Training recap 4/4 - 4/10

This week was a prime example of how unpredictable running can be. I don't post a lot of the detail here that I share with my coach, but even looking at various factors sometimes a run just stinks. And sometimes it rocks. And you will never know why.  The theme of the week quickly became "one run at a time."

Monday Scheduled: rest and 3 sets of strength
Monday Actual: easy spin to loosen up and 3 sets of strength

Tuesday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 6 miles w 10x.25 moderate effort strides throughout
Tuesday Actual: regular warmup, run as scheduled
Notes: fun run. one of those that felt easy and enjoyable. never get tired of those. 

I think runners should be able to use their feet for these anyways...

Wednesday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 3 miles, regular strength
Wednesday Actual: regular warmup, EZ 3 miles, regular strength
Notes: one of those runs that did not feel easy at all. never fails to amuse me how different a run can be from one day to the next.

Thursday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 5 miles, cannonball
Thursday Actual: PT appt, regular warmup, EZ 5 miles
Notes: another not easy EZ run. using muscles that aren't getting used as they should be (yay!) makes you sore faster (boo)

Friday Scheduled: rest, 3 sets of strength
Friday Actual: rest, 3 sets of strength

Saturday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 12 miles
Saturday Actual: regular warmup, EZ 12 miles
Notes: despite the SNOW, this went pretty damn well. shockingly well.

Yeah. Spring. Sure.

Sunday Scheduled: rest, 3 sets of strength
Sunday Actual: rest, bumped strength to Monday morning

Mileage total: 26 (planned) 26 (actual)

Another solid week done, with...13 days to go. EEEEEEEEEK. 

March Review and April Intentions

As noted in a previous post, I am incorporating  Nicole Antoinette's Monthly Review into my process. Reflecting on how March went, including the intentions I set, and looking forward to April. If you have the time, I strongly suggest you try it at the end of this month. 

On paper, March looked easy. In reality, very little got done. I think I did my intention justice (do the next right thing). My schedule was so hectic, the only way to avoid being overwhelmed was to focus on the moment I was in. I did a better job on nutrition, rest, and training with that mindset. I also said I would aim to read every day for 30 minutes (blogs don't count) and there were few, if any, days that I missed. 

I won't subject you to everything I'm including for April, but here are some highlights.

Two things I'm most proud of from March: 
1. Logging 94.6 running miles
2. Getting promoted at work 

Strong day at the Reston 10 Miler on the way to some great mileage for March

Two things I'm most grateful for from March:
1. An employer that supports and encourages work-life balance
2. My adorable, mischievous, too smart for his own damn good nephew

The lesson I learned and am carrying forward with me from March is: 
1. Don't be afraid to articulate your priorities to others and defend them in order to take care of yourself

My intention for April is: 
Explore my faith

Because I am brave, here are two new/scary things I will do in April:
1. Show up to the starting line on April 24
2. Nunya

EEK. So soon. 

It took me 10 days into the month to finish this post because I really struggled on some of these sections. It bothered the crap out of me that I couldn't think of things that I am grateful for. How terrible does that sound? I could not look back through the month and think of something that stood out as something I should be really for. Wow, what kind of a jerk am I? Writing things like "my family" or "my boyfriend" seemed too easy. Or lacking deep thought. But there are so many people who do not have strong relationships with family or a significant other.  I am looking enough that I could say both of those things 365 days a year. 

So, there you go. Have you set any goals for the month or are bringing forward lessons from March? 
 

Training recap 3/28-4/3

Each week seems to be flying by, one blurring into the next. Somehow Big Sur is just 19 days away. Um...excuse me? It was never meant to be my A race, but I was expecting to show up to the start line feeling a bit more prepared. That was my expectation back in August when I registered for the marathon.

Here we are, eight months later, and I've transferred to the 21 miler instead (100% ok with that call) and will not log a long run beyond 12 miles before I toe the line. There are worse conditions to be in come race day. The scenery will be amazing, the medal is awesome (just saw it yesterday) and it is a gift that I can create opportunities like this in my life. A lot of people cannot. 

Without further chatter, here is how the past week went: 

Monday Scheduled: rest and 3 sets of strength
Monday Actual: I seriously can't remember. I didn't update it on FS so it might not have happened. Or it did and my memory is total crap. Sigh. 

Tuesday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 1, 3x1 mile w 400 recovery, EZ 1
Tuesday Actual: done as scheduled
Notes: mile splits were a little all over the map but the planned pace was not difficult to hit

done before the sun

Wednesday Scheduled: Dirty Dozen, 3 sets of strength
Wednesday Actual: EZ 20 minute spin, Dirty Dozen, 3 sets of strength
Notes: I'm getting some mad push-up skills. 

Thursday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 6 miles
Thursday Actual: not a damn thing
Notes: 8 am PT, work until 5, at a running event (MEB!), home after 9 and hadn't eaten in 5 hrs. The workout was not going to happen. 

Oh yes, that happened.

Friday Scheduled: hip strength, 3 sets of strength
Friday Actual: the EZ 6 I missed Thursday

Saturday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 3 miles
Saturday Actual: regular warmup, EZ 3 miles, hip strength from Friday
Notes: I made up what I could from the cluster of Thursday and Friday, but the 3 sets of strength were straight up missed. 

things you see when you run outside

Sunday Scheduled: regular warmup, progression run (EZ6 MOD2)
Sunday Actual:  regular warmup, progression run as scheduled
Notes: windy as all hell. tailwind on the way out, headwind for the 4 miles back. splits a total mess.

Mileage total: 23 (planned) 23 (actual). Woop! 

As noted in the previous post, I went into this week feeling banged up. I came out of it feeling banged up. But I'm one workout into this week and feeling strong. Really honing in on nutrition, sleep, and strength. I can see and feel that paying off. Finally. 

Training recap 3/21 - 3/27

Well this is later than I planned on posting. Life, you guys. Last week was about as busy as it usually is but this time I got to take a day off work and head out of town for a long weekend. Running was included in the plan for that adventure, so my consistency remains solid. 

Here is how it all went down: 

Monday Scheduled: rest and 3 sets of strength
Monday Actual: easy spin to loosen up and 3 sets of strength

Tuesday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ1 mile warmup, 6x800 w 400 recovery, EZ1 mile cooldown
Tuesday Actual: regular warmup, track workout as stated, PT appointment in the am and monthly massage in the pm
Notes: oh, the track. Despite all the anxiety I have leading up to these workouts, I still love doing them. Felt pretty strong afterwards, too. 

Wednesday Scheduled: rest, Cannonball video, 3 sets of regular strength
Wednesday Actual: easy spin to loosen up, Cannonball video, 3 sets of regular strength

Thursday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ5 mile run
Thursday Actual: regular warmup, EZ5 mile run. 
Notes: an easy 5 miler with no pain? I'll take that any day! PHEW. 

Friday Scheduled: Core X video, 3 sets of regular strength
Friday Actual: Core X video, 3 sets of regular strength
Notes: first day of my long weekend, drove to WV to hole up in a cabin and relax. brought all the running accouterments and had a lovely little workout space in the living room area. added bonus of campfire and S'mores after...

yeah, that's a S'more made with a peanut butter cup

Saturday Scheduled: regular warmup, easy 3 mile run
Saturday Actual: regular warmup and questionable 3 mile run
Notes: by questionable I mean that the cabin is all by itself at the bottom of a .3 mile hill that gains at least a solid 100 ft before you get up to the main "road." Stopping at the top to suck air might have happened. On the upside, we had a very fast finish going back down to the cabin. How neither of us fell is beyond me. 

post-run, pre-hottub 

Sunday Scheduled: easy long run, distance at my discretion. At least 8 but no more than 12. 
Sunday Actual: 12 miles. Did not feel easy. 
Notes: We'd planned to make this a trail run and found a great spot at Shenandoah River State Park. As far as the trails were concerned, it was perfect. A number of factors made the actual run a struggle: running too late in the day Saturday, not being well hydrated, having to share my fuel with someone who forgot to pack theirs. It seemed to drag on and on and I honestly didn't think I was going to complete the full 12. I turned back early but stubbornness won out and I did a few laps around the parking area to make it. 

Just one stretch of so many different settings on this run

Bluebell trail

I do not recommend that course of action. I had the option of up to 12 and my brain only say 12 and said sure. 10 on a flat paved path the weekend before and 12 on a not flat trail of varying surface are really different. I know that and yet my brain said it was totally doable and you love trails better anyway and what is two more miles. Jerk. I made a beeline for the river's edge when I was done and stuck my feet into the freezing water. AHHH. Then we got back in the car and drove the rest of the way home. I do not recommend that either. Oh, the soreness. 

So cold. So worth it. 

Mileage total: 22-26.5 miles (planned) 26.8 (actual) WHAT!? 

Highlight besides the mileage total? Two straight nights of S'mores and a hottub under the stars. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

I can tell you that I am only one workout into this week and am feeling a little banged up. There isn't anything aggressive on the schedule but I also haven't looked past Thursday. Heh. So, tell me. How was your week? Highlights? Learning opportunities? Also, Friday is April. When the hell did that happen!?

Training recap 3/14-3/20

I can confidently say that I have been consistent with my training in the past few months. Even with work and family travel, I planned accordingly and got it done. It helps to a) communicate your schedule to your coach in advance and b) have a coach who is flexible and gives workouts that meet you where you are, setting you up for success. 

What has not been consistent, and what I have little control over, is how my body reacts to each workout. I still get a hard ball of anxiety in my gut as I get ready to do the work every day. I completely took for granted all those years of going out the door and running without thought or concern for if something would hurt or if I would have to cut it short and come back home. What a gift that was. Now I celebrate every time I complete a workout as scheduled and am experiencing a tolerable level of discomfort. A far cry from care free. 

With that in mind, here is how last week shook out: 

Monday Scheduled: rest and 3 sets of strength
Monday Actual: easy spin to loosen up and 3 sets of strength

Tuesday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 3 mile run, hip strength
Tuesday Actual: PT appointment, regular warmup, 3 mile run, hip strength
Notes: the run was speedier than it should have been, incorporating run mechanic adjustments from PT kicked up the pace a little but nothing crazy.

Wednesday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 1, 4x1200 w 400 recovery, EZ1
Wednesday Actual: regular warmup, EZ 1, 4x1200 w 400 recovery, EZ1
Notes: worked until 9 pm, so this became a treadmill speed workout. OUCH.

Thursday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 2 + MOD 3 run
Thursday Actual: regular warmup, EZ 2 + MOD 2.35 run
Notes: to avoid the treadmill I squeezed this in after job 1 and made it my commute to job 2. cut short so that I wasn't late. sigh. 

Friday Scheduled: optional EZ spin, 3 sets of strength
Friday Actual: EZ spin, 3 sets of strength

Saturday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 3 mile run, drills
Saturday Actual: regular warmup, EZ 3.2 run with my family
Notes: legit forget about the drills. just totally spaced. 

morning trail run with my man and my parents

Sunday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 10 mile run, 3 sets of strength
Sunday Actual: regular warmup, "EZ" 10 mile run (holy crap this time I made it)
Notes: shortly after coming home from the run a headache set in and I was down for the count through this morning.

daddy's chocolate pancakes. obviously the best recovery food.

Mileage total: 27 miles (planned) 26.55 (actual) BAM.

Looking forward to my monthly massage tomorrow and another PT appt. So far these cues for my mechanics seem to be working but it will be a long time before they translate into muscle memory. I need to keep doing all the strength and recovery pieces, as they continue to be clutch. 

How did your training go? What worked? What didn't? What is one thing you are looking forward to this week?

Milestones for March

Like many other things I come across online, goal setting sheets and monthly recaps were bookmarked or downloaded and then left to gather proverbial dust. Poor time management, a lack of real interest after the novelty wore off, and avoiding an honest conversation with myself are the usual culprits. 

I sat down in early January to flesh out some goals for 2016 as part of Oiselle's WomanUp2016 campaign. And.....then I turned the page in my training log and didn't look back. I started reading a book on the mental aspect of running and started the in-depth goal analysis activity in an early chapter. And then folded the scratch paper inside my training log and didn't finish it. After deleting the monthly end-of-month review email from Nicole Antoinette with precise regularity, I finally printed out the damn thing out. And shoved it in my log with the other stuff. 

I am nothing if not predictable. Until now. In what might be an ill-advised attempt to see something through, I'm going back to the three tasks mentioned above. All at once. Why wouldn't it work out just fine, right?

Stack O' Crap

Partly because it seemed the easiest of the three and partly because I wanted a gimme of sorts, I started with Nicole's monthly review. Surprisingly, it was hard. I still have a few blanks on it and I don't think that will change. February was rough. I am not going to force myself to wrack my brain until I come up with two things I'm most proud of and two things I'm most grateful for. Maybe my proud/grateful cup will overflow by the end of March. Who knows. What I did get done was set an intention for March (do the next right thing), select one thing I will aim to do for 30 minutes every day (read), and choose two new/scary things that I will do. No, I'm not telling. Yet. I'm 14 days into March as I finally finish drafting this, and I'm doing pretty darn well. 

On the easier end of this review I picked a book I will finish reading (The Runners Brain), something to experiment with (a few slowcooker recipes), something fun for myself (a girls night w Ana that she cancelled, so I need a new thing here), and an act of intentional kindness. This last one, the act of intentional kindness, won't be easy. I will go through, pack up, and donate some cat things to the local shelter. No doubt, those shelter babies need whatever I can offer. But my loss is still raw. Rather than put off this task and pretend I don't see every little kitty thing around my house, I am going to do the kindest thing I can think of for my heart and the kitties who don't have a home yet. 

I'll be revisiting my WomanUp goals this week. I had an experience shortly after setting those goals that through me for a bit of a loop and I think many of you might identify with it. For now, have you set any milestones that you'd like to meet this month? If you set goals for 2016, how is it going so far? Any surprises? Anything you've already crossed off your list?

Weekly Workout Recap

Among other features that I hope to add to the blog, here is a recap of my training. My paper training log is Monday-Sunday and my online log where Coach K sets the schedule runs Sunday-Saturday. I prefer Monday-Sunday, so that is how I will update you all here. Along with the all the good, bad, and ugly that goes along with it. 

Monday Scheduled: optional short walk or spin, 3 sets of strength
Monday Actual: easy spin to get the blood going, 3 sets of strength. 

Tuesday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 3 mile run, hip strength
Tuesday Actual: abbreviated warmup, EZ 2.7 mile run, hip strength
Notes: attempted a lunch break run at the office, had to cut the distance in order to shower and be back at my desk in time for a meeting. 

Wednesday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ1, 8x400 w 400 recovery, EZ1
Wednesday Actual: regular warmup, EZ1, 6x400 w 400 recovery, EZ1. 
Notes: form started to breakdown and shins ache on 6th repeat. shut it down.

What 6 am at the track looks like

Thursday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 3 mile run, 3 sets of strength
Thursday Actual: hour-long run eval at clinic
Notes: felt tired and a bit beat up after the eval, so pushed most of the workout to Friday

Friday Scheduled: optional EZ spin, Core X (plus missed workout from Thursday)
Friday Actual: EZ 2 mile run, Core X
Notes: lower legs shut down early and I finally called it at 2 miles. blew off strength

Friday night's view, ruined by my legs

Saturday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 3 mile run, 3 sets of strength
Saturday Actual: 20 minute spin to get loose, EZ 3.2 mile run, 3 sets of strength
Notes: although I know this already, again a solid warmup and foam rolling pre-run made a big difference in today's run compared to Friday. 

Sunday Scheduled: regular warmup, EZ 7 mile run with option for up to 3 more
Sunday Actual: 10 minute spin, 3.6 mile run
Notes: lower legs tight within the first mile and never let up. Walk breaks and stretching on the way back to the car. 

Mileage total: 22-25 miles (planned) 16.5 miles (actual)

Looking forward to this coming week. PT scheduled for Tuesday morning, 27 miles of running on the schedule. Crossing all the things that it goes well. I plan to focus on doing whatever is necessary to warmup and cooldown well, foam rolling and stretching included, so that I can get every single mile in. I know what I need to do and yet I don't always do it. I make other things on my schedule a higher priority, cutting corners or skipping the small but critical pieces. I always pay for it and I am in complete control of putting an end to it. 

How was your week? Did you get it all done? Any questions on my schedule? What do you have coming up this week?