Weekly Training Update: 2/24-3/2

There's two choices when it comes to training: Complain or conquer.

Complain that it's cold out, complain that there's still ice on the path. Complain that pace is suffering, ego knocked. Or you can conquer. Conquer a workout, conquer the negative voices. Conquer the snow, conquer the doubts.

This week, I did a little bit of both. I conquered the tempo run. I sucked it up, got my head together and pushed through my negative split run.

But I complained. I was not a fan of the new on Sunday and the way it made my legs and head feel. I was not a fan of the cold and outdoor ventures requiring two pairs of socks. I was frustrated, again, that early morning workouts are not happening as Miles' wakeup time creeps earlier and early. (Hello, 4:30 a.m. today.)

Here's how it shook out:

Monday, February 24
REST | Cincinnati
I had hoped to try a group fitness class in Cincinnati but child care fell through, and I was tired.

Tuesday, February 25
RUN | 6.5 miles, negative split
After returning from Cincinnati and dropping off Miles at daycare, I had the rare opportunity to run in the afternoon outside. Even if it was cold (the high teens), there was no snow and I couldn't pass up the chance. The goal of this workout was to run each 2-mile block faster than the previous. My plan was start at 9:30 and hit 9:15 for the second block and 9:00 for the third. When I hit 9:15 for the first mile, I knew I was in trouble and would have to really lock it down to make it through. I ended up around a 9:20 average for the first block and 9:00 for the second. The fifth mile was an 8:45 and the sixth was 8:07.  I was really pushing it at the end, afraid to not nail the workout, and ended up gassing myself.

Wednesday, February 26
RUN | 3 miles + 8 strides
Strides are fun and a great way to add mileage but I need to plan for it. I didn't expect to hit 4 total miles for the run, and I was late hitting the showers at the Y.

CROSS TRAINING | Bodypump
Participation was at an all-time low - none. I was a bit disappointed to say the least but opted to do the workout solo. I had a bit of company from a familiar face - a beefy and friendly guy - who wanted to use the group ex room to jump rope. He gave me some great encouragement and his presence gave me the motivation to try some heavier weights on my own.

Thursday, February 27
CROSS TRAINING | Spin class
I was so excited to make it to a lunch time cycling class and have a more traditional ride than the advanced class I used to take. The music was good, and I enjoyed some of the hovers.

CROSS TRAINING | Bands and balls
I'm working on revamping my class for the Y, and I tested out a workout using stability balls and resistance bands.

Friday, February 28
RUN | 5 miles with three at tempo pace
If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now: Tempo runs are the one workout that intimidate the shit out of me. Intervals seem manageable because there's rest but tempos are sustained threshold workouts. I reminded myself that I had done it before and really surprised myself.

Saturday, March 1
CROSS TRAINING | 45 minutes on indoor trainer
By some miracle, Miles took a nap and I was able to hop on the trainer for a little spin. I've rediscovered my Kindle and thanks to our recent Amazon Prime membership, I had a bevy of things to watch. I just had to figure out how to watch the Kindle on the bike. And figure it out I did - using Mark's music stand as  aprop.

Sunday, March 2
RUN | 8.1 miles
We had 4 inches of fresh snow but I was meeting my beast of a running partner, so I knew I wasn't going to bail. This run was the most difficult winter run I think I've had. I was slow and frustrated, feeling defeated for most of the miles. We ran for 90 minutes and really just tried to take pride in time on my feet.

Tell me: Complain or conquer?