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Silverstone Half Marathon Training Week 5 & 6

These past two weeks were as different as two training weeks can get. Last week was absolutely perfect. I completed every single workout Gia prescribed on my training plan and I felt great! Sunday night as I finished my shakeout run I couldn’t help but smile. Everything felt wonderful and my energy levels were through the roof as I signed up for another Spring half marathon – the Hampton Court Half Marathon. Running through the magnificent grounds surrounding the Hampton Court Palace before spending the afternoon touring the grounds with Bo and my family sounds like heaven!

But, let’s talk about this week. This week was the complete opposite. Unfortunately Bo and I suffered through the worst case of food poisoning this week. I was so sick on Monday that I had to cancel my flight back to Geneva and spend the entire day in bed. While in Italy for business I couldn’t enjoy any of the evening events or even the delicious Italian food as my stomach couldn’t handle any food richer than plain pasta, crackers, or Ginger Ale. My unpredictable stomach along with constant headaches meant that I couldn’t handle running Monday through Friday. Yesterday’s run, although brief, felt incredible after so much rest.

Who knows what a week off from running means for my upcoming half marathons but all I can do is give this upcoming week of training 110%! Luckily, Charlie has agreed to run the Hampton Court Half with me which means we’ll have a complete blast!

Silverstone Half Marathon Training Week 5 & 6

Monday: 4.5 mile speed workout on the treadmill

Tuesday: rest day

Wednesday: 2.6 mile run followed by arms & abs

Thursday: 40 minute trail run with Renaud in Geneva along the Rhone River

Friday: 2.3 mile run commute followed by 75 minute Yang and Yin yoga class at Good Vibes Fitzrovia

Saturday: An 8 mile run through London with Bo, Emily and lots of lovely ladies under rare London sunshine.

Sunday: A three mile shakeout run through Regents Park at dusk was the perfect way to end the week.

Wednesday: After two days without any workouts I was craving some time in the hotel gym by the time our meetings were done at 5pm. My stomach wasn’t feeling up to running so instead I did 45 minute of incline walking followed by this five minute plank workout.

Thursday: The hotel gym didn’t open in time for a workout before meetings so I kept things simple yet effect with a 15 minute hotel room workout repeated twice.

Saturday: Four mile run through Regents Park and Primrose Hill followed by a 2.5 mile walk through the neighborhoods.

Sunday: We kicked off our Sunday with a 2.5 mile run commute to Boom Cycle followed by a 45 minute spin class with Charlie led by Denis Bail. I am going to do a further review of Boom Cycle along with some other London spin options but suffice it to say there were 3 people in the class wearing Soul Cycle gear. Based on this observation, the friendly staff and the lit candle at the front of class, this must be a close substitute for many London residents with ties to Soul and the states.

How do you bounce back after a week of illness?

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Silverstone Half Marathon Training: Week 4

I can’t believe that it’s almost time for bed. Today was one of those brilliant days I wish I could repeat over and over! It started with 8 hours of sleep, a seamless commute filled with 20 minutes of Duolingo French practice, a few productive meetings, an awesome 4.5 mile run during lunch, a field trip into town with my French teacher where I practiced my direction and restaurant French, followed by a homemade dinner and a relaxing night catching up on blogs and chatting with my mom via text.

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While this week’s training is already off to a positive start after today’s solid run, I want to take some time to reflect on last week’s training. It was my best week of training thus far even though I didn’t end up squeezing in a long run. I know it seems weird that I can say it was a great week of training when I missed one of the pivotal workouts but sometimes that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Each of my workouts felt solid and energized. I felt like I was working towards a goal last week which really motivated me to get to the gym and squeeze in workouts even on busy days.

Silverstone Half Marathon Training week 4

Monday: 20 minutes yoga for runners

Tuesday: 4.5 miles of speed intervals on the treadmill before work

Wednesday: 4.1 miles outside before work followed by a 500 meter piece on the rowing machine

Thursday: 4 speedy lunchtime miles on the treadmill followed by a 550 meter piece on the rowing machine

Friday: 4 lunchtime miles on the treadmill followed by 600 meters on the rowing machine

Saturday: This was a “lightbulb moment” day of skiing. Things clicked from the second run of the day and the 3 hours of private lessons led me up my first black run and down many others by lunch time. I was able to enjoy an afternoon of skiing with the whole group – a huge accomplishment! The 7 hours of skiing flew by and I didn’t want the day to end!

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Sunday: Three of us decided to head back up the mountain on Sunday for three hours of skiing. The visibility was horrible and it was my first time skiing in less than ideal conditions at Verbier. This caused me to second guess my ability and have some lovely falls. But, overall it was still a strong day of skiing and my quads and calves could feel every minute of skiing by the end of the day.

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My goal for this week is simple – focus on the goal of each workout. When it’s speed, make sure I push my body as hard as possible and when it’s an easy pace make sure I give my body the room to slow down.

What is your favorite type of running workout? Zoning out and running long? Hill repeats? Speed?

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Silverstone Half Marathon Training: Week 3

Happy Monday! I am so relieved that my big presentation is over. I don’t know about you guys but having something like that looming over my head just adds stress. I feel like a huge 10 pound bag was just lifted off my shoulders!

Thanks for all your support as I know we all deal with different types of stress on a daily basis. I’m so glad that I took some of my stress out during workouts last week versus giving in to the temptation to just forget about workouts. I always feel better after a workout, especially during busy periods!

Last week’s half marathon training went pretty well during the weekend when I was able to build my mileage in a respectable way. 029031 024  Monday: 20 minutes Yoga for Runners 

Tuesday: unplanned rest day

Wednesday: 4 mile run outside before work

Thursday: Does dancing at our company’s New Year’s Party count?

Friday: 2 mile run to and from Good Vibes Yoga where I met Charlie for our favorite 75 minute yoga class, Yang & Yin Yoga! It’s rare that I find myself craving a class but any Friday I’m in London I make sure my schedule is free from 6-7:15pm for this class. I really like the balance of challenging moves with relaxation at the end.

Saturday: Bo and I enjoyed a very speedy six mile run through Central London while enjoying many of our favorite sites including Buckingham Palace, Green Park and Big Ben. I found myself panting towards the half way point but soon realized it was because we were keeping an 8:17 pace – far too fast for where my training is right now. We ended up finishing the 6 miles in a 9:17 pace which is right on target for what I’d love to do for 13.1 miles in March. I have a ways to go but this run was a good confidence builder! 

Sunday: Bo and I took advantage of the lovely London weather and enjoyed a 5 mile run through Hyde Park. After three straight days of running my legs were definitely tired but it felt great to start building the mileage again. Running 12 miles in 24 hours is the furthest I’ve run since the Lausanne Marathon attempt back in October.

I didn’t get all my workouts in last week and hope to focus on that this week. Unfortunately, based on the weather, it looks like most of the workouts will be inside. We are going skiing again this weekend so I will be front loading my running since I know it’s virtually impossible to squeeze in a run when we’re in Verbier. Therefore, this week my goal is 1 yoga sessions, 4 runs including 1 hill workout and 1 “long” run, 2 days of skiing, and bring back my daily ab routine.

What was your favorite workout last week?

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