In the grand scheme of things, last week didn’t suck.
I ran some, walked some, and napped some. Worked a lot, got a little dizzy. You know, the usual.
I did 2 5K’s last week.
The first one was a toasty one on Wednesday evening after work. But it wasn’t too bad. It actually ended up being more of a walk as my mother was out there too and I kept running- no pun intended- into her. It’s hard to run and talk these days. Yeah, that’s what I will keep telling myself.
Friday saw me feeling like my blood sugar was crashing, skin went clammy and and I had the shakes. And my first quasi panic attack wearing a mask. I dealt with it and made it through work- with my mask on- but I was so damn tired by the time the day was done . I picked a bad year to finally decide I needed nose surgery. That’s what you get for putting things off. I thought surgery was scary before, ha!
I was still feeling a little rough on Saturday but I headed out for a short run. It was another warm one as well as a another 3 miler. Well… at least I am consistently short! Actually it was a decent run. I think I have finally accepted where I am pace wise these days. Still trying to find the inner motivation again though.
Which is why Sunday saw me napping instead of running. My nose has been affecting my sleep as well so I know that contributes to my tiredness. But I could also be using it as a cop out too.
I feel like I wanted to write something else about last week but I can’t seem to recall what it was! Oops! I barely know what day it is anymore and I’ve been going to work like normal this whole time, ha!
Disclaimer: I received compression socks from Extreme Fit 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 love socks. Short ones, tall ones, solid ones, patterned ones. I’ve been know to show up to work in a dress and mismatched knee socks. Especially in the winter. I always took them off and transitioned to heels but plenty of people probably saw me over the years. I literally have 3 boxes of sock in my closet.
A few years into running I started wearing compression socks- I rarely ever ran without after that. I’ve also been known to sleep in them. However as years went on, the ones I had relied on began not to work for me. I was looking for other options. So when the chance came up to try out Extreme Fit, I was all on board.
Extreme Fit makes various types of compression socks, sleeves, low socks, shirts, pants and of course- masks. Their have compression socks with multiple levels of compression- 15-20 mmHG and 20-30 mmHG, i.e, everyday wear vs high active wear. Plus they have awesome patterns.
Then the socks arrived- holy moly sock palooza! Various awesome patterns, multiple lengths and a mask. Woo hoo! I was stoked I received a pair of camo socks!
Now here’s where things get tricky. If you by chance read my last post, you know I have put on some weight. That includes my calves. Which puts compression socks and I in a complicated relationship. Knowing that I sized up to the L/XL.
The low socks were mostly comfortable but too big, well too long. My running shoe size is a 9.5 and I was able to pull the heel cup up to my ankle. Not a huge deal, I just threw them in the dryer. That helped for the most part but I am also still dealing with the fallout from those damn Cascadia’s. I had a bunion that never bothered me at all until those shoes and now it still gets a little angry sometimes. Stupid shoes.
Anyhow, back to the socks. Ok, let’s talk about the usual knee high compression socks. The patterns were so cute! I loved that the orange pair would match my Bibrave tank and thought the reflective socks were awesome. Also I like that these socks feel much softer than my other pairs of compression socks.
They get hung up right around the stripes.😢
Less awesome was that any one of the socks with patterns that involved different stitching didn’t fit. They would get to a spot on my calf and just stop. Boo. The pairs that were a solid tube of fabric did fit and felt good. They felt good on the run and post run. They were also comfy enough to pass my nap test- aced it in fact.
No, not the best pic but they fit!
But the best thing- the calf sleeves fit!!!! I have never found a pair of calf sleeves that fit even when sizing up. Seriously, some brands calf sleeves look like they would struggle to fit my arm let alone my calves. I’ve actually cut the feet off multiple pairs of compression socks to make my own sleeves. I will probably be buying more of those as they were so awesome.
So while I liked the socks I could wear, I am bummed about the ones that didn’t fit. I mean, yes, it gives me more motivation to get my butt in gear but it’s also frustrating that there are less options for people my size or bigger. We like patterns too!
The socks are very affordable and I liked the compression level so I may by a few more solids as well. If you want to try theme out, code BRP20 will save you 20% on $50 or higher.
Do you wear compression socks? How do you like them?
I finished June with a measly 21 miles. Not surprising as I retreated into a dark corner after all the trauma in my town. I almost called it drama but that is not accurate, trauma is.
Last week was more trying to regain some calm. In some ways it worked, in others not so much. People’s obsession with fireworks was not helpful at all but also expected.
All that aside, last week was actually not bad when it comes to workouts- I worked out 5 times. I don’t even know who I am?!
After much consideration, I re-upped my Beachbody account. I wasn’t fond of the gym before Covid, I have no desire to go back anytime soon. That and my sedentary- ness has got to give. I do have to say that the Amazon Fire stick is a game changer. Having the workout videos on my tv as apposed to my laptop or cellphone is so much better. I completed Week 1 of Liift 4 on Monday, Tuesday and Sunday. Yeah, I got a little distracted in the middle of the week.
Thursday, I was feeling lazy. I hadn’t run after work since transferring to the new office…over a month ago. I headed home with the intention of being lazy but instead squeezed in a short 20 ish minutes- 1.5ish miles. Forward progress is the point right??
Work on Friday was insane, I just went home and hid in a dark corner. No long weekend for me.
The weekend was a warm and I slept late on Saturday. When it came time to run, it was 100*, so I napped instead. Oops.
Did I learn my lesson for Sunday? Nope. Did a Liift4 workout and then headed out. Depending on what thermometer you read, it was either 102 or 106. My run turned into a walk but forward motion, right? Plus, I have adjust to the heat at some point. A friend actually saw me out, and was confused by both my walking and the fact I was outside in that temp. I only saw one other person outside the entire time I was out there. Ha! 3 miles
So, still not a lot of miles but an overall improvement on the entire year, really. Now the question is can I repeat it?
Remember when we thought 2020 was going to be so awesome?
I take it all back.
My poor little town needs a break. Fire is a common occurrence out here, very common but I wasn’t ready for fire to come roaring out of the riverbed into the surrounding neighborhoods. And this a week after the southern part of the county had the largest fire we’ve seen in years. All homes were saved in the southern fire, not the same can be said for our small town. There was another midsize fire over the weekend too. Which again is sadly normal.
And for the love of Pete, stop it with the fireworks!
Ok, running…
Monday was lost to fire, and Tuesday was pretty smokey too.
Just cuz she’s cute..
Wednesday turned into a tilt-o-whirl. Is that what those things are called? The day started out normal but turned south just before lunch. The world started spinning and it didn’t want to stop. I ended up leaving work early which is something that does not come easily to me. I then slept the day away.
The tilt-o-whirl then left me fuzzy for a few days. At least I know it was migraine related but that does make 2 world spinning trips in the last 5 months and that is not normal.
My weekend was spent mostly napping but I did drag myself out for a sluggish 5K on Sunday. My heart rate throughout those short miles let me know I was still a little rough. And a lot out of shape. So it makes total sense that I just signed up for a mileage challenge right?
Well, a mountain lion moved into one of the elementary schools but that’s far closer to normal than the previous week.
I was still coming up with any reason not to run. Too hot, too much wind. I ate too much, I didn’t eat enough. Don’t want to wash my hair, forgot my shoes. Yada, yada.
I knew I was in my head and spooked due to the previous week’s events but I couldn’t seem to shake myself loose.
I watched lots of Disney movies in the evenings in an effort to distract myself. And finally on Saturday, I ran.
I slept in but made myself run as soon as I got up. I headed across town to run the river path. Although the river bed made me nervous, I was reassured by the number of people out. I swear I have never seen so many walkers, runners, and cyclists out on the path before. It was kind of awesome. It was by no means crowded but the number of people was kind of nice. And everyone smiled as people passed.
As for the running, it was kind of rough, but really what can I expect considering how unmotivated I have been this year? But it was still a little over 4 miles.
I then somehow had a burst on inspiration and cleaned my car and overhauled my closet and dresser. Also forgot to eat until I was trying to figure out why I was so lightheaded. Oops.
Sunday, I headed out for a late morning run in my neighborhood. Forced myself to run in both locations this weekend. However I knew shortly after starting my run that it would be more of a walk. Apparently I am so out of shape that 2 days of running in over 80* temps was too much. Ha!
Slacker Runner 