The Road to 26.2: Week 4

And just like that, I've knocked four weeks off my training plan.  I feel hesitant to say this, for fear of jinxing myself, but training is off to a very strong start.  New Year's Eve notwithstanding, I improved my food choices tremendously this week (seriously, they couldn't have gotten worse! The bar for improvement was very low), which certainly made for easier workouts.  Overall, my training week looked like this:

Monday (12/29):  3 mile run.
Easy Christmas light route with Emily.  Perhaps our last chance to see them this season...
Tuesday (12/30):  6 mile run and strength work.
I felt apprehensive about this run after Saturday's disastrous six miler, but I rocked this one, managing negative splits and a tempo pace for the second half.  Post-run, I did strength work focusing on core and arms; a very tough workout after the run.
Wednesday (12/31):  yoga.
I combined some of my favorite poses to work out the tension in my hips, calves, hamstrings, and low back.  I walked away feeling amazingly relaxed and refreshed!
Thursday (1/1):  3 mile run.
Emily and I kicked off the new year with an easy three miler through the neighborhood.  Though I was short on sleep and fueled primarily by chicken wings, I felt surprisingly good.
Friday (1/2):  11 mile run.
With a weekend forecast for freezing rain, sleet, and high winds, I took advantage of the dry, low-30s weather on Friday to complete my long run.  I explored a new running route, which included lots of hills and an unfortunate lack of sidewalks in several places.  All part of the adventure, I suppose.  Though I was tired and ready to be done at mile 10, I held on for a strong finish.

My "I just rocked 11 miles" face.
So.darn.proud. of that run.

Saturday (1/3):  yoga and strength.
On a busy, busy day, I squeezed in some time for yoga and strength work.  Short but sweet.
Sunday (1/4):  REST!
And by rest I mean from working out.  The day was far from restful, but my legs were grateful for the break from exercise.  With my long run on Friday, taking both weekend days off from running felt very odd.  I'm itching to get back out there tomorrow!

After Friday's 11-miler, I relaxed that night mother-runner style:
with compression socks, recreational reading, and a vodka cranberry :)

I couldn't be more pleased with this week of training: I nailed my long run, conquered my old foe six, and managed to complete two yoga and strength workouts, too.  A very solid week of training, and one that I hope sets the tone for 2015.  4 weeks down, 14 to go!

The tree, week 4.
I promise, the sun does shine occasionally in St. Louis!