Tag: work

Week 27- Ha Ha Ha

Upcoming Races-

  • Rock to the Pier 10K?
  • Salinas Valley Half Marathon

So yeah.  This week was kind of a wash.  I was prepared for July to be busy.  I planned this week of workouts out accordingly.  It was a good plan, like I said I was prepared.  Until reality showed me otherwise.  Life just laughed at me.

Work was busier than I expected.  I wasn’t sleeping well, 5 hours a night if I was lucky. Then I got sick or exhausted, something like that.   Summer has fully arrived after a late start and temps have been above 100 in home town most of the week.    That brought power outages and way too many damn fires with it.

Monday- Rest I knew work was going to be crazy busy so I didn’t even bring my running clothes.  I was not wrong.   By the time I made it home, my brain was fried.  For it only being Monday, that should have been a sign.

Tuesday- Rest/Sick  The start of the downhill slide.  I was supposed to go hiking with my dad at a new trail but my stomach was a giant ass hat all day.  Nothing active happened.  I did enjoy some lovely 4th of July hot dogs with my family though.


Wednesday- Rest  This was partially planned.  I knew work was going to be insane after the 4th so the original plan was to rest.  I took running gear though since I had failed to run or hike on the 4th.   However my stomach was still being an asshat so running did not happen.  It was also 100+ at home when I got off work.


Thursday- 3.1 miles  I woke up with a sore throat and major headache.  Oh hell, no, I don’t have time to be sick.   It was a calmer day at work and I was hoping that a few easy miles would help run out the oncoming head cold.   I ran in work town as it was like 103 in home town.  I kept the miles easy- well they felt easy-ish but they were too fast.  I didn’t feel worse after the run but I didn’t feel better either.

Friday- Rest With my boss on vacation- I’m open to close on Friday’s so no working out.    Plus home town was 107.  And the air conditioner died.


Saturday- Rest I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.  Combine that with the 105 temps and the heavy smoke from the 3 huge fires burning in the county and I was not even attempting a run.  Instead I lazed around.  Did spend some time looking at refrigerators as a power surge on Thursday half killed the refrigerator.  Yay.  By evening’s end 3 more fires had started.

Sunday- 12 miles Rest I set everything out for a long run but when my alarm went off after the first decent nights sleep I have had in weeks, I just couldn’t do it.  I still didn’t feel great and I know the next 2 weeks are going to be crazy at work.  Being in sick is not an option.     Plus the sky was so thick with smoke, I had a hard time telling that it was actually blue.

3.1 miles for the week.  Ouch but it is what it is.  Moving on I need to be a little more flexible during the next 2 weeks as we move through this system conversion at work.    I am now a little hesitant about my 10K next weekend.   I knew July was going to be interesting so now to see what this week throws at me.😀

How was your week?

How do you handle setback weeks?

 

Rambling On 11

Holy crap, how is it Friday?  And…I am so glad it’s Friday.  😛

I thought I was prepared for July.  So far July’s been a like a steamroller.   We’re only 7 days in!  I’ve only run once this week, and done nothing else.

Adding insult to the fatigue of 10 hour days, I woke up on Thursday with a sore throat.   Tried to tell myself it was just because I slept with the fan on.    By the end of the day I was in denial that I had a head cold.  I tired to run it out.  Not sure yet if that was a good idea.

Apparently someone had a little too much to drink on the 4th- someone show an arrow through our back shed.  An actual arrow.  Are you freakin’ kidding me?!?

I plans for a 12 mile long run this weekend but with a projected temp of 107 and this damn head cold, I am feeling less than optimistic.

Well, this post turned out to be quite whiny.  😛

Any weekend plans?

 

 

 

Week 26- Goodbye June

Upcoming Races-

  • Rock to the Pier 10K?
  • Salinas Valley Half Marathon

This week was odd.   I joked that I had to get all my stupid out before my boss left for vacation.  She’s gone the majority of July.   That and I was just freakishly tired last week for some reason.    I am cycling through new medications for my stupid stomach and I started a new diet which hit me harder than I expected on my first run of the week.

Monday- Rest  I normally run on Mondays but instead I went to the movies.  I saw Transformers.  Pretty good, the beginning jumped all over the place but it pulled it together.    Plus, my legs were achy so I figured rest would be good.

Tuesday- 12 miles bike I took my gear with the intention of running but those achy legs got worse in a bad way.  I ran across the street to get a soda and almost lost a shoe- my flats are slightly too big and I was trying to move faster than oncoming traffic and whatever it was it hurt.  What the hell? So instead I went home and got on the stationary bike.


Wednesday- 3.5 Straight up misery.  I felt good leading up to the run and had plans for 5 miles but once I tried to run, it was pure hell.  I could barely catch my breath and heart rate was through the roof.   Worse is that I was crawling.  I was having troubles maintaining even a 12:30 pace.  I could not get going, I was so tired and just not feeling it.   The only thing I could figure was that I actually hadn’t been eating enough with the new diet.   It hadn’t been intentional, I just hadn’t been hungry.  I also hadn’t had any meat but hadn’t supplemented it any way either.   Again, that hadn’t been intentional but I don’t think it helped matters.


Thursday- 3.5 miles  More food meant a better run that way but my legs were still pissed about something.  Everything ached from the knee down bordering on pain.  I also felt what seemed to be a giant blister forming on right heel.  I’ve never had a blister there so I kind of freaked out.  I called it after 3 laps of the lake path.  I foam rolled that night and slept in compression socks.   I couldn’t see a blister but my heel felt odd.   It was also my last run for June-


Friday- Rest I wore different shoes which made my legs happy, heel a little less cranky but made my toes feel pinched.  Oh come on!  So by the afternoon, if I was where customers and cameras could not see me, I was bare foot.  Luckily my boss just laughed.

With my legs being so damn odd all week, I went into the weekend knowing I was not running a long run.  I was splitting it in 2 instead.


Saturday- 5 miles  Why do I keep running in the afternoon in CA summer?  I need my head examined.  Once again, it was hot and I crawled.   It just felt so much harder than it should have, especially for the pace I was averaging.   I stopped at 4 miles and sat on the ground in a rare spot of shade just to cool down a bit.   Then I crawled the last mile home.   Ugh.


Sunday- 5 miles Every run has been rough lately so I expected more of the same. I slept in and headed out around 10.  The first mile was with my mother.  Once I split off from her I made sure to follow the 2:00 run/ :30 walk intervals on my watch to be nice to my legs.    Mile 2 clocked in as I was going up a hill and I laughed.  10:38. Ha, what?!  Was my watch broken? Yet, the miles kept coming in like that.  What was going on?  I was taking my walk breaks every time the watch buzzed.  I was trying to be smart after the odd week I’d had.   Yet somehow I pulled a speedy 5 miler for me these days.  Then Smash Run tried to bring me down by telling me it was still my 41st fastest 5 mile but whatever Fred,  I’m still counting it as a win.  😛

17.1 miles run
12 miles bike

5 days, 5 workouts, that’s not too shabby.  Especially considering how scatterbrained I was all week.   Dude- there were some serious blonde moments.  I even lost a dress in my closet at one point.     Now, let’s see what July brings.

How was your week?

How did June treat you?

Week 25- Speed Bump

Upcoming Races-

  • Rock to the Pier 10K
  • Salinas Valley Half Marathon

So, I may have underestimated just how much work and brain power I was going to need for this system conversion.  I fell a little off the workout wagon last week.  Ok, a lot.   By the end of the week, my brain was fried.  In fact, in a training class on Thursday I asked the dumbest question.  Seriously- everyone turned around and stared at me.  It took me a moment or two to figure out that I was basically confusing an apple for a granola bar.  Total blonde moment.    I’ve only been in the business for 10 years, I felt like an idiot.   Grrr.

Combine work training with the heatwave and I had a serious lack of motivation this week.  I kind of just wanted to sit in my comfy chair on the floor and do nothing.


Monday- 2.3 miles In an effort to adjust to the heat I bypassed the lovely 60 degree weather in work town and headed for the lake path.  It was 94 there which wasn’t pleasant but it wasn’t horrible either.  I was also crawling though.  I probably walked more than I ran.    I was truly surprised by how many people were out walking their dogs.  It was too hot for them!

Tuesday- Rest First day long training session.  Somehow I stayed awake throughout the whole thing!  My hand cramped from taking so many notes.

Wednesday- Rest  I had planned on running but by the end of the day I was just not feeling it.   When work ran late, it seemed like a sign.  I went home.


Thursday- 3.1 miles  Second all day meeting.  This is the one where I asked the ridiculous question.  I also left this one early as I had a DR’s appointment in another town to get to.   Traffic on the freeway was ridiculous, there and back- I was literally yelling in my car.   By the time I got home I was so over it- I did not want to run.  At all.  I sat around for 30 minutes before forcing myself to change and at least attempt a few miles.  It wasn’t an amazing run but it wasn’t horrible either.  I was glad that I followed through though.

Friday- Rest  I was so stinkin’ tired.  I was having troubles finishing my sentences, I was  very happy to see 6:00.  Bring on the weekend!

Saturday- Rest I wandered around SLO with my mother and did some shopping.  For once I managed to go to the Running Warehouse and Not spend any money.  It’s a miracle!  Can’t say the same for Banana Republic or Dick’s though.  😛


Sunday- 10 miles Once again, I got out the door too late.  My stomach wasn’t having it and I didn’t start until 8:00.  Still too late.   In the first 1/4 mile I was distracted by a CHP who I thought was pulling over a car as they came off the highway and I was on the lack of shoulder in the way.  In my haste to get out of the way I ran into a tree branch.  Oops!  1/4 mile later I was passing the cemetery and was glad that I had made plans to meet up with my mom at the end of my run on the other side of town as I could tell they were preparing for a funeral.  I always change my route if I know there will be a service- they don’t need me running by.

The temp wasn’t bad in the beginning but I was riding the struggle bus by mile 5.5.   I welcomed the longer walk break in mile 6 when I walked with my mother for a bit but those last few miles were uncomfortably warm.    I had hoped for a fast finish since I had the aid of a slight downhill but in reality I crawled mile 10.

15.4 miles for the week.  Zero cross training.

This is shaping up to be a very low mileage year and it kind of bugs me.  But obviously not enough as I haven’t made a drastic change yet.  Grrr.  I also don’t see it changing anytime soon as the busyness at work is only ramping up for the month.

Here’s hoping this week is a little more steady.  I already know one of training sessions was postponed so we’ll see how that affects my schedule but I am keeping things very flexible.    But I need to be flexible and steady.

I think I can, I think I can.

How as your week? 

Has summer arrived in your area?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 24- Heat Wave

It’s begun.

The work week was long and they are only going to get longer from here on out.   I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.  The last big conversion/ merger I went through was 4 years ago and I ended up falling back to running 1x during the week and both weekend days because I was putting in so much overtime.  Oddly enough, that’s also when I was the fastest but I am sure the 2 have no correlation.   😛    Difference is, last time we were the company doing the buying not so there wasn’t a huge learning curve for me- it was just a super busy time.  This time, I’m looking at a Grand Canyon of things I don’t know and not knowing what I don’t know makes me uneasy.   I am trying not to stress about it though.

Trying.  I need to read more.  For relaxation I mean.  So I ordered some new books.


Monday- 2.5 miles  First day back at work.  Couple hundred emails, schedule overload,  work ran late, and we were down 50% of our staff.  By the end of the day I had zero desire to run after work.  Zero.  But I changed, laced up and headed for home town.  I turned it into a game- could I keep my heart rate in the green zone?  Yeah, no.  But I tried.  😛

Tuesday- Rest I meant to do something productive workout wise but I didn’t.  And something about the shoes I wore to work pissed off my right foot.

Wednesday- Rest  Meeting #1 of meeting/ training polooza of the next month.   The day started abnormally early and by day’s end I was just living in migraine city.  I left my gym bag full of running gear at work and just went home.


Thursday- 4 miles  It had been too long since I ran in work town so that was my plan.  Success!  Similar MO to Monday- try to stay in the green zone.  Hell for the first 2 miles I had trouble getting into the green.    I felt like I was working but I guess the temp in the 60’s and a downhill made things easier than I thought.  Then there was the climb in mile 4 and my heart rate went right past green and into threshold.  Grrrr.     Once home I did 8 minutes with my kettle bell.  Ouch.

Friday- Rest  Seriously 8 minutes with a kettle bell should not kick my ass that much.

Saturday- 9 miles bike  I admit I slept in.  Then it was 106 and there was no way I was running in that.  I stuck to the bike.  Except I still haven’t replaced my fan so I was still ended up a sweaty mess.


Sunday- 7.3 miles  Long run fail.  I headed out around 8 to get in my planned long run of 10 miles but it was already too late.  It was 80 when I started.   It wasn’t bad in the beginning but it never got any better.  I started to feel the warmth around mile 4.  My mother was supposed to meet me around mile 5.5 and she was going to walk while I finished the rest.  She drove past me before I even hit 5.  I took a shorter route to her but I knew I wasn’t hitting 10.  I decided to try for 8 but at 7.3 when I was running- not sure what I was doing could be called running- brought me past the car again, I said F* it.  It was 90 degrees and it wasn’t even 10 yet.  I had somehow gone through 38 oz’s of water in 7 miles and both my packs were empty.   I was done.

13.8 miles run, 9 miles bike, 1 strength workout

Not exactly what I was hoping for this week but also not too shabby for a Slacker like me. Now if I can just drag myself out of bed earlier on the weekends.

How was your week?

What’s your weather like?