Category: Slacker

Marathon Musings 2

It’s week like this that freak me out about marathon training.

Last week, I was riding the high of my highest mileage week ever and I was stoked. This week? Three days off… in a row. Oh crap, is the real Slacker back?

Cue freak out. The plan I am following is pretty specific. Do the work outs when and how prescribed. Be as consistent as possible. Yes life happens but try to keep the volume consistent and lower the intensity if needs be. Did that happen? No.

Poor planning and faulty equipment brought about Monday’s missed run. I had a procedure done and the odds of running afterwards were unlikely but I was holding out hope. Then my damn car died in the parking lot of the doctors office. Seriously?! I took it as a sign that I shouldn’t be running and sweating all over the new cuts I had on my body. I figured I could make up the missed miles on Friday. Maybe.

Tuesday called for 800’s and I was excited to run them. I kind of love intervals and wanted to see how I fared. Except, the worst allergy day of my life sent me home from work where I proceeded to nap for 3 hours. On the floor. Maybe it was a gnarly head cold but all I know is that it got progressively worse from Sunday until Tuesday when my right eye was almost swollen shut. What the hell.

Wednesday wasn’t much better. My eyes were open and I made it through a full day of work but still felt crappy. Running was out the question though. New carpet went in at home on Wednesday so that evening was spent furniture moving. Can I count that as a workout? I actually cleared 10,000 steps which I only do when I run. 😛

I did so good for 7 weeks but week 8 is kicking my ass. Now I am freaking out. What kind of fitness am I losing? Or not gaining? Next week’s intervals are supposed be 1K repeats. Do I stick to the plan or run the 800’s I missed? Next week also sees my tempos increase to 8 miles. I’m not ready! I need to reread the book again.

Speaking of next week- I am supposed to be running a half marathon on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I was torn between using it as part of my long run or using it as my tempo since the miles are supposed to increase next week anyways. It’s on the beach so I figured marathon pace would be a good goal for it. Something made me double check the time. 10AM!!! What the hell!!! This is California for crying out loud. I have never had any race start that late. Not even a 5K.

I have a few concerns with this. 1- the temp. It’s in work town and the temperature is usually fairly moderate but I would be finishing after noon so who knows? 2- food. I don’t fuel before half marathons or long runs yet. But I am also used to a 7AM start for races. I think I would have to eat something before a 10AM race start. Which wouldn’t be a horrible thing since I do need to get used to fueling more. But that leads to concern 3. 3-bathrooms. Food could make me sick; my stomach has a proclivity for going wonky at the worst times. What do beach races usually not have? Bathrooms. Ok, technically, there are bathrooms at 2 points but they are off course and would add 1/4-1/2 mile if needed. Plus that would be across soft dune sand. Grrrr. I am seriously considering running the 10K instead.

So help me out…

Half marathon or 10K?

How much ~~damage~~ will this week set me back in marathon training?

Week 19 Training Recap

Training for: The San Francisco Marathon

Focus- Training plan gets real. Stay strong with 4, if feeling good step up to 5 days.

Well, that was a mixed bag. This week was weird, not sure why, it just seemed off in some way. It also flew by. One moment it was Monday, the next it was Thursday. I can’t keep up! Like I said in Friday’s post, this was the week I most nervous about- the week marathon training got real. It started pretty well actually and ended with an oops.

Monday- 4 miles easy My legs were feeling pretty achy after SLO, so for once it was very easy to keep it easy. I always have a hard time with that. Well, truthfully, keeping any sort of consistent pace is hard for me- be it slow or fast. I had the day off of work so I headed out around noon. I had a doctor’s appointment in the early afternoon and I wanted to get it done before that. My legs were super tired but it felt good too get them moving. It was also my second run in my Skechers. Still doing ok.

Tuesday- ~~12 x 400~~ Rest When making my training schedule, I knew this workout might not happen. I knew that if I needed an extra rest day after SLO, it would be this day. I was hopeful that I could run it but of the workouts of the week, I deemed the tempo more important. My legs felt rough, I realized that I needed to run more hills after SLO. I should not have been that sore. I waited until the end of the work day but then decided the smarter thing to do was rest.

Wednesday- Rest This time scheduled. I ended up having a sponsor dinner after work that went way longer than I thought it would. But the food was good and the company hilarious.

Thursday- Tempo!!! 1.2 mile w/u, 5 mile tempo, 1 mile c/d I don’t know if I am more proud of the tempo miles or the fact that I actually completed a warm up and a cool down. 😝 Tempo’s freak me out, so to stack the deck in my favor, I headed to the lake path after work. I needed the odds in my favor for this first one. Once again, I was a rebel and ignored the path closed signs. I was more of lemming, I made sure that there were plenty of people out there breaking the rules too. I’m not sure I like the changes to the path that are in process. After my warm up, I started the tempo portion. I was trying to run by feel as best as I could, I only checked my watch twice for every mile. I thought I blew the whole thing when the first mile clocked in at 9:45, 30 seconds off my intended 10:18. Crap. I figured I would blow up in the second mile. But I didn’t. So I just kept running and tried to keep it comfortably hard and consistent. I counted each mile out loud and threw my hands in the air when I hit mile 5. Woo hoo!! I know my next ones won’t be this awesome but that’s ok. I needed this one.

Friday- Rest Oof. I worked open to close and it was a rough day. I felt a little ragged by the end of the day. Cue Pizza night.

Saturday- 8 easy miles. Hills for days!! SLO showed me that I have done a pretty good job of avoiding hills the past few months. I may have been putting in the mileage but the average elevation gain of each run was only in the 200’s. Oops. So I figured my easy weekend run could be all about the hills. Plus I may have figured out how to maintain the prescribed easy pace-hills! I ran what used to be my typical route last year but added every hill I could find. The run actually went well, it was also the farthest I have run in my Skechers and they did ok. I feel like my left foot could use more arch support but other than that, they were ok. I only took a few walk breaks which is kind of awesome. I just kept trucking up the hills. I was feeling pretty good after this run. 😊

Sunday- ~~8 easy miles~~. Oops. Entirely my fault, I let time get away from me. I set my alarm so I could run early but when it went off, I just couldn’t. New carpet is coming soon so my closet was repainted. I went to the movies (Captain America– amazing!) Saturday night so nothing was put away. I couldn’t even get to my bed as everything from the closet was on it. I tried sleeping in a chair but ended up sleeping on the floor in the closet. As awkward as it sounds, it was actually one of the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a while. My neck and shoulders disagreed and they took a few hours to loosen up. I was planning on running mid afternoon before any Mother’s Day dinner plans that we had but my car threw a temper tantrum. My automatic stalled. Then it wouldn’t drive without bouncing. Grrr. Dad, help! Between that, actually putting things back in my closet and dinner, I just ran out of time. Lesson learned- listen to the alarm.

So the week started pretty strong but hit a big speed bump on Sunday. Oops. If I was training for a half, I would feel good about this week. Missing Sunday’s 8 makes me nervous. On one hand, I am glad I finally got a good night’s sleep, so maybe they will balance out? We’ll see.

Diet wise– I’ve been kind of quiet. The weeks leading up to SLO were kind of a train wreck. Last week was hit and miss. Lunches and breakfast were on point but, ummm, 4 donuts happened last week. Giant miss.

How was your week?

Seen any good movies lately?

Should I be nervous about that missed 8?

Marathon Musings

Head games are strong with this one.

I think I finally figured out why I was so panicky the week before SLO. Other then the leg issue, that was real. I know my last few ~~years~~ races have been rough but it seemed like I was stressing more than I should for a race that I wasn’t planning to try for a PR at. A course I had run twice before so I knew what I was in for. I don’t think my panic had anything to do with SLO, it was about this week. This is the week where marathon training got serious. #shitgotreal

What I haven’t mentioned is that I chucked my training plan out the window. I spent weeks mashing my McMillan plan with a Higdon Novice 2 plan. I gave myself an Excel headache over it. 😝 The more I looked at it, the more I didn’t think it was enough. I also realized how poorly I had followed McMillan last year. The only thing I remember really doing was hill repeats, all of the speed work outs looked completely foreign to me. Apparently, denial also runs strong in this one. Oops.

So I started over. I did the research, a lot, and I found an 18 week plan that I liked. It seemed intense for a Slacker like me but it also seemed doable. Doable if I put in the work that is. That is always the question. In fact I don’t even want to say how I’m training as I know it’s the crazy train for a Slacker. Even after a modification, it’s a little scary on paper. Let’s see if I can get through the next month without flaming out.

The first 5 weeks were easy- as I was already running more than the mileage scheduled, I was supposed to wait until the plan caught up to me. It caught up. Ahhh, crap. Thursday’s run in particular was freaking me out. A 5 mile tempo not counting warm up or cool down? After work?! Tempo’s scare the hell out of me. Which is why I wanted them in my training plan.

SLO kicked my ass and I couldn’t even really explain why. What was I thinking signing up for a marathon? My confidence took a beating and my past history with tempos wasn’t helping. I can’t remember the last time I ran without taking a walk break. I was thinking of numerous ways to rationalize bailing on the whole thing or cutting it short. But I’d already made one adjustment this week since SLO hurt a little more than I had planned so I told myself to get over it and just run.

Spoiler: I kicked that tempo’s ass. Probably a little too much as it was 30 seconds fast; I was aiming for 10:18. Considering I didn’t even think I could maintain a 10:30 pace for 5 miles, I’ll take it! Plus, for me, that is remarkably consistent pace.

I needed that, I really did. Even if the rest of the month knocks me down- and I know it will- this one run will keep going through the misery. 😝

Now, hopefully my legs will like me in the morning.

What run scares you?

What do you hate running? Love running?

Prepping for SLO

I’ve never been one to believe in the “taper crazies”. Hell, I love taper. An excuse to run less and eat more? Sign me up! 😝 Yes, I know that’s not how it works but let a Slacker lie to herself ok?

I wasn’t really planning on tapering for SLO. I did one speed workout this training cycle. One. Once I realized how few long runs I had actually done over the years, my focus turned to getting in the distance and time on my feet. While I have done much better since that little epiphany, it still could have been better.

My plan for SLO was to treat it more like an epic long run. Enjoy the race, enjoy my pace, take in the view, smile at the awesome crowds and maybe, just maybe take a decent race picture for once. And now?

I had my weird hip/ IT thing on Friday’s long run. That led to limping on Saturday and resting all weekend. This week’s runs have been so-so. Tuesday’s was actually pretty good. But outside of that- my shins ache at random moments. My calves feel tight. Today it hurt my big toe to drive, seriously?! There’s a tickle in my throat that feels like it wants to turn into something more. Bring on the Airborne!! I haven’t slept well in about a month.

Grrr. I love this race, I do not want to stress about it. As of right now, I honestly have no idea what my finishing time might be. I feel unprepared for the hills. My fault, I should have sought out more hills. The hill I use for hill repeats has been a construction zone for the last few months. No excuses. I should have found another one. After last year I feel like I have unfinished business with this race.

Maybe that is influencing how I am feeling this week? I have no idea. So now, I need to calm down. I need to make sure I am sleeping better (or trying to), I need to ensure I m still keeping my carb count low to moderate and I need to not stress. I have been looking forward to this weekend for months. There are so many people that I am looking forward to seeing again. I enjoy looking around the expo, and really this is my favorite finish line.

Actually, I think venting about it for a few hundred words helped. Bring it on SLO, let’s do this. Now if only I could figure out what I am wearing. 😝

Do you believe in taper crazies?

Any tips?

Week 17 Training Recap

Upcoming race– SLO Marathon 13.1

Focus– Keep working on the 4x a week and enjoy a step back long run.

Mission partly achieved. As for the other part- uh oh? For someone who has a propensity for colorful phrases, whether cursing or not, my training week ended with a very quiet, meek “uh oh”.

Monday- 3 miles 3rd day in a row and I was feeling a little tired. However, that was part of the plan so I kept moving. Mile one was super sluggish but I loosened up for mile 2 and 3. I finished strong and headed home. I did miss running with NikeC though.

Tuesday- 4 miles 4th day in a row?! Who am I? There is a method to my madness here, really. By the end of the work day I was not feeling like running at all. So I ran in work town; I knew that if I had to drive anywhere else, I would lose motivation and bail. My legs are not used to 4 days in a row yet so they were feeling pretty tired. I kept the pace easy and just tried to enjoy the view. By the time I got to the eucalyptus trees and shoreline I was glad I had stuck to my plan. Mile 4 felt the best to me which was funny as it is all uphill. I was just shy of 4 miles when I hit my car so I figured another loop of the block would get it done. Except I cut through the alley behind the police station. Should be safe right? And it was if you don’t count the crazy Husky that charged me. Seriously, what is my luck these days?! Someone called the dog off but he had the crazy dog look like he could snap at any time.

Wednesday- Rest Except my mother had a random Wednesday tennis match so without pizza night or running, I felt a little adrift. 😝 Ha! I ended up cleaning half of my car. It still needs to be vacuumed though.

Thursday- Rest I planned to run, I even changed into running clothes after work. My mother wanted to reschedule pizza night but I said I wanted to run first. Once again, she dropped the dad kryptonite. So I enjoyed pizza in un-sweaty running gear.

Friday- 10 miles I worked on Saturday and had plans to spend a day shopping in SLO, both of those things were stressing me out about my long run. I was able to leave early on Friday though for a partial day. As I was changing into my running clothes it started pouring in work town. Boo. I headed towards home hoping it would clear up on the drive. When I parked it looked stormy and threatening but was not even raining. A little rain is one thing, the pouring diagonal mess I drove in- not so much.

My first mile was super slow- more walking than running- I was mentally debating if I was going to run or bail. I didn’t have a mile goal in mind at all anymore, I was just out running. At every point where I could make the run shorter or longer, I would assess the situation. How did my legs feel and what did the skies look like? It was cold and windy but the storm clouds were holding. My upper left thigh felt a little off, kind of like there was a band around it. Nothing hurt, so I kept running. I was keeping a pretty steady pace and while it was faster than it should maybe have been, it felt good.

I was coming down a hill about a mile from my car when I felt it. Something in my left leg moved. I felt it shift on the outside of my upper thigh. I calmly said “uh oh” out loud and continued to run. Smart, right? It didn’t hurt but it felt very off if that makes sense. Good news was that the band feeling had gone away. I finished out 10 miles and stretched really well. At least I hoped so. I also attempted some butt kicks and high knees. Things felt weird. Oh crap.

Saturday- Rest I still wasn’t in pain but things weren’t normal. By midday, I was limping. But it still didn’t hurt? How does that even make sense? I chose to skip my planned easy run. Boo. If I didn’t have a race (SLO!!) next week, I may have pushed it.

Sunday- Rest For the most part, I felt better. Every now and again, I would feel an odd twinge but overall it felt ok. I spent the day schlepping around SLO and by the end I was exhausted. I haven’t slept well in almost a month so even though there was plenty of daylight when I got home, I passed on a run. I did however spend a very long time at The Running Warehouse, trying on all the shoes. At least it felt like that. The Launch’s and I broke up for good after that last cramp-tastic run. I hate returning shoes but I also can’t keep giving them to my mom. My budget is not that big!

So yeah, not the week I was hoping for but it could have been worse. I wasn’t planning on tapering for SLO but that will depend on my leg feels on my first run this week. It’s being weird so who knows? Fingers crossed?

Funny story, Friday I was sitting at my boss’s desk talking to her. I heard something behind me so I looked- crazy husky!!!!! He was in the building! Turns out he was looking for a treat. Small towns, right?

How was your week?

Ever have an odd, weird twinge? I’m thinking it’s my IT band.