I came pretty close but fell just short. August clocked in at my second highest mileage month of the year. As cool as that it was, I was also a little irritated. I had been on track to finally break 100 miles in a month, but life happens. Taking 4 days off due to a headache that wouldn’t quit and then turning a 10 miler into 4– well that hurt the numbers.
August Totals-
Miles- 87.7 Races- 0
I also managed to make it back to the track twice. None of that was speed work, but the track is still my happy place. I ran the lake path, the river path, from home, around the track and on the treadmill. I realized that my long runs may have too many hills to be called a long, easy run but they definitely meet the slow mark. However I did run my fastest mile in August-
And never came close again
Beyond that, I finally had my doctor’s appointment, attended the company picnic, got a new boss and took a lot of naps. Seriously, why do I nap so much? My doctor’s appointment gave some lovely antibiotics, which are kicking my ass, and a referral to USC. Anywho, hopefully something works, I miss speed work.
I also had a very scary run in with some dogs. Last Friday, the customer that has 2 Bouvier’s brought them in. I forced myself to give them a treat. Granted, I kept the counter between us, but they still good have bitten my hands. Mission safely accomplished. However I have yet to run/walk down my driveway since then.
Coming into to September, I have 3 races scheduled, half marathon, 10k and 5k. With that being said, I am not going to try to hit 100 in September. In fact I am thinking that I will run very little the week after Ventura. I start volleyball again on Monday and a boot camp class next Saturday. I also am volunteering at the Avocado Margarita Festival over that weekend, probably on both days. So it seems to me like it will be the perfect time for fewer miles. But I also have Monday and Tuesday off, so my feet may be itching to run, depends on Ventura. How well I will be able to squat and bump the ball at volleyball will also depend on Ventura, ha! 🙂
August was rough and I feel a little run down, between work and my stupid stomach and a few weeks of rough runs. With that in mind I have not registered for my October half yet. I have two options. City to the Sea (which may sell out) that I have done the last 2 years and the Harvest Marathon. Harvest may win just because it is the end of October and literally down the street. However running goes in ebbs and flows and it will be awesome again, I just have to bide my time. And maybe cross my fingers. 🙂
After my rough half, I was feeling a little disenchanted with running. I like to think that everyone has those moments. Right? I played with the idea of taking a whole week off after the half because I was so irritated with myself. That resolve lasted 2 days; I was running again by Tuesday. I decided to let my feet do whatever they wanted to do and the rest of me was just along for the ride. That was supposed to last for a week but I let it linger all July. Why? Because I loved running again. If I am honest, I have been a little disappointed in how I’ve been running since April and that all came to a head in that half. I probably could have done a little better but I just gave up. Not a good reason.
So pretty, I have to show them twice
I figured that this month was going to be my lowest mileage month of the year so far and I was ok with that. Running and I were getting reacquainted. I met up with my mom for a bunch of runs, and I discovered the wonder of the warm up. #littlelatetothegame I did my yoga DVD and tried a Barre DVD. I walked around the fair and ate fair food. I tested out a new pair of Wave Riders and met up with NikeC for gym nights. And I ran. With no real plans or goals, just to run. And it was awesome. I hit some average paces that I haven’t seen in months. I somehow also pulled this off-
71.4- Hell yeah!!
I know that part of June and July’s issues were my current GI issues. I would like to say July was better than June but it wasn’t. I went home sick from work once and managed to wear pants only 2 out 31 days. I hate pants. Going forward into August, I will get this figured out. My appointment is now just weeks away, and the doctor is going to hear a lot from me. 🙂
How I used to reward myself after speed work… oh and brown hair
Running free was great for July but for August, I do need to get back into training. Long runs need to come back and I would like speed work to come back into play. I’m throwing out the other training plans. I loosely followed a Nike one for SLO and a Higdon one for Pier. All they succeeded in doing was stress me out. I hit my current PR of 2:05:57 last year by doing my own thing. I am a Slacker who is slightly dedicated and I should listen to myself a little more. When I set the goal to break 2 hours this year, I let the doubts creep in. Lot’s of thinking that other people were faster and with all these plans floating around, maybe I should follow those instead. It worked for them right? Except I am not them and should not measure myself by others (but it’s so hard not to!). I am a little odd, a little nerdy, my brain works in weird and random ways, a little lazy and a little rebellious. I am a Slacker who doesn’t like being told to run or that Monday should be 5 at goal pace with a Thursday 6 mile tempo, and extra stretching and strengthening on Tuesdays.
Now that my tantrum is over, it’s time to embrace my inner Slacker. I have another half in 5 weeks and a goal 10K (gulp-NikeC!!) in 8. Time to see what going off book can do. Fingers crossed, wish me luck!
Thank you for listening to my rambling, slightly whiny words here…If you made it this far. 🙂
The one where I went into damage control at mile 3. 😦
If 2013 was the year of the PR, then 2014 is shaping up to be the year of the bonk. At least as far as half marathons are concerned. But I have to say that this is first race I ever seriously considered quitting. Even when I ran out steam at mile 7.5 at SLO, I still knew I was going to finish, it was just going to be slow.
For once, I felt like I slept really well the night before this race. I woke up on time and made it to pick up NikeC by 5:30. My stomach was being its usual self, so I did not eat prior to the race. This is typical though, so I don’t think it affected me too much. Parking was easy but time-consuming, the race was smaller than last year, it had about 200 for the half marathon and just under 1000 for the 10K, but parking was limited. Once parked, we geared up, met up with NikeC’s friend and headed to the bathroom. Which was where we were when the starting gun went off. Last year I was still running to the chute when the gun went off, oops. Thank goodness for chip timing. We made our way to the chute and were off.
Slowly as there were 100 yards of softer sand to get through at the beginning. Once on the hard pack, it was easier to run. I lost both of them fairly quickly. One moment they were to my left and then they were gone. Last year’s race was overcast, this year the sun was shining and the ocean was gorgeous. Last years 10K went so well (easy) that I had minor hopes for a birthday PR but I knew my speed was iffy thanks to my month of stomach issues. Realistically, though, I was aiming for under 2:10. So all I had to do was stay under a 10 minute mile- I got that right? Ummm…
Mile 1- 9:45 -ok, slower than I’d like but there was soft sand Mile 2-9:45– hmmm felt way faster than that, but consistent at least. If only this stomach cramp would go away. Mile 3- 9:51 felt like I had already run the full 13, shifted to a run/ walk method Mile 4– 10:02 I just choked on air, walk break, take a few pictures. Now the cramp is on the other side. Mile 5– 10:09 Wheezing, need air, where’s my inhaler? Yes nice man in front of me I see the dolphins (which now I think was awesome but then, not so much.) Mile 6- 9:47 I refuse to hit the turnaround (10K) past the hour mark, pick it up! 6.2 mark– Turn around 59:08-Man, I wish I was doing the 10K. Mile 7-10:18 oh, my god, why is this so hard Mile 8– 10:24– my run .9/ walk .1 is falling apart, walking more often and longer Mile 9– 11:09 another sudden need for my inhaler. Man the water is so much closer now. Mile 10– 11:25 oh hell, I could take my shoes and socks off and just walk leisurely back to the finish. I’m mostly walking anyways. Oh fisherman, please don’t cast your reel at me, that would hurt. Mile 11– 12:15 Oh, what hell is this? To make 13.1, we had to go up through the dunes to run a mile on a paved path. I could have crawled faster through the sand. Is it hot? Why am I so hot? Mile 12-11:57 Made it to a 9:20 pace on the pavement, soft sand on the way back to the beach brought me back down. Mile 13– 11:15 Why is this mile so long!! I feel like I have been staring at the finish line in the distance forever. Ugh, just keep running.
This was just evil
Finish- 2:20:21 Ouch. Literally and figuratively. My calves were on fire. Even with running in compression socks, I was so sore by the time I crossed the finish line. My chip was cut off as I was handed my medal. It’s freakin’ awesome! That helped alleviate some of my irritation. I drank some water and chatted with my family while waiting for NikeC to finish.
This is how we get family picturesSo shiny! And huge!
Running a race with a friend was awesome. It was great at the starting line, and we passed each other twice on the course which was a great little pick-me-up. The finish line was fun too. I am looking forward to our next race. 🙂
The brother playing with his GoPro
The race course itself was amazing. Blue skies and blue ocean, and the beach, come on. Seagulls and dolphins, too. Given how close the water was on the way back, I understood the early start time more. There was plenty of water stops. They had volunteers directing where to turn around and when to turn off the beach. My only 2 slight negatives were- no on course bathrooms, and I never saw a mile marker. Now I was pretty much head down in misery from mile 3 on but I still think I would have seen at least one. As for bathrooms, I realize that it was on the beach and I have never used a bathroom during a race but it’s nice to know they are there if you need one.
For the cost of this race, 50 bucks!, the swag was amazing and I think the medal may be my new favorite. Plus there was live music and an amazing breakfast buffet at the finish line, eggs, sausage, orange juice, etc. I only wish I felt like trying some of it.
We headed out shortly after that. I was having a little shindig that evening for my birthday that I had to get ready for. Yesterday I was oddly sore in weird places. My butt and my lower back hurt, guess I ran differently on the sand this time than previous races.
Overall, this race was part of a great day. Yes, I was seriously disappointed in my performance but hey, I didn’t quit! I need to figure out what is going with my stomach so I can get back to speed work. Right now I have no idea how ever ran a 2:05 let alone trying to fathom breaking 2:00. My next half is in 8 weeks, and it’s flat and paved, so fingers crossed, my time will start heading in the right direction.
In some ways June was awesome, in others not so much. I started my #noexcusessummer plan on June 1st and stayed mostly committed. I think I only took 5 rest days the whole month. 2 just happened to fall in the last week. 😦 I tried to not let the heat or my lack of sleep or even my stupid stomach get to me. I prevailed for the most part but this weekend kicked my butt. I had a full weekend planned, work, 2 runs, a friend’s anniversary party, shopping, the movies plus the usual errands. Saturday turned out to be a wash. I got through work, completed my errands but soon realized that a run wasn’t likely. I did the yoga dvd instead and it was not good. It was all downhill from there and I did not make it to the party- horrible friend alert. Shopping never happened either but I did make it to the movies (Transformers was awesome!) and was able to get in a sluggish 6 miles on Sunday at the gym. I was feeling a little rough so I would run .9 miles at 6 and walk .1 at 4. It worked pretty well for my stomach.
Monday, however was another story. After missing the planned 5 miles on Saturday, I wanted to follow through with the 5 I had planned for after work. It figures that the last day of June would be the day I felt the worst. It was all I could do to make it through work. I won’t lie I still thought about trying to run. By 3:30, I knew it wasn’t going to happen but as added deterrent I received a text from my mother telling me to get over my ego and an email from NikeC telling me to rest. I get it, I get it! So yesterday was a rest day.
What did my mother mean by my ego? I realized Friday that if I hit certain miles at each run over the weekend and Monday I would hit that impossible dream number that I never thought I’d hit in a month. But, as it was, I was 10 miles short, but still hit my highest mileage month yet-
90.5! What?! How did I do that!?
I had zero races in June but that was partially planned. I needed a break for a bit. I was feeling a little frustrated at how my last few races turned out. I planned June to be a rebuilding month. Mission partway accomplished. While I built a solid base of easy miles and some longer runs, I didn’t do any speed work. Waah waah. Hopefully July will involve some track time. Overall I feel like 84 of those 90 miles were solid miles. Even 2 weeks later, I still say that first 6 a few Fridays ago were just miserable. They were hot and ugly. Either way, I am still stoked about that number.
Month
Miles
January
77.3
February
70.0
March
74.7
April
70.4
May
64.5
June
90.5
447.4
So at the beginning of the year I set a few goals. While I have not met any of the speed goals, my mileage is pretty solid. I set a goal of 750 miles for the year. At the halfway point, I am more than halfway there! Woo hoo!!! Now to keep it going, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.
May turned out to be my lowest mileage for the year so far. This was due to a variety of reasons but at this point I calling bullshit and saying that they were all excuses and poor planning on my part. Which leads into my summer plans-
#noexcusessummer
As of June 1st, I am done whining. This is going to be really hard so I may need your help. 🙂 What this means is that going forward I will do at least 10 minutes of exercise six days a week. Doesn’t really sound like anything at all, but considering all I do right now is run and sit on my butt, it’s a step in the right direction.
So I will run a minimum of 3 days a week, 4 if I’m feeling feisty. But I will focus more on quality than hitting a mileage goal.
The yoga DVD has made it’s way into the dvd player and will be done once a week, the kettle bell dvd should be done once a week as well.
Also on the plan is to start using the gym I pay for but haven’t been to in 3 months. And by use I mean something other than the treadmill 🙂
As for the no excuses, I have made a lot of them lately. Work was crazy, it was hot, my stomach hurt, I had the paper to work on, etc. Enough is enough. Work is going to be crazy until at least the end of the year, so I may as well get over it. The heat? As someone pointed out, I live in central California, it’s just a fact of life. I should be thankful that we don’t have humidity. I don’t know how anyone runs in that. My stomach? Well, realistically, it’s never going to work right, I’ve been told that, so why wait in vain for it to be perfect? As for the paper, it’s done and the class is done. Not my best work. 😦
There are 24 hours in a day and really I have next to no obligations. There is nothing stopping me from exercising before or after work other than my Slacker-ness. While it may be hot in my home town, my work town usually runs about 25º cooler. Granted, to run more than 4 miles I will have to find roads with actual shoulders but I’m sure it can be done. And if not, well then there is the nice air conditioned gym. 🙂
In keeping with this new attitude, Sunday I completed the yoga dvd and day 1 of the AB challenge that is floating around right now. After the race on Saturday followed by a 3 mile hike with my mom and the puppy that night, I gave my legs a break from running. We did the same hike as the Firehouse 5K race, it’s still hard just walking. But yoga equals exercise so day 1, done!
The view
Monday was a vacation day for me, which was awesome. I had planned to run 6 miles in the AM and followed by a busy day of errands and helping my mother with her tennis banquet that night. I woke to find that day 2 was going to be a challenge. My stomach was horrible and there was no way I was running then. I did some thinking and knew I had a small window around 1:00 to squeeze in some miles, so I slept a little longer. By 1:00, my stomach was barely better but I couldn’t quit after a 1 day streak so I went out for a slow run. I kept it easy and walked every time it got a little worse. I came to a complete halt at 3.5 miles for a few moments but I pushed though. 4.5 miles completed! Normally, I would have blown off all exercise for the day.
I was supposed to help my mother hand out the awards during the banquet but the puppy was not doing well with the unusual crowd at the house. Finally to calm her down, I took her for a walk. It was supposed to be short, but she had energy to burn and maintained a steady pace for 2.5 miles. She never does that! So in a hap hazard way, I hit my mileage goal for the day anyways. 🙂 I only completed half of the ab challenge though, my stomach was in no mood to do sit ups or crunches.
woah, throwback
Today was another vacation day, yay! I met a friend for lunch to celebrate her birthday tomorrow ( Happy birthday ML!). It was yummy. My stomach is still not happy so I was planning on taking it easy and doing the yoga dvd in the evening. Then I ended up helping my mother with tennis practice. It’s spring practice for fall right now, and she has like 30 girls out there. She likes when I come help because I am more of a drill sergeant out there. I lost count of how many times I yelled bend your knees. Even though that could have counted as my exercise of the day and Tuesdays are a usual running rest day, I couldn’t pass up a vacation day and not run. So I set out for 4 miles.
I don’t know if it was my stomach or just because I mentally think of Tuesday as a rest day but it was hard. I ran so slow. Then I got stuck behind a truck doing an awkward 5 point turn in mile 2 and a phone call in mile 3. Ok, I get it, not a fast run day, but still got it in. 🙂 So 3 for 3 so far! Let’s see how far I can go!
It’s back to work for me tomorrow. 😦 Plus I have to get a few miles for National Running Day! I might check out the gym equipment too. But seriously? How do you use that stuff?
Slacker Runner 