midweek | Running Without Music

South Bay Thursday Run

This year we have a lot of options during the week to train with coaches and as a group. Usually, I make it out to the Westside OSV (Ocean and San Vicente) morning runs at 7am, but depending on social outing circumstances or work schedule, I don’t go to all the time. I don’t know why, but what makes the most sense for me are the South Bay runs Thursday nights because it’s so close to work, and there’s no real time pressure, unlike the mornings where I have to rush to get ready for work right after.

Tonight was my first time there and I kinda like it! I like varying up the terrain and course time to time too. We did mainly Chip Trail and Boardwalk with some hills snuck in. I might of went too hard in the beginning because the second half of the 80 minute run, my legs felt heavy – muscles tightened, felt like shin splints. Running in good company with teammates helped distract the pain away, plus the post-run eats & beer is always a treat!

Return of the Midweek Lunch Run

I gotta admit, I’ve been skimping out on my midweek run practices. Last time I ran was Wildflower almost 2 weeks ago, and even before that, I’ve been swapping my runs with more swims. Right about now is where our run training (or all training in general) will be stepping up in volume, and all 3 sports must be taken seriously. Last year’s IronTEAM coach Paul gave me some pretty good advice even before the season started. He knew I came from a running background, but he told me, “You still have to pay attention to your run, don’t take it for granted.”

I’m usually good with running up until maybe the 16 mile mark, but there’s always room for improvement. Earlier today I set out to run to the boardwalk of Manhattan Beach from the office. My Garmin wasn’t charged so I just had a basic Timex watch to keep track of when I should turn back. It was just me and the pavement, enjoying the sights and sounds of a beautiful day in the South Beach. I ran for about an hour along Rosecrans, occasionally looking around appreciating some nice houses, greenery, and loved the ocean breeze. I took a light jog along the boardwalk (also taking the snapshot above), where I saw the waves hitting high but made a calming sound. I headed south on a somewhat empty boardwalk, then ran back to the office. You gotta love these midweek lunch runs because it’s one way to schedule in some workouts that doesn’t eat away from your morning or night routines. Oh wait a minute, I have to do some shoulder strength training tonight…. the day’s not over yet!