Total distance: 40.35km of running + 21 km of cycling
If you missed the first article in this series, click here for details on my race.
Week nine was a very exciting week — I have new gear, and even more exciting, I have a coach now!
After last week’s failure to stick to the plan when things got busy, I activated my “get a coach backup plan” and signed up with Mile2Marathon coaching. I still have to do the distance but now I have someone else to do the thinking for me. I also have access to some group trail running sessions (which have resumed just in time after a COVID hiatus) which push me a bit harder than I would usually push myself. I’ve also taken the plunge and acquired a new running watch (Coros Apex) which has significantly better battery life than my Apple Watch and gives me all sorts of fun new data to sort through.
Monday - 6.1km
Started the week out with a nice 6.1km (6’51/km) run around Rideau Hall.
Tuesday - 5.98km
My first day on the new training plan - and also my first day playing with my new watch. Work meetings are starting very early this week so this was a reasonably easy 40 min evening run up the river path. My new watch was unfortunately set to miles so I ended up covering a very disappointing 5.98km — wish I had know I was so close to an even 6.0!
I have also been picking up the pace a bit lately though which feels good! This most recent was 6’47/km which earned me a bunch of new Strava achievements. Capped off the day with a second COVID shot!
Wednesday - Rest
Feeling worn out by the COVID shot so I’ve rescheduled a planned spin class to later in the week. Nap time. zzz.
Thursday - 4.8km
I was still feeling a bit low on Thursday but made it out for my run which was just a short run at an easy pace (8’12/km) with a few drills in the middle meant to help me move my feet faster. The drills felt like I was at a ska concert in high school and I was very glad there was no one around to watch me fumble through them!
Friday - 21km Peloton Ride
Made up the spin class that I missed on Wednesday. The most fun part was being able to link my new watch to my bike computer and actually look at the metrics from my ride.
Saturday - 10.2km Hike
I was told to go out and find hills, so we headed out in the rain up to loop Wolf Trail in Gatineau Park. We did a couple of the hills twice for a total of 414m of elevation.
Sunday - 13.3km
Sunday was an incredibly hot and humid day. I went out with the M2M Trail Crew for the first time since COVID struck, and while I was definitely the slowest of the bunch, it was fun to have a crew to chase after.
I also learned an important lesson about the importance of food post-run: I managed to get a latte into me post-run but not any actual food, and not only was I incredibly tired for the next 24hrs, my legs felt like lead on my next run.