Training Blog: Sarah Kettel Give an Inside Look


Week 1- July 31st-August 6th

Coming off an injury from May/June I've been doing a lot of extra stuff (strength and core routine, stretching, cross training) and keeping my mileage a little lower. I'm hoping to get back to where I was in my base training last year, usually around 45 mpw and hitting 50 several times, or even up it a bit depending on how I feel. My injury has been a hidden blessing as I've been able to drastically improve my form over the course of the summer, get into the habit of doing the extra stuff I talked about, and strengthen my mental attitude by becoming even hungrier to do my absolute best and achieve some big goals. Also, being injured helped me get my priorities back in order; as strange as this concept may seem (and even though I LOVE it), there are more important things in life than running! J

Friday: 6 miles on wooded trails (8:30 pace)

I was so excited to run with some of my teammates tonight before our track banquet (yes, its two months late but this seems to be a new tradition for my team! Just one of our fun quirks.J) The miles flew by as we discussed cross country training and goals, summer missions trips, and anticipation for the evening ahead! I "continued" my training at the banquet by participating in my team's favorite activity (outside of running), Ultimate Frisbee!

Saturday: 8 mile long run in OH (7:35 pace)

My family and I went to visit my grandfather so I was able to run around his town. I have this day marked in my journal as the first day I became aware that my nagging aches (from my injury) were no longer there! Everything

Sunday: 6.5 miles on rails2trails path in OH (7:25 pace)

I don't usually run on Sundays, but I took last Tuesday off because we had a family friend over for the week! While, again, I felt great running, the heat was killer for me! I ran around 3 in the afternoon and it was 90 degrees out with what felt like a lot of humidity! I never sweat (just kiddingJ) but today was different. . . I would have run earlier, but my family and I went to the drive-in theater late last night.

Monday: 4 miles (10:00 pace)

Today (and every Mon, Wed, Fri for the past two months) I held Running Club at my house! With my sister, Rebecca's, help I've been coaching around 20 kids for fun and to hopefully instill them with the same love of running I have! Today only 3 made it out, but that enabled us to go longer than they ever have before: 4 miles! We ran around some nearby neighborhoods stopping only once for a quick breather. They did great! I love running with groups and having insightful conversations!

Later on I went on a bike ride with my sister and mom. After a warm-up we rode 30 minutes - 1 min hard/1 min easy repeats. In all an exhausting 45 minutes! We got home and did a strength/core routine together which consisted of plyos, planks, pushups, weights, etc. for a total of another tiring 45 minutes!

Tuesday: 5 miles (8:30 pace)

I ran on a mixture of nearby dirt roads, neighborhoods, and wooded trails. Later I biked to go swimming at Brighton High where I did a 45 minute workout (a workout being a couple of hard laps mixed with a lot of easy ones - I'm still getting used to swimming longer/harder.) We went blueberry picking with friends in the morning! 45 minute stretching routine with sis and mom.

Wednesday: 6.5 miles - forgot to time!

Started off the day with Running Club where I had everyone do relays of varying lengths. This is definitely their favorite workout and they did great! I went swimming with my sister and friends at a nearby beach then out for ice cream - lots of fun!

Today, I had a hard run. I was planning on a tempo, but I changed it into an interval workout, because it took so long to cross a road (why so much traffic?). I ended up doing 3 x 2/3 miles hard with the rest easy/recovery. Afterwards my dad checked my form with a phone app. I no longer heel strike! It's amazing how such a little difference can make running feel so much easier!

Thursday: 6.5 miles (7:50 pace)

First I went for an easy run in downtown Brighton (my favorite route for this past week!) Next I biked to Brighton HS for another swimming workout (45 minutes with hard laps mixed in.) In the afternoon I did my strength/core routine (45 minutes). I'm super excited for my running club's final practice/party tomorrow!

Total Weekly Miles : 42.5 Miles