May 18th – Day 1
Total miles run for the day: 16
Total elevation for the day: 963 ft
Workout #1:
8 Miles – Treadmill
Average pace: 7:57
Elevation gain: 188 ft
Effort level – 6
How did I feel – Great
I consider myself extremely lucky, I love to run on the treadmill! The unbroken rhythm and consistency that the treadmill can provide is something that I really enjoy and crave. About a year ago I purchased the NordicTrack X11i incline trainer, and it has been one of the favorite purchases I have ever made. I feel thankful to have it every time I use it.
I utilized the treadmill for my first workout of the week.
For this workout I just wanted to get some miles in without really putting a big stressor on the body. Another reason that I utilize the treadmill so much is due to the soft running surface. Living at least a couple of miles from dirt trails means that concrete and asphalt running are a reality for me. The treadmill offers a soft, forgiving surface that is a welcome change from the roads, so it was perfect for this workout.
As I started the legs felt a little tired, but that quickly dissipated within the first 5 minutes or so. After a couple miles of warming up I settled into a comfortable pace and just let the miles roll by. I was watching “Found on 49” the story of Jim Walmsleys 2016 Western States run. This is the year that Jim was leading by over an hour, however a wrong turn at mile 94 caused him to go off course, losing the race. At the end of the race, he is walking into the finish, and he is holding his mom’s hand. Watching this had me all choked up, fighting back tears. Nothing like a good little cry on your morning run! I thought about the special bond between parent and child, and I felt so excited about getting to learn more about that bond from the parenting side. I wrapped up 8 miles, hydrated, and got ready for the next run.
Maybe the only way to make a treadmill video interesting, slow motion!
When I finished my run I realized I had a little extra time for some strength work. I believe that a little bit of strength training goes a long way for everyone, especially runners. 15-20 min of work done three or four times a week can pay big dividends for injury prevention, form efficiency and confidence.
Here is the strength work:
- 50 Jackknife crunches
- 16 Flutter leg lifts
- 30 Push-ups
- 30 Sumo squats @ 35lbs
- 20 Walking Lunge @ 20 lbs
- 10 Plank to pillar
- 25 Single arm back row @ 35 lbs
- 60 Seconds side plank
- 30 Overhead press @ 20 lbs
Workout # 2
8 miles – Hill repeats
Average pace: 7:50
Elevation gain – 775 ft
Effort level – 8 How did I feel – Great
We are fortunate to have some great hills in Seattle. For this workout I wanted to push a little bit of speed and turn over on some shorter more runnable hills. I wasn’t looking for long climbs or big elevation, I just wanted to practice moving fast and efficient uphill. I often run some form of this workout on Mondays, and I have two favorite hills about 10 min from my house. One of the hills is shorter, with about 50 ft of climbing, taking about 45 seconds per rep. The other hill is about 2:30 min long, with about 150 ft of climbing. Both start from the same spot, you just choose to go left or right depending on which hill you want.
As I laced up, headed out the door and started my run, I found myself having my normal pre-workout doubts. “Well maybe I won’t run the reps too hard,” I was telling myself, “Or maybe I will just do 4 or 5 repeats.” I was already trying to talk myself into an easier workout.
As I started the first hill I told myself, “Just ease into it, don’t force it and see what happens.” As I completed the first rep I felt great! That was a big confidence booster and I felt ready to get after the workout.
As mentioned before, you can start two different hills from this location. I ran 2 reps of the shorter hill, 3 reps of the longer, and then back for 2 more of the shorter.
After finishing my 8 hill repeats I still had about 4 miles to get the mileage I wanted for the day. I ran a flat bike path back towards the house and let the legs spin a little bit. I felt smooth, fluid and strong, excited about the miles in front of me.
The shorter hill of the repeats
Andrew O’Connor is a coach with Team RunRun. To learn more about him or to work with Coach Andrew, check out his coaching page.
Read more about my week here: