Fall weather has arrived and I couldn’t be more ready. Actually it’s not even really “fall” because it’s still pretty warm out during the day. The mornings are prefect for running and most days have been sunny and clear, not too hot and not too cold. For someone who is always complaining about the weather, it’s nice when these perfect weeks roll around! I’m definitively embracing fall this year and hope this weather lasts a little longer.
Running was pretty much the usual this week. I did end up on the treadmill on Wednesday morning because it was raining. By the time I was done the sun came out and we were able to get outside for a walk a little later. I’ve really been trying to take advantage of getting out with the stroller since most of my solo runs are in the darkness. At this point I’ve pretty much decided not to train for anything else in 2019 and will be running just to run…which I actually really like. I think I just got caught up in the excitement of being back to racing.
Speaking of racing excitement, this was a pretty inspiring race weekend. With some big races lately, 2 hours being broken in the marathon, and a new women’s world marathon record, I’ll admit it’s tempting to want to set big goals and go for them right now. Hopefully by waiting I will just get more eager to race and won’t lose the motivation I’m feeling right now.
Weekly Run Down
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Strength Training
Wednesday: 4 Treadmill Miles
Thursday: 3 Stroller Miles
Friday: Strength Training
Saturday: 9.1 miles
Sunday: 4 stroller miles
Strength Training
I finished another phase of my strength training plan this week. Usually I request the next phase when I am in Week 5 but I forgot to do it until a little late, so I’m not sure when my next phase will be ready. So maybe this week I will take a little break or just do my own thing for strength workouts.
Long Run
My long run on Saturday felt really good! It was 50 degrees which was easier to adjust to than last week’s 44 degrees. I mixed things up a bit by running a 1 mile warm up followed by 1.5 miles hard and .5 miles easy 4 times to reach 9ish miles.
A few months ago I wrote about how I was feeling frustrated with my easy pace. I felt like my warm up mile was always slower than 10 minutes/mile and easy or moderate runs were slower than they used to be. Well I guess between the weather cooling off and my fitness coming back I finally feel like I am back to where I used to be, for the most part. Not every run feels great (which is to be expected) but most runs I am naturally starting out around a 9:30-9:45 and settle into a 9 minute mile pace or a little faster without feeling like it’s too hard. I don’t stare at my watch the whole time, or try to focus too much on paces if I’m not following a specific workout, so this is just what I’ve noticed when I look at my stats after a run.
Birthday Weekend
In other news, I turned 36 on Saturday! For the first time in awhile I was actually kind of excited for my birthday. After my run, I came home to Grayson wearing this shirt and the look on his face when he saw me wearing a headlamp was priceless. I got my nails done which was a nice treat and then we met my parents at a brewery and hung out at their house for dinner and cake.
I hope that wherever you are reading this from that you are enjoying some nice fall weather too!
Do you prefer training for a race or running just to run?
How as the weather been for you?
What’s your favorite way to celebrate your birthday?
I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down!
Happy Birthday, Lisa!!
After spending the day at the marathon yesterday, I did get a little FOMO about racing. Not about running a marathon, tho, so that’s good! I miss being about to just jump into a long distance race–this year has certainly been about adjusting my mindset! I do like just running, tho. It feels good to not worry about pace. Ok, I still do… :p
Thank you! I think its really hard to completely not care about pace. Even if you have accepted that it doesn’t matter, if you still wear a watch how can you completely ignore it? This is the first time I have had the itch to do a marathon in awhile. We’ll see if the feeling lasts.
Happy Birthday! You son is so cute! That is an awesome shirt. We are having nice fall weather here — I don’t have any races on my calendar — I am waiting to see how I feel once I am able to run again.
Thanks! Its probably a good plan to see how you feel once you are running again. You dont want to push it as you are starting up again!
Happy Birthday! Looks like you had a great day. I enjoy training for a race but also enjoy running for fun. There have been a few times where I’ve felt burnt out from running and so running for fun what exactly what I needed. Fall is here but is is cold. Too early for that.
It can be really nice to run for fun sometimes, especially after doing back to back races for awhile!
Happy Birthday 😉 What an awesome “welcome back home from your run” to have Grayson in the shirt and all smiles…what a cutie! This morning the temps were 32F…not warm, but pleasant because there was NO wind (for the first time in like a month LOL)
It was the best greeting after my run! It really got cold fast for you. I think the wind is the worst part about winter running!
I agree with you – there is something really nice about just running to run! And yes so inspiring about this weekend’s races!
I really like a mix of doing races once in awhile but then also taking some time to just run for fun…even if its just for a couple of weeks.
Happy Birthday Lisa! I love the shirt that Grayson was wearing – so cute!
This weekend was an amazing running weekend – so much inspiration and the best part is that the two runners that set records looked like they were having fun while smashing records, lol.
Thank you! Yes, I love how happy they seemed. That’s what its all about, right?!
Happy Birthday! I am enjoying running just for fun right now. I’ve toyed with the idea of a 2020 marathon but at this point I don’t feel like training for one so we’ll see.
Marathon training is such a huge commitment. I definitely need to really think through if I’m ready for all of that!
Happy belated birthday, Lisa! Grayson is so cute in his shirt celebrating you and I love how he’s looking at your headlamp!
Had I read this on Monday or Tuesday, I would have been embracing amazing fall weather, but it’s Wednesday and it’s been raining hard most of the day. I’m not complaining one bit, though, because we desperately need all the rain we can get at this point.
Thank you! I totally agree about the rain! Its been a long time since we had any rain like this. While I would prefer the cool, sunny days we also need days like this once in awhile!
Happy birthday!! I’m sure the cool weather made a big difference in your paces. I also found that post baby it was closer to the 1 year mark when I started to feel like myself with running. You’ve been running strong!
Thank you! Yea, I’d say I just started to really feel good recently but it wasn’t until after 6 months that I even felt back to normal at all (even though my paces were still much slower). I think once I stop breastfeeding it will be a little easier to get those runs in and hopefully I can start training/racing more.