Weekend workouts recap

After 3 days of workouts in Tucson, I think I could get used to this. Well, maybe not forever, but it is pretty sweet for now!

Friday
Run workout called for 3mi warm up, 10 x 1 kilometer reps at half marathon- 10k pace with 2 min jog, and ended with a 3mi cooldown. TJ hooked me up with a trail along the "river" (that rarely contains water). The wind often starts out from the South and will change direction through out the day. The purpose of this workout was to bring turnover to my stride and to get my legs to run faster than what my marathon pace will be in Houston. After a 3 mile warm up, it was rolling with wind for 8 of the 10 reps in order to make the most of the foot speed. I went for 2 reps into the wind to challenge the bod and for strength, running into the wind. You never know what the wind or conditions could be on race day. The 3 mile cool down following the 10 x 1k's was slow and easy, as I took in the Tucson sites and bikers on the trail. Workout mileage: 15 miles.

I topped of the first day of training with a swim at the University of Arizona's student rec center pool. As I walked into the rec center, I realized the pool was outside... and automatically had goosebumps. As I walked out onto the pool deck at 6:40pm, the sky was clear, the stars were shining, and the 12+ lane pool was lit up a glow. I realized after I jumped into the warm water, the hardest part of my night would be getting out of it into the cool air. The 40 minute swim was well worth the chills, as I realized- you can't beat swimming outside under the stars, on a Friday night in December.

Saturday
Recovery day! I ran my 6 miles easy, from TJ and Ashley's house on the nearby bike trail. Tucson is very dry, rocky, and dirt covered. It is a very biker-friendly city and it is hard to miss a paved bike path in most neighborhoods. Seeing various walkers, joggers, and bikers and hearing multiple "good mornings" and what I like to call, "endorphin waves" confrim a friendly and active community.  It was a great run to take in the scenery of Mt. Lemmon and the surrounding mountain ranges that seem to place Tucson in a valley.

Stretching, soaking the legs in the cold, outside pool at the house, going through core work and my favorite- Jane Fonda leg lift circuits completed my workout for my recovery day before the long miles on Sunday.

It is hard to remember it is 1 week from Christmas, when you are in a warmer climate but luckily, the neighbors threw a fun, ugly sweater party which we attended. It was a blast meeting this huge family that hosted the event and other neighbors in the area. They actually used the term "Tucsonians" after telling me about their 4 generations of family growing up here.

Sunday
Lace em up. It's long run day! Ashley and TJ took me to a local park in Tucson that has a ~3mi bike loop, surrounding a golf course, city zoo, and the spring training stadium (formerly for the Indians) that "Major Leauge" was actually filmed at.  TJ helped the first 16 miles go by farely quickly, with his intelligent facts and information on various topics... a couple loops were specifically about the food chain and what type of animal we would each be, based on our personalities and occupations.As a (soon to be) Physical Therapist, I was named a Kangaroo, for my care and protection of others. Ashley, the attorney was deamed an Owl and TJ, the professional triathlete gave himself the killer whale. How could a 24 mile run NOT go by fast, with all that talk?  Ashley and I completed our longest run of our training plan, under 3 hours and averaged 7:23 minutes/mile for the complete 24 mile run. The conditions were semi cloudy, ~55 degrees, and minimal wind. Again, without this girl and her hubby, I would most likely not be running that mileage- and obviously not running it here, in AZ.

After refueling with Chocolate milk (courtesy of TJ's gas station run) and oatmeal at the local The Good Egg breakfast and lunch joint, we came home to the pup and the rest of our recovery. Stretching, rolling out on foam rollers, compressing the legs using Normatek boots, and finally showering. The recovery process following workouts and long runs are just as important as the running itself and is very often overlooked. The amount of stress that your body goes through when running needs some TLC directly following, in order for you to properly recover and be as prepared as you can for the next day of training.

Well, in reward of our long run, we are off to enjoy Sushi and Gelato with some of A and TJ's friends. Enjoy the evening and the crazy warm temps that are circulating the country!
DK