It is week 5 already, which means I need to start increasing my mileage (of course this had to coincide with the coldest week of the season thus far).
This week, I did a tough workout to improve the endurance of my leg muscles: three 10 milers on three consecutive days at an increasing pace. With most the running packed at the end of the week, I had a lot of room for cross-training earlier on. So, I did three consecutive days of strength training focusing on different muscle groups.
- Monday — Morning: swim workout. Afternoon: Les Mills Grit™ 30:00 min HIIT class
- Tuesday — Morning: 5k easyish run @ 7:38 min/mile. Afternoon: Legs and shoulders lifting workout
- Wednesday — Back and triceps lifting workout
- Thursday — Chest and biceps lifting workout
- Friday — 10 miles run @ 7:32 min/mile
- Saturday —10 miles run @ 7:20 min/mile with crazy 25mph winds
- Sunday — 10 miles run @ 6:57 min/mile
Three 10 milers on three consecutive days
It is a pretty simple workout. First, run 10 miles. Then, run another 10 miles at a slightly faster pace the next day. Finally, run another 10 miles at an even faster pace on the third day. I attempted this workout for the first time last fall and it was a killer. The first two days went great, but my legs were exhausted on the third day and I had to slow down considerably.
This time I took it a bit more seriously. My target paces for each run were 7:40 min/mile, 7:20 min/mile and 7:00 min/mile, respectively.
On the first day I went a little faster than planned, I ended up doing 7:31 min/mile. Moreover, the course was hillier than I anticipated and I could feel some muscle fatigue already. On the second day I was just on target doing 7:20 min/mile, despite crazy winds and really low temperatures. At night, my calves were sore. I started to worry a bit, but there was not much to do at this point other than foam-rolling and getting a good night sleep. I’m happy to report my legs were strong enough to achieve a sub-7 pace on the third day!!! I’m feeling good about Pittsburgh!
Menu of the week
I’ve been doing most of the cooking for the last few months, since my wife’s surgery. Now, she is recovered enough to be able to cook, which means that there is more dish variety. This week, she prepared two meals and I prepared another two. We had:
- Turkey ground meat and zucchini lasagna
- Chicken with mushrooms and boiled cauliflower
- Beef stew with carrots and potatoes
- Pan fried salmon, quinoa with vegetables, and roasted beets
Both the zucchini lasagna and the salmon were really awesome!!