W9D1: Recovery Run Day...Yes Please!

This morning was a much needed recovery run. My body was a bit tired from the hard work it did - especially yesterday's 12.5 mile long run out in Lake Orion. I'll take full advantage of recovery days when they're available!

I made it to the gym at my usual time (5:15am) and shuffled my way to the treadmill. I got the pace set at 6.0 mph and let it ride. It took me about a mile to feel somewhat loose. I reminded myself to just get through the next 3 miles and the workout will be over. The miles didn't need to be fast, or even fast on the easy pace scale. 6.0 mph is on the slow pace side for me. Which again, I'll gladly take full advantage of. Monday's have been and always will be a recovery day for me.

After the run, I did a lot of stretching and foam roller work. I spent about 10 minutes working on the little aches and getting the body loose. It felt really good to put in the extra time for this. The foam roller wasn't that bad either. I think that's because I've been using it more often.

As much as I'd like to call it a day after stretching, I still put in some extra work. I did 2x25 squats on the BOSU ball. Included a few upper body strength training exercises too since it's been awhile that I've done them. Can't forget about the little things!

Progress is being made - one workout at a time.

W8D3: Tempo Tempo Tempo!

Yesterday was a much needed off day. My legs were feeling tired from the Speedy Tuesday workout I did. I'm definitely not complaining though. It was a lot of fun going back to an indoor track I ran at many years ago. Felt like no time had passed. The timed mile I did really helped open my eyes to where I am speed wise. I'm able to use that for training paces now.

This morning I kept things simple. I ran a 1.5 mile warmup at 6.0 mph to help get the blood flowing and help wake up the legs. My body was still a bit tired, but knew the warmup would help. It felt strange to be running at a slow pace. The pace wasn't that slow actually. It was on the slow side of the easy pace scale.

The meat of the workout was a 2 mile tempo run. Based on the timed mile from Tuesday, I got things running at 8.0 mph. That pace is about 30-40 seconds slower than my timed mile (even if my Garmin doesn't want to believe it). The run felt really good. I had to play mental mind games to help divide up the miles. It helped get me through and get the job done.

I finished up the run with a 1.5 mile at 6.0 mph pace. It felt good to keep the legs moving, even at a slower pace.

I didn't call it a day after the run though. I stretched for at least 15 minutes. I had to take my time and really stretch out my legs and lower back. Gotta pay attention to the details now to help prevent problems later. The BOSU ball made a return again. I hit it for 2x25 squats. These are starting to become more of a staple of every workout. It reminds me of my early years of running, where coach had us doing squats, squats, and more squats to help get us ready for the season.

Progress is being made - one workout at a time.