Less is Definitely More

For this momma, less has definitely proven to be MORE!

I truly sincerely miss my Beachbody programs. I miss hanging with my challenge groups and sharing all the inside jokes about the work outs we are doing. I can't wait to do another program again. I was completely unprepared for how sport-specific my training would have to be for this half marathon!

It's taken me ten of the twelve weeks of my training plan plus a couple of months of physical therapy before that to fully appreciate how important REST is.

I was absolutely killed by an 8 mile long run a couple of weeks ago. It was a new long distance for me and it was difficult right from the get go and downright miserable at the end:

I was in so much pain - I had cramps, I had nausea, I had that moment of "I FREAKING HATE THIS" at about the 5 mile mark. In hindsight I'll count that as a victory because for most of my life that "I HATE RUNNING" moment came about 30 seconds into running, haha. I was so sore the next two days that I could barely even walk - my shins hurt again (worse than any time before in my training plan) and my knees swelled up and were so very painful - doing steps was agony. I was scheduled to run on Monday morning. I did drag myself out of bed but I wasn't upset at all when Joe's run took longer than anticipated, leaving me in inadequate time to complete my five miles in time to get the rest of my day happening on time. I changed out of my winter running clothes into shorts and a tank top and hit up my basement gym for my PT strength training and some yoga. I was still way too sore to run anyway. Tuesday I was going to "make up" that five but I did 3.5 instead and headed to PT. The change in my demeanor was pretty obvious. The PT looked me over and declared (unsurprisingly) that all my aches and pains were just related to the increase in miles. It was good to hear that I hadn't seriously injured myself but also a bit disheartening knowing that there was very little rest between me and my half marathon in which to recover. I was prepping for a miserable three weeks but there was no way I was giving up. My five miles that Thursday were comfortable.

Joe and I ran a 10k race in downtown Pittsburgh the following Saturday. This was a taper for me since the previous week had been my disastrous 8 mile break down. The six miles passed with effort but I wasn't too sore after. I was chasing the 10:30 pacer for most of the race but had to let go when my shoelaces came untied around mile 4. I just didn't have it in me to chase her down after that. I was running at the very top of my ability level and my heart rate showed it - I had an average of 168 with more than 70% of the race in my heart rate "red zone", when typically I only hit this zone for 10-20% of any given training run. After seeing my chip time, though, I was pleasantly surprised. I finished in 1:04:45 with a calculated pace of 10:20 min/mi. Apparently the 10:30 pacer finished significantly ahead of her pace - that's why I couldn't keep up with her. I'd honestly rather have it that way than the other way around, so it's all good. As far as being a dry run for the half goes, the clothing (except the dang shoe lace), the fueling, and the tech all cooperated. Overall I called it a huge success!

I was pleasantly surprised at how not-dying I felt even after such a hard effort in that race. I ran five miles on Tuesday and Thursday of this week with one PT strength session on Tuesday afternoon. The rest of the week I rested. I would have liked to have gone to a spin class but they were all on the same days that I ran and I didn't want to overdo it, so I erred on the side of taking more rest. It has paid off in great amounts. Even after my 9 mile run today - I HAVE NO SHIN PAIN!

I've had a really hectic schedule this weekend with Beaver Valley Choral Society concerts and had a very difficult time carving out a 2hr block for this weekend's long run. I managed to do so this morning by foregoing church. When the alarm went off this morning I *almost* didn't get up. I knew that if I ran in the morning, I would be going alone. However, my race will be in the morning, so another chance to practice my morning routine and fueling is invaluable. If I ran in the evening, there was a chance we might be able to find a sitter and run together. I'm so very glad that I got my butt out of bed and went for it. I was mentally hesitant but physically feeling quite well - once again to my surprise. So I checked a route for roundabout mileage and set out. I made a couple of extra laps around a beautiful cemetery in a neighboring town so that I could finish my miles *before* I got back into my own neighborhood. That last mile near my home always seemed to be the ugly one, so I managed to cut it out completely today. I also changed some things about my morning fueling routine that seemed to do the trick in regards to not needing to stop for a potty break. My pace was significantly slower than my "norm" but it's my understanding that a long run should be taken slower anyway. I really reigned it in and found that I never got fully tired. I powered up my arch nemesis hill without walking, even when it came on mile 7.5! I skipped the last three walk breaks and sprinted across my favorite bridge over the Ohio. All in all it was a perfect training run! 

I'm now sitting with some ice on my sore knees and readying myself for one last BVCS concert today. The weather today is absolutely beautiful, so we are hoping to loosen up tonight by walking the kids to a nearby playground. Now I'll rest again and look forward to my next five on Tuesday.

Happy weekend, everyone!

I'm Overweight

I've been a good girl this week continually thinking of that metaphor of stepping on the gas. I did my PT exercises on Tuesday AND Wednesday. I did a half hour spin class on Tuesday night. Despite new pain in my foot and a slight uptick in shin pain I'm still not hurting so much that I want to stop. At this point I figure it's gonna hurt. I've got 4 weeks left until my half is over and then I can decide where to go from there.

I had a great day yesterday!

I slept in a little because it was my day off work. I got my 4.5 miles in. Get this - it was daylight!! Unfortunately it was also COLD again even though we had a few previews of spring lately. I'm getting used to the cold though...

Just for fun I followed the timed nutrition plan from 80 Day Obsession - I had shakeology and energize before my run, recover with fruit after, and a post-work out meal that fit the timed nutrition profile to a T. Early in the day I got a text that my daughter's soccer practice was canceled for the evening. This didn't go over well with her but it did open up the opportunity for me to attend my favorite one hour long spin class on Thursday night. ... That little voice inside me said "Do it. Step on the gas, girl!" so I did.

I took it "easy" in a base gear of 10 (I usually start at 12 for this instructor). I was expecting to feel tired since I'd already been for a run earlier in the day but I felt like I was flying. It almost felt too easy. At times I upped the gears or the RPM to give myself more of a challenge. All in all I just had a great great class. I took a stroll down workout-memory-lane, looking at some of my previous heart rate graphs from spin class. Below on the left is the graph for my very first spin class ever. On the right is last night:

You see, I love technology because it can tell you so very much about your progress. Notice that on the left my heart rate was consistently higher through the entire work out. In fact, the lowest my heart rate went in that first spin class is about the same as the highest it went in my class last night. That. Is. Amazing. !!! I thought... Maybe it's because I dropped my gear? Nope - I was in a base gear of NINE on day one and TEN last night - a full gear HIGHER and my heart rate tracing looks far far better.

Our bodies can do amazing things. I don't know that I'll ever run a full marathon. I may never run another half after this one (I'll let you know after race day). I do know, though, beyond a shadow of a doubt that exercise will always be a central part of my life. If my work with Beachbody hadn't cemented this, then it's certainly concrete now in training for this half marathon. My deity gave me an amazing vessel in which to exist. It's strong, it's resilient, dare I even say that I find it attractive. All 170 pounds of it.

Yep, you read that right. Why is it that no one believes me when I say that, technically speaking, I'm overweight?

Folks, as much as I love numbers, I don't let this particular one weigh me down (hah - how about THAT pun?). I jump on the scale here and there - I always fall somewhere between 165-170. No matter how cruddy I feel. No matter how alive I feel. No matter what I've eaten lately or how hard (or not) I've been exercising. The number is what it is. It is JUST a number - I refuse to let it be any more than that. In fact, if I could banish the scale from my life entirely I probably would. I'm not sure what mix of hormones gets released when a person steps on a scale - a few feel-good ones when you're down a pound or a whole slew of cortisol and other stress-inducers when you've gained. Why do we keep doing it to ourselves, though, is the question? Does the fact that a chart in a doctor's office tells me that I'm overweight have any bearing on the fact that in 4 weeks I'm going to run a half marathon successfully? Doubtful.

In coaching we talk about non-scale victories. Dropping a dress size, dropping inches, feeling more energetic, taking fewer modifications in your work outs. The truth is that the more important the variable is, the more difficult it will be to measure. That's true in a lot more areas than just fitness. Don't let numbers weigh you down.

Step on the Gas

Just in case you were wondering - I totally conquered my funk:

I went out last Saturday to get my last run of my "recovery week" in my own neighborhood. According to my training plan it was supposed to be a race. I couldn't race because I had to work in the morning, so I went ahead and raced myself in my own neighborhood. I beat my PR, probably. My last PR was based on gun timing and not a chip start so it was less than reliable. This time it was just based on my good old RunKeeper on my Apple Watch - 30:23. Still chasing that sub-30 5k... I don't think speed is my thing.

This week called for two 4.5 mile runs. I got both in, although not on my normal days. Monday I was off work so I was able to slip my run in a bit later than usual - IN THE SUNLIGHT! It was AH-MAZING (except for the potty emergency about 1.5 miles in, thank GOD I was less than a mile from home. I don't know WHAT I would do if that happened on race day. This now has become my biggest fear. I'll have nightmares about it until after the race.) My pace was closer to 11 min/mi cumulatively (still running 2:30/30 run/walk) but I was so freaking HAPPY! It was one of those runs where everything just freaking rocked. The sun was out. I said hi to the paper guy like four times as I criss-crossed him through the neighborhood. I also said hi to the garbage guys, who I usually curse on a normal day because I always end up getting stuck in my alley behind them on my way to work. My day was just brilliant. Wednesday morning it was raining - WHOMP! Thankfully even though initially it was supposed to rain Thursday morning, it didn't, so I ran. It was murky ridiculously foggy day, but it was in the high 40s, so it was OK with me. I passed my neighbor, who is training the the relay at the Pittsburgh Marathon a couple of times during our runs. At this point my shins and knees were hurting more than usual and I was kind of worried about how the rest of the week would pan out. I was unable to get to spin class Thursday night once again, so count this as one more week where I don't get my hard core cross training pegged. Saturday Joe and I headed out to break my distance record once again for a 7 mile run. I was on the struggle bus from moment one. I had a cramp just below my sternum right out of the gate. Thankfully that abated and the middle of the run was pretty normal. I got my ass kicked by the hill up from Bridgewater to River Road and then again on the multiple rolling hills on River Road. I started popping life savers mints around mile three and kept one going at all times. This was my first attempt at "fueling". By the time we turned for home I was feeling more myself and the rest of the run was pretty unremarkable except for a weird ass cramp on the lateral side of my knee that really slowed me down in the last mile. My time was not so great - 1:17 for 7 miles. Considering was riding the struggle bus the whole time, I'll just call it a victory that I finished. Another HUGE victory here is that despite putting a record number of miles on my legs this week, I am experiencing only minor pain. It looks like I've still got the shin splints at bay - for now.

I'm scheduled for another 4.5 tomorrow but Mother Nature is supposed to bless us with more snow tonight, 1-3 inches, despite the fact that the calendar says it's clearly spring and the temps were in the 50s today and will be in the 60s Tuesday. Of course, the 60 degree temps on Tuesday are combined with rain and thunderstorms. This puts my training into a bit of a limbo. Another complicating factor right now is that my daughter starts soccer practices this week on Thursday night at the same time as my beloved hour long spin class :( I really need to buckle down and get back at the PT exercises as well, on which I've been slacking.

No matter - there's five weeks until race day. I've conquered my funk but I haven't gone all in yet. It's time to step on the gas. Firmly. Convincingly. I just hope that the engine has the oomph to keep up!!

In other news: Christ is Risen, Happy Easter :)