Happy Monday y’all! I spent the weekend catching up on life, doing lots of trail running, and celebrating my dad’s 57th birthday yesterday. My mom, Will, and I took him to the horse track to watch some races, and I immediately learned that my technique for betting on horses based solely on their names was not a good one (Including Warlock Warrior. With a name like Warlock Warrior, you should not gas out on the last 350 meters! I bet he fails in battle against the warlocks, too!) Luckily, I’m not a gambler so I still, in fact, own all of my possessions! We followed the horse track up with some dinner and gifts. I got Dad a pair of hiking pants that he has been salivating over ever since he saw mine (the brand is Kuhl, if you’re curious), so he was quite the happy camper!
Other than my dad’s birthday, I’ve been feeling the freaking amazing benefits of becoming a sloth and taking 1.5 weeks off from exercise. Remember how my initial WOD back at CrossFit resulted in my first strict pull-up in 20 years?! My friends, the success continues! I decided to explore some trails around the lake that is by my new place, so I strapped on my shoes and my headphones and headed out on Saturday morning. I had no plan other than to log some miles, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that I was cruising along at a quick pace. I decided to ignore the watch, enjoy the views, and see where I ended up after 4 miles, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that I covered the 4 in 36:21, for a 9:05 pace. The run was progressive and on legit dirt trails, and I finished my last mile in 8:02! Yeaaaahhhhh buddy!
But guess what else? The goodness doesn’t stop there! Will and I were supposed to go trail running yesterday morning at Dakota Ridge, but after a few too many glasses of wine with Cindy and Craig on Saturday night, I decided that my early morning hours were better spent in bed so that I could be a fully functioning adult at my father’s birthday. I ended up taking Sunday as an off day (unless running alongside the horses at the track counts), so I was totally rested up for today’s CrossFit workout.
Since I only go to CrossFit three days/week, I tend to skip the running days since I do plenty of that on my own. However, I definitely suck at getting intervals in under my own esteem, so I headed to the gym, determined to conquer some speedy sprints. The kicker? Today is eleventy billion degrees out, and it was already 94 degrees at 9am!
After completing the push presses (new baseline of 90#!), we got to the workout. Honestly, I had no idea where my pace should be for these runs, but I figured I could push it a bit more than I usually do while running since there were rest breaks in between sets. In the end, my working time (subtracting the 6:00 of rest) was 17:36 for a 7:02 pace. I’ll take it!
You see, I’ve been meaning to do a one mile time trial for quite awhile, but haven’t motivated. After all, those suckers hurt! They did one at CrossFit about a month ago, but I missed that day and haven’t made it up. In my head, I was just hoping to get my mile time somewhere in the 7:XX range, and that would make me happy. However, after today’s workout, I think I could aim a little bit higher and eek out a mile somewhere in the 6:XX range. Sounds like I just threw a challenge down for myself, huh?! Regardless, I am quickly realizing the benefits of giving your body a flat-out break sometimes. I was all concerned about my recent down time, and near as I can tell, it made me a much healthier and stronger athlete!
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I wanted to give you guys a heads up about an awesome giveaway over at Active Junky! The winner will win a $600 camping gear setup thanks to companies such as Nemo, Tahoe Mountain Sports, and of course, AJ. Go enter!
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How often do you give yourself large chunks of rest?
Any recent running successes?
8 Comments
I CAN NOT TAKE THE CUTENESS.
Seriously- you guys kill me! 🙂
I took a week off from exercise when we moved across the country. It was kind of unplanned, and just happened that way. And then I took 5 weeks off from cardio (because of the training program I’m doing) which was REALLY hard. I guess it was good to do- but I’m slowly trying to build my cardio endurance back up. It’s crazy how quick you can lose it!
Yeah, there is definitely a fine line between “resting” and taking so much time off that it disappears.
Good for you! Progress is the best…
I really dont’ take any extended breaks from running, b/c I never tire of it. But other sports, like cycling, I will skip out on for months at a time.
Wow-your dad is young!
Ha, is he?! Both of my parents are 57. I’m 31, so I guess they had me in their mid-20s. He is finally getting a few gray hairs which my mom loves 🙂
Obviously I am all about the rest and I feel regular rest days are a must and large chunks of rest are necessary as well. Definitely after a big race, if I feel like I’m getting sick (or I’m already sick) or just when I feel burnt out! I also agree that sometimes family just comes first – if I go visit mine, I will run if I feel like it but it’s certainly not my priority. And when we go on our cruise in August, I do not plan on doing much sweating unless it’s extra hot by the pool!
I don’t often take off for long periods of time, but I’m thinking after our 130 mile backpacking trip next month I probably will!
Super cute pic. Now I’m curious what I could do a mile in. I hate timing them because they’re so short and you have to go so dang fast. Lol.
I wish I could get up the intensity and volume to earn that kind of a rest! I seem to vary between pretty active to fairly active 🙁