What a difference a complete rest day makes. I was still feeling a little bit tired yesterday, but considerably better than how I was feeling on Monday. In fact, I was feeling good enough that I think I will take a complete rest day today as well. I really want to feel good and be able to enjoy myself at the Hokie Half this weekend.
After work yesterday I hopped on the treadmill (also known as Sven) for a five mile run with three miles at marathon pace (10:18/mile). And I can honestly say I felt great.
I started out with a warm-up mile. I intended to run around 10:30, but pressed 6 mph to get the treadmill going and forgot to ever bump the speed down. It just felt good to run and that pace felt relaxed. After my warm-up, I paused the treadmill and stretched my calves a bunch since they’re still a bit tight and sore. Then I nailed 3 miles at marathon pace: 10:13/10:12/10:07. I felt comfortable and for once this pace felt like one I can definitely settle into for a long time. Thank goodness.
That’s my little post-it note I use to help me keep track of my splits. Don’t get me wrong, I have a really good memory. But for some reason I cannot remember my splits when I run on the treadmill. So I write them down. See that “40:33” that looks a little messy? That would be where I nearly fell off of Sven while writing. Guess I should pause the treadmill if I want to avoid injury. On a random note, writing down splits makes me feel like I’m a swim coach again.
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| Back in the good old days when I answered to “Coach Meagan” or “Miss Meagan.” Don’t mind my lazy eyes. I probably wasn’t awake, yet, when this was taken. |
I think I will incorporate two complete rest days per week as my training progresses. After this week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays are listed as rest days on my training plan. I plan to make one of those a cross training day each week and let the other two complete rest days. That seems like it is going to work best for me. Hopefully in the future as I become a stronger runner, I can drop down to just one complete rest day per week. In the meantime, here’s to figuring things out! (This is the part where we toast…. where’s your drink??)
Have you ever worn the title of “coach”?
Tell me about your last great workout!
What’s something crazy you do while running/biking/walking?
Someone one-up my post-it note!
Turkey Runner 
Um, not sure last night was a great workout, but the roads were flooded so I ran to the gym (100 feet away) and ran on the treadmill for 2 miles until I got bored. This happens to me a lot on treadmills so I decided to run outside for a mile and I got completely soaked. As soon as I got home, the flood warnings started and continued all night. What an adventure. Not sure I can get my 10 miles in on a treadmill today. Eek!
Hope you’re staying safe with all of that flooding! And I hope that long run went well if you ended up having to do it on the treadmill!
So excited to hear all about the Hokie Half! Maybe I’ll join you next year! I coached a summer swim team and taught swim lessons for years. I was a competitive swimmer before I started running, so I spent my summers in/at the pool, either practicing, coaching, or teaching. Loved working with the youngest kids. They were always a hoot!
You definitely should come run it next year! It looks like Deb and I are already in 🙂 We have a lot in common, having both swam competitively and coached summer swim. I love working with the younger kids, too. Plus they’re usually the ones that improve the most over the summer. We always called the littlest ones the “mighty mights”
Never had the title of coach but I spend many days coaching and mentoring the junior people that work for me.Usually I let my mind wander as I am exercising. If I am on a trail, I read every shirt that goes by and try to build a story behind it. On busy days, I have to be careful of sensory overload. Don’t want to run off the trail.Enjoy the Half. Wish I could be there.Run Hokie RUN!LUD.
Building a story based on what someone’s shirt says sounds like a fun game! I will have to borrow that one for some of my long runs.
Woot woo for nailing your run! I coached Daniel’s T-ball team and most recently I’ve coached runners for two different organizations/gyms. I constantly take pictures while running. Some day I’m going to fall down because I’m not paying attention to where I’m going!
I’m amazed I haven’t fallen yet since I started taking pictures while running. I have a tendency to trip on flat surfaces when I’m paying attention. I’m sure it’s inevitable that I’ll fall eventually.
Happy to hear you had a great run!
Thanks!
I love those runs where you just feel like a rock star! I’m glad the rest days are helping – they definitely do for me!
The good days make all the bad ones worth it for sure.
I laughed at you almost falling off while writing. That’s soooo something I would do. I can’t remember my splits either and usually take a cell phone pic of the treadmill screen. Glad you had such a good run!
For some reason, I’m more dangerous when I try to take a picture while the treadmill is moving than I am when I write while it’s moving. So I write. The lesser of two evils 🙂
I’ve been a track and field coach and a basketball coach.I scribbled down numbers like that when I was in labor with Gabe. I didn’t have my glasses on (or contacts in) and I was in pain. It looked a little bit like your writing on the treadmill 😉
Haha I can only imagine what my handwriting would look like in that situation! It’s not very good to begin with.
I am currently a running coach – but have also been a swim coach. Those are likely the only two things I will ever coach. =)Craziest thing done while walking/running? I often listen to my Learn Mandarin podcasts while walking to the subway station. I often whisper the words and phrases under my breath, along with the podcast. This is fine for learning, but since we live in a city and I walk through a huge housing estate, there are always people around. I think I might be getting a reputation as “that weird white girl who’s always talking to herself”. It doesn’t help that I’m usually whispering things like, “Excuse me, where is the bathroom?” and “I would like noodles.” and “Can you drive me to the airport, please?”
Oh man you whispering phrases under your breath is too funny. As if you don’t already stick out, right? 😉 At least you will know what people are saying about you when they talk about you in Mandarin right in front of you.
I am so glad to see I’m not the only one who does stuff like that on the treadmill. If I have to do speedwork on the treadmill, I need to write down my interval times, and I usually use the notepad app on my phone. I have wobbled plenty of times, but never actually fallen off. 😉
Glad I am not alone! 🙂 If I don’t get better at writing while running I will surely fall off at some point.
I used to coach little kids in soccer..it was a hilarious mess. Sometimes when I used to run intervals on treadmills, I would try to do math for my sets and I would get confused…it would keep me occupied for miles, ha.
I love little kid soccer! It’s like a flock of geese or ducks chasing a ball. I would have a really hard time calculating splits during intervals on a treadmill!