Tag: stress

Week 3 Recap- All Wet

For a person who chose the word Challenge as a guiding principle for the year, January is doing a great job of laughing at me.  I’m chalking it up to job stress and hoping that learning way or the other in the next week or so will help some of the stress go away.   Maybe, hopefully…oh who knows.

In other news, it is still dumping buckets here in CA.  Which would be awesome if I could stay at home under a blanket with my cats all day.  But I can’t so yeah.  I miss my night runs, who knew I would ever say that??  My boss and I were supposed to attend a Chamber function after work on Friday night but the storms and wind were so bad that we both agreed it was smarted to just go home.  Somehow there was a break in the weather that lasted right until I got off the freeway in home town- best idea ever!

I had troubles keeping my blood sugar regulated this week as well.  If you’ve been following this blog since the beginning (if you have, thank you!) you know I had this problem a few years ago.  It’s been a long time since I bottomed out like that so that was fun.  It happened Thursday and Friday…what gives?!     Last week ended up being more Slacker-ish then I would have liked.

Monday- Rest–  Haha, I wasn’t this sore after my marathon.  This is what happens when you run 13.1 miles under trained.  😛


Tuesday- 4.5 miles  I had a vacation day from work so I was able to enjoy a longer run in the middle of the afternoon.   I really do love those.  My shins were a little sore but I ran it off within a mile or two.   I enjoyed being back on the river path for the first time in months.  Come on spring and time change, where are you??


Wednesday, Thursday, Friday- Rest.    Yeah, that wasn’t planned but that’s what happened.  I actually did some pushups and a plank all of those days but I am not sure those count.   I packed my bag and while it actually left my car but I never changed into my running gear.   Grrr.


Saturday- 7.65 miles  Reality moment run.  We had a break from the rain but it was still cold so I thought an afternoon long run sounded good.   I planned 8 miles where I left my house, ran across town, ending at the high school and hitching a ride with my mother at the end of tennis practice.   I don’t know where I went wrong.  I swear I left my house with plenty of time.    I felt like I was running a steady pace, the bridge mile faster like always.   I was stopped at traffic lights but it didn’t seem like an inordinate amount of time.    I did get distracted on the river trail.  Water!!!!   In all the time I’ve been running that path, there has never been water in the river let alone moving water; I had to stop and admire it for a moment.  Or 2.   Climbing the last big hill I got a text message from my mom asking where I was.  Then I saw the time.  What the hell?!!  Not only was I not going to get in a leisurely 8 miles, I was still well over a 1.5 miles from the school and would have to haul ass just to get there and still be late.  So I tried.  I did…but there was no haul in my legs.  I literally felt like I was running with a stick up my butt.   TMI?  I don’t know if it was because I was cold and my legs felt frozen, maybe I was tired, whatever, I could not move faster.  With 1/2 miles to go I get another text.  “Where are you”.  Again my response is trying.  Her answer is “meet us in front”.  Oh great, so now I get to share my red face, huffing, out of breath, out of shape self who didn’t hit 8 miles with her AND whichever tennis players needed a ride home.  Oh boy.   😞  They caught me at the streetlight.   Yeah, reality check moment.

Sunday- Rest  I woke to the power being out.  Yay.   I was hesitant to run because I wasn’t sure my water heater was 100% gas and the idea of cold run followed by a cold shower followed by a cold house… yeah, umm no.  So I ran some errands then took a nap.  I kept pushing my run back hoping the power would come back on.   Then PG&E called and said that it wouldn’t be back on until Monday.  What?!?  So then it was hitting the store to find flashlights and ice for the freezer while wishing that I hadn’t gone food shopping on Saturday.  Not that I buy much but still.   All this to get close to my house to find the traffic lights back on…ummmm?  So, power was back!   I guess it could have been worse- my neighbors rented a hotel room and had just left to check in when the power came back.

Miles 12.1  Ouch, that’s sad.  That’s like one good long run.   That said, I am on track with the mileage target I set for January so I feel decent with starting training for Livermore and Santa Barbara Wine Country on the 30th.    Also hopefully by then the rain will calm down and I may have an answer on the job front, fingers crossed.    If low numbers get me through January while I face all its other Challenges, so be it.

How was your week?

Anyone else totally unprepared for power outages?

 

Weekly Recap 2- Of stress and rain

Yikes, last week was a little rough.  I still can’t pinpoint exactly why but if you read my last post you know I was feeling massively out of sorts last week.   The feeling only went away when I ran.  Or tried to nap but that was rare.  I started the week with a migraine and my stomach was being its asshat self.   I also admit that my food choices were less than stellar.  Boo.

Anyways, let’s get to the workouts!  Or what resembled working out.  😛

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday- Stress– Rest  In all seriousness, I foam rolled and stretched every one of these nights.     Between all the rain and the longer commute, job stress and just life, I was freaking out.    I knew I was only running one evening during the week due to my weekend running plans so I kept pushing it back due to the weather.    I really needed to run.


Thursday- 3 miles Oh thank goodness, a break from the rain and I ran.    I was planning on running at home but knew that the longer drive home zaps my energy and willpower.  I changed into my running clothes after work and made the last minute decision to run from work as I was walking out the door.   I always treated my work route as off limits in the dark but I decided to chance it.   It was just what I needed.  It was slow but also oddly the fastest 3 miler I’ve done in months.  Considering I was dodging branches, I’ll take it!   The smell of the eucalyptus trees and the sun setting on the ocean was just what I needed.  For a blissful few moments, my brain was quiet for the first time all week.

Friday- Rest   Jacked up my back again while getting ready for work, it hurt just to move.  So I spent the day deciding how crazy I was.  Which also probably contributed to my stress level this week.


Saturday- Road trip!  Up early on the road heading towards Carlsbad.  My back was super sore but not outright painful.  Guess I am crazy.    Bonus to this trip was that my uncle recently moved to that area- so added perks were staying with family and no hotel fees!  Even if the grounds of his new house made me feel like I am doing something wrong with my life.  


And the fact that I typed grounds, it’s not  big but still.   I went to bed early and just tried to get a decent night’s sleep.


Sunday- Carlsbad Half Marathon.  I only ran 14 miles in December, what was I thinking?!   But more on that next time.  😛

16.2 miles for the week.  I kept my work week miles low as I knew what was coming in Sunday.   I may be a little crazy but I have been trying to up my weekly mileage in a sane way.    But still, doesn’t everyone jump their long runs from 7 to 13?     Looking to this week, I am hoping to be a little calmer.  Rain is still coming and my road is still closed, man I miss it, but I’m hoping that I will deal with it better this week.   Fingers crossed!

How was your week?

Share something random!

 

Week 51/ Vacation Week 2

And just like 16 days have passed.  For the first time, I feel like I need more time.  Mostly because I feel like I accomplished next to nothing.  Unless there are awards given for the number of Hallmark movies watched.   😛

In fact, since I was still sick most of this week, let’s bullet-ize this recap for expediency.  Is that a word? Bullet-ize?  Oh well, I’m using it anyways.

  • I slept… a lot.
  • Watched all the Hallmark Christmas movies…and Lifetime ones too.
  • I coughed a lot.
  • Finished all 11 seasons of Bones.  Ok, I did start this in the summer but still.
  • Watched all second season of Fuller House.
  • Still not a huge fan of food, well, sometimes I am and sometimes I’m not.
  • Rode the stationary bike once for a slow 6.5 miles.
  • Watched Battleship for the 100th time.  It’s my stress movie. More on that below.
  • Had my office Christmas party on Friday evening.  Filet Mignon, yum.
  • I managed a little bit of yoga to try and loosen up.  Ha!
  • Saw Rogue One on Thursday!!!!!!
  • I had an MRI on Friday and I freaked the frak out.   Like full on panic attack freak out. 
  • Went for one really short run on Saturday.  Man that was hard! My legs were so confused.
  • Finished most of my Christmas shopping on Sunday.  I think.  I feel like I bought nothing.  😢


So, yeah, a stellar week of vacation.    This didn’t serve to improve my opinion of vacations any.   Waking on Tuesday to the news that the company I work for is being sold was also not something I was expecting.   My boss texted me but even knowing, seeing the headline was not something I was prepared for.  The next few months will be interesting.    I’m going to put a smile on my face and do my best to be positive.  Fingers crossed.

2.5 miles was all I ran this week but that’s 2.5 miles more than last week.    That said, I can see I’m not going to be running any double digit long runs any time soon.   Which means Carlsbad in January might not be the best idea.  Boo.  Good thing I haven’t registered for it yet!  I’m not closing the door on it yet, but I think the smart thing would be to not run it.

How was your week?

Do you have a go to stress movie or show?

Am I the only one behind for Christmas?

Run to the Music 4

But this isn’t giving up no this is letting go
Out with the old dreams I’ve borrowed
The path I carve from here on out will be my own
A path to take me home
Most of my runs lately have had me thinking deep thoughts.    Maybe facing some truths too.     I claimed that this was the year  of no goals but I let myself get swayed by the dark side, the numbers side.  It’s all too easy to get caught up with social media and fall into the comparison trap.    Denying it can only dig you deeper and deeper into the hole.    Combine that with a bunch of crappy things happening outside of running this year and I think I’m falling apart.    Not completely but I’m starting to crack.
Which means a lot of things but one of those is letting go of those pesky numbers goals that snuck back up on me.   I’ve become a little too mired in pace and miles.  I realized the other week that I have run more miles this year than any year previous.   Right after that, I realized how close I am to actually pulling off 1000 miles in a year.   In other words, 2015’s failed goal.   But let’s be honest, 2 hundred mile months right now would break me.   Likely make me hate running too.  I don’t want that, I want to enjoy running just to run for the rest of year.  Maybe next year too.  Who know?  I want to enjoy races for awhile.
Thankfully, my iPod is still on shuffle all.    The perfect song came on at the right time today.
This is Letting Go– Rise Against
So this me letting go.  I saying it out loud…and in print.  Hopefully, you’ll see a shinier Slacker in the coming months.

Week 41 Training Recap

Training for:

  • City to the Sea 13.1 ✅
  • Harvest Marathon 13.1
  • Golden Gate Half

I wish I could I could be all sunshine and daisy’s about last week but I can’t.  I am looking really hard for the shiny because I know it’s there somewhere.  It has to be.

Work has been stressful, we are still down an employee and haven’t been able to replace them yet.   Also, the shift back to being an hourly employee is affecting me more than I thought it would but I’ll keep trucking along.

My sleep is still crap.  I used to be the type person who while being a night owl, once asleep I was dead to the world.  Seriously, you could throw things at me and I would sleep through it.   I would fall asleep in one position and stay that way all night.  Lately I can’t fall asleep and when I do I wake up repeatedly and I toss and turn.  Toss and turn to the point that my quilt and top sheet are usually on the floor in the morning.  😞   This weekend I went shopping for new pillows and I’ve ordered some essential oils to see if they help.  Fingers crossed!

Loss.  I was somehow lucky enough to get this far in life without having to deal with loss often.  This year has been different and last week was more bad news.   I really need to work on being less of stress eater.


Monday- 2 miles This was supposed to be a rest day but with all weekend off due to my stupid leg, I wanted get in a few test miles.   We got out of work late so by the time I made to home town I was racing the dying daylight.  2 miles is what I was able to fit in.  I was a little achy but nothing hurt more than that.

Tuesday- Rest.  Something came up and I didn’t get off work until almost 7.     I didn’t even attempt to run that day.

Wednesday- Rest  2 days off in a row seemed like a good idea.  Plus it fit perfectly in my training plan from Ekiden Coaching.  😛


Thursday- 3.5 miles Another chance to test the leg and see if I would be racing this weekend.  The plan called for 5 x400 but I knew I wasn’t getting up to 5k pace.  I stuck to the 400’s but kept them around a 9:30 pace and walked the recoveries.   My calves were super tight per usual and I stopped at one point to completely re-lace both Hoka’s but other than that it was ok.  I realized that I will be on the treadmill much sooner than I would like though.  It is getting dark so fast!

seawinner

Friday- Rough day.    But I did win my entry in City to Sea from a Facebook contest so there’s that right?!    Thank you to everyone I badgered into voting for me!  I registered for Sunday’s race on Friday morning.


Saturday- Rest day.  Went to SLO for packet pickup and wandered around doing some shopping.  Shopping and food make great distractions from life right?  The race shirt was tiny, like Stitch size tiny.

Sunday- City to the Sea 13.1 To be continued…😛
How was your week?

Have any sleeping tips for me?