So last week was Valentine’s Day (did you forget already?) and although we don’t usually celebrate, now that we have second graders, everything is a celebration and a big deal. I love and hate it, all at the same time. In fact, I feel that way about a lot of things lately so I decided to give myself some tough love both in training and life last week.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 13, 2017

RUNNING

Once again I was almost exclusively on the treadmill, trying to heat myself up, as I trained speed and incline in my last week before the Havana Triathlon! I practiced some tough love by not using the fan and wearing some extra clothing. It wasn’t pretty.

I also did some indoor track work and had to dodge people almost the entire time! Just pick ONE lane and stay in it. It was quite the show at the indoor track last Friday for some reason, complete with a older woman walking while shadow boxing and doing dance moves, and a girl walking in cowboys boots and a jean skirt. These are the people in my neighborhood.

Finally, on Sunday I was able to run free outside in the balmy 50 degree temps…but only for 10 minutes since it was mostly a bike brick.

Tuesday – VO2 Max run before bike | 3.55 miles | 7:32 pace

Friday – track ladder 5k/3k pacing before swim | 7.12 miles | 7:15 average pace

Sunday – bike/run brick | 10 minutes at 10k effort | 1.5 miles

Total = 12.17 miles

CYCLING

My downstairs pain cave has also become a sweat cave. I did the same on my bike as I did on my treadmill runs and used no cooling systems and added some clothing. I went though at least two towels and two water bottles on each ride, but I absolutely loved it.

Tuesday – After run: 15 min Z2 with 5 x 10 min jumps to Z3 | 10.3 miles | 40 minutes

Thursday – Almost race week “big gear” 5 x 4 minutes to threshold | 1 hour 17 minutes | 20.1 miles

Sunday – 1 hour cycle building effort with 10 min time trial near end, then run off the bike | 16.8 miles

Total = 47.2 miles

SWIMMING

Although I only had two swim sessions this week, I loved both and I’m starting to really get a feel for pacing in the water. I’m always surprised by the learning curve in the pool but, as in running, when something clicks you know it and it makes a difference.

My first workout of the week involved 200s at varying paces with little rest in between and I nailed it!

#1 – 100 easy, 50 moderate, 50 fast (10 second rest)

#2 – 50 easy, 100 mod, 50 fast (20 sec rest)

#3 – 50 easy, 50 mod, 100 fast (30 sec rest)

#4 – 100 fast, 50 easy, 50 mod (20 sec rest)

#5 – 50 fast, 100 easy, 50 mod (10 sec rest)

#6 – 50 fast, 50 easy, 100 mod (60 sec rest)

Repeat #1, 2 and 3!

The total workout was 2,400 yards and my pace was 1:42 average! Yay me!

Friday – After track workout, 2,800 yards pull buoy, band, paddles | 1 hour

Total = 5,200 yards

STRENGTH TRAINING

So Barre has been officially canceled due to lack of participants. Wusses! So, I was left to my own devices to find an alternate class and find one I did! It’s called Hour of Power and is taught by a trainer I know and trust at the YMCA.

The class is done with barbells and plates and the moves are done in sets and intervals. The class includes all the areas of work I need plus some mobility moves, which I really need.

The problem is the class is on Wednesdays and I will now be gone for the  next two.

This picture was taken in my basement, not in class. Let’s just say, taking a class is so much more fun and motivating!

GEAR

Thanks to a post by Laura aka This Runner’s Recipes, she reminded me of my love for medicine balls with handles! I ordered one from the link on her page and started doing burpees with it immediately. Seriously. I did.

This is the workout and the link is above. I highly suggest it for runners and non runners alike!

The best part is the med ball I ordered is just heavy enough (10 lbs.) that the boys can’t throw it at one another. They practice “tough love” on a daily basis.

THINGS I LOVE

My boys (all of them) making me homemade Valentines! You never think any of this is awesome (at least I didn’t) until you have kids. They worked so hard on making me signs and shopped with dad for fake roses and all the crafts to make them. I also love how they get me insanely big chocolate boxes when they never see me eating chocolate. Check out the solid milk chocolate deer Miles gave me. It says: You’re a Deer. I just can’t.

And, since my husband knows that proper grammar is the way to my heart, he made sure to correct his mistake in the card he gave me…

In case you can’t read it it says – there should be a separation between these two words (every day). I’m no Trump!

I seriously could not love him more.

THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH

The amount of money teachers get paid for the work they do.

Teachers deserve to be paid at least 1 million dollars a day. You know how some actors get paid a million bucks per episode for mindless television shows? I’d like to see any one of them last two hours in my son’s second grade classroom. I was there for the Valentine party and I almost had a seizure from the noise and chaos. It was one hour long.

I had to make the holiday craft. Me. Teaching kids how to craft. Awkward.

I think my face pretty much sums it up. God only knows what I was saying, but at least I know the boy’s mom who I’m talking to. Notice how Vaughn is at the very end of the table completely ignoring me. Smart kid.

This was probably supposed to be a craft for three year-olds but at least it looks like the Pinterest version.

I’m sure they all ended up in the trash but I’m ok with that since that’s where I think most crafts belong.

READING

I finally finished reading Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain and it was a really interesting story about a piece of history I wasn’t aware of. Apparently, from 1929 – 1975 there was something called the Eugenics Sterilization Program in the U.S. During the time of it’s use, the state of North Carolina sterilized over seven thousand of its citizens. Seven thousand. The program targeted the “mentally defective” and “feebleminded” and others whose sterilization was for “the public good.” I can think of some people who would benefit from this now. However, the book is a work of fiction but the facts behind it are stunning.

Since I enjoyed the author so much, and have heard nothing but praise for her other book The Nightingale, I started reading it and, I’m only about 100 pages in and totally consumed!

RANDOM QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Of course Vaughn’s iPad screen finally decided to crack all the way through, just days before leaving for Cuba. We were forced into buying a new one (yes, forced) which led to the following conversation:

Me: So when we get to Cuba you will have to do hard labor to work off the money we spent on the iPad.

Vaughn: Hard labor? That’s for pregnant women!

I mean, how does he even know that? This kid cracks me up!

 

[Tweet “The Rundown is handing out some tough love in preparation for #Cuba! #train4life”]

 

How was your week?

Have you given or received tough love lately?

Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

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