We had a super nice weekend, crossing off to-dos while still feeling very relaxed and chill.
Saturday:
I finished my run and went to pick up the girls from swimming. I rarely go to their practices, only on competition/time trial days. So, it was a nice surprise for the girls to see me. Lizzy is the only girl in her age group. I love seeing her putting the effort with the boys.
After shower and snack we went out to buy few things. Sofia needs more shorts/skirts for school, a mesh bag for swimming, a new swimsuit (she goes them so quickly!), and Lizzy needs a bigger lego base. She’s really into lego lately and will join the Lego Lead at school. We are supporting her as it suits her interest so well.
We managed to get most of things done except new swimming suit for Sofia. We got home, ate leftovers for dinner (see pic below) for lunch and girls started their homework.
girls ask for this salmon every week. They like to mix it with rice and eat it with sushi
I started a new Netflix series, 3 body problems, and spent the afternoon watching it. Girls had their Netflix time in the evening while I switched to reading. I fell asleep before 8pm, perfect rest for the long run on Sunday.
Sunday:
I woke up feeling so energized, thanks to 9 hrs. of sleep. Went out for my LR with tempo, came back feeling I could conquer the world. I ate breakfast, tidy up the rooms, washed the dishes, and called my mom, something I haven’t done since school started. Then girls came home super happy as well, usually they feel energized after swimming.
I spent the morning planning the week ahead and preparing for lunch. Some Sundays we eat out or order in, those are Sundays when the long run exhausts me and I just want rest. This Sunday I felt full of energy, so I prepared what I promised to the girls. Homemade cheeseburger with fries/potato wedges (Sofia likes wedges that I bake with parmesan cheese while Lizzy prefers fries). I also made a big salad with veggies and tempeh/tofu with tahini miso dressing.
Sofia praised my burger, the best burger ever she said! Lizzy loves the fries. Sofia shared what they discussed at school, where each kid talked about their mealtime. She’s proud to say that most of dinners are family dinners with homemade cooking.
I continued watching 3 body problems while Lizzy started a big project, sorting out all the lego pieces. It took HOURS and I helped from time to time. Sofia did all her homework and made more glutinous rice balls. I updated google calendar for next week as Sofia will start a club one day so she will have two 5:45am swim per week going forward.
Again, I fell asleep an hour into reading, before 8pm. Well rested and relaxing day means good night of sleep. 🙂
Workout report
Monday: 6.2 miles shake out run. Felt well recovered and surprised that I can actually enjoy recovery runs. My coach agreed that I’m not the same runner as I was a few months ago. 🙂
Tuesday: 7.7 miles TM run. My left ankle felt weird maybe because on Sunday I did some single leg routine for runner and may have triggered something. My left ankle is my vulnerable part. 30 min functional exercises for runners (core, hips).
Wednesday: 3 miles easy, 6 sets of 3 min hard (10k effort), 2 min easy, 3 miles cool down. 9.6 miles total. It felt hard. I am getting better ignoring what watch says and run by effort. But this day i looked at the pace and it was slower than I expected. I compensated for the first 3 sets by putting more effort and then realized how stupid was that. GPS is often inaccurate, so I should stick to run by effort, which I did. I also did the cool down on TM as air quality got worse.
Thursday: 7.5 miles, easy with strides. As usual, by Thursday my energy level is lower, perfect timing for rest day. 30 min full body strength exercise.
Friday: 35 min yoga, 15 min with Lizzy in the afternoon.
Saturday: 7.8 miles easy.
Sunday: 17 miles tempo LR. 4 miles easy, 3 sets of 2 miles at half marathon pace, 1 mile easy, 5 miles cool down. It was AN AMAZING RUN!!! I think I’m nailing down the pre-LR workout routine: keep activities low the day before after 3pm. Have vegan dumplings for dinner. Go to bed early, 7pm or so, read 30 min, heat pad on my lower back which magically prepares me physically and mentally for a good sleep. Solid sleep for 9 hrs! Pre-run fuel: steamed sweet potato. Fluid to carry; 1.5 liter of water with LMNT. Huma chia gels, 1 with caffeine, 2 without.
Not only I felt strong while running those sets, I felt well recovered afterward, no sore legs, no fatigue, and kept moving around the house for the entire morning. Something is working!!!
Total miles: 55.6
Strength training: 2
Yoga: 1
Our New Journey 
Yes, I would definitely say things are working for you! I’m in awe of your “solid sleep for 9 hours.”
Your dinner looks delicious. I’m planning a miso tahini sauce for our bowls this week!
Overall your weekend sounds great.
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The coach you’ve been working with since changing coaches seems to make a huge difference. Your training is going so well and it’s nice to feel so great after a long run. I can’t remember how I felt as my last marathon was almost 10 years ago! I am far from the runner I was back then, though! I am soooo slow now but I don’t mind it overall as I have different goals and a lot less time to devote to training. But it’s cool to see what moms with kids who are older, like you and SHU, are able to do! My marathon days are over due to hip issues I have but maybe someday I will train for a 1/2 marathon PR.
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That salad looks divine! It sounds like you are getting the perfect amount of rest and recovery to get your runs to where you want them.
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OMG that Lego store!!!!!!! Rainn would be head over hills there, he loves building. In fact, he builds with anything: paper clips, pencils, you name it. Sophie looks so grown up in her white tope, time flies doesn’t it?
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Great job on your training this week, Coco. I think I need to try LMNT – so many people have mentioned it lately.
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