Last week was a super solid week and I got 44 miles, my highest mileage since September 2016. Last week marked a shift in my training as I transitioned from the 6x200 workout once a week, to running strides twice a week and hill repeats.

When it comes to base-building hill repeats are strides are key components. Strides are a great way to retrain (or train) the mind-body connection when it comes to running fast. These short bursts of speed have all kinds of benefits, which I highlight in this post HERE.

Hill repeats are another critical tool in the base building phase. I'm running a hill that's about a 1/4 mile in length and has about 50 ft in elevation gain. These repeats will help build leg strength and cardiovascular fitness. The great thing about running hard uphill is that you are less likely to hurt yourself compared with running the same distance and effort on a track, making hill repeats a great pre-cursor to intervals on the track (which are coming next month!).

[Tweet ".@runfargirl's base-building staples: hill repeats and strides"]

Here's a look at last week's training:

Monday

Strength:

20 minutes mobility

3x10 pull up/leg press

3x10 sweat/single leg KB clean

3x10 lunge w/ KB; reverse fly

2x100 butt kicks, toe taps, high knees

2x10 squat jump, lunge jump

Run: 10 min warm up, 2x10 strides 20 second stride, 40 second rest; 5 min rest between sets; 10 min cool down

I ran this back and forth in front of my house, since I didn't have a chance to get the workout in at the gym in the morning (and running strides on the treadmill sounds like a special kind of HELL). I also didn't necessarily run these as I should have and was running too hard and effort, so they were more like 100m sprints (which is no, no when you haven't done speed work in a while!).

Tuesday

Hilly Run: 6.5 mi; 1:10:15; 10:44 min/mi; 740 ft gain

I was really feeling the heavy squats and lunges in my legs, plus the strides that were really 100m sprints. This run was SLOW and tough and a slog. But I got through it and got my 700+ feet in elevation gain too.

Wednesday

Strides: 10 min warm up, 2x10 strides 20 second stride, 40 second rest; 5 min rest between sets; 10 min cool down (4.0 miles total; ~45 min)

Did this one on the track and stayed much truer to what strides should be. Also, I wore SHORTS! It was kind of awesome (now the track is covered in snow:(

Thursday

Hill Repeats: 10 min warm up, 10xhill repeats, 10 min cool down; 5.0; 47:30; 9:23 min/mi; 449 ft gain

Found a good hill and just ran up and down it ten times. Focused on driving from the hips and engaging the glutes.

Friday

15 min mobility

Strength:

3x10 pull up, single leg press

3x10 single leg squat w/ counterbalance, TRX reverse push ups

3x10 KB swing, squat w/ KB, Knee drops, battle ropes

2x50 high knees, toe taps, butt kicks

2x10 sweat jumps, lunge jumps

Run: 3.0 on the treadmill

Saturday

Easy Run: 4.1; 34:21; 8:24 min/mi 417 ft gain

Quick and easy run before getting home to make Birthday breakfast for my girl, who turned 8!

Sunday

Long Run: 14.4; 2:22:24; 9:10 min/mi; 1161 ft gain

Took a group around a hilly route and it was gorgeous! We had our first snowfall on Saturday night, so it was a winter wonderland out there. Felt really strong and solid throughout the run, but had to hop in my car and jet right after and didn't have a chance to stretch. Stopped at the store to grab a few things and was stiff as a board getting out of the car, then when I got home my left plantar fascia was really not happy at all. So weird. I did a bunch of ankle mobility and rolled my calf like crazy and it went away. Stuff like that scares me! I didn't bother me at all on the run and then bothered me an hour later. Weird. It's been fine so far this week, but I've been extra diligent with the ankle mobility and have been dynamically stretching my calf as much as possible.

Speaking of mobility, a few of your were asking what I do. And I basically do a variation of Kim Nadeau's mobility routine in addition to a few other dynamic stretches I've always done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXL4Nxzln6k&t=61s

This week, my focus is on MOBILITY. My mileage will be reduced this week, although I'll be following the same basic structure for my runs. In addition, I'll take a n active rest days mid-week to recover and absorb the fitness from the last 14 days-straight of running.

What have you been up to with your training? Do you do a mobility routine or dynamic stretching?

-Sarah

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Training Update: focusing on the little things