Half Marathon Training Week 2

Monday, 3/3
Long run: 3.5 miles (44 minutes)

Since I skipped my long run on Sunday I did it on Monday instead. Since I'm starting from the bottom my first run was "only" 3.5 miles, but that's still tough for me. I took a number of walk breaks and finished in 44 minutes. I was cramping up a bit, but since it wasn't debilitating I was able to push through it. I can't wait until these "shorter" runs are just easier.

Tuesday, 3/4
Total Body Strength class: 60 minutes

Wow, what a difference from last week. I felt so great during this class! In every move I felt confident and strong. It's been crazy hot in the fitness room the past few weeks, so I wore a tank top for the first time to this class and could see my arm, shoulder, and back muscles in the mirror. Quite the motivator!!

Wednesday, 3/5
Yoga class: 60 minutes

This is the best yoga practice I've had thus far. It is pretty unbelievable what 6 months of strength training did for me here. The last time I took a yoga class was 12/18 and the difference was so crazy! My balance, strength and flexibility had all improved tenfold. We do a lot of balance work in the Tuesday class and I could really notice a different in the standing poses. The class was small and the instructor asked us if there were any muscles or poses we wanted to focus on. I was also super tight from class the day before so I asked her if we could stretch out our shoulders and triceps. We used a rope to get some deep stretches in and it was amaaaazing.

Thursday 3/6
2.5 mile run on treadmill: 29:30
Strength: 2 sets of 10 reps each

Plank (30 sec)
Side plank (30 sec each side)
Russian twist
Back extension with dumbbell hold
Squats with dumbbell press
Bent over rows
Plank on hands - knee to elbows
Hip raises
Tricep kickbacks
Lunge with overhead hold
Balance exercise (leg at knee height and then in scale)
Bicep Curls

Good workout. Not much more to say than that! Oh, I hate side planks.

Friday, 3/7
Rest!

Saturday 3/8
Long run: 4 miles (50:45)

I decided to do my long run on Saturday because it was gorgeous out and I needed to take advantage! I'm running a 5k in Southie next weekend so I decided to run the route. It is SO hilly but I actually liked it. I walked up most of the big hills and then would just fly down them. I ended up finishing the 5k in about 38 minutes, then I struggled along to finish out the last mile.

Sunday 3/9
Cross: 35 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes on the stationary bike, 20 minutes walking, squats and lunges

After a tough week of workouts I was really looking forward to an easy day of cross training while reading my book. For me cross training is not about pushing myself, it's just doing easy cardiovascular activity for 60+ minutes. I find it more enjoyable to switch it up between cardio machines rather than just stick to one. Whatever works, right?