Two Little Runners Talk A Lot

After the Philly RnR I took a week of easy running/resting and then relaunched into base training. Kristen and I have some pretty hefty PR [secret] goals for this next cycle, after which I'm hoping to take a break for a couple of months and just enjoy some long easy miles in the bitter, spirit-crushing cold crisp, refreshing New York winter.

The week after RnR (Sept 17-23rd) went: rest, rest, 45 min elliptical, 5 miles recovery run, 60 mins elliptical+ core, easy 11 miles (total: 16).

Sept 24-30: Base training
Monday: rest
Tuesday: Easy 6 miles + 4 Hill Sprints
Wednesday: Easy 6 miles + 10 mins leg strength
Thursday: 60 mins elliptical 
Friday: 8 miles easy
Saturday: 70 mins elliptical + arms/core
Sunday:  12 miles easy with Kristen!!

Only two major things to note.

1. On Thursday, I developed a new format for my sweaty elbow sessions for when I miss a tempo workout. It reflects what is roughly mile repeats: 10 mins easy, 4 x 7 mins hard w/ 3min recoveries, 10 mins easy. I go by heart-rate, sticking to the 150s (below 80% MHR) for the warmup, cool down and recoveries, and try to maintain around 160-170 bpm (between 80%-90% MHR) for the intervals. This roughly simulates the effort that would go into running mile repeats at or slightly slower than goal race pace.
2. Kristen and I talk about running a disturbing amount. Our conversations approximate the below distributions: 

True story.