Category: Training

Week 8- Finding the Track

  • 2019 Race Schedule (so far):
  • 3/24 Oakland Running Festival (Thanks BibRave)
  • 4/28 SLO Half Marathon
  • 5-4 Wildflower (Thanks BibRave)  Canceled
  • 8-11 Oaktown Half (Thanks BibRave)

Last week had its ups and downs. More running and exercise- yay- but some stomach issues for a few days too. Boo. But then I have been emotionally eating for a few weeks and that’s never a good idea, particularly when you have a GI disorder. So I guess you could say I brought it on myself.

I’ve also had some leg issues. I’ve been sitting in my chair at work more since the Varidesk arrived and that is never a good thing. My chair aggravates my back which then jacks up my leg. I’ll get the height right one of these days. Well, hopefully.

Monday-7.3 miles
I was feeling like a long run on a day off but not sure if it would happen. In the first few miles my calves were screaming they were so tight. More than 6 miles was looking unlikely. I kept moving forward and just figured I would see what happened. For the first time in months I was too warm- I lost my long sleeves 3 miles in. This coming from the person who finds 60* cold. It was in the low 50’s. Somehow my only gonna do 4 turned into 7.3 miles. They also ended up being speedier than my last few months of running too. Who knew?

Thursday- PIYO
I wasn’t feeling so great but didn’t want to be a slug. I also didn’t think anything too strenuous was a good idea. Good lord, my abs (or lack thereof) hurt for 2 days after this.

Saturday-10 miles
I wanted to run but didn’t want to run, you know? I am working on getting out of my head though so I headed out thinking I would just do 4 and push my long run to Sunday. Except again I kept on running. Granted much slower than Monday. My leg was a little sore but not bad, I barely noticed it and finished my run feeling pretty good. Other than once again I was in a tank top in the low 50’s. Who am I?

Sunday- 2ish miles
I put off my recovery run but finally made it out the door around 3. I was aiming for 4 but by a mile in I knew I was in trouble. My right leg was screaming at me and I couldn’t run without a limp. I turned around and headed for home. I am not going to do anything stupid but I was irritated. Grrr, where’s my roller?

19.53 miles for the week. Well, look who hit double digits. It’s been a moment, haha. I know what’s up with my leg so I am not concerned at the moment just keeping an eye on it.

How was your week?

Week 7- Last Hurrah

  • 2019 Race Schedule (so far):
  • 3/24 Oakland Running Festival (more to come)
  • 4/28 SLO Half Marathon
  • 5-4 Wildflower (Thanks BibRave)  Canceled
  • 8-11 Oaktown Half (Thanks BibRave)

Yeah, I told myself I was going to cheer up and be positive last week, but nah.

I did try, I really did. I made it out for a short but sweet run at the lake on Monday so I started the week on the right foot. Then it all went sideways. On Tuesday, I received news that opportunity I was nervous/ excited about last week wasn’t going my way. Which while I kind of expected it, it still hit me where it hurt.

And started another moody spiral. Telling myself I was going to run and carting around a gym bag full of clothes does not count if you never change your clothes. However I do think I might have run a tiny bit more if we hadn’t received so much damn rain. Don’t get me wrong, we need rain desperately here but we are not built for it. The roads were flooding (some washed away) and people all drive like idiots in the rain. Didn’t exactly inspire me to get out the door.

So what does a moody runner not running do? Well they add 2 races to their calendar! Makes total sense, right? One is through BibRave to replace Wildflower since it was canceled last week and the other is through work. And hopefully goes better than the last time I ran it. You know that time I jumped out of my car on the freeway?? Good times.

So I gave myself one last weekend to wallow, think and generally just be in a funk. It wasn’t all bad; my mother has been bugging me to go shopping in SLO with her and we did that on Saturday. I may have done a little retail shopping and come home with a few bags. Ok, more than a few but I swear I didn’t spend that much!

So last week?

Monday- 2 miles
Short but every time I run at the lake, I can push the miles a little further. When does the time change? The creepy factor of the lake keeps me from running there in full dark no matter how many lights I have but I do love the sunsets.

Oh and that shopping? I picked up a new pillow cover to finish off the room re-do, however it hasn’t actually made it to a pillow yet.

Someone claimed it. 😛

How was your week?

Week – Slacker

  • 2019 Race Schedule (so far):
  • 3/24 Oakland Running Festival (more to come)
  • 4/28 SLO Half Marathon
  • 5-4 Wildflower (Thanks BibRave)  Canceled
  • 8-11 Oaktown Half (Thanks BibRave)

Thy name is Slacker and last week I lived up to it.

I have this bad habit of sinking into a dark hole when I get stressed and anxious. Some people run the feelings out but that just gives me too much time alone with my own thoughts. Instead I tend to watch too much TV while reading or trying to and playing word searches on my phone. Productive? Not so much. Distracting, yes.

I had a big A-race planned for the year but I hadn’t announced it here. Good thing a the planned race suddenly changed locations, dates and dropped my distance. Grrrr! Then I received news that another race I was running was canceled. Is fate trying to tell me something????

I was also feeling a little bit of pressure on running because of a running group app. Which made me respond like a teenager and do the opposite. Which is to not run. I was stressed because of a work situation, well situation isn’t the right word- more like possible opportunity. And it’s making me a little anxious.

So did I do anything last week?

Thursday- 1.6 miles
I was feeling fussy and wanted a change. I decided to see what I get in around the lake path. I may have lights but I won’t run at the lake after dark. But I was hoping I get in something. That something turned out to be 20 minutes. A slow walk to begin and then I ran until it was time to quit.

So yeah, it was a very Slacker- like week. Also very hermit like. Here’s to digging myself out this week.

How was your week?

Week 4- Not Too Bright

  • 2019 Race Schedule (so far):
  • 3/24 Oakland Running Festival (more to come)
  • 4/28 SLO Half Marathon
  • 5-4 Wildflower (Thanks BibRave)  Canceled
  • 8-11 Oaktown Half (Thanks BibRave)

You know what they say about best laid plans?

I had my week planned -when I was going to workout, how I was going to eat healthier, be less of a Slacker, yada yada. And well… yeah.

Cold wind kept me indoors on Monday which is silly as I hate wasting a non work day. But I also really hate a really cold wind. Then my stomach turned into an asshat on Tuesday and that lingered for a few days. That’s what I get for thinking I was having a good spell. Then there’s the random tiredness. Which actually isn’t so random. This was week 2 without soda and my new migraine medication can make me groggy. Not the greatest combo… or maybe it is, who knows. I did manage to finally clean my car this weekend so that in itself should make this week a win. Ha!

Monday- Transform 20
Well, I started the week slightly according to plan. Then it was off to that doctor’s appointment I made a month ago when I was so sick. Which didn’t really get me anywhere.

Saturday- 8.4 miles
Long run Saturday. Despite the opinion of my Garmin, I actually felt pretty good this run. I kept things slow and easy and started with run/walk intervals but was able to ditch them around mile 4 and only walk occasionally. Which I thought was great considering how little running I’ve been doing but my Garmin judged me and told me I needed 3 days to recover post run. How rude!

Sunday-4 miles
I headed out for some nice and easy recovery miles. I won’t lie- even though I kept the pace slower than Saturday’s long run, there were parts that were the very opposite of easy. I kept pace and ran all but one of the hills though. Still, I wish it had felt a little better.

12.4 miles for the week and only 1 Transform 20 workout. Which means I will be restarting week 2 come Monday as I was barely hanging on as it was. I am hoping to get in 2 short-ish runs before race days so fingers crossed!

How was your week?

Week 3- Shock

  • 2019 Race Schedule (so far):
  • 3/24 Oakland Running Festival (more to come)
  • 4/28 SLO Half Marathon
  • 5-4 Wildflower (Thanks BibRave)  Canceled
  • 8-11 Oaktown Half (Thanks BibRave)

In some ways I was my Slacker self last week and in others I was not.

The week was busy at work and when it wasn’t I spent the time rearranging my desk and getting used to all the new changes with my computer at work. I think I am going to love it but woah it’s different. I am not the tallest and I joke I need a trampoline to keep an eye on everything now.

The room refresh is coming along too, or was until a shelving unit I was waiting for didn’t arrive on Friday. Now we have had crazy rain storms so the delay was understandable; I am just tired of being disorganized. Fingers crossed it arrives on Monday. But the cats approve of the new chair.

And of all things I learned that even though I swear I drink water all day long, according to my blood work, I am very dehydrated. Say what?! So a change in my migraine meds was prescribed.

So did I do anything active last week or just repeatedly move furniture around?

Monday- Transform 20
I am so not coordinated. Throw in a step and it’s almost hazardous. I am glad I am doing this by myself because it’s probably hilarious.

Tuesday- Nada
Tuesday was weird. I somehow even forgot it was Tuesday and missed #bibchat. Oops.

Wednesday- Transform 20
More un-coordination for the win. And what took me so long to put in a ceiling fan?

Thursday- Lazy
I had an morning work meeting which meant I had a longer lunch so I planned on attempting another runch but somehow I totally forgot. Oops.

Friday-Ditto
I told myself I was going work out all day. Right up until 11PM. I never did.

Saturday- 6 miles
I ran! And it was more than 2 miles! I knew it was going to be hard and it was. It was the longest run I had done since Holiday Half in December. I stayed pretty consistent for most of it but it was tiring. Not as much as Garmin thought though. It told me I needed 53 hours to recover. What?

Sunday- 4 miles/ 2 Transform 20 workouts
I was feeling industrious… or guilty that I slacked on the Transform workouts throughout the week. I headed out for 4 easy miles in the afternoon and treated them like recovery miles. Kept it about a minute slower than the day before, partly because I was trying to be smart and partly because I doubted I could run faster, haha. I did manage to power up
2 hills though so I am calling it a win.

10 miles for the week and 4/6 Transform 20 workouts. Not much but compared to last week (and the weeks before) it’s an awesome improvement.

How was your week?