Category: Run!

Baby Steps (out of my comfort zone)

Happy Friday!! Wow, this was a long week. But let’s catch up. I stepped out of my comfort zone in very little ways this week, but that still counts right?

First up, Wednesday, I hit the gym after work with NikeC with the intention of doing the circuit room. I have only done it one other time and that was about 2 years ago. Machines and I don’t get a long so well. I did a short 2.5 miles on the treadmill to warm up. I actually kind of liked the treadmill, either that or I was nervous about the circuit room. I had hydrated a little too well before hitting the gym that night so before moving to the circuit room I had to use the restroom. Why is this special? I had never used the restroom or been in the locker rooms before. I’ve belonged to the gym for 5 years. I did mention I was a germophobe right?

From the website source — From the website
source

After surviving that, we moved onto the circuit room. Where some people were using it wrong. Ok, I admit I don’t use it but come on, I can count from 1 to 20. Once that was straightened out, we got to working out. #bloggerfail- I don’t remember the names of machines nor did I take pictures. She went first and demonstrated. Other than the first machine, I think I did ok. You sat in the first machine in kind of V shape and the pushed yourself back. (see- blogger fail) Also a fail because I couldn’t move it at all- I look over and NikeC had it at 90 lbs, yeah umm no. She’s a bad ass and I am not. Backed it down to 40 and I was good. I also felt really challenged on the stupid steps in between each machine. Who forgets how to jump?! I was born in the 80’s, when did I lose my Jazzercise skills! After the circuit we moved on to the leg room. Those hip abduction things could be a good thing for running but felt really awkward. I could do pretty much nothing in the ab room, apparently my butt’s too big for my back to lie flat. 🙂 So that will be a challenge for another night, haha. Overall, we were there an hour and a half. Now if I can just make it a weekly thing.

Since I work Saturday again this week, I had another short day on Thursday. It was opposite this time, so I worked in the morning and left early. Knowing this on Wednesday I decided to try to do my long run on Thursday. Only problem was I didn’t know where. I thought about running on the beach but was warned away by a text about a bunch of leash less crazy dogs. (It’s a leash free beach) I am crazy dog bait, so I passed on that. I headed to nearby park in work town that says it has 2.3 miles of paved trails. Yeah, I could only find about half a mile. Any other day I would have just run around and figured it out but I had 12 miles to hit so I wanted a general idea of where I was going. I headed to the lake to get in some laps, planning for 6 miles before heading back to home town to finish off the second 6.

It was warmer than work town but still mid 80’s so I felt good. I’ve decided to always walk the playground section of the path. It gives me a little breather and as an added bonus, I don’t run over any wandering children. 🙂 I have to admit I look forward to that little break, it’s about .10 of a mile, but feels great. After 3 miles I needed water but I had also over hydrated that day as well. Was I really going to have to use another restroom? This one in a public park? Yes…it was only slightly sketchy. No mirrors and lots of padlocks, classy.

After surviving that I pushed on. It was warm but I felt good, so continued on to 7 miles. Woo hoo! I stopped to stretch before heading back to my car. This is where I became an obnoxious runner. A woman and her daughter were driving by and they stopped near my car. She asked how far I had walked. I said “run” probably not in the best tone. I’m sorry!! Blame it on the heat or the tiredness or something. And since I do walk the playground now, she could have only seen me walking. There is nothing wrong with walking. In fact, I think I am more consistent with scheduled walking breaks. See example above. 🙂

After driving back home, drinking some Nuun and snacking on some Honey Stinger bites, I headed out to the newer path with my mom. Again she was going to walk and I was going to run. Since I had already done 7, all I needed was 5 so I planned on running the same route as Monday. Same as Monday, I walked most of the first mile with my mom, so I was perfectly fine seeing a 13 minute first mile. I figured I would pick up the pace, ha! Never happened. Maybe it was penance for my earlier snarkiness. I didn’t schedule any walk breaks but maybe I should have. Miles 2 and 3 clocked in at 11:00, hey at least I was consistent. Finally got back down to 10 flat for mile 4 but I also knew 5 wasn’t happening. I cut out the one cul de sac loop and just headed back to the car. 4.5 miles later and I was done. Yuck. I don’t know if it was because the temp had jumped again or if I was just tired. Either way I was still feeling pretty good for hitting 11.5 miles. Even if that last missed .5 bugs me a little. 🙂 Apparently my Diet Coke is still spiked. 🙂

Today I have yet to hit my measly 10 minutes of exercise but I still have a few hours. I really should because I ate way too much today. I was freakin’ starving! I was a little concerned I would be sore at work today but I was actually pretty good, tall boots and all. And bonus, I’m heading into the weekend having already completed my long run! Now I just have work to get through tomorrow and an anniversary party for a friend tomorrow night. And sleep, I need sleep. And to maybe read a book.

How was your week?

Anyone racing this weekend?

Am I the only one who has had an #obnoxiousrunner moment?

On the Brightside

Happy Tuesday! Congrats on surviving Monday! At least that’s how it felt to me. 🙂

Even though I had used my one rest day on Thursday for the mixer, Sunday was less of a real workout and more of catching up on things. I worked up quite a sweat cleaning my car. I don’t know if that’s more indicative of how hard I worked or how dirty it really was. I spent over an hour on just the inside. It is now so very clean. Well, the windows are still streaky but that’s because I have zero talent at washing car windows. Seriously, it’s bad. This may be a cop-out but I called that my workout for the day. 🙂

All were in my car, I think I have a problem

Other than that little blip, I’ve been doing really good with my no excuses plan so far. I have had plenty of reasons to skip a workout but I wouldn’t let myself. First the two weeks of little to no sleep; that at least finally getting a little better. No lie, there have been more than a few naps. Then it’s like since I made a comment that I may as well get used to my stomach never being perfect, it decided to pick a fight with me. And it is still fighting with me, so yeah, June’s been a little rough. But I’ve kept trucking. And running, even if they haven’t been the best workouts. I am currently on track for one of my best month’s mileage wise, knock on wood. Pace, however has taken a big hit. So, I am trying to think optimistically and call this a base reinforcing month.

I came to this lovely epiphany while running yesterday. My mother wanted to try the new path again without Zoey and asked if I would run it while she walked it. We figured we would pass each other a time or two. I needed to do 5 miles but again my stomach was hating me so I was wondering if I could even complete 2. I walked most of the first mile with my mom before attempting to pick up the pace. I focused on my breathing and tried to keep a steady pace and just kept going. I made it to the top of the street, turned around and headed back. I passed my mother but we just waved and kept moving. I felt a little rough but at the same time this felt like the best run I have had all month. I knew I wouldn’t hit 5 unless I deviated from the path, so I went right onto one street and looped back around into the housing complex before then turning off onto the trail section for the last bit. I finished up my 5 just as my mom was completing her walk. There were some rough moments but I just kept breathing and this turned into the best run of June so far.

While running, I was thinking about my stupid stomach and how this time last year I would have just said screw it and not run, even if that meant a month off. And yes, that’s happened before. But, realistically, these flares happen, so better to deal with it than ignore it. So with that being said, I have decided that my last ~~few~~ month of runs haven’t been that bad, all complaining aside. This flare will pass and I will reintroduce speed work into my work outs. I actually kind of miss it. 🙂 And if that doesn’t work, I have an appointment to see my gastro doc in August. I’m not sure where this sudden shiny outlook is coming from, normally I’m rain clouds and cynicism. Who spiked my Diet Coke?!

After yesterday’s great run, I kind of really wanted to run today. However I had made dinner plans to catch up with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. Since the schedule was gonna be tight, I decided to make today my rest day. I also used that as a reason to finally get the blood work that I have been putting off. So far, no bruising, woo hoo! Dinner was good and I got the perfect fortune in my cookie-

It’s almost Hump day! Almost at the half way point now!

Ever get any good fortunes?
How about a running epiphany?

A long week and a rough run

Quick recap of the week so far-

Monday– 2.5 miles
Tuesday– Kettle bell workout
Wednesday– 4.5 painful miles
Thursday –Rest- Business mixer-exercising my lack of skill at small talk (and another power nap)
Friday-11 slow miles
Saturday– 4 mile recovery walk- with the puppy!

How can a 30 minute workout DVD cause so much pain? I followed through like planned and completed the kettle bell workout on Tuesday. I felt pretty good when I was done, but the next morning I was super stiff. It was awkward just getting out of bed. My thighs and hamstrings were so sore. I also wore taller wedge heels than usual all day at work Wednesday. My run let me know just angry my legs were with me. My hamstrings were pissed. That lovely achilles issue from February’s race made a reappearance as well. I decided to run that new route from last week again and I hoped my legs would warm up. Yeah, not so much. I took quite a few walk breaks and even stopped to stretch out twice. Even though it felt miserable, I went a slightly different route to get 4.5 miles in. Overall the pace was good for an easy run; my legs were just super cranky. I didn’t feel injured just super sore.

Luckily, thanks to a business mixer, I had a great reason for Thursday to be a rest day. The mixer was at an Inn that I admit I never knew existed before but it’s actually super cute. It’s in a 100 year old house with pretty grounds. We were lucky enough to get a tour. Which was doubly good because it was less time that I had to think of decent small talk. Parking was tight so we parked at church and were driven to the Inn by trolley. That was fun, I hadn’t been on a trolley since high school. However my legs were still sore and climbing on it in heels and a dress was a little problematic. 🙂

I volunteered to work on Saturday for someone so that meant I was able to go in later on Friday. For some reason I was not feeling the idea of my long run this weekend. I needed to get in 10-11 miles but the idea of running that on Saturday or Sunday just seemed unlikely. I don’t know why. Since I was going in late Friday I figured I would run it Friday morning. When I went to sleep Thursday night I was looking forward to my run the next morning. After another night of less than stellar sleep and some stomach issues, I ended up trying to sleep for an extra hour before heading out for 6 miles. I started out slow making sure I wasn’t going to be sick again but I never got into gear. I felt like I was crawling and I walked way too much. It was also hot! I checked the weather before I left and it said 59. It lied. It was off by at least 20. Sweat and sunblock were dripping in my eyes. It was the kind of run that makes you wonder why you do it, ugh. Friday happens to be scale day, so just for kicks I re-weighed myself after my run. I lost 3 lbs. on a 6 mile run, oops. I even ran with more water than usual. Never trusting that app again.

So what does a crazy person do when they have a horrible, no good run that falls short of their mileage goal? They go to work, make it home by 7, change and get back out there. This time I used the same method I did last Sunday and met up with my mom and the puppy every mile or so. My overall pace was even slower than the craptastic run but I was ok with that this time. 5 more miles done to bring the total to 11. Long, slow run done before the weekend, sweet!

Today, I covered a different location than usual so I had a shorter commute. Awesome! I met my mother for lunch at a local burger place. I was planning on taking it easy today, so I indulged with a tri tip sandwich, so yummy. After a trip to Target and another power nap (I picked up some Epsom salt at Target I will be trying soon) I ended up heading out for a walk with my mom and the puppy. My mom wanted to check out the newer-to-me path. She really liked it and so did Zoey. Zoey was very intrigued by the horses across the street at one point. It was a good 4 miles, the pace has really picked up with the puppy. We were just under 15:00 per mile tonight. And that includes her stops to shove her nose in whatever plant smells interesting. I still don’t think she will ever be a runner though.

Work is done, all my errands are done, so other than some lovely chores tomorrow -can we still call them chores as adults?- I am hoping to have a relaxing day. I should complete the yoga DVD again but we’ll see how it goes. I have stuck to my plan so far and only taken 2 rest days since June 1st. But does a DVD really count?

How was your Saturday?

Anyone race today? Or racing tomorrow?

A Little Truth

Since I joined the blogging world almost a year ago, I’ve that there are some thematic posts out there. Like What I Ate Wednesday, which I don’t understand. I mean I get the premise behind it but most everyone posts in the morning. So is it really “What I’ve been eating lately and I saved up the pics for Wednesday”? I will probably never do this post because I pretty much eat the same thing every dang day thanks to my lovely slow stomach and there’s no need to bore anyone else with that. I’m bored with that. I do post pics of pizza though, because, well, pizza rocks. 🙂

Another theme is confessions. I feel I’m pretty open and honest about things anyways. I’ve always said own your faults. Plus I’m pretty boring… and weird. 🙂 I won’t go as far to say that I am a stick in the mud but I am very set in my ways. My mother can’t stand it. But all that leads to this-

I have 2 little facts about me to share tonight-

I have never driven farther than 45 minutes for a race, at least not one I was running in. I did drive NikeC to Huntington Beach for Surf City a a few years ago. Does that count?
I have never booked a hotel room. I can’t even remember the last time I stayed in one. I am over 30.

Why do these matter? Other than I never get out apparently? This is happening –

13.1 Here I come! source — 13.1 Here I come!
source

Ok so, this race is not super far away so hypothetically I could have driven down super early on race morning. My mother even offered to drive so I could sleep on the way. However, I am too neurotic for that. What if there was traffic? So, instead we are making a weekend of it. I am trying to talk ML into it but no luck yet.

Now, naive little me thought that I didn’t have to worry about the hotel part until later. But I was bored some night last week, so I played around online. Why are there so many booking websites? I couldn’t remember which one I was using half the time. I think I may have mentioned before that I have germophobe tendencies, so I was trying to find what looked to be the nicest hotel that wouldn’t break the bank. The first 5 I checked were all booked. Umm, what? Crap, I better get on this. After lots of searching and talking to people who “kind of” know the area, I chose one and booked. Fingers crossed it doesn’t scar me for life. I am still trying to figure out how to do Rock N Roll- Las Vegas this year. That would definitely need a hotel. Whoever said running was cheap was crazy.

A bonus for this race? It’s primarily flat. Holy crap, I may have a shot at finally breaking 2 hours! I don’t see that happening in 3 weeks with all the dune sand; not that it won’t be fun. 🙂 The Ventura Marathon actually has a few perks that I think are cool. They have the option to defer to 2015 if needed and offer race day pick up for a fee. I haven’t seen deferment in a smaller race. I felt a little more confident registering early. I am usually a last minute registrant. Now I am torn between wanting it to be September now and wanting time to slow down. How is it almost July?!

Happy hump day!

What did you think of my little truths? How weird am I?

Any interesting facts you want to share?

Sleepy and Slow

After waking from my third power nap of the week on Saturday afternoon, I realized that my planned 10 miler on Sunday might not be the best idea. Sleep was not my friend then and it still is not now. Saturday wasn’t even a stressful day. It was a day of relaxing shopping and yummy food. I had a generic gift card to blow so I treated myself to a ridiculous pair of flip flops. They’re black and basic but super supportive, I have high arches and for the first time, I feel like these actually support them. But the price did make me a little squeamish, they better last forever! And of course, I had to spend money at Dick’s. 🙂

I was still tired after my little nap, but I followed through with my no excuses plan and completed my yoga dvd. I almost let myself believe that walking around while shopping could count as my days’ exercise but unless you are running from store to store or aggressively trying on clothes, it’s more of a leisurely stroll. I felt a little better by the end of the DVD though. Since going to sleep at the usual time hadn’t helped and neither had earlier times, Saturday I flipped it, I stayed up reading until 2 hoping I would be so tired I would sleep. Yeah, not so much.

I headed out Sunday afternoon for a run. Since I had decided that running the full 10 wasn’t the brightest, I thought that a least a 10K was 10 of something. I also met up with my mom and the puppy at various points, so those were opportune walk moments or miles. 🙂 Since I was so tired, I made sure to take as many walk breaks as I needed and not care about my pace. The weird thing was that I felt like my form was spot on for the first time. I felt like I was running tall and strong. Of course no one was watching so it could have all been in my sleep deprived head. According to my watch I spent 2 different ½ mile sections at around an 8:00 minute pace. What? I can’t do that when I am fully rested. I was still tired but I felt good after my run.

That feeling did not translate in better sleep last night and I was dragging butt this morning. Work was straight up chaos, more so than the usual Monday but we got through it. I admit to 2 sodas getting me through the day. After work, I hit the park for a very short 2.5 miles. I just wanted to get moving. Plus I had a new visor to break in. I bought the visor to be a spare on Saturday only to discover Sunday that my month old purple one was broken. Ugh. Talk about good timing. The run was ok, nothing great but nothing bad either. No complaints here! If I don’t sleep well tonight, tomorrow will be a complete rest day. I would like to do a kettle bell workout but we will see how it goes. I used to be a night owl/ insomniac (2 AM was the norm) so you’d think I’d be used to this.

How was your weekend?

Ever have rough periods of sleep? Help!