My Week In Training
Catching up on the last 2 weeks
The Aim
Hello my friends, I’m back into a regular groove after taking last week to drive my kids back to Canada as solo dad to visit family. I didn’t put pressure on myself to write and work, instead aiming myself squarely at maximizing time with people we don’t see often enough anymore now that we’ve moved.
But I DID not allow myself to slide in training. That’s a place I never accept less than a full effort. Whenever I’m away I like to let down the pressure here too, and just take what’s given to me in terms of time and opportunity.
So my aim was to find space to get in runs, workout early to avoid needing to take time away from family, and aim towards a big time goal in the next 2-3 weeks.
How did I do?
The Execution
First off, I want to share my week from 2 weeks ago since I didn’t write a ‘weekly training’ article last Monday, I was driving after all. The receipts still count. As you can see it’s a standard week, a few runs of different types, a few short workouts to cross train for trail running and keep up my general fitness. And of course that LONG weekend effort.
A week away on vacation is the perfect chance to see how well your internal systems work to keep you accountable. How much will you stick on plan when all the other parts of your ‘routine’ and ‘environment’ aren’t the same anymore?
Monday: Easy Run (4 miles)
The most important workout of the week, getting out of the car after an eight hour drive and out the door with running shoes on in less than an hour. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for watching the kids and letting me stretch my legs and mind after a long haul.
The only thing that matters here is the movement and stacking. This is habit formation at its finest. When it’s easiest to say “I could skip” you’re whole being desires to get moving instead!
Tuesday: Trail Run (6.5 miles)
After a morning of calls Grandma and Grandpa again provided the space to go running. I headed to a local trail and let fly during a snow/sleet/ice pellet storm. I really didn’t feel like this one, but knew I couldn’t waste the opportunity to hit the trails given more driving and family committments in the later part of the week would make it difficult.
Take the space you have and hit it hard, go especially if you don’t feel like it. Stack the mental and spiritual wins and move on.
Wednesday: Calisthenics (25lb dumbbells)
Get away day from my parents house so I wanted to be around as much as possible to spend time with everyone. Grabbed a pair of 25’s and worked the whole body. Nothing fancy, just another brick in the wall. Bank it and move on. Another 2 hours on the road for me and the kids too, so just keep moving.
Thursday: Fast Trail Run (4.6 miles)
A big family day in the morning and afternoon took us right by my old trail running spot in Toronto. My wife’s aunt and I took the kids to this urban national park, they went hiking, and I blasted my old 4.5 mile trail when I used to live here 10 years ago. This was just a celebration, a way to say thanks for the space and ability to run fast on trails. Had a good time too! Big time win on a day I didn’t think I could get a run in. Creative problem solving for the WIN!
Friday: Calisthenics (Body Weight)
Another family all day type of day so I just managed to squeeze in pushups, dips, lunges, and a lot of them. These 20 minute workouts are great for so many reasons, but never having an excuse to not move despite having a crunched schedule and none of your own equipment or space available. This is how consistency works. You just keep banking these on all the days you think you can’t.
Saturday: Weighted Jump Rope (1/4lb rope)
LONG DRIVE DAY demanded a workout before I hit the road for the 10 hours in the car I’d spend with my two kids. I always pack my set of weighted jump ropes in the car on trips like this and pulled them out 30 minutes before I woke up the kids for our marathon road trip from Toronto to Chicago. I gained the patience I needed by moving when I could and filling up my cup with what I need to feel like I moved forward towards my own goals.
Sunday: Long Trail Run (11 miles)
What do you do the morning after a long car ride? Get up early and go run more trails of course! I took this one easy, especially after two weeks of back to back 15+ mile runs on my long days. I’m aiming at a big goal coming up quick and decided to taper a bit on this one. 37+ miles in 8 days with two 9 hour driving days within 5 days of visiting family is one heck of a great stretch I’d say!
The Projection
This upcoming week is all about mobility, strength, and speed. I want to get my body primed and ready for that big challenge I’ve been mentioning here. I’ve been training directly for it now for a few months and feel ready in body, mind, and spirit.
I’ll continue to stack days but most of the work is done. Now it’s about maintenance and direct preparation. Because my goal is up to me, I need to coordinate schedules and then will have a good sense if I have the time for one more big effort or if that next big effort is the big one!
This is when it all comes together team. All the training paying off. All the bricks stacking together. It feels GOOD!
The Takeaway
I want you to appreciate that I’m doing a lot of this based on improvisation and feel, but that’s been collected over 11 years of consistent experience.
I know what I need to do each week, to build up each month, to stack season on top of season, to grow year over year. This sense of internal knowing and trust doesn’t come without years of dedication, hard work, and creativity.
All of it is tied to a deep love of trail running. That activity keeps me motivated. I want to continue to feel alive while running in nature. That means fast running, that means challenging routes, that means pushing elevation, distance, and speed. In order to keep up here, I need to be disciplined in other areas of life.
When work and family obligations start to pile up on some weeks, the training must accommodate that break in routine and predictable schedule. You have to work for it.
Too many times people get caught up in the logistical issues of exercise they forget to just do the darn work and move with what they have available.
This past week was a great reminder to just do the work when you can and also push your intentions forward. My family knows I love trail running and they give me a little space to do it so long as I fulfill my other obligations.
So make sure you give away in order to get back space to fill yourself up. And it all tends to settle in the end, just as it should.
Happy Training Friends