They say that the hard times make you appreciate the good stuff even more. After going through some pretty awful stuff in the first half of this year, it's safe to say that I'm very glad to be back to a familiar routine and that I finally reached the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

There were some good things though, even if the first half of the year was extremely rough. I was able to make some much needed headway in other areas I'd been wanting to work on but didn't have the time or energy. So now I'm back on the right track with some added bonuses coming along the way - like freelancing clients and the beginnings of a product line for my blog (or at least a plan for it).  

And with that, I'm hoping the constant stress and sickness is behind me and that I can now settle in to my new routine, which I'm absolutely loving. 

So let's talk about my week...

First things first - I've been continuing with better eating habits and I'm feeling so much better. More energy, less bloated, and just generally feeling good and I know that's helping with better workouts.

Workout recap

Last week's workouts

• Monday: Off
• Tuesday:  Speedwork - 5 miles, 5x800s with 400 recoveries plus warmup and cooldown
• Wednesday: Easy run - 3.03 miles (8:36 pace), Mid-80s, 90% humidity
• Thursday: Barre class
• Friday: BodyFlow class
• Saturday: Easy run (met a friend, ran her pace) - 3 miles
• Sunday:
  • Barre class
  • "Long" run - 7.02 miles (8:56 pace)

Monday
I started my new job and I wasn't sure what the day would look like, so I took a rest day from working out. I'm happy to report that the new job is going very well! 

Tuesday
Did you see it up there? On Tuesday I did speedwork! I haven't done speedwork in months!

I took advantage of my new O2 fitness membership by using the treadmill for my speed session. I set it at a 1% incline and did a 1 mile warmup, followed by 5 x 800s in the 7:13-7:18 range (8.2-8.3 mph on the treadmill, 3:35-3:37 total time for each 800) with 400 recoveries. I took those recoveries pretty slow since this was my first time on the speed train in a while, then I did the remainder as a cool down to get to 5 miles. 

Since I'm still building back up some strength, it was a little slower than I've done in the past, but I was pleased with it and I was happy to be back to speed work! I'm not a big fan of the treadmill, but with the triple digit heat indexes and dew points well over 75, it's just better to do these speed sessions indoors right now. 

Wednesday
Just an easy run on Wednesday, but easy translated to the 8:30 pace range, which made me extremely happy especially considering the weather (hot, humid, sticky). This is the runner I used to know. I hope she sticks around this time.

Thursday and Friday
I took off from running these two days and did some strength and yoga work. Thursday, I went to barre class at Barre Evolution. That always gives my quads a crazy workout. 

Friday I had intended to run, but the backs of my legs were so tight that I opted for BodyFlow (yoga) at O2 Fitness instead. That was definitely the right choice. Since I haven't officially started training for my fall races, I didn't feel bad about skipping a run for a bit calmer workout. 

Saturday
I met up with a friend and I let her take the pacing lead since our paces are wildly different. We ended up doing a very slow run/walk, which was fine with me. We had some good conversations and it gave my legs a little bit of a break since I started pushing them a bit harder this week. 

Our day Saturday was packed with friends and activities after that - B had a birthday party for one of his friends in the morning, then in the evening we went out to dinner with other friends. And there were oysters. I was delighted. Oysters are healthy, right?

Sunday
I started the day with a barre class and wow, it was a tough one! The instructor had some new moves that set my quads on fire. I could tell during class that my legs were a little fatigued from the rest of the week's ramped up workouts, but I made it through and with full splits on both legs (and nose to knee!). I'm always proud of myself for maintaining flexibility while being a runner. Most runners aren't exactly known for being flexible and I know that that flexibility helps keep injury at bay. 

Since it was still hotter than blazes, we headed to the pool after I got back from barre class. B loves the pool so much and I can't say I'm sad to be hanging out in the water, either. We spent an hour or so there, then headed to lunch at Boone Hall Market Cafe.

Sunday evening, I got in my long run for the week. I love evening running (pretty sure I've mentioned that a million times before!). My legs were seriously hosed from the morning's barre class, though, so they were sore and tired and just didn't want to move. But I did it. And I was thinking to myself how cool it felt outside when I was out running. When I checked the temperature it was still 90 degrees with heat indexes in the 90s, 85% humidity and a crazy high dewpoint (over 80, I believe - gross!). And apparently, I thought that was not hot. That's how hot it's been here recently. 90 degrees feels cool. Good times. I was so glad to have that run done.  

And that was my week, guys. After the hard times of the first half of the year - having so many health issues, terrible running, missed workouts, and awful life situations, I'm so happy that things are finally better. And even though harder workouts like speedwork are torture, I'm glad to be back at it again because I can be back at it. Just a few more weeks and I start official training for my fall racing season, and I'm hoping it's a good one!

Anyone else getting excited for fall and fall training yet?

PS - I've been linking up for the past several weeks with HoHoRuns and MissSippi Piddlin'  for their Weekly Wrap post and I really love it. You can check out all of this week's posts here.