First! The server exploded, sorry about that. We had a prolonged downtime this week (the first since starting the blog up!) due to some hardware failures. Once the hardware was fixed, I had a heck of a time getting the settings working with our network again. Let me know if there are any lingering effects!

So, let's talk about running. Honestly, it's so much harder to run now that I've experienced the joys of triathlon training. Not from a physical stand point, but really just an emotional one. I'd so much rather jump in the pool for some laps, or take the bike out for a spin along the water. Running is way more of a grind, higher impact, and way more exposed to the volatility that is weather. Like two nights ago when we were running with 86% humidity and it felt like we were running through a cloud the entire time. But, here we are, finding ourself back at the start of a running training block to gear up for a couple of late summer races that we've had our sights on.

The first race that Ellie and I have been waffling back and forth on, okay really just me waffling back and forth on, is the Run 716 15k road race hosted by Flying Bison. We did this race last year and set a PR for the 15k. We both really enjoyed the race, and had marked it on our calendar a long time ago, before all of this triathlon nonsense started up again. We both know that we have some serious work to do in order to put up a good time for a 15k, or really complete a 15k without breaking ourselves. So, with that in mind, on Monday we started a training block to up our weekly mileage to between 15 and 20 miles. 

Last night was our first track session, which is a new-to-us style of training that should help increase our race pace. We are fortunate to have a beautiful track about a mile or so away from our house, so we did a warm up run over there, and set in on sets of 400 meters with a 2 minute brisk walk in between. Our first session ended up being 6x400 at ~2:00 per 400m average. This is roughly training us for an 8 minute mile pace. 

We both agreed that the workout itself sucks, and pushed us way out of our comfort zone. We also both agreed that it seems like a highly effective strategy to get faster, so we will be continuing to add it in to our regular workout plan. Running faster than we typically do should get our bodies used to the quicker turn over, and we hope to reduce the recovery time between sets, as well as increasing our set count longer and longer as we gear up for 15k and half marathon distances.

I guess it is good to be back on the running train . . . because after my abysmal run during the last triathlon, I'm definitely motivated to rebuild my base. Stay tuned to see how this training block goes!