Category: Slacker

Kick It Out

Monday came and went and I was in the oddest mood all day. I was tired, like stupid tired but for some reason I wanted to run. Which is odd in itself because Mondays are my rest days and I always look forward to just going straight home after the chaos that is Monday. Thing is, Monday’s have only been a rest day since fall and darkness sent me into the gym in the evenings. I refused to go to the gym on Mondays because of the crowds so I picked a Tuesday- Thursday schedule. Last summer was more of a run when I felt like it kind of schedule.

I kept it super easy on Sunday with a puppy jog, on more populated roads, so I optimistically packed my gear on Monday morning. I still wasn’t convinced but figured if I stuck to the usual plan at least I didn’t have to pack for Tuesday. 🙂 Slacker at my finest, right? After work, I was still dead on my feet but wanted to run. So I changed into my gear and then just couldn’t decide.

I was like Goldilocks, I didn’t want to run at work because it was too windy and kind of chilly. I drove towards run town but wasn’t feeling it either. It was still windy and I wasn’t liking the temp my car was showing. Which was sad because it was in the 60’s. Plus I figured one lap of the lake and I would end up bailing the first time I passed my car. So I headed home for the river path, opposite end of town from lion sightings. Third time’s the charm?I set out with the low goal of 20 minutes. If I still wasn’t feeling it, I would call it and just go home. As I walked my warmup, I noticed something. The way the sun was going down behind me and where the pouch on my belt was, I had the perfect silhouette on the ground. I first selfishly noted that my shadow looked thin, thank you tricks of the shadows. Then I noticed my hips, well first the previously mentioned pouch and how it was moving. My hips were all over the place. Do they always do that? I am trying to run for crying out loud not strut the catwalk!

I started to run and just felt off for the next half mile or so. Nothing ached or hurt, it just felt awkward. Maybe it was because I was thinking about it more? It seemed like my left leg wasn’t fully engaged in the party. So I decided to focus on my form for the rest of the out and back. I ignored my pace and my watch buzzing at my usual walk intervals (I’m still using walk breaks on most of training runs) and just paid attention to my legs. I tried to focus on bringing my left leg around but telling myself that didn’t work. Next I told myself to bring my knee up a bit higher on each step. No luck. I was running tall but it wasn’t helping. The word “kick” lodged in my mind around mile 2 and for the next 2 miles, I repeated that to myself every few feet. I focused on how I kicked back each time my left leg moved- not sure if that makes any sense. I felt straighter and any ankle twinginess I had went away. I felt pretty good at the end of the 4 miles but man my brain was tired. Trying to think about my form and run at the same time was hard! But I felt better than I had prior to my run. :0 I checked out my Garmin data later and noticed a few things. Over the last 2 miles, my average cadence picked up and my stride length increased. The cadence made sense but I felt like I was taking shorter strides. Huh? And my run inadvertently turned into a mini progression- 12:52, 10:04, 9:25, 8:30. Double huh.

Now to see what happens next run.

Ever felt like your stride was just funky? What did you do?

Ever been completely exhausted but felt the urge to run?

Lions and Miles

I am not ready for the weekend to be over. Not at all, I mean who ever is but this last week was just soooooo long.

I normally take the work day after a half marathon off but for some reason didn’t do that this time. Silly slacker. Monday I was definitely feeling those hills. I would stand until my hamstrings protested then I would sit. Getting up and down off my chair was a little challenging. 🙂 Tuesday I was a little achy but I was ready to run. However, I read the signs that I should have another rest day. There was an incident nearby to work- thanks St. Patricks day- so after waiting for a bit I really just didn’t like the idea of changing and leaving the building by myself so we all left together. So rest day #2.

We had been gearing up for a big inspection at work and had thought it was Wednesday. Turns out there was a typo and it was actually Thursday. I felt all out of sorts for the rest of the day. We had prepared and readied ourselves but then nope, wait one more day, ugh. I was looking forward to running so I headed to the lake path after work to get in some miles.

Got to test out the camera on my new phone though!!

Ouch, ow, I was sore. Stinkin’ hills. I was feeling tight and a little stiff so I called it after 3.5 miles. I was hoping for a better showing on Thursday. However, that was the actual inspection and even though we had prepared the best we could, I felt like I ran around like a loon for most of the day. By the end of the day I just felt nauseous and my head hurt. I passed on running and just headed home. Even my training plan recommended taking an extra rest day this week. So I did. For some reason I felt like running long on Saturday instead of Sunday this week. The plan called for 12-14 miles but let’s be honest, that wasn’t happening. Partly because I was tired and partly because I just didn’t want to. I thought that would be too much after last weeks race. I’m trying to walk a line between my slacker ways and modifying the plan. Normally the week after a race, the highest I would go would be 6 but I really wanted to hit 10 for some reason. I really want to get used to running a minimum of 10 miles for my long run.

I headed out in the early afternoon prepared to take it super easy. The week had kicked my butt and it was in the high 70’s. The hill repeats in the middle hurt but they will help in the long run right? I really need to find a long run with fewer hill repeats. Plus the home owners probably think I am crazy. I was doing good up to 8. I should have called it at 8 miles but stubbornly pushed on to 10. Miles 9 and 10 were so slow, they probably could have been walked. Actually they mostly were. 🙂

My normal run route from home is mostly on back roads or in older neighborhoods. No sidewalks, lots of trees and green spaces and space between houses. Narrow, windy roads and a couple of areas that look more like woods than town. I usually see few cars, Saturday’s 10 miles had maybe 8 except for the 2 blocks I was on a main street. Sometimes I hear things in the bushes while running. Usually I see a deer or 2 (or herd) so I brush it off. Like on Saturday, I heard something moving but didn’t see anything so I brushed it off and kept running. This hit my Facebook later that night.

Ummm, crap?! Think I’ll be running somewhere a little more mainstream for a while!! Yes, I know they are around here but this was just a little too real for me. I shared it again to my wall, and got comments reminding me that even dogs like to bite me. Seriously a former co-workers’ husband calls me ass-bite. So, yeah the gym is actually looking pretty good right now. 🙂

How was your weekend?

What kind of critters do you run into?

How long do you rest after a race?

Why Worry

Warning- this was a little disjointed before last weekends’ race now it may seem even more so.

I’ve been a little all over the place lately. I don’t think I’m in a funk at the moment but I feel it getting closer. Maybe that’s why I fixated on this damn song so quickly. It’s not like it’s awesome but it’s been bouncing around my brain and finding ways into this blog and my Instagram over the last month. I need to figure this out so I can branch out the music options a bit, hehe.I’ve been so tired lately and things just ache. My head, my legs, my ankle, etc. My stomach responded to the new medication for a bit but then decided that was just a trick. Even I am sick of talking about my damn stomach. But on that note, I see my gastro again next week so maybe we will try something new, fingers crossed. Oh, I dream big, don’t I? 🙂

As for my aches and pains in my legs, I know it’s not overuse. Despite my goal of 1000 miles this year, my mileage has remained average and steady. Like I wrote in my February recap, I am not going to break myself to hit some arbitrary mileage number. It wasn’t until writing that statement that a light bulb lit up in my head. Even then, it took a while to turn on. Kind of like the way the original compact fluorescent bulbs used to warm up slowly? That was me. But once the idea was there I couldn’t shake it. I fought with myself on every run because while part of me realized it was something I needed, it also made me feel like a quitter. That or I was admitting defeat. A part of me still feels that a little bit.

Where I am going with this? Re-assessing goals. I set a goal to break 2:00 in the half this year and I am not changing that goal. It will happen this year but it is no longer my goal for SLO. While I am loving my training plan for the sense of direction that it gives me, I am not 100%. SLO is 37 days away now and I still haven’t figured things out stomach wise. I almost skipped Wine Country because I was afraid it might interfere with the goal to break 2:00. I finally decided that was not a good enough reason to pass on one of my favorite races. Turns out, running it was the better choice.

I’m also changing my plans for SLO because I want to have fun that weekend. I want to enjoy the expo and not worry about how much walking I am doing. I want to enjoy the ambassador meet and greet and meet all the new ambassadors. We are tentatively planning to all do dinner that night and I would like to not worry about how what I eat will affect a huge goal the next morning. I want to enjoy the amazing scenery and crowds that are a part of this race. Don’t get me wrong, I am running that half to the best of my ability and I will have no complaints if I PR. But whether or not I do will not color my view of that weekend or my performance in a negative way. I had enough of that in 2014.

I love running and want to continue to improve but I am not going to lose the fun that I find in it as well. So, yes, a part of me feels like a quitter taking a step back. I also think this made more sense before I pulled off a 2:06 at Wine Country. However I made the decision to push my goal back before registering for Wine Country. So maybe the reason I ran it well was because I wasn’t stressed. Maybe I put forward my best time since October 2013 because I finally remembered that one of my strengths running wise is in not stressing. Well and being healthy, but I think I’ll actually break 2 before they figure out what’s going on with my stomach. Ha! I am sticking to my training plan because I want to improve as a runner long-term not just for a short-term goal. This way I won’t want to cry when I am nowhere near the prescribed pace for 400 repeats. Give me some time and I will nail those paces. Before last week I was nervous about the hills at SLO- now- bring em’ on.

So, tell me your thoughts?

Good choice- bad choice?

Is this quitting or being smart?

Do you have another song co I can get this one out of my head?!

Feeling the Need…To be Stupid

I stopped speed work a few weeks ago when I started feeling tightness in my hamstring. After some slower weeks, and more stretching, I figured I would give it a shot. The plan called for 6-8 400 repeats with a 200 m recovery jog in between. Followed by 3 200m strides with a 200 recovery in between, all sandwiched between a 15 minute warmup and 15 minute cool down. That sounded like too much of a push so I adapted it some- you know Slacker Style. 🙂My warm up turned into just over 16 minutes as I ran through a horde of gnats. I then ran while flailing my arms around my face trying to disperse them. Yuck!! Oh well, the people in the playground area probably had a good laugh. Since I was running the intervals at the lake path I figured I would run the intervals on the back side of the lake and take a longer recovery on the front side when running through the parking lot and playground area. I completed 4 400m intervals and 3 200m strides. Except the lake path isn’t the track and I don’t know how to program that into my Garmin so it was actually 4 1/4 mile repeats and 3 .12 mile strides. That is what my brain was capable of computing. 🙂

So for my 1/4 mile intervals I hit 2:04, 2:08, 2:16, 1:59– 8:00-8:24 pace.

My strides (.11-.13 miles) came in at :49, :59, :59—7:32-7:58 pace.

I also didn’t check what pace I should have been doing so there was less pressure on me. Which was a good thing because for a 1:59:00 half I should have been hitting 1:30 for each 400, ouch. And when I plug in my last half, I should have been hitting 1:46. Double ouch. Whatever, the paces I hit were still faster paces than I have been hitting lately. Bonus was that my hamstring never complained while running or later that evening. I wasn’t all out sprinting ever, I made sure to keep my breathing fairly steady and I didn’t want to aggravate my left leg. So I am happy with how my return to speed work went. I was super excited that I finally hit 5 miles at 49:30, I was under 50 minutes for the first time in months, but I hit lap instead of stop on my Garmin. Boo!!!

Thursday was supposed to be an easy run. I was looking forward to both the easy pace and that I had a half day so I was able to head to the river path to get in a run. It was a little warm but there was a pretty good breeze. I really do like that path, it has black top, concrete and dirt. It’s a good mix. There are more than a few intersections (housing tracks) to cross but most of the cars always let me cross first. Even when I would like the break. 🙂 I had a problem with the easy part though. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I should have been aiming for a 10:45 average this close to a race. What do I do? Run an 8:26 mile. Seriously!? Yes, I know I should have slowed down but once I was part way through, I wanted to finish it. Stupid. What was I thinking?

So, yeah, I was a little sore today. I made sure to stretch and ice a bit. I wore compression socks inside my boots as well- pinstripe dress and argyle compressions socks. I’m so stylish. Then again who dressed me for Thursday’s run-

Stupidity aside, I am looking forward to the race. I am not treating it like a race but a long run. Just with a couple hundred friends and aid stations along the way. I love this race and I say this knowing the hill at the end will kick my ass, just like it has before. I like to call it the death hill, partly because of its’ incline and partly because it’s at mile 12. It’s time to add a new wine glass to my collection, too bad I don’t drink. 🙂 I just wish I didn’t have such a busy day tomorrow. With work and errands and packet pick up, I already feel short on time. Crap- I need to go to sleep!

For reasons why I am so nostalgic about Wine Country, read here and here.

Who else is racing this weekend? If you’re in CA, it’s gonna be a hot one!

Ever done the exact wrong thing on your last workout before a race?

Did you ever notice that average pace on the splits screen is different than that on the main screen? The main screen has Thursday’s average pace at 10:18 but above says 10:47.

Testing the Waters

After a great hike on Saturday, I was ready for a long run. Or I was cautiously optimistic for one. My training plan called for 12-14 miles but I knew that was highly unlikely. I was eager but also lazy. 🙂 I was aiming for 8-10. This was my test run. If I felt good throughout the run and after I was registering for Wine Country. Which is now 4 days away.

As much as I love daylight savings time and was looking forward to it, there was no way that I was running in the morning. I was looking forward to sleeping in. Besides my favorite time to run is the afternoon, so why change? Ha! I set out around 2:30 for my run. What I forgot to take into account was the unseasonably warm weather we have been having. High 70’s- low 80’s when I set out. This actually sounds like my perfect running weather, and it is, when I am used to it. I’m just not there yet. 🙂I kept it slow and easy and felt pretty good. Because I am a sucker for punishment, I did my usual hill repeats. Why am I not better at hills? Actually I know that part of my problem is the downhills. I tend to slow down when running down a street. Which is odd because I practically throw myself down trails where there is more chance to hurt myself. 🙂 That’s a little backwards. I need to work on keeping my pace more consistent on downhills. It was warm so I was actually managing to keep my pace just under 11:00 for once. I have a route that if I loop twice is 10 miles but then I would have to run past my driveway halfway through. I always end up doing little loops instead and end up shorting myself mileage. Which drives me crazy because in theory I am covering the same ground just in a different way. Ugh. I had just completed mile 8 and was trying to figure out where I went wrong again when my phone went off. Texts from my brother and mother, they wanted to do family dinner…soon. I was still a mile from home plus I needed to try and make myself look (and smell) presentable and that was only if I gave up on 10 miles. I’d kept walking while trying to figure out the plans so that added to getting back home brought me to 9.25 miles for the day. Not what I was aiming for but pretty good. Once cleaned up, I proceeded to eat way too many chips and salsa at dinner with my family. Oops!

It was hot but I got to test put my new skirt!! Too bad I suck at selfies, haha!

I felt pretty good after my run. I was achy but not in any unusual ways. Sitting through dinner in a small booth so soon after running didn’t make it any worse. I had stretched briefly before leaving for dinner so I made sure to stretch really well later as well. I rolled a bit but not too much, I’ve learned my muscles get real cranky if I try to push it with the roller. Also is it any wonder I ache some when the roads I run look this-

Do you slow down or speed up when running downhills?

What do your roads look like?

What’s your weakness- chips and salsa or a breadbasket?