Tag: slacker

Funnel Cakes and cross training

So I survived my foray into the fair.  Ate too much junk food and spent too much money, but hey, it only comes once a year right?  So I countrified myself up and had some fun. I wore my shitkickers (haha!) there and they served a dual purpose.  I fit in better, 🙂 and they helped support my ankle or shin, still debating which.  Didn’t feel a thing all night.   As opposed to its loud grumbling when I took my boots off.  Not cool.

So Saturdays plan for a nice run was postponed 😦 Now I am fine with being a Slacker Runner when it is being lazy of my own volition; that is just me being me.  However, taking it easy because something hurts just makes me cranky.   It suddenly makes me want to run more!  Anyone else like that?

It happened to be a rest day for the squat challenge as well, so that worked out.  I figured if I couldn’t run, or shouldn’t, I would do some cross training.  I had a funnel cake to work after all.  I know that I should do cross training and I have it in my training plan, but I hate it.  I really do.  This is how I usually end up having 3 rest (slacker) days a week.  So today I made myself get back on the bike. Stationary bike that is, did 8 miles and called it done.  Ugh.  So hoping to get in a few miles on the track tomorrow.  Fingers crossed!

On the upshot, I had this awesomeness made at the fair on Friday.  Super nerdy, I know, but I love it.Image

When the pain begins

So I followed through and went for a run this morning.  Getting out of bed was so hard to do; sleep was not my friend last night.  Finally managed to drag myself out and hit the road.   I could feel my ankle as I started down the driveway, uh oh 😦

New Gear!!!
New Gear!!!

I did a route from my house and my mother came too.  Usually she walks most of it while I run ahead, usually circling back to her again.  She has been adding more running into though, nice!  I was dragging today.  My ankle hurt, I was tired and it was already getting hot at 9:30 in the morning.   Seriously?  On the upshot, I got to test my new shorts!

The run route takes us by a cemetery, up a few hills, and down a few hills.  Then there are alleys to run through as well as a school, with a few more inclines.  I really should be better at hills than I am.

Today’s run was very slow going, but I completed just about 5 miles.  While I may wish it was faster, (a lot) it still adds to my training. 😦   I also completed the required 155 squats for the squat challenge that I started on July 1.  What was I thinking?   I then spent part of my day slacking and icing my ankle.  The pain needs to go away.

Forward, slow motion
Forward, slow motion

I was planning on running a few tomorrow but I may push that back to Saturday.  My town is currently being invaded by the barely controlled chaos that is the fair.  BBQ, funnel cakes and carnies abound!!!  I have tickets to a concert tomorrow so I am going to walk down do the fairgrounds and wander around for a couple of hours.  That counts right? Ha!  Maybe if I wasn’t also planning on consuming one of those afore mentioned funnel cakes. 🙂 And maybe a pretzel.   Eating healthy can get back on track on Saturday too.  I thought it was hilarious that Word Press chose to highlight the last picture in my last post.  All that yummy, fatty goodness right up top 🙂

On a side note, I made a Facebook page for my blog.  It’s just getting started but go check it out, and share something!

Maybe not so easy…

Ok, this was supposed to be up last night, so read it like it’s still Thursday:)  Stupid power outage!

So, Thursday is here and as I previously mentioned, it is a day that I usually choose to be a Slacker:0   I am not sure if it is the fact that I have a race in 2 days (eek!) or that yesterday’s run was slow enough it should be called a walk.    So this morning I packed my running gear thinking I may do an easy 2 miles after work if it went well.

Work was crazy and halfway through the day; I felt it, a little twinge in my left ankle.  Umm, no thank you.   I haven’t even worn heels in 2 days, ugh.  I figured I would hit the park and just take it easy see how it feels and go from there.    On a side note, I finally figured out how to get to the good parking lotJ

So I start with a little walk before picking up the pace.   I feel twinges for the first half mile or so, and then it settles down.  Woo Hoo!   The plan was to do 2 laps and quit.  Well, I settled for 3 and almost beating my 5k PR.  Umm what? How did that happen?   Feeling good now, only to see how it feels tomorrow.

As much as I like this running path, there is one section that tests me every time.    It’s the 50 yard dash while holding your breathJ.  There is about a 50 yard section toward the back of the lake which reeks!!!! It smells like something died and quite frankly, I don’t want to investigate.   It’s a true test of your determination, you don’t want to slow down, but you really don’t want to breathe either!!!

So tomorrow will definitely be rest day, plus it’s my birthday so what better reason to be a Slacker? After work that is.

The Slacker Way

So, yeah the 4th of July planned run didn’t happen, the weatherman lied!  Over 100 again, too hot even for the chair, couldn’t even be a Slacker the right way.

So a little bit about the Slacker way:

My goal is to run 3 times a week, cross train twice and have two rest days.   In the beginning I stuck to the training plan really well.  Then come January, I was offered a promotion in a different town and began commuting every day.   The plan took a hit 😦  I managed to stick to the running 3 times a week but the cross training took the hardest hit.   I had been riding a stationary bike twice a week as my cross training.  It was helping my running; I felt that it helped with my breathing which in turn helped my pace.   Then the slacker-ness set.

Over the past few months, my training has looked somewhat like this- Run Monday, Wednesday and one weekend day.  I play in a volleyball league on Tuesdays so I was treating that as cross training (ha!).  As for my runs, I would aim for one speed-work and one long run and the other would just fall in the middle.    Shortest run would be around 3.5 and my long run around 5.5 when not training.  My running has at least stayed on pace and I can see improvement in my times, so woo hoo for that!!!

This week after posting and reading what everyone else was posting, I just felt like more of a Slacker than usual.   I ran on Tuesday and Wednesday plus volleyball on Tuesday but not following through with a run on the 4th just made me sad, hehe.   So Saturday afternoon in the middle of a migraine and the nausea that came with it, I was like what the heck, let’s hit the track.

I love the track, for me it’s faster than a treadmill (boring!) and it’s a good place to go when you are feeling a little crappy.  So much easier it walk back to your car than 3 miles back to your house :).  Plus, when I run the track my mother joins me to exercise as well.  It’s perfect, she does her pace and I do mine.  Also good to have someone there when you are feeling wobbly.  So my goal was to out run my headache.  I figured an easy 45 minute run would help, bring on those endorphins!   Forgot that I have troubles with the Easy part when on the track, oops!  But even though I pushed harder than I should have (not the best idea) I defeated the headache!!!

As a reward for the 4.5 miles, the weather cooperated enough to make the comfy chair comfy again, yeah!!!!

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And on Sunday, I followed through and got back on the bike!  8 miles done, heck yeah!!!!   Now, if I can just keep it up:)