Within the course of a week, the weather transformed from a chilly, lingering spring to summer weather. On Monday, the temperatures were in the low 40s during my run – which has been the standard for morning runs over the past several months. By Saturday, it was 60 degrees early on in the morning and the temperature reached the high 70s on Sunday. While there’s still snow in the mountains, the start of summer has very much arrived.
This past week was a busy work week (in a very good way), so I needed the mental relaxation that running brings. I haven’t run 6 days per week since the peak week of marathon training, so I kept my mileage at the same level as I have recently (32 miles for this week) and kept the paces comfortable.
Monday: 7 mile run
Ollie and I ran a simple half an hour out, half an hour back run. The weather was cool and pleasant and the run felt close to effortless: smooth, steady, and enjoyable.
Tuesday: 4 mile run + 30 minutes strength training
We ran on the treadmills due to a threat of thunderstorms. Of course, the storm settled during our run, but we were already on the treadmills. Each time I run on the treadmill now, I marvel at how I used to run on the treadmill all the time in college and grad school. Granted, the NordicTrack I owned for a few years didn’t make my stride feel short and hips feel tight as our gym treadmills do. But still, 4 miles on the treadmill feels exponentially longer than 4 miles on the road.
Later that evening, it was back to the gym for some strength training.
2 x 10 single leg deadlift with kettlebell
2 x 10 single arm kettlebell push press
3 x 10 kettlebell swings
3 x 10 kettlebell goblet squats
3 x 8 stability ball pikes
3 x 10 stability ball hamstring curls with arms raised straight up
3 x 10 stability ball deadbugs
1 x Turkish get up per side
Stability ball pikes, as I said last week, are satisfyingly challenging. I’m hoping they strengthen my back and shoulders well while also improving core and hip strength. The deceptively hard exercise was raising my arms up off the ground for the hamstring curls – it felt like it doubled the need for my core to stabilize. I enjoy strength training moves that require precise effort and focus, so this was a really good workout!
Wednesday: 4 mile run
I ran the progression run workout I shared last week, although we didn’t set out with the intention of doing some harder run. The pace felt good and comfortable at the end of the run and we picked up to a 7:45/mile for the last mile, including up the steep hill that our runs finish on. It always feels so good to inject some faster running into a week of easy paced miles.
Thursday: 4 mile run & 25 minutes Pilates
Ryan and I took both dogs with us and kept this run slow and easy. I felt the fatigue of the workweek accumulating, and when I feel stressed, easy miles offer the most stress relief. Even a short early morning run can make a significant difference in terms of mental and physical relaxation.
I picked a shorter Pilatesology magic circle workout and modified it with some harder exercises such as the roll over and different variations of the teaser. It’s amazing the difference that a workout like Pilates can make after spending all day hunched over a computer – I felt completely refreshed.
Friday: 4 mile run & 20 minutes strength training
Another good morning run with Ryan and Ollie. I love running with my running buddies – their company brings new life to the easy miles of off-season.
I wasn’t planning on strength training, but after spending some time at the gym filming videos for my Marathon Training Group, I decided to squeeze in a short strength workout. I was already there in workout clothes, so why not? I did a similar workout to Monday but with fewer sets and no push presses.
Saturday: 9 mile run
After months of running in temperatures in the 40s, 58 degrees felt so hot on a run. Thankfully, the trees along our route offered respite. Ryan and I ran Ollie for the first 6 miles (capping off another 25 mile week for him) and then Charlie for the final 3 miles. We kept our pace comfortable, right around a 9:00 minute mile, to keep both ourselves and the dogs comfortable in the heat.
Sunday: Rest day
Our hiking situation has been less than ideal lately. Our favorite hikes are still covered in snow at the top, which means postholing and poorly marked trails. The hikes that are open are the popular hikes that attract a better portion of the Seattle area population once the weather warms up. Despite arriving at the trailhead at 9 AM, the parking lot was overflowing and we couldn’t park anywhere nearby.
So instead, we took the dogs to the dog park! Ollie recently realized that our apartment complex has a pool and desperately wants to swim in it. The dog park has access to the Sammamish River, so we thought Ollie would want to swim. He spent over an hour mustering up the nerve to jump in and then panicking, while Charlie kept a dutiful eye on his younger brother.
[Tweet “Running through the start of summer via @thisrunrecipes #runchat #running “]
Has summer arrived where you live?
How was your week in running?
18 Responses
That pic of you on the boardwalk is beautiful! The colors are gorgeous. I’m still laughing at Ollie and the water…too funny!
Thank you! The colors out here are beautiful this time of year.
Our weather was all over the place this week. It went from 50 to 90 and then I got to Cleveland and it was 50 again. I haven’t even looked at the forecast for this upcoming week so I don’t know what to expect!
That’s a crazy swing in weather!
We have rising temps here as well and it’s always a hard transition to run in the first dew weeks of heat! I’m glad you have some shady spots to help out and you had a very solid week of training.
I’ve been thinking about brining Star down to the lake to see if she will swim. The lake temp is only about 60 degrees right now so I think I’ll wait for it to warm up a bit but I’m loving the pics of Ollie and Charlie enjoying the river!
Oh I hope you can get Star to swim! Dogs seem so hesitant about the water until they get in and realize how amazing it is!
Summer arrived… and then departed. Ah well. Love me stability ball pikes! They are soooooo gooooooooooood!
It’s been such a weird summer already – ours came in hot and then settled down!
Great job last week! We’ve pretty much got the same weather as you guys so we are basking in the sun as well. WOOHOOO!
Thank you! The sun has been amazing!!! Finally after all that rain!
summer totally arrived last week for a few days and then the temps dropped back down to normal! It was a little hard to adjust to so hot and humid but now I’m actually sitting here cold lol
Lol that’s been the weather here and I secretly love it. I want the sunshine but not the heat!
We had some 90 degree days last week and then back down to the low 50s over the weekend, it’s been crazy swings of temperatures! I love that you’re getting in solid miles yet keeping it easy. I’m thinking about a few weeks of backing off intensity before marathon training starts. My body is starting to give me the signs!
The temperature swings have been so crazy this year! That’s good that you’re listening to your body signs – that will definitely pay off when marathon training begins!
Summer arrived and then disappeared again. It was 90 last week and 60 this week. So weird. I need to try those stability ball pikes.. looks like a great challenge.
The stability ball pikes are a great exercise – they work everything!
I love that boardwalk path that you’re running on… I wish there was something like that to go for a run around here.
It’s a beautiful place to run! I worried about the boardwalk being too shaky when the water levels are high, but it’s not that bad!