Run Less Run Faster: Week Two

I'm very happy to report that after my second week of RLRF, I'm still loving the program! Only running three times a week means I look forward to each run, rather than slowly burning out. I find my workouts are leaving me energized and refreshed, rather than collapsed in an exhausted heap. The runs are certainly quite challenging, don't get me wrong, but alternating them with cross-training is keeping my drive alive.

I don't think legs are supposed to do that.

I thought this week would be a bit difficult to manage with a busy work schedule, but I was able to make everything happen, relatively stress free. I had to run one day after work, but that's only because I stayed up too late the night before watching Hobbit special features. No regrets.

Monday, November 3
600 yd swim

The swim for week two involved some actual, you know, swimming, rather than just kicking. I was immensely pleased to find everything came back immediately, just like riding a bike. I can tell I've lost some speed, but I'm going to attribute that to the loss of volume. This swim would've been perfect if it weren't for the creeper encounter, but I guess you can't win them all.

Tuesday, November 4
AM - 4.7 mi total (4x800 @ 4:10)
lunch - lift

The 400s were very challenging, but they went much better than my lone mile repeat last week, since I actually fueled and hydrated beforehand. My legs had nothing left for the last repeat, so I just pushed as hard as I could manage and did it in 4:30. I think I need to bring a bit of fuel on these runs for between repeats, since I don't have that much in my stomach to start with.

Wednesday, November 5
600 yd swim

Same swim as Monday. It felt good to work out some of the stiffness in my quads.

Thursday, November 6
lunch - lift
PM - 7 mi tempo (10:36 min/mile)

I stuck to the same weights in the gym as I used Tuesday, even though I obviously felt much fresher without a run already on my legs. It paid off, and the tempo run felt frighteningly doable. I honestly got a bit annoyed with how "slow" it felt, since I'm used to tempo runs being a harder. On the other hand, it was great to know that five miles at MP didn't tax me too much.

Friday, November 7
rest (aka more Hobbit bingeing)

Saturday, November 8
15 mi long (10:57 min/mile)

I somehow managed to hit my target pace down to the second again. I love my new Garmin and being able to give it a pace range to keep me in, rather than spending the whole run doing mental math. It almost feels like "cheating," but, hey, I'm still the one that has to maintain that pace.

Even though this run was significantly slower than last week's (15 seconds per mile slower, to be exact), it felt much harder and I had to fight a bit more. There was more wind, but it wasn't anything horrible. I wonder if a stressful week at work just took its toll on my body. In the end, the run was still enjoyable. (Though I can't wait to nap on the couch instead of going to work afterwards next week!)

Sunday, November 9
Slow Flow Yoga


I enjoyed class much more than last week, now that I knew what to expect. (What can I say, I'm a control freak.) My hips felt much looser than last week, but my low back was not a happy camper. And my core is still hilariously weak. But I managed to (sort of) get myself up into a shoulder stand and on the way to plow pose, so I was very happy with that.

Run Miles: 26.7
Swim Miles: .7
Lifting Time: 46 mins
Yoga Time: 60 mins
Total Time: 6:34

Work should be a little less crazy this week (in that I should be able to leave at 5 every day), and I'm hoping it reflects in my runs. I'm looking forward to doing my first ladder workout Tuesday. I'm also pretty amped for another long run. I've obviously only done two so far, but they're fun and challenging, and I think I'm really going to improve. They looked scary at first, but now that I know the prescribed paces are within reach, I'm pumped to tackle them.

And to tackle the contents of my pantry afterwards.