Tag: Training

January Recap

How is it 4 days into February already?! I am not ready for that!

Backtracking to January- well it started great and then derailed. I rang in the New Year and new month with a great 10 mile run. I was ready to get to my training and get started on that 1000 mile goal for 2015. I was doing great up until January 8. Then the sickness hit. I took 11 days off. 11?! That hurt both my training and my miles. According to Smash Run, I ran 10 days in January- 10. That’s 21 days off. Ouch. So with that in mind, I suppose the below number is actually a good thing- 🙂

So 68 miles? Not too bad. January included one race- Spooner’s Cove 25K. My farthest race/ run to date and the most time I’ve spent on my feet outside of working at Taco Bell. Just kidding. However, with the way that my runs were so spaced out, I am not sure how well they added to base building.

As for some of my other goals? Well, socializing didn’t happen because well, who wants to hang when you are contagious? And I finished one book. One of the 4 I started. I did read your blogs and some fanfic online but that last bit doesn’t count. January did have some shiny though- sorry- still excited.So now on to February. The original plan was to run easy/ rest this first week of February and then get to work on speed. My spring goal race is SLO and it is 11 weeks out now. I admit I am nervous about breaking 2. Part of me doesn’t think I can and the other part thinks I need to get out of my own way. Luckily my training plan has me easing back into things the next two weeks so that’s a little comforting. Oh and for added incentive- I received this shiny news in my email this morning-

Runners take their finisher medals seriously because it is a tangible badge-of-honor and proof of their accomplishment. The 2015 finisher medal with the barn and windmill highlights our local rural heritage, and like competing a marathon or half-marathon, it represents hard work and tradition,” said Heather Hellman, Event Director. “Our medals are unique and we change it every year, so they become very collectible. On race day, we look forward to placing our 2015 medals around the necks of all our proud finishers so they can take a little piece of San Luis Obispo home with them.” Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-san-luis-obispo-marathon-half-marathon-5k-april-24-26-registration-10056923529

That was just the kick in the pants I needed! Plus I’ve kind of always loved old barns, so I think it’s kind of awesome! The email helped get me out the door today for the baby speed work that was on my training plan. Woo hoo! Let’s see if I can keep this motivation going!

And on the socializing front, ~~my friend talked me into~~ I signed up for a craft swap online. What the hell was I thinking? Oh yeah, I heard Harry Potter and signed up. However I have the crafting skill of Longbottom (nerd moment!!) so I feel sorry for my partner. Fingers crossed!

How has your February started?

Are you crafty? Help!!

What’s your shiny/ dull for the week so far?

The Oddest Taper

It’s almost Friday!! And I’m on vacation! 😛

But let’s back up. Even before the reality of a trail 25K kicked my ass, I knew I may have to adjust some things this week. I figured if I was feeling extra achy and sore after Sunday, I would push Tuesday’s run to Wednesday and Thursday’s to Friday since I took a few days off for Surf City. Ummm, what was I thinking running a 25K and a half 7 days apart?

13.1 It Takes a Special Kind of Idiot... I think I should start training for a half marathon :) — 7 days later, ouch source

I was a little achy but headed to the gym on Tuesday per usual. I ran super slow but I was just fine with that. 3.5 miles later, I stretched and called it a day. Even though my pace was slow, I unintentionally pulled off the perceived effort progression that was on tap per my training plan. Calling that a win! Oh and my gym now has those scary stair things, it was interesting watching people on them. But much better than the freaky cut-the-alien-out-of-the-stomach sci fi movie on in front me. Blech, I love sci fi but not creature flicks.

Going Tuesday worked out well as I was so tired on Wednesday I overslept that morning. Then I fell asleep in the comfy chair trying to watch Supernatural that night. How I didn’t knock the laptop off my lap, I have no idea. I had planned on running today per usual but my stomach was rebelling pretty badly so I went back to the Friday plan. Well hopefully. 🙂 I kind of need to pack at some point too.

I got this... right? — I got this… right?

I took a few days off around Surf City because I figured these 8-9 days were going make me pretty tired. However when I planned that I didn’t realize that was also my window to complete reviews at work. So I spent most of this week trying to kick those out. Or at least to a point where I only have to make some minor edits when I return. Writing reviews stress me out, maybe that’s contributing to my tiredness. I am so turning off the alarm tomorrow morning.

Wednesday was also my re-check with my gastro. He’s at a loss, so we’re changing my medication. This kind of freaks me out, I’ve been taking it for 12 years, what’s going to happen? He actually warned me that I could have a rough couple of days when I make the change, so we agreed that I could do that Monday after the race. Plus I have those days off so yay? Way less exciting than the original plan to go to Disneyland on Monday. But you know, measles.

Ever use those scary stair machines? I am not even sure I could even get on one without falling.

Would you chance the measles?

Anyone racing this weekend or having a Super Bowl party?

Who cried at the Budweiser commercial?

A (real) Plan for the Slacker?

I’ve mentioned before that I have serious problems sticking to training plans I’ve found online or in books,etc. They’re all a little too cookie cutter and it’s very rare to find one that has rest days on Fridays. And with my pace being all over the place these days, the pace based plans just make me sad. Then there’s the Slacker in me that just has a knee jerk reaction to being “told” to run. Which is why I created my own plan back in November in my almost free student planner. Which I still kind of love by the way. 🙂

Personalized plans are available from a variety of websites but have you seen the cost? Now if I could promise myself that I would follow it and not rebel like a clueless 4-year-old, the cost wouldn’t be that much. I’ve just never trusted myself to follow through. So I had my plan for the next few months and I was good. Then I got an email. The SLO Marathon partnered with McMillan Running for course specific plans. A limited number of free training plans were offered to the ambassadors. A personalized plan, just for you. The length of your choosing, designed for you. For free. Free? Seriously?!

I was so torn! I mean that is an awesome offer. I use their pace calculator all the time and they have articles and videos filled with training advice. With a limited number of spots, I had to think quickly. I liked my plan but also knew that I will likely need a little (or a lot) of guidance to break 2:00 at SLO. But would a plan stress me out? Also with the 25K this weekend and Surf City next weekend, I didn’t really have the time for a 12 week plan. After all most plans don’t have a 13.1 mile race the first week. 🙂 I checked out the website and saw that they offered an 8 week plan. Hang on, that’s doable. I would have a little time to rest after Surf City and surely I could stick to a plan for 8 weeks right? I finally decided it was too good of an offer to miss out on and jumped on it.

I received the questionnaire email about a week later. Mother of Toledo, it was 6 pages long. It asked my goals, my running habits, my usual schedule. It asked for my best times ever as well as just the best times from the last 12 months. It asked what I wanted out of running after accomplishing my goal and how many miles a week would burn me out. Etc, Etc. There was also a question about any races I may want to run before my goal race. I answered all of the questions as truthfully as I could. I do admit that I left out the 25K part. For some reason I was scared to put that in. 🙂 There was also a section that asked about any planned trips or events that would require schedule changes. I may not have any planned trips but I put Fridays in that section. Fridays usually end up being a longer (open to close) day plus my commute each way on top of that. That combined with the fact that Fridays are usually busier and I take Friday as a rest day 99.9% of the time. I wanted that to reflect in my plan so I made sure to specify that. I submitted my answers and was told it would be 1-2 weeks before I heard back. Even knowing that, I stalked my email everyday. It came on Sunday night.

Woo hoo! Included in the email was their half marathon race guide, their training philosophies, as well as a nutrition guide. Ok, cool but what about the plan? I opened the excel file with trepidation… and then blinked. Wait, what? I paid more attention to the dates and workout before going back and reading the comments, if I had done it in order, I would have been less confused. 🙂

Fallon, thanks for choosing McMillan Running to help you train optimally for your upcoming goal race. As you head into your San Luis Obispo Half Marathon training program, remember that recovery between key workouts is the key. If you simply perform the workouts and get to the race healthy, you give yourself the best chance at success. Consistent, smart training will produce the best results. Run hard, but run smart. Listen to your body to know when to push and when to rest. For each workout in your plan, there is a corresponding training pace listed in the McMillan Running Calculator (www.mcmillanrunning.com). I know you requested 8 weeks of training, but I wanted to give you a full 14 weeks so that you will have some guidelines over the next few weeks to help you transition into half-marathon specific training in the final 2 months before SLO.

14 weeks? That’s a long time but the more I read it, the more I felt like it was doable. Most of the runs are time based as opposed to distance based. I’ve been transitioning to that since December so seeing that built into the plan was kind of awesome. Specific speed work drills are built in, no paces but guidelines that I can follow and actually accomplish (fingers crossed). Surf City 13.1 and Wine Country 13.1 are built into the plan as long training runs. The weeks following those are built as recovery weeks. Hmmm, I think I can do this. I was actually super excited to start. Now, if only I was feeling 100%! I am still coughing up a storm at night so I thought it would be smarter to only run 3x this week. Boo!

Ever follow a McMillan plan? Or use their pace calculator?

Think I can stick to a plan? Or will I slack off?

Who’s racing this weekend?

A Sleepy Frog

Happy almost Friday! And the first full week of the year. 🙂

I don’t know what it is but I have been so tired this week. I have slept through my first 3 alarms every day. That’s even with going to bed earlier- since Directv and NBC have been fighting, I haven’t been watching the news or Jimmy Fallon. Last night I actually clocked the first 7 hours of sleep on a work night since I bought my Fitbit. Wow. On Tuesday, I headed to the gym after work for a few miles. I was actually sore after hiking Cerro San Luis but per usual the DOMS didn’t kick in until Tuesday. But that just helped me not push it. Finding a consistent easy is kind of hard. I’ve noticed that it takes almost 2 miles on the treadmill to feel comfortable. Then when I do, I have the problem of running into the front of the machine because I want to run faster. I managed 5 miles around a 10:41-10:54 pace. Once again one of the tvs had North Woods Law on and it made the miles seem less miserable.

When I first arrived at the gym I was surprised to find around 10 treadmills free, I had expected more Resolutioner’s to be there. The ellipticals were full though. Part of me feels bad being irritated that they filll up the gyms in January. I mean at least they are making an attempt right? But when you see a man talking on the phone while on the elliptical and a woman reading with a book right up to her face while walking so slowly, I feel less guilty. Then there were the chatty trio who got on the treadmills to my right. They were so loud! I could hear every word of their conversation over my headphones and I wasn’t willing to blow out my own eardrums and keep turning it up. I said this in a comment to FL Runner Boy but I think a gym should be like a library- necessary conversations only. 🙂 But then again, I am the one who hit the emergency stop 2 miles in- oops. My mind is like, "Let's go to the gym!", but my body is all, "Dude chill, this couch is really comfortable." The plan was for another 4-5 treadmill miles tonight but after changing and starting my drive to the gym I had to admit that i don’t feel so well. It feels like a head cold which I could have run on but I decided that running back to back longer runs this weekend was more important for training than some treadmill miles tonight. My 25K is in less than 3 weeks with Surf City right after. I am trying to think smart here but I feel like a baby. Plus I also didn’t think anyone at the gym would appreciate my excessive coughing or throat clearing. Asthma already puts a frog in my throat but now I feel like his friends have moved in to party. Ugh. So instead I am bundled up in the comfy chair catching up with you guys! Oh maybe I should be productive and go update my Goals and Gear page that I haven’t touched in way too long.

How has your week been?

Have you braved the gym?

2015 Goals- Time to Polish

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year’s. Mine was uneventful- just how I like them. Actually, I ended up being sucked in to watching The 100 on Netflix which is why this post is going up one day past schedule-oops! So without further ado, let’s talk about those hoops I want to jump through, err, I mean goals for 2015.2015 Goals

Health-

So I received a notice from my doc that says “congrats, you are negative for cancer but we have no conclusion as to what is wrong with you”. It seriously said that. So, ummm, yay? So it’s back to the drawing board. That means it’s time to play with my diet some more. I am not going paleo (I like dairy) although I am buying the book, nor gluten free but I have been trying to cut my grain intake by about 85%. When I follow through, I feel a little better, holidays made following through hard. And yes, this means I need to limit my pizza intake to once a week at most. I started this in December so I am going to give it a few more months while I see if it helps. I’ve known I should restrict my carbs so I need to work on that again. On the upshot, I ran better when I did this, so fingers crossed!

Fitness- who am I kidding- Running-

Find Easy– Well, that sounds odd as a starter. I pushed a lot in the beginning of 2014 and I ended up sore, tired and sick. I’m not saying that they are necessarily linked but I want to run as long as I can not a short period of time. That means finding an easy pace that I can sustain for long periods of time. I want to enjoy my long runs and look forward to them, not dread them. Right now I aiming for around 11:15 and averaging 10:50. Would I love my easy runs to one day be 9:00- hell yes- but I want to work towards that the smart way.
Cross-training– Yeah, I know I should and I admit I ran better when I also rode the stationary bike twice a week. But it’s just so boring! Admittedly, I am setting the bar low here- I want to cross train at least 3x a month. Yes, I said month not week. If I can pull this off for 6 months, I will reassess in July.
Races– Quality over quantity. No 15 in ’15 for this Slacker. I hit 14 in ’14 and that was cool but there were some I probably should have DNS’d. That said, I am confirmed for 3 half marathon distance races in the first 4 months of the year and am debating another and a 5k. Bold is confirmed, italicized maybe. Wine Country and Firehouse have sentimental value but I won’t commit to those until the last minute. The rest of the year is up in the air.
1. Spooner’s Cove 25K
2. Surf City 13.1
3. Wine Country 13.1
4. Firehouse 5K
5. SLO Marathon
Break 2:00 in a half– The goal of the first 2 months of the year is finding easy, after that I would love to find speed. I set this as a goal for 2014 but spent the year going the opposite direction. Yes, I valid reasons but it just makes this goal all the more enticing. Now, I know I am horrible with following training plans and prefer to do my own thing but I realize I may need guidance to pull this off. An I would really, really like to go sub-2 at SLO. To that effect, this Slacker may have committed to an 8 week training plan that would start after Surf City and a week of rest. But more on that later, I don’t even know much right now.
1000 miles in 2015– Oh, man, typing that was scary. I am trying to tell myself that 1000 isn’t that far from 832. And I went from 558 in 2013 to 832 in 2014, so it’s doable…Right???????
10 down, 990 to go

Life and other stuff-

Read more– or get back to it. I used to read 4-5 books a month and I think I barely hit 12 this past year. Work was crazy and I didn’t get a lot of lunches but that should be better in 2015- fingers crossed. That put a serious dent in my reading. I would also like to get back to reading before bed which mean I need to turn off the computer and that is hard. 🙂

Socialize more- I admit I am a homebody. See above for my NYE plans. 🙂 I need to try to get out a tiny bit more often. A couple of my coworkers and I are talking about running together after work, so that’s something! I would also like to spend more time with ML, A, C and NikeC and R, I am hoping we can make something work.

The blog– I would like to redesign the blog. Which I have started on but am not where I want to be. Sorry if you saw it in it’s various states in the last few days but there’s likely to be a few more in the pipeline. Bear with me while I try to be tech savvy and will likely fail! But on the upshot, most times the mobile version looks good and it’s just the computer version that looks off.

Slacker Runner