Week 16?- Blah

I really have to go back over these posts, I think I am a week off somewhere.  I shouldn’t be on week 16 until next Sunday.   Hmmm, maybe I can’t count?

If you read Thursday’s post, you know I got a little emotional last week.   I’m still feeling a out of sorts but I’m going to just keep smiling and fake it til I make it.  Thank you to everyone who commented.  🙂

Monday- Rest

Harvest Marathon meeting.  Where did the time go?  Race day is only a month away?  Well, crap that’s soon.   Unfortunately numbers are down.  I’ve noticed that at a lot of races this year.   I run a lot of the same races and they all seem smaller this year.  Has anyone else noticed that?

Tuesday- 3.8 miles

I really wasn’t feeling a run.  I couldn’t really pinpoint why so I made myself change into my running gear.  I headed to the river path for an easy run.    My mother texted me as I parked and I was hopeful she wanted to meet for dinner and I could ignore the run.  I was half right.  She did want to meet for dinner but was still at a tennis match.  So I went running.    Despite my weird funk it was a pretty solid run.   It started out slow with a nice progression to a faster finish.   I fit in 3.8 miles before I went to meet her. 

 Wednesday- 11.5 miles bike

Today was rough.   I think the bad news about the potential job was the final push and I got a little emotional.   At least I made the right choice that night and turned to exercise instead of food.  My legs felt a little rubbery when I was done with those miles.   😄

Thursday- 4.77 miles

Once again, I just wasn’t feeling my run.  The plan called for speed work but I was having troubles talking myself into even running 2 miles.  I headed back to the river path and just figured I would run whatever my head wanted to.  I kept it easy and tried to just shut my brain up.   I don’t know how well it worked but I feel like it was a solid set of miles.  While our temps have been very un-fall like- we have had some amazing sunsets.  It’s hard to be mad when you see this-

 
Friday- Rest

More like chaos.  Due to some scheduling issues and a late summer illness, there was only myself and 2 other people at work.    Being down 50% of your crew is painful.  I knew we could do it, but there were some logistical issues that had me concerned.    We did get a some help from other locations for portions of the day and thankfully it was a slightly slower than normal Friday.    We got through the day and I have never been so glad to close the doors.   😖 But hey a customer told me I had an amazing attitude so score!

  

Saturday- Rest

I planned to ride the bike but I was so damn tired I chose a nap instead.  Wish it could have been longer.   I also worked the registration table for my favorite race of the year.  HOB Fun Run!    This was the first race I’d ever run.  And it turns out it was 5 years ago Saturday and this showed up on my Timehop-
Sunday- 10K and 5K

I love this event but it does stress me out.  It’s a race where I am guaranteed to know a ton of people.  Performance anxiety!!!!  Plus the last two years we’ve had a running team with matching shirts.  You can’t hide when you’re wearing matching clothes.  😉  Race recap will be up Wednesday.

   

   
Oddly enough, for a week when running was the last thing I felt like doing, I turned in one of my highest mileage weeks in months.  Which is partially cool and partially sad because I would love to see a higher number.    But it is what it is.  Despite my funk, I feel like they were all solid miles and solid miles help build a stronger runner.   Right? Can’t complain about solid miles.

Paleo–  Oh hell, I don’t even want to grade myself.  Lunch and breakfast were still good but other choices were not.  Let’s just say donuts and pizza happened.  Way more often than they should have.   Oddly enough it was my nice healthy salads that made me feel sick.   I’ve been experimenting with various types of lettuce and some are not winners.    But now I know I can add kale to the list of things I can’t eat.     I’d never eaten it before so luckily it’s not something I’ll miss.

So yes, last week was rough but I am going to try to look on the bright side.   I got all my miles in plus a solid cross training workout.   I had a fun (busy) weekend and got to see a bunch of people.    Oh and I dyed my hair again.  😏   My boss is back this week- woo hoo!- and I am looking forward to a weekend of nothing.   And then taper!  Or am I in taper now?  How did I mess up my damn race plan so much?

How was your weekend?

What’s your favorite race? 

Is taper the week before race week of the week of the race for a half?  My brain has turned off.

15 thoughts on “Week 16?- Blah”

  1. Great, solid week! I’m sorry that you haven’t been feeling it, but I admire that you got it done anyway. I’m trying really hard to get back on track because my half is a little over a month away and I haven’t really been keeping up with things.

    Like

  2. Great week, despite just not feeling it! You still got it done and gosh, those pictures are gorgeous. Looking forward to reading about your race. Ugh, s0 hard to pick my favorite race…is it cliche if I say Boston? I just love that weekend from start to finish.

    Like

    1. The skies have been so amazing lately, there have been numerous times I’ve wanted to stop on my drive home just to snap pics. Not cliche at all! If I ever got fast enough to run Boston, I have a feeling it would become an all time favorite! I can dream right? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Keep going! You got this! Good job forcing yourself to get out there this week. My favorite race is one in my hometown. It’s a “Fashionista 5k” .. it’s a charity run for kids with cancer. Great cause and super fun!

    Like

  4. Awesome week! It’s great you were able to get some good miles in despite not really feeling it… too often I just give in to my stupid brain and miss out on getting to feel accomplished. I was at a meeting of my running club last night and the subject of race numbers being down came up there too. Their theory is that there are so many more races going on now that the numbers at each one thin out. Maybe there’s something to that. My favorite race is the Worcester Firefighters 6K – a fun race with a real community feel! 🙂

    Like

    1. I know I am my biggest hindrance to my training so I am really trying to get out of my own way. It’s hard though, I still don’t feel like running. I was talking with the RD at this weekend’s race about the same thing. There are so many more options for race now and that isn’t even counting virtual races. Firefighter races are awesome!

      Like

  5. I just went back and re-read your post…I’m really sorry about the job and all you’re going through. Outside stress affects our fitness life, there’s just no way around that. Good for you that you kept going and got those miles in. You will be glad you did. Remember with jobs, running, and anything else in life: no matter how good or bad something is right now, it WILL change. Change is the only constant part of life. Hang in there, things will look up eventually!

    Don’t sell yourself short. I bet you are closer to a half marathon PR than you think. You have to remember it’s not just about the speed or hitting the paces in training – it’s about showing up on race day feeling good and executing a good strategy. You could do all the speedwork in the world and still bomb out on your goal if you don’t use a good strategy on race day (i.e. starting too fast, not respecting hills, etc). Meanwhile, plenty of people go into races relaxed with no expectation and just let it fly, only to shock themselves by surpassing expectations. Try to go into it with a positive attitude and just see what happens, and whatever you do, give it your all and run the best race you can. Eventually the results will follow

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Work has been a giant stress ball and I was trying to hide it in the corner. I am hoping that fessing up to it will help alleviate a tiny bit of stress. There are so many things in limbo right now, I just feel a little out to sea. Just keep swimming. 🙂
      All so very true. Most of my PR’s were made when I wasn’t trying for them and had no semblance of a training plan. I just get frustrated when I think that I have been trying to break 2 for 2 years now and I am still 6 minutes off. But, I plan to go into race day with a clear head and just do what I can do. I’d rather enjoy the race and miss a PR than add to my current stress ball. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Yes, one foot in front of the other! I’m so impressed with how much you are getting done and how you are making it a priority despite all of the distractions around you that would make it so easy to let it “slack” as it were! 🙂 Today was day 3 of 2.7 miles instead of 2.1 miles, and it was my slowest time yet, but not by much. And I mean it, you have so much going on with your running and work and life, I appreciate that you listen to my 2.7 mile stories… I may actually sign up for my first 5k!

    Like

    1. I am trying to just keep pushing through! I think I can, I think I can. I feel like I am getting sick so I am trying to ignore that. 🙂 You are doing so awesome with your running! I look forward to hearing your stories. You should sign up for a 5K but keep it fun, my first one stressed me out so badly, I was so worried about time. Who cares? It didn’t help that a friend turned it into a race, despite that I still have fond memories of that race. 🙂

      Like

      1. LOL, as hard as it can be for me not to have a person in my life that runs, the trade off is that I don’t have any one turning my first 5k into a race!! I hope you aren’t getting sick 😦 I tend to ignore it too when I feel it coming on, and just start taking extra vitamin C. I broke down and took some samples of Emergen-C that I had on hand a few weeks ago… and it really did help me pretend I wasn’t sick at all!!

        Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.