Yes, I'm alive...we just got back yesterday from an 11 day vacation in beautiful Argentina :)
We enjoyed beautiful landscape, meeting friendly people and eating amazing food and wine and food and dessert and coffee and wine...did I mention food? and wine?
Hahaha, but seriously...all things in moderation, right? I guess that includes running...I "only" ran 15 miles while we were gone, but walked a TON, went horseback riding, trekked across a glacier and truly and thoroughly enjoyed myself. (By the way, I actually consider getting the 15 miles in a major success)
I promise to share more of our vacation soon. I'm back at work today, have my gym bag packed to go running after work and am slowly but surely working my way through Google Reader catching up with everyone.
Only 6 weeks until Chickamauga!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Chickamauga Training: Week 8 Recap
This week looks a little bit different because of college football/traveling/holiday weekend...the key is recognizing that schedule is kind of jacked up, readjusting and then rolling with it :) And yes, I know I am more than halfway through week #9 but that's the way I'm rolling this week too :)The good, the bad and the ugly of week #8...
Monday, August 29
Plan: 4 miles
Actual: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (Level 2) + 2.5 mile walk
It was a LONG day at work with meeting after meeting including 2 trips across campus (and back) in 5" heels. (I did not plan that well) I'm counting this because A. even with the walking I do, this is out of the norm and B. the walks to/from the meeting were NOT leisurely, and the pace had me striding out to the point where I'm pretty sure I looked like I was power walking (I was walking with men and needed to keep their pace).
After I got home, I knew I didn't feel like running...my legs/feet were sore from what I put them through at work and I was a little sore from my long run the day prior. Matt was doing his Fantasy Football draft so I popped in Jillian and decided to kick it up to level 2 (which I hadn't done in a while). Holy cow, that was tougher than I remembered! And my upper body strength is TERRIBLE.
Tuesday, August 30
Plan: Boot camp
Actual: 4 miles
I counted my Jillian video as "boot camp" for this week, so tonight was time for a run. I ended up working late again and was starving so I headed home to eat before going to the gym. Ugh. I had about 30-45 min to digest dinner before I jeopardized being able to fit in my 4 miles before the gym closed. Not to be totally TMI but I ended up burping dinner pretty much the entire run and actually threw up in my mouth a couple of times. Pretty gross. But despite that, the run didn't totally suck.
I ended up deciding to run a progression run, partly b/c I was trying to make treadmill time interesting and partly b/c I knew I needed to if I was going to get it done before closing time. I started at warm-up pace (11:30) and every 5 minutes bumped it up by .1 mph...until the last .5 when I bumped it up by .2 or .3 every 1 minute. This was out of necessity and I ended up at an 8:XX pace by the end, feeling pretty good. I'm pretty sure I'm capable of going faster than my current training paces, but I know trying to add speed AND distance can be a recipe for disaster and I'm really not trying to get myself injured. It's something to think about as I work on my half marathon plans later this fall/winter. I think there is a 2:10-2:15 half marathon to be had with some work!
It would have been really easy to blow off this workout tonight but I had no VALID reason. Marathon training is not always supposed to be comfortable and easy, and I know there will be other times that I may have to skip a workout...tonight was not comfortable but I'm so glad I got it done.
Wednesday, August 31
Plan: Yoga
Actual: 3.5 mile walk w/Matt + dogs
I was actually really looking forward to yoga tonight but traffic was JACKED on the way home, so I wasn't able to make it to the gym by the 6:00 class time. My legs/feet were feeling so sore and fatigued (and kind of have been the past few days) so I knew I couldn't try to switch the tempo run to tonight so I opted for a walk instead. Ummm...my legs cramped on more than one occasion, including once completely buckling underneath me. I know I wasn't dehydrated and I have been fueling decently (not optimally, but not terribly either) and it was at this point that I knew I needed to book my massage for tomorrow. I missed it on my recovery week due to scheduling and other things going on and my body was CLEARLY telling me I needed it!
Thursday, September 1
Plan: 40 min tempo
Actual: Rest/Sports massage
I had a nice 9:00pm massage time booked which allowed me to work late and spend some time prepping for my weekend out of town. Massage Envy will let you customize your massage and lately I have been asking for only neck/back/legs/gluts. The last massage I got was AWESOME and he spent tons of time on my gluts/IT bands. This time I had a different chick who didn't seem to be able to apply anything more than light pressure and spent like 2.5 seconds on my gluts. Any massage is better than NO massage, but I am coming to be worked on and I asked for firm/deep pressure. Yes, I know I had one of the late slots, but I usually have one of the late slots and I've never had that be an issue before. Oh well.
I ended up staying up until almost 1am working on some volunteer stuff for the Humane Society and was hoping I could roll out of bed in the morning with time to squeeze in my missed tempo run from today.
Friday, September 2
Plan: Rest
Actual: Rest
Yeah, going to bed so late did NOT agree with me and it was all I could do to get myself together to get to work and get some minimal packing done for my weekend out of town. I was luckily able to leave work around 2:45 so I could get home, throw some more stuff together and get the girls loaded for the trek to Auburn. Matt had gone down Thursday afternoon since he telecommutes and could work from his friend's house Friday during the day. I BARELY made it in time to drop the dogs off at my aunt's vet (so sad!) at 6:00 because traffic was the SUCK going down (not thick, but I couldn't get any separation b/c of multiple idiots going under the speed limit in the LEFT lane). Anyway, my aunt and I got it together and headed to my cousin's football game to watch him march. (He's a sophomore and plays snare in the band.) It's so "Friday Night Lights"...I secretly kind of loved it :)
Saturday, September 3
Plan: 7 miles
Actual: 7.1 miles + 5 miles walk
No, this is not an extreme step-down week :) It is, however, the 1st weekend of college football...it's my favorite time of the year!!! Even though I graduated from FSU, I am a huge Auburn fan. I grew up there, my dad, aunt AND Matt (as well as many, many family friends) are alumni and have spent pretty much my entire life going to games. This year, my aunt Paula ("Auntie P"), cousin (Jimmy) and I got season tickets together, so I will be going to most of the home games.
This week was an 11:00am kick off, which means leaving for the stadium between 8 and 8:30 so we can do Tiger Walk, see friends and head into the stadium before pre-game. NO WAY was I getting in a 15 mile run on that timeline!! I essentially shifted my medium-long run to Saturday and have my 15-miler slotted for Monday since it's a holiday and I'm off work.
I headed out around 5:40 a.m. and dare I say, it was actually cool outside. It was still kind of dark and I saw several other runners along my route. My plan was to run to campus, *possibly* meet up w/the running club for a few miles and then run back to my aunt's. I knew the AORTA route and passed a group of about 5 runners close to the meeting place. I knew it was them and that I wouldn't be catching up to anyone else, but it turns out it was a SLIM crowd on Saturday because there were only a couple of cars parked at the meeting spot (they usually have several dozen runners). It was actually fine, I loved running around campus so early and checking out all of the people setting up their tailgates, security getting set, etc.
At one point I heard solo footsteps behind me and I was hoping not to get passed. About a mile later, I pulled over to take a picture and realized another woman had essentially been using me as her pace bunny. Kind of funny and I almost wished I had kept going to keep up the motivation.
On another random note, one of the security guys joked with me that I looked way too happy for it to be so early, so I jumped into the air and clicked my heels for a "good morning"...I think we both got a kick out of that.
We always park 1.5 miles from the stadium (at my aunt's work) and then walk...good exercise and actually more convenient then it sounds. I was wearing flat sandals (slick bottom) and by the end of the day knew I had (at minimum) a hot spot. Got home and OMG the nastiest blood blister about 3 inches long. BARF. All the running and high heel wearing I do and I end up with a blister from the flat sandals I wore all summer? Doesn't add up, does it?
Sunday, September 4
Plan: Rest
Actual: Rest
I would usually join my aunt at the gym, but between the nasty blister that made it difficult to walk and my pending 15 miler, I opted for the extra rest this morning.
Monday, August 29
Plan: 4 miles
Actual: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (Level 2) + 2.5 mile walk
It was a LONG day at work with meeting after meeting including 2 trips across campus (and back) in 5" heels. (I did not plan that well) I'm counting this because A. even with the walking I do, this is out of the norm and B. the walks to/from the meeting were NOT leisurely, and the pace had me striding out to the point where I'm pretty sure I looked like I was power walking (I was walking with men and needed to keep their pace).
After I got home, I knew I didn't feel like running...my legs/feet were sore from what I put them through at work and I was a little sore from my long run the day prior. Matt was doing his Fantasy Football draft so I popped in Jillian and decided to kick it up to level 2 (which I hadn't done in a while). Holy cow, that was tougher than I remembered! And my upper body strength is TERRIBLE.
Tuesday, August 30
Plan: Boot camp
Actual: 4 miles
I counted my Jillian video as "boot camp" for this week, so tonight was time for a run. I ended up working late again and was starving so I headed home to eat before going to the gym. Ugh. I had about 30-45 min to digest dinner before I jeopardized being able to fit in my 4 miles before the gym closed. Not to be totally TMI but I ended up burping dinner pretty much the entire run and actually threw up in my mouth a couple of times. Pretty gross. But despite that, the run didn't totally suck.
I ended up deciding to run a progression run, partly b/c I was trying to make treadmill time interesting and partly b/c I knew I needed to if I was going to get it done before closing time. I started at warm-up pace (11:30) and every 5 minutes bumped it up by .1 mph...until the last .5 when I bumped it up by .2 or .3 every 1 minute. This was out of necessity and I ended up at an 8:XX pace by the end, feeling pretty good. I'm pretty sure I'm capable of going faster than my current training paces, but I know trying to add speed AND distance can be a recipe for disaster and I'm really not trying to get myself injured. It's something to think about as I work on my half marathon plans later this fall/winter. I think there is a 2:10-2:15 half marathon to be had with some work!
It would have been really easy to blow off this workout tonight but I had no VALID reason. Marathon training is not always supposed to be comfortable and easy, and I know there will be other times that I may have to skip a workout...tonight was not comfortable but I'm so glad I got it done.
Wednesday, August 31
Plan: Yoga
Actual: 3.5 mile walk w/Matt + dogs
I was actually really looking forward to yoga tonight but traffic was JACKED on the way home, so I wasn't able to make it to the gym by the 6:00 class time. My legs/feet were feeling so sore and fatigued (and kind of have been the past few days) so I knew I couldn't try to switch the tempo run to tonight so I opted for a walk instead. Ummm...my legs cramped on more than one occasion, including once completely buckling underneath me. I know I wasn't dehydrated and I have been fueling decently (not optimally, but not terribly either) and it was at this point that I knew I needed to book my massage for tomorrow. I missed it on my recovery week due to scheduling and other things going on and my body was CLEARLY telling me I needed it!
Thursday, September 1
Plan: 40 min tempo
Actual: Rest/Sports massage
I had a nice 9:00pm massage time booked which allowed me to work late and spend some time prepping for my weekend out of town. Massage Envy will let you customize your massage and lately I have been asking for only neck/back/legs/gluts. The last massage I got was AWESOME and he spent tons of time on my gluts/IT bands. This time I had a different chick who didn't seem to be able to apply anything more than light pressure and spent like 2.5 seconds on my gluts. Any massage is better than NO massage, but I am coming to be worked on and I asked for firm/deep pressure. Yes, I know I had one of the late slots, but I usually have one of the late slots and I've never had that be an issue before. Oh well.
I ended up staying up until almost 1am working on some volunteer stuff for the Humane Society and was hoping I could roll out of bed in the morning with time to squeeze in my missed tempo run from today.
Friday, September 2
Plan: Rest
Actual: Rest
Yeah, going to bed so late did NOT agree with me and it was all I could do to get myself together to get to work and get some minimal packing done for my weekend out of town. I was luckily able to leave work around 2:45 so I could get home, throw some more stuff together and get the girls loaded for the trek to Auburn. Matt had gone down Thursday afternoon since he telecommutes and could work from his friend's house Friday during the day. I BARELY made it in time to drop the dogs off at my aunt's vet (so sad!) at 6:00 because traffic was the SUCK going down (not thick, but I couldn't get any separation b/c of multiple idiots going under the speed limit in the LEFT lane). Anyway, my aunt and I got it together and headed to my cousin's football game to watch him march. (He's a sophomore and plays snare in the band.) It's so "Friday Night Lights"...I secretly kind of loved it :)
Saturday, September 3
Plan: 7 miles
Actual: 7.1 miles + 5 miles walk
No, this is not an extreme step-down week :) It is, however, the 1st weekend of college football...it's my favorite time of the year!!! Even though I graduated from FSU, I am a huge Auburn fan. I grew up there, my dad, aunt AND Matt (as well as many, many family friends) are alumni and have spent pretty much my entire life going to games. This year, my aunt Paula ("Auntie P"), cousin (Jimmy) and I got season tickets together, so I will be going to most of the home games.
Jimmy was too cool to show his face here
This week was an 11:00am kick off, which means leaving for the stadium between 8 and 8:30 so we can do Tiger Walk, see friends and head into the stadium before pre-game. NO WAY was I getting in a 15 mile run on that timeline!! I essentially shifted my medium-long run to Saturday and have my 15-miler slotted for Monday since it's a holiday and I'm off work.
I headed out around 5:40 a.m. and dare I say, it was actually cool outside. It was still kind of dark and I saw several other runners along my route. My plan was to run to campus, *possibly* meet up w/the running club for a few miles and then run back to my aunt's. I knew the AORTA route and passed a group of about 5 runners close to the meeting place. I knew it was them and that I wouldn't be catching up to anyone else, but it turns out it was a SLIM crowd on Saturday because there were only a couple of cars parked at the meeting spot (they usually have several dozen runners). It was actually fine, I loved running around campus so early and checking out all of the people setting up their tailgates, security getting set, etc.
At one point I heard solo footsteps behind me and I was hoping not to get passed. About a mile later, I pulled over to take a picture and realized another woman had essentially been using me as her pace bunny. Kind of funny and I almost wished I had kept going to keep up the motivation.
Jordan Hare stadium at sunrise
On another random note, one of the security guys joked with me that I looked way too happy for it to be so early, so I jumped into the air and clicked my heels for a "good morning"...I think we both got a kick out of that.
Reason #540 why I love running on the plains...
I was really shocked that by 6:30/45 traffic had REALLY picked up. Getting close to my aunt's house (running on the sidewalk) a car laid on it's horn and I JUMPED in the air...didn't miss a stride but I know it was comical looking. I am used to the occasional "beep beep" but this was shocking...holy MOLY!We always park 1.5 miles from the stadium (at my aunt's work) and then walk...good exercise and actually more convenient then it sounds. I was wearing flat sandals (slick bottom) and by the end of the day knew I had (at minimum) a hot spot. Got home and OMG the nastiest blood blister about 3 inches long. BARF. All the running and high heel wearing I do and I end up with a blister from the flat sandals I wore all summer? Doesn't add up, does it?
Proof that I wear more than just running clothes on occasion
Me with Matt & Jimmy before the game
(Auburn squeaked by with a win against Utah State)
Sunday, September 4
Plan: Rest
Actual: Rest
I would usually join my aunt at the gym, but between the nasty blister that made it difficult to walk and my pending 15 miler, I opted for the extra rest this morning.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Marathon Widower
It happened a little bit earlier in the training cycle then I expected but last night Matt "delicately" noted that it seemed like I was gone all the time and that I always seemed to be smelly/in my running clothes. OUCH. And to his defense, he tried not to express this in an unkind way but of course I got defensive.
I immediately started jumping to conclusions: "What do you mean? I thought you said you supported my marathon training"
"I do...I am so proud of you, babe, but I don't know if I can handle you running 5 days a week plus the weekends" (He was being dead serious)
Well, I think we all know my training plan DOES NOT call for running "5 days a week PLUS the weekends" (I have 4 runs planned during the week plus at least 2 cross training sessions) BUT I get the point and I know that I am very rarely at home before 7:00p.m. these days for one reason or another.
I really do try my very best to find some sort of balance between work, training and my family and friends and it would be easy to say that Matt is being selfish but I don't think he is: He's not telling me stop running, but he IS communicating that he feels like we need more time together. And it's important to listen even though it can be hard.
You might notice in my training logs that there are a lot of "walk with Matt + dogs" and we both love and cherish that time together. However, and this is me being completely honest, sometimes my legs are sore and tired and tackling the hills for another 45-60 minutes feels like a sacrifice on my end...I would love to, at that point in the day, just plop my butt on the couch and relax but it's a healthy choice and one that ends up sparking a lot of great conversation because we are not distracted by TV, social media, our phones, etc.
Could I get up and get all of my runs done before work? Not all but maybe I can switch *something* to an a.m. schedule on occasion. (My long run is usually complete before Matt is even out of bed, so that's 1 run already accomodated) I am NOT a morning person and early morning meetings at work sometimes make this a fairly prohibitive option (If I need to be at work at 6:30a.m. I am NOT getting up to run, shower and commute beforehand!!) Maybe Matt would be willing to run with me after work? Even part of my mileage?
I was talking to L. about this at lunch today because it has been weighing on my mind and I talked myself into the following conclusion: For me, finding balance can often be harder than the actual workout
Yes, the workouts are physically demanding, often quite taxing and sometimes unpleasant BUT I can endure that for 45-60 minutes or whatever the length of my commitment. It's shuffling things around to make room for LIFE that can often cause consternation. "I have XYZ commitment, maybe I can move this run to the morning...oh but I have an early meeting OR well, if I move this to the morning then I have less than 12 hours between tough workouts and I don't want to completely kill myself before ABC OR well, I can move this to my rest day but then I will have run/worked out 7 days in a row and if I do that I put myself at the brink of overdoing it/risking injury, etc etc etc" And sometimes, there really is just no good way to shuffle, so you skip the workout or flake out on your friends/family/whatever other request may be coming your way.
I have to remember that what I do on any ONE day is not going to make or break my training; it's what I do over the course of the training cycle that will get me to the start AND finish happy and healthy.
Any tips you have for finding balance?
I immediately started jumping to conclusions: "What do you mean? I thought you said you supported my marathon training"
"I do...I am so proud of you, babe, but I don't know if I can handle you running 5 days a week plus the weekends" (He was being dead serious)
Well, I think we all know my training plan DOES NOT call for running "5 days a week PLUS the weekends" (I have 4 runs planned during the week plus at least 2 cross training sessions) BUT I get the point and I know that I am very rarely at home before 7:00p.m. these days for one reason or another.
I really do try my very best to find some sort of balance between work, training and my family and friends and it would be easy to say that Matt is being selfish but I don't think he is: He's not telling me stop running, but he IS communicating that he feels like we need more time together. And it's important to listen even though it can be hard.
You might notice in my training logs that there are a lot of "walk with Matt + dogs" and we both love and cherish that time together. However, and this is me being completely honest, sometimes my legs are sore and tired and tackling the hills for another 45-60 minutes feels like a sacrifice on my end...I would love to, at that point in the day, just plop my butt on the couch and relax but it's a healthy choice and one that ends up sparking a lot of great conversation because we are not distracted by TV, social media, our phones, etc.
Could I get up and get all of my runs done before work? Not all but maybe I can switch *something* to an a.m. schedule on occasion. (My long run is usually complete before Matt is even out of bed, so that's 1 run already accomodated) I am NOT a morning person and early morning meetings at work sometimes make this a fairly prohibitive option (If I need to be at work at 6:30a.m. I am NOT getting up to run, shower and commute beforehand!!) Maybe Matt would be willing to run with me after work? Even part of my mileage?
I was talking to L. about this at lunch today because it has been weighing on my mind and I talked myself into the following conclusion: For me, finding balance can often be harder than the actual workout
Yes, the workouts are physically demanding, often quite taxing and sometimes unpleasant BUT I can endure that for 45-60 minutes or whatever the length of my commitment. It's shuffling things around to make room for LIFE that can often cause consternation. "I have XYZ commitment, maybe I can move this run to the morning...oh but I have an early meeting OR well, if I move this to the morning then I have less than 12 hours between tough workouts and I don't want to completely kill myself before ABC OR well, I can move this to my rest day but then I will have run/worked out 7 days in a row and if I do that I put myself at the brink of overdoing it/risking injury, etc etc etc" And sometimes, there really is just no good way to shuffle, so you skip the workout or flake out on your friends/family/whatever other request may be coming your way.
I have to remember that what I do on any ONE day is not going to make or break my training; it's what I do over the course of the training cycle that will get me to the start AND finish happy and healthy.
Any tips you have for finding balance?
Friday, August 12, 2011
Chickamauga Training: Week 5 Recap
If there was ever a week for flexibility this was it. I almost didn't post the "planned" schedule because it was pretty clear from the get go that this week was going to be all about accomodating a lot of events that are out of the routine. Some things were planned in advance, some added kind of last minute and some I just didn't consider the impact of how busy my day was actually going to be. Without further adieu...
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Week #5...
Monday, August 8
Plan: 3 miles
Actual: Rest (otherwise known as run errands and stress about big presentation on Tuesday)
I was actually really looking forward to getting out and clearing my head for about 30 minutes but the festivities from Sunday (Matt's dad's b'day) ended up impacting the things I needed to do Monday. After leaving work late, going for a quick manicure, eating dinner and going grocery shopping it was past 9:30. With nerves about my presentation skyrocketing, I opted to spend more time with my slides instead of hitting the road. I was pretty much a ball of nerves the rest of the evening, tossing and turning with insomnia until nearly 2:00.
Tuesday, August 9
Plan: 6 miles
Actual: More rest (unplanned)
I had a 15-20 minute presentation this afternoon to deliver to 50-75 of the top executives and senior leadership in my company. While I knew most of the room pretty well and work regularly with many of them, I am still a junior executive and this is the group that can significantly influence my career trajectory within the company, so I was TERRIFIED that my performance anxiety was going to take over and that I was going to bomb the presentation. How's that for positive self-talk? I had a busy morning so I was able to keep myself distracted and I was trying to pump myself up in preparation. With my nerves essentially being shot since Monday, I had barely eaten anything the past 2 days. Not good, I know, but I physically could not eat I was so worried.
I am happy to report that I NAILED that presentation!!! I got up and as soon as I started speaking, I knew I was in total and 100% control of myself, the situation and the content. I tried not to overthink and just spoke naturally, moving around the room and engaging with the group. I got high marks from the CEO afterwards and many compliments from others. It was a great feeling to know that I CAN do this and I think that I even shocked my boss (who is a great supporter and mentor) :) However, as soon as I sat down (there were 4 or 5 presentations in the program) my stomach started growling...of course!
When I got home, Matt had prepared an awesome salad (and cookies) but after I ate, it was all I could do to hold my eyes open. With the adrenaline rush over, the exhaustion had set in. I ended up "napping" until nearly 9 and again, it was a little bit too late to get started with an hour long run, given that I had an early meeting in the a.m.
Wednesday, August 10
Plan: Rest
Actual: 3.2 miles
I had originally planned for this to be a rest day because I had an early meeting and Bunco in one of the southern 'burbs after work; however, with 2 rest days in the books I NEEDED (and wanted) to get out there and sweat! I had hoped to leave work a tad early so that I wouldn't be too late to Bunco but my volunteer commitment had an urgent need right around 4:30 so I spent a good half hour coordinating some things for them.
I opted to run downtown so that I wouldn't lose any time to potential traffic making my way to the trail. Ran to RR park, did 2 loops on the trail there and then ran back to my car. I had finally remembered to charge my Garmin but then left it upstairs in my office, so I have no idea of pace but I felt like I was booking it and was nice and schweaty at the end. Luckily I was carpooling with my running buddy, A, and she let me change into clean (running) clothes so that I wouldn't completely stink it up at Bunco.
Had a great time and my friend Amanda cooked us an AMAZING meal...who does not love homemade ginger dressing and veggies with "yumyum" sauce? I even had a BEER which is a rare mid-week thing for me but my body was craving the salt and nothing else would do!
Thursday, August 11
Plan: 35 min tempo
Actual: Rest...AGAIN
And this is what happens when life takes over...
Another day, another 7am meeting so there was definitely no running early this morning but I was still holding out hope that I could make it work in the evening. However, on this evening I was committed to attending a cook out for the new MSHA students WAY OUT in the sticks south of Birmingham. I am on the admissions board and an alumni of the program and the faculty are so gracious to include me on events that involve more than just interviewing and really make me feel like part of the team so I really try to attend whenever I can because I LOVE this aspect of my career/field and truly don't even view it as "work".
Anyway, I was out "in the sticks" from 6-9:15 helping prep dinner, networking, socializing (another beer! 2 in 2 days, what is happening to me?) and then did not get home until just after 10:00 (I told you it was pretty far "out there"...and that was with no traffic...it took me almost twice as long to get there from downtown). I was actually pretty pleased with my nutrition choices (minus the beer) but it was clear that it was another non-running day in the books. But you know what? I would not change a single thing. I had a GREAT time interacting with the students and the faculy and these are special opportunties that I don't want to miss for a training run.
Friday, August 12
Plan: Rest
Actual: 36 minute tempo run
12 miler tomorrow be damned, my legs were not content to rest today (and we were watching our friends' daughter tonight so it was morning or never). I pretty much rolled right out of bed and into my running shoes this morning without even stopping to think. Out of bed at 6:15 and at the gym by 6:30, I sucked down half of a Gatorade Prime on my drive over. The air felt a little cooler and the sun was just a little bit lower and I was ready to tackle the workout even though I am not usually a morning person. I knew I had some flexibility in my schedule this morning so I didn't have to get up super early which helped make this more bearable.
12 min warm up, 12 min at tempo, 12 min cool down this workout FLEW by I left the workout feeling refreshed and SO GLAD that I got this done. Everything was clicking this morning and really wish I had the flexibility to have finished off a full hour BUT I am not worried about it, as I nailed what I needed to for the moment.
Saturday, August 13
Plan: 12 miles
Actual: 12 miles
Our friends did not get home until nearly 1:00 a.m. Friday night so it was easily 1:30 by the time we got home and passed out. I was wanting to get out early since I knew this workout would take quite a while and I had a friend's bachelorette that I needed to run errands for (and attend), but I hit snooze one too many times. FINALLY at 7:45, I was out the door into the quickly rising sun. I went one of our less explored routes with the plan to loop back by my house after 6 miles, for a water/gatorade refill.
For some reason I could NOT get in the groove this morning and my mind would not zone out. I didn't have my iPod and kept trying to lose myself in various thoughts to no avail. I think the uncertainty of the new route (terrain, dogs, etc) kept me from getting too comfortable. The sun was strong and I was not getting any reprieve from breeze or otherwise so when I looped back home I made the executive decision to haul it up to the gym to finish my next 6 on the treadmill.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Week #5...
Monday, August 8
Plan: 3 miles
Actual: Rest (otherwise known as run errands and stress about big presentation on Tuesday)
I was actually really looking forward to getting out and clearing my head for about 30 minutes but the festivities from Sunday (Matt's dad's b'day) ended up impacting the things I needed to do Monday. After leaving work late, going for a quick manicure, eating dinner and going grocery shopping it was past 9:30. With nerves about my presentation skyrocketing, I opted to spend more time with my slides instead of hitting the road. I was pretty much a ball of nerves the rest of the evening, tossing and turning with insomnia until nearly 2:00.
Tuesday, August 9
Plan: 6 miles
Actual: More rest (unplanned)
I had a 15-20 minute presentation this afternoon to deliver to 50-75 of the top executives and senior leadership in my company. While I knew most of the room pretty well and work regularly with many of them, I am still a junior executive and this is the group that can significantly influence my career trajectory within the company, so I was TERRIFIED that my performance anxiety was going to take over and that I was going to bomb the presentation. How's that for positive self-talk? I had a busy morning so I was able to keep myself distracted and I was trying to pump myself up in preparation. With my nerves essentially being shot since Monday, I had barely eaten anything the past 2 days. Not good, I know, but I physically could not eat I was so worried.
I am happy to report that I NAILED that presentation!!! I got up and as soon as I started speaking, I knew I was in total and 100% control of myself, the situation and the content. I tried not to overthink and just spoke naturally, moving around the room and engaging with the group. I got high marks from the CEO afterwards and many compliments from others. It was a great feeling to know that I CAN do this and I think that I even shocked my boss (who is a great supporter and mentor) :) However, as soon as I sat down (there were 4 or 5 presentations in the program) my stomach started growling...of course!
When I got home, Matt had prepared an awesome salad (and cookies) but after I ate, it was all I could do to hold my eyes open. With the adrenaline rush over, the exhaustion had set in. I ended up "napping" until nearly 9 and again, it was a little bit too late to get started with an hour long run, given that I had an early meeting in the a.m.
Wednesday, August 10
Plan: Rest
Actual: 3.2 miles
I had originally planned for this to be a rest day because I had an early meeting and Bunco in one of the southern 'burbs after work; however, with 2 rest days in the books I NEEDED (and wanted) to get out there and sweat! I had hoped to leave work a tad early so that I wouldn't be too late to Bunco but my volunteer commitment had an urgent need right around 4:30 so I spent a good half hour coordinating some things for them.
I opted to run downtown so that I wouldn't lose any time to potential traffic making my way to the trail. Ran to RR park, did 2 loops on the trail there and then ran back to my car. I had finally remembered to charge my Garmin but then left it upstairs in my office, so I have no idea of pace but I felt like I was booking it and was nice and schweaty at the end. Luckily I was carpooling with my running buddy, A, and she let me change into clean (running) clothes so that I wouldn't completely stink it up at Bunco.
Had a great time and my friend Amanda cooked us an AMAZING meal...who does not love homemade ginger dressing and veggies with "yumyum" sauce? I even had a BEER which is a rare mid-week thing for me but my body was craving the salt and nothing else would do!
Thursday, August 11
Plan: 35 min tempo
Actual: Rest...AGAIN
And this is what happens when life takes over...
Another day, another 7am meeting so there was definitely no running early this morning but I was still holding out hope that I could make it work in the evening. However, on this evening I was committed to attending a cook out for the new MSHA students WAY OUT in the sticks south of Birmingham. I am on the admissions board and an alumni of the program and the faculty are so gracious to include me on events that involve more than just interviewing and really make me feel like part of the team so I really try to attend whenever I can because I LOVE this aspect of my career/field and truly don't even view it as "work".
Anyway, I was out "in the sticks" from 6-9:15 helping prep dinner, networking, socializing (another beer! 2 in 2 days, what is happening to me?) and then did not get home until just after 10:00 (I told you it was pretty far "out there"...and that was with no traffic...it took me almost twice as long to get there from downtown). I was actually pretty pleased with my nutrition choices (minus the beer) but it was clear that it was another non-running day in the books. But you know what? I would not change a single thing. I had a GREAT time interacting with the students and the faculy and these are special opportunties that I don't want to miss for a training run.
Friday, August 12
Plan: Rest
Actual: 36 minute tempo run
12 miler tomorrow be damned, my legs were not content to rest today (and we were watching our friends' daughter tonight so it was morning or never). I pretty much rolled right out of bed and into my running shoes this morning without even stopping to think. Out of bed at 6:15 and at the gym by 6:30, I sucked down half of a Gatorade Prime on my drive over. The air felt a little cooler and the sun was just a little bit lower and I was ready to tackle the workout even though I am not usually a morning person. I knew I had some flexibility in my schedule this morning so I didn't have to get up super early which helped make this more bearable.
12 min warm up, 12 min at tempo, 12 min cool down this workout FLEW by I left the workout feeling refreshed and SO GLAD that I got this done. Everything was clicking this morning and really wish I had the flexibility to have finished off a full hour BUT I am not worried about it, as I nailed what I needed to for the moment.
Saturday, August 13
Plan: 12 miles
Actual: 12 miles
Our friends did not get home until nearly 1:00 a.m. Friday night so it was easily 1:30 by the time we got home and passed out. I was wanting to get out early since I knew this workout would take quite a while and I had a friend's bachelorette that I needed to run errands for (and attend), but I hit snooze one too many times. FINALLY at 7:45, I was out the door into the quickly rising sun. I went one of our less explored routes with the plan to loop back by my house after 6 miles, for a water/gatorade refill.
For some reason I could NOT get in the groove this morning and my mind would not zone out. I didn't have my iPod and kept trying to lose myself in various thoughts to no avail. I think the uncertainty of the new route (terrain, dogs, etc) kept me from getting too comfortable. The sun was strong and I was not getting any reprieve from breeze or otherwise so when I looped back home I made the executive decision to haul it up to the gym to finish my next 6 on the treadmill.
Headed to the gym at the halfway point
The 6 on the 'mill went great, I was able to hold a steady pace and my last mile was my fastest as I was able to do a "sprint" progression for the last .75. At the end I was covered in salt but otherwise fine.
My post-run refueling didn't go quite as planned as I had errands to run before my friend's party and Matt had an unexpected dead car battery that left him stranded across the city, but I FINALLY made it to the pool and was able to go into mini-vacation mode for at least a few hours :) And hey, if chocolate milk is a great refueling option then a margarita is even better, right? RIGHT?
For the record:
Pre-run fuel: plan bagel with butter and cinnamon sugar; 8oz diet blueberry green tea
During the run: ~30oz water/gatorade mix (lemon-lime) and ~10oz water plus 3 sports beans each at 40 minute and 1 hr 20 min mark
Wore: Nike running skirt, Auburn tech-tank top (awesome score at Target for $16 and SO comfortable), Wigwam Ironman socks, blue Mizuno Wave Nirvana 7s
Accessories: Garmin, Nathan handheld
Sunday, August 14
Plan: Cross train (choice)
Actual: 2 mile walk w/Matt + dogs
I started out the day doing this:
As part of Tess's bachelorette we had gotten rooms at Ross Bridge with the plan to spend Saturday laying out by the pool, going to dinner and returning to the room for a lingerie shower and fun signature drinks (created and mixed by your truly which is actually really funny b/c I am the person that probably drinks the LEAST out of all of my local friends).
But I digress...many of the girls had to leave kind of early Sunday to go on about their day but Nicole and I stuck around until nearly lunch time soaking in the rays before we had to get back to reality.
After an afternoon of getting caught up on some work, running errands and returning to Ross Bridge b/c I had left my phone charger in the room, Matt and I headed out for a short walk with the girls. I had hardly seen him at all this past week so it was nice catch up and talk before returning home and getting sucked into the vortex of True Blood and Real Housewives.
Overall thoughts:
Considering the week I had, I am pretty amazed that I fit in what I did. I could spend time lamenting over my missed medium-long run (AGAIN) but I know it's not what I do on any given day that's going to make or break my race in November. It's what I do over the course of 18 weeks that will get me to the start (and finish) happy and healthy.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Chickamauga Training: Week 4 Recap
I've been trying to post this since Monday!! Come on, Blogger...
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Week #4...
Seriously? We're already in week #4??
Monday, August 1
Plan: Rest or Cross Train
Actual: 30 minutes of Exercise TV on Demand (10 minutes belly dancing; 20 minutes hip-hop) + 1 hour massage
Since I didn't do a ton on Sunday, I wanted to do something before heading off to my massage appointment. I thought we might take the dogs for a walk but Matt went to a 5pm showing of Cowboys and Aliens (no thanks!) so I was left to my own devices. I had previously noticed a pretty extensive listing of options when I was flipping through On Demand (to find the latest episode of Teen Mom) so I thought I would look at this a little closer.
I was actually a little overwhelmed by all of the options! (And pretty excited to see several Jillian Options) Not wanting to kill myself though I thought I would try bellydancing and started with a 10 minute video to get warmed up.
Oh.my.GOD. I don't think I can adequately describe how HORRIBLY BAD I was at this. I was embarrassed that Roxy and Bali were subjected to watching it and was especially thankful that Matt was not home.
Next up? 20 min hip hop dance. There were tons of options for this so I pretty much just chose the first one I came to. Now I know I am not great at hip hop either but I at least feel comfortable with the basics. Admittedly some of the moves (and especially the music) were pretty cheesy, but I was working up a sweat. Matt came home in the middle of this and thankfully spent the remainder of the video time cooking dinner instead of watching (making fun of) me!
Later in the evening had a fabulously painful 1 hour massage at Massage Envy where I got some intense glut/leg work done. Hurt so good and I KNOW I need to keep this up at regular (~3 week) intervals throughout the training cycle.
Tuesday, August 2
Plan: 3 miles + boot camp
Actual: 3.2 miles + 2.5 mile walk w/Matt + dogs
Hello, heat wave!! With triple digit air temps and the heat index topping 110 degrees, boot camp was cancled this evening. Admittedly, I had pretty much decided to skip it anyway (WUSS) but having someone else reaffirm my decision made me feel a tad better. Headed out to the trail for a pretty decent 3 miles. The humidity didn't seem as bad as it had been and only had to take a couple of quick walk breaks at the turn around points.
Took a sweaty walk with Matt and the dogs once I got home, taking the lake route so we could feed the ducks/geese. I am such a dork and I LOVE doing this and interacting with all of the different bird personalities! Just call me the crazy bird lady!
Wednesday, August 3
Plan: 6 miles
Actual: 5.5 miles + 2+ hours walking
I was EXHAUSTED today, wiped out from the heat and then also a walk through at work that was supposed to take 45 minutes...took over 2 hours. Our hospital campus stretches for many, many city blocks (connected for the most part by indoor sky bridges, luckily) and we were moving almost the entire time. I wished I had worn a pedometer to track the number of steps. My legs were really feeling it at the end of this as of course I was in dress shoes and not anything sensible. I had also not really eaten anything for lunch due to a tight schedule with other meetings...
I usually try to run right after work during the week so that when I get home my time is MINE...to be with Matt, get stuff done, relax, whatever. Tonight I was hungry and cranky and tired and decided to go home for dinner first and then head to the gym to hit the treadmill later.
I finally made it to the gym around 8:15 and decided to run for an hour. (The gym closes at 9:30 and I wanted to make sure I had time to cool down, stretch, etc) As I was walking in I was thinking about how drained I was and how I had been holding on to the great feeling I had on my long run in Auburn and how that was keeping me going despite feeling beat up lately. It's amazing, but this run was JUST what I needed. I was able to keep myself occupied with So You Think You Can Dance and completely get out of my head. I knocked out 5.5 miles in an hour and the best part was that I did not take a single walking break during that time!!! After battling the weather and needing to take walk breaks, it was great to know what my body could still do.
Thursday, August 4
Plan: 4 x hill + yoga
Actual: 4 x hill + 3 mile walk w/Matt + dogs
Confidence building run #2! It had rained a good bit of the day and felt less hot than it had over the past few days (is it sad that low 90s feels like a cold snap?) plus I was blessed with awesome overcast skies. I decided to tackle the downtown hill again since my Garmin was dead and I knew the route/distance/etc. I wish I could compare paces against the first hill effort but it was not to be.
On the first repeat I felt like it was tons easier than last time even though I felt like I was pushing the pace, etc. At the top of the hill, I decided to ditch the handheld so I found a little alcove to hide it in and tucked my key and ID in my bra (in case the handheld got stolen!) Funny how 20oz or so can make such a difference!
I thoroughly enjoyed the workout and was happy to see progress from the last time I attacked the 3x hill workout in week #1.
Yoga was being practiced under the pavilion tonight (b/c of the wet ground) and I was not prepared to practice on concrete so I headed home and out for another nice walk with the "fam". On the way back (with about .75 left to go) the skies grew black and wind picked up and I thought for sure we were going to get caught in a monsoon. My legs were feeling trashed and unable to sprint so we picked up the walking pace and made it back inside just before the skies opened!
Friday, August 5
Plan: Rest
Actual: REST
I had not had a true rest day in almost a week and I was determined to embrace it. Matt tried to talk me into going for a walk and I told him that I just needed a night to chill! We ended up going to the mall instead and I scored a couple of great deals at Banana Republic (25% off clearance + tax free weekend!) and got my eyebrows threaded.
Saturday, August 6
Plan: 11 miles
Actual: P's core routine
We thought that we were having Matt's family over to celebrate his dad's birthday so I made the decision when I went to bed on Friday that I was going to sleep in, do a quick core workout and get ready to entertain.
To make a long story short, we found out that plans were changed to have Sunday dinner together and I took the opportunity to get a few errands done and to relax. It was blazing hot even early in the morning and I hoped that the weather would be more favorable to me on Sunday.
Sunday, August 7
Plan: Cross train (choice)
Actual: Run for 1 hour 45 minutes
When my alarm went off I immediately knew why I had been so tired the past few days: I had the beginning of a migraine. Ugh. The pounding in my eyeballs and stiff neck really made me want to roll over and go back to sleep. I really didn't want a skipped long run hanging over my head though and I thought about Beth getting ready to take on her Half Ironman and it kicked my ass out of bed.
I took my time getting ready and was so grateful to see fully overcast skies. I had a hard time choking down breakfast and decided that I would head out for an hour loop and then reassess how I felt at that point. I had forgotten to charge my Garmin and didn't really care. I also was battling significant anxiety over a presentation I have to give in the coming week and wanted to focus on talking myself through that and I wasn't in the mood for more pressure.
The first hour went by pretty well though toward the end I wasn't feeling so hot. Though it was overcast it was still very warm and humid and I wasn't wanting to drink anything. I tried to eat my sports beans at the 45 minute mark and gagged one up so decided not to try eating anything else. I took a pretty liberal walk break shortly after that but finished strong at my house in 1 hour and 40 seconds (talk about judging time/distance pretty well!) I really wanted to sit but took a moment to drink some undiluted gatorade and headed out in the opposite direction for a 30-45 minute route that I could vary based on how I felt.
The rest seemed to help but I was quickly drained as I came upon hill after hill. I started to feel nauseous but just kept pressing on and made it through the longer 45 minute version. I KNOW this was not 11 miles but was probably somewhere between 9-10 and I am OK with that. I was completely DONE and proud of myself for getting out there even feeling like crap. I ended up napping on the couch before even getting a shower (yes, GROSS but thankfully Matt knew I was not feeling great and did not press the issue...and forget about any sort of refueling) and then taking another nap in the afternoon...trying to sleep off the headache. Is it sad that I am still glad that I ran Sunday...that I would choose to run long with a migraine over running long in the heat?
For the record:
Pre-run fuel: 1/2 of a honey wheat bagel with nutella, about 4oz of water
During the run:not quite 20oz of water/Gatorade mix plus about 8oz undiluted gatorade (lemon-lime)
Wore:UnderArmour capris, Nike dry fit tank, WigWam IronMan socks, blue Mizuno Wave Nirvana 7s, UnderArmour headband
Accessories:basic Timex watch, Nathan hand held
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Week #4...
Seriously? We're already in week #4??
Monday, August 1
Plan: Rest or Cross Train
Actual: 30 minutes of Exercise TV on Demand (10 minutes belly dancing; 20 minutes hip-hop) + 1 hour massage
Since I didn't do a ton on Sunday, I wanted to do something before heading off to my massage appointment. I thought we might take the dogs for a walk but Matt went to a 5pm showing of Cowboys and Aliens (no thanks!) so I was left to my own devices. I had previously noticed a pretty extensive listing of options when I was flipping through On Demand (to find the latest episode of Teen Mom) so I thought I would look at this a little closer.
I was actually a little overwhelmed by all of the options! (And pretty excited to see several Jillian Options) Not wanting to kill myself though I thought I would try bellydancing and started with a 10 minute video to get warmed up.
Oh.my.GOD. I don't think I can adequately describe how HORRIBLY BAD I was at this. I was embarrassed that Roxy and Bali were subjected to watching it and was especially thankful that Matt was not home.
Next up? 20 min hip hop dance. There were tons of options for this so I pretty much just chose the first one I came to. Now I know I am not great at hip hop either but I at least feel comfortable with the basics. Admittedly some of the moves (and especially the music) were pretty cheesy, but I was working up a sweat. Matt came home in the middle of this and thankfully spent the remainder of the video time cooking dinner instead of watching (making fun of) me!
Later in the evening had a fabulously painful 1 hour massage at Massage Envy where I got some intense glut/leg work done. Hurt so good and I KNOW I need to keep this up at regular (~3 week) intervals throughout the training cycle.
Tuesday, August 2
Plan: 3 miles + boot camp
Actual: 3.2 miles + 2.5 mile walk w/Matt + dogs
Hello, heat wave!! With triple digit air temps and the heat index topping 110 degrees, boot camp was cancled this evening. Admittedly, I had pretty much decided to skip it anyway (WUSS) but having someone else reaffirm my decision made me feel a tad better. Headed out to the trail for a pretty decent 3 miles. The humidity didn't seem as bad as it had been and only had to take a couple of quick walk breaks at the turn around points.
Took a sweaty walk with Matt and the dogs once I got home, taking the lake route so we could feed the ducks/geese. I am such a dork and I LOVE doing this and interacting with all of the different bird personalities! Just call me the crazy bird lady!
Wednesday, August 3
Plan: 6 miles
Actual: 5.5 miles + 2+ hours walking
I was EXHAUSTED today, wiped out from the heat and then also a walk through at work that was supposed to take 45 minutes...took over 2 hours. Our hospital campus stretches for many, many city blocks (connected for the most part by indoor sky bridges, luckily) and we were moving almost the entire time. I wished I had worn a pedometer to track the number of steps. My legs were really feeling it at the end of this as of course I was in dress shoes and not anything sensible. I had also not really eaten anything for lunch due to a tight schedule with other meetings...
I usually try to run right after work during the week so that when I get home my time is MINE...to be with Matt, get stuff done, relax, whatever. Tonight I was hungry and cranky and tired and decided to go home for dinner first and then head to the gym to hit the treadmill later.
I finally made it to the gym around 8:15 and decided to run for an hour. (The gym closes at 9:30 and I wanted to make sure I had time to cool down, stretch, etc) As I was walking in I was thinking about how drained I was and how I had been holding on to the great feeling I had on my long run in Auburn and how that was keeping me going despite feeling beat up lately. It's amazing, but this run was JUST what I needed. I was able to keep myself occupied with So You Think You Can Dance and completely get out of my head. I knocked out 5.5 miles in an hour and the best part was that I did not take a single walking break during that time!!! After battling the weather and needing to take walk breaks, it was great to know what my body could still do.
Thursday, August 4
Plan: 4 x hill + yoga
Actual: 4 x hill + 3 mile walk w/Matt + dogs
Confidence building run #2! It had rained a good bit of the day and felt less hot than it had over the past few days (is it sad that low 90s feels like a cold snap?) plus I was blessed with awesome overcast skies. I decided to tackle the downtown hill again since my Garmin was dead and I knew the route/distance/etc. I wish I could compare paces against the first hill effort but it was not to be.
On the first repeat I felt like it was tons easier than last time even though I felt like I was pushing the pace, etc. At the top of the hill, I decided to ditch the handheld so I found a little alcove to hide it in and tucked my key and ID in my bra (in case the handheld got stolen!) Funny how 20oz or so can make such a difference!
I thoroughly enjoyed the workout and was happy to see progress from the last time I attacked the 3x hill workout in week #1.
Yoga was being practiced under the pavilion tonight (b/c of the wet ground) and I was not prepared to practice on concrete so I headed home and out for another nice walk with the "fam". On the way back (with about .75 left to go) the skies grew black and wind picked up and I thought for sure we were going to get caught in a monsoon. My legs were feeling trashed and unable to sprint so we picked up the walking pace and made it back inside just before the skies opened!
Friday, August 5
Plan: Rest
Actual: REST
I had not had a true rest day in almost a week and I was determined to embrace it. Matt tried to talk me into going for a walk and I told him that I just needed a night to chill! We ended up going to the mall instead and I scored a couple of great deals at Banana Republic (25% off clearance + tax free weekend!) and got my eyebrows threaded.
Saturday, August 6
Plan: 11 miles
Actual: P's core routine
We thought that we were having Matt's family over to celebrate his dad's birthday so I made the decision when I went to bed on Friday that I was going to sleep in, do a quick core workout and get ready to entertain.
To make a long story short, we found out that plans were changed to have Sunday dinner together and I took the opportunity to get a few errands done and to relax. It was blazing hot even early in the morning and I hoped that the weather would be more favorable to me on Sunday.
Sunday, August 7
Plan: Cross train (choice)
Actual: Run for 1 hour 45 minutes
When my alarm went off I immediately knew why I had been so tired the past few days: I had the beginning of a migraine. Ugh. The pounding in my eyeballs and stiff neck really made me want to roll over and go back to sleep. I really didn't want a skipped long run hanging over my head though and I thought about Beth getting ready to take on her Half Ironman and it kicked my ass out of bed.
I took my time getting ready and was so grateful to see fully overcast skies. I had a hard time choking down breakfast and decided that I would head out for an hour loop and then reassess how I felt at that point. I had forgotten to charge my Garmin and didn't really care. I also was battling significant anxiety over a presentation I have to give in the coming week and wanted to focus on talking myself through that and I wasn't in the mood for more pressure.
The first hour went by pretty well though toward the end I wasn't feeling so hot. Though it was overcast it was still very warm and humid and I wasn't wanting to drink anything. I tried to eat my sports beans at the 45 minute mark and gagged one up so decided not to try eating anything else. I took a pretty liberal walk break shortly after that but finished strong at my house in 1 hour and 40 seconds (talk about judging time/distance pretty well!) I really wanted to sit but took a moment to drink some undiluted gatorade and headed out in the opposite direction for a 30-45 minute route that I could vary based on how I felt.
The rest seemed to help but I was quickly drained as I came upon hill after hill. I started to feel nauseous but just kept pressing on and made it through the longer 45 minute version. I KNOW this was not 11 miles but was probably somewhere between 9-10 and I am OK with that. I was completely DONE and proud of myself for getting out there even feeling like crap. I ended up napping on the couch before even getting a shower (yes, GROSS but thankfully Matt knew I was not feeling great and did not press the issue...and forget about any sort of refueling) and then taking another nap in the afternoon...trying to sleep off the headache. Is it sad that I am still glad that I ran Sunday...that I would choose to run long with a migraine over running long in the heat?
For the record:
Pre-run fuel: 1/2 of a honey wheat bagel with nutella, about 4oz of water
During the run:not quite 20oz of water/Gatorade mix plus about 8oz undiluted gatorade (lemon-lime)
Wore:UnderArmour capris, Nike dry fit tank, WigWam IronMan socks, blue Mizuno Wave Nirvana 7s, UnderArmour headband
Accessories:basic Timex watch, Nathan hand held
Thursday, July 28, 2011
It's been an expensive week!
In the past 7 days I have:
--Had gutter work done on my house and had a ceiling fan installed in our home workout room
--Officially registered for marathon #2!
--Bought new running shoes!!
--Booked our flights to Argentina!!!!
There isn't any question about what is my favorite thing on this list, is there?
--Had gutter work done on my house and had a ceiling fan installed in our home workout room
--Officially registered for marathon #2!
--Bought new running shoes!!
--Booked our flights to Argentina!!!!
There isn't any question about what is my favorite thing on this list, is there?
Monday, July 25, 2011
Chickamauga Training: Week 3 Recap
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Week #3...
It was a step down week! Every 3rd week in my plan is a step down week, which is really most evident in the long run category.
Monday, July 25
Plan: Rest or Cross Train
Actual: 2.7 mile walk w/Matt and dogs
We cooked a nice dinner and went out once it got "cooler". It felt good to get out and move after resting on Sunday and then eating a relatively heavy meal tonight. I'm liking that our Mondays are time for us to cook and spend time together and I'm going to try and keep this time for us as much as the schedule will allow.
I feel like sometimes Matt becomes a marathon widower and I do feel kind of guilty about it at times. I try not to let training take over my life and outside of long runs, the time commitment probably isn't that much more than one would normally spend at the gym. However, it's the other lifestyle issues that creep in along the way (i.e. "can't eat here tonight I'm running long tomorrow and it might upset my stomach", "got to go to bed early so I can get up for xyz workout", "sorry I'm not getting home until almost 8pm...I had to work late and then go put in an hour + of training") And the thing is, he RARELY complains...he supports me, asks questions, cooks 90% of our meals, I could go on and on. I am so incredibly LUCKY to be with someone so unconditionally supportive and it's so very important not to take this for granted and to make sure that I am there for him too.
Tuesday, July 26
Plan: 3 miles + boot camp
Actual: 2.4 miles + boot camp
The instructor seriously kicked our asses tonight at bootcamp. Burpees and lunges and pushups, oh my! I was REALLY aware of my quads on the run back to my car tonight.
Wednesday, July 27
Plan: 5 miles
Actual: 4 x 800
When I got in my car after work and saw this, I just DID NOT have it in me. It was steamy and gross and I was hot just walking the .15 miles to my car. (Still working on my attitude!) So...since we know training is all about flexibility I decided to head to the gym to do my speed work that was on tap for Thursday. (5 min warmup, 4 x 800 with 400 recovery jogs and 5 min cool down)
This actually turned out to be a really great plan in the end because I had barely started the second set of 800 when the skies opened. I thought I had noticed a couple flashes of lightning but I was really zero-ed in to Sports Center and wasn't sure if it was just a glare off the window. Nope; rain, thunder, lightning...the whole nine yards. The storm ended up knocking down some huge limbs in our yard and later, our power went out. I would have been stuck in the middle of trail in this storm which would have not only NOT been fun, but would have been mildly dangerous as well.
The workout went really well. I felt like I worked hard but not at all like I was dying by the end. In my attempt at Yassos last year I remember feeling like death so that's got to count for something. I really do think speed sessions (again, speed is all relative) are my favorite workout. I feel accomplished at the end and love breaking up the workout into chunks...helps so much mentally.
Thursday, July 28
Plan: 4 x 800 + yoga
Actual: 3 mile walk w/Matt and dogs
I had everything packed and ready to go to yoga. My hips and legs were screaming at me all day and I could not wait to get out there and practice. Of course, around 4:30 it started raining heavily but quickly cleared up. I was obsessively refreshing the RR park website and there was no mention of yoga cancellation. I stayed late at work and just before I headed out the door to change, I refreshed one final time: "Yoga in RR park is cancelled tonight b/c of the threat of inclement weather" DAMN!! Again!!
I didn't have any running clothes in my bag so I was forced to head home. Once I got home, I was tempted by the yummy salad Matt had made for us and then opted for a walk instead of run since my hips were still angry with me. While we were out I got a text from Amy saying that she was heading to the trail last minute and wanted to know if I wanted to join her. THAT would have been enough to motivate me into running (or at least run/walking) so I texted her that I would love to hit the trail this weekend if she is in town.
Friday, July 29
Plan: Rest
Actual: Rest
Even though my schedule had been "running lite" this week with the absence of my medium-long run, my legs were still happy for a rest. Not to mention that for some reason rush hour traffic was even more of a nightmare than usual and it took me 90 minutes(!!!) to get home. Started developing a major headache during this time too.
Amy texted to see if I wanted to run the next morning and I was thrilled to have company on my run. We agreed to meet at 9 which is later than I would usually get started but I knew I could squeeze in a couple miles beforehand and get in the 6 I had scheduled. My new shoes came in the mail today too but I knew I was not going to break them in on a muddy trail so it will wait til week #4!
Saturday, July 30
Plan: 6 miles
Actual: 6 miles
I had planned to hit the trail early to get in 2 or so miles before meeting up with Amy at 9. (I knew we would probably do 4 together.) My boss started texting me right around the time I wanted to get out the door and I ended up being delayed trying to solve a small problem. I ended up at the trail only 15 minutes early instead of the 25-30 that I had wanted and decided to zoom for a 7 min 30 sec out and back to see how far I could get.
1.5 miles later I was back at my car just as Amy was pulling into the parking lot. We ended up employing a 5 min run/2 min walk strategy which kept my legs pretty fresh. I have not been able to connect with A. over the past couple weeks and had such a great time chatting it up. I will almost always accomodate my running schedule if it means being able to connect with my friends while getting in the miles and I didn't care that we were finishing just before 10am. So much better than running alone! We finished at 5.5 miles and I wanted to head out to finish the .5 but there were 2 guys standing around staring so I started home. The .5 was nagging me, so I stopped at the lake in my neighborhood (which has a .4 loop) and finished the .5 there...felt good to round it off and not have that hanging over my head.
For the record:
Pre-run fuel: honey wheat bagel with butter and cinnamon sugar. Been hearing ShutUpandRun talk about this combo and had to try it out for myself. YUM! Will still be keeping my nutella for longer run "staying power" but this is another yummy option when pure carbs are more important. Also, 12oz of water
During the run: 20oz water/G2 mix (lemon-lime)
Wore: Nike running skirt, Nike dry fit tank, Experia socks (powered with Thorlo pads), pink Mizuno Wave Nirvana 6s, UnderArmour headband
Accessories: Garmin, Nathan handheld
Sunday, July 31
Plan: Cross Train (choice)
Actual: P's core routine
All of the following completed with the "aid" of a stability ball in my "new" workout room:
--25 traditional crunches
--25 oblique twists
--25 push ups
--25 trunk raises (reverse crunch)
--25 one-legged squats (each side)
--30 second bridge
--25 bridge curls
--6 Apollo "Oh No"s (working up to 10-15)
--25 tricep dips
P. does a great job of spelling out how to do each of these exercises, so go check out her post if you are interested in learning more! I really like this workout and have now written it down and tacked it to our "gym" bulletin board so that Matt and I can both reference this and incorporate it into our regular routine. If I could do this twice a week, I would be happy.
Overall thoughts:
I missed the medium-long run mileage this week which (obviously) cannot become a habit. Grateful for the other "time on my feet" in the forms of unscheduled walks which does make me feel a little bit better. My legs were grateful for the stepdown and I took advantage of the extra time to pamper myself (details in an upcoming post).
It was a step down week! Every 3rd week in my plan is a step down week, which is really most evident in the long run category.
Monday, July 25
Plan: Rest or Cross Train
Actual: 2.7 mile walk w/Matt and dogs
We cooked a nice dinner and went out once it got "cooler". It felt good to get out and move after resting on Sunday and then eating a relatively heavy meal tonight. I'm liking that our Mondays are time for us to cook and spend time together and I'm going to try and keep this time for us as much as the schedule will allow.
I feel like sometimes Matt becomes a marathon widower and I do feel kind of guilty about it at times. I try not to let training take over my life and outside of long runs, the time commitment probably isn't that much more than one would normally spend at the gym. However, it's the other lifestyle issues that creep in along the way (i.e. "can't eat here tonight I'm running long tomorrow and it might upset my stomach", "got to go to bed early so I can get up for xyz workout", "sorry I'm not getting home until almost 8pm...I had to work late and then go put in an hour + of training") And the thing is, he RARELY complains...he supports me, asks questions, cooks 90% of our meals, I could go on and on. I am so incredibly LUCKY to be with someone so unconditionally supportive and it's so very important not to take this for granted and to make sure that I am there for him too.
Tuesday, July 26
Plan: 3 miles + boot camp
Actual: 2.4 miles + boot camp
The instructor seriously kicked our asses tonight at bootcamp. Burpees and lunges and pushups, oh my! I was REALLY aware of my quads on the run back to my car tonight.
Wednesday, July 27
Plan: 5 miles
Actual: 4 x 800
When I got in my car after work and saw this, I just DID NOT have it in me. It was steamy and gross and I was hot just walking the .15 miles to my car. (Still working on my attitude!) So...since we know training is all about flexibility I decided to head to the gym to do my speed work that was on tap for Thursday. (5 min warmup, 4 x 800 with 400 recovery jogs and 5 min cool down)
This actually turned out to be a really great plan in the end because I had barely started the second set of 800 when the skies opened. I thought I had noticed a couple flashes of lightning but I was really zero-ed in to Sports Center and wasn't sure if it was just a glare off the window. Nope; rain, thunder, lightning...the whole nine yards. The storm ended up knocking down some huge limbs in our yard and later, our power went out. I would have been stuck in the middle of trail in this storm which would have not only NOT been fun, but would have been mildly dangerous as well.
The workout went really well. I felt like I worked hard but not at all like I was dying by the end. In my attempt at Yassos last year I remember feeling like death so that's got to count for something. I really do think speed sessions (again, speed is all relative) are my favorite workout. I feel accomplished at the end and love breaking up the workout into chunks...helps so much mentally.
Thursday, July 28
Plan: 4 x 800 + yoga
Actual: 3 mile walk w/Matt and dogs
I had everything packed and ready to go to yoga. My hips and legs were screaming at me all day and I could not wait to get out there and practice. Of course, around 4:30 it started raining heavily but quickly cleared up. I was obsessively refreshing the RR park website and there was no mention of yoga cancellation. I stayed late at work and just before I headed out the door to change, I refreshed one final time: "Yoga in RR park is cancelled tonight b/c of the threat of inclement weather" DAMN!! Again!!
I didn't have any running clothes in my bag so I was forced to head home. Once I got home, I was tempted by the yummy salad Matt had made for us and then opted for a walk instead of run since my hips were still angry with me. While we were out I got a text from Amy saying that she was heading to the trail last minute and wanted to know if I wanted to join her. THAT would have been enough to motivate me into running (or at least run/walking) so I texted her that I would love to hit the trail this weekend if she is in town.
Friday, July 29
Plan: Rest
Actual: Rest
Even though my schedule had been "running lite" this week with the absence of my medium-long run, my legs were still happy for a rest. Not to mention that for some reason rush hour traffic was even more of a nightmare than usual and it took me 90 minutes(!!!) to get home. Started developing a major headache during this time too.
Amy texted to see if I wanted to run the next morning and I was thrilled to have company on my run. We agreed to meet at 9 which is later than I would usually get started but I knew I could squeeze in a couple miles beforehand and get in the 6 I had scheduled. My new shoes came in the mail today too but I knew I was not going to break them in on a muddy trail so it will wait til week #4!
Saturday, July 30
Plan: 6 miles
Actual: 6 miles
I had planned to hit the trail early to get in 2 or so miles before meeting up with Amy at 9. (I knew we would probably do 4 together.) My boss started texting me right around the time I wanted to get out the door and I ended up being delayed trying to solve a small problem. I ended up at the trail only 15 minutes early instead of the 25-30 that I had wanted and decided to zoom for a 7 min 30 sec out and back to see how far I could get.
1.5 miles later I was back at my car just as Amy was pulling into the parking lot. We ended up employing a 5 min run/2 min walk strategy which kept my legs pretty fresh. I have not been able to connect with A. over the past couple weeks and had such a great time chatting it up. I will almost always accomodate my running schedule if it means being able to connect with my friends while getting in the miles and I didn't care that we were finishing just before 10am. So much better than running alone! We finished at 5.5 miles and I wanted to head out to finish the .5 but there were 2 guys standing around staring so I started home. The .5 was nagging me, so I stopped at the lake in my neighborhood (which has a .4 loop) and finished the .5 there...felt good to round it off and not have that hanging over my head.
For the record:
Pre-run fuel: honey wheat bagel with butter and cinnamon sugar. Been hearing ShutUpandRun talk about this combo and had to try it out for myself. YUM! Will still be keeping my nutella for longer run "staying power" but this is another yummy option when pure carbs are more important. Also, 12oz of water
During the run: 20oz water/G2 mix (lemon-lime)
Wore: Nike running skirt, Nike dry fit tank, Experia socks (powered with Thorlo pads), pink Mizuno Wave Nirvana 6s, UnderArmour headband
Accessories: Garmin, Nathan handheld
Sunday, July 31
Plan: Cross Train (choice)
Actual: P's core routine
All of the following completed with the "aid" of a stability ball in my "new" workout room:
--25 traditional crunches
--25 oblique twists
--25 push ups
--25 trunk raises (reverse crunch)
--25 one-legged squats (each side)
--30 second bridge
--25 bridge curls
--6 Apollo "Oh No"s (working up to 10-15)
--25 tricep dips
P. does a great job of spelling out how to do each of these exercises, so go check out her post if you are interested in learning more! I really like this workout and have now written it down and tacked it to our "gym" bulletin board so that Matt and I can both reference this and incorporate it into our regular routine. If I could do this twice a week, I would be happy.
Overall thoughts:
I missed the medium-long run mileage this week which (obviously) cannot become a habit. Grateful for the other "time on my feet" in the forms of unscheduled walks which does make me feel a little bit better. My legs were grateful for the stepdown and I took advantage of the extra time to pamper myself (details in an upcoming post).
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