avondale training journal, starting Dec. 2018 (comments welcome)

[GollyGadget]

I want to like morning runs, especially in the summer, but I just don't have the energy for them.

I feel this. Morning run is practically required in the summer but I'm always still half asleep. It's odd because I am a morning person in general, just not a morning runner.

 

[avondale]

Week of May 5 - 11, 2025
This was the second week of ~13 weeks of training for a 5k in early August (yes, overkill). This is mostly to keep me running during the summer heat and humidity and I think a focus on speed will be good. In the interest of helping my knees, I'm only planning 4 runs/week during this period with the plan of a long hike on the weekend with my husband (instead of a fifth run).

Monday before breakfast: walk on treadmill

• time: 44:19
• distance: 2.28 mi
• ave pace: 19:26
• incline: 0%
• comments: Another evening where I had a work event, so I needed to get my steps in early.

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: core workout
  • 0-sec plank with 20-lb vest
  • 20 starfish
  • 20 dead bugs
  • 20 bird dogs
  • 20 each side flutter kicks
  • 20 bicycle crunches with hold
  • 5 10-sec hollow-body holds
  • 2 30-sec side planks
  • 20 double leg lift/lowers
• After work:
  • 40 min easy on trail
    • T+D 119, 1% effect, T 68 F
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 3.02 mi
    • average pace: 13:16 (GAP ave pace: 13:12)
    • splits: 13:30, 13:09, 13:10
    • ave HR: 131 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 190 ft (corrected)
    • route: Northwest Branch Trail

Wednesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Strength endurance workout
    • 2 x 15 each leg - reverse lunges
    • 2 x 15 each leg - Romanian single-leg deadlifts with kickstand and 10 lb
    • 2 x 15 each leg - single-leg hip thrusts with 10 lb
    • 2 x 15 - heels-elevated squats with 10 lb
    • 2 x 15 each leg - hip airplanes
    • comments: PT for my knees
  • Foam rolling and stretching
• After work:
  • 50 min easy
    • T+D 124, 1.5% effect, T 70 F
    • time: 50:01
    • distance: 4.27 mi
    • average pace: 11:43 (GAP ave pace 11:44)
    • splits: 11:42, 11:56, 11:32, 11:36, 12:15
    • ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 148 ft (corrected)
    • route: Sligo Creek Trail
    • comments: This route is paved.

Thursday

• Before breakfast:
  • P90X2 X2 Ab Ripper
  • Foam rolling and stretching
• After work:
  • Hill repeat HIIT -- 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
    • T+D 130, 2% effect, T 68 F
    • time: 40:00
    • distance: 2.9 mi
    • repeat splits: 9:04, 9:11, 9:28, 8:31, 8:37, 9:04, 9:32, 8:36, 9:48, 9:37, 8:34, 10:01, 9:11, 9:37, 8:34, 8:59, 9:00, 8:46, 8:56, 9:26, 9:36
    • elevation gain: 205 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1
    • comments: Not enthusiastic about this.

Friday

• Before breakfast: Workout 1
  • 3 x 5 - suitcase squats with 57.5 lb + 20-lb vest
  • superset
    • 3 x 1 - unassisted chin-ups
    • 3 x 5 - last pull-downs with 49-lb bands
    • 3 x 5 - bench presses with 57.5 lb
  • 3 x 5 - Romanian deadlifts with 57.5 lb
  • superset
    • 3 x 5 - shoulder presses with 45 lb
    • 3 x 5 - band pull-aparts with 13-lb band
• In evening: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:26:30
  • distance: 4.59 mi
  • ave pace: 18:51
  • incline: 0%

Saturday before dinner:

• 60 min LR on trail
  • T+D 107, 0.5% effect, T 70 F
  • time: 1:00:01
  • distance: 4.7 mi
  • average pace: 12:46 (GAP ave pace: 12:35)
  • splits: 12:48, 12:48, 12:39, 13:04, 12:26
  • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 243 ft (corrected)
  • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: This was a nice pace for this trail at easy effort.

Sunday before dinner: hiking

• time: 2:22:56
• distance: 7.29 mi
• average pace: 19:36
• elevation gain: 874 ft (corrected)
• route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park

Health

Not much change. Feeling more knee pain since I've started running again, but not awful. I start back with PT tomorrow.

 

[avondale]

Week of May 12 - 18, 2025


This was the third week of ~13 weeks of training for a 5k in early August (yes, overkill). This is mostly to keep me running during the summer heat and humidity and I think a focus on speed will be good. In the interest of helping my knees, I'm only planning 4 runs/week during this period with the plan of a long hike on the weekend with my husband (instead of a fifth run).

On May 17, I hit 5 years of getting at least 10,000 steps per day!

Monday

• Before breakfast: core workout
  • 90-sec plank with 20-lb vest
  • 20 starfish
  • 20 dead bugs
  • 20 bird dogs
  • 20 each side flutter kicks
  • 20 bicycle crunches with hold
  • 5 10-sec hollow-body holds
  • 2 30-sec side planks
  • 20 double leg lift/lowers
• After work:
  • Hill repeat HIIT -- 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
    • T+D 135, 2.5% effect, T 73 F
    • time: 40:00
    • distance: 2.94 mi
    • repeat splits: 8:33, 8:43, 9:32, 9:00, 8:43, 9:23, 9:32, 8:09, 9:27, 9:06, 8:31, 8:52, 9:40, 9:36, 8:10, 9:02, 9:06, 9:03, 8:54, 9:41, 9:28
    • elevation gain: 199 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1

Tuesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Strength endurance workout
    • 2 x 15 each leg - reverse lunges
    • 2 x 15 each leg - Romanian single-leg deadlifts with kickstand and 10 lb
    • 2 x 15 each leg - single-leg hip thrusts with 10 lb
    • 2 x 15 - heels-elevated squats with 10 lb
    • 2 x 15 each leg - hip airplanes
    • comments: PT for my knees
  • Foam rolling and stretching
• After work: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:26:16
  • distance: 4.59 mi
  • ave pace: 18:48
  • incline: 0%

Wednesday

• Before breakfast:
  • P90X2 X2 Ab Ripper
  • Foam rolling and stretching
• After work:
  • Speed intervals -- 15 min easy + 6 x (1 min fast + 1 min walk) + 15 min easy
    • T+D 133, 2.5% effect, T 69 F
    • time: 42:01
    • distance: 3.59 mi
    • repeat splits: 8:59, 8:31, 8:24, 8:08, 8:14, 8:10
    • elevation gain: 119 ft (corrected)
    • route: Sligo Creek Trail

Thursday

• Before breakfast: Workout 2
  • 3 x 5 each leg - single-leg squats on bench
  • superset
    • 3 x 5 each arm - one-arm rows on bench with 33.75 lb
    • 3 x 5 - wide push-ups with 20-lb vest
  • 3 x 5 each leg - bench step-up-and-overs with 20-lb vest
  • superset
    • 3 x 5 - parallel-bar dips
    • 3 x 5 - supermans with 10-s hold
• After work:
  • 50 min easy
    • T+D 143, 3.5% effect, T 79 F
    • time: 50:00
    • distance: 4.11 mi
    • average pace: 12:10 (GAP ave pace: 12:12)
    • splits: 12:16, 12:13, 12:13, 11:58, 12:14
    • ave HR: 136 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 133 ft (corrected)
    • route: Rock Creek Trail
    • comments: I was supposed to do this on the trails, but given we got 3 inches of rain in the last few days, it would be too muddy.

Friday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
• After dinner: walk outside
  • time: 58:08
  • distance: 2.88 mi
  • ave pace: 20:12
  • elevation gain: 185 ft (corrected)

Saturday

• Before lunch:
  • 70 min LR
    • T+D 139, 3% effect, T 78 F
    • time: 1:10:01
    • distance: 5.83 mi
    • average pace: 12:01 (GAP ave pace: 12:03)
    • splits: 12:06, 11:55, 11:43, 11:47, 12:21, 12:14
    • ave HR: 141 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 161 ft (corrected)
    • route: Rock Creek Trail
    • comments: The trails would still be pretty muddy, so I opted for pavement. But this taught me why I changed to trails. The trails are not as shady overall, and the pavement in the Sun just radiates the heat - so hot and humid! After about 45 min, I had to slow down quite a bit to keep my HR manageable.
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 7-6, 6-1.

Sunday before dinner: walking outside

• time: 1:54:37
• distance: 6.11 mi
• average pace: 18:45
• elevation gain: 126 ft (corrected)
• route: C&O Canal Trail, to Great Falls and then going north and back.
• comments: With the huge amount of rain we've been getting the river is very deep and the rapids are crazy. Most of the rocks that make up the rapids are submerged right now, so the water just looks crazy and frothy. The photos below show today (first) and then from 2016 when the river level was normal.

Health

I had physical therapy appointments on Monday and Wednesday.

On Monday, it was essentially a re-evaluation. The PT also had a new dynamometer, so she measured the actual strengths of various muscle groups. My hip muscles are pretty equally strong on both sides. My left quad is weaker than my right quad, but my left hamstrings and glute are stronger than my right hamstrings and glute. We didn't do much except measurements.

Beside the knee problems, I have a problem with my left glute - I pulled it last year toward the end of June, and it's still not good. The PT says it feels like I have a bunch of trigger points in it that aren't working out. I set up a dry needling appointment for that in early June.

I'm also going to get x-rays of my knees to check for arthritis (and anything else).

On Wednesday, I did some exercises that I'm struggling to remember what they were! Some internal and external rotation of the hips with a ball between the knees and a band. One-leg Romanian deadlifts with a kickstand using the cable machine. One-leg glute bridges. I feel like there must have been more, but now I am not remembering.

I'm continuing with the "strength endurance" workouts once per week.

 

[jmasgat]

On May 17, I hit 5 years of getting at least 10,000 steps per day!

Wow...just, wow! That's quite the streak. I'm incredibly impressed.

 

[col1]

On May 17, I hit 5 years of getting at least 10,000 steps per day!

That’s next level otherworldly consistency right there.