Fit Friday! Tracking Your Miles
I ran 32.55 miles this week! I really started tracking my miles when I created this blog through a few different tools. I use Garmin Connect which is linked to my watch and I also use Daily Mile. Prior to getting my Garmin, I tracked my miles on Map My Run and my iPhone calendar. Daily Mile has a very active community and I really enjoy that motivation. It tracks Sunday to Saturday (EDIT: Daily Mile tracks Monday to Sunday. Sorry everyone!!), while Garmin tracks the last 7 days, and really whatever you want to see (the last year, 30 days, 24 hours, etc.). Since my week starts with a long run on Saturday and ends with a rest day on Friday, I use Garmin to track the weekly mileage. This week I hit over 30 on 4 runs - one being the Southern California Half Marathon on Saturday which was my long run for the week. My pace was much slower than I would like, at an average of 8:00 minute miles, which I will lend to the fact that I had a race to recover from and more hill training this week slowing me down.
Totaled 32.55 miles with an average of 8:00 minute pace.
I took 2 rest days this week - Sunday after race day and Friday. I wanted to take more, but I'm glad I pushed myself to fit in all of my workouts. These are the weeks when I wonder how all of you marathoners do it over and over. I see 32 miles as a low point in my overall marathon training and get nervous knowing that number will continue to rise.
Monday Leg Day: I started the week at the gym with a leg day. I did squats and lunges, incorporating shoulder work with presses and lateral raises. I always work my abs on days that I'm in the gym. I knew my legs were going to be a little wrecked, so I ran that night.
Sorry it's backwards, but this is the best shirt ever for leg day!
Tuesday Spin & Weights: I thought I'd give spin class a try again after a leg day, and it looks like running the same day of my lunging and squat routine really helped my recovery. I was able to last the whole class, and then worked my back and arms for another 45 minutes. Tuesdays would normally be a double day with the gym in the morning, but 4:30 wake up calls hurt sometimes. I was reminded of why I go in the morning - there were so many people there! You end up spending most of your time waiting for a machine to clear up.
Wednesday HILLS BABAY! Second week of hill training was a success. I was exhausted, but resolved to do as many hill repeats as I did last week (7). I did my warm up run and decided I wasn't going to focus on speed, but strength. So, I took the hills at an 8:30 pace and I did 8 repeats. One more than last week! Woot! Then I just decided to add 3.5 miles for a total of 7.39. Now my legs were really sore.
Not a bad overall pace considering the hill repeats mixed in the middle.
Thursday Weights & Run: Thursday's are the hardest days at the gym. I'm running on less sleep, my brain is tired from work and I just want to be lazy - so getting to the gym in the morning always starts me off on the right foot. Even if I'm not up for it, I still manage a few sets of curls and presses. This week I focused on my shoulders and lats. By the end of Thursdays, I'm ready for the weekend, so my evening run seems overwhelming. I wanted to make it a 7 or 8 miler, but my hamstrings were screaming and I just wanted to get any distance done and over with. This is when I remember how lucky I am to be able to run, so I don't skip it. I ended up getting in 5.5 miles at a moderate 7:58 pace.
Just barely made it in under 8 minute pace.
Tracking my miles and workouts has really helped me stay on track. If you aren't tracking your miles, I highly recommend using some sort of device to do so - whether Map My Run, Daily Mile, or your device. It helps with staying on track, and seeing your weekly progress (or decline) can help keep you motivated to improve. Community is always helpful, so if you're on Garmin Connect or Daily Mile, lets be friends!
How do you track your weekly mileage?
J
