Lately, my workout plans is to run every other day, plank and follow my PT exercises in between those days. A big piece of my current recovery plan is to run outside! I’m super thankful I have a treadmill but LOVE to run outside. I knew I was going to be in the office all day Monday so I packed my bag so I could “runch”. I love having evenings free and by “free”, really I mean having time to get shit done around the house/blog/email/phone people and maybe relax a little 😉
The plan was 5k on the trail and then hit up the sidewalk, a.k.a. hills for the return route back to the office. Around noon, I got my running gear on and hit the trail. It was sunny, hot and there was a perfect breeze – best running weather you could ask for! I was a little worried I forgot my sunscreen but hoping that I could hide away a little in the shade on the trail.
Runch time selfie!
I’m not going to say this run was easy because it wasn’t. My pace is slow (for me) and I’ve accepted that for the time being. All my runs seem to be hard lately and I am okay with that. I need to build up my fitness and strength again and that’s going to take some time. Hard runs are good runs.
Running on the trail was great, I could smell that scent of “hot summer trees” and felt the sun on my face. I’d dodge over into the shade every so often and then crossed the main road to the sidewalk and faced my first HILL. Of course, the longest slowest incline ever! At one point I had to walk because it was a big struggle in the direct sun going up that hill.
I kept trekking along, glided down a long hill and then faced my second hill that I ran all the way up….then walked again 😉 As I ran back towards my office, I picked up my speed and finished off with a last fast kilometre. Again, my pace was slow for me but I averaged a 6:17/km pace which I can’t complain about with my fitness level, the hot sun beating down on me and the hills.
Oh, that feeling of a good run, an accomplishment achieved, a sense of the runners high. I ran 6k and it felt great. So far, I’ve been pain-free in my hamstring unlike last week I had some minor pain about 24 hours after running. Today I did my 1:50 plank, will walk 4k (getting car work done and walking home/to the shop) and will follow-up with my PT exercises later today.
Speaking of planks, they are still hard but I haven’t given up yet. It’s not easy at all and I’m finding I need to distract myself from my timer which is challenging to do when planking. Maybe I should put music on next time and focus on a song. I much prefer to do my planks first thing in the morning before the girls get up. It’s nice to have a few minutes to myself and it’s so much harder doing planks later in the day when my body is exhausted.
What time of day to you work out?
Plankers – what time of day do you plank?
Runners – how’s your pace lately? Slowing in the heat or speeding up because of training?
Piper's Run 
During the week, I work out after work. Our lunch time is brief so no way to fit it in at work. My pace has been slower this year, but I haven’t been working on it. Plan to though, after my marathon.
I’m trying really hard to be a morning runner for the summer, otherwise it’s too hot. I also like having my evenings free to, as you say, “Get shit done,” or hang out with friends. I’m just lazy and like to sleep in, so it’s a struggle. When I do a morning run, I also try to do a plank, some squats, and some pushups.
Glad to hear that your recovery is going well! My pace is definitely slowing in the heat. I know last winter was tough (especially in Canada!!!!!!) but I would trade in this heat for sub-freezing temps any day. Maybe not for multiple inches/cm of snow though. 🙂
I feel like running outside feels extra amazing after both a horrid winter and being sidelined with injury 🙂 I’m not at the runch stage yet, but yours sounds glorious! My pace definitely slows way down in the summer heat. I usually run in the evenings, but try to get weekend long runs done in the early morning before it gets too hot.
Hahaha what time of day do you plank. That made me giggle. SO happy that you are back to runching. I got really into runching this winter. I was just over the morning running thing. Now that it is nice (well, sometimes), I am trying to be out in the heat/mornings as much as possible. It’s funny, I only run outside occasionally–that seems to be my time for tmill running!
I love running outside too – I affectionately refer to the treadmill as “Satan’s Sidewalk”. The trail you ran on sounds awesome! Hilly, but awesome 🙂 When school is in session, I mostly work out after work – sometimes I can squeeze something in super early. In the summer, it’s always morning workouts for me – to beat the humidity!
I love running outside in the morning. It’s great that you’re runching – I bet that helps the work day go by faster!
It sure gives me something fun to look forward to all morning and then I’m energized for the afternoon!