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Rock’n’Roll Montreal 10k Training Update

Old Navy Timex image

Good morning guys!

As you may recall, I’ve been in Las Vegas for a busy week of meetings. Our days start at 7:30 and end most evenings around 10pm so there hasn’t been time to explore Las Vegas or take in many of the sights. I have, however, made time to workout every morning I’ve been here. Having a training plan again has been great motivation when my alarm clock goes off at 5am.

Last week’s training went pretty well though I am definitely still finding my groove.  If you recall, here are my goals for each week leading up to the September 25th Rock’n’Roll Montreal 10k.

10k Training Plan

  • Runs: 3x a week (1 speed, 1 mid-distance run and 1 longer run at goal 10k pace per week)
  • Yoga: At least 1x a week
  • Cross Training: At least 2x a week

Here is a look back at how things went last week.

 

  • Monday: Uplift Express at Uplift Studios
  • Tuesday: IMAX Shift Brooklyn spin class
  • Wednesday: Unintentional rest day but still managed to walk 6 miles while running errands after work.
  • Thursday: A 5.5 mile run with Katie and Nicole through Prospect Park in the morning followed by a 70-minute Basic Yoga class at Area Yoga with Heather that night.
  • Friday: Unintentional rest day but still managed to walk 4 miles throughout the day.
  • Saturday: 75-minutes of tennis followed by a hot 2 mile run which 1.5 miles of speed repeats.
  • Sunday: An afternoon 5-mile run along the Brooklyn waterfront.

Thoughts: Overall, this was a good first week back as I completed the cross training sessions, yoga and ran three times. I wish I hadn’t waited so late in the day to run and therefore could have had stronger runs on Saturday and Sunday.  I am going to try to incorporate at least one Mile High Run Club class per week between now and the 10k as I believe this will help me start getting accustomed to running faster again.

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Training for the Rock’n’Roll Montreal 10k

Montreal Pic from Trip Advisor

Happy Monday friends!

Now that our Canada vacation is over, it’s back to the real world which includes digging my way through work and blog emails, catching up, and reviewing what our calendar has for the rest of August and September. In case you missed it, I shared our first recap from the trip last week. I am going to dedicate two posts per week over the next three weeks to recapping our Canadian trip details. But today, as part of my return from vacation, it’s time to talk about another fun topic – racing!

During the flight, I realized that in just five weeks we return to Canada to run the Rock’n’Roll Montreal 10k as part of my Rock’n’Blog Ambassador partnership with the Rock’n’Roll race series. While Bo has been to Montreal twice before, this will be my first time visiting the city!  It seems like there are a number of great  bike tours of the city which will allow us an opportunity to get to know the city together while not exhausting our legs.  Since we are both traveling a lot during August and September this is a shorter, two night trip. We are flying in first thing Saturday morning and leaving early Monday morning, following Sunday’s race.

Montreal 10k

I am thankful that Bo and I decided to drop down to the 10k from the half marathon as the 6.2 mile distance is the perfect way to ease back into training and running after a few months of less focused training. I am excited to start tracking the pace, distance and feel of my runs while preparing for this race. While I could definitely run the 10k distance today, it will be far more enjoyable to feel strong and prepared going into the September 25th race!  Since the race is relatively flat, I am going to focus my limited training on speed and building my mileage versus having a specific hill workout. Since some of my longer runs will be in Prospect Park or include bridges, I will definitely still log a few hilly miles over the course of the next few weeks.

Rock'n'Roll Montreal 10k elevation map10k Training Plan

  • Runs: 3x a week (1 speed, 1 mid-distance run and 1 longer run at goal 10k pace per week)
  • Yoga: At least 1x a week
  • Cross Training: At least 2x a week

Goals

  • Enjoy the race.
  • Run a strong race.
  • Possibly run a PR (57:17 or 9:19 pace per mile) depending on weather and training

This plan will help me get back on track with the regular workouts and running that I crave, while also ensuring that I am still able to enjoy the flexibility. This plan will allow me plenty of opportunities to workout with friends as well as ensure I do not put too much pressure on myself.  Based on how the first few weeks of 10k training go, I will assess my goals for the Rock’n’Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon which is two weeks after this race.   If the first two weeks go well and I can easily hit my pace goals during my long runs, then I will increase the long runs in preparation for the half marathon and 10k versus limiting them to 6 or 7 miles.

Your turn: Are you heading to Montreal for this race or the half marathon? If you’ve been to Montreal, any restaurant, museum or other recommendations? 

All images are from the official Rock’n’Roll Montreal Website

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Running into Spring

running into Spring

I’m not sure what it is about the winter months. The cold, chilly air motivates me to run outside as I’d rather run in cold weather than hot weather any day of the week. I mean come on guys, how much easier is it to add crazy amounts of layers and stay warm than strip down during those sticky months of Summer. While my dear friend Meghan once ran a 5k race naked, there are only so many layers that I can take off when running.

My mantra these past few weeks has been “these winter miles will make me stronger.” Each time I lace up my shoes and head towards Prospect Park for a few hilly miles, I focus my thoughts on what I’m training for and my personal goals for the upcoming season.

As I look towards to the Spring and Fall racing season, I have a different goal for each race on my list.

NYRR NYC Half Marathon – March 20th: PR CITY. This is the race in which I want to finally overcome the mental wall and break 2 hours. The multiple Mile High Run Club, Barry’s Bootcamp and NYRR coached run sessions are all in hopes of helping me get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Once we return from Tahoe, I have four weeks to focus all my efforts on this goal.

Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run – April 3rd: Have fun! This race has been on my race list for years and thanks to my friend Anne, it’s finally going to happen. The goal is to enjoy the miles with Anne, Theodora and others while taking in the sights of Washington, DC in the Spring.

Flying Pig Half Marathon – May 1st: Feel powerful on the hills. As an employee of Procter & Gamble, a Cincinnati based company, this list has been on my radar for years as we are one of the top sponsors. My friend Amy, who you may remember from the RNR Brooklyn Half, and I are running this together and our goals are to have fun and feel strong on the hills. This course is known for great crowd support and tough hills miles 5.25 until mile 10.5.

NYRR AirBnB Brooklyn Half Marathon – May 21st: Enjoy a run party with some of my favorite runners! This race has always been a tough one mentally as the final seven miles are flat and boring once you leave Prospect Park.  Instead of focusing on the downsides of this race, such as the course, I’m focusing on the fact that I know more than 25 other people running through the streets of Brooklyn and this race will be a party!

Once I’ve finished these Spring races, I will spend the Summer months focusing on short distances again, similar to last summer. As part of my Rock’n’Blog partnership (Lots more news to come about this partnership as well as awesome DISCOUNT CODES!!) with Rock’n’Roll I will also add a few of their races to my Summer and Fall schedule. Right now I have my eye on Chicago, Philadelphia, Montreal, Brooklyn and Savannah.

So there you have it! When I’m not running, I’ll be focused on staying healthy and strong through cross training.

Your turn: Have you run any of these races before or any of the Rock’n’Roll races I’m considering? What’s your favorite? 

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