Hot In The City: Countdown to Vegas Week 2

Holy heatwave Batman!  The temps this week have wreaked havoc on training plans and driven many of us inside to the dreadmill.  Here in the midwest, it looks like we will start to see a break from the heat by Thursday, but then we will be dodging thunderstorms as we schedule our runs.  I would still rather be hot than cold any day, so I'm just going to hydrate and try not to complain too much.  Here's how this week's training went:

Monday - Hills

Confession time: one of the main reasons I joined Black Girls Run Indianapolis was because I wanted to do these hill workouts on Monday.  I have no problem going out and doing a long run by myself any day - those are fun to me.  But putting in some of the hard work like hills, speed training, or cross training takes a group to make me accountable.  I'd been following these ladies on Instagram for a while and know they work hard and have fun together encouraging each other.  So I joined up and I'm really glad I did.  This week we ran suicides up Soap Box Derby Hill.  I never caught her, but I'm pretty sure Brandi kept moving those cones farther apart each round.  It was also Crazy Sock week, and you know I'm always up for wearing crazy socks.
Total miles: 4

Tuesday - Cross Training

Bourbon Street Running Club is coming back!  It had been on hiatus since December, but now it's coming back under new leadership.  Details coming soon on an official re-launch party, but in the meantime we are already meeting again at 5:30 Tuesdays to run the Canal.  We started this week, so I got my 3 miles in and had a few minutes to stick around and talk about the upcoming re-launch, and then it was off to bootcamp.

I recently acquired a stability ball, so this week I brought it in and did a timed rotating station workout using the stability ball as one of the stations, along with a couple of new exercises using some heavier weights than normal.  I like to change it up every week, but still create a good total body workout.  I think this one was pretty good, and we'll probably do some similar workouts again in the coming months.
Total miles: 3

Figure 4 Chair Pose

Wednesday - Yoga/Recovery

Sunrise Yoga on the Canal again on Wednesday morning.  Invoke Studios puts this on, and they rotate their different teachers each week so we get a feel for all of them.  This week we were encouraged to try some headstand hops and crow pose - both pretty challenging.  But the good thing about yoga is that wherever you are is still okay, just as long as you keep breathing.  If you can't move all the way into a hard pose, or it hurts, or you find yourself holding your breath - any of those are a sign you've pushed too far and you should back off and concentrate on breathing.  Good advice for yoga and for life.
Total miles: 1 mile walking

Thursday - Speed

Thursday was supposed to be a Tempo Run, where the middle part of the run is at a pace just above the comfort zone.  Since Thursday was also Run(317) Mass Ave, my plan was to warm up before the race, do the first half-mile still at a warm-up pace, then do the next mile and a half at tempo pace, then finish easy.  The heat changed my plans, along with those of many other runners.  With temps in the mid 90s and a heat index over 105, race management had to red-flag the race.  That means they did not time it, and they had a pace car out front to slow the pace so no one could go out too fast.  It was the right decision, of course.  You can't take chances with people's health and safety.  And it still was a lot of fun.

I considered walking the entire race, but it clouded up and started sprinkling just before the start, so I decided to run it easy.  I finished in 38:19 according to my watch - almost 5 minutes slower than May's Run(317) The Circle.  But I felt fine the whole time, so I think I did the right thing.  The after party was as fun as always, but I was missing the #FBG who couldn't make it this week.  Hope to see you ladies soon!

Pre-race was also a lot of fun.  As a Run(317) Ambassador, I got to walk around with the Selfie frame and take pictures of people.  I loved doing that!  Ashlea, if you are reading this, go ahead and sign me up to do the Selfie frame at the Carmel and Fountain Square events.  I had so much fun!  I saw a lot of my friends who were there, got to talk to so many runners, and I met Christina from Mom Runs Faster Than Dad.  It's always fun to meet up with other runners that I follow online.
Total miles: 3.17

Friday - Recovery Run

I split this one up into morning and lunchtime runs again since I had plans after work.  I ran one mile from the gym to work in the morning, ran back at lunch, then went in and did three more on the treadmill since we were still under a heat advisory.  Oh those three miles were torture.  Next time I think I will go earlier in the morning and run 2-3 miles around the neighborhood before work so I only have 1-2 more at lunch.
Total miles: 5

Saturday - Long Run

The heat advisory continued through the weekend, so in order to get my planned eight mile run in before it became unbearable, I got up at 4:30.  I found myself unable to eat breakfast that early, so I choked down half a banana and headed out.  I know some runners like to run on an empty stomach, but I don't.  I really wasn't hungry though.  I don't know if it was just because I'd eaten so much when I went out the night before or not.  I felt strong throughout the run though, so listening to my body and not eating worked out for me.  I did take fuel during the run, of course.  My favorite - Honey Stinger Energy Chews.  I reviewed these way back in Sept-13, just before my very first half, and while I have found a few other energy supplements I like, these still remain my go-to.  I will have to pick up some more before next weekend.

Even though I planned my entire route on roads with sidewalks so I wouldn't have to worry about oncoming traffic, I still wore reflective clothing and carried a flashlight since I started this run in the dark.  I was able to stow the flashlight about halfway since it was light enough to see well by then.  I got to run on the new paved trail that runs beside Northfield Drive in Brownsburg and it's really nice.  I much prefer that type of running surface to uneven sidewalks.  I also saw a beautiful sunrise as I returned home.  Morning running will probably never be my preference, but it does have some definite benefits.
Total miles: 8.12

Sunday - Rest Day

We've still got that heat advisory, so today I stuck to indoor activities.  Church in the morning (always too air-conditioned), leftovers for lunch, laundry, blogging, catching up on Killjoys, a little meal prep for the coming week.  My neighbor Karen gave me some zucchini from her garden, so I fried up some zucchini fritters.  Yum!  I don't know if I've mentioned it before on the blog, but I'm a really good cook.  Total miles: 0

Total weekly miles: 24.3

Total training miles to date: 44.35

Up Next

I have lots of fun stuff planned - parties to attend, a trip to Detroit for work, camping in a yurt with the #FBG, etc. - but weirdly I have no races at all in August.  I may end up signing up for something last minute, but for now my next race is Run (317) Carmel on 9/1.  If you are thinking about signing up, you shouldn't delay.  The last two races have sold out and this one probably will too.