Category: Slacker

January Recap

How is it 4 days into February already?! I am not ready for that!

Backtracking to January- well it started great and then derailed. I rang in the New Year and new month with a great 10 mile run. I was ready to get to my training and get started on that 1000 mile goal for 2015. I was doing great up until January 8. Then the sickness hit. I took 11 days off. 11?! That hurt both my training and my miles. According to Smash Run, I ran 10 days in January- 10. That’s 21 days off. Ouch. So with that in mind, I suppose the below number is actually a good thing- 🙂

So 68 miles? Not too bad. January included one race- Spooner’s Cove 25K. My farthest race/ run to date and the most time I’ve spent on my feet outside of working at Taco Bell. Just kidding. However, with the way that my runs were so spaced out, I am not sure how well they added to base building.

As for some of my other goals? Well, socializing didn’t happen because well, who wants to hang when you are contagious? And I finished one book. One of the 4 I started. I did read your blogs and some fanfic online but that last bit doesn’t count. January did have some shiny though- sorry- still excited.So now on to February. The original plan was to run easy/ rest this first week of February and then get to work on speed. My spring goal race is SLO and it is 11 weeks out now. I admit I am nervous about breaking 2. Part of me doesn’t think I can and the other part thinks I need to get out of my own way. Luckily my training plan has me easing back into things the next two weeks so that’s a little comforting. Oh and for added incentive- I received this shiny news in my email this morning-

Runners take their finisher medals seriously because it is a tangible badge-of-honor and proof of their accomplishment. The 2015 finisher medal with the barn and windmill highlights our local rural heritage, and like competing a marathon or half-marathon, it represents hard work and tradition,” said Heather Hellman, Event Director. “Our medals are unique and we change it every year, so they become very collectible. On race day, we look forward to placing our 2015 medals around the necks of all our proud finishers so they can take a little piece of San Luis Obispo home with them.” Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-san-luis-obispo-marathon-half-marathon-5k-april-24-26-registration-10056923529

That was just the kick in the pants I needed! Plus I’ve kind of always loved old barns, so I think it’s kind of awesome! The email helped get me out the door today for the baby speed work that was on my training plan. Woo hoo! Let’s see if I can keep this motivation going!

And on the socializing front, ~~my friend talked me into~~ I signed up for a craft swap online. What the hell was I thinking? Oh yeah, I heard Harry Potter and signed up. However I have the crafting skill of Longbottom (nerd moment!!) so I feel sorry for my partner. Fingers crossed!

How has your February started?

Are you crafty? Help!!

What’s your shiny/ dull for the week so far?

The Oddest Taper

It’s almost Friday!! And I’m on vacation! 😛

But let’s back up. Even before the reality of a trail 25K kicked my ass, I knew I may have to adjust some things this week. I figured if I was feeling extra achy and sore after Sunday, I would push Tuesday’s run to Wednesday and Thursday’s to Friday since I took a few days off for Surf City. Ummm, what was I thinking running a 25K and a half 7 days apart?

13.1 It Takes a Special Kind of Idiot... I think I should start training for a half marathon :) — 7 days later, ouch source

I was a little achy but headed to the gym on Tuesday per usual. I ran super slow but I was just fine with that. 3.5 miles later, I stretched and called it a day. Even though my pace was slow, I unintentionally pulled off the perceived effort progression that was on tap per my training plan. Calling that a win! Oh and my gym now has those scary stair things, it was interesting watching people on them. But much better than the freaky cut-the-alien-out-of-the-stomach sci fi movie on in front me. Blech, I love sci fi but not creature flicks.

Going Tuesday worked out well as I was so tired on Wednesday I overslept that morning. Then I fell asleep in the comfy chair trying to watch Supernatural that night. How I didn’t knock the laptop off my lap, I have no idea. I had planned on running today per usual but my stomach was rebelling pretty badly so I went back to the Friday plan. Well hopefully. 🙂 I kind of need to pack at some point too.

I got this... right? — I got this… right?

I took a few days off around Surf City because I figured these 8-9 days were going make me pretty tired. However when I planned that I didn’t realize that was also my window to complete reviews at work. So I spent most of this week trying to kick those out. Or at least to a point where I only have to make some minor edits when I return. Writing reviews stress me out, maybe that’s contributing to my tiredness. I am so turning off the alarm tomorrow morning.

Wednesday was also my re-check with my gastro. He’s at a loss, so we’re changing my medication. This kind of freaks me out, I’ve been taking it for 12 years, what’s going to happen? He actually warned me that I could have a rough couple of days when I make the change, so we agreed that I could do that Monday after the race. Plus I have those days off so yay? Way less exciting than the original plan to go to Disneyland on Monday. But you know, measles.

Ever use those scary stair machines? I am not even sure I could even get on one without falling.

Would you chance the measles?

Anyone racing this weekend or having a Super Bowl party?

Who cried at the Budweiser commercial?

Random Roller Coaster

Man, this week flew by! How do I have a 25k in 8 hours? Yikes!

Even though my shiny new plan came on Sunday and I was eager to start it, I also had to rearrange the days. In the first week!! But Monday was scheduled as a rest day and I just couldn’t waste a day off of work to run outside. So Tuesday’s easy 50 minutes were completed on Monday. That worked out better than the gym after on Tuesday anyways- work ran late like it tends to after a 3 day weekend. I thought about running on Wednesday after work instead of Thursday but the day just ran away from me. Or rather, my brain did. Every quarter work gives out an award that goes to a few individuals. The people are nominated by their peers and then voted on by a committee. It was something new that rolled out at the beginning of 2014 and is kind of a big deal. The executives deliver the award in person and then a story and picture go up online. Every person who earns the award then has a chance to earn/win the Presidents’ Award for the year. I knew they were coming out to our location because a coworker had received one. I had to be sneaky when I was scheduling the lunches because I wanted everyone to be there to see him get it. They arrived on time and surprise!! I received one too! Two of us! Holy crap! My brain left the building for the rest of the day, I was so excited.Ever since I was sick, I have not been sleeping well. I have had coughing fits every night and it makes it hard to sleep. According to my lovely Fitbit I have been averaging 5 hours a night. Ouch. After a few coughing attacks at work on Thursday, I decided that an extra rest day would be a good idea and skipped the gym. Boo!

Friday was average as Fridays go and I allowed myself to indulge in one cookie at work. The shocking thing came that night when I went to sleep-10 hours? WTH? I knew I was tired but come on! I’ve also noticed that when I sleep with the Fitbit in my sock, it doesn’t measure restlessness very well. Either that or I was unconscious. You’d think that with all that sleep I would be raring to go today. Not so. After running my usual Saturday errands I came home with the intention of running sooner than usual. Instead I took a nap. Seriously? Once I woke up I headed out for an easy 45 minutes. It was not. The whole 4.5 miles felt so hard. I took plenty of walk breaks. Which now leads me to being less than 12 hours from a 25K. Commence the freak out. Even knowing that I am predominately hiking it, I am freaking out. What was I thinking? Maybe I should just go to bed.

How was your week?

Ever been surprised (in a good way) at work?

Who raced today? Anyone racing tomorrow?

A (real) Plan for the Slacker?

I’ve mentioned before that I have serious problems sticking to training plans I’ve found online or in books,etc. They’re all a little too cookie cutter and it’s very rare to find one that has rest days on Fridays. And with my pace being all over the place these days, the pace based plans just make me sad. Then there’s the Slacker in me that just has a knee jerk reaction to being “told” to run. Which is why I created my own plan back in November in my almost free student planner. Which I still kind of love by the way. 🙂

Personalized plans are available from a variety of websites but have you seen the cost? Now if I could promise myself that I would follow it and not rebel like a clueless 4-year-old, the cost wouldn’t be that much. I’ve just never trusted myself to follow through. So I had my plan for the next few months and I was good. Then I got an email. The SLO Marathon partnered with McMillan Running for course specific plans. A limited number of free training plans were offered to the ambassadors. A personalized plan, just for you. The length of your choosing, designed for you. For free. Free? Seriously?!

I was so torn! I mean that is an awesome offer. I use their pace calculator all the time and they have articles and videos filled with training advice. With a limited number of spots, I had to think quickly. I liked my plan but also knew that I will likely need a little (or a lot) of guidance to break 2:00 at SLO. But would a plan stress me out? Also with the 25K this weekend and Surf City next weekend, I didn’t really have the time for a 12 week plan. After all most plans don’t have a 13.1 mile race the first week. 🙂 I checked out the website and saw that they offered an 8 week plan. Hang on, that’s doable. I would have a little time to rest after Surf City and surely I could stick to a plan for 8 weeks right? I finally decided it was too good of an offer to miss out on and jumped on it.

I received the questionnaire email about a week later. Mother of Toledo, it was 6 pages long. It asked my goals, my running habits, my usual schedule. It asked for my best times ever as well as just the best times from the last 12 months. It asked what I wanted out of running after accomplishing my goal and how many miles a week would burn me out. Etc, Etc. There was also a question about any races I may want to run before my goal race. I answered all of the questions as truthfully as I could. I do admit that I left out the 25K part. For some reason I was scared to put that in. 🙂 There was also a section that asked about any planned trips or events that would require schedule changes. I may not have any planned trips but I put Fridays in that section. Fridays usually end up being a longer (open to close) day plus my commute each way on top of that. That combined with the fact that Fridays are usually busier and I take Friday as a rest day 99.9% of the time. I wanted that to reflect in my plan so I made sure to specify that. I submitted my answers and was told it would be 1-2 weeks before I heard back. Even knowing that, I stalked my email everyday. It came on Sunday night.

Woo hoo! Included in the email was their half marathon race guide, their training philosophies, as well as a nutrition guide. Ok, cool but what about the plan? I opened the excel file with trepidation… and then blinked. Wait, what? I paid more attention to the dates and workout before going back and reading the comments, if I had done it in order, I would have been less confused. 🙂

Fallon, thanks for choosing McMillan Running to help you train optimally for your upcoming goal race. As you head into your San Luis Obispo Half Marathon training program, remember that recovery between key workouts is the key. If you simply perform the workouts and get to the race healthy, you give yourself the best chance at success. Consistent, smart training will produce the best results. Run hard, but run smart. Listen to your body to know when to push and when to rest. For each workout in your plan, there is a corresponding training pace listed in the McMillan Running Calculator (www.mcmillanrunning.com). I know you requested 8 weeks of training, but I wanted to give you a full 14 weeks so that you will have some guidelines over the next few weeks to help you transition into half-marathon specific training in the final 2 months before SLO.

14 weeks? That’s a long time but the more I read it, the more I felt like it was doable. Most of the runs are time based as opposed to distance based. I’ve been transitioning to that since December so seeing that built into the plan was kind of awesome. Specific speed work drills are built in, no paces but guidelines that I can follow and actually accomplish (fingers crossed). Surf City 13.1 and Wine Country 13.1 are built into the plan as long training runs. The weeks following those are built as recovery weeks. Hmmm, I think I can do this. I was actually super excited to start. Now, if only I was feeling 100%! I am still coughing up a storm at night so I thought it would be smarter to only run 3x this week. Boo!

Ever follow a McMillan plan? Or use their pace calculator?

Think I can stick to a plan? Or will I slack off?

Who’s racing this weekend?

And Still…

I have a new-found dislike for pajamas. And really that’s just sad. I mean pajamas are so warm and cozy and comfy, what could you possibly dislike about them? Even with all that, I am so over them. I miss wearing real clothes, I miss wearing running clothes. Ugh.

In case the above whining wasn’t enough, I am still sick. I only lasted 3 hours at work on Monday before heading home. I didn’t make it in at all on Tuesday or Wednesday. That’s not to say I didn’t try. I made an attempt to get up and ready for work at the usual time. It usually resulted in a text conversation with my boss before going back to sleep for a few hours. Then an actual phone call to work before more sleep. Ugh. But tomorrow I will be back at work, no more listening to the Harry Potter movies with my eyes closed. Hopefully I will look less like a creature. Otherwise I will be missing the sit down desk where I used to be able to hide myself. 🙂

So this is just a short whiny update- I miss running. I miss being too much of Slacker to want to run. Now I just want to run. Oh and I have spent way too much time on the internet these days. There are some odd things out there.

Thanks for listening to me whine, hopefully the next update will have some running in it!

Let me live vicariously through you- how awesome or good was your week?

Who ran? Anyone racing this weekend?