What a legit summer we have been having here in Alaska!
I can’t believe it–for the past 2+ weeks or so, we have been having temperatures in the 80s in Anchorage! That’s unheard of! Sometimes the interior parts of Alaska and the Fairbanks area will have these temps but they rarely happen in Southcentral Alaska. We even broke a record and hit 90*F one day!
I am definitely in a small minority who loves these temps–even while pregnant–so I have been soaking up every ounce of warmth because it will be back to being chilly/cool/cold all too soon.
We have been to the beach a couple of times but there aren’t too many great beaches in the Anchorage area. We did go to Eklutna Lake, which is a glacial-fed lake, so the water felt more like my ice baths that I take after running than an enjoyable swimming experience.
While the temperatures have been nice, the air quality has not, which is due to the forest fires we are having. Anchorage’s air quality varies from day to day–some days we wake up and the air smells like a camp fire, other days it just looks hazy. Fortunately, the air quality has never bothered me while running, but I know it is hard on those with asthma, allergies, and other medical conditions.
For the 4th of July, Craig threw a big party called Freedom Fest, and there were probably about 75 people at our house for it! I took Cullen to the parade in the morning and then watched the men race Mt. Marathon on TV. It is the oldest trail race in the US, where people race up Mt. Marathon–taking any path you want–basically hiking up and then sprinting back down in about a quarter of their time. The distance it only about 3 miles, but the grade of incline is 45 degrees at times, and there is loose rock/shale coming down. Let’s just say that there are some pretty severe accidents that can happen during this race.
I am officially a RRCA (Road Runners Club of America) certified coach, as I have now passed their test and taken my CPR/First Aid class. I continue to coach 3-4 times each week through the running store I work at (Skinny Raven), and I also have my own athletes that I work with one-on-one.
After the Mayor’s Half Marathon race during Cullen’s pregnancy, which was 5 years ago, running took a nose dive for me. I honestly hadn’t remembered until I looked back in my previous blog post the weeks after the race. I was worried this might happen again because I didn’t feel great after the half marathon this year, but thankfully after a week off, I’m back to running pretty decently.
I went for a run two days after the half marathon–taking the day after completely off, but my body was not having it. My lower abdominal muscles felt tight, and overall my body just felt tired and lethargic. I ran one mile (with a couple of stops) and just called it quits because I wasn’t excited about the run anymore.
The next day I ran two miles, but once again my body didn’t feel great, so I took the rest of the week off. I definitely could have tried running again after a couple of days, but I wasn’t really feeling it, I was busy doing other things, and I also didn’t make it a priority. So during week 23 of my pregnancy, I ran a whopping 3 miles. (Oddly, during my 23rd week of pregnancy with Cullen I basically took the week off running 2 miles as well.)
However, last week I felt much better and ran 32 miles, which is the difference between this pregnancy and Cullen’s. During my 24th week of pregnancy with Cullen I ran 7 miles, and then the mileage tapered off to about 20 miles per week because I started having a fair amount of pain.
Week 23 of pregnancy – June 24 – 30
Monday – 1 mile | easy | 9:38 pace
I had intentions of running more, but my body wasn’t having it. It was only two days after the Mayor’s Half Marathon, so that could have been part of it. I ended up walking the dog another mile or so to at least get a few more steps in (not that I need anymore steps than I get on a daily basis – ha!).
Tuesday – 2 miles | easy | 9:17 average pace
I tried again to run a few miles, but it felt so much harder than it was worth, so I ran back home and walk Sadie again.
Wednesday – Off
I could tell my body needed a break, so I took it easy and got other things done instead.
Thursday – 45 minutes of weights + 2 hour hike – Little O’Malley
I did a hike with work friends at 8p.m., which is usually when I’m thinking about going to bed, but I figured this is the time to do the things I wouldn’t normally do during the summer since I’m usually so rigid with my training. A lot of the hiking here in Alaska is straight up the mountain instead of having switchbacks, so this pregnant mama definitely had to take some extra stops on the way up the mountain. I generally don’t mind hills when I’m not pregnant, but they are a lot harder when you are pregnant!
Friday – Off
Since I was up late the night before hiking, I slept in a little and then had a full day of work-related commitments, so once again no exercise, but I was fine with this.
Saturday – 2 mile “hike” with the family
I had the day off from work, so we did a little hiking along Powerline Pass and the start of Little O’Malley. It was slow-going with Cullen, but I didn’t mind. It was nice and sunny out, and the smoke didn’t seem as bad in the mountains.
Sunday – Off
Another rest day as I had other work to do.
Weekly total: 3 miles
Week 24 of pregnancy – July 1-7
Monday – 7 miles |easy run | 9:02 average pace
Yeah, a successful run! I love starting out the week with an early morning run, and I was happy with this distance at 24 weeks pregnant.
Tuesday – 4 miles | easy run | 8:45 average pace + 30 minutes of strength
I ran from the gym and then lifted weights afterwards.
Wednesday – 2 miles | easy run | 9:11 average pace
I did a couple easy miles with the training group.
Thursday – 6 miles | easy miles | 8:27 average pace
A sunny 4th of July run! Today the high hit 90* F for the afternoon high. I’m still taking a few breaks during every run to catch my breath.
Friday – Off
Four days of running in a row still seems to be about my max.
Saturday – 4 miles | easy run | 9:05 average pace
I was hoping to do a long run today, but my body wasn’t feeling it.
Sunday – 10 miles | long-ish run | 8:42 average pace
While not great, I felt better than the previous day, so I did a long-ish run of 10 miles. I was happy with this distance at just over 25 weeks pregnant. It wasn’t a continuous run with a few breaks–and it definitely took some mental gambling, but I did it!
Weekly total: 33 miles
The one thing I did not do was a harder/tempo/interval workout of any type this week. I have been trying to do a quality workout each week, but it didn’t happen this week. I am not too upset about it as this is the time to do what I feel like and not worry about getting hard workouts in each week.
I’m off to coach our Hightail training group tonight. The Hightail Half & Quarter Marathon is one of our women-only races with a piece of jewelry instead of a medal for finishing. We only have about 10 days until the race, which will be my next race as well!
