Happy Easter! - Week #6 Comes to an End

WELCOME to Sunday!!  Today is many things - Easter, End of Week #6, measurments and Rest Day in the training program.  What a week.  This week's training sessions increased in mileage. Instead of 2-mile Run/Walk days, this week included 3-mile Run/Walk training days.  One would think that by just adding another mile it wouldn't make a difference to the rountine, but as I learned this week, another mile can make all the difference in the world.

Another mile will not only increase my running indurance, but it also means an increase in the my overall workout time.  Instead of a 45 minute workout routine, (2-mile Run/Walk), the workouts have increased to about 60 minutes.  For some of us who are already on a tight schedule, adding more workout time means a change in the daily routine.  Prior to this week, I would wake up around 4:30am to get ready for my daily workouts.  By the time I hit the treadmil, it was approximately 4:45am.  This allowed me 45 minutes to workout plus time to finished getting ready for work, get Ben ready for school, and get out the door by 7:00am each morning.  It's definitely been an adjustment this week with trying to find that "happy medium" with adding another 15 minutes to my morning workout schedule. 

The additional mile and running time has also increased my level of soreness.  I noticed in the early days of the week, a few more aches in my calves and feet.  By the time Friday rolled around, the daily soreness had decreased to minor soreness that passed within a few hours after the workout. 

The next hurdle in the weekly workouts is a 5-mile Run/Walk at the end of each week. Last Saturday, I ran into issues with my legs at the 4 mile mark and wasn't able to finish the 5 miles.  This week I was determined to complete the 5 miles.  In fear that my workout time on Saturday would be interupted by my son's baseball tournament, I decide to do the 5-mile run on Friday afternoon.  I was nervous about this run all day and worried that my legs would not hold up.   The good news - I was able to complete the 5-mile Run/Walk.  I would be lying if I said it was easy.  I definitely was wiped out after the 5 miles and my calves and buttocks areas were really sore.  After the 5-mile workout, I stretched for anohter 10 minutes to keep my muscles from getting tight.   I was able to complete the 5 miles in 90 minutes which gave me a 18 minute/mile pace.  I'm excited that I stayed within my minute/mile pace time.  Now  the goal is to just keep working on increasing my indurance and the ability to keep doing this each week- especially since my Saturday workout will increase to a 6-mile Run/Walk in the next 3 weeks.  

Week #7 workouts remail the same as Week #6.
Monday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
Tuesday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Wednesday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
                                       Saturday - Run/Walk (5 miles)
                                       Sunday - Rest Day

After 6 weeks of my workout routine, I thought it would be a good time to see how I'm doing on my inches and weight loss.  To date - I've lost 12 lbs and 8.75 inches.  For my body inches, I measured everything from my ankles, waist, hips, bust, biceps, etc during Week #1 of my workout plan.  I lost almost 2 full dress sizes in the first 2 weeks of the workout plan. I can only guess that my body fat is turning into muscle and can only hope that the weight and inches will continue to disappear over the next couple of weeks.  The next body measurement will be the end of May. 

Since today is also a Rest Day, I'm going to enjoy the day by spending the holiday enjoying my family and snacking on a small chocolate bunny.  Tomorrow brings a whole new week and tough workout schedule.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday!.

Happy Running!