Five weeks until my 30th full marathon! I’m really starting to get excited to take on 26.2 miles again…I just love marathons and have missed them in 2018. Darn broken leg. 2019 is going to be a much better year!
This week was a bit of a cutback week in training for Houston and I’m excited that I was able to fit in more non-running activities! Here’s how things went:
Monday: 9 easy miles on the treadmill after work, 9 min/miles. I’m still watching Black Mirror while I run- it’s a modern UK version of the Twilight Zone; each episode is totally different. It’s great!
Tuesday: 6.2 miles at a 9:40 min/mile pace. Nice and slow outside before work. I took a vinyasa class at Corepower class after work.
Wednesday: My ‘quality’ workout of the week: 20 minutes easy, 30 minutes at an 8:45 min/mile (around what I think is marathon pace), 10 minutes easy, 20 minutes at 8:40, 20 minutes easy. 11 miles total at a 9:30 min/mile average. I had to turn this into a run commute since it was a long one to do before work!
Thursday: ALTR 50 minute strength class before work, then 8 miles on the treadmill after work, 9;15 min/mile average.
Friday: 6.5 miles at a 9:10 min/mile average with my friend Vicki before work. My friend Christie hosted a little holiday happy hour after work prior to going to see the British Arrow Awards, which I LOVE, at the Walker Art Museum. Unfortunately, I didn’t buy my ticket fast enough and couldn’t attend but still enjoyed the happy hour! And she gave me a belated birthday gift that included Kara Goucher’s book Strong! I’m excited to check it out!
Saturday: My schedule was for 2 hours of running: 40 minutes easy, then 12×3 minutes at an 8:30 or under followed by 2 minute recovery jog (i.e. 60 minutes total of those intervals), then 20 minutes easy. I added on another 6 minutes to get home for 14 miles total at a 9 min/mile.
It was beautiful sunny day in Minneapolis, with temperatures reaching the 40’s! I love it. I don’t want a white Christmas…give me a brown Christmas with clear running paths any day, ha!
No fox sightings this week, but I did see the biggest bald eagle on Lake Calhoun!
That evening, some friends hosted a little holiday party, with an Ugly Christmas Sweater theme. It’s so easy to find Christmas attire these days!
Sunday: 50 minute Arms & Abs solidcore class (strength/pilates type class, read a review here), followed by 4 miles with Matilda in the SUN and 35 degree temps! No complaints here.
Summary: 59 miles, 1 yoga class, 2 strength classes (ALTR & solidcore)
Overall a pretty good week! I was very happy to fit in strength AND yoga and all my runs. This week will be a big one, so I’ll be sure to focus on plenty of sleep and recovery in between- a little hard to do with so many fun holiday celebrations going on, but I’ll try my best!
Are you hoping for a white Christmas? Or happy with some warmer temps?
Anyone have any recommendations for restaurants in Houston? I’d love to have a good idea of where to go to celebrate post-race (assuming I make it to the finish line!)
Thanks so much for reading and be sure to check out all the other great weekly recaps that are a part of HoHo Runs and Taking the Long Way Home ‘s weekly recap link-up!
Another awesome week of workouts! Also, I love your holiday attire for the weekend party. I love that you and your husband do so many fun things – it’s so cute!
The Kara Goucher book is also on my holiday wishlist!
I’m excited to start reading it!
I can’t believe you are 5 weeks out from Houston! It will be here before you know it. My kids have an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day at school this week. I was laughing at how 10 years ago only grandma’s wore ugly Christmas sweaters. Now it’s the fun thing to do! Lol!
Ha, exactly! You can buy Christmas sweaters everywhere these days. We bought ours at Ragstock.
I am so with you on the brown Christmas theme! We’ve had sunshine and 40s all week and yep, I’ll take it! White Christmases are so overrated.
Only 5 weeks until your race? Wow, I can hardly believe it!!!!
Hehe, yes, keep the running paths ice free please Santa!
That skirt is AWESOME! ANd so awesome to see an eagle
I meant to read the Goucher one last week, but it didn’t happen. Yet.
I like a white Christmas, for about 24 hours. Then it can go.
Thanks Cari! I don’t even want it for 24 hours. Because then it would melt and refreeze and I’d break another leg!
Your holiday skirt is TOO adorable!!!! I think it’s gonna be a brown and muddy Christmas in Iowa. The weather has been so odd…really cold earlier in the month, but no snow yet.
Fingers crossed it stays mild in the Midwest!
Wow, you have so many double workout days. It’s all I can do to fit one workout it. How cool to see that bald eagle! We won’t get a white Christmas so I hope we get a sunny Christmas.
It’s actually rare, but this week I somehow managed some ‘doubles’.
A sunny Christmas sounds great to me!
Great week of running for you! 59 miles on a cutback week – GOALS. It’s incredible and inspiring to see all the things you’ve accomplished this year after breaking your leg and I can’t wait to see how Houston goes!
Ah, thank you Becca! Right back at cha! I saw you got a shout-out on Run Selfie Repeat’s blog- how cool!
I will be with family in TX, so I know I will have a brown and gray Christmas. I prefer snow over brown any day (spring is called “mud season” here…no desire to extend that!), but I also prefer that everyone shovels their sidewalks and prevents icy nastiness LOL
Texas sounds pretty great to me for Christmas 🙂 I’ll be there in January for 26.2- not expecting any snow then, ha!
A brilliant week, well done! My nanospikes arrived so I’ve ensured a brown Christmas for the whole of the Midlands with no chance to use them now! We were thick snow and ice last year, before I even had yaktrax … I can’t believe Houston is so close now – exciting!
I love it! The power of the ace in hand…you’re ready just in case the ice does come 🙂 I hope you like the nano spikes!
Great week of workouts! I couldn’t agree more about wanting a brown Christmas – give me clear roads for running any day!
Exactly! Snow is pretty…but not on my running paths 🙂
[Singing} I’m dreaming of a brown Christmas… I like it! Who knew our holiday sweaters from 20-30 years ago would end up as trendy Ugly Christmas attire? Actually, I wish I could have seen into the future on that one. Great week of training for you! I’m excited for you to run your first post break marathon. Thanks for linking!
Thank you so much! I’m exciting to get back to the starting and hopefully finish line of a marathon after a “break” – in more ways than one!
My goodness, that eagle is large! And what’s that yellow thing and those blue skies, LOL? Yeah, I’m totally happy without a white Christmas, but then again, I’m Jewish. 🙂
I didn’t know Kara had a new book out — OMG, so many books, so little time!
Right??? Sunny skies, it’s amazing!
I love a bald eagle siting, no matter how many times!
Hi! I think you should hit up our friend Danny and see what he recommends from Houston! Hope this is your best race yet!
I do follow him on Instagram…I will have to reach out for some ideas on best places to celebrate! Thanks for reading and commenting Laura 🙂
You had a great week of running! I loved the marathon distance when I ran them as well. There’s just such satisfaction with the completion of each and every one.
I’d love a white Christmas, but that would be very rare for us in Virginia (most of our snow comes in January and February). It’s supposed to get into the 60’s here on Friday…
Wow, 60’s sounds so nice 🙂 I need to move to Virginia! The Richmond Marathon WAS one of my favorites!
[…] Morning Shakeout. This week’s? Kara Goucher. I chose this episode from my backlog when I read Jessie’s post earlier this month about Goucher’s new book. The book has piqued my curiosity, but […]
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