ashleyd /

Training Recap Week of October 5th

Happy Thursday! I’m currently watching Pitch Perfect 2 as our plane cruises over the middle of America en route to San Francisco! I’m spending three days in San Francisco catching up with lots of friends, enjoying delicious food and wine, oh and running 13.1 miles worth of hills on Sunday.

My plan for the weekend is to soak up San Francisco and have fun. The only goal we have for Sunday is to enjoy every mile, take lots of pictures and hopefully give a few high fives to my many friends running the half. It’s going to be a crazy race weekend but I’m excited! This girls weekend comes smack dab between two busy work weeks, so it will be a great way to relax and decompress.

Before shutting the computer down for the night, I wanted to check in to share last week’s training log. You know how the weekly training recap works. At the beginning of each week I share the past week’s workouts with you all in order to give you a glimpse into my training, hold me accountable and help me keep a record so I can see what works and doesn’t work after each races comes to a close. Last week was all about resting before the Brooklyn Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon.

half marathon

Monday: I headed into the city for Y7 yoga which never ceases to challenge me.

Tuesday: My final speed workout of this training schedule went wonderfully due in part to the cooler weather. After a 20 minute warm-up I completed 10 1-minute pick ups followed by a minute of recovery and a 20 minute cool-down.

Wednesday: After a 5 AM flight to Cincinnati, there was no better way to end the day than a long walk through Amy’s neighborhood. Amy and her husband suggested that we take their normal hour long route, making a quick stop to pick up dinner. The hour walk included just enough hills to break a sweat, but walking allowed us to catch

Thursday: Amy and I took advantage of their home gym, doing arms and abs while watching Quantico, a new ABC television show.

Friday: Our workout for the day included a stroll around the neighborhood, foam rolling and a pedicure. Oh wait, that isn’t a workout? Well it seemed like the perfect thing to do before the half marathon!

Saturday: Rock’n’Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon aka 13.1 miles of fun executed at a near perfect pace

Sunday: After most races I try to squeeze in an actual yoga class but sometimes that doesn’t become a reality. Our to do list one the battle and instead of a formal class, I spent 30 minutes on the yoga mat streaming JasYoga from 9:30-10 PM. Not ideal, but it was definitely better than nothing. Also, take my advice. Hop over and give your body the gift that is her full body recovery video. It is 26 minutes of feel good stretching and relaxation.

So that’s how last week went down gang. It was far more relaxed than most weeks but I think that’s why my body felt so good during the half marathon. I slept seven hours four nights in a row, ate well, foam rolled and kept the workouts relaxed.

This week I dove right back in, making very good use of my ClassPass Flex membership by taking classes in both New York City and San Francisco!

Share Button
Follow:
Share:
Comments Off on Training Recap Week of October 5th
ashleyd /

Training Recap Week of September 28th

Good morning and happy Tuesday!

coffee

This week is off to a wonderful but busy start. Tonight I finally get to catch up with my long lost London girl, Charlie, as we enjoy a new to us yoga class called REST followed by a delicious homemade dinner and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

charlie and ashley

I have a lot to do this evening before the fun begins, including writing this post, a speed workout and multiple conference calls!

You know how the weekly training recap works. At the beginning of each week I share the past week’s workouts with you all in order to give you a glimpse into my training, hold me accountable and help me keep a record so I can see what works and doesn’t work after each races comes to a close. Last week was all about staying active and healthy but not pushing myself. I changed the order of workouts around but overall stuck to Jess’ training plan.

Monday: I started the week with an evening Bar Method class.

Tuesday: I moved my run to later in the week so I could join my friend Elizabeth at Brooklyn Body Burn. Okay, okay Jess I hear you loud and clear. When she says stick to schedule she means the EXACT schedule posted in Google docs. While I enjoyed certain moments of the class, it was everything I’d heard (hard, humbling, sweaty) and more. I will definitely not be taking another class until my two back to back half marathons are done because it left me sore for THREE days! I will hopefully get my full recap of the studio posted later this week.

Wednesday: Before flying to Dallas, I joined Theodora for Nike Run Club’s Morning Miles. It was my first Nike Run Club and I really liked it even though the weather was less than stellar. The coach planned a route for us in advance, leading us from the Flatiron Nike store to the Williamsburg Bridge and back. I split with the group at three miles to head back home and finished a total of five miles. It was a great way to see Theodora and run a new to me route.

Thursday: My original running buddy, Amy, and I were finally reunited in Dallas last week. We ran five easy miles through Downtown Dallas before a day of dark conference rooms. It was so much fun to catch up with her in advance of our half marathon together this Saturday.

Friday: Amy and I did a recovery workout together in the hotel gym which included 40 minutes on the bike, some weights,and lots of stretching.

running

Saturday: The previous day’s recovery workout paired with nine hours of sleep had me ready and anxious for Saturday morning’s long run. The weather in Dallas was crisp and perfect as I ran six miles, finishing the final five miles at an average pace of 8:48. It wasn’t easy but it felt great to know I could hold that pace for that distance.

Sunday: A complete rest day including nine hours of sleep, some foam rolling and time spent in compression socks.

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Training Recap – Week of September 14th, 2015

Don’t mind me guys – I’m just going to hang out in down dog as much as possible this week. My hips and glutes are not happy with me after this weekend’s Reach the Beach adventure. I did my best to stretch in the van but no amount of stretching or rolling with the stick can balance the hours of sitting in between running up the hills of New Hampshire. It was such an amazing experience and I can’t wait to share more details with you guys this week including a recap of the overall event, my suggested packing list for anyone doing a Ragnar or other relay race and last but not least a review of my favorite New Balance gear from the weekend. It’s going to be a jam packed week content wise!

Yoga

Let’s kick the week off with last week’s training recap, giving you all an overview of the workouts I did last week leading up to and including Reach the Beach.

Monday:  This after work Bar Method 60 minute mixed level class was harder than normal due to the water ski move, an extra tuck session and increasing the hand weights from 3 and 4 pounds to 4 and 5 pounds.

Tuesday: After giving my body some extra rest, I had to run my 6 miles after work. Evening miles rarely go as well as morning miles as my body feels sluggish and my legs tend to feel heavier. I ran through Brooklyn Bridge Park and Dumbo at a 9:42 pace while enjoying gorgeous sunset views.

Wednesday: My legs were definitely a bit heavy for the 7 AM Bar Method 60 minute mixed level class since it was less than 12 hours after I finished my run, but it still felt good to squeeze in a second class. Each class I become a bit more familiar with the moves which means I can better adjust myself though the classes are still very challenging.

Thursday: Rest day

Friday: The Reach the Beach fun started on Friday and my first leg was 7.3 sweaty miles which took place between 1 PM to 2 PM in little to no shade. The temperature reached 89 degrees on Friday which meant that i was beet red by the end of this run. I was able to keep a strong pace, averaging around a 9:30.

Saturday: My final two legs were on Saturday starting in the middle of the night! I ran 6.4 miles through small neighborhoods and farms from 1 AM and 2 AM. I absolutely loved the night running, surrounded by nothing but the bright moon and stars. I turned off my music for part of the run, just enjoying the peace and quiet. The 55 degree temperatures allowed me to run stronger than earlier even though it was my second leg. I kept a sub 9 pace for these miles and was smiling the entire time, even on the hills. My third and final leg was an opposite experience. The 6.7 mile run left me cursing the hills, wishing for Fall temperatures and using every mental game in the book to keep moving. The heat index was around 95 when I ran, officially making this the hottest Reach the Beach event to date and explaining why my average pace dropped to a 10:05.

Brooklyn Craft Beer

Sunday: Before enjoying a much needed manicure and pedicure, I spent 30 minutes on my yoga mat. I streamed the 26 minute Jasyoga full body recovery video which helped release some of the tightness in my hips and quads. I should have done a few more videos but instead I chose to recover at the Brooklyn Beer Festival. Oops.

Your turn: Inspired by yesterday’s craft beer festival, tell me what your favorite Fall beer is so I can add it to my list of beers to try! 

Share Button
Follow: