Running on the Sunny Side of the Street

What a difference a week makes! Last week, I wrote about relentless rain and gray skies, about sucking it up and getting outside even though conditions were less than optimal. And then....the sun returned. This time of year, seeing the sun is a gift. We were so fortunate since this week we had sunny skies almost every day.

With a race coming up on Saturday, you know I watched that forecast closely. While I'm saving my race recap for Tuesday, I'll share that we had near perfect running conditions for the half marathon, which made for a near perfect run! This runner is thankful.

So how was my week of training?

Running:
While I took today (Sunday) as a post-race rest day, I got in 4 quality runs this week. On Monday and Wednesday, I had a goal of pushing those run/walk intervals from my usual 4:1 ratio to a 9:1 ratio. I was pleased to be able to do that on both runs without sacrificing pace. Wednesday's run was 6 miles and I was tired at the end. That run showed me that my longer intervals were not yet ready for prime time. Still, I found this progress really encouraging!

On Thanksgiving, since it was race week, instead of my usual Thursday speedwork, I decided to take my legs on an easy 4 miler around the 'hood. That was a challenge for me. I take my RA meds on Wednesday night and this week, I felt pretty sick on Thursday. I don't always feel crummy the day after my meds, but if I do, I can usually push through that feeling. It's like having a hangover from a night of partying. This week, apparently I had a little too much fun at the party. Ha! I wish. Anyhoo, I did about 3 miles before calling it quits and heading to the couch until we had to leave for dinner at my sister's house.

Saturday was race day and I felt pretty much back to normal. With a 9:15 am start, I was able to take my time getting ready for the race. If you follow me on social media, you know I had my best half marathon of the year, finishing the race in 2:07:21. I'm still smiling, by the way....

CrossFit:
With Thanksgiving on Thursday, we only had one session at CrossFit this week. Coach Kate didn't go easy on us with a Tabata workout in 8 rounds of 5 activities: Row, Thrusters, Burpees, Push Press, and AbMat situps. When Steph texted me the next day to ask if I was sore, I told her no. But come Thursday, not only was I feeling the effects of my RA meds, I had DOMS.

Even with no weights, the 35# barbell made 8 rounds of these thrusters a challenge!

Ab Mat sit ups. Repeat x 8 rounds.

Yoga:
I continue to do my yoga recovery workouts at home. Now that I'm done training for anything, I need to get myself back to the studio for some classes.

This warrior caught the sunrise on Wednesday's run!

I won't lie, it feels good to just sit on the couch this morning, drinking coffee, and writing this recap! I'm looking forward to scaling back the miles for the next couple of weeks until I start training again for a winter half marathon. I'm starting to think about 2018. How about you?

How was your week? Any turkey trots? Don't you agree that running in the sun feels so much easier? Are you planning your races for 2018?

I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap!