Tag: Training

Week 10 recap- I lost the battle

Oof, where did last week go? I just had to double check the race website that it really is only 7 weeks to race day. What?!

Monday- 4 Miles- 14:52, 9:57, 9:42, 9:09

Another Monday run, who am I? Plus it was National Lazy Day, yet I did the opposite. Confused Slacker. I was excited to actually run in my new Pure Flow’s so I headed to the River path after work. Maybe a route that wasn’t 2 miles of up followed by 2 miles of down wasn’t the best idea for new shoes but oh well. As you can see I started out super slow. I wanted to make sure everything felt ok before I started running. Holy splits Batman, I haven’t seen those in a while. Like I mentioned before, I feel like my left leg finally joined the party. It felt odd but good too. I had a few aches later that evening and the next day but again, that is normal for me and new shoes. My shins and ankles get fussy. My knee feels good though so it evens out. 🙂

Tuesday- Rest- 1 Mile stationary bike

My bike came in! I drove to SLO on my lunch to pick it up. 🙂 Then the evening was spent struggling to put it together. Can I call that a work out? 4 letter words were flying out of my mouth each time I needed more than 2 hands or accidentally skipped a page of directions. Then I slammed my head into the dresser so that didn’t help. 😞 I finally finished it a little after 10 and had to take it for a test spin. Just to make sure it didn’t fall apart right? So, a 1 mile ride.

Wednesday- 5.5 miles Stationary bike

The plan was take my half day on Thursday so I was going to run my long run then. Due to that, I chose to take another rest day from running but I got on the bike! I took it easy since it’s been forever since I was on a bike and truthfully never a recumbent. So far I like it. It’s basic with no frills but that’s all I needed. I do need to figure out a better layout though. I slammed my left ankle into the machine in the dark one night.

Thursday- 5 miles- 15:02, 10:22, 10:17, 10:17, 13:41

Long run fail. I was hoping for 8-10, barely managed that 5 mile slog. It was 95* when I started running and the humidity while not high was not where I would have liked. My asthma chose to be a dick and I had troubles catching my breath. I had troubles getting going and then I couldn’t get it together. I did not eat enough for a long run either. By mile 4 I knew I was done. I still had the weekend so I called it at 5. I felt beat up. 😓

Friday- Rest

I planned on riding the bike after work but was so fried I just kind of crashed into the comfy chair. I did receive some happy mail though! My Hogwarts swap arrived from my partner and it was freakin’ amazing. I may have squealed like a little kid.

Saturday- Rest

I worked in the morning and planned on finishing my Hogwarts swap craft that evening. I was hoping for a short run too. Haha! This was the beginning of the end of training this week. The swap deadline had been Friday but I had a small extension because one of the organizers had emailed me a week previous. My partner (the person I was crafting for) dropped out at the last minute. Well, crap. Now what? She asked it I wanted to take over for the person my partner was supposed to craft for. I had to think about it. They had entirely different tastes, different favorites and different color schemes. I am not the craftiest so I wasn’t sure I could pull off starting over in time. I committed though. I bit off more than I could chew. 😂

My plan was for a basic pillow and mug rug (coaster). Sounds simple? Did I forget to mention I’ve never sewed anything, ever? My mom had a machine and I figured I could figure it out. Ha! We couldn’t get the machine to work. I even You tubed videos but no help. Now in a panic, I texted my former boss to see if she had a machine. She did. So I drove there (2 towns over) to borrow it, getting lost in her apartment complex along the way. Then it didn’t want to work either. That user’s manual and I became real good friends. Finally got it to work and created the pillow. Then it was off to bed, I was exhausted.

Sunday- 4 mile walk/run

Did I mention the excessive heat warning this weekend? Yeah, upwards of 105 both days. My plan to run early failed when I could not drag myself out of bed. I figured I would end up doing my long run at the gym on the treadmill. Ummm, no. Spent all day fighting with the sewing machine again. I panicked when I ran out of bobbin thread. How the hell do you replace that? With the help of my trusty user manual I figured it out. Or so I thought. Every now and then my stitches would turn into a mullet. The seam looked fine on the surface but the underside looked like a wig for an 80’s hair metal band. Why?!!!!! I managed to get out the door for a mile walk/ run but that was it. And it was mostly walking. Then it was back to finishing up crafting and crashing in bed. For a weekend that I spent at home, I never even turned on my tv.

So, yeah not the strongest week of training. But I can’t dwell on it, so time to move on.

Paleo grade- B

Lunches and breakfasts were still on point and I did not eat out nearly as much. Score! I made some veggie swaps for my lunches and my stomach liked those much better. So I will be taking a break from romaine and cabbage slaw for awhile. I do still get an intense craving for chips. I admit I indulge if I think about them for more than 4 hours. Only 2x last week. I’ve been indulging with those Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato chips. Not paleo, but at least they are kosher, vegan, gluten free and contain no GMO’s. Baby steps, right? I’ve held strong to the no soda in the mornings though, so yay for that!

Can you sew? What was I doing wrong?

How was your weekend? And weather?

What’s your favorite chip?

I’m Cheating

So, is it possible to run yourself out of shoes? And I don’t mean by putting too many miles on them.

When I first started running, I ran in Brooks. A pair usually lasted me a year. I was also barely doing 200 miles a year but that’s another story. The shoes weren’t bad but I didn’t love them either. I had a bad case of shin splints that would come and go as well. After a few pairs of Brooks- Ravenna, I think- I switched to Mizuno. Instant convert. I loved my first pair of Wave Inspire 9’s. I put over 500 miles on them. I replaced them with another pair of Inspire 9’s. Loved those too, until I didn’t.

I started feeling aches in my feet and achillles. My 10K PR was set at 55:40 and I still don’t know how. My left achilles hurt so bad throughout the race I came to a complete stop at one point to stretch it out. And then there were the walk breaks. I took a week off after that race and started looking at my shoes. I had also been running in a pair of Wave Rider 17’s for my shorter runs and I felt better in those. But they were neutral and I was supposed to be in support shoes, so back to the store I went. They suggested a high cushion shoe to cure the aches and pains. So hello, Brooks Adrenaline 14. Holy crap, those were bricks. Plus the right one was way too big and even shoe-doo’ing the laces didn’t help. It was the first time I ever returned a pair of shoes. I felt really bad about it- I tried to like them, I did- put about 100 miles on them but just couldn’t. Back to the store again. Another treadmill test showed I pronate the same in support shoes versus a neutral shoe so what was the point? The employee helping me suggested I run in what was comfortable to me and not what “anyone” recommended. Glory days! I switched to running in the Wave Rider’s full time and it was smooth sailing from there on. Over the next year I picked up a pair of Wave Hayate’s for trail running and Wave Sayonara 2’s for shorter, faster runs. Things were awesome…until they weren’t.

Now, I admit I have odd feet. The left is bigger than the right, one arch is high and one is medium. Oh, did I mention they change size? Legitimately change size, I have had them measured more than once each time I felt like they had grown or shrunk. The shoes in my closet range from 8-10. Some of them collect dust depending on what shoe cycle I am on. Those Hayate’s and Sayonara’s that I love? Too big now. When I run trails, I wear multiple socks. And my much loved Rider’s? They’re not right anymore. Something’s off.

4 pairs in and they make my legs hurt. My knee aches, my shins and calves are tight, my ankles hurt. I tried going back to supportive shoes and tried the Wave Inspire 11. Yuck. That was the second time I’ve returned a pair of shoes. Sorry! So I bought the updated Wave Rider 18. What the hell. They are awkward and make my left foot hurt and ache in odd spots. I’ve tried reworking the laces but no luck. If I wasn’t embarrassed I may have returned them too. 😂 So back to the drawing board.

Everything feels like a lot of shoe these days. I was kind of embarrassed to go back to the Running Warehouse with my current issues. I wanted to try things on but not have to bother anyone. So I headed to Dick’s. I tried on every shoe in my size that I could reach and put away on my own. I made sure I didn’t leave behind a mess. The only things I didn’t try on were Hoka and Nike. I’ve never liked a Nike pair of running shoes and as for Hoka? I have troubles picking my feet up as it is, let alone with that much shoe. There were 2 options that felt good to me but I was still undecided. I felt like I was cheating on my running shoes. The shoes I liked were entirelydifferent than what I have been running in. Decisions, decisions.

To help my choice, I ran a few runs in my Sayonara’s. Too big yes, but overall so much better than my current shoes. Before last Thursday’s run turned creepy I was experimenting with my shoes. I ran 2 laps of the lake in the Sayonara’s and 2 in my Wave Rider’s. I was going to change back to the Sayonara’s for one last lap but then creepy truck happened. Grrr.

Saturday I headed back to the Running Warehouse to make a decision. I asked for 3 pairs of shoes. Mizuno Sayonara 3, Brooks Pure Cadence 4 and Brooks Pure Flow 4. The Sayanora 2’s have been phased out and while the 3’s were awesome colors, I didn’t like how they felt on my fit. To me they look and feel like an entirely different shoe. Closer to the Rider 18’s actually but they felt wrong on my foot. The Brooks Pure line is entirely different than anything I have run in. I tried them on years ago and hated them. This time they made the arch on my left foot happy. One pair more so than the other. So I left with a pair of Pure Flows. What have I done?! 8 pairs of Mizuno and I left with Brooks.I am breaking them in slowly but so far I like them. I am running differently in them but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. My shins are achy but that’s happened every time I’ve switched shoes so I am not alarmed at the moment. And my left leg joined the party!! I’ve mentioned before that my left leg is lazy and usually the source of my problems. I went for a short run on Monday and it was like my leg woke up. Hey, where have you been this whole time?! So now the problem is long runs. I don’t feel adjusted to the Pure Flow’s enough to run long in them but my Rider’s make my knee hurt. I’m trying to figure out how to change my shoes at some point during the run. Hmmm. Laps of the lake would work but I don’t want to go back for a few weeks.

So, thoughts?

Have you ever just stopped liking a shoe?

Am I the only one with odd feet? 😃

Thoughts on how I should attempt long runs?

Week 9 Recap

Hmmmm, let’s just call this a step back week?

Monday- Rest

Actually I had a Harvest Marathon meeting, so a rest day worked out perfectly. Plus it was Monday and I don’t seem to run well on Mondays’. I was late getting to the meeting so I felt like a total slacker. It’s just hard when work runs late and then I still have the commute.

Tuesday- 3.74 Miles

The less than great run. That being said, I think my post about it came across more negative than I had wanted. Yes, the run was rough but overall it wasn’t that bad and I was glad I didn’t bail because of all of my gear/ shoe issues. Maybe that’s why non runners think runners are crazy- I cried but I still call it a decent run. 😉

Wednesday- Rest

I remember!! Tuesday’s stomach issues doubled and I felt the beginning of a migraine coming on so rest day. I headed to Target for some small things and headed straight home for the comfy chair.

Thursday- 5 Miles- Creeptastic run

Not only was my headache still around, I was exhausted. Stupid hormones. Any how, I headed to the lake after work hoping for 6 miles but resigned to 4. I honestly didn’t think I had more in me even with keeping an easy pace. However once I got running I felt pretty good even with the headache and thought I could run a 10k. Then things got weird.

You know when you feel like something is looming over your shoulder? I got that feeling as I hit the backside of the lake just before mile 4. I looked over my right shoulder and there was a truck driving half in the dirt and half on the street super slowly. My first thought is that they wanted to pull over and park and I was in their way. So I sped up. So did the truck. Ummm? I slowed down again, so did the truck. This went on for 1/2 a mile. I came to a complete stop and tried to get a better look at it. It pulled behind some trees. Enough. Run done. I got my ass back to the parking lot as fast as possible while looking for the truck behind me. As an extra caution, I ran to the playground and waited there for a while just to make sure it didn’t follow me to my car. Cue the Slacker PSA– Maybe I overreacted, maybe I didn’t. As much as I love the running community and all people I cross paths with while running, I am out there running by myself. Hence rule #1- Be Paranoid. If something seems off, trust your gut. Don’t continue assuming that everything’s ok or that you’re tough enough to handle whatever comes your way. That may be true but toughness should be a last resort- cut your run short or change your route. Don’t be stubborn, you can get the miles in on another day. End PSA.

Friday- Rest

I fell prey to a cookie around 9:30 but that ended up working in my favor. I started work at 7:30 but didn’t get to lunch until after 3:00. I credit that cookie with getting me through the chaos that was Friday. 😆

Saturday- 4 Mile walk

I went to SLO for 2 intentional purchases but ended up spending more money than planned. One stop was the Running Warehouse but more on that next post. Victoria’s Secret had sports bras for $35 so I had to go check that out- those things are expensive! But kind of useful for running. 😝 Those were the planned purchases. What was not planned? At least it hadn’t been a fully formed thought-

So that happened. I was in the best running shape when I rode the stationary bike 4x a week. Ever since mine died, I have never followed through with going to the gym. Now I have to follow through. Yes, recumbent is lazy but my stomach and side appreciate it. Now if it would just get here.

Finished the evening with a 4 mile walk, testing out some new gear. More on that later, too.

Sunday- 4.5 miles

Long run fail. I had planned for 8-9 miles but woke with a gnarly headache again. I think it was part hormonal and part sinus- I’ve had some allergy issues lately. I blame the humidity, that’s my scapegoat these days. Sunday family dinner wasn’t happening so I decided sleep a little more and get the run in the evening when it was cooler. Then things changed. Not only was Sunday dinner happening but it was at a restaurant. Well damn, now I couldn’t even show up sweaty. I headed out in the heat of the afternoon and pulled off a slow 4.5 miles. My head was not too impressed with that decision. I was hoping I could out run the migraine. Not so much. It did ease a bit though by the time we headed to dinner (steak and veggies for me).

All in all, not a horrible training week. No speed work thanks to my stomach but I kept my weekly mileage consistent. Low but consistent. It’s the little things right?

Paleo Week 1- C

Last week was also my first week changing things up. Breakfasts and lunches were on point, dinner was atrocious. I ate out every single week night last week. I didn’t even do it on purpose, it just kind of happened. Tuesday pizza was supposed to be the only night eating out. Bad!! I also ate a little bag of Lay’s one day. Last week might not have been the best week to start paleo. I tend to want to eat everything that week of the month. So I guess in some respect it was a win because I didn’t go crazy on the snacks. Also something in my lunch veggies- spinach, romaine, cabbage slaw, celery and carrots pissed off my stomach every day. It couldn’t have been the spinach or cabbage slaw because those have been staples of my lunch for months. So I swapped a few things this week and we’ll see how I do. I meal prepped for the week on Sunday again. It’s like Tetris getting all the containers into my lunch bag on Monday morning. 😃

Goals for this week are to get in the miles. Definitely a long run and hopefully my side will accommodate some speed work. Another goal is to only eat out 2x for dinner. Last week was just ridiculous.

How was your week?

Ever had a potentially creepy situation on a run? What did you do?

How often do you eat out?

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!!

Bye July/ Week 8 Recap

First up, let’s talk about July. July did not see the mileage increase that I was hoping. Between a week of feeling meh some achy legs and well life, the number didn’t grow. Instead, my mileage held steady. Which for right now, I am calling a win.

Miles- 64.30
Races- Shoreline Half

So let’s move on to last week’s training!Monday- 4 Miles

This run sucked. There are no other words for how much I hated this run. There was some reason I was running on Monday instead of a rest day like usual. Except even then, I couldn’t remember why. Maybe it was a combo of all the fair walking on Saturday plus the speed work on Sunday but my legs would not work. I knew I was tired and was aiming for a nice easy run at recovery pace. Instead I got a jumbled mess- 14:09, 10:51, 10:08, 9:43. Even walking felt funny at the beginning so I walked more. Then I ran too fast when I did run. But even that felt like I was slogging through peanut butter while running. Tuesday- Rest

Awesome. Plus I enjoyed Monday’s usual pizza night just a day late. I said 80/20 paleo right? But even more shocking- I left the building! Haha. But seriously, I can count on 2 hands the number of times I’ve left the building during work for the last 2+ years. I had to get my book swap package in the mail so I decided to walk on down to the post office. It was farther than I thought in heels- oops!

Wednesday-

Seriously, is Wednesday a black hole? Why can I never remember it?Thursday- 4.26 miles

Same route as Monday but a better run overall. My mom met me there so I ended up walking the first mile with her. 15:01, 10:08, 9:41, 9:09. Seriously, what is with this route and the progression miles? One of these days I will get my weekday runs back up in miles. One day. I meant to run slower due to achy legs but nothing seemed labored so why not?

Friday- Rest

I survived cookie day unscathed! Woo hoo!! Plus grocery shopping for all the veggies. 🙂

Saturday- Rest

Walked around SLO most of the day and did a little shopping. I really mean little- I bought one shirt. But I got my steps in so yay! I also woke up to an email regarding the HP swap I signed up for that had me scrambling all day. Let’s just say I am starting over…only 2 weeks from ship date. Well crap. Is it odd that I think the time crunch pressure might be fun? I ended the evening at movies. We saw Mission Impossible. Not my choice but I was outvoted. It wasn’t bad. I also ate way too much popcorn.

Sunday- 7.3 mile long run

My mother was going to clean/ organize the tennis courts so my plan was to run early and meet her there then she would give me a ride home. I was feeling rough that morning so I set out a little behind schedule. I then walked the first 10 minutes just to make sure I was even ready to run. Other than that first mile I maintained a 10:30 pace for the rest of the run. I am completely ok with that pace for a long run right now. It was just under 5 miles to the school and I finished the rest on the track. Mile 4 makes me laugh. I hate running the bridge across town and tend to pick up the pace there. As much as I can with 4 stop lights that is. Then a hill hits you in the face so you slow down. 😐 Outside of the obnoxious humidity (68%!) I liked this run. I felt pretty good afterwards. 😃 Oh, and I meal prepped salads for lunches for the week. Who am I?

All in all, an average week. I felt tired all week so I passed on my speed work. I am sure smoothies for lunch and cutting back on soda added to the tiredness but I anticipated that so I planned to take it easier this week. My mileage stayed pretty consistent to previous week so that’s a plus at least. Going into this week, I have some scheduling issues but I would like to see the miles increase. Pace will depend on how I feel with my stupid stomach and new (goal) eating habits. Fingers crossed! As for August? Keep on keeping on. 😄

How is your training going?

Any streets/ bridges you dislike running?

Seen any good movies lately?

What are you looking forward to in August?