BCHM Training: Week 4

It's been an awesome week of training runs for the Buffalo Creek Half Marathon. I nailed all my target paces and loved every minute of every run. Total weekly mileage was 20.48. This is how I'm feeling about my training so far.



Monday
Lunch: 30 minutes weight machines at the gym
I work for a research and development center housed at CMU, so I get all the university benefits, including using their gym. I'd been using the gym for the past six weeks. Monday was my last day since the students are back, and the gym gets too crowded when the students are there. It was really fun to walk through campus. The new students were wearing Orientation 2014 and Class of 2018 t-shirts. I saw one group doing a team-building exercise where one team guides another blindfolded team through an obstacle course using only words. Students picked up packed lunches and took them outside and sat in big groups on the lawn. Games of badminton and cornhole were going on too. It was such a fun, exciting vibe, and it brought back lots of memories of my college days (though we never got packed lunches for our first day like ritzy CMU gives out!). However, my first actual encounter with a student was when I walked into the center where the gym is. There are double doors, and I opened one door to walk through. A student was about to come out, and instead of opening his own door, he muscled his way out of my door and nearly pushed me out of the way! Yes, it's time I stopped going to that gym. :-) I'll use my home gym until next summer.
Athleta Extra Long Black Chi Tank
Lululemon White 105F Singlet
Yogasmoga Klarit Red Run Jump & Play Crops

Evening: 60 minutes yin yoga, hip series | 10 minutes abs and push-ups
Lululemon Creamsicle Pop Energy Bra,
Surge Cook Racerback
Black Wunder Under Crops

Tuesday
Morning: 3.5 miles, 38:46, 11:15 pace
This was my medium pace day, which should be between 11:15-11:30. Nailed it! It was also only 53 degrees out and just a delicious, perfect morning for a run.
Lululemon Aquamarine Runner Up Tank & Mesh Bangbuster
Athleta Raspberry Relay Skirt
Evening: Essential Yoga video from Runner's World  |7 minutes abs 
Lululemon Creamsicle Pop Energy Bra & White 105F Singlet
VSX Black Marl Knockout Crop

Wednesday
Morning: 3.75 miles; 39:25
This was a tempo run day, and I did better than I ever have before. After a one-mile warm-up, I did five minutes at 10-10:15 then 10 minutes at 9:50-10 then 5 minutes at 10-10:15 then my cool-down. I was really happy with this run, though it did rain for the last mile.
Athleta Chi Dot Tank & Asphalt Relay Skort

Thursday
Morning: 3.23 miles; 36:57; 11:26 pace
Easy run day!
Lululemon Jeweled Magenta Mesh Bangbuster & Heathered Black Coal All Sport Bra
Oiselle White Hail Mary Mesh Tank
Athleta Fiji Green Fair Isle Skort

Friday
Morning: 3 miles; 32:30; 10:49 pace
Friday is usually a rest day, but I had a friend coming in from out of town to stay with me and had the day off, so I decided to run my pace run Friday instead of Saturday. My goal pace range is 10:50-11:10. I did the previous two pace runs a little too fast, so I was really happy that I hit my range so well with a 10:49 average pace. At this pace, I can do the deep and controlled breathing that I do for easy runs and it feels mostly comfortable, but it flirts with being a little uncomfortable at times. At a few points in the run, I wondered if I can really hold that pace for the entire race, but I immediately stopped those thoughts. I'm feeling so confident in general that I can't let negative thoughts get to me. I told myself I will definitely be able to run that pace on race day, and I'm going to keep telling myself that. I will do it!
Lululemon Mesh Bangbuster
Oiselle Burgen Vertical Drop Tank
Athleta Aloha Yellow Relay Skort

Saturday
I was so busy Wednesday through Friday getting ready for my friend's visit that I wasn't able to fit in my second strength training session, much less my abs work and push-ups and yoga. So even though this should have been a rest day, I did 40 minutes of full-body strength training, abs, and push-ups.
Lululemon Mesh Bangbuster; Clear Mint Energy Bra;
White 105F Singlet; Forest Green In the Flow Crops
It was a pretty hot day, so we took Django to the dog pool and park at Lucky Paws Pet Resort in Cranberry. He had a lot of fun. There weren't other greyhounds there, but that didn't stop him from running around like a nut and teasing the dogs who tried to chase him and then relaxing in the pool.




Sunday
Long run: 7 miles, 1:20; 11:28 pace
For a change of scenery and to get some hills in, I went to North Park and did the 5-mile loop around the lake with two miles tacked on. I got there around 7. It was a cool 65 degrees with no humidity. It was cloudy when I started, but the sun quickly burned through and was so pretty shining through the trees and onto the lake. There was also a wonderful cool breeze. It was a perfect run. The lake and trees looked so beautiful in the pretty golden morning light. The loop is composed of lots of small rolling hills and one pretty big hill near the Boat House. The hills were no trouble for me, not even the big hill, and the whole run just felt effortless. The time flew by, and I felt like I could have ran all day long. I loved the run and felt so grateful to be free of injuries and to be able to be out and doing what I love. As for my pace, my easy pace should be between 11:30-12:00, and again I felt happy with hitting the fast end of my range.
Lululemon Wee Stripe White Bangbuster & Black Energy Bra
Lorna Jane Excel Dash Tank
Athleta Fiji Green Fair Isle Skort
After the run I did the Recovery Yoga video from Runner's World.

Because it was so hot in the afternoon, we just took Django on a short walk through our local park. Then we stopped by the Little Italy Days in Bloomfield briefly. I rode a mechanical bull! But I didn't do very well.
Appropriate bull-riding clothes?
Lululemon Blue Tropics Wee Are From Space Cool Racerback &
Black Pace Rival Skort


I got to see my friend Kelly and her fiance once more before they leave town tomorrow. We had so much fun with them and can't wait for their wedding this November.
 
Here's to another awesome week of training! Happy running and working out this week!

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