Just Plodding Along

I realized several things this week in training 1) I had not taken a rest day since Sept 1st, which probably contributed to my overall rundown feeling this week and case for backing off a bit. Work has been a lot lately as well with evening events, lots of projects and the overall I am kind of doing multiple jobs since we are down some staff in my office tiredness. 2) I do not enjoy evening workouts because it means less time at home hanging with my favorite person and 2 favorite canines. This training week was a bit less than I have been doing though still a lot. I did take a rest day which was much needed. For next week, less evening workouts, because I want to be home more. Live and learn. Monday: AM Swam, then worked through lunch and stayed a bit late at work so that was it for the day. Tuesday: Ran 3 miles with 5 X 30 second surges of speed with 30 second recovery in the middle. Lifted weights and took a pilates class Wednesday: Climbed uphill on the treadmill for an ho...

After a week full of running hills and hills with a side of hills, last Monday I felt somewhat over running. So instead I jumped on the spin bike for thirty minutes and did some body weight exercises and called it good. Tuesday I went to Up and Running for one last Tuesday night run. My friend Michelle was nice enough to go with me on my favorite route and then was nice enough to not make fun of my when I bowed out after three miles because I was dying in the heat. Running in high 80s is just not my thing. Wednesday I woke up like this for absolutely no reason. And then I stayed grumpy for the rest of the day so besides walking the dog and sulking around nothing really happened. Thursday I rallied and headed off for one last run on my favorite trail, Lazy Cow. Running to the trail, the trail and home from the trail is about 9 miles. Good enough. Saw some baby bunnies and hummingbirds so that was fun. Friday woke up and put on running clothes and then got distracted w...

We started last week with a bang with the hubs getting a lumbar puncture, aka spinal tap, early, early on Monday. Since we had to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. there was no running to be had. And then I decided it was my wifely duty to hang on the couch with him afterwards during recovery (still waiting on results).  Tuesday I ran around my neighborhood for 5.5 miles and almost died of heat stroke. I got home and saw that it was only 65 degrees out so I don't know what happened there.  Wednesday I did a short 3 miler before D and I went to a meeting about moving. The military will move you one final move when you retire but you have to suffer through an hour long brief to make it happen. We still don't have a date yet but we have the contact info of the company that is moving us so now we just be annoying until we get what we want.  After that we headed to Carlos & Mickey's to celebrate D's birthday. As we are both now senior citizens or at least do...

I will start this by saying we were warned. My friend Karen had mentioned the aggression and the pushiness and the showing up early. But I just didn't expect people to show up several days early to a garage sale. I stupidly put an ad up on Thursday stating that on Saturday we would be having a garage sale and mentioned NO EARLY BIRDS. Just like that. All caps. You know the traditional way of conveying I mean business through type. By Thursday afternoon people were ringing our doorbell. At first I was super annoyed. Because I am a rule follower and think you should follow the rules too and if someone puts no early birds in all caps that means you stay away until Saturday. But D was like, whatever, give us all your money. So we just went with it. Sorry to anyone who was a rule follower cause you got screwed. Even on Saturday morning people were ringing our doorbell by 6:30 a.m. which we ignored and continued to drink our coffee until 7 a.m. because coffee. Then we opened the g...

Well technically it is taper time. Which I have never really been any good at. But I have been trying to back off a bit. Monday: 1 mile since my ankles and feet were still really sore from the 16 miles of trail fun on the Saturday before. Tuesday: Body weight and kettlebell fun in the morning, 4 windy miles in the evening. Wednesday:  1 mile Thursday: 2 miles and body weight, bosu, kettlebell fun again. Friday: 4 easy miles round my neighborhood. Saturday: 1 0.25 miles of hiking fun with my friends Michelle and Kim up to Mundy's Gap. Tough but fun. Photo Credit: Kim Sunday: 13 miles with my training group. Last long run with them before the half and full marathon. They did amazing. Photo Credit: Kim Total for the week: 35.25

Monday:  9 early miles. Was aiming for more but then my knee gave out. Can not figure out this weird knee pain. Some days it acts up other days it is fine. It's a mystery. Running in the early morning is fun...except for the whole early morning thing. Tuesday: Weights. Three rounds of kettle bell exercises, BOSU exercises, medicine ball exercises and band exercises. 1 mile. Opt out of my evening run since me knee was still squishy feeling. Wednesday: 5.75 miles around the neighborhood with my knee brace and it feels okay. Thursday:  2 miles and half hour of yoga Friday: 6.25 miles on trails. Saturday: Roundtop trail race. 8 miles running, 8 miles run walking for a total of 16 miles Sunday: 2 miles with Max while my training group went for a run downtown. I had originally thought I would get some miles in but I was pretty sore from Saturday. Total miles last week: 42 Total miles for the month of January: 160 Total miles for the year: 160. Two...

Monday: 1 mile plus body weight torture exercise Tuesday:  one hour of Pilates plus 5.5 miles Wednesday:  1 mile plus kettle bell and bosu workout Thursday:  3.5 trail miles (cut a bit short due to an unexpected appointment, had planned for 6 or more but this is what happens when you lounge around in bed for half the morning, things come up.) Friday: 1 mile with more planned for the afternoon since we had to be at the hospital early for D's MRI....but yeahhhhh that didn't happen. Saturday: 2 miles with Max the wonder dog and then the best lady date day ever! Brunch with some of my favorite running ladies. Awesome food. Then pedicures at Nail Bar where you can drink and get your nails done. Genius. Favorite running ladies Short rib hash for the win The Nail Bar Mimosa with a side of pedicure. Yes please Runners....we are always in need of someone to deal with our feet.  Sunday: 1 mile. 20 miles were on the schedule but I got t...

This past week I ran a lot of miles. Yesterday was the longest run I have done where a marathon wasn't involved. At the end I really felt I deserved a medal or at least a t-shirt. But we were celebrating the lovely Karen's birthday so mimosas instead. Photo credit: Karen That is not a bad way to end the run and now kinda think all long runs should end with a parking lot party!    This morning was rough. I have been up for half an hour and am already like This week in training: Monday: Ran 6 miles and lifted weights Tuesday: 4.5 miles in the AM with a side of pilates and 5 miles in the PM. Wednesday: Ran 3 and lifted weights Thursday: 8 miles through the neighborhood and some yoga Not bad 2015. Thanks for the adventures! Friday: 5.75 trail miles and some more yoga to celebrate the new year followed by pancakes and so many ours of binge watching Netflix shows. HAPPY NEW YEAR. Saturday: 3 miles on the 'mill Sunday: Long run fun. 20 miles Total Miles...

This Christmas, as with pretty much every holiday, I got some sweet new running things! Not that I needed any more running things. But they are some of my favorite things. I got these  New Balance tights mostly because they are so pretty. Look at how cute they are! I also got this poster from I Love to Run. Basically you  mark off every day that you exercise, the goal being to not break the chain. It should act as a motivator. We shall see.  I also got this headphone which is one sided so you can hear music in one ear (the whole song, not split like normal headphones) but have an ear open for traffic, people, etc. I also got a new holder for my race bibs. I filled the last one up. Run all the races!!! Excited to fill this one up with new adventures.  The teeth say Runner, Their are water bottles and shoes and other fun running stuff in the skull!  In terms of training this week...well lets just say Christmas cheer took over. Most ...

This week I upped my mileage, got in some cross training and ate and drank my weight in holiday treats and wine. Not a bad week. Monday:  3 easy miles on the treadmill. Lifted weights.  Tuesday: In the morning an hour of Pilates, 45 minutes of spin. In the evening my favorite reps came to town- Sarah from Balega socks and Trigger Point and Mark from Mizuno. After a 6 mile run it was raffle and treats time. Always a good time when they come to town. One of our runners made this amazing rice krispy treat cake.   Wednesday: Lifted weights. Walked the dog. Thursday: 800s on the treadmill for a total of 6 miles. Friday: 8 miles of trails. Super fun and a beautiful day. Started to listen to the Serial podcast on my runs and the miles tend to fly by because I am not really paying attention to the whole running thing. Did he or didn't he..ahhhh. Yes I am a million years behind on the podcast thing. Saturday: Rest day! And wine hydration day with a si...

 So apparently this is why  I feel like death when I try to run now after three weeks off. So unfair. Cardio is the hardest to build up and than poof just disappears pronto the minute you find yourself out with an injury ....or just lazy. LAME. But this week I did manage to get back to running pain free. Well to clarify. My foot feels fine- tendinitis appears to be pretty much gone. The rest of my body feels like death when trying to run.  This week in trying to avoid a sedentary disaster I got a couple runs in and hit the gym: Monday: Leg day= felt like puking. 25 minutes on the stair stepper. 1 mile test run to check out the foot with Max Tuesday: Back and arm day, 2 mile walk on the treadmill, 2 miles on the elliptical, 1 mile walk with Max and a 3 mile evening run/walk in 100 degrees. Weirdly that did not feel great. I am over summer. Wednesday: Chest and triceps, 1 mile walk on treadmill, 1 mile walk with Max Thursday: Leg day = felt like dying. 5 m...

So last week I did some form of cross training all seven days. Can someone please put a gold star on a chart for me. I am not gonna lie, the entire time on an elliptical, stair machine or bike I am super But the fear of the three marathons I have registered for and the fact that I don't want to be left in the dust by the people I am training is the only thing keeping me from embracing a sedentary lifestyle. So onward with cross training I will go. The one good thing in all of this is that I have actually started to enjoy weight lifting. Even leg day which makes me very sad about two days after when I try to move. I am more willing to spend more time lifting and hopefully this will result in a more balanced and injury free running body. If it could also result in a six pack I am totally fine with that, I don't want to by pushy about it but I am just saying if it happened I would be okay with it. This week in cross training workouts: Monday- leg day, squats,...