Tag: slacker

Week 46 Un-Training Recap

Training for:

Nothing! I have no scheduled races for the remainder of 2016 right now. That is so weird! After the last month of feeling stressed and sick, slightly injured and seriously bitchy, I knew what I was going to do post Golden Gate Half.

I was taking the week off. I didn’t even do that post marathon. Mostly because I had crazy high hopes that marathon training would bring me speedy fall half marathons…which didn’t happen. Actually I don’t think I’ve taken a solid week off all year long. Which is odd for this Slacker.

I had plans, I really did. I was going to get on the bike to keep the legs loose and blood moving. I was going to try more of my yoga app. I was thinking about busting out the kettle bell, maybe attempting a plank or 2. What happened?

Nothing. Not a damn thing.

Well, I gained 5 pounds but let’s not go there.

I slept… a lot. Turns out I really wasn’t feeling well. The week kind of passed in a foggy haze. I took Monday off as a vacation day to recover from the race and had Friday off due to the holiday. You’d think all that extra rest would have helped me feel better but no such luck.

Granted part of that fog may be due to drastically cutting back on my caffeine and sugar intake last week. I also finally had an appointment with a neurologist last week so maybe my daily headaches will be coming to an end? Fingers crossed?!?!? The appointment made me laugh though- at one point I had to do the “one foot in front of the other walk” down the hallway and I fell into into the wall. Ha!

A week off is enough though. I’m feeling equal parts twitchy and nervous. That first run back is always so hard. Combine that with the fact that I know it will be on a treadmill and boo. I also have that same old shoe conundrum again. My Hoka’s are ok but not great. They aggravate a weird soft spot in the bottom of my left foot. Also, by the end of the Harvest Half, I felt like my toes were bruised and bloody. They weren’t but they sure felt like it. I admit that I no longer look forward to shoe shopping. Now it just stresses me out. Grrr.

Ever take a week off? Or more?

What did you do?

How was your week?

Taking Directions

Disclaimer: I received a session with Ekiden Coaching to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I’ve said numerous times that I tend to have knee jerk reactions to training plans. I turn into a 5 year old and say ” I don’t wanna”. Or a rebellious teenager- “you can’t make me!’. I’ve posted pictures of my training plans before and they are usually full of color and corrections and look like a 5 year old used them as a coloring book.

That said I’ve always wondered how I would respond to a coach. Would reporting to an actual person hold me accountable? Would I get out of my own way and actually commit to a program that could make me a better runner? I was curious but I figured the odds of me finding out were slim to none as most options I saw could break the bank. And my bank is pretty broken as it is. 😛

Enter Ekiden Coaching.

ekiden

When I was given the opportunity to try their coaching services, I jumped at it. What better chance to see how I would do? Ekiden is fairly new to the scene and founded by Peter Duyan with Head Coach Mario Fraioli. I checked out the website, looked at their backgrounds and read some articles in Competitor by Mario. I was excited to get started.

The process started with a very in depth questionnaire that asked about your running habits, preferences and quirks. It also asked about your nutrition level and if you had any injuries. Once it was submitted, I waited to be matched with my coach. Once I learned that I had Coach Jenny, we set up a time for a phone conversation to go more in depth about my running level and upcoming race plans. This was also when I had the realization that I had a lot of races in the coming weeks. Oops. Jenny also let me know I may have bit off a bigger bite than I should have. Yes, Coach. This was also proved true when I had to bail on the Run The Runways 5K. 😢

From there the coaching plan is uploaded to the Ekiden site on a weekly basis. The site links to Strava and for every completed workout, you get a blue dot. Missed workouts show a red dot. You are sent a weekly text on Sundays with a link to the week’s workouts. A daily text at 5PM told you the next days workout. You can communicate with your coach via text message or on the Ekiden site. Text messages are my jam, sweet!

So how did training go? I really liked it! Every workout was something that I could or should be able to physically do and it was very easy to understand. I didn’t have to do any math or fancy equations to know what I was supposed to do. I’ve had a good mix of easy running and speed work. The speed work was great (remember Float?). It pushed me out of my comfort zone just enough. I never would have planned a long run with a fast finish end of 6 miles but I came close to pulling it off! My left leg has been giving me fits but being honest, it hasn’t been happy since halfway through marathon training. That said, Coach Jenny has been a great resource with that- I can text her when it hurts and we can adjust the plan. It helps to talk it out with someone so I don’t just panic on my own. The accountability portion of having a coach is kind of awesome. I call myself Slacker for a reason so having someone check in with you is a great way to stay on track. Even a day when I was feeling super crappy and knew I couldn’t handle a run, I went home and did a few miles on the bike. I can say without a doubt that I would not have done that had I not had a coach and a training plan.

So would I do it all over again? I actually have a week or 2 left on my plan right now but I think I would do it again. Personal plans can be as low $49 a month and I think a 3 month plan would be a great fit for me next year- I may finally buckle down to train for a sub 2 half… or maybe a second marathon. 😛

I also have a discount for you- use code BibRave16 and get 1 month of free training when you purchase 3 months. Dang it, I could use that next year!

Looking for more information? Check out the Ekiden website or read these Pro’s reviews-

Christine
Angie

Have you ever worked with a coach?

Do you like training plans?

Weekly Musings

It’s Friday!! And I have a 3 day weekend. I can’t wait. Sleep has not been my friend these past few weeks.

I’ve been in a weird non chatty mood this week. My last post was Monday! 😔 I am not sure what put me into a little funk but I am working my through it. Donuts were involved on Thursday. Apparently we were all feeling it, the clock hit 10 AM, we looked at each other and said donuts.

I wore my amazing new socks!!!!

I have a race this weekend! I think. Truth- I haven’t registered yet. Oops!! I always procrastinate but this time might be the most extreme. Part of it was due to my leg and it’s achiness. Part of it was due to a late giveaway I entered. Fingers crossed!

That said, I am nervous for it. But mostly about my shoes. I’ve been wearing the Hoka’s and while they don’t suck, I’ve never gone past 6 miles in them. Yikes!!! I have almost 30 miles on them but I am nervous.

It’s almost blanket weather! Almost. I love curling up under a good blanket. Nights are finally in the 40’s out here. There are still 90+ degree days in the forecast but we’re getting closer to fall like weather. 😛

I did get some short miles this week. Overall my leg felt ok. Saw a pretty great sunset too-

I have not had pizza or bought a bag of chips this week. Who am I?? 🍕 Can I make it through cookie Friday????

Hmmm, I thought I had more to share but nothing’s coming to me right now. Oops. And why does the iPhone want you to use 🙊 instead of oops? Silly auto predict.

What are you doing this weekend?

How late have you ever registered for a race?

Share something random!

Week 40 Training Recap/ September Wrap

3/4 of the year is done! Woah. Already my Facebook feed is full of countdowns to Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Knock it off people!!

Anyways, last week’s training started out great, maintained for most of the week then hit a big roadblock by the weekend. One I am still trying to figure out. Combine that with a truly craptacular week in sleeping and this one was a little rough. Seriously, each night averaged around 6 hours. 😕

Monday- Rest– I somehow got used to running on Monday’s and now resting on those days feels odd. However I was so abnormally sore to the point of painful after Sunday’s races that I embraced it. Plus the temps were in the triple digits everywhere so why put myself through that?

Tuesday- 4.2 miles– I was still sore so I opted for the lower end of what coach suggested. I kept the pace nice and easy and walked whenever my leg felt odd. To avoid most of the heat, I ran in work town. I really wish there was more trail through the eucalyptus grove. That said, it was a decent run and I managed to negative split, which considering it’s an out and back with the first 2 miles down hill is pretty sweet.

Wednesday- 3.75 miles. Float like a butterfly, pant like a dog. Speed work!

Thursday- 3.5 miles. Recovery run. In retrospect, maybe I should have just gotten on the bike and moved my legs that way. I was really trying to stick to the plan though. I crawled. My legs were not happy even attempting to run. I iced and rolled and stretched that night but I had a feeling it wasn’t enough.

Friday- Rest- Ouch. My left leg was pissed. I felt twinges anytime I moved. Which brought me to a very cranky conclusion-

Saturday- ~~5K race~~– Yeah, nope. I had planned on running the inaugural Run the Runways out at the airport but I realized there was no way my leg was up to it. I knew I would get out there and likely do something stupid. I did 15 minutes on the bike though. Work is attempting the Tone It Up challenge for October, I looked at the daily exercises but they all required more leg work then I was willing to do, so fail day 1.😢

Sunday-~~9-10 mile long run~~– 30 minutes bike Another one bites the dust. I woke up with a headache, tried getting up to run but no. Figured I would go out for a few in the afternoon and slept some more. Afternoon rolled around and my leg was not happy. I was trying to determine if it really hurt or if I was trying to be lazy and not feel guilty about it. I hopped on the bike for a very slow ride for 30 minutes. Judging but how my leg felt while riding, I made the right choice not running. Boo.

So now, I am in limbo. I have a half marathon on Sunday and I am hesitant about it. Plus side is that I haven’t registered for it yet. Downside- it’s one of my favorites. So this coming week will be interesting.

Since last week saw the end of September, I added up my mileage- 75.85. Not too bad. Not where I had hoped I would be but it is what it is and now it is time to focus on October. Which hopefully means that the high 90’s and triple digit weather is gone. Fingers crossed!

How was your week? September?

Any plans for October?

Week 39 Training Recap

Training for:

City to the Sea 13.1
Harvest Marathon 13.1
Golden Gate Half

Where has the time gone?! We’re into the last week of September, how? I know I whine about this quite often but I really just can’t wrap my head around how fast this year is moving. Slow down!!

Last week was interesting as I received a tentative training schedule from Ekiden and a phone conversation with my coach. Woo hoo!! But also eeeek!!! Can I handle this? Someone give me a pizza, I’m freaking out over here. 🍕🍕

Monday- Rest Migraine from hell. Apparently I’ve turned into a big baby and any heat kicks my ass. Sunday’s long run while not super hot was too hot. I hydrated well but I couldn’t fight off the headache that started that evening. By Monday it was a full fledged migraine and it was all I could do to get through work.

Tuesday- 3.1 miles First run in the Hoka’s. Not too bad, nothing felt immediately off. Making it to 3 miles was huge though- I never accomplished that in the PureFlow 5’s. I also ran into a tarantula so I stopped and chatted with a gentlemen out walking about it.

Wednesday- Rest Yeah, I am sure I did something but I don’t remember what it was.

Thursday- 5 miles Half days for the win! I got off work early and finally went to lunch with my uncle. We’ve only been trying that for 4 years! Then I went home to wait for a call from my coach. 🙂🙂 It was a good conversation and I am looking forward to seeing what happens with this. Then I headed out for a run. The plan called for 4-6 easy miles with pickups so I figured I would run my 5 mile route. I was also trying the Hoka’s again so I wasn’t sure how far I would make it. Not too bad. My average pace at the end looked like an easy pace but in reality I was kind of all over the place. Oops. I did pretty good on the pickups though. I did have to reroute due to a large, angry dog though. Grrr. The shoes felt pretty good but I think I have a different definition of cushion than everyone else. I think they feel kind of hard.

Friday- Rest day The computers crashed for the 3rd time in a week. And never came back. Seriously?! I didn’t end up getting off work until 7. Ouch.

Saturday- ~~30 minute shake out~~ 1.3 mile power walk I completely overbooked myself. I slept through my first alarm, oops. Then I headed out to work for the morning, thankfully the systems were back up. Traffic was nuts on the way home, there was a huge cycling event on the highway. I was volunteering at registration / packet pickup for the HOB Fun Run and I had to decide between lunch and running. I chose food but went with my mother so she could drop me off at packet pickup. After my shift was done I power walked home. Something was better than nothing right?

Sunday- HOB Fun Run 10K/5K Recap in next post.

18.8 miles for the week. Not too bad, better than previous weeks. I have some weird aches and pains right now so I am hoping that they go away quickly. I’ve been foam rolling and icing and wearing compression socks. Fingers crossed!!

How was your week?

What do you do at work when the computers go down?

Any tips for tight ankles?