Aesthete Runner

The last Trail Tuesday of August! If you read my last post, you know that I spent a lot of time on the trail this past week and it certainly made for a beautiful long run. I enjoyed the early morning hours on the trail and did not reach for my bluetooth headset once as nature provides the best soundtrack imaginable. Some of the trees are starting to change...almost time for fall! Sun coming up Overlook from the trail Lone egret

Lucky number 13...well not exactly, but it was a good training week overall. It was another high volume week with the tempo run going up to 9 miles as well as my second 16 mile long run. Here was the plan for the week: Monday: 7 miles easy  Rest Tuesday: Strength - 3 X 2 miles with 800m recovery Wednesday: Rest Thursday: 9 miles Tempo Friday: 6 miles easy Saturday:  6 miles easy Sunday: 16 miles long The only day I missed this week was Monday, and that was due to working a half a day and heading downtown to catch my favorite band Pearl Jam play at Wrigley field. While the walking I did around Chicago was hardly 7 miles, at least my rest day was spent being active and having fun. The day off was a nice break and I felt great on Tuesday for my strength workout. I could have very easily taken Tuesday off as well due to poor sleep and nutrition, but while my husband came home and slept for several hours, I headed off to do my strength workout. Now if that is not dedication, I don

I really enjoyed the Olympics more this year than any previous summer Olympics and I think it is due to the many inspiring stories that occurred over the two week games. While there are so many, here are my favorites within the Track & Field sport. Sarah Attar: Running for Saudi Arabia in the women's marathon, Sarah Attar is a runner for Oiselle that I have followed since 2012 when she ran in London. Besides her beautiful photography that I follow on Instagram, she is best known as the first female runner that Saudi Arabia has sent to the Olympics. She was especially inspirational to me this year as she finished in second to last place yet she was still satisfied with her accomplishment and achieved a personal best. Despite knowing she would not receive a medal for her country, she took in the experience and enjoyed the race, often providing words of support to other runners who were struggling in the heat. She may not have won a medal, but she definitely embodies a heart

It is not Tuesday, but here is your weekly trail fix for the week and it is a stormy one! Personally I love being out on the trails right before/during a storm because it is often deserted and it feels like I have the trail all to myself. It can be a lot of fun as long as you are safe! 6 miles in and the storm hit Sunlight through the clouds Beautiful sky after the storm

This was my highest mileage week so far and it really brought the cumulative fatigue! Here was my plan for the week: Monday: 5 miles easy Tuesday: Strength - 4 X 1.5 miles with 800m recovery Wednesday: Rest Thursday: 9  8 miles tempo Friday: 5 miles easy Saturday: 8 miles easy Sunday: 10 miles long This felt like the first week in so long where I was able to get every workout in, hence being the highest mileage week so far. The only adjustment I made this week was running an 8 mile tempo instead of 9, and that was due to missing the tempo run the previous week. With strength workouts increasing at the same time as the tempos, this made for an exhausting week of running. Thankfully the hot temperatures that started the week ended up with a cool weekend that made the long run feel easier than the past several. Tempo: It always felt like the weather wanted to throw the hottest temps at me on Thursdays and I was nervous moving up to 9 miles because I had not run

I enjoyed some spectacular moments on the trails over the past week. Waking up early on the weekend is never something I enjoy, but nature sure is amazing as the sun is coming up. While the rest of the world is still likely sleeping, there is a peaceful and serene feeling to be out on the trail before everyone else. Herons and Egrets everywhere! Sun coming up over the field I see you! Three deer munching on their breakfast Early morning mist  Amazing clouds Ducks swimming on the flooded baseball diamond

When I pull out my Hansons book (which is always near by), it is amazing and a bit scary to be on page 2 of the two page plan already! Week 11 was exhausting and really showcases the cumulative fatigue effect the plan is known for. Here is what week 11 looked like for me: Monday: 5 miles easy Tuesday: Strength - 6 X 1 mile, 400 recovery Wednesday: Rest Thursday: 8 miles Tempo  Cross training Friday: 5 miles easy Saturday: 8 miles easy Sunday: 16 miles long Still not a perfect week in terms of completing all of the runs, but pretty darn close. I am not happy I had to miss the tempo run as Tuesdays and Thursdays are really the core of the plan, but the temps were in the high 90's with 90% humidity and I know that it would have done more damage than good to try and force myself to complete the run. Strength: Week 11 is when the strength runs start, and these are runs that are completed at 10 seconds faster than your race pace. Strength workouts are still difficult but

I was only out on the trail once this past week, but I more than made up for it with the beautiful Michigan scenery. While this is not a true "trail" post, I think the beauty that is Lake Michigan speaks for itself! The tree cover during my hot tempo run was much appreciated Warren Dunes State Park View from the top of the dune..that sky and water are perfection View from the top of the dune Sunset at Silver Lake Beach

I did not title this post "Hansons Week 11" since this week was a scheduled rest week and I did not follow week 11 of the Hansons plan. I always build a few extra weeks into my training plan to account for injury, sickness, and vacation. True, I could certainly run on vacation, and I have on many occasions, however I find that my annual camping trip to Michigan usually falls around the time I really need a break from training. I take the time to physically and mentally break from all things running and simply enjoy time with my family doing other activities. Here was my training plan for the week: Monday: 7 miles easy Tuesday: 8 miles tempo Wednesday: Rest Thursday: Speedwork - 4 X 1200m with 400 recovery Friday: Strength training Saturday: Rest Sunday: Rest I still focused on the two most important workouts - tempo and speedwork. I had been behind on each by a week, so I was glad I could "catch up" again and be exactly where I should be around week 10.

First Trail Tuesday of the Month! Unfortunately many of the trails around here have been flooded due to the heavy rainfall, but sometimes this forces me to run off trail and I really appreciate exploring. The first picture is of the flooded trail, while the second picture was a spot I found by having to run off trail.