Tag: tired

Recovery Week Recap

I hadn’t planned on a recovery week after City to the Sea but that’s how it worked out. But that’s ok. Contradicts my last post though right?

In brief-
Monday- I thought about a shake out run but it was 94*. Seriously?!
Tuesday- I was looking forward to a good run but only made it one lap of the lake.   I felt…off, kind of tired and not right, a little woozy, so I called it after 1.15 miles.
Wednesday- The room was shaking and I turned a little green so I ended up leaving work early and going home sick. I spent the afternoon sleeping.    On a side note, I found out I have 180 hours of sick time saved up. 😃
Thursday- I still wasn’t feeling great and couldn’t figure out how to change after a work meeting in a different town.   Walking around in shorts when the CEO is in the building? Um no.   I didn’t count on my stomach making its whale song throughout the CEO’s presentation though.   Nice.
Friday- My brother’s birthday- I indulged in pasta and birthday cake. Homemade beef stroganoff and marble fudge frosting? Yes, please.
Saturday– 3.85 miles.   I worked in the morning and was still feeling tired but I really wanted to run. The run actually felt pretty good until my stomach turned on me around 2.7 miles in. From there it was as fast as I could slowly get home.    And taking a shortcut.
Sunday- Does a 3 hour nap count as training? And more birthday cake.

Did I mention there are goats in the lake?

So yeah, more recovery that running. I finally just decided to go with it. Work has been chaos and stressful for months now, I’ve felt like I have been fighting something for a while. At least it held off until after City to the Sea, or I was in denial until this week. It takes a lot for me to leave work early because I feel sick. Maybe I feel like I have to overcompensate for all my stomach issues? But at one point I was sitting on the ground under my desk; I felt so nauseous, I wasn’t doing any good there so I went home. I slept a lot last week and I am feeling better today. Oh and what does a sick runner do when they are resting? Register for a race of course. 😉

So, last week’s training thoughts. I think I have a plan for a new regimen, not a race training plan per se, but a plan for improving my running over all. What I can’t decide is when to start it. Part of me is eager to start this week but another part thinks it might be better to hold off. I have a half marathon in less than 3 weeks followed by a 25K trail race 7 days later (potentially). Since both of those races are more for the experience than PR’s, I am thinking it might be smarter to wait until after those 2 races. Especially since I am not 100% on the new regimen. There were some great book suggestions after my last post so I want to check a few of those out. Right now I feel torn. Grrr.

How was your weekend?

Would you start a new plan 3 weeks before a race?

What’s your favorite kind of cake?

Didn’t Suck

You know those motivational images that say that no one ever regrets a workout?

So true. Seriously, never regretted a workout. You could be sore, or sorry tomorrow. You choose.

Yeah, that’s the one. Lies, all lies. I’ve regretted numerous runs. Multiple times I forced myself out there to only to have it be a truly miserable experience. The way Tuesday shaped up I had a feeling I was going to regret that run.

Lately, I look forward to my run in the mornings but by the time I get I off work I am usually exhausted and that enthusiasm wanes. Tuesday was more of the same. I so wanted to go home and sit in my comfy chair and do nothing. But I changed and headed for the river path to get in 4-5 miles. As I was driving there were so many things against this run.

Wrong shoes
Wrong socks
I forgot my headphones
I forgot my belt
My inhaler was also in my belt
My side/ stomach had hurt all day

So yeah, this was going to be awesome.

I always leave my belt in my car after running but my mom had given me a ride after Sunday’s long run and I never put it back in my car. Same story with my headphones. I have a box of spare running gear in my car but I don’t like them, that’s why their in the box. 😃 But I sucked it up, dug out my old Flipbelt and Yurbuds and attempted to run. Less than a 1/4 mile in I was reminded of why I dislike those items so much. The cord on the Yurbuds is like 4 miles long and bounces incessantly no matter how you wrap it around your belt. Then there’s the belt. I know everyone loves the Flipbelts but they just don’t work for me. I realize I wear my belt super low, I mean low, so it’s partly my fault. That just doesn’t work with the Flipbelt. It ends up being more like the poor man’s version of a butt lift. 😄 Plus it tends to move around.

My stomach hurt so there were plenty of walk breaks and a few complete stops along the way. I ran 2 miles completely and the rest was a mish mash of running and walking. I was hoping I would at least hit 4 miles but my stomach hurt and then I got a little emotional so I called it at 3.74. To get to 4 I would have had to run past my car and back and I just wasn’t up for that.

As if I didn’t already know, this run helped prove why people say runners are crazy. Or slightly masochistic. For all that this run had against it, it didn’t suck. It was far from amazing but it was also far from horrible. Oddly my form felt better than it has in weeks. Actually, those 2 miles I managed to fully run were in the low 9’s. So yeah, it didn’t suck. I needed that.

How was your week?

Ever have a run that didn’t go as poorly as you thought?

Happy Friday!!

Week 5- Oops

And here it is. This past week did not go according to plan, not even close. After a good day and race on Sunday I was optimistic for this week. Or I was trying to be. In reality I was in a funk. No real reason for it, but I was feeling very woe is me this week. Like I said, not sure why. But let’s get to the training- or lack there of.

Monday- Rest

I was feeling a little sore post race so I figured a rest day was in order. Monday was also a vacation day for me and I usually love running on vacation days but thought rest was best.

Tuesday- Rest

I woke up feeling pretty rough but managed to drag myself out to the high school. My mother had a morning tennis practice and asked for my help. All I wanted to do was sleep but I lasted for a little over an hour. I never really felt better so I wasted another vacation day by resting. I told myself I still had Wednesday and Thursday after work. I did get further on my craft swap project though. And I had a few helpers even if they were breaking the rules-

Wednesday- And…rest

Last week I was smart and made sure that the day I had blood work done was a rest day. This week that common sense escaped me. I had a CT scheduled for the morning but other than the fasting I had to do on Tuesday I didn’t think anything of it. I went to work right after and felt fine. It wasn’t until3ish that things went south. I suddenly felt the opposite of fine, I thought I was going to pass out. I spent the next hour sitting in the break room feeling very off. I don’t know what caused it but it meant no running that day. On the upside- my boss got me a great birthday gift-

Thursday- 3.5 miles

I was looking forward to this run. After 3 days off, I really needed to run. I changed after work and headed for the lake path. My warm up walk ran a little longer as I missed a call from my dad. It’s odd for him to call, so I made sure to call him back. I didn’t want to wait so I just walked while I called. Once that was done, I started running. My goal was to keep an easy pace so I was obsessively watching my watch to make sure I stayed around 10:30. I’d really like to get back to running without so many walk breaks so I know I need to slow things down. However that wasn’t my biggest problem. I hurt. Specifically, my left knee, calf and ankle. My calf was so tight, it hurt so badly. I stopped after the first running mile and just tried to stretch it out. I then attempted to run another mile. More pain. Both miles I ran were at a 10:30 pace but after completing the second running mile I decided I was done. I spent more time stretching before walking back to the car. Grr.

Friday- Rest

Started work early and since we weren’t open I wore my Sayonaras until we were. I don’t run in them since they are too big but I may start wearing them more to and from work and on the weekends. I need to figure out what is up with my leg. I put them back on after work to run errands. I was looking stylish. 🙂

Saturday- Rest- sense a pattern here?

My mother was throwing a little dinner party for my birthday that evening so I knew I had to run early. Except I woke up feeling poorly and my leg ached. We had hoped to go on an 8 mile hike on Sunday, so I skipped another run. 😦 The party ended up being super small but fun. My birthday is pretty much the only time I drink alcohol and I admit I was looking forward to sleeping really well that night. Life of the party right? It’s one of the reasons I rarely drink, I get super mellow and sleepy. Mother Nature had other ideas.

We had the mother of all thunder storms roll through in the last 24 hours. I don’t think I have ever seen so much lightning before. The house rattled all night long. So much for sleep. The power was going and coming back making that lovely surge sound every time. Kimi somehow knew each time a really big batch of thunder was going to roll through and would start crying in warning.

Sunday- Rest

Running or hiking in the rain I can do. Lightning? Not so much. There were reports of it hitting cars. Power was out all over the place, lines were down and the flood damage was all over town. And more rain was coming. We received more rain in the last day than the last few years. Which is amazing and needed but the land was too dry to absorb all that water. The town is kind of v-shaped so the water flooded down to the river bed but so much mud and gunk are strewn across town now. There’s still a flood warning in effect as I type this. Grrr.

Weekly miles- 3.5

So yeah, that was less than stellar. Luckily my goal race is in October so I have some time to figure things out. I’ve also rethought my next few races but more about that in another post. More rain is expected for tomorrow but hopefully I can get back on track this week. Fingers crossed.

How was your weekend?

Do you like thunder and lightning? There are very rare here.

Best thing you did this weekend?

Week 4- A Little Early

I am kind of liking these weekly recaps. I feel like they are helping keep me on track. Particularly this week, I ran the gamut of craving a run to feeling like doing nothing but stuffing food in my face. Yes, I am a stress eater. There were donuts involved this week. And those Sweet Potato Food Should Taste Good chips. Both so yummy but so not on the approved list of foods. 😦

I alternated between heels and flats all week but my legs are still pissed. I rarely get to sit while training and I am feeling it. I don’t think my legs ached this bad after my first half marathon. Then I just couldn’t sit down…or get up without help. 🙂 I normally stand the good majority of the day but would usually sit for about 2 hours through out the day. Now I just fall into the comfy chair exhausted on my lunch. Trainee #3 starts on Monday so I need to figure something out. Unfortunately running shoes are not an option.

Monday– Actual- 3.5 miles -12:13, 10:39, 10:13 and change

I had to do some rearranging this week, which meant a Monday run. Oof, that was hard. Monday running just seems harder. Plus I don’t think my legs appreciated running the day after my long run. I usually rest the following day. I tried to treat it like a recovery run and keep the pace easy but I was all over the place. I even wore compression socks since I knew I was sore. Truthfully, I wore them all day. I might have to do that more often until things calm down.

Tuesday- Rest

I had blood work planned for the morning. This was part of why I switched up my running days. I didn’t think they were going take a lot but I figured I better err on the side of caution. Ugh, I hate needles. I got to the lab at 7:04, they opened at 7. I was the 15th person in line. Seriously?! I was actually late to work.

Wednesday- Speed work- sort of

The plan called for a 25 min warm up followed by 3 minutes at HMP, 1 minute easy jog x5, then 16 min cool down. Sounds easy enough but I just wasn’t feeling it. As I drove north, I was trying to decide what to run and where to run it. My mom called and she wondered if I would head out with her. No speedwork-yay! So we headed out for a short 3 mile jaunt. That turned into 4+ for me with some random intervals. I was planning on taking it easy but then I decided to just run whatever I felt like. So I ended up up with really random speed intervals while I looped around and occasionally met back up with my mom but it was fun. 🙂

Thursday- Rest

Hmmm, I am sure I did something interesting this day but I can’t remember anything so I guess not? I know I posted this.

Friday- Rest

I was at work by 7:30. I am on vacation Monday and Tuesday so I wanted to make sure I did everything I needed to do before leaving. I was out a little after 5:30 and I though about running a few miles but I did all my weekend errands instead. One less stress this weekend right?

Saturday- Rest – more than likely.

I am torn between running or walking a couple miles as a shakeout for tomorrow or resting. My legs are still super sore and I can’t decide which one would be the smarter choice. I also need to decide exactly what shirt I am running in tomorrow. And I am procrastinating packing my change of clothes while I type this. For some reason, I am can’t decide what I am going to want to put on after tomorrow’s race. #decisionsdecisions Whatever it is, it needs to be comfy enough to get me through a day of walking and shopping. Ok, maybe hobbling and shopping. 🙂 I had helping making a new playlist though-

Sunday- Shoreline Half..and my birthday 🙂

To be continued…

Happy Saturday!!!

What do you like to do after a race?

How was your week?

Do you stand or sit at work?

Training Win?

You know summer has arrived and it’s hot outside when you are the only person outside. I don’t just mean outside running, last week on a few of my runs I was the only person outside period. No one in their front yards, no one in backyards and no kids playing. And with the town/ state on water restriction, no lovely sprinklers to cool off with. I know hotter temps are coming so I figure I may as well get used to it. I love the heat but I am not adjusting as well this year. Maybe I’m getting older? 😬. Or three years working in a town that averages 30-40 degrees cooler a day is just confusing my system. Who knows, but I did complete my first week of training last week.

Monday–

Rest day. I wanted to run but the plan said rest. Still I packed my running stuff for after work. My stomach is usually a little iffy on Mondays (too many carbs on the weekend) and this day was no different. Since I needed to pick up a prescription after work and there was no way I could run then make it to the pharmacy, I decided to take the rest day. Halfway there it dawned on me that I could have changed at work, picked up the prescription then run in home town. Duh. I briefly considered changing in the Target bathroom but hell no, I’ve seen porta-a-potties cleaner than that place.

Tuesday-

This was supposed to be a 40 minute workout with pace intervals in the middle. The first kink in the plans was that Community BBQ nights started at the lake park where I like to do my speed work. Everywhere else is hilly or on busy streets. I avoid the park during the BBQ nights, no need to run around 100+ people having a party. I headed towards hometown knowing it was hot. It was 94 when I parked my car and that was with a pretty good wind. I reassessed the pace workout to an easy 40 min. I felt like I was crawling. I’ve noticed that it’s taking me longer to warm up during these hot runs. I usually walk for 5 minutes, the last few runs have been 10 minute walks. Shouldn’t it be the opposite? Ugh. 3.55 miles in 40 minutes.

Wednesday–

Yeah, short- hot panic fest. But we’ve talked about that already. 2.31 miles in 30 minutes.

Thursday-

I was supposed to have a meeting about a race so it was a planned rest day. The meeting was at the high school and my mother had tennis practice so we planned to meet for dinner after. However, the other party did not show up so after walking around the school wondering if I had the wrong meeting place, I waited for her in the front of the school in the shade. A nice janitor told me I shouldn’t have waited that long. 🙂 I told him I was now waiting for my mother and at least the shade was cooler than sitting in my car. But yes I was the one sitting out front like a sad puppy. Oh, high school- I don’t miss you. I mostly typed last Thursday’s blog post on my phone and took a cranky selfie. So it was moderately productive. Then I drowned my irritation in Mexican food. #sorryatkins

Friday-

I got to come in later than my new normal of 7:30 and I briefly considered running with that extra hour of sleep but nah, I hit snooze. Work was a usual crazy Friday and once off I headed home. I was tired, it had been a long week but for some reason that “motivational” quote popped into my head.

I made it home by 7, changed and was out the door 20 minutes later. Say what?! My stomach was cranky, partially due to the previous nights indulgence and the cookies on Friday, and I had been in high-heeled boots all day and I knew it was going to be less than pretty. But even with all that it was awesome. It was a good way to end the week and I was glad to see that there wasn’t any residual issues from Wednesday. 3.75 miles – 40 minutes.

Saturday-

Turns out running the previous night was a good thing. Saturday started with work followed by the usual errands. I try to do all my shopping on Saturday. Then the family headed down to SLO for an early Father’s Day Dinner at Olive Garden. I mean early, we were there by 4. I may have indulged in too many bread sticks. Oops, #sorryatkinsagain. It’s been 3 months since I’ve eaten pasta and I really don’t miss it. Luckily my usual go-to at Olive Garden is their Garlic Rosemary Chicken. So yummy. Dinner was followed up with frozen yogurt for desert. My poor stomach but it was all so yummy. 🙂 I pushed my long run to Sunday.

Sunday-

The plan called for a 50 minute long run. Ummm, that’s not long. I realize it’s only week 1 of 17 and most half marathon plans are 12 weeks but still. I wanted some structure to my summer runs so I picked 17 weeks. But, yeah, those 50 minutes kicked my ass. I actually headed out around 10am since I knew it was going to be hot. It was already in the 80’s. I huffed and puffed my way through 5 miles in 56 minutes. Yes miles 1 and 2 had times where I met up with my mom and the puppy and walked more but what was with the other 3? I have to figure out this heat thing or I am never breaking 2. I did like having the run done earlier though.

So, week one done. Bring on week 2. And maybe some speed? *sorry about the random picture sizes, I am having troubles figuring out Dropbox. 😦

How was your weekend? And Father’s Day?

How long do you usually train for a half marathon?

What do you consider a long run?