Training for Grandma's Week 5

Great week of training this week!

Here is what was on the schedule:

It wasn't a perfect week in sticking to the schedule, but I do feel really good about it overall. Here is what it actually looked like:

Mileage breakdown: Running - 18; Cycling - 23; Hiking - 3

Mon, 3/12 - Rest day. I was supposed to still work on my core on this rest day. I'm having such a difficult time making the time for it. Ideally, I would do some core work in the mornings before work, but lately I've been having to do last minute lesson prep in the mornings. I've got no lessons to give during the next two weeks, so I hope to take advantage of this lull and be very productive in planning. The idea is that if I'm productive now, I will have less to do in the evenings (and mornings) of the last few weeks of my clinical practice (student teaching).

Tue, 3/13 - I tried to meet up with a friend of mine to go for a run, but my smartphone was being dumb and not delivering my messages very promptly. Argh! It was such a beautiful evening. I simply couldn't let it pass me by without a run. I left later than I would have liked, but it was still a great run. I took Sallie with me, and she was pretty well behaved. I wasn't sure how my knee would be feeling, so I set out to do 3-4 miles. I totally got into a groove and ended up going 4.78 miles.

Wed, 3/14 - With cross training on the schedule, and it being such a gorgeous afternoon, I suggested to Jeff that we go for a bike ride. We rode out to the Scuba Center in Eagan in order to kill two birds with one stone. Jeff had a question to ask about scheduling some dive training he is interested in taking. It was a great ride. We just took it slow and easy and enjoyed spending time together outside. I remember when 23 miles would have totally freaked me out. Now? Eh. No big deal. Totally skipped the core workout, though. I need to get better about finding time/ways/energy for incorporating this very important component of my training.

Thu, 3/15 - I had parent-teacher conferences after school and didn't end up getting home until around 8:30pm. It was a super long day, so I didn't feel like doing anything besides vegging and crashing early.

Fri, 3/16 - I was gone all day at a seminar. I could have made time for the 2 miles and core on my plan, but I didn't. I knew I was running a half marathon the next day, so I wanted to save up my energy for that. Of course, I still totally should have done at least a little core work. Ugh!

Sat, 3/17 - Happy St. Patrick's Day!! I ran the Get Lucky Triple 7K. You can read my full report on this race here, but suffice it to say, it went really well. Better than I'd expected!

Sun, 3/18 - This was scheduled as a rest day, so I could fully recover from the half the previous day. It was another gorgeous day here in Minnesota, though. I simply couldn't stay inside all day! Instead, I took Sallie for a nearly 3-mile hike down by the river. It was super fun and a great way for me to stretch out my sore legs.

Self-portrait of Sallie and me after our hike.

What's your favorite way to recover after a race? Any suggestions for me on how to actually incorporate core work into my training?