the week 9 recap.

this week i upped the ante and added my 5th day a week of training. this week is always a bit of a learning curve and a week of adjustments. i am almost always more tired this week and have to relearn the balance of sleep. i am also always hungry this week, and it major league kicked in on friday! this one was no different.

monday~4-5 miles
5.12 miles =52 minutess/10:09 min/mile 

i met up with my runner group on monday for another hot one! now i know that i say hot, but i really mean it. when we started it was about 104 degrees and right about the same when we finished. this week though, it did feel a little cooler! we gather at absolute nutrition on stephanie and 215 to head up paseo verde and back. this is actually a pretty tough route. it is a hill straight up to green valley parkway where you turn and head up .15ish to make it an even 5 miles. i have found a runner partner that keeps about the same pace, plus there is no way i can keep up with the 7 min/mile guys in the front. i am perfectly fine with my 10 min/mile in the back:) there was only 3 of us this week but we were hoping that people are going to start training for the las vegas marathon soon so we can have a bigger group!

tuesday~5 miles
4.22 miles =41:26 minutes/9:49 min/mile

funny that i think this is a cool morning.

i scored a rare semi-cool morning so i took full advantage! according to the training plan i was supposed to do 5 miles for my long run this week. but after doing just a hair over 5 monday night my right hip flexor was giving me some serious issues. i decided to keep it easy and just do 4 miles. finally after about 3 miles it loosened up and i might have been able to push the extra mile, but i didnt want to push too far. 4 felt good and the temperature was great!

wednesday~6am spin/eliptical
6 am spin class

i love spin! i really do. i found the greatest spin teacher in my very 1st training cycle and went religiously every tuesday evening. then she decided to go teach at unlv because it was full time instead. ever since i have struggled to find another good one. heather was great because she seriously kicked your ass in an hour but didnt yell and scream at you the whole time. she made you push ridiculously hard and the best part was watching the little teenie boopers that thought they were so cool to take a spin class drop out before class was over because she was hardcore:) i went completely without spin my last training cycle and was determined to find one this go around. the biggest problem i was running into was the times class were scheduled, they just didnt fit in. so i decided to try a class on wednesday morning even though i didnt start work till 11a that day. it was pretty good, it will do for now. best part was the 2 hour nap i scored after i was finished! i came home, drank a special k protein shake (best post workout fuel!), took a shower, and crashed hard for 2 hours. i woke up totally refreshed and ready for work.

thursday~body pump
body pump=1 hour head to toe workout

after my entertaining class with my dad last week i returned to my usual class this week. the last few times it hasnt been very full, this week it was packed! and we got a new release which meant new music. this release is friggin tough! i upped my weight a little bit, but this one made me sore the rest of the day. it was a good sore, like a "i worked hard for this one and its good to push myself in cross training a little bit" sore. by going to this particular class at 6am i have also worked a post workout 1/2 hour power nap into thursday mornings. seriously, this is where its at!

friday~4 miles
5.2 miles =49:35 minutes/9:32 min/mile

my new toy:)

this run felt really good! with my 2 days of cross training it gave the runner side of me a few days off and time to recover while still working my butt off. wednesday i went to rei (my new love)and finally bought myself a water bottle. i have been carrying a regular bottle all summer during my runs because its so hot but havent been super happy with having to actually carry it. i considered the belt, but couldnt convince myself for 2 reasons:
1. i didnt want it to bounce around on my butt with the bottle
2. i didnt want to look fat. i wont lie, it was a big reason. im such a girl:/

so i have been looking into other options and reading other blogs about what they use and finally decided on the amphipod water bottle for $19.50+ tax. it is seriously soooo comfortable and light. it also has a great little pocket that could fit a gu pack, or keys, or in my case an ipod perfectly. frees up your other hand and doesnt make you unbalanced. my only suggestion is do not fill it with ice and water. my hand was tingly for about the 1st 1.5 miles because the bottle was so cold! but the water was so good, i might have to play around till i find a solution.

saturday~rest

sunday~rest

total for the week = 14.54 miles + 2 days of cross training.

this was a great training week. i added my 5th day with ease and relearned my sleep/food balance that always happens right around this time. my long run was super easy this week since i have already been there for a few weeks:) its a major confidence booster and makes me ready to take on my next weeks training!

62 days till the five cities 1/2 marathon!!