This week I was off from work, with no vacation plans. So it was staycation 2021! Rob was off as well, and we had considered keeping Grayson home a few of the days but since he had missed so much time from being sick we sent him on his usual days. This allowed us to get a lot done around the house and do some relaxing as well!
It was a really solid week of running. Not really much of a surprise there, since being off from work means less stress and more time to run and do all the other little things (like get enough sleep!) I was able to lift after my harder runs which meant I could keep my easy days really easy, plus I got my long run done on Friday. Always nice when that works out!
Training Week 8: Staycation 2021
Monday: 6 Easy Miles with 6 x 30 Second Strides + Strength Training
I started out the week with an easy run, but added some strides at the end. Even though I was off I wanted to get this done early. I had lots to do throughout the day! I cleaned out the entire upstairs of the house…all my clothes, all Grayson’s clothes, and our spare bedroom. Then I read outside for a bit, prepped dinner, and lifted weights. A very productive day!
Tuesday: 4 Easy Staycation Stroller Miles
We went to the park in the morning to run on the path and of course play on the playground. We all made it two miles and then the boys went to play while I kept running. My legs were so sore from lifting the night before! I thought it would be better to lift at night rather than right before my run (which also meant I could sleep a little later) but I think it just gave more time for the DOMS to set in.
Wednesday: 7 Miles with 2 x 15 Minutes Threshold + Strength Training
Hard workout day! Last week I did 3 x 10 mins at threshold, this week it was 2 x 15. Same amount of time, with less breaks. I hit my goals, although I will say I ran less hills than last week. The foxes have seemed to chill out for now so I’m venturing back to my flatter roads a bit again.
A little later in the morning I did my strength work. I like the idea of lifting the same day as a harder run, but logistically it doesn’t usually work with my schedule. Since I had more time this week I figured I would try it out this week. I also don’t like to lift the day before my long run, and since I was doing that on Friday it was good to lift on Wednesday.
Thursday: 3.6 Trail Miles
This was going to be my super easy day, which just a few miles. After dropping off Grayson I drove to a nearby trail. I took a different path which was very narrow and had lots of rock and turns and a few steep sections. My pace was nice and slow, but it wasn’t as easy as I would have liked.
It got awkward when I was about .25 miles from where I was going to turn around, and I saw some people up ahead. One guys was over to the side taking pictures. I was able to pass him. But the 2 other walkers ahead were on the trail and there was no way to get by without asking them to move over. There really wasn’t anywhere for them to go with trees on both sides of us. Instead of trying to pass them, and then having to do it again so soon, I turned around early. I went back to the main path and finished up my run there, which is much wider and easier to run on.
Friday: 15.3 Miles
I decided to would drive to a different trail for my long run since it would be shaded and flat and I wouldn’t have to think about where to go. I waited until Grayson got up, helped Rob get him ready for the day, and left the house around 6:40. The trail is about 25 minutes away and I missed a turn, so it was around 7:10 when I got there.
That morning as I was getting my hydration pack ready I realized I had torn a hole in it from freezing ice awkwardly. It was high up so I tried taping it but also threw my smaller bottles for the front pockets into my bag just in case. When I got to the trail the pack had already started leaking, so I poured the water into the smaller bottles instead. Less water, but not worth having a leaky pack the whole time!
Mentally, this was a tough run. I had been nervous leading up to it (not sure why) and the later start made it harder for me. All the miles look the same, and I’m used to lots of turns and hills. I tried to just zone out and listen to my podcasts. The good news is that my splits were pretty even, slightly faster at the end. I pushed it a little during the last few miles and finished feeling strong, despite the mental challenges. By the end I was just glad to be done because it was almost 10 am and getting really hot out! I stopped at Panera for a smoothie before heading home to enjoy a staycation Friday.
Saturday: Staycation Rest Day
It’s kind of nice to take a rest day after a long run. Before having Grayson I used to make Sunday my rest day and do my long run on Saturday. But now I need to take advantage of having more time to run on the weekends plus its a nice little family tradition to do a stroller run on Sunday. We did get out for a walk in the morning!
Sunday: 3.7 Stroller Miles (Planned)
In keeping with our Sunday tradition, I’m planning to drag everyone out for a run on our last day of staycation.
8 weeks down, 8 to go! This is where the fun really starts. It’s really just 5-6 weeks until the taper, which is kind of crazy to think about.
In other news, did you watch the Olympic Marathon? Wow, what a race!! I loved seeing Molly’s note from 4th grade that she wanted to win a medal in the Olympics. After only running 2 other marathons she made it look easy, even in tough weather conditions. So amazing!
You can find my other weeks of training here:
Closing Out July (Training Week 7)
Lower Mileage and Lower Temps (Training Week 6)
Runstock 2021 (Training Week 5)
Focus on Effort (Training Week 4)
Making Adjustments for Heat (Training Week 3)
Training for a Fall Race: Start Where You Are (Training Weeks 1 and 2)
How were your workouts last week?
When you have more time during the week do you run in new places? Change up your routine?
Do you prefer to lift and run hard on the same day or alternate?
Have you ever taken a staycation?
I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down!
I am so glad that you were able to have a few days off to yourself. It is so important to have some me time especially as a mom w young kids. I do not lift on the same day as my long run. I find my form suffers if I do that and it takes me too long to recover. It took me a while to find a schedule that works for me. Have a great week ahead!
It was really nice to have some time to ourselves! It’s interesting how everyone responds to workouts differently. I’ll be back to my easy runs and lifts on the same days this week!
The best staycation I took was after my son started college, because we were very intentional about making it special and doing fun things. Otherwise I tend to do chores and watch TV – relaxing but not as fun! It sounds like you had a good balance of rest and being productive. Way to go on that long run!
Thanks! I went into the week with a bunch of things I wanted to get done, and I did accomplish those. I also got to go out to lunch with my husband a few times which was really nice!
A great week of running (and sleeping, hooray!) and some strong work – well done! I’ve been watching our catch-up programme on the Olympics every night but they don’t really feature people other than UK ones which is annoying (we only realised everyone does this when we were in France one Olympics and saw So Much Handball on TV!).
Oh that’s so interesting! I hope you can catch some more of the events!
Nice week! Lots-o-miles 😉 I think it’s a great strategy doing the heavy lifting on the same days as a run. I’ve been trying to incorporate my hilly bike rides on the same day as my #5at5 runs. Neither are especially overly-strenuous, but doing both on the same day frees up an extra day that I can go lightly (upper-body strength or walking) on my legs. It’s worked well for me, but has probably garnered a few eye-rolls LOL
It is nice to be able to make a couple days a week surer easy. Doesn’t usually work out with my schedule though, so I’ll have to go back to my old ways this week!
I’m so glad you got that long run done in spite of the water bladder glitch. Do you have to buy a new one?
I don’t mind strength the day before a run. It’s so odd, but I feel like I run better, if that makes sense? Not at all, lol
I am planning to get a new water bladder. It looks like they’re around $20-$30 so not the end of the world. My vest also has front pockets for smaller bottles, but I like having something bigger for the summer.
I know what you mean about feeling good running after strength! If my body is sore in the right places I feel like I run better. Although its tricky because if I lift too heavy my legs can feel slower.
Sounds like your staycation was a great success and it’s awesome that Rob was home as well!
So glad that you were able to take a full rest day on Saturday. It’s always nice when you can get your long run done during the week and have more free time on the weekend 🙂
I love being able to get the long run done on a Friday! Its so hard to do that most weeks as my long runs are getting longer.
So now all you have to do is quit your job and become a professional runner- then all your weeks could be like this, ha ha.
I’m glad you enjoyed your staycation! Sounds like you really made the most of the week.
Hahah! You must have read my mind because that’s sort of related to what my Wednesday post will be about. (No, I’m not quitting my job lol).
Thanks!
A staycation without the kiddo sounds pretty productive and also relaxing!
Great job sticking with that long run despite the snafus. I have a similar hydration pack and didn’t think it could be punctured with ice! Craziness.
I was so surprised too! It was pretty good quality and thicker than the other hydration packs I’ve had.
Your staycation sounds like just the break you needed! I like to lift heavy the day before a rest day. I loathe running on dead legs, although sometimes it is necessary.
I don’t mind doing an easy run on tired legs. And I actually like the feeling of my legs being a little sore, but it definitely makes it harder to run well. Its a tough balance. Most weeks I have no other choice than to lift the day before runs.
What a nice week that you got to stay home! Bummer about the hydration pack. Are you going to get a new one? I am too lazy to drive to a new place for running so that is why I run close to where I live. However, in a few weeks I am planning to go to the lakefront.
I am going to get a new bladder part for my hydration pack. I can buy that separately from the rest of the pack which is good. I usually run from home too- it saves so much time!
Staycations can be great! We live in a town where we can play tourist (I won’t cook on staycation LOL!), so that’s always fun. I’m glad you got the break.
If I have extra time, I do love trying out new routes. It makes running so much more pleasant.
We did go out for a few meals which was a nice change! I don’t mind cooking when I have time (and someone else to keep Grayson entertained!)
We really haven’t had a staycation or a vacation in a very long time, but we do take our occasional day trips, which are always really nice!
I think it was really wise to keep Grayson in school — for all of you!
One of the benefits of not training for anything — I’m actually happy about that, because this summer was just nuts — is I’m not putting in a lot of miles, so most of the time I do try to do ST later in the day on a run day, even a long run day.
Sounds like you had a productive staycation in a lot of different ways!
Day trips are nice! We really haven’t gone anywhere since January 2020. Its so hard because flying with a toddler who is a supposed to wear a mask sounds stressful, plus he gets carsick. So I am happy staying put a while longer, especially as the numbers are going up!
Looks like you made the most of your staycation! Great week of runs! And, how nice that your husband had the week off as well.
Nice job with your Friday long run. I love the idea of getting it done on a Friday and then having the whole weekend open – too bad working gets in the way LOL
It was a great week! Yes, getting a long run done on Friday is so nice.
So nice you had a week off – even if it was a staycation – and were able to plan your days a little more leisurely.
I am taking next week off, also a staycation and am looking forward to the same approach of my days. 🙂
Hope you have a great week off! Staycations are so nice because you don’t need to deal with packing/unpacking or jet lag!