Category: Slacker

Mid Week Musings 4

Happy hump day!! And –

It’s Harvest Marathon week!!!! Dude, race planning is stressful and I’m not even really doing anything. 😁 I feel bad for the others.

With the time change coming and my race in 17 days (yikes!) I decided to do my usual Slacker thing until mid-November. I don’t want to change things too much and likely hurt myself. I also want to enjoy the last few runs I can get in outside after work. I am not a fan of the time change, I am not looking forward to treadmilling it 2-3 times a week. It kills my motivation. I’ve thought about the options for running in the evening or mornings outside but there are a few problems there. Yes, the biggest one is how lazy I am in the mornings. But beyond that, the roads I run in my neighborhood are trashed. I almost tripped 4 times on Saturday in broad daylight, low visibility may break me. There are 2 streets with sidewalks but the sidewalks are hinky- uneven and varying heights. Equally dangerous for a klutz like me. 😛

I realized I’ve become a middle of the pack runner. Which is cool because I used to be towards the back but all the people!!! I was always used to crowds thinning out at races. My average pace at races this year meant people were always around. Sometimes it’s cool and sometimes it’s overwhelming. Surf City never thinned out and City the Sea felt similar but there was about an 18,000 person difference between those two! For some reason I thought Big Sur was around City to the Sea size- it’s not. It averages 8500 runners. In my world that’s a lot. And 6:55 AM start time- waah!

I’ve been running without headphones lately. No real reason other than I keep forgetting them. It’s actually not horrible, I kind of like it. Not sure I could do it for a longer run or race though.

And now it’s Thursday. The Slacker strikes again. 😛 Actually it wasn’t my fault. I tried to work on the laptop but instead I had a lap cat. I blame Kimi.

There were 3 days in between Saturday’s run and last nights. I felt like I hadn’t run in forever. It’s interesting how your perspective changes the longer you’ve been running. When I first attempted running, I often still felt sore 3 days later. Granted, I had hell-acious shin splints which in turn led to a 2nd degree ice burn but that’s another story. 😝 I used to take a month off after a half marathon now I feel like I haven’t run enough in the last two weeks. I’ve been eating like I ran an ultra though and that’s not good. Well the food was yummy. 😉

And in good news, check out this weather forecast-

No 90+ temps in sight! 30-40 degree changes but that’s normal out here. 😃

If you made it this far after this rambling, drawn out thought process, thanks!

What are your plans this weekend?

Anyone racing? Long run?

How many days off before you feel twitchy?

Recovery Week Recap

I hadn’t planned on a recovery week after City to the Sea but that’s how it worked out. But that’s ok. Contradicts my last post though right?

In brief-
Monday- I thought about a shake out run but it was 94*. Seriously?!
Tuesday- I was looking forward to a good run but only made it one lap of the lake.   I felt…off, kind of tired and not right, a little woozy, so I called it after 1.15 miles.
Wednesday- The room was shaking and I turned a little green so I ended up leaving work early and going home sick. I spent the afternoon sleeping.    On a side note, I found out I have 180 hours of sick time saved up. 😃
Thursday- I still wasn’t feeling great and couldn’t figure out how to change after a work meeting in a different town.   Walking around in shorts when the CEO is in the building? Um no.   I didn’t count on my stomach making its whale song throughout the CEO’s presentation though.   Nice.
Friday- My brother’s birthday- I indulged in pasta and birthday cake. Homemade beef stroganoff and marble fudge frosting? Yes, please.
Saturday– 3.85 miles.   I worked in the morning and was still feeling tired but I really wanted to run. The run actually felt pretty good until my stomach turned on me around 2.7 miles in. From there it was as fast as I could slowly get home.    And taking a shortcut.
Sunday- Does a 3 hour nap count as training? And more birthday cake.

Did I mention there are goats in the lake?

So yeah, more recovery that running. I finally just decided to go with it. Work has been chaos and stressful for months now, I’ve felt like I have been fighting something for a while. At least it held off until after City to the Sea, or I was in denial until this week. It takes a lot for me to leave work early because I feel sick. Maybe I feel like I have to overcompensate for all my stomach issues? But at one point I was sitting on the ground under my desk; I felt so nauseous, I wasn’t doing any good there so I went home. I slept a lot last week and I am feeling better today. Oh and what does a sick runner do when they are resting? Register for a race of course. 😉

So, last week’s training thoughts. I think I have a plan for a new regimen, not a race training plan per se, but a plan for improving my running over all. What I can’t decide is when to start it. Part of me is eager to start this week but another part thinks it might be better to hold off. I have a half marathon in less than 3 weeks followed by a 25K trail race 7 days later (potentially). Since both of those races are more for the experience than PR’s, I am thinking it might be smarter to wait until after those 2 races. Especially since I am not 100% on the new regimen. There were some great book suggestions after my last post so I want to check a few of those out. Right now I feel torn. Grrr.

How was your weekend?

Would you start a new plan 3 weeks before a race?

What’s your favorite kind of cake?

Training Thoughts

Alright, time to be honest. It’s been a long time coming, I’ve hinted at it but let’s be real here. The training I did for 17 weeks for City to the Sea was a mess. I phoned it in. I knew I was phoning it in but I kept on running in denial. But actually, let’s look at all the half’s (halves?) I’ve run this year.

Surf City- 2:19:00
Wine Country- 2:06:05
SLO-2:15:06
Shoreline- 2:14:29
City to the Sea- 2:12:40

Surf City was the very beginning of my training cycle so it really was just a very well supported, expensive long run. Also the 25K trail race seven days prior made for some sore legs. The race was a bucket list race, you could say just running it was checking it off the list. That said, the 2:19 isn’t bad.

Wine Country was in the middle of SLO training. I was using a McMillan training plan for SLO and Wine Country was built-in as a tune up race. I went into it with zero expectations but had my best race of the year. Which I hadn’t expected as I was having some issues with my legs, achy knees and super tight calves.

I was best trained for SLO but even that was mediocre. I would say I followed 75% of my training plan, my very nice, designed just for me McMillan plan. What a waste. I still believe I could have PR’d that race had I not eaten asphalt at mile 5. Throw in the gnarliest stomach issues I’ve ever had running for the last 5 miles and I am still damn proud of that race.

Shoreline was a last minute decision to add a race in the middle of July. It fell on my birthday so why not? Under trained and 75% humidity- why not? Shockingly, I met the goal I set for the race- sub 2:15:00.

City to the Sea was supposed to be my goal race, my time to shine; I was finally going to run a sub 2:00:00 half marathon. Except yeah. A few weeks ago I wrote a post about how I wasn’t in PR shape and a sub 2 just wasn’t in the cards right now. But why not? A hill in mile 9 kicked my ass and I didn’t recover, but why? It was 200 ft, not a mountain, why?

Let’s talk about that training plan. 17 weeks, right? Running 3x a week with one easy, one speed and one long run. In theory it was just what I needed. 3 days was what I could handle having to deal with some serious stress at work and my stupid stomach. On a side note, it has occurred to me that all the stress at work is exacerbating my stomach issues but that’s not the point. So what was wrong with my training?

Choosing quality over quantity means those runs actually have to be quality runs. They weren’t. They were time fillers. Speed work was rare. You can’t race faster if you don’t run faster. Want to know how many double-digit runs I completed in those 17 weeks? One. One lonely 10 miler on a random Friday afternoon. 9 milers? Maybe 2. So how was I expecting to meet my goal when I wasn’t putting in the work for it? Yeah, I have no answer for that. I was more than a slacker, #slackerindenial.

So it’s time to buckle down. Once I figure out what that means. And what it will look like for a Slacker. I know I will never be one to throw down 50 mile weeks and it’s not about the miles, it’s what I put into them. I’m pulling out my dusty running books and looking at that McMillan plan again. I don’t have any races planned for the beginning of 2016 but I’d like to have a solid start to an actual decent base with good running workouts by the end of the year. Can I do it?

I have one half marathon left this year. 23 days away to be exact. I thought about trying to make it another goal race attempt but I think that might make me pissed off at running. Right now I am mad at myself and it should stay that way. Plus, this a travel race and I really just want to enjoy the scenery. It’s Monterey and Big Sur!! And I may be ~~stalking~~ fangirling Kara Goucher the day before. Or trying to. I may be distracted. 😃

The sad thing is that as I write this, I have only attempted 1 mile since Sunday’s race. Unfortunately, I got sick this week. I actually left work early yesterday I felt so crappy. I’ve gone to work with a concussion, so going home sick is kind of big for me. My goal is get in a couple of solid runs this weekend.

So tell me, can a slacker get real? #slackergetsreal

Training thoughts you want to share?

Any books you can suggest?

Sunday Summit- Reservoir Canyon

A few weeks back I came across a challenge on Instagram called #PixonPeaks. Hike/run the specific peaks on the list, post it on Instagram and get a shirt. Ok, it’s a little more than that but it peaked my interest. And we runners like our shirts right?

Truthfully, I’ve been missing trails. I love trail running/ hiking but it’s been a long time. Summer heat kind of kills it and I like sleeping in. Plus, you know, rattlesnakes. Throw in a crazy schedule, training for a “goal” race and trails get ignored. Stress has been getting to me in a major way and I just wanted to get lost. I like to power hike up the mountains and then manage the fine line between running and falling down hill. It’s impossible to over think and stress about life when you are throwing yourself down a hill. 😜 Lots of fun and a great way to de-stress.

Sane runners taper 7 days before a goal half marathon but I never claimed to be normal. One of my mom’s tennis players is in a Geo class and they have to hike 10-15 miles a month outside of class so we picked her up along the way. The plan was to hike up to the top and run down, nice and easy. It should have been around 4 miles. I had never hiked Reservoir Canyon before but always wanted to. I am not sure why I thought it was going to be a walk in the park. I had heard that there was a swing along with a teepee and nice stone seating are at the top. How hard could that be? Plus I kept seeing pictures of some pink metal thing on Instagram and I wanted to find it.

The trail started off through a wooded area and crossed a river bed. Granted we’re in the middle of a crazy drought so there was no running water. But the bridge was cool. 😄 The trees were probably as close as we are going to get to fall, so that was nice. We only gained 200 ft in the first mile so how hard could it be? I should have checked the trail sites. The trail narrowed and started climbing. There were 2 sections that were so eroded that there was no trail- you had to jump to the next section. It was awesome. And we gained 1100+ ft in the next mile and change.

Luckily, the swing and the teepee were a nice distraction part way up. How the hell did they get all that metal up there? I was starting to wonder if I was even going to make it to the top. Indulging in a little swing time was pretty awesome.

But we weren’t at the top yet! I started power hiking to the top pausing for picture breaks along the way. 1/4 of a mile from the top I thought I heard my name being yelled. I paused, heard nothing. Started up again and there it was. I texted my mom and S to see if they were ok. No response. Well crap. So I turned around and jogged down to find them. Turns out they just wanted to make sure I was ok. They could have texted- grrr. And back up I went. The dirt was super loose and rocks and roots were all over the path. I made it to the top! Then made a wrong turn and headed down a utility path that appeared instead of the actual trail. Oops. Turn around. I eventually met up with my mom and S at the seating area. My Garmin only registered 2.25 miles up so I was feeling pretty good.

I still couldn’t find the pink thing. S spotted it off in the distance so we decided to go for it. It only looked about a 1/4 of a mile away and mostly flat. All lies. Little rollers all the way out, and I mean way. It was closer to 3/4 of a mile away. Oops- but we made it!.

We hung out a bit before heading back down. I was looking forward to opening up my pace on the way down. I love flying down a mountain. Remember those rocks and roots I mentioned? After I almost tumbled off the path for the fourth time in less than 1/2 a mile, I knew running wasn’t going to happen. Plus my head hurt each time I landed hard and let’s face it, everything was a hard landing. Guess I hit my head harder than I thought. I made it back to the swing and hung out there waiting for my mom and S. My legs were literally vibrating on their own. If I stopped moving – they started shaking. Truth- this trail kicked my ass and kept kicking. It was awesome. 😝

With the doubling back, making the wrong turn and adding the pink structure I was a little past the 4 mile mark. By the time we got back to the car, my Garmin registered 7 miles. Oops. And I was hungry, I hadn’t eaten breakfast. But it was awesome. Have I said that already? Supposedly there’s a waterfall somewhere but I never saw it. Something to look for next time!

Peak 1- Done! ✅

I was looking to get lost metaphorically not literally but it’s all good. Even if I foam rolled and cried on Monday. 😅

Do you get lost on trails? On purpose or not?

Do you like running down mountains? I love it and always think of that horse scene from Snowy River.

Ever done something you shouldn’t do close to race day?

Week16-Redux/ So Long September

Will the real week 16 please stand up? 😉 I am not crazy, well maybe a little, I really did miss a week. I knew I couldn’t be at 16 yet so I went back and checked. It looks like I went straight from week 6 to week 8 a while back. Oops. So let’s recap week 16 and then see how September went.

Monday – Rest

After 2 races the day before, I knew this was going to be a rest day. I was also taking my car to the body shop and getting a rental so I wanted as little as possible to carry so it kind of worked out. I was so excited that the previous weekend was my last busy one that it didn’t occur to me that I had the work week to get through before the coming empty weekend. Doh! 😋

Tuesday- 3.5 miles

I was so damn tired and just not feeling running still. I headed to the lake for a few laps aiming for 4 miles. It wasn’t a fantastic run but it wasn’t bad. I visited a little too much with lake cat on the backside of the lake so I ran out of daylight. But he wouldn’t get out of the street!

Wednesday- 3.5 miles stationary

This probably shouldn’t count. I wasn’t feeling well, my neck and my head have hurt for the last month or ever since my car accident, so I was thinking a rest day. I had to get my race recap up for the HOB Fun Run so I figured I would do that. Until I hit a button and installed Windows 10. I told it to wait!! While I was waiting for the computer to be usable again I got on the bike. It was after 9 and I didn’t want to be up all night so it’s not like I was pedaling all that hard. 😐 Oh! Look what I finally registered for!

Thursday- 1.6 miles

Yeah, it says that. I was still feeling rough and all the vitamin C and Airborne I had been taking all week wasn’t helping. I headed out for a run but had to call it before I got a mile out. My chest hurt- like the kind of pain you have with a really bad chest cold. I turned around and headed back to the car. It wasn’t totally unproductive though, I felt like something moved or popped and some of the neck pain eased.

why do my grimaces look more like smiles than my smile?

Friday- Rest

Race day is too damn close to be pushing things. I would rather go into race day having missed a few workouts than get sick so close to race day. Been there, done that. Bring on the vitamin C and Airborne. I also started a new medication for my stomach which has the side effect of drowsiness. It’s no lie. I was in bed by 11 that night. For me that is freaky early.

Saturday- Rest

Sensing a pattern? No lie, I didn’t get out of bed until 10. I was feeling better but not great so I stuck close to home. I rearranged some furniture and managed to knock myself loopy. I was lying on the ground trying to move something and smacked the left side of my head into my dresser. As I rolled away in pain, I slammed my right temple into the bed frame. Yes, I am that talented. At least I didn’t give myself a concussion this time. 😞

Sunday- 7 Miles

My training plan called for a 60 minute long run with 20 minutes at pace. Smart runners follow the plan… I on the other get lost on a mountain. Truthfully, I needed to get lost and spend some time in the dirt. But more about that next post. 😄😄

Overall it wasn’t great but it wasn’t horrible and I am ok with that. I was feeling really rundown and stressing about it wasn’t helping. My mileage may not look pretty but the rest helped. That weekend with no plans was kind of awesome too.

September Wrap up!!!

Adios September- you kicked my ass. But let’s look at the numbers-

Miles Run- 69.6

Stationary bike- 36.2

Hey, I got over 100 miles if you add those! Grr.

Races-

Central Coast Cancer Challenge 5K- 27:10
HOB Fun Run 10K-58:54
HOB Fun Run 5K-37:49

While the numbers aren’t where I want them to be, they are headed in the right direction. Yes, that .4 missing in the running mileage bugs me but it is what is. I would like to see that mileage number grow in the coming months. I looked at my calendar and noticed that October and November are equally busy months and contain 3 races so I need to stay on top of things. Hopefully laying out there will help. 😁

How was your September? Did you have a good weekend?

Is anyone else accident prone? I should be wrapped in bubble wrap.

What are you looking forward to in October?