Spartan Training Plan

I mentioned in my May running recap that I registered for a Spartan Sprint obstacle course race. The Sprint distance is their 5k equivalent lasting 3-5 miles with 20ish obstacles along the course. I'm not at all worried about the running part as I'm planning on staying 10k ready over the summer. But the obstacles and off road running are a different story.

Today I wanted to talk about my Spartan training plan for this summer. I'm not using a coach or even one of the free plans from Spartan. I needed something a bit more flexible that I could make work with my schedule and also something that would take into account that, as a woman with very little upper body strength, I can't just knock out pull ups and push up (which are part of burpees!) right of the bat in my training plan. I'm just sort of making this up as I go and we'll see how it turns out.

Running:

This section is easy. I'm still doing my twice weekly maintenance runs for 30 mins. My long run alternates a shorter 4 mile week with a longer 6, 7 or 8 mile week. I also have switched to a 45/45 interval for my long run to compensate for the heat.

Strength Training:

Since I'm not focused on adding distance to my long runs, I am doing more weighted lower body exercises like squats and lunges. I'm also working on some upper body things like pull ups, knees to chest and hanging (hopefully upgrading to monkey bars at some point). I am less concerned about saving my legs for running and I am trying to push myself to build muscle mass.

Adventure:

I've added in a new section to my workout plan called adventure. I want to mix things up and try different sorts of workouts for variety and also to challenge my body in new ways. Sometimes I do more running related things like hills or sprints. Sometimes, it's a challenging strength workout like a CrossFit class. And some weeks, it's something more chill like hiking.

Recovery:

It's a common theme among runners that we don't do a good enough job of recovery! I've added weekly foam rolling to my workout schedule to encourage me to be better at getting my roll on. I'm also trying to incorporate more stretching into my weekly routine.

Shoes:

I love my Brooks for running but there is one problem with them. I can't do burpees in them! The sole is so stiff that I can't bend my foot to land on the balls of my feet, but instead have to land on the ends of my toes which is painful and probably not the best for my toenail integrity. I have decided that I want to run my Spartan race in my Vibram FiveFingers but transitioning from a normal running shoe to a barefoot running shoe is a whole process unto itself!

So far I've worked up to wearing them all day for normal activities as well as for strength training and I've started running very short distances in them. It's taken me several months to get to this point but I'm still on track to be able to run 3ish miles in them by race day. I am taking it nice and slow and am adding a bit of treadmill running in them to each of my strength training days.

My next shoe goal is to be able to run my 30 min midweek runs in them. I'm definitely making sure to listen to my body and go as slow as my feet need me to go during this transition. It will probably still be a while before I run a regular road race in them.

Captain Marvel Virtual 5k Race Recap

June marked the start of the runDisney Virtual Summer Shorts series which means I have 3 virtual 5ks to do this summer! June's 5k is Captain Marvel themed which I was super excited about. She's one of my favorite Marvel superheroes and an awesome strong female role model.

Just like for the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon, you print your bib's at home. I had a bit of an issue printing my bibs as I couldn't get the challenge bib to print. It just printed a blank page. And I still haven't figured out what kind of paper to print on so I can actually wear my bib while racing. Oh, well.

I did have plenty of running costumes to pick from though! I went with Ariel. She doesn't really go with the Marvel theme but when in doubt, be a mermaid. I do find that virtual races are more fun if you make a production of them. For me, that means picking a date in advance, wearing a costume and having my bib picked out.

I do wish Disney would ship their virtual medals out earlier. I know other virtual races ship early so you can have your medal right after your races. I think that this is one area Disney could really improve upon. I'll get my medals sometime between July and September (no way to tell exactly when) which really puts a damper on the whole race in my opinion.

 On to the actual race! I got a late start, which I assumed would be no big deal since I was only running a 5k. Famous last words. It's summer in Florida and the best course of action is to run when it's dark out. And I started well after sunrise.

The first half of my run wasn't too bad since I was able to stay in the shade but running back on the opposite side of the road was pretty much all sun. I was baking. I didn't hit anywhere near PR pace but considering the weather and the fact that this is a virtual, not official, run, I was ok with my performance.

Overall, I'm still not the biggest fan of virtual races. I do want to check out some virtual races run by someone other than runDisney. I've got my eye on a Potterhead Running Club race sometime in the future since I also adore Harry Potter.

May Running Recap

If you've ever lived in Florida, you'll know that May is the unofficial start of summer. Some parts of the US are still worried about snow but we're all ready to wrap up the running season. I still have the runDisney virtual shorts to do this summer but May saw my last official road race until September.

So the first weekend in May saw the Eat My Crust 5k. It was a really pretty point to point course with a pizza theme and an awesome spinning pizza medal. I didn't PR but I did have a really strong race. It was a lot of fun and I celebrated by going out for allergy pizza for dinner with some friends that evening. I would definitely run it again.

The next weekend, I ran a great 8 miles. I switched to a 45 45 interval instead of my usually 60 30 and it really helped me handle the heat and humidity. I love running when I feel strong and this was definitely one of those runs. It was also great running just for the love of it and not for any specific training plan.

Then, I got the itch to run a Spartan obstacle course race so I started training right away. Obstacle course races are a whole different animal. I knew that I had some serious weaknesses in the strength department so I got working on upper body strength and grip strength. I also decided to run the causeway for my long run since, even in Florida, Spartan seems to find some hills for its courses. We also went hiking at a local park so I could get some off road experience.

I finally officially registered for a Spartan Sprint race (3-5 miles 20+ obstacles) and kept upping my strength training. Will and I decided to go to Trinity Fitness, a faith based gym that offers CrossFit style workouts. I cut way back on my strength training when I started seriously training for races last summer and even though I tried to take it easy, the workout really kicked my butt. I only had to run 6 miles Memorial Day weekend, but my legs were very sore from weighted squats and it wasn't a great run.

I'm really excited for the different training the Spartan race is going to make me do. As a new runner, I definitely need to focus on running for the 2018/2019 running season but I am really excited to see what new challenges my body can handle. My summer goal is to stay 10k ready (6-8 mile long runs) but to really focus on upper body strength and doing more adventurous/fun work outs once a week.