End of Summer, Finishing Strong

 I've had some great workouts this week. When I look back at where I was 10 weeks ago, I'm very proud of myself. My heart rate is 55, and I've lost fat and gained muscle. I feel stronger when I swim, bike, and run. I've also begun increasing the weights during my weight routine. School starts next week. I know I won't be able to work out at the same intensity that I am right now, but my goal is maintain consistency of workouts. Over the summer, I've been working out once or twice a day most days. I really enjoy it. During the school year, my goal is to maintain 5 workouts a week. In the past, I dive into school and abandon everything else in my life. I'd like to be more balanced this year. 

Here's how the rest of Week 10 panned out:

Friday, August 6: 

6-mile neighborhood run with Juneau

I ran with Juneau to school. I left the GPS at home. After my last run, I began beating myself up for being slower than normal. It sucked all the fun out of that run. I'm doing these workouts for fun and my health. I decided if focusing on speed wasn't making me happy, I'd just focus on enjoying the run instead. It was a bit more hot and humid than normal. I allowed myself to find any pace that was comfortable. And Juneau always helpful on runs. She is always so happy and eager to run; she helps me keep a consistent pace and motivates me to pick up the speed. If I'm hurting on the run, I just look down at her and see her smiling face and light, rhythmic gait, and I can't help but feel good. She's the best running partner.

At school, Juneau followed me around the classroom as a rearranged desks, climbed ladders to replace old ladders with new ones, and organized drawers. I scrubbed down the desks and wiped down the counters. I even tested out the new SmartBoard. When I sat down at the computer to print out masters, Juneau laid down beside me. Travis used to do that. Afterwards, Juneau and ran home. It was short and fast. We both felt sprightly after our active break at school. In total, I ran 6 miles. 

Fun Gull Park Swim

I then decided to jump in the inlet at Gull Park in Foster City and do a relaxing mile. The water felt silky and cool against my skin, refreshing after a hot run. The cool temperature (about 65-68 degrees F) soothed the joints and muscles in my legs. It was the perfect recovery. My stroke felt easy and rhythmic, allowing my mind to drift. I swam out to the bridge, against a mild current due to the afternoon wind coming off the San Francisco Bay. There was no one else in the water. I had the entire inlet to myself. The bubbles from my breathing and the sound of my hands slipping through the water was calming. On the return, the current picked up, pushing me forward, like a tailwind. The waves picked up; sometimes I would turn my head and discover no pocket of air and have to skip a breath. At times, it felt a bit like bodysurfing. It was actually quite fun. 

Saturday, August 7:

9-mile hilly Huddart Park run

I have a trail half marathon coming up in a month. I use Trailstompers to help plan my runs (this run is linked in the Title). It's been an amazing resource for me. Last week, I ran the shorter, 6-mile run (1100 feet) in Huddart to begin training. It went well so this week, I decided to do the entire 8.7-mile loop (1600 feet) feet this week. It was very hot and humid at the bottom; at least more than I'm used to. It was a long, slow run, so my goal was to run at any pace that felt comfortable. One rule: just keep running. 

There was a lot of climbing in this run. The first half is uphill and pretty steep at times, especially at the beginning on Richards and Skyline, which surprised me. Those hills came late and were super steep. I somehow kept my knees and feet bouncing me up the hill, even if my steps didn't take me far. I know I could walk them, but I wanted to practice running them because I know it will help me get up those hills more easily in the future. So I pushed myself. I wore a Camelback packed with some orange Cliff Blocks. I had only eaten a light breakfast; I was glad I had brought something with me to keep me from bonking. I sipped on my water every few minutes, especially at the beginning, where it was hot and I was already climbing. Somehow, I made it to the top. I was glad I had done the shorter version the previous weekend; that one had been tough too but at least I knew what to expect. 

The new section to get to the top of Skyline was just as much uphill with some really steep stuff on the top. I felt like someone was playing a prank on me. C'mon, really? Another hill? Finally, finally the trail that would begin the descent back into the park appeared. I had maintained my pace and run up the entire hill. The downhill would be my reward. I found renewed energy as my feet flew down the single-track trail and around the switchbacks. I focused on keeping my feet under me and landing light on my toes. I use my quads to pick up my knees and keep a high cadence. This is where the cycling helps. It really protects my knees and allows me to be a decent downhill runner. I had an awesome runner's high for the last 3 miles as I zipped downhill. I felt like the old me again. 

At the end, my legs were pretty tired and my muscles (especially my lower back!) were also fairly sore. I know we want to do a challenging bike ride tomorrow so I decided to take a 15 minute ice bath to help recover. Hope it helps!

Post note: I saw 5 lizards and 30 hikers. It was pretty busy. On the way home, I saw a doe with two fawns, grazing in a grassy field along the side of the road.