace, 196 ft elev gain

You gotta love when you get a tailwind on the downhills.  I felt like I was flying.  Of course, there was a lovely headwind on the uphills.  Why does it always work that way?

Morning Flow Yoga @ Bending Bodhi

Wednesday

30 minutes Stepmill with speed intervals

Strength training:

DB bench press

DB pull overs

Eccentric pull ups

Band pull ups

Cable skiers

Tricep pushdown

Lat pull down

KB rack position lunges

Reverse lunge to SL balance

Bench step ups w/ DB shoulder press

KB grocery carry

Mobility and core

Thursday

35 minute run, 10:31 avg pace, 889 ft elev gain

The objective for this run was to get the most elev gain possible in 35 minutes with no focus on pace.  With only 35 minutes on tap, I didn’t want to search out a route that had mega hills so Kyle and I opted for repeats of the big ass hill in town.  It’s the hill that we visited weekly last spring.  We both had slacked on hill training over the fall and winter.  My expectations were low.  I thought I’d be able to run at least half way up before I’d have to power hike the last 1/4.  I was shocked to find that I was able to complete 5 repeats without having to power hike.  It was hard AF to keep running when my heart rate was pounding and my legs felt like lead, but I kept pushing. I’m happy to see that my legs still have a little hill climbing power still in there!

FYI – This pic was definitely NOT from today’s run.  There was way more layers and a lot less light.

Morning Flow Yoga @ Bending Bodhi Yoga with a much needed focus on hips and glutes.

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

45 minute run, 8:41 avg pace, 365 ft elev gain

Today’s run was supposed to be off-road and hilly but I opted for roads instead because of time constraints and the trails are a mix of ice and all water.  Nicole took me on a route that she said would probably give us a good dose of hills.  It seemed hilly when we were running it but when I checked Training Peaks after the run, it said only 283 ft of elev gain.  Huh? So I checked Strava – 365 ft. And then I asked Nicole what she got.  Strava – 399 ft. Garmin 308 ft. What the?!?!? I’m going with whatever gives the biggest number.

Sunday

30:41 minute run, 9:23 avg pace

Birthday run!  I usually like to do something symbolic for my run on my birthday, like run my age.  But with a coach dictating my time, I opted for adding 41 seconds to my prescribed 30 minute recovery run. It’s the little things that make me happy.

After my run, we headed up to the mountain for a beautiful day of spring skiing/boarding.  Let me clarify, the weather was great, my boarding was horrible.  It’s like I forgot how to do it!  I fell so many times it was ridiculous.  Maybe that’s a sign that the season needs to be over?

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.

Last week’s workouts were week one of Mount Washington/Loon Mountain race training. As I mentioned last week, this was also the first week with my new coach.  I decided to go with Ascend Endurance Coaching after multiple recommendations from friends and chatting with Chris.  He’s got the education (Clinical Exercise Physiologist like me! In fact he worked in Cardiac Rehab too before getting into full-time coaching) and the experience in mountain and ultra training. He’s also the race director for Cranmore and Loon Mountain races so he’s got a little insider advantage.   The biggest reason why I hired a coach is because I’ve been lacking confidence in my running for many years.  I’ve been afraid of breaking myself so I nonchalantly will “train” for a race but won’t be 100% committed to a plan.  I wouldn’t even write a plan.  With two big mountain races that I want to better my time in and a 50k in the fall, I knew I needed some outside guidance to get me there happy and healthy. We are one week in and I’m stoked to see what will happen with my running this year!

And I ended the week on my birthday so things are looking good!

Monday

30 minutes Elliptical

Strength training:

Mountain Legs Circuit

Bench press

Decline push ups

Eccentric pull ups

Band pull ups

Single arm cable row w/ balance

Med ball slams

Mobility and core

I’m still on a quest to get my first unassisted pull up.  I will admit that I’m not super consistent. I’m doing pull up stuff at the gym twice/week but I’ve been told I need to do something everyday.  A friend, who can knock out pull ups like it’s nothing, told me to get a pull up bar in my house.  Every time that I walk past it, I need to hang from it, attempt a pull up or do eccentric pull ups on it. I was doing that last year but then I slacked off.  Time to get back on it!

Tuesday

35 minute run, 8:45 avg pace, 196 ft elev gain

You gotta love when you get a tailwind on the downhills.  I felt like I was flying.  Of course, there was a lovely headwind on the uphills.  Why does it always work that way?

Morning Flow Yoga @ Bending Bodhi

Wednesday

30 minutes Stepmill with speed intervals

Strength training:

DB bench press

DB pull overs

Eccentric pull ups

Band pull ups

Cable skiers

Tricep pushdown

Lat pull down

KB rack position lunges

Reverse lunge to SL balance

Bench step ups w/ DB shoulder press

KB grocery carry

Mobility and core

Thursday

35 minute run, 10:31 avg pace, 889 ft elev gain

The objective for this run was to get the most elev gain possible in 35 minutes with no focus on pace.  With only 35 minutes on tap, I didn’t want to search out a route that had mega hills so Kyle and I opted for repeats of the big ass hill in town.  It’s the hill that we visited weekly last spring.  We both had slacked on hill training over the fall and winter.  My expectations were low.  I thought I’d be able to run at least half way up before I’d have to power hike the last 1/4.  I was shocked to find that I was able to complete 5 repeats without having to power hike.  It was hard AF to keep running when my heart rate was pounding and my legs felt like lead, but I kept pushing. I’m happy to see that my legs still have a little hill climbing power still in there!

FYI – This pic was definitely NOT from today’s run.  There was way more layers and a lot less light.

Morning Flow Yoga @ Bending Bodhi Yoga with a much needed focus on hips and glutes.

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

45 minute run, 8:41 avg pace, 365 ft elev gain

Today’s run was supposed to be off-road and hilly but I opted for roads instead because of time constraints and the trails are a mix of ice and all water.  Nicole took me on a route that she said would probably give us a good dose of hills.  It seemed hilly when we were running it but when I checked Training Peaks after the run, it said only 283 ft of elev gain.  Huh? So I checked Strava – 365 ft. And then I asked Nicole what she got.  Strava – 399 ft. Garmin 308 ft. What the?!?!? I’m going with whatever gives the biggest number.

Sunday

30:41 minute run, 9:23 avg pace

Birthday run!  I usually like to do something symbolic for my run on my birthday, like run my age.  But with a coach dictating my time, I opted for adding 41 seconds to my prescribed 30 minute recovery run. It’s the little things that make me happy.

After my run, we headed up to the mountain for a beautiful day of spring skiing/boarding.  Let me clarify, the weather was great, my boarding was horrible.  It’s like I forgot how to do it!  I fell so many times it was ridiculous.  Maybe that’s a sign that the season needs to be over?

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.