During the past week, I was reminded once again that running is so much more than running. Sure, there are many of us out there who share a passion for running, which in turn makes it seem like it often dominates our free time, social choices and conversations. But the roots of running are deep. They are about much more than miles run and workouts completed. They are more profound than early morning alarms and ground covered before sunrise. Running twists around us and inside us and loops moments and people together in ways that are unexpected if you view running as physical activity alone.

Last week, I attended a wedding for a dear friend who I met through … what else … running. You’ve heard her name time and time again here on runladylike.com as we’ve logged hundreds (thousands) of miles together when I lived in Atlanta. We shared ups and downs and early morning therapy sessions, er long runs, race day triumphs and everything in between.

As I watched her marry the man of her dreams (who she also met through running, and yes, I was with her at the race where it happened), I marveled at the relationships and friendships that surrounded me. Every single person I knew at the wedding and have come to respect and admire are all in my life because I run. Roots are deep.

In addition to the wedding, three of my amazing coaching clients raced last weekend in one marathon and two half marathons. It was a wonderful weekend for them. One ran a personal best by several minutes, while another ran the same time as her last goal race but realized she is stronger today than she has ever been. Running brings moments of greatness and moments of life lessons that will never leave us. Roots are deep.

As for me, I’m feeling more like myself. I’m running more consistently and incorporating some faster running back into my weeks which makes me feel stronger and happier. Running for fun is fun, but running far below my potential this summer has not been. I think I’ve found the perfect balance of non-structured training that still maximizes my base and overall performance. I will be running a half marathon next month and am looking forward to how my maintenance mode is serving me.

Here’s what my past week of training looked like.

Getting Sweaty and Stronger

My fitness goals for 2015 are to stay in half marathon shape year-round (20-30 miles of running per week and long runs of 8-11 miles) and get stronger (2-3 strength training and cross training workouts each week).

• Monday: Ran 5.5 miles easy at 8:36 average pace as the sun was setting

• Tuesday: 1 hour at Orangetheory Fitness including 3.5 miles of continuous running on the treadmill followed by strength training. I was really happy with this workout because we ran 2 x 1-mile repeats at a hard effort. I ran my 1-mile repeats at 6:58 pace with additional, shorter speed intervals between the two repeats.
• Wednesday: 1 hour of strength work at Pure Barre via ClassPass

I wore a new tank top to class on Wednesday that I’m head-over-heels in love with! It’s the Brooks Pick-Up Tank, and it may very well be my favorite tank to run and workout in right now. It’s perfect for a class like barre, yoga, pilates, etc. but is also amazing for running. I like how flattering the fit is … it’s on the longer side which is great for different body types, but while fitted, doesn’t hug your mid-section too much. It is also extraordinarily comfortable and doesn’t ride up. I was goofing around after class so you could see what it looks like. Obsessed! {Note: Brooks did send this tank to me at no cost as part of my ambassadorship with them, but what they send me does not influence what I write about anything I test.}

• Thursday: Ran 7 miles with 6 x 400-meter repeats during the middle miles with 0.75-mile recovery between each. I ran the 400s around a 1:40 pace.
• Friday: 75 minutes of restorative yoga at Bella Prana Yoga via ClassPass
• Saturday: REST: I caught a flight at 7 a.m. to attend the wedding I mentioned above and had no down time to get a workout in
• Sunday: 75 minutes of restorative yoga at Bella Prana Yoga via ClassPass; a guitarist came and played live music during this class, which was absolutely amazing

Since I couldn’t run during the weekend due to early morning flights on both Saturday and Sunday and slept in on Monday (oops), I shifted my longer run to Tuesday. Yesterday, I ran 8 miles as a drop-back week around my neighborhood.

What I’m Most Proud of

Continuing to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to get my workouts in. I had three early morning workouts last week, including one at 4 a.m. to run at 4:45 a.m.

I’m also proud of all my coaching clients who ran strong races over the weekend! Congrats ladies.

Where I Struggled

Inconsistency with weekday nutrition. You’ve heard that one before from me, right? I’m getting this under control and will be sharing how later this week.

Thought for the Week Ahead

“The task ahead of you is never greater than the strength within you.”
― Unknown

How was your week last week? How did your training go? What are you most proud of? Where were you most challenged?