It's a new year, so why not...

I did something a little different this week.

Well. So, I was off from work on Monday, so I went out for 8 brisk miles at a 9:05 pace. The first few miles were dicey because parts of the roads were still slick with ice, but I ended with a 8:34 final mile, which lately feels like an Olympic performance effort.

Tuesday I woke up strangely sore but managed to fit in 3 easy treadmill miles and some deadlifts/squats.

OW. My legs.

OW.

Those two days weren't very different from my norm actually. That was pretty status quo.

So, my "what I did differently" was that I decided to take the plunge and actually pay real money for a workout plan. I found this peppy gal on Instagram, and her workouts seem to always pique my interest. It probably helps that she always has a smile on her face, which I normally consider to be annoying but on her it's totally adorable and endearing. Hmm, how do people even DO that anyways?

In any case, for $15 she offers a StrongHer workout plan for the month of January that is a mix of strength, body weight, and HIIT workouts. I was worried I wouldn't be able to incorporate this training into my running but so far it seems to be working ok. The first workout was on Wednesday, and initially when I read the description it seemed pretty easy, even for the intermediate level but HOLY SWEAT BALLS. It was pretty tough.

I do think I overdid it a bit with the leg workout on Tuesday, because I've been hobbling around like a 100 yr old grandma around these here parts, and Wednesday just brought more of the pain, but in the best way.

Thursday was a 6 mile run that felt Herculean in effort, even though it was much slower than Monday. I ended with the SH core workout, and a much needed hot shower. It's been really cold here!

Today I ended the week with a "not that easy" 5 mile slow run with my friend D, and then came home and did the prescribed HIIT workout for the week. Tomorrow will most def be a rest day, and then Monday we start again with another one of the StrongHer workouts.

So far so good. I'm hoping to see some (any?) changes and increase in strength over the weeks. If anything, it'll keep me from getting bored right?

Also, I'm working on a little base/strength building before I start training for marathon #2, which is in June.

Yes, I am like Britney.

Whoops, I did it again.

***

1/2: 8 miles, 9:05 pace
1/3: 3 treadmill miles. Deadlifts and Back Squats. CRIPPLED
1/4: StrongHer bodyweight workout.
1/5: 6 miles, 9:28 pace. Core
1/6: Glorious rest
1/7: 5 easy (no) miles, HIIT workout.
1/8: Rest rest rest