Weekly Workouts and a New Running Routine 11/2-11/9

On Friday, I got an e-mail informing me that my one-year domain name registration was set to expire in a month. I was confused at first, since when I moved to my self-hosted website I registered with my hosting service for two years, not one. But then I remembered, back to last December, when I wrote my first post and wasn’t sure if the whole blogging thing was going to be a passing whim or an enduring part of my life. Here were are, 11 months and a few days in, so I guess the answer is clear! I’ll be writing a one-year mark reflection when the time comes, and look out this week for a sharing of my very first recipe for a Pumpkin Poufflé. In the meantime, on to my weekly workouts and a new running routine!

 

Wandering by Alice in Central Park

 

 

When I got that email and renewed my domain, I also started scrolling through my backlog of posts (as one does) and realized that even though I’ve been running and racing, I haven’t done a Weekly Workouts post since the end of August! I did them all summer before the bar exam, probably since there wasn’t a whole lot else exciting to share with you all during that time 🙂 But life’s been such a whirlwind since, with travels to England and California and Nashville, starting my new job in NYC, completing a few more of my 9+1 races including the Poland Springs 5M Marathon Kickoff and Dash to the Finish 5K, and catching up with friends I didn’t see during the long and wonderful post-bar period of summer. 

 

 

Running in Hyde Park in August with two dear friends

 

 

I raced the Dumbo Double Dare and the Pamby Half Marathon in my Connecticut hometown, but was in a bit of a running rut. I didn’t have any particular goals, because I was going to be all over the place and not able to stick to a training plan. Plus, I’ve never done a training plan! But now that I’ve started working I want more of a running routine. I want to cross the finish line at the NYC Marathon next autumn and I need to figure out what works best for me before finding the best training plan next spring. I started going to November Project workouts once a week again, and I am running two half marathons in January that I want to set goals for and actually “race.” So with that in mind:

 

Monday 11/2: Rest day (6 miles of walking)

Tuesday 11/3: 5 mile run (+ 5 miles of walking)

Wednesday 11/4: 4 mile run to/at November Project (+ 5 miles of walking)

Thursday 11/5: 4 mile run – 1.5 miles, 1 mile of intervals, 1.5 miles (+ 7 miles of walking)

Friday 11/6: Rest day (5 miles of walking)

Saturday 11/7: 8 miles running (+ 4 miles of walking)

Sunday 11/8: 6 mile easy run (+ 6 miles of walking)

 

I plan to run Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, with a long run Saturday and recovery run Sunday. Although I would rather not consistently be running 3 days in a row because I’m injury-prone, I’m a working girl now and I do not have time to do a long run during the week (unless I wake up before 5am, where this self-professed early bird draws the line!) Some weeks I’ll do 4 days rather than 5, and a lot revolves around my commitment to going to November Project workouts. This week was PR day, so it was only running, but usually it’s strength and conditioning mixed in. I need that, and I also want to keep showing up and being social. But if I were to do 4 days instead of 5 Wednesday is the obvious day off. My tentative plan is to go 3 Wednesdays a month.

 

The 5:28am NP Crew

 

 

I haven’t explicitly shared my total movement each day before, but it’s important. I walk to and from work, about 2 miles each way. Getting there by subway is annoying and takes 5-10 minutes less than walking. Between commuting and walking around the office (easily 1-2 miles) I am walking 5-6 miles even on a “total rest” day. It’s the same on the weekends, running errands, going out to eat, and visiting friends all over the city. I stretch before and after each run, but need to focus on different areas than in the past, like my back. What with walking and also sitting more than I ever have, I’m already getting stiff. My foam roller and I are becoming best buddies.

 

 

 

 

I’m settling into my weekday routine after three weeks at work. I wake up between 5:45-6:30. If I’m running, Tuesdays and Thursdays it’s 5:45 so I can be out the door at 6, back by 6:50/7, showered and dressed and off by 7:30 and at my office a little after 8am. Wednesdays are later because November Project is at 6:28am and I can get there in 10 minutes (although this week I went to my first 5:28am workout and in order to keep going, I may alternate with that one – I can wake up at 5:08 and get there on time). Mondays and Fridays, I could really sleep in even a little later but once you start getting up consistently at a certain time it’s tough. On weekends I “sleep in” until 8am but beyond that doesn’t happen anymore. At least daylight savings means it isn’t dark for my entire morning run.

 

Sunrise on the Great Lawn in Central Park

 

I’ve been lucky to have relatively consistent hours at work, from 8/8:30am to 5:30/6pm. I’ll expect some weekend and evening work to start coming after my first month but in an incredible stroke of luck for a young associate at a New York law firm, my particular area allows you to do a lot of that remotely so I can still do my own thing for weekday dinners and on weekends. I’ve spent many evenings after work going to dinner and catching up with friends I didn’t see all summer. On Thursday evening, I went to Sidecar at P.J. Clarke’s with a good friend from NP. I’ve been to the bar many times but never the quieter, slightly classier upstairs, and dinner did not disappoint, especially the sweet potato fries (I ordered scallops and veggies, then stole her entire bucket of fries – but she also had tater tots, so all was well). 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the eating out has meant a few flare ups of the stomach pain I now know is likely from colitis. I’ve continued to limit most grains and dairy – if I have one Greek yogurt that’s my dairy for the day, or one oatmeal bake or a few oat muffins and none for the next few days. However, it is so hard to know at restaurants. I can tell them about my allergies and order only “safe” foods but you never truly know. And eating out is the way young people socialize in NYC, whether it’s weekend brunch after a run or going out after work – I don’t want to miss out. I just have to continue to be really careful going forward. And with that, happy running and eating!

 

 

Sunrise over the East River

 

 

 

 

[Tweet “Settling into a workout routine #running #weeklyworkouts #bgbcommunity”]

 

 

 

Do you prefer to get into a workout routine or mix it up each week?

 

Have training plans worked best for you when preparing for a race?

 

Dining out with allergies: discuss!

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

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