Tag: headache

Adios August

Goodbye August, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Well, actually, on second thought…😝😃

I started August with such high hopes but unfortunately it seemed like life had other plans. Between work stress, getting sick, crazy heat and humidity, headaches, crazy drivers and car accidents, I was so happy to see August end. To add insult to injury I have some crazy, creepy bug bite. I felt something sting after my good interval workout last week. It just felt like I scratched myself so I ignored it. Come to find a huge red lump below my ear on Friday. It was so creepy that my coworkers are helping me keep an eye on it. I can’t see it really well and cannot seem to get a picture of it either, so they and my mom have been super helpful. It’s still a lump today. So long August!

But let’s get to the numbers-Not what I was hoping for but at least I am going back up in miles. Even if it’s a tiny bump (half a mile), it’s still up. I deliberately took the month off from racing as I was feeling achy and tired. I was having some leg/foot/shoe problems that I needed to figure out as well. Which led to buying new shoes. So far I am really liking the Pure Flows. My only concern right now is I am wondering how long they will last. I am afraid that what makes them so comfortable will not last long. Only time will tell. 😃

This look back made me notice some things. While my running was pretty consistent at 3x a week, my actual workouts were hit and miss. I thought I had done better than that. I never ran farther than 7.3 miles. Which if this was a non training period would be fine. However, I am training for a goal half marathon, followed a month later by another half and a week later by a 25K. This was not the month I needed. I have been doing some serious thinking about that goal half but have yet to come to a conclusion. Between the heat this month and my stupid stomach, I try to not even look at my splits. Looking for a positive spin, maybe I am base building for 2016?

So hello September. As much as I am looking forward to September, I have some serious scheduling issues. Every single weekend is booked. Between a work weekend, race weekends and Avocado Margarita Festival ~~conscription~~ volunteering, I have no idea how I will get my long runs. Well I do. Get out of my own way and get up early. But can this Slacker do that? Combine those weekends with my boss going on vacation for 2.5 weeks, which means I can’t even leave the building, and September will be busy. Can someone set up a Diet Coke delivery? 😄 My planner looks a little scary. I am trying to only look at 2 days at a time, 2 days is manageable and lets me breath. All that chaos aside, I am still looking forward to September. In denial that the year is 2/3 over but still looking forward to September.

Starting with this weekend- first booked weekend- 5k! But I have Monday and Tuesday off!!! Monday is Labor Day and I told my boss I needed a mental health day before she left so I asked for Tuesday off. 😉 I also haven’t raced a 5K since July 2014 so this could be a train wreck, we shall see.

How does your September look?

Any plans this weekend? Anyone racing?

Should #getoutofmyownway be my new motto?

Radio silence

Long time no share. I think that was the longest posting break I have taken since I started this blog almost 3 years ago. I try to stick to a schedule of posting 3x a week so my one post last week was very lonely. 😞

I wanted to post but just didn’t feel like I was in the right head space there for a while. I ended up taking Wednesday through Saturday off of running as well. So attempt 1 of changing my weekly schedule didn’t work out. A migraine rolled in on Wednesday evening and didn’t leave until Saturday. Sometimes I run through them but this time I just decided to embrace the Slacker and rest. The migraine was probably partially hormonal and partially due to stress so rest sounded great. 😃 I watched some tv, read some fanfic online (yes I am that nerdy) and maybe ate some things that I shouldn’t have. I have zero regrets about that donut- I needed it for my mental health. 🙂

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. Albert Einstein — Just keep moving…. Thanks Pinterest

Work is in the process of getting a little crazier so I decided that I just needed some quiet time. I work in a location with a smaller staff, only about 6, and 3 have given notice. All are for different life reasons but the timing still makes me doubt myself as a manager. There are some things that I have no control over and I know this but still that little voice in my head starts whispering. Ugh. Plus with 3 leaving, things are about to get really interesting. I see some very long days in the future… Very soon. I am ~~trying~~ going to stay optimistic and it is what is and we will get through it. Where did the cynical Slacker go?

I am hopeful that I can stick to my usual running of 4x a week throughout the coming weeks but if I have to drop a day I will. We’ll see. Also I need to get back on that schedule, I haven’t hit 4 days a week since the week before SLO. oops!!

I did get in some miles on Sunday. On Saturday, my mother and I had headed into SLO for a little shopping. One of those stops was the Running Warehouse. It broke my little Mizuno-loving heart but I exchanged my Inspire’s. I don’t know what it was but I just could not break them in. I hate exchanging shoes, I feel bad that they have to be sent back, but I do not have the room in the budget to just keep buying shoes. I swapped them out for a pair of the Wave Rider 18’s. Maybe they are what I should have gone with in the first place. Hmmm, we’ll see.Sunday was Mother’s Day (Happy belated Mother’s Day to all you mothers!) and the day started with a nice run/ walk with my mom. We did the usual walk for a bit then I would run ahead and double back. I was feeling a little tired and sluggish but after 4 days off, I wasn’t complaining. Plus it was my first run in my new shoes. 🙂 In a completely unimportant note, these shoes sure are pretty, I hope I like them.

So I am hoping to get back to the regularly scheduled programming this week. Hopefully in all areas, fingers crossed!

How was your weekend? Mother’s Day?

Ever needed a time out? What did you do?

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?

Almost there…

Friday was just as crazy as the rest of the week had been but it was ok, I had cookie Friday to get me through it. 🙂 Plus for once, I had plans after work, girls night! I met ML and A for dinner and a movie after work. Dinner was at a pub like restaurant, where I took no pictures. Oops! The burger was so good I was too busy eating it and catching up with them. Then it was on the movies, we saw Maze Runner. It was good and they did a decent job of sticking to the book. Granted I read it years ago, but they hit all the points I remembered. I also indulged in movie popcorn, maybe too much, but it was so worth it.

Saturday morning started with work. While I love that the weather is finally below triple digits, I could do with out the fog increase that has accompanied the cooler weather, particularly on my commute. At one point, I could barely see 2 car lengths ahead of me. Ugh. After work, I decided to use Saturday as a rest day and just ran some errands. My legs are a little tired from the extra 6 hours or so of standing per day but it’s still awesome. I decided that it had been too long since I had rearranged the bedroom furniture so that was how I spent my Saturday evening.

With my new plan to step back on running, I am aiming for 3 days a week, 15-20 miles. This week I had hoped for 15, a 3, a 5 and a 7 mile run. Instead it was 3.5, 4.5 and 4.3. I started the second set of medication that my doctor prescribed last night and woke with a pounding headache. I don’t have time for that! I had plans to go toSLO with my mom and get some shopping done plus that 7 mile run.

We were heading to SLO because back in July, I bought her a pair of running shoes at The Running Warehouse. They were supposed to be a very early Christmas present but after a month, she decided that she hated them because the tongue never stayed in place. So that was the first stop of the morning. Probably should have checked the times because they didn’t open until 10. Oops. I told her that she had to do all the talking. 🙂 Luckily the service was great as usual. She didn’t have a second choice, so I took partial store credit and picked up a new pair of Wave Rider’s with the other part. The new version comes out in a month so this way I have a back up when I need a new pair. Plus who knows if I will like the new version. I hated the Wave Inspire update.

Then it was lunch and some more shopping. I wanted to stop at Banana Republic, I have an interview on Tuesday, so I felt I needed a new dress. My head was still pounding and I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get in any running. Once home, I put my stuff away and then took a 25 minute power nap. I had very little desire run at that point but my head felt a little better, so I headed out. I kept it super easy and walked whenever I needed. Considering how I felt for the most of the day, I’d say it was damn good run. I even had the energy to take the last hill (slowly) and hit 4.3 miles instead of the other way, 3.8. I’d call that a win. 🙂 So mileage for the week- 12.3.

How was your weekend?

Anyone else hoard shoes in advance?

Ever hated a shoe update?

August Recap-So Close

I came pretty close but fell just short. August clocked in at my second highest mileage month of the year. As cool as that it was, I was also a little irritated. I had been on track to finally break 100 miles in a month, but life happens. Taking 4 days off due to a headache that wouldn’t quit and then turning a 10 miler into 4– well that hurt the numbers.

August Totals-

Miles- 87.7
Races- 0

I also managed to make it back to the track twice. None of that was speed work, but the track is still my happy place. I ran the lake path, the river path, from home, around the track and on the treadmill. I realized that my long runs may have too many hills to be called a long, easy run but they definitely meet the slow mark. However I did run my fastest mile in August-

Beyond that, I finally had my doctor’s appointment, attended the company picnic, got a new boss and took a lot of naps. Seriously, why do I nap so much? My doctor’s appointment gave some lovely antibiotics, which are kicking my ass, and a referral to USC. Anywho, hopefully something works, I miss speed work.

I also had a very scary run in with some dogs. Last Friday, the customer that has 2 Bouvier’s brought them in. I forced myself to give them a treat. Granted, I kept the counter between us, but they still good have bitten my hands. Mission safely accomplished. However I have yet to run/walk down my driveway since then.

Coming into to September, I have 3 races scheduled, half marathon, 10k and 5k. With that being said, I am not going to try to hit 100 in September. In fact I am thinking that I will run very little the week after Ventura. I start volleyball again on Monday and a boot camp class next Saturday. I also am volunteering at the Avocado Margarita Festival over that weekend, probably on both days. So it seems to me like it will be the perfect time for fewer miles. But I also have Monday and Tuesday off, so my feet may be itching to run, depends on Ventura. How well I will be able to squat and bump the ball at volleyball will also depend on Ventura, ha! 🙂

August was rough and I feel a little run down, between work and my stupid stomach and a few weeks of rough runs. With that in mind I have not registered for my October half yet. I have two options. City to the Sea (which may sell out) that I have done the last 2 years and the Harvest Marathon. Harvest may win just because it is the end of October and literally down the street. However running goes in ebbs and flows and it will be awesome again, I just have to bide my time. And maybe cross my fingers. 🙂

What are you doing in September? Any races?

What about boot camp- should I be scared?

What’s something awesome that you did in August?