Tag: Training

Week 1- Training Recap

Upcoming races– Castle to Coast 8.2 m
Surf City Half

Focus– Finding the rails. As you saw in my mileage post, I derailed a bit in December.

I’ve been doing some thinking and with having a goal free 2016, I decided I didn’t want my recaps to be based around race training. The year has 52 weeks though right? Who wants to bet on how long it will take me to lose count? 😝 That said, I still want the upcoming bigger races highlighted so I figured I would open with those as well as what I focused on during the week. This is all new so I may be ironing out a few kinks in the next few weeks.

Monday- Rest
Tuesday-4.66 miles
Wednesday-Rest
Thursday-Rest- crazy day at work/ New Year’s Eve
Friday- 1.25 miles
Saturday-Work/ Cleaning of the closet
Sunday- 6.22 miles

I worked on Saturday so I had a half day on Tuesday. I was feeling optimistic and had wanted to try for a longer run around 8 miles at the river path. My stomach had it’s own plans and was an asshat Monday and Tuesday. I still wanted to try to get a few good miles though. I headed to the lake path to see how things went. If worse came to worst, I figured the laps of the lake would make it easier to get back to the car. It was actually a pretty good steady run but by 4 laps in, I knew I was done.

I really could have used a run on New Year’s Eve but my gym closes super early and there was no way I could get there before work ended. Boo.

Ok, Friday looks small but it was awesome in reality. A local business- Moore Sports Recovery had posted about a short New Year’s Day group run led by none other than Olympic hopeful Jordan Hasay. Hmm, really? But I don’t mingle well with strangers, I’m so awkward. Never fear- enter Heather of SloLuckyRuns and Ashley at Rather Be Runnin’. Both are bloggers that I had multiple conversations with on blogs, Twitter and Instagram but not met in person. We’d seen each other at races but never really chatted. Where do I sign up?

The event was great. It gathered quite the crowd for a smaller event. Jordan started the event with a group stretch and then we all went out for the run. It turned out to be shorter than planned but that’s ok. I ran with Heather- she knows everyone!- and Ashley and it was awesome. After the run, we took a tour of the recovery area, Ashley tested out some of recovery tools and we took photos with Jordan. She was super nice and it was great meeting her. After, Heather, Ashley and I chatted so long we were there longer than anyone else. 😄 I can’t wait to hang out with these ladies again.

Saturday was odd, I had planned on running after work but it just never happened. I started cleaning my closet and it just grew into this huge organizational project that ended up expanding to rearranging all the bedroom furniture.

I’ve been fighting a tickle in my throat for days and Sunday morning it reared it’s head. I’m not very surprised, people were dropping like flies last week at work. I slept a little longer and ran some errands before heading out for a run. The weather was perfect for a t-shirt and shorts (mid 50’s) but I bundled up in full pants and sleeves just to be on the safe side. I knew it was going to be a slower run and again I was fine with that. Overall, I ran 6.2 miles around an 11:00 minute pace. Some miles were faster and some were slower. I took fewer walk breaks than I thought I would need so I am calling it a win.

So it wasn’t a super strong week but it went a long way to getting to back on track. I found the rails again! Three days of running is a good start to that. I am keeping my plans flexible for the coming week. The first heavy El Nino storms are supposed to hit so I may be spending a lot of time on the treadmill. In the gym. In the first week of January. Wish me luck!

How was your New Year’s?

Did you have a good weekend?

Surf City Week 2-Christmas Lights & Sirens

I ran at night!! You guys- I went out in the dark and the cold and ran at night!! 😄😄😃😃

But before we get to that, here’s a brief recap of last week’s slacker-ness err, training.

Monday– Rest
Tuesday– Work holiday party
Wednesday– Treadmill 5K
Thursday– 2.70 miles – OUTSIDE!
Friday– Rest
Saturday-Unexpected emergency road trip
Sunday– Rest- tired, stressed and way behind

So, yeah still not awesome but that’s ok. Sometimes life rears it’s horns and you change your plans. I’m still playing catch up. But let’s talk about the exciting thing-

I ran at night! It was slow and short but it was kind of awesome. 😃😃 I had been considering attempting a night run for a while now. I’m a big baby when it comes to running in the dark. You never know what’s out there, right? But, I figured realistically I had a better shot of running at night than I did in the early mornings. One- I like my bed and sleeping until the last moment. Two-less likely to have a run in with a creature of some sort. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

I packed 2 sets of clothes- one for an outdoor run and one for the gym if I chickened out. I don’t own any night gear and I didn’t want to buy anything because what if this was a one and done? I’m not sure what I was thinking though- I had purple pants, a coral shirt, black and yellow jacket, a coral headband and mismatched gloves. Maybe I hoped the tacky-ness would be extra visible? 😜 I had reflective strips on my arms and an ancient, tiny flashlight. My jacket was supposed to be reflective- spoiler- it’s not.

I parked under a light at a local business and headed for my route. I chose one of the busier streets in town but I chose it for it’s sidewalks, uneven as they are, a few streetlights and the sea of Christmas lights. I started out slow and I was presently surprised at how much light the Christmas lights gave off. The temp was in the mid 40’s and the jacket was too much. I stopped half a mile in to tie it around my waist.

The dark is funny- I felt like I was hauling but in reality I was putting along at an 11 minute pace. I laughed out loud when my Garmin buzzed at mile 1. I don’t usually run on the sidewalk on this street, if I run this street I am in the bike lane. I knew the sidewalk was uneven but dang! I stumbled a few times and there were a few times the sidewalk disappeared entirely. Hello!

My plan was to keep it short, sweet and uneventful and it was working out to be that way. Until just shy of 2 miles. I was coming up on an intersection and heard what sounded like a school fire alarm. I stopped and tried to figure out where it was coming from. I finally pinpointed it to an older apartment building down the side street. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t smell smoke and everything else seemed quiet. I finally took my cue from the people playing ping pong in their side yard. They didn’t seem alarmed at all, so I thought maybe this happens all the time at 6:30? I ran on down the street. I hit my planned turn around and headed back the way I came. As I came back to the siren intersection, I didn’t hear anything so I was relieved. Only to discover a fire truck now parked outside the apartment building! What?!?! Last time I trust people hanging out in their yard!

The route is short, so I was back at my car around 2.7 miles and part of that was already overlapping. So this would route would work more as a shakeout/ easy run than anything else. Plus, once the Christmas lights come down it could turn a lot darker. That said it was kind of awesome and it pushed my boundaries a little. I can’t wait to try it again. 😊 With a better flash light.

I had good intentions of running this past weekend but late night phone calls are rarely a good thing. My mom and I ended up heading down to LA for a family emergency. It wasn’t the best of days.

Sunday brought the realization of just how behind I am with Christmas shopping. And laundry. Seriously, I did 4 loads. So, like I said before- not the best training week. But again, I am ok with it. This week should be interesting as I have to head back to LA again. This time for myself though, I have another appointment at USC for my stomach. Nice timing right?

But it’s Christmas week!!! Are you ready?

Do you like running in morning dark or night dark?

Big Sur Goals?

You know that quote?

It’s better to be 10% under trained than 1% over trained when you step up to the starting line.

Whelp, how about 30% under trained? Actually that may be pretty generous. I had big plans for the weeks in between City to the Sea and Big Sur but we’ve already discussed the sloppiness of October so let’s move on. 😉😉

So what is the under trained slacker with an aching ankle thinking about for this weekend?

Big Sur is supposed to be gorgeous- If it takes me longer to run it, well then I get longer to enjoy the view.

Start will be in the low 40’s- I haven’t quite adjusted to that but at least it won’t be too hot.

Bib 3118- Corral D…out of A-L. What the hell am I doing up there? Maybe inertia will push me forward and I will run faster?

This is half marathon #6 of 2015, first time I’ve run that many 13.1’s in a year. Sweet!

Elites- Kara Goucher and Sara Kiptoo- Seriously. I will be running the same course as elites at the same time-holy crap! Actually, now that I think about it, part of the course is an out and back…I may need to keep my phone handy. 😆

Ummmm- this- I need it-

Road trip! Seriously I never went anywhere before I started running.

Monterey- Home of the aquarium. We may try and go. But, man those tickets are stupid expensive.

Community- I’m going to be surrounded by thousands of other people like me. Those who think that lining up on a cold morning to run 13.1 miles sounds like fun. 😄

Monday- Did I mention I have Monday off?

This could be my last race of the year, at least I chose a good one. I’ve been having some odd ankle pain, hello denial, can I move in?

The view- Seriously, the pictures I’ve seen make this worthy of 2 mentions. I’ve actually considered carrying my little digital camera during the run. Either that or I need a strap for my iPhone.

So instead of goals, I have only one hope. I want to cross the start line and the finish line smiling. No head games, no berating myself, just running with a few thousand strangers like me. Runner’s are crazy right?

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend! Molly, Allison, Rae, Kate, those running Revel Canyon or Wine and Dine, and everyone else I am missing!!

That otter is awesome, right?

Week Ummm Recap

You know, I am not sure how to title these anymore. Training for City to the Sea may be over but Big Sur is now less than 2 weeks away. The goal was to keep my fitness steady before Big Sur and before I carry out a new training style after that. Well, hmmm.

Monday- Last Harvest Marathon meeting. Race day was less than 7 days away and there was a lot to be done. Again, not that I was doing much- I just upped my media posting for the race.

Tuesday– Had an evening meet up with the some other people from work. There was a point in time when everyone in my position knew each other no matter which city we were in but the company has doubled in size in the last year or so and we can no longer say that. Someone suggested that we try to meet up outside of work. I figured why not?

Wednesday- 3.5 miles It felt good to get out running. I had only taken 3 days off from running but I was feeling twitchy. I went to the lake and just kept it nice and easy. It was a good run. As I ran back towards the parking lot for my second lap, I noticed a group of people all clustered together just staring at the sky. Umm, what did I miss? Turns out there was a giant hawk hanging out in the trees.

Thursday- Kettle bell workout. I had planned on running again but my stomach had other plans. I tried reintroducing some foods I have been missing during my paleo attempts and it didn’t go so well. I figured the dvd would still be a good work out and I could quit easily if I needed to since I was at home. I completed the workout, and felt wrecked. Man I need to strength train more. 😂

Friday– Oh mama, it hurt to walk. I think the weighted squats broke me. Let’s not even talk about sitting and standing.

Saturday– 3.1 miles. I woke up with a niggling headache but ignored it. I originally had a shower to attend but things had changed so I headed out for a short run before I needed to head to volunteer at the registration/ pick up tent for the Harvest Marathon. Seriously my legs felt broken, I ran so slowly. They finally loosened up a bit when I hit my driveway. Figures. 😌 I then went to registration. The temp being in the mid-80’s with high humidity was not helping my headache any. I worked the pick up tent for a few hours before heading to the school to find out where I was stationed the next day. I was assigned to be the course monitor for my mother’s water station so score. My head was pounding so I headed home after that. Slept with an ice pack in an effort to try to head off a migraine.

Sunday– Harvest Marathon!! So early. It was dark but not cold when I got up. My head was so rough, I headed to McDonald’s for a coffee and a soda before the volunteer meet up. Yes, soda, even though it wasn’t even 6:15 yet. I was hoping the caffeine would help my head. Picked up some of the kids and headed out to our little corner. Thing about the Harvest Marathon? It is a benefit for Paso Robles School Athletics- all the aid stations are staffed and run by the high school sports teams. This station was the tennis team- hi mom! We set up and we were ready! We were at mile 8.5, so the first runners would be coming through around the hour mark. The kids had water and Fluid and were cheering on the runners. They all looked strong but you could also tell the hills were harder than they had hoped. Another thing about Paso? There is no such thing as flat. One guy was hilarious. He had a thick Texas drawl and he comes running up saying- “Well, I had been running a 9 minute pace, but that last hill put me at 11!”. He got water and rounded the corner- up another hill. We could hear him saying “and now I’m at 13!”.

My head was really throbbing and I was feeling super nauseous so at one point I went and sat in my car for 20 minutes. I could no longer deny the migraine. Grrr. The last of the runners went by and after waiting longer we all headed out. My mom had planned breakfast with her team after and I went along. My head hurt so bad, I just sat there. Once home, I took a super long nap. I really wanted to get in a 10 miler but I had troubles getting to the bathroom so that did not happen. Grrrr. I usually average one migraine a month so hopefully it will be cooler when the next one hits. This weekend was pretty warm and humid. Cooler than the 90’s but still pretty warm.

So it was a week filled with running related events just not as much running as I had hoped. I’m rolling with that though and it just leaves room for improvement this week. Truthfully getting through this weekend was a big check on my to-do list. I feel so much less stressed now, so yay!

How was your weekend?

Ever work a water station for a race?

Migraine tips? Mine usually need ice, dark rooms and lots of food.

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?