Runs (and swims):

Sunday, May 23 – Run

Run: 7 miles.  12:28 per mile.  Strides: 157 per min.  Heart rate: 123 bpm.  Temps: mid-high 70s°F, sunny.  9:46 am.

This was a very easy, hilly (349 ft. gain) run.  There was less wind today and the heat was more oppressive than yesterday’s run.  I’m going to take it easy today, no swim/strength training work.  I’m still working on heat acclimatization.

Monday, May 24 – Tempo Intervals Run

Run: 8 miles.  10:38 per mile.  Strides: 166 per min.  Heart rate: 147 bpm.  Temps: mid 70s°F, sunny.  9:52 am.

11 minute warm-up, 7 x 5 minutes tempo pace (average was 9:32/mile), 5 minutes easy pace, then ~11 minute cool down. 

I’m slowly easing myself into speedwork in the heat,  and I was pleasantly surprised to see how fast some of these tempo intervals were (interval #3 was 9:05/mile, #7 was 9:08/mile).  Sweat rate = 2.5 pounds/hour, so this was a hot, very sweaty run for me.

I could tell my brain function was slipping at the end because I got really confused about what street I was on.  2 hours later and my brain was still acting slow (dehydration symptom – it went away eventually, no worries).   I need to try not to do this too often (get really dehydrated on a run). 

Note: I felt like my brain was being slow, but I did an online typing test to see how that was affected while my brain felt slow, , and I was at 63 words per minute, which was faster than my previous typing speed of 60 words per minute when my brain was at full functional level, so I guess I was probably fine, just overheated.

Tuesday, May 25 – Run/Strength Training

Run: 8 miles.  11:27 per mile.  Strides: 163 per min.  Heart rate: 138 bpm.  Temps: high 70s- low 80s°F. 9:37 am

This was an easy paced, hilly (448 ft. gain) run.  It felt a lot better than yesterday’s run.  I’m not sure if that was because there was more of a breeze or if it was that I was going a lot slower today, or if I’m starting to heat adapt.  This run felt good.  I did ~6 strides at the end.

~4.5-5 hours after finishing, I did a big strength training session at the gym.

Wednesday, May 26 – Run/Swim

Run: 8 miles.  11:39 per mile.  Strides: 162 per min.  Heart rate: 137 bpm.  Temps: 70s°F, partly overcast, breezy.  9:30 am.

This was an easy paced, hilly (447 ft. gain) run.  The weather was cooler today which meant it felt a whole lot better (hopefully this isn’t disrupting my heat acclimatization progress).  I did 0.1 miles “tempo pace”, 0.1 miles “easy” alternating for the last mile, and then decided I was too hot/tired for mobility drills I had planned.  There’s always tomorrow. (Ha: I’ve been “too tired” for a week after this run to do mobility drills – need to get back at it.)

Swim: 1.2 mile, 55 minutes, 20 strokes per minute, 1.32 mph. 4pm.

100 yards each: breast, free, back.  400 yard free, 100 yard kick breast, 400 yards back, 100 yards kick free, 300 yards leg buoy free, 100 yards kick back, 100 yards IM, 25 yards breast, 100 yards IM, 25 yards back, 25 yards fly/breast (right calf cramped up doing fly, so I stopped halfway through this lap and switched to breast), 25 yards back, 25 yards free, 25 yards elementary back, 50 yards free.

Total distance: 2,100 yards.  (42 laps)

My right foot cramped during the back kick, well before my right calf cramped up, but I just decided to ignore it.  The right calf started cramping during the 25 yards of back, and I still decided to do fly anyway (which was a bad idea – if I’m already cramping I should not do the most labor intensive stroke).  I somehow cranked out another 125 yards before the end.

My right calf was sore for about an hour after, but I’ve experienced much worse charley horses in the middle of the night where my calf is sore all the next day, so I can’t complain.  This was a very good swim.  I’ve missed the pool this week.

Thursday, May 27 – Run/Strength Training

Run: 8.2 miles.  11:55 per mile.  Strides: 161 per min.  Heart rate: 126 bpm.  Temps: 60s-70s°F, humid. 9:26 am.

This was an easy paced, hilly (446 ft. gain) run.  Cooler temperatures were nice, I still got very sweaty.  I almost never have stomach issues on a run, but today my GI tract was unsettled off and on.  This was still a very good run, but the unsettled stomach feeling on the last mile made me decided to skip mobility drills. 

I did strength training in the afternoon, at home for a change.

Friday, May 28 –Run/Swim

Run: 7 miles.  12:21 per mile.  Strides: 158 per min.  Heart rate: 122 bpm.  Temps: 50s-60s°F, little bit rainy. 9:41 am.

This was an easy paced, hilly (366 ft. gain) run.  I was feeling groggy this morning and got off 20 minutes later than I hoped for.  I had breakthrough allergy symptoms last night (stuffy nose, itchy eyes) and I’ve run out of flonase, so I did not sleep well (apparently being able to breathe is a prerequisite for being able to sleep).  I was feeling groggy on this entire run, and tried to keep it easy in hopes of a long long run tomorrow.  This run was fine.

Swim: 1.3 miles, 1.48 mph, 54 minutes, 20 strokes per minute. 5 pm.

100 yards each of breast, free, and back, 300 yards each free and back, 50 yards kick breast, 100 yards IM, 50 yards kick free, 50 yards back leg buoy, 100 yards IM, 50 yards back kick, 100 yards IM, 50 yards free leg buoy, 50 yards kick dolphin kick, 100 yards free leg buoy, 100 yards back leg buoy, 200 yards free, 50 yards back, 50 yards breast, 50 yards elementary back.  (What can I say? I like variety.)

Total: 2,050 yards.

I practiced flip turns 4-5 times, and inhaled water on 3-4 of those flip turns.  I kicked down instead of up while inhaling water on 1 flip turn.  I think I do better going into backstroke after a flip turn, so maybe I will focus on getting that right first, and then try free.  (I also only do these in the deep end right now).  I did 3 lengths of fly today and none of them were with good technique – I will keep working at it.

Saturday, May 29 – Long Run

Run: 18 miles.  11:24 per mile.  Strides: 163 per min. Heart rate: 143 bpm.  Temps: 44-48°F, overcast. 9:34 am.

I had wanted to do an 18 mile long run last Friday (May 21), but since it was in the 70s-80s, I decided to hold off until the weather was better.  Today was nearly perfect – in the 40s is my favorite running temperature, overcast kept it cool.  It was a little windier than ideal, but I can’t complain.

I get anxious before some longer runs, so I told myself anything 0-18 miles was fine today.  I started out way too fast, but my legs were feeling light and good this morning.  It is amazing what a difference not doing strength training the day before a long run makes.  I felt really good for the first half, I felt tired at 9-14 miles, and felt like my energy was waning.  At 14 miles I switched from my audiobook to music (my brain turns to mush on long runs and I was having problems concentrating on the crystallized structure of RNAs and bacteriophage).  Despite being really tired, somehow I cranked out 11:20, 10:25, 10:32, and 9:17 for the last 4 miles. 

I’m going to credit: 1.) the weather 2.) taking in ~5-6 servings of electrolytes + 50 ounces of water during this run 3.) running consistency 4.) strength training, and 5.) increased cardio training (swimming on top of running) for giving me a very good long run performance today.

Because I’m constantly learning what works and what doesn’t, I’ve convinced myself to push back strength training until Monday (update from future me: I realized the gym was closed on Monday due to holiday and was already going to the gym to swim on Sunday – so I also did strength training Sunday, but pushed tempo back to Tuesday – everything worked out fine).

I went in the hot tub after this run (2^nd time in two days, yesterday was the first time in probably about 7-8 years).  Considering the distance and hills (743 ft. gain today), I felt pretty good after this run.

Running wrap-up

1.)  I ran 64 miles this week, this is probably the highest weekly mileage all year so far.  With this high volume of running, two swims, and two strength training sessions, you’d think I’d be feeling run down and drained, but I feel more energized and more productive throughout the day than I have in years.

As someone who only gets my thyroid hormone once a day first thing in the morning (and a tiny bit more at lunch time), I have suffered from extreme afternoon fatigue ever since my thyroid removal in 2018, and it’s finally starting to get easier for me in the afternoons.  I still get tired, but it seems the more activity I do in a day, the better I feel.  I’m not sure if a.) I’m better at converting inactive thyroid hormone T4 into the active T3 when I exercise, or if b.) other mood boosting hormones override that daily afternoon slump.  I’m not going to lie, I still get fatigued in the afternoon, probably still quite a bit more than your average human who experiences afternoon fatigue, this is something I’m learning to accept as a part of my life now, and even at a “good” dose of thyroid hormone, it might just be something I have to deal with. I take in a huge amount of caffeine early afternoon to try to prevent a total shut down, but I’m getting better at handling the fatigue and being slightly productive during this time period.

2.)  I’m thrilled with how well my 18 mile long run went.  There is no marathon (or races of any kind) currently on my schedule, so there is not real reason to do an 18 mile long run, but I love long runs and love challenging myself.  I have not, until this point, realized what an impact swimming has had on my running, but I think that adding swimming on some days that I run has only boosted my endurance capabilities.

3.)  My weight is back down from last week’s “gain”.  At this point, I’m not sure a.) if the 12-13 pounds I gained last year will ever come off and b.) if that weight actually needs to come off.

I’ve lost a lot of fat this year and gained muscle (from consistent strength training).  I’m more toned than I’ve been in years, and my running, swimming, and strength training are all going really well.  I’m at the high end of a normal BMI, but I’ve come to realize that the weight I gained was not a problem, just that most of that weight was fat, which was a problem, especially the visceral fat. So – I’ll keep measuring my weight (this is more to make sure I don’t accidentally gain 40 pounds in one year like 2016 – that was undiagnosed hypothyroidism, but once bitten twice shy), I’ll keep running, swimming, strength training, and tracking my calories, and make sure I’m eating enough to fuel all those activities.  I may/may not eat less in the summer – I’m thinking hot, sweaty runs often leave me nauseous and less hungry, and even while tracking calories, I eat when I’m hungry/do not force myself not to eat based on how many calories I’ve already consumed.

I probably still have some fat I could lose, but I’m not sure I “need” to be much skinnier than I already am (looking in the mirror-wise).  This might happen as I continue to lift weights and do all the cardio I love, but I’ve given up trying to shift the scale – so much is out of my control especially my thyroid hormone levels and trying to eat at a deficit while doing a lot of physical activity is a pathway to potential injury.

Total walking + running miles this week (May 23 – May 29): 75.89 miles (up 2.23 from last week)

Total walking + running miles this year (2021): 1,507.27 miles

Total steps this week (May 23 – May 29): 146,530 steps (down 580 from last week)

Total steps this year (2021): 2,882,604 steps

Average steps per day (May 23 – May 29): 20,932 steps (down 83 from last week)

Average steps per day (2021): 19,346 steps

Total running miles this week (May 23 – May 29): 64.33 miles (up 7.25 from last week.)

Average running mileage per week (2021): 57.25 miles

Total running miles this year (2021): 1,218.66 miles

Average running speed this week (not including hill repeats) (May 23 – May 29): 11:38/mile.  (9 seconds faster per mile than last week)

Average running speed this year (2021): 11:42 per mile

Average resting heart rate this week (May 23 – May 29): 57 bpm (down 1 bpm from last week)

Average resting heart rate this year (2021): 59 bpm

Elevation gain this week (May 23 – May 29): 2,985 ft. (down 133 ft. from last week).

Elevation gain this year (2021):  53,920 ft.

Average elevation gain per week (2021): 2,533 ft.

Current thyroid medication: 137.5 mcg/day levothyroxine + 5 mcg x 2 times a day liothyronine. Started on Aug. 11, 2020.

Weight, weight fluctuate

Weight: 162.7 lb (down 1.5 lb from last week).

Weight January 1, 2021: 163.3 lb

Weight change since Jan 1, 2021: -0.6 lb

Previous week:  May 16 – May 22, 2021

Next week:  May 30 – June 5, 2021