Monday – (10.7.24) Plan: walk with Rivs/ full body strength
This one TOOK ME OUT. Lifting heavier and dang the Kb Power was intense today! I am really enjoying RDLs and I tried some gorilla rows as well. My glutes are feeling it – I’ve also been picking up more weight. So today I was using 50lb KB! (2 – 25lb ones)
Tuesday (10.8.24) – Plan: walk with Rivs / upper body strength Actual:
Almost didn’t want to wake up for our walk, we got to bed late. But River was barking up a storm and so I was already awake.
We walk to Hendrix’s school which is almost 2 miles away and stop by the hose for Rivs to get a drink of water. I tried getting pic of him lapping it up cutely and he turned away too quick ha
Hand stand practice after warming up wrists, and stretching
Wednesday – (10.9.24) – Plan: Walk with River / no workout in the afternoon Actual: I ended up sleeping in this morning but I did get in a little mobility and stretching in the morning and had an early work day. (I like how I reference sleeping in at 5:30am wake up call instead of 4:30am wake up call – haha!)
Thursday (10.10.24) – Plan: Walk with River / Glutes workout Actual: Hazel woke up 5 minutes before my alarm! So then I tried to lay there to make sure she fell back asleep and I ended up sleeping in till 5! I shot up and got in a 3 mile walk with River. Something is better than nothing!
Made it to the gym!!! By the way, if anyone tracks big storms… Hurricane Milton hit Florida – not near us, luckily and while we had ZERO impact from the storm, we do have impact from people fleeing the storm. So it’s been a bit wild with traffic and food supplies in stores.
My glutes workout was a killer one and I definitely worked hard and had to take some longer rest breaks to continue on. I’m super enjoying these workouts lately.
In the locker room area there were some super sweet hand written notes posted up by a fellow gym goer and it was just really nice to see these. Definitely put a smile on my face!
Friday (10.11.24) – Plan: walk River / mobility + core work Actual: last night I slipped in the tub and hit my left shin so badly… I mean excruciatingly bad. I really thought damage was done to it because I had a knot on it and while I was laying down hours later it was throbbing. I decided sleep was best today so I just threw River the Frisbee which of course he loved lol
Core focused with minimal mobility movement. Not feeling super great. Stomach issues
Saturday (10.12.24) – Plan: Walk River and take a glorious nap Actual: I could have definitely used more sleep last night, I didn’t want to get up today and do this walk. In fact, I nearly turned around a quarter mile into it because I was just not into it. But I’m really glad we kept going. Having the mornings to myself really makes a world of difference in terms of patience with the kids.
I even enjoyed my coffee alone and then around 8am everyone was finally up. We went on a few walks around, played on scooters and went to a few parks
I did take a nap, but it wasn’t too glorious. Hendrix rode his bike in the evening sun – it has been so nice cooling down just a bit! We had a bon fire in the evening and Hazel and I ate our burgers outside by the fire while the boys chatted and ate inside later.
We tried to teach Hazel how to ride the go-kart – she nearly got injured (she had her helmet on, this was just the beginning with no helmet letting her sit on it)
Sunday (10.13.24) – Plan: Walk River and take a glorious nap Actual: I was EXHAUSTED from yesterday so we slept in till like 8:30am!! Then the kids and I went to FOUR different parks! First one of our regular stomping grounds, but Hazel said No. (LOL) then to two different ones in Silverhill (where we used to live) but one was filled with wasp nests and no kids and the other was boring. Then we found another that was AWESOME. It was roughly 30 minutes from home but had a water slide too.
We decided the only way to let Haze get on the go-kart was if someone rode with her. So the kids zoomed up and down the street together.
In the evening we had another park session and then home to relax and bath. This weekend left me needing another weekend to recover!
The whole of my foot has been hurting, not just my heels. But after a little Tylenol it goes away. I don’t want to be taking Tylenol daily for this. So I’m definitely feeling defeated. I also have no idea what I am working towards right now. As having a goal race is the key to keeping me balanced and ready. I haven’t wanted to go to the gym and just don’t know what I’m doing in general right now.
Monday (9.23.24) – run with Vina! It definitely felt much warmer than 72° – like 10° warmer!!
Believe it or not, I was actually wearing the watch and it was just that dang dark outside haha
Tuesday (9.24.24) – plan: walk with River am / strength training pm Actual: I intended to walk with River but I couldn’t wake myself up. I was exhausted. It’s been a highly emotional week (starting last week) and so I guess I just need to give myself some grace and let myself rest.
In the evening, the kids and I took River on a mile walk and then Hendrix rode his bike around while Hazel dug around and jumped in the back yard. I even got in some push ups, core work, stretching and mobility in the evening before completely passing out on the couch before 9pm! (Do you go to sleep early?)
Wednesday (9.25.24)- Plan: Walk with River / make it to the gym for SOME KIND OF STRENGTH!
Actual: I woke up and River and I went on the most amazing 3.2ish mile walk! I forgot to start my watch for a good portion of it, so it only caught like 2.4 miles or something of the walk haha! But the weather felt great, the stars were out and beautiful and River behaved amazing. I like to mention that because when he was younger it was SO tough! I’m glad we stuck with the training and he’s a much better walker/runner and doesn’t lunge at dogs anymore. We’ve come a long way! (No pics taken unfortunately, but all smiles during our walk) I didn’t go to the gym – and you know what?? My body is either revolting or I am getting really old really quick. In the evening time I stretched and then focused on some modified pushups and core work. Then I did some headstands which I was actually able to BALANCE and not use the wall. That was super cool!
Thursday (9.26.24) – Plan: Run with Vina Actual: Despite being exhausted – River barked a bunch in the night probably because there was an armadillo out there – I made it to the meet up. We were SLOOOOOW. Vina is ultra congested and not feeling superb but she wanted to get moving and I am so grateful for her commitment!
After our run I bolted home to play with River and get ready for the day.
This morning I was complaining to Vina I knew what would make me happy and make me feel strong, and confident in my body was going to the gym and lifting weights. But I also knew I was completely neglecting myself and I had zero urge to go. Which to a certain degree I think it’s okay to honor a rest break. But it was affecting my mood so much, so I freaking went and I did the damn thing. (finally!) And I loved every second of it. I tried to do farmer carry with 2 – 45 lb kettlebells. According to a doctor from social media (lol I know how that sounds but logically it sounds correct) you are supposed to do be able to carry 75% of your weight for one full minute. I found this exercise to really test your grip more than I feel like your strength and I could only do 40 seconds. So this is a new goal for me I am going to get to one minute and I am going to increase the weight. As for the workout, I did kind of a full body KB including a little bit of core, I did some fun head stands and I did handstands without a wall and I did better and I even walked on my hands a little bit to stay up, but like I was balancing pretty good. I even managed to do some hip mobility along with some good ol’ fashioned stretching.
Friday- (9.27.24) – core + mobility Actual: upper body focus plus calisthenics. Pull ups, dips, push ups (regular, modified and modified pyramid, pike push ups, rows, TRX pull ups, farmers carry, attempted monkey bars (the bars start in one position, then go up!) and I fell – it hurt my ankle – wrist warm ups, hip mobility, practiced pistol squats, shrimp squats, headstands, handstands and l-sits.
I ended up staying up way too late and watching Jerry and Marge go Large.
It was a fun and cute movie! Streaming on Paramount Plus. But I didn’t get to bed until probably closer to midnight so my plan of waking up early to take her over for a walk was not going to happen. I really needed some rest!
Saturday – I ended up waking up at 7:30, although River definitely tried to wake me up at 5:00 a.m. and I went back to sleep so quickly. So he did get a lot of play time in, but I didn’t take him for the walk I had planned since I need a family was going to be getting up real soon
We purchased a new washing machine (because ours totally crapped out) and then we rode bikes and took walks throughout the day. Oh! WE made it to the purple park – which Hazel has vetoed all summer long – and the kids played in the water and sand box
Sunday – (9.29.24) – Plan: Run with Vina
actual: played with River first thing in the morning then went to meet Vina for our run. It was about 70° so it felt great but it was quite humid!
As you can see, I couldn’t be bothered taking a pic of my watch and distance outside. So enjoy me posted up on the couch drinking my coffee and see the distance haha!
Once I got home I took River for a little walk and then I was really hungry so I had a protein shake quickly and played Frisbee with him.
Went for quite a few walks around the block with Hazel; picking up leaves, rocks and trying to pet the neighborhood cats.
She was soooo proud to dress herself! Yes, the shirts on backward
In the evening we finally got our new washing machine delivered and quickly installed it and ran a cycle to make sure it worked correctly. It did (yay!) and then started dumping our clothes in because the mountain of laundry had grown so much being out of a washing machine for 7 days 😂 .
We posted up in the shade and had our drinks (Hazel had juice, Hendrix had a soda and I had my water) waiting for the delivery guys
Sad news, my feet (both) have been hurting a lot today and while Tylenol numbs it and makes the pain go away, once it wears off it’s pretty brutal. I gotta figure out another solution because I can’t keep going on like this. I think it’s back to walking and cycling for a bit
Goals: 3 runs, 2 strength sessions (of 45 minutes or more) and mobility work + a cycle session (6+ miles) AND GET GOOD SLEEP! I haven’t slept well in days! I know it is because my fitness was a little off last week and I didn’t wear myself out enough and then the weekend was way too lax.
Predicted Weather:
Monday (7.1.24) – Plan: Strength (pm) Actual: I usually increase the reps for each exercise but the cossack rocks were the only ones I was unable to ever hit 5 each on. I hit a HUGE PR for the cossack rocks and single arm KB squat cleans using a 30 pound KB! That was awesome and so exciting! This workout was a good one and challenging. I should have increased to 30 lbs in the other circuits too.
We went on our customary afternoon/evening walk in the sweltering heat and found toys being thrown out… junk for them, priceless entertainment for us! And Hazel scored a good one – remember the other week me showing you that Hippo piano? Well… She saw this and immediately fell in love.
Tuesday (7.2.24) – Plan: Long run with Vina miles(am) / stretching and mobility+ cycle in the pm Actual: it was brutal out there and a long run just wasn’t doable or smart for today. So we did 7.5ish (more like 7.4 for me) and called it a day.
Wearing: Ryka top that was actually quite nice in this weather and didn’t keep the heat in, Balega shorts with a BUNCH of body glide on inner thighs as these particular shorts are the culprits for some pretty bad chafing. They are my oldest pair! My mom got me two pretty big body glide sticks almost 3 years ago maybe 4 and I’m finally almost done with the second one ha! They last forever and when I actually use them they work wonders! No chafing today.
I decided to give my 1080s another shot… My feet were getting too used to the “rocker” on my other shoes and I realized I needed to switch it up some. These weren’t too bad once I changed my mindset. Last time I kept saying they felt flat – because they weren’t rocking me forward. But they have so much life left in them.
My bruise on my arm is just getting darker and playing with kettlebells won’t let it heal properly.
The beautiful sunset before it really came up lol, but we were fighting for our lives once it really hit and I couldn’t be bothered to take out my phone again and try for the picture. Also my glutes were quite sore during this run! The Bulgarian squats are the culprits I think!!
I don’t mind starting a little earlier and it seems neither doesn’t Vina! It also allows us to get in some more miles if our bodies actually allow it – I could really tell Vina AND Phoebe were struggling today. So was I! The breeze only came a couple times, but when it did … It was glorious!!!
My average pace wasn’t too shabby and my HR – not super stinkin’ high either. Not too bad!! Higher than I want obviously, but glad it wasn’t in the 170s! lol
Lunch (pm) – core work + foam roll/mobility – about 25 minutes of core focused work and then foam rolling and stretching. MY GOODNESS – the foam rolling felt soooooo good!
Wednesday (7.3.24) – Plan: Strength (pm)- I am most likely leaving early today because of holiday traffic so this might happen and it might not! Actual: rest day- I didn’t want to rest, I wanted to go to the gym but I told the family I would only be doing a half day and so I sucked it up and decided to let myself take this day to rest – which really was a great idea in the end because my glutes and legs needed the break! But Hazel and I did walk a couple miles outside in little bits and pieces so I’m guestimating but I know it was at least 1.5 miles!
Once it got dark enough we went out and the boys shot off some fireworks. Some were really awesome! Hazel is still hesitant of the loud noises and didn’t tolerate it very well. But she was excited at first and gave the thumbs up!
Thursday (7.4.24) – Plan: Hoping for a possible long run (am) then family fun for Fourth of July! Actual: I didn’t realize Vina was leaving to go to her family in Indiana so she left Wednesday night. So it was a solo run. And I’m so glad it happened! We even got to bed early, but I actually had trouble falling to sleep – we got in bed around 9:30 and then I probably fell asleep at 10. I’ve found it difficult for me to sleep if I haven’t done a hard activity (like a run or lift)
Weather: okay weirdly, this didn’t feel awful. And there was definitely more than a 1mph wind because some parts felt glorious with the headwind. And I didn’t even get as sweaty as I normally do. Am I acclimating?!!
I feel like I just keep wearing these new balance crops and Reebok shorts but I really like how they are fitting. And the shirt is basically just a long line bra. Anyways – the fit:
I woke up so ready to go! I had a banana, stretched a little and got ready.
The sunrise wasn’t that great, but this one was taken in regular:
This one was “night vision”
I didn’t see ANY runners out there, it was weird. And hardly any cars either. There were these little kittens playing outside before it got too hot. I wanted to take them with me but they ran off. We do have a really really bad stray cat problem around here.
Today felt really easy, and taking the salt tablets helped IMMENSELY. I love getting back at the same time And only having to leave like 15 minutes earlier. Also though, I didn’t have to stop for bathroom breaks haha.
My goal was to try to keep my pace under 11 minutes. Mile 4 was a doozy though haha
Saturday (7.6.24) – Plan: Run Actual: Active Rest Day – took the kids to the park not once but twice! And Hazel learned to go up the ladder to the really tall slides and loved it so much.
Sunday (7.7.24) – Plan: REST Actual: we went on a few walks totalling over 4 miles and also went to the park for nearly 3 hours!!!
Painted nails again
At the park we got a mist and fan bottle – soo nice out there in the heat!
On one of our many walks we found this huge moth. Almost as big as my hand!
This is apparently a dying male cicada… It was as big as my thumb.
Total miles ran: 15.4miles
Total miles walked: 3.9 logged – I know there was more and I gotta make a habit of tracking them.
Goals for the week: 20 miles minimum in 3 runs, strength training 2x, mobility 1x and get yummy Indian food with a friend!
Weather: it is expected to rain and storm Wednesday through Sunday intermittently. So who knows if I will get multiple runs with Vina this week or not.
Monday (6.24.24) – Plan: Strength Actual: I did most of these exercises with a 25lb KB and it was floating. Except on my left side where I feel a little weaker and it shows because I have a bruise on my left shoulder from not handling the weight as well as the right side. But what was really epic was getting complimented by a fellow gym goer who said my form was really good! That was awesome. This had a lot of upper and lower body focus and I only realized 1/2 through that I had asked Vina to go on a long run the next day. So for the last 1/2 of the workout I was in my head going “oh no! I’ve wrecked my legs and I’ll be so sore!” And then went back and forth on quitting. Also, this session I forgot my watch in the car! I think my HR was definitely high as I was pushing myself. It just felt so good today though! Also, after finishing the workout and getting the necessary shower in it started POURING rain. Torrential downpour so my work clothes got soaked.
Tuesday (6.25.24) – Plan: longish run with Vina Actual: Since I wasn’t able to get in any runs this weekend, which to be fair wasn’t too bad. We did a lot of walking and what not, but I just want to get some miles in. Despite destroying legs yesterday I asked Vina if she wanted to go for ~10 day. Our “target” run… Basically the loop around target haha! She’s always game for any mileage so of course she agreed. But it is supposed to be brutal out there, so we will see what gets done!
Weather: Not AS bad as I thought at first… but then it definitely was like uggghhhh and we took walk breaks a couple times.
Fuel: I had my trusty peanut butter with honey on a plain bagel. Was I hungry? Nope, but I know I’ll need this energy for the run that will be taking a lot out of me! Some salt tablets were also put in a baggy.
Feeling: a little tired. Waking up slowly. Legs are a little heavy but warming up felt good and overall not too sore from yesterday.
Pit stop, Vina had to run into the woods and poop! Haha so I just kept my legs swinging so they didn’t get stiff. We were about 7.75 miles in here and my legs were starting to feel the heaviness! I took 4 salt tablets throughout the run. They were fantastic! And I drank a bunch of water.
I drank ALL the water in this! 1.5L of water!
I don’t even care that our pace was high 10s. I’m just glad I got out there! By the end of the run though my toes were rubbing raw.
Also! As I left Vina and ran home there was a dog off leash and it saw me running by and ran full on towards me. My immediate reaction was to stop and turn toward it. I knew not to run away and I was bracing myself for whatever would happen. But I definitely shouted “OH FUUUUUU” (you know the rest) the owner started whistling for the dog and trying to call it back. It stood on the other side of a culvert still barking at me. And a neighbor pulled over as he was driving by and rushed out of his car and was going to help. Then the dog ran back to the owner. I thanked him and he said that dog really is a nice one just, well I wasn’t going to let anything happen. And of course we all say our dogs are nice and mean no harm but they definitely can harm if provoked in any way. That was a huge adrenaline rush!!
Pm- stretching, foam Rolling, mobility work
Wednesday – (6.25.24) – Plan: “sleep in” (am) / Strength train (pm) Actual: Woke up FEELING the soreness from Monday’s workout! And definitely still tired. Ended up taking the day to rest and recover from yesterdays longer run. Not even mad about it. Also, my arms are covered in bruises from the kettlebell!!
upper arm bruise that fits a thumb perfectly haha, but its from the kettlebell. And by my elbow – that is a scar! from River scratching me. You can’t see the bruise on my wrist anymore though
Thursday – (6.26.24) – Plan: Run with Vina (am) / Go out for lunch (pm) Actual: it was risky waking up early but the storms have lately been going around us so Vina and I decided we would just try and wake up and see if it was raining/storming or not. According to the maps there is nothing near us. And I haven’t heard any thunder this morning so we are more than likely good to go! (More than likely – ha!!)
The outfit – New Balance Crop + Reebok (blue) shorts – that I just realized you can see sweat marks and makes it look like you’ve peed yourself 😒 + blue craft endurance pros – might be time to retire these soon.
That blob made its way up to us really quick and by the time Vina said “I’m ready!” I walked outside and there was lightning and thunder rumbling too close for comfort. I immediately called her and said I wasn’t joining and I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to be out either. She already had Phoebe ready to go and they were out the door to see what they could get in (they got 2 miles in and the rain came down hard and they scrambled home). I headed to the treadmill and got in almost 4.5 miles.
This is my first treadmill run in quite a while! Probably 2 months at least? It was kind of nice zoning out and just scrolling through Instagram and listening to music and having a very even pace as well as NO incline 🤣. I wanted this to be easy paced and I kept it at 5.0mph (12min/mi) and it felt fantastic. It was humid as all hell but effort wise this was super easy and easy to maintain forever. I ended up stopping though at 50 minutes because I was hungry and over it. And good thing because it became a monsoon shortly after I finished stretching!
The sweat that bounced off me and all over the treadmill was disgusting – definitely need to bring some towels in there to wipe it down!
I WISH you could see the sweat I accumulated and just how drenched my clothes were. They had to be 3-4 pounds heavy of sweat!
Enjoying a couple sprinkles before the sky completely opened up haha – but it was raining pretty good while on the treadmill so I’m glad I opted to stay inside today. I was on the verge of selling the thing but I’m glad I haven’t just quite yet. It also made a huge difference that last night I said to myself even if it does rain and I can’t run with Vina, I will go to the treadmill and get some mileage in.
Friday – (6.27.24) – Plan: Walk River if weather allows / Strength + Mobility (pm) Actual: Chose to sleep in because I was for some reason just so tired – maybe the Indian food? And then when I tried to go to the gym it was flash flood level raining and I couldn’t get out of my car to get in to the gym!! I swear it didn’t show up on the radar till it was over us! So I turned back to work and didn’t go. Pretty bummed because I could’ve used some strength and mobility work!
Saturday – (6.28.24) – Plan: Run Actual: I thought we would be doing a long run, but Vina was sick last night so we didn’t get in a 10 like we hoped. But we did get in ~7.5 mi! It was raining all night long and then kindly stopped before it was time for us to go.
We definitely felt that humidity… It was thick this morning!
I was peckish and still under the impression we were going for longer so I scarfed a banana and I’m sure glad I did! It was delicious and nutritious 😀
Slooooow slogging miles, it felt like we were shuffling through molasses.
I played with River after our run and the first throw he runs back to me and barrels RIGHT into my shin with the Frisbee. I was cursing up a storm hoppin on one leg because dang!!!! That hurt and nearly wiped my feet out from under me!
It’s funny how the forecast can be so off sometimes, it didn’t rain all day. But dang it was THICK with humidity. So while we played outside some, it wasn’t a ton since it was just so miserable and gross out!
Sunday – (6.29.24) – Plan: REST Actual: We got outside for a few walks in the morning and picked berries. It did rain today and the kids ran through the rain (with no thunderstorms – ha!) and it was fun. But mostly we just hung out and didn’t go anywhere.
We have one sunflower that bloomed! Haha And unfortunately our corn just didn’t make it at all.
I did do some mobility and stretching today which felt great on the hips!
Weekly mileage: 21.40 miles!
I didn’t get all my strength in like I wanted more mobility. Some weeks are better than others 🤷🏻♀️ but I’m glad I got my runs in and I am going to keep working at consistency in the gym with strength! It’s fun to see how much I can increase in kettlebells and barbells!
I am going into this week with a focus on strength training with a side of running. And I think I need to keep it like that till I start some actual race training.
Monday – (6.3.24) – Plan: Run with Vina Extra EZ + Full Body Strength+ extra stretching and foam Rolling Actual: I woke up bright eye and bushy tailed and to be honest a little nervous about the run. I haven’t had any hip pain but I was weary of going out too strong or far! Trust me, I know I should’ve just done like 2-3 miles. But we did 6.3 miles. I kept it slow and easy and I only felt a small bit of pain (like not pain but awareness my hip was there?? Around mile 5.
So, I have this app where it is like video of the workout – but I realized I hate having that play and would like to just look at the screen shot of the workout instead. Then I can add reps as needed, or take a longer break. Today I followed the video and slightly (ok, a lot) hated it. I also had to go down to 20lb KB for this. Everything just felt off. But I powered through till circuit 3 and then dipped out. I did some foam rolling and mobility afterwards.
It was raining and storming pretty much all evening so my plans to be outside and get a walk in with the kids was thwarted. By night though my left hip was definitely inflamed and needing to be rubbed and stretched. I laid out my clothes for a walk in the morning but allowed myself to not go if it was still hurting come sun up.
Tuesday – (6.4.24) – Plan: upper body + core + mobility + walk Actual: my hip wasn’t hurting! So I took River on a 3 mile walk. And it felt great! I was tired when my alarm first went off and I didn’t want to get out of bed at all. But I’m glad I did, it was a great morning and great temperatures! I think it’s supposed to be warming back up in the next day or two, so take advantage of these lower 70’s while we can!
Lunch time workout ended up including upper body and core so I just did this instead of another separate core and upper. And this one definitely ended me 💀I also didn’t do the last set of split jerks. My hands were getting torn up lol. I used a 20lb KB for most, I probably could have done 25. For the last set of Bulgarian split squats I used 35lbs. And I increased a lot of the reps. This took me about ~38 minutes
Wednesday – (6.5.24) – Plan: 45 – 60 min cycling – how far do you think I can go!? + Stretch/yoga Actual: I chose to sleep in this morning and I am glad I did, I woke up and my upper body is sore in the best way! Also, no hip pain to wake up to from yesterdays walk and no pain yesterday evening either.
I went to the gym and did 10 miles in 48 minutes on the spin bike. It was boring, hot and my butt is sore!
I finished off with a good stretch because my legs were tight After this ride!!
Thursday (6.6.24) – Plan: Morning Run + cycle Actual: the weather (last night) showed lightning and thunder storm was supposed to go over us in the morning and I had a really late night paired with bad sleep. So I didn’t wake up early for a run or walk. And I am not that mad about it. Work was unbelievably slow so I left for the gym earlier than usual and did this stability core workout paired with upper body and then 3/4 of the glute workout.
Actually, when I started this glutes workout after the first set of back lunges I literally just stopped my watch and put the kettlebell away. I was like NOPE. Not doing this. And then I stared at the weights for a few minutes just like hmmmm-ing. I ended up going back and getting the weights and did the first two circuits for 3 rounds but I couldn’t muster the energy for the third circuit. I still call this a win though! I didn’t half ass any of my reps. After this I did a 20 minute walk on the treadmill for 1.08 miles.
Friday (6.7.24) – Plan: XT + injury prevention Actual: abs and injury prevention routines. I should have done abs first like last week but I didn’t. So I didn’t finish the whole circuit for abs. I had to go from 10 lb dumbbells to 5 lbs lol and I only did the first round the whole way through and gave up the second round ha!!
Saturday (6.8.24) – Plan: Morning Run Actual: Jesse ended up fishing this morning in Navarre so I switched my run to Sunday. The kids and I had a slow morning with Hazel waking up last around 8am! I got to enjoy coffee and sleep in. #winning
I did about 1.5 hours of weeding before it got too hot and then we tried key word here to go to the park. For some reason Hazel was just not wanting to go at all. Not even to play in the water. But she did agree to go to the store. So we walked around and got berries and fruit and headed home for lunch.
Most of the day was just spent around the house lounging. We played outside intermittently and it was a really pretty day! But ultimately we just lounged and that was kind of the word of the weekend. Lounge!
Sunday (6.9.24) – Plan: REST Actual: It felt like such a long night! But I woke up pretty rested and before my alarm clock. Vina and I planned on trying for 10 miles but neither of us had run since Monday and we both agreed we weren’t going to make it the full 10. So we branched off around mile 6 or so and went our separate ways. We had so much to talk about since we hadn’t seen each other in so long – so funny how that is! It’s really only been about 5 days ha! I love running friends and how no topic is off limits, it’s just constant chatter and it’s so freeing.
This morning was warmish and no breeze. The gnats were out in full force and we had to do a lot of swatting away so we didn’t swallow any or get any in our faces/eyes.
I brought my hydration pack thinking we would do 10 but even so I think if I only had my small waters I would’ve been left quite thirsty. I was also quite drenched in sweat even though I have to be honest it didn’t feel terrible out there!
The rest of the day was spent running around stores and chasing Hazel around Bass Pro Shops and then lounging at home. She wasn’t really interested in going out to the parks. So we walked around the yard, looked at our watermelon growing and colored quite a bit. She also wanted to look at books. Sometimes a slow weekend is just what is needed.
Jesse caught a lane snapper on Saturday!
He blackened it and then we put it in the air fryer for about 5 minutes
Put it on some salad with our homegrown tomatoes and ate it up. (Not pictured because it was too delicious and I gobbled it up) it was sooooooo good! Small fish though, but delicious!
My totals for the week:
Run: 13.7 miles Walk: 4.1 miles Cycle: 10 miles Workout: 2 hours 24 minutes! (Woohoo) Total hours spent: 6.5-7 hrs(?) can’t math this morning
Next week I hope to get in 3 runs and go to the gym 5 days again. 🤞🏽🤞🏽
I have been neglecting stretching and strength training and it’s showing! Definitely need to take a step back on running. So, my body is forcing me to take a break from running and focus on strength, and while yes… I am sad, I needed this. I was neglecting it too much.
Monday – (5.27.24) Happy Memorial Day! I did some bodyweight strength moves and mobility today. Small walk with River and Hazel and lots of gardening.
Tuesday – (5.28.24) – Plan: run with Phoebe and Vina Actual: I had a feeling this hip pain was going to bite me in the butt so I tried a warm up lap around the neighborhood to check. It immediately clocked in at about 3 out of 10 on the pain scale and I knew that by going 6.5-7 miles on it it would definitely escalate to 10/10 like it did on Sunday leaving me hobbling home and gobbling ibuprofen. The weather felt great, not too suffocating (ha!) but I ended up cancelling on Vina and doing some stretching at home… which truly saddened me! But, Hazel ended up waking up VERY early so we got to get some extra cuddle time in on the couch which was really nice.
The outfit – I thought I was ready… I wasn’t! I did .5mi warm up
Looks like the rest of my week will be prioritizing rest and doing strength, mobility and walking during lunch! Good thing I’ve got the gym.
**I forgot how nice people are at the gym! -Story time- I forgot the women’s locker room code! Luckily I recognized some friendly faces and she immediately recognized me and helped out. Sometimes the gym can be scary and intimidating, but when you go at the same time daily and get to know the people there you kind have like your own little click sometimes. Anyway, then I decided I would absolutely kill my legs and burn them out. I did this workout:
I chose to use the 25lb KB and tried one exercise with 20lb to work on form and the 20lb one felt like I was lifting a piece of paper. It was very wild. I increased the reps to failure which happened to be around 10 reps. And I think I only did 2 repeats instead of 3 for the 2 last parts. But I was still toasty and it took 45 minutes! I increased my rest period to 2 minutes to allow me to do better with form. I did some mobility work and foam rolled – my IT band was very tight. Then I hopped on the bike and did 3 miles.
Wednesday (5.29.24) – Soreness update: 3/10 and surprisingly my legs feel FINE. It’s my upper body that is feeling the soreness! That’s awesome Plan: mobility + Core Work – I want to destroy my core, I always chicken out on finishing because I hate core work, but it is so necessary for other strength!
It’s amazing how not following the video instructions and just doing the exercises themselves I actually take longer to do these exercises and I don’t feel rushed.
Jesse planned a fishing trip with Hendrix for some night time fishing, so as soon as I got home they left and Hazel and I were left to our own devices. I had wanted to take her to the park but she had other plans!
She requested I take down my old mini backpack and she was going to catch the bus to get to school. So, off we went walking around the neighborhood to “catch the bus.” Even though I sprayed her down with bug spray she still got bit! So we headed back home after some time outside. I kept trying to get her in the car to go play outside at the park with water (it was 89°!) but she didn’t want to.
Finally I convinced her to go to Target and we had a blast looking at all the fun stuff and putting a ton of non-essential too much money for nothing into the cart. She chose some white cheddar popcorn, a bath toy and water balloons. Oh and she tried to convince me to get her this dog bowl but settled for having a picture taken with it 🤣
Thursday (5.30.24) – Plan: strength and a walk to test out the hip Actual: I completed this unilateral strength minus the dead lift to squat combo because 1. I was exhausted but more so than that I felt like people were inappropriately watching me as I was doing this and it made me uncomfortable.
After my strength, which left me speechless 🤯 I jumped on the treadmill for an incline walk which felt good and I didn’t have any hip pain! To make matters better, it looks like it is supposed to storm all weekend which means I’ll have a few more days of rest for my hip. I really hope to continue this strength training while I restart running.
Friday (5.31.24) – Plan: All about injury prevention today! Going to work on core, knee strength, ankles and calves and feet strength! Actual: I think Friday’s will be all about injury prevention. This line up took an hour to complete! I also decided to do core work first so that I wasn’t too tired at the end!
My left hip – the one that was giving me major problems earlier this week definitely feels weak, so this one and some other hip exercises will be making a recurring return!
Knees also felt a little weak… but I don’t often focus so much on them and now I know really should! For the record, used a 25 lb KB for all exercises needed!
My ankles were by far the weakest of all. It was surprising!!
I am so happy that I got all of this done, felt a little silly doing these out in the open but WHO CARES! I am excited to try to run next week and incorporate running and strength again. No more neglecting strength or mobility ORRRRR stretching. Gotta make time for it so I don’t get sidelined again.
Saturday (6.1.24) – Plan: It is supposed to storm all day, so I think it will be a rest day Actual: while it didn’t storm all day I did still use it as a rest day and as I write this Sunday night I have NO idea what we actually did yesterday haha!
Sunday (6.2.24) – Plan: Long Walk Actual: I tried to get Hazel out of the house 5 times but she wouldn’t. She wanted to just play inside. So tea parties, coloring and watching some Curious George was all that was done. 🤷🏻♀️
Hendrix and Jesse went out fishing and Hendrix caught a monster!
I’m excited to try running again tomorrow and I’ll be making sure I don’t run every single day…. And I’ll be incorporating strength and mobility at lunch time!
Happy to report that there is no more shoulder pain. Just a whole bunch of stress. (Car stress!) Also, I didn’t listen to any books on my trip, but I have continued reading:
Also, if you don’t know.. my ethnicity is Japanese (1/2) and I have ALWAYS leaned more towards that side than my Caucasian side. However, I know next to nothing about my family. These last couple of years I have had a growing interest. And randomly someone on Reddit asked about books on the Japanese Internment camps. Which led me to realize that I might not know the full story of what happened. My grandpa was in one, I think my grandma too (but she passed away before I ever asked, I was only 8 years old).. I had a school assignment and I interviewed my grandpa (aka gramps) and he told me only the good parts. Which made me realize he was shielding me from what really might have happened. So, now I am listening to: “Farewell Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. And it is already so interesting! While I don’t know the timeline of my grandpa’s life, I do know he used his time in camps to learn English, he had recently moved to Hawaii from Okinawa when Pearl Harbor was hit. And after the camps he worked for Lockheed Martin and then had a house with tons of acreage and they raised peacocks, chickens, ducks and had a huge koi fish pond!
Monday – (5.20.24) – Plan: Unilateral Stability, Glutes and Power + Core Work) Actual: car problems came roaring it’s big ugly head yet again and no gym time was made. Instead it was talking to a mechanic and getting information. Dropping off car for work and praying it isn’t too bad. It was pretty bad.
Tuesday – (5.21.24) – Plan: Run 6.5 mi with Vina and Phoebe (morning) + Stretch/Mobility and XT Actual: This run was easy and then it was hard. I never felt out of breath, but my legs were just tired and heavy.
Wednesday – (5.22.24) – Plan: Run 3 mi with River (morning) + Glutes & Core Strength Actual: I was so comfortable in my bed this morning I seriously thought about skipping. But I didn’t. YAY! I wish there was a way for me to take a nap during the day, but honestly I snore so loud (haaaaa) I would never just fall asleep in my office and close the door for 30 minutes.
It felt great this morning.. and also the elevation in the mountains wasn’t that bad (while working out/hiking) either! However, we were going at an extra easy pace and also by the end of the day I was exhausted. So maybe that’s where it was taxing?
Trying to get River back out there, I feel like it’s been weeks…. I was plagued with sickness, then shoulder pain, and then the vacation soooo I guess it has been a couple weeks. He obviously still gets his multiple times a day extra long Frisbee sessions but there’s something about taking him out on a run that hits differently. It’s so fun! I love how he looks up and checks in and it’s like he’s got this big goofy grin on his face. AND we saw deer! He was very skeptical of them and weary ha!
We mixed in walking and running so the pace is slower but I definitely didn’t pay any attention to it. I wanted to try to keep my HR low. And on the way to our destination I kept it at like 135 and then coming back it spiked some. So we did some walking too. I’m just trying to not stay in that gray zone all the time because I’m not doing speed sessions right now and I want to recover from the semi speed ish of Vina runs.
I’m seriously considering getting kettlebells for home. They have a deal going on, but I haven’t bit the bullet just yet. I haven’t been going to the gym, but I think with my limited time this morning I might go to complete my workout. I started doing strength cut it short and cut to this 5 minute ab session.
Thursday – (5.23.24) – Plan: Morning REST + Full Body Strength + XT Actual: today is the first official day of summer break! So I don’t have to wake anyone up and I can kind of set a new schedule for a bit and not have to rush in the morning as much.
I ended up going to run with Vina and honestly my body feels pretty beat up. I felt like I was running through a pool.
Weather (my app updated and I’m not sure I like it yet)
The wind felt spectacular and it really wasn’t that warm out. But my body is just feeling extra heavy and tired from stress I think. So I definitely will prioritize more sleep and probably not do a run for a couple days. I am going to try to get my butt to the gym for some recovery work and strength training though.
I am TIRED today! But I am glad I got up.
I met up with Vina around 1.8ish miles? So our average times being in the low 10s was actually really surprising! I felt like we were crawling!
Lunch time: Mobility work with emphasis on hips, knees and ankles + core work
Friday – (5.24.24) – Plan: Morning run/walk with River + Glute Medius, Hamstrings + Stability Actual: I chose sleep and then I was able to leave at 12:30 to beat holiday traffic. Hazel was asleep when I got home and I decided to lay down too. Once she got up so did I and then we played outside with our foam airplanes and around 4:30 we headed to the park to play in the water. My whole idea was to wear these kids out 🤣 but jokes on me! They stayed up late anyway. Hendrix and I played Donkey Kong for a while and then watched movies and hung out and ate popcorn!
Saturday – (5.25.24) – Plan: REST Actual:
Sunday – (5.26.24) – Plan: REST Actual: the original plan was 8-10 miles, then I saw the weather and thought better of it and then Jesse surprised us with planning a trip to the River. So I knew I needed my energy and couldn’t push a longer run.
But , to be honest, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Like it wasn’t ridiculous. But it kinda was?
I got my hydration pack ready before I knew I was changing the mileage to 6. So I still took it because it’s better to have too much water than not enough!
My left hip was really acting up and after I left Vina I basically just had to walk/hobble home because it was too much to keep running.
After our run we got ready for the river where we spent 4 hours playing! And we brought River because he loves swimming and we brought his Frisbee and he enjoyed swimming and chasing so much. I left my phone in the truck so I took zero pictures! But Jesse caught a couple
We hooked Hazels floaty to River and he pulled across… With a lot of supervision, she had a blast!!!
Hazel was so comfortable in the water (despite the chill still!) she kept just trying to float down on her own, luckily with floaties on, but she just loved every second of it. And afterwards we all slept for 2.5+ hours!!! It wiped us out.
I briefly touched base on the fact that I hurt my back…first things first, when we tried to push the car in, it didn’t want to budge. The e-brake was off and it was in neutral. But the front axle wasn’t in and the dang car didn’t want to BUDGE. I pushed with everything I had, and I did it wrong. We got it moved, I thought I was in the clear, but waking up Monday morning I screamed trying to roll over and I was in 12/10 pain. It was unbearable!
Needless to say, no work for me that day! And no run, no walks, no NOTHING! There was another storm passing through and Hazel fell asleep around 11:30a, I joined shortly after around noon and we slept till 2:30p! (the pain really took a lot out of me!) My mom and aunt arrived around 6pm and we had pizza for dinner and chatted the night away.
Monday – REST – after pushing the car yesterday I felt like I had been run over by a semi truck. My shoulder and back were in so much pain I was crying and yelling any time I had to move. It was horrible. The pain took so much out of me I took a near 3 hour nap.
Tuesday (5.14.24) – Plan: walk with River to loosen things up Actual: we had a lot going on after work. My mom and aunt are in town and Jesse was making a feast, which he needed help with. So I didn’t get to go on a walk with River but we did play Frisbee which helped movement to my shoulder. If I keep myself dosed with ibuprofen I am okay, if I don’t … I am a crying sobbing mess. I feel like I’ve torn something.
Wednesday (5.15.24) – Plan: Run with River 3-4 miles Actual: I didn’t keep up on my ibuprofen and so when I woke up around 1am to try to turn over it was full blown 12/10 pain. I cried a little and got out of bed to ice my shoulder and take pain killers. Obviously I decided there was no way I was waking up extra early to attempt a run. My body needs to sleep to recover. Movement is good, but sleep is too. I did go on a .5 mile walk/run with River to test things out. Still hate the New Balances as they feel so flat and not springy. And my shoulder felt okay for the most part.
I made these little watermelon signs for around our yard since Jesse decided to plant a BUNCH around .. now we know where they all are and won’t accidentally pick them and mistake for weeds haha
After some last minute grocery shopping for the family and a dinner of mashed potatoes (been craving these!) and chicken we settled in for the night and still managed a later sleep than normal. Probably around 10:30 or so we got to bed. I frantically packed and sure hope I brought everything! I always hate packing and feel like I’m forgetting something or packing too much.
Thursday (5.16.24) – Plan: Run with Vina and Phoebe then leave for Pidgeon Forge! Actual: I found the magic potion, take ibuprofen every 4-5 hours so it doesn’t wear off and you’re in pain. So this morning I woke up pain free since I took more around midnight. Unfortunately Hazel got bit up really badly by bugs the other night and has been dealing with a BUNCH of itching. She woke up around 3am furiously itching. I had to give her antihistamine medicine and spray her down with calamine lotion. She struggled to get back to sleep for a while, but she didn’t cry much at all. So, I was definitely groggy waking up. But pain free! (Shoulder and even heel pain)
Weather: the absolute perfect morning for a run – weather was on point!!
Wearing: spanx athletic shorts, Reebok tank + blue craft endurance pro shoes and feetures socks.
The run went so smooth and perfect! The weather was perfect and we made it just under 7.5 miles. My shoulder felt great, heels felt pretty good and hip only felt tight for a moment. Definitely need a hip mobility workout later today.
After the run I got ready for the day and we were off on our road trip by 7:30am! And we with the time change, we didn’t get to the hotel til about 6:50 or so. I slept for a majority of the drive. I was apparently exhausted beyond belief. It was the first time in a long time I could just turn off and not worry about any kids. And my mom and aunt let me just be and I laid and enjoyed every single moment. Of course, when I was awake it was great and we chatted but then I would doze back off. We went out to dinner after we got to the hotel – which was amazing!! This is what our presidential suite looked like!
the kitchen! my mom was facetiming my dad showing him the room too!
view from kitchen looking at living room/dining room
I shared a room with my mom – the black out curtains (currently open) were awesome!
our amazing golf course view!
the jacuzzi hot tub we utilized after our hikes!
Friday (5.17.24) – we woke up around 8 or so and got cracking on getting ready. The weather said that Friday it was going to thunder and shower by 11am, so we were really trying to beat the storm.
Turns out, nothing came! And the “easy” 2.7 mile round trip hike – or what we thought – was really 6.2 miles round trip with 2,000ft elevation! We only brought a little water, no snacks and our smiles. We didn’t realize just how long the hike was and it took us about 3.5 hours to complete.
These were some really cool mushrooms!
We thought we were almost done with the hike because it was ~1.5 miles in and so we were taking pictures hahaha
The picture doesn’t do this justice, but it was like turquoise!
Lots of millipedes! (or centipedes??)
On our way out of the Smokey’s we saw cubs climbing a tree! mama bear was under them watching.
The final destination, there were quite a few waterfalls but this was the big one.
After our hike we went to a delicious deli and had the BEST sandwiches ever. Doesn’t food just hit better after a long hike?! Then we headed back to the hotel to rest for a bit. My mom and I put on our swim suits and sat in the jacuzzi for a while soaking up the hot water. Then we all got the wild idea to try to go to Clingman’s Dome.
As we drove up there though… it got REALLY foggy. And of course it did, it’s the SMOKEY MOUNTAINS!! But it got so bad that we couldn’t see a foot in front of us and it wouldn’t have been worth it going to the top and only seeing white!
So, we stopped at Newfound Gap – where the state lines meet!
Saturday (5.18.24)- We tried doing Chimney Tops Trail, but it was WAY too steep and we were sore from the day before, so we quit.. but still hit a total of 3 miles and around ~700 ft. elevation gain.
Then we went back to Newfound Gap for a pic and up to Clingman’s dome – still foggy up there so I didn’t take a picture haha
Sunday (5.19.24) – the long drive home! Which really turned out to be short. We left around 10am after stopping by the Walmart for the SOFTEST shorts ever and then we went to pick up a bottle of requested Smokey Apple Whiskey and we were off on the road. We got home at 5pm exactly and had dinner with the family and it was fantastic!
Total running mileage: 7.45 miles Total Hiking: ~10 miles and 3,000ft of elevation gain!
After MONTHS of waiting for this book to become available, it finally is!! I really do enjoy easy running and I know for a fact that I run faster than I should with Vina and Phoebe but luckily with River it is a slooooow run. Although, with this humidity rolling in I have noticed our paces decrease dramatically but they could probably decrease more to keep from being sore or tired. I can’t wait to see what I learn from this book!
Monday – (5.6.24)- Plan: Monday morning miles with Vina! Weather:
Wearing: pink tank + balega shorts + wright socks (really really loving this brand! And the price point when you get them at TJ Maxx is perfect)
Feeling: back still hurts and is achy, I really do feel like I am laying on some sort of lump in bed. But I did get some good sleep despite waking up every ~2 hours randomly.
I was on the struggle bus the whole time. But I am happy with the average pace because it felt like I was barely moving. And the street I have to run to meet up with them… I swear it felt like it stretched on and on for 10 miles! I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere at all.
My clothes had to have weighed 7 pounds with all the sweat that I collected! Even Phoebe seemed to be struggling a little on this run!
No strength training for lunch today because I have my car at the mechanic and I will have to rely on someone from work to take me to pick up the car.
A SHORT core routine at night and Hazel made it more difficult by adding resistance (her body weight) ha!
Tuesday (5.7.24) – Plan: 3-4 miles with River + lunch time Strength Actual: I decided that I would run with Vina late last night but I know I still owed Rivs something. So instead of dilly dallying inside waiting to leave I took River out on a ~10 minute / 1ish mile run. He definitely wanted more so I played Frisbee with him and he was somewhat content. I know he wanted to keep running but I knew he wouldn’t make it 6 miles. Heck, I couldn’t even make it 6 full miles haha!
Weather: spring is officially over and it is the beginning of summer! Vina says that this is basically how it was summer running last year because I mentioned I don’t think I can cut it if it gets to 80+ in the morning with 95% humidity! I felt like I was just bleeehhhhh the whole run!! Also, the sun came up/first light at 5:30! We were SHOCKED when it started getting light out so early.
Wearing: blue senita tank + spanx flowy athletic shorts + wright socks + new balance 1080s – also, I feel like I need bug spray but ALSO it would literally slide off of me so quickly and I don’t want to sting my eyes, so I don’t know what to do about that.
Kayaks are back in the garage lol
Gotta be honest, the new balances are no longer my favorite shoes to run in. They feel quite flat and bulky now. And they only have like ~150 miles on them, but there’s just no spring and my heel hurts in them pretty badly.
Had to take a picture of the beautiful clouds today! Man it was pretty 😍
First Run- warm up with Rivs. Feet were definitely feeling it but once I warmed up they stopped hurting.
Run with Vina and Phoebe – also Vina got a new puppy! Same kind as Phoebe! Mini Aussie Shepard I think?? Surprised average pace was even in the 10s as it felt mind blowingly hard and slow just running through heavy heat.
My left heel started really hurting, I was out of water (for some reason the water fountain wasn’t working and I couldn’t fill up!) and I was just so over it. So I did a run/walk combo and just tried my hardest to make it home. It was a rough one.
Wednesday (5.8.24) HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSE! REST DAY maybe a cross train lunch time. Maybe not?!?
Thursday (5.9.24) – Plan: Run with Vina and Phoebe + lunch time Strength
Yesterday and today are rest days. My body NEEDS it. It’s screaming for it. I slept so well last night but during the day I could barely breathe through my nose. I’m sure this is partly allergies but also partly sickness. I’ve been doing these early morning runs for almost a month now and the mileage climbed and quickly with really no set back weeks. Minor ones but I was still pushing it (for me). So I skipped the run this morning which Vina filled me in it was basically her and Phoebe crawling because it’s 80+ and 90% humidity … EW.
Hazel has started requesting we color before bedtime and I am here for it!! We had to get her special markers that only mark on certain paper because she loves trying to write on her hands and feet and furniture 🤣 I didn’t want to keep telling her no and have marks all over the place (mostly herself, she would literally draw on her face too) so these markers even though a tiny bit more expensive help so much. We have special blank paper and also bluey colored paper which we have been really getting in to! I love that she has been making into a little routine. She likes winding down watching bluey and miss. Rachel, then coloring and then she will very reluctantly let me change the show to an animals documentary in which we will both pass out quickly to.
Friday (5.10.24) – Plan: Run with River
There was quite a storm that passed over through the night into the early morning. I woke up around 4am and it was still going on so I turned off my alarm and slept in late. I think my body really needed these days off and it’s important to give it that rest and recovery. When I went to let River out it was actually crisp! It made me wish I tried to get out but I knew it wasn’t safe . Just the temperature was so much lower and it looks like it might be the case tomorrow too! So I’m hoping to get in a run. There was a lot of wind and some of Hendrixs school was damage (poor quality pictures because Hendrix decided to zoom in x10)
Portable classrooms Hendrix is in because they are expanding the school
The awning cover for the car drop off/pick up line also got taken off
Saturday (5.11.24) – Plan: a beautiful morning can’t wait to go run! Vina and I set out for 9-10 miles !
Everyone slept in so late that after my run with Vina, resting and coffee I took River out for a small run for .9 miles. My hip was tight, so I couldn’t keep going.
Sunday (5.12.24) – Happy Mother’s Day! Today we just hung out, it wasn’t super warm and it was mostly a chillax day. I took River and Hazel on walks and some bike rides this weekend, but no more runs. I took a great nap and Jesse worked on the car more. I tried helping him push it in the garage and everything felt fine… till the next morning and I really messed up my shoulder and back!
Bike Rides to the park ~1.1 Walks – .75mi with River and Hazel in the evening
Totals: still managed 23.31miles – which for taking so much time off, I will take it!
I think this will be a cut back week and I most likely won’t be doing a long run this weekend because I am hoping that the weather is good for Jesse to fish. He has been patiently waiting for good weather and the truck to work. I told him he could take any or all the days this weekend. It is only fair. Also, goal for the week, TWO 30 minute strength sessions and lots of stretching. ALSO, prioritizing RESTTTTTTT. I am tired. (This was written on Monday, and now editing on Friday and I don’t know if I prioritized rest so well during the week)
Alsoooo back on my chick lit books:
Monday – (4.29.24) Plan: run with Vina and Phoebe Actual: absolute exhaustion but since the girls were counting on me I woke up and did it. The first .6 miles my heel was hurting quite a bit – I think it was from wearing old shoes while weeding on Saturday.
Me – literally wanting to sleep instead of run
Monday Lunch: 30 minute strength + stretch Actual: I made myself go to the gym even though I didn’t want to AT ALL. And I didn’t do the whole workout but I did 3/4 of it and for today, that’s good enough. I also included in some core work that left me good and tired!
Tuesday (4.30.24) – Plan: 4-5 miles with River + lunch time cycle Actual: it was storming this morning so I turned off my alarm and decided to sleep in as much as I could. I was absolutely exhausted last night and I didn’t want to force myself out of bed. Besides when I did that last week I still managed to get in a bunch of miles! Ha
River, of course, was upset but when I finally got up it wasn’t raining so he got to play extra hard. And the sky was awesome! Today I turned into a complete rest day. My body needed it.
I loved how the sun was lighting some of the clouds this morning! Had to capture it
This is just one little branch from our pear tree, but there are dozens more pears all over that just keep growing and growing! I am not sure how long it takes for them to ripen and be ready though. This is our first year it has fruited!
Here are the corn rows Jesse planted from seed. And we hope to have rows on either side of the corn “plot” with TALL sunflowers!
Wednesday (5.1.24) – Plan: REST / 4-5 miles with River boi Actual: It was going to be a rest day if I went out yesterday but since I didn’t this morning it was on. And oh my… it was FOGGY.
Wearing: bright green shorts + black tank + pro compression socks + pink craft ultra shoes
Ok- so kind of a scary story… it was foggy and very dark. Luckily I had River with me though. We were running, not even a .5mi from home and there was a guy dressed in all black walking towards us, but staying in the shadows and no flashlight or anything. No, he was not out for a leisurely stroll or a run. He was in a beanie, black sweatshirt and black baggy pants. (It was HUMID this morning so no one should’ve been that covered up) I saw him coming towards us because a passing car lit him up. I moved River to the other side of a culvert to give space so River didn’t jump. The guy instantly mirrored our move to stay in front of us. I moved again, so did the guy. Eventually at the last moment we swerved to the other side and passed him quickly and the guy couldn’t move too. He turned and kept watching us as we passed. That was a bad feeling and bad intentions were coming from him. I kept turning around to make sure the guy wasn’t following us, but when I did see him as we passed he quickly got on his phone as if to call someone. So after that I was spooked and watched every single car pass by to make sure no one was slowing down. I was originally planning an out and back route but instead we detoured and went a different way so there would be no chance of running into that guy again. The only unfortunate part was there were no longer any water stops on the route for Rivs. I will not be another female runner attacked and killed. I am very thankful I had River with me. River ran 3 miles straight and then 1.5 miles walk home. Poor guy was tired and thirsty at the end.
Also – after that whole interaction happened my phone started turning off randomly and wasn’t working so I wouldn’t have been able to call for any help. That made it worse! ANNND there was a gentleman standing in the dark (later I found out with his dog) but just standing there on the sidewalk and so I moved to the other side of the road. Tried to say hello, but he didn’t respond but when I saw the dog I realized he was trying to control the dog to make sure it didn’t pull him to us. IT WAS A CREEPY morning!
Thursday (5.2.24) – Plan: 6-7 miles with Vina and Phoebe+ 30 minute Strength (afternoon) Actual: woke up this morning with some sharp pain in my upper back. Did a good mobility session to loosen it up and took Tylenol for the extra bits of ouch. It helped loosen it up but still hurts a bit.
Looks like this morning is just as foggy as yesterday!
Feeling: I wish I had a little more sleep and my back wasn’t hurting so badly. You know when you have like a wad of blanket or something you’re laying on wrong? That’s kinda what it feels like. Also I have to up my intake in caffeine because I nearly fell asleep while driving home from work yesterday! I only had a cup of coffee in the morning and by 3pm I was dragging, but more than just dragging when I was driving home. It was not good! Quite unsafe.
Wearing: Reebok bike shorts + ryka crop top + wright socks + pink craft ultras
Fuel: energy shot acai electrolyte drink
Running towards Vina was the thickest part of the fog. Couldn’t see more than 8 ft in front of me. So my head was on a swivel – as best it could be for my neck and upper back being tight! My heels gave me a little stubborn pain but they loosened up and stopped complaining a couple minutes into the run. As the humidity creeps up though, I’ve realized I need to carry my phone in something, probably a ziplock bag AND like in my waist belt because today I just kept it in my pocket and when I took it out to listen to music on my way home it was drenched and there was a message saying “insert sim card.”
My clothes were properly drenched. And also since I didn’t wear a hat sweat dripped into my eyes which was annoying! So I’ll definitely be wearing my hat from now on. I kind of really want a ciele hat! But I don’t know if I will look good in those. They are funky though.
I really like my splits! I didn’t realize Vina and I sped up, we split at Mile 5. And I think I might’ve forgotten to pause my watch when Phoebe took a long poop (mile 3) but oh well! Like this trend of moving faster despite me feeling like dying haha – I know there’s a lot more downhill on the way home and I try to use the momentum to carry me faster but sometimes its just hard to keep moving.
Friday (5.3.24) – Plan: 5-6 miles + Mobility Actual:
Weather:
I had a pretty iffy night of sleep, I kept waking up every 1-1.5 hours and would just lay there till eventually nodding off. But it never really felt like deep sleep. So when my alarm went off I pretty easily just got out of bed. Yes, I was a little tired but with no long runs planned this weekend I needed to make the most of today.
Wearing: spanx athletic shorts, under armor shirt, wright socks and craft endurance pro shoes
It was shockingly WARM this morning, humidity only started effecting me after mile 2 and I enjoyed running with my hat. It kept the sweat away for the most part and I didn’t overheat.
His inability to just stay still is astounding
It wasn’t as foggy as the last couple mornings but we still stayed off the other route I usually do with River. I brought a water bottle for River and that seemed to help him a lot! He still struggled after mile 2.5 though. I am thinking of getting him a little bandana thing that keeps dogs cool. Overall, 10/10 run! It was great to just be present (no music at all) and run and move my body. Also, my shoulder loosened up after a very freaky IG reel popped up on my feed showing me how to loosen a shoulder when it feels really tight. And dang it! It worked.
It’s nice that River is a slower runner because it really makes me take it easy. 😉
I made it to the gym today, it felt like I was being drawn there and I wasn’t forcing myself! Which was a great feeling. I used a 40 lb barbell!!! And 20lb kettlebell (I think, I can’t remember now -ha!!) but I think it was 20. It moved pretty easily. I changed hollow rocks to planks. This was a GOOD one. Lotsa sweat. Which kinda sucks since I just washed my hair this morning and I wasn’t trying to get that sweaty.
Saturday (5.4.24) – Plan: Driving to Pensacola to get chickens!! Actual: Right as we all packed into the car and I tried turning it on, 3 different service lights came on… Then it wouldn’t switch into reverse, then it was shaking and rumbling like it was ready to die. So we definitely couldn’t make it to where we wanted to go, it would’ve been especially bad if we broke down WITH the chickens since it was getting hot and humid FAST. so we mixed the plan and got to figuring out what was wrong. I need to have it serviced at the dealership and that’s going to happen on Monday. So for the rest of the day… We cleaned 😞 and there was a lot of cleaning and work to be done
I was able to steal a TWO hour nap! I feel like I am catching up on sleep for waking up and running so early during the week. My legs were also feeling the workout I did yesterday!
After the nap, Jesse decided to pack up to fish that night since Sunday looked like it could be windy. So when he left me and the kids went to the park to play in the water and then came home to clean up and have dinner. When we finally got to sleep (10:30 😩) we had the deepest best sleep ever.
Sunday (5.5.24) – Plan: Jesse is fishing Actual: I woke up before everyone else and enjoyed a nice slow morning. I did sleep in til 7am! So I call that a major win! I played with River and then came inside and the kids woke up. They had a quick breakfast and then I dragged them all out for a ~2 mile walk with River before it got too hot. It was huuuuuumid. Summer is here. After the walk, I had to do a gazillion dishes and then run around after hazel. And we went on an almost 2 mile bike ride, had lunch and then took another glorious nap! I think the humidity is sucking our energy up because these naps are on another level of wonderful.
We had a fend for yourself dinner and popsicles in the evening outside while the kids ran around in the yard
Total running mileage: 19.93 (so close to 20!!)
Total walking: 2.51
Total bike: 1.89
Not too bad for a week with no long run and all the early wake up calls. And the humidity absolutely skyrocketing AND getting in some much needed naps on the weekend ANNNNNND two strength sessions!
While I have consistently (for the last 4+ years) have had a working title of the week and the year, I am considering doing other titles…. Possible titles for this week: 1. I am tired, but I will run! 2. Pollen is killing me! 3. School is almost over which means summer is near! 4. The spring is spring-ing! 5.My head is POUNDING – will my brain fall out? 6. My legs feel like 1000 year old tree stumps! 7. The week of all runs outside and no strength
Goals this week: warm up and stretch for each run!
Monday (4.22.24) – Plan: run 7-8 miles with Vina Actual: Unfortunately I got an early morning text from Vina that one of her kids got sick in the middle of the night and couldn’t make it. I feel like if this were a couple months ago I would’ve been bummed and just either gone out solo and bummed or resorted to the treadmill. But instead I laced up and took River out. He was so ready to go too and so excited! I am trying to space out his runs since he is just getting back into it, but I think he’s doing just fine. He kept a great pace today. A little slower than I wanted, but he is doing really good!!
We had a little cold front come through yesterday and it lingered today which was nice to run in. I just wore a light weight jacket and shorts since there were some chilly winds also coming through. Btw.. best purchase I’ve made is the dog running leash I got a couple years ago from Stunt Puppy!
These splits are from our run. Not too bad!
I tried taking him home after our 4 miles to get in a couple solo miles, but he didn’t want to leave me. So after some water and food at home he came out again, but as newbies are (😂) he couldn’t hang on for long. It was an A+ for effort! I was basically dragging him along as he was falling behind after a .5 mi.
After we hit 1 mile I let him do a cool down walk, which let him sniff everythinggggg… One of his favorites! Ha!
Total mileage: 5 miles The evening was dedicated to helping Hendrix practice his Neil Armstrong speech AND we went on a little walk and Hazel ran. I think she ran about .4 miles total and then we found a new kitty for her to love on and we were stuck on the sidewalk for about 10 minutes (I forgot to track our walk/run)
Tuesday (4.23.24) – Plan: 6-7 miles with Vina Actual: 8.29miles avg pace 9:50min/mi Weather- just those couple degrees difference between this morning and yesterday were big ones. My legs were red and numb.
Wearing: long sleeve moisture wicker + spanx athletic shorts + wright socks + blue craft shoes + hat – have you tried wright socks?? I REALLY like them and recently found them at TJ Maxx for $5-6 (normally they are $15ish) and I LOVE them!
*the weirdest thing happened last night, my watch and the oven clock (that we use all the time to tell time – ha!) both went out of sync/ the time changed. I didn’t notice my watch till this morning but the clock said 8pm last night and I didn’t second guess it, so I told Hendrix it was time for bed. 15 minutes later I check my phone for the time as I’m walking out to put River away and say “omg it’s only 7:30!” 😐 Thennn this morning as I’m warming up for my run my watch says 4am!! And I’m like WAIT WHAT!! I know I woke up at 4:30?! So I manually change the time on my watch…. Then during the run I look down and I’m about to tell Vina I’m running late and gotta head back because my watch says 6:20am and she’s like “it’s only 5:50” and then we check our phones and 5:50 is correct. THENNNN at the end of my run I sync it to my phone and Garmin and Strava both say I ran it YESTERDAY AT 4:30PM. I restarted my watch, resynced it to the phone and so far it has stayed the correct time and date!
Back to the run:Right as I headed out the door I threw on another jacket because it was CHILLY OUT. This made me warmer but also cold because I had cold sweat now running down my back. My legs were rather numb for most of the run but the company was good.
Loving the splits and that I was picking up the pace – mostly I was encouraged by getting inside to be warm and hot coffee ha!
After this run I had a hot coffee and was running quite behind so I didn’t shower till later – which I think was a bad idea! It’s like I have a super stuffy nose all of a sudden and I should have gotten out of my cold/wet gear. 😦
Today, was the history presentation, so I went into work late:
Clara Barton, Queen Elizabeth I, Mohammad Ali, Neil Armstrong, Julius Caesar ( I think) and Elvis Presley – from left to right
Wednesday (4.24.24) – Plan: 3 mile easy run/walk with River in the morning and cycle + strength in afternoon Actual: I had every intention of getting up around 5am for a nice little walk possible run with River. But all day yesterday I battled sneezing and stuffed up nose due to pollen. (it was so out of control, a lot of people at work and even Vina said how much it was effecting them!) It left me utterly exhausted yesterday and I was still stuffed up all day so by 8pm when I was falling asleep on the couch. Then, as I woke up a few times in the night my head was pounding so hard it was just a ROUGH night. I knew I needed even that little extra hour of sleep and waking up to force activity wasn’t going to help me in the long run. Then, I didn’t go to the gym…. I am really feeling like I am fighting something and kind of thought I would overdo it if I did strength – but I probably needed to do it 😒
After dinner, taco salads – yumm!! We took River on a walk. It was just over a mile and while slow moving it was nice and relaxing. Despite all the pollen, I love the temps right now! It’s perfect and not too hot and humid and not freezing cold – although as long as it’s not windy the cold doesn’t bother me that much…
Thursday (4.25.24) – Plan: Long run ~10 miles Actual: the 8.3 miles on Tuesday WIPED me out so I did let Vina know that I was only doing our normal 6-7 mile route. (which I enjoy that this is our average mileage for a random day because if I were to run on the treadmill during lunch I would only be at like 4-5 miles and then done)
Weather jumped up 12° or so from the last morning (Tuesday) we ran so there was a lot of elbow sweat!
Wearing: balega shorts + lightweight long sleeve top + bomba socks + new balance 1080s
Feeling: I definitely feel more rested but I’m still struggling. I can’t put my finger on it, it’s showing up as lack of motivation but there’s something else there. But the only thing getting me out the door was knowing that Vina and Phoebe were going to meet me and I was getting impatient last night over very little things.
During the run: I felt really heavy- my legs and just me in general, I was very puffy. My left heel hurt pretty bad until I warmed up about a mile in but I nearly turned around and called it quits. My left calf also was feeling a little strained and just in general I couldn’t lift my legs, so I felt like I was shuffling. I have neglected all strength training and cross training this week, I have only done my morning runs and then been a lump on the chair at work. So that could be partly the reason I am not feeling like myself. Also, I haven’t been eating to fuel my body very well – so there’s some factors! Crazy how so many factors go into feeling well. Makes me wish I just made better choices in general with eating and then I would feel amazing all the time! lol – live and learn!
I ended up walking about .4ish miles home because I couldn’t lift my legs any more! Once I hit the final hill I just had to stop. It was like enough is enough. – total mileage today was 6.4 miles
In the evening we went on another little walk which was fun. (love when the kids request the walk!) And the only way to get Hazel to hold hands crossing the street was if she held onto Rivers leash on one side while I held the side closest to him – in the event he unpredictability ran! -no picture because I left my phone at home
Here are some more greenhouse/plant updates! Our fruits and veggies are coming along and some blackberries have become ripe, but still waiting on cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and others to ripen up!
Jesse added in a window for crosswind – which helps so much to keep it cooler in there too!
Friday (4.26.24) – Plan: REST / XT Actual: I had no intention of running today. Well, a small one, because I set out clothes JUST in case I woke up and I’m glad I did. River ended up waking me up just after 5am and instead of crawling back into bed I just got up and got dressed. Things were going great… until they weren’t! He swerved in front of me and did a dead STOP. I smacked my left shin right into his head. He seemed completely un-phased, but I was nearly knocked down. I ended up hobbling over to the water fountain really quite worried I wasn’t going to make it home. But, luckily after a couple minutes the pain went down and I jogged it home. We really did seem to be going MUCH slower on the way home. We did 3.15 miles *also happy to report that my heels felt much better today!
Love the way he looks at me
Saturday (4.27.24) – Plan: 8-10 mi with Vina Actual: It was Phoebe’s birthday today! So mileage was the utmost importance.
Woke up to a great temperatures, not too warm and not cold at all. And not too humid. We got some good breeze at times as well! And the sky lighting up earlier and earlier is welcomed while running but not when I want to sleep in – ha! River woke me up 5 minutes before my alarm, and then whined when he found out I wasn’t taking him with. (I played a good game of Frisbee after the run though so he isn’t too sad!)
Wearing: blue crop top tank + balega shorts + green plantar fasciitis feetures socks + craft endurance pro (blue shoes) – I have really been liking the cushion on these!
Feelings before run: ready! I hydrated with some caffeine/electrolytes and water and ended up not eating because I had a late PBJ for dinner and I really didn’t feel like I could stomach anything else. I did bring along a gel to fuel just in case but ended up not using it.
Warm up- I finally found my resistance band – I swear I turned my gym bag inside out but there it was this morning sitting under my towel in my bag! So I was able to properly warm up my glutes and feet today and did some core strength as well.
Vina ended up choking on a bug, I ran into a hanging telephone wire….which scared the 💩 out of us! I screamed, she screamed … We both jumped! It was pretty funny actually. I’m sure there’s a good heart ratespike during that time! And then we ended up going down a way we’ve been before but have avoided because that one time that dog got aggressive and we didn’t know if it would chase us! I was super hesitant. We still saw him, but he was sleeping! And we ran really quietly by him. Vina saw he was on like a cable at least but we still didn’t run back that way – ha!! As much as we both love dogs, we aren’t gonna be messing with them if they are mean and aggressive.
Coffee + breakfast+ 3.5 hours of weeding (yes… 3.5 hours!!!!!!!!) 😩😅 we had lunch and then Hazel fell asleep and I showered and laid down to rest and apparently fell asleep (rightfully so!) for about 45 minutes. Then we got up and had some snacks and packed up to go to the park. Hazel wanted to play IN the car and today, I was okay with that. It meant I just had to sit there and relax while she pretended to drive.
She insisted on seat belts as well
Sunday (4.28.24) – Plan: REST Actual: I woke up and my legs were pretty much like dead tree stumps. I knew it wasn’t from running it was all the weeding. Also, I only was able to sleep in till 6… But I told myself better than waking up at 4am like I have been! So in reality I DID sleep in! Ha! I laid in bed trying to go back to sleep til about 6:30 – Jesse got up at 6 (which is unlike him) but I guess he said his lower back was hurting. So I laid there and waited for him to get coffee ready 😂 my only day to do that! I woke up and started drinking coffee and ended up doing a little mobility routine to help with the soreness and whattaya know… It worked really well!
Once Hazel woke up and we went outside for a bit I tossed her in the stroller and we took River on a 2 mile walk. It was a beautiful day but the wind was gusting again!
After that we played more and then headed to the park for a couple hours.
Had lunch, bathed River and watched Peter Pan and fell asleep for a delicious nap!
Went grocery shopping and then cleaned the dishes I put off ALL weekend lol and made cheeseburgers and onion rings for dinner! Plus I have been craving chocolate chip cookies and I ate like 5 huge ones.
Fell asleep around 9:15pm. Honestly, I think the weeding from Saturday took me out more than any of the miles this week!
Total running mileage: 32.2 miles Total walking: 4.5 miles 1 mobility session 0 strength training 0 cycling
The goal for next week: find the balance between running, strength & cross training
Pear tree update: look at the little pears growing!!
GOALS FOR THE WEEK: At least TWO strength training sessions, ONE mobility session and ONE cycle session.
Monday- 4.15.24 – Plan: run 60 minutes with Vina and Phoebe Actual: I thought it was going to be a little warmer, or feel warmer but it was a little chilly. In the end it was nice wearing a tank top – ha! I always try to remember the running rule, dress like it is 10 degrees warmer.
I really felt like I was flying the first two miles going to meet Vina – despite legs feeling like lead. But I was only going average pace 10:10 lol.
I love how a run makes me SO HAPPY in the morning.. or really any time of day – ha!
Monday Afternoon: STRENGTH TRAIN! Actual: At first I thought I forgot a SHIRT AND SPORTSBRA… and I was about to be so upset with myself.. but luckily I had a both! So, off I went.. I told myself all I needed to do was complete this 30 minute workout and then I was done.
I really like these unilateral workouts despite not being that good at them. I keep working at it though – and since last year I have increased my KB weights so that is a huge plus. The first circuit I used 40 lb barbell for the front squats, did 8 box jumps and used a 20 lb KB for the cleans and did 8 each time/each side. Circuit 2 I moved down to a 30 lb barbell because I definitely didn’t think I could do 40lb for the RDL’s! Circuit 3 – I remember when I could barely do a reverse nordic, but now? I can go pretty low! So that is quite cool.
I haven’t been properly stretching AT ALL after runs, and I feel stiff. So I did this foam rolling workout which WOW, it all hurt so good! and then I did a little mobility afterwards and stretched some more.
Tuesday – (4.16.24) – Plan: 30-45 minute run with River Actual: Basically everything that could have gone sideways Monday night did – AC went out, River barked at every moving leaf, grass, armadillo, frog resulting in really poor sleep and I cancelled the run. In a way, probably for the best as I was really sore from the run and workout from yesterday!
When I got home Hazel was playing in the sprinkler and then she helped me water some of the trees.
Jesse and Hendrix planted corn!
Hazel watched quietly as Hendrix watered.
This is a bell pepper! I am so excited, it is going to get huge!
Wednesday – (4.17.24) – Plan: Strength + 6 mile bike ride Actual: our AC and the house fan were out for most of the night and I never realized how much I count on that white noise to help me sleep! I felt like I was up for most of the night, but I wasn’t going to let poor sleep stop me from a run today. I did it yesterday, but not today!! Plus, I owed River a run! It was warm all night and into the morning.
It wasn’t too warm outside, and we started earlier than normal, around 4:45a because I just wanted out the door!
Wearing: bright green shorts (Walmart brand)+ black gap athletic shirt (from 10+ years ago!) + pink balega socks + blue craft endurance shoes + hat to keep bangs and sweat out of my face! *I really like this bright green, so easy to be seen!
We kept it real easy pace, but it seemed to be taxing on River – or maybe it was humidity and the lack of consistency in running? This is only week 2 of him running with me again – ha! But I have been doing longer Frisbee sessions with him to keep up his leg turnover and trying to walk him more/longer. Anyway, we saw a couple cats and a few dogs with their owners out there, stopped at 2 water fountains and found a mini free library. You know, the ones where you can take a book and give a book for free? I almost brought one home but decided against it…. for now. By the way! I’m reading (actually reading and not just listening but I wish they had a listening option since I don’t have as much time to sit and read and this would be fun to listen to WHILE running)
These were our splits. Mile 2 is actually going up a tiny incline so that’s cool! But he petered out quickly after that.
We ended up walking another .75mi home because he refused to run any more.
I did this 30 minute workout that absolutely destroyed my glutes and then did an extra 5 minutes of core work from another routine.
Early evening Home Depot (and Harbor Freight) run… hazel had a blast running down the aisles and following Jesse around and helping get supplies. Possibly the cutest duo ever – while in Harbor Freight she “lost” Jesse and was shouting out “dada! Where are you? Dada!!” And my heart melted… I remember when Hendrix and I used to shout for Jesse in the stores because we lost him, its such a cute memory.
Thursday – (4.18.24) – Plan: Run with Vina ~75 minute run Actual: another exciting morning running with Vina!
Wearing: neon green new balance crop top + navy blue Reebok shorts + gray bombas + pink craft endurance ultras + a hat to keep the flyaways at bay!
Feeling: I finally got some decent sleep last night so I feel really rested and ready! But body also doesn’t feel as stiff as I thought it was going to be from yesterday’s strength.
The run: I felt like I was running through swamp water, it was 91% humidity
Friday – (4.19.24) – Plan: Cycle + Mobility
Actual: Hendrix was invited to a birthday party and we decided to make it a family night to get out of the house. Plus, I really needed a rest day. For lunch I had to go shopping for the present which resulted in the much needed break.
We let Hendrix run around like a crazy kid with the others and didn’t “police him” too much and he got to play laser tag, go bowling, eat cake and pizza. Our original plan was for us to bowl after the party too, but Hazel was too over stimulated and only managed to hang on for the 2.5 hours we were there.
This driving game didn’t work at all, but she sat here for 30+ minutes shifting gears and turning the driving wheel.
She hopped off the bike pretty fast when it turned on and wanted nothing to do with it ha!!
But if we didn’t make it “go” and it was at her own will, she was willing to sit on it and play
This dino shooting game was ONLY for her and Dad. Not me. At all.
The necklace she is wearing is part of her Moana costume, but she wouldn’t wear her dress out – only the necklace.
Her last major activity, besides literally running EVERYWHERE was putting the rocks into a bucket and sorting them.
Saturday – (4.20.24) – Plan: 8-10 miles Actual: took the kids to a couple parks and played then Hazel fell asleep pretty quickly at lunch time and I got to lay down for a rest as well. Grocery shopping and playing commenced after nap time.
Sunday – (4.21.24) – Plan: REST Actual: 2.5 mi run with River and Hazel plus a .5mi cool down walk. We were running against some REALLY strong winds too!
Airing out the house from the bacon we were cooking. But he does this stance way more than he should 😂
We never and I mean never take family pictures, so I’ve been taking really random ones where no one else is looking but me – ha!!
Total running mileage: 19.8 miles Total walking mileage: 1.21 mi with River Total strength: 1 hr and 16 minutes (2 sessions) Total stretching/mobility – 15? minutes 😂 (foam roll + a little stretch Sunday)
Monday (4.8.24) Total Solar Lunar Eclipse Day Plan: Strength training plus cycling – I did not want to go to the gym, but I knew I really needed to. I used 20lb KB for most of the exercises except I used 35 lb for he power cleans in circuit 2. I also did a 15 minute (3 mi) bike ride and it felt really difficult.
my calves were poppin’
Tuesday (4.9.24) -Plan: 45- 60 minute run outside hopefully with River! Actual: weather was looking prime!
Wearing: Reebok shorts + gray tank + wright socks (I really like these socks! They are so soft!) + blue craft shoes
*running outside really just hits differently! Also maybe because it’s the first thing I do in the morning and it is just nice. ALSO I’m extremely grateful that Hazel sleeps in and doesn’t wake up crying while I’m out so there is NO guilt to me going out to run. I’m so happy that guilty season is behind us. When she nursed I was always worried to leave because I didn’t want her crying for milk in the morning and waking everyone up. Now, she sleeps in til 7:30-8am every day! So I get my run in, shower and get ready and still have coffee to myself.
For how untrained River is most times, he’s a surprisingly really good runner. He hardly pulls and he stays close by. I woke up this morning and got ready and we headed out just before 5am. Vina drove all night from Texas back home so I knew she wasn’t meeting us. We ran around my old stomping area and ran down to a park (1.5 miles away) where we stopped for water and then back up and to another park about mile away. River managed about 3.6 miles and then I let him walk it home. It was really nice and relaxing and I loved how I wasn’t as on edge as I would be running alone. Crazy things happening in the world and I just feel like we gotta really stay vigilant. But not many people will mess with someone with a big (90+ pound) dog.
Don’t mind the messy a$$ garage!! Lol and I finally got NEW batteries in my vest
Treat bribe so he took a picture with me
Our shadows… We saw a few people out walking but not many. It was such a a nice morning too! River did great and didn’t get in anyone’s faces… He loves giving kisses if you’re nice but he listened and stayed off of them.
He took his job of easy running pace really seriously lol.
Walk home .mileage
Wednesday (4.10.24) – Plan: 45 minute run + mobility Actual: well, well well…. The weather took this one away from me! We were under thunderstorm and tornado warnings in the afternoon and I didn’t make it to the gym. It was also way too dangerous to EVEN DRIVE HOME and I had to stay at work and take shelter.
Thursday (4.11.24) – Plan: 60 min EZ run outside Actual: I was planning originally to run with River this morning, but then Vina texted asking to run. Which works out perfect since I really want to ease him into running slowly and not too fast. Tomorrow I plan on taking him for a run in the morning. *Written at 4:30am*
Weather:
At 4:45am I got a text from Vina saying one of her kids was throwing up and we had to rain check it. Obviously I was already up and still ready to go. So, River got tagged in! He was so excited too. And it was a great morning, at first I thought it would feel too warm and I didn’t want to push him into too humid of weather too quick. But it was perfect, and there was a lot of good gusts of wind. Also, I was feeling really slow and clunky today so River enjoying a slower pace was really nice. Vina and Phoebe are little speed demons and I don’t think I would’ve hung on long. About 2 miles in (after a stop for water 1 mile in) River literally just stopped and sat. His way of telling me he needed some water. 🤣 But it was the cutest thing. So I gave him some sips from my bottle and promised him within the next mile we would be at a park and getting more water. And off we went. There were quite a bit of debris in the road and on the sidewalk from the heavy winds and rains yesterday but with my flashlight from my phone it wasn’t too bad. I kept monitoring his gait and making sure he didn’t limp at all. (He’s pre-disposed to hip issues and I’ve seen him limp before when doing too much) but today he looked so strong and no limp in sight. I was very happy about that! I love morning runs so much! – I also love that river loves being out and running too and he’s surprisingly so good when we see other people out there or even dogs. He’s always been good at ignoring dogs when he’s “working” and even though we came across a few. There were 2 dogs that tried to lunge at him and were reactively barking, and he looked to me and I said “with me” and he popped on the other side of my hip and ignored and I was like HOT DAMN I did something right in training!
Turns out I was downright tired in the evening… We went grocery shopping late afternoon and then mostly played outside til 7:00 or so. And by about 9pm I was fast asleep on the couch! While I wanted to try to run Friday morning, I decided sleep is better.
Friday (4.12.24)- Plan: strength + cycle + mobility Actual: I planned on it but as much as I planned it didn’t go to plan. I couldn’t muster up the energy or discipline to go. Plus I was utterly exhausted today… Rest was more important today, but I’ll get there. We will prioritize strength next week!!
Saturday (4.13.24) – Plan: 10 mile run Actual:
Wearing: I pulled out (the night before) shorts + tank… Luckily I had a gray jacket stuffed in the basket of the stroller because otherwise I would’ve been MUCH colder. There is a nip to the air for sure! But no wind so that’s a really good thing, but still with no sun out and it being 49° it was chilly.
Have you ever had a code brown? 💩
I hope not!
But to start off… the run, Vina and I were both running a few minutes behind but met up nonetheless and off we went. Our goal was 8-10 miles at a real easy pace. The first 6 were great but by mile 7 both of us needed a bathroom real quick. Unfortunately we didn’t have a lot of options and so we had to hustle and by hustle I mean Vina was able to run to the bathroom and I was left with a run/walk shuffle because it was just too much bouncing! 😅 Sorry for the TMI, but I think you understand the gist. Luckily the bathroom was about 1 mile away and I barely made it there……barely! We are super lucky to have public bathrooms open at all times of day/night around here too! Otherwise I would’ve been squatting in the woods in broad daylight 😅. So, after that debacle we were around 8-8.5 miles? And we said our goodbyes. I hit 10 miles before even making it home and walked .5mi to the “finish line” but honestly I thought I was much closer than .5mi and then I took River out for a quick loop run and we were averaging 9:35 min/mi pace but I stopped us at .85mi (our house) because I really needed to have coffee and stretch and slow it down! So, in total I ran 10.85 miles and walked .5miles and I owe River some more miles for sure.
This jacket is from Gap, and I have had it for probably 15 years! I think this is the oldest piece of clothing I own! And it’s still relatively in style. (Crazy)
I took this picture because it was just so beautiful and I couldn’t pass it up, but it was also during my run/walk shuffle to the bathrooms.
I had glorious coffee when I got home and then everyone woke up! Hazel loves trying on everyone’s shoes… Today it was brothers shoes and attempting to running in them – ha!
Afterwards it was time to get to work! I put away 3 loads of laundry and got to working on weeding the gardens. Then we FINALLY cleared out the gym space and the garage space! And cleaned that while Hendrix helped clean the playroom.
Sunday (4.14.24) – Plan: take River and Hazel on a little run around the neighborhood. Actual:
My legs were so heavy today there was no run to be had. But we did go to the park and run around, they did go to a neighbors and run around and play with friends and we did end up going on a walk with River. 2.4 miles!
I felt pretty exhausted all day today but I’m glad I got some mileage in and River got in a walk. He ended up passing out really early in the night and then we all followed shortly after. Playing in the sun is tough work!
Total running mileage: 19.3 miles (not too bad!)
Biking:3.6mi
Walking: 3.6 mi
Strength training – 1x …. I want to make sure I get in at least 2 good strength sessions as I keep the mileage up. That’s my goal for next week! And to keep the runs with River going on Tues/Thurs!
With not needing to focus on structured training for a race, I think I will incorporate more easy running, strength and 1 speed workout a week. The two speed workouts a week feel like too much right now. I was trying to follow a more speed focused training, but it really feels like too much and I am not prioritizing the right thing right now. So, we changing it up!
Started the week reading this:
Ended the week reading this:
I guess this is a 3 book week because by Friday I started reading this one:
Monday (4.1.24) Actual- I met up with the lovely Vina and Phoebe and ran 6.5 miles. It was only 68° and 91% humidity! The elbow sweat came first and she also confirmed she sweats there first too! Haa. We are going to try to make Monday mornings a routine, it was so nice chatting away and running. I loved every single second of this run!
I really think I need to just bite the bullet and wake up early and run ALL the time instead of running on the treadmill. The outdoor fresh air (even if it is heavy and muggy) feels so great!
I wasn’t that hungry this morning, but I also knew that there was a possibility of getting a little peckish during my run and I absolutely HATE feeling hungry while running, so I figured a French roll and butter for the win! Also, this is just a French roll that is always on sale at Walmart, we have been getting them and just slicing them up, toasting them and eating them with butter. I love bread and butter! ha
Can you see the elbow sweat!? ha!! I was waiting for Phoebe and Vina to come up the hill, I would have ran down, but then thought…. I DON’T WANT TO RUN UP THAT HILL TOO! lol.
We had such a scary experience on the run! First off, it was still very dark and as we were running our usual route, there was a dog (Pitbull I think) out front and it started barking at us. We couldn’t tell if it was leashed or not, no one else was out there! So, we slowed down a lot but kept moving and prayed for our lives it was leashed and wasn’t about to run after us! Then, right after that encounter a car came creeping up behind us (leaving for work) but nonetheless we got scared as it was coming up behind us! haha
There were some great April’s fools pranks by the IG community:
The running dietician
I am actually hoping to go to the gym for lunch time to get in some strength + 6 mile cycle, but I will play it by ear to see how I am doing.
Honestly, if I do nothing else this week, at least I had a really successful Monday! Hahaha – I made it to the gym for lunch!
I mostly skipped circuit 3. I can’t hop – I accidentally hopped down from a box and my left foot shot up with PAIN. immense 9/10 pain. I immediately sat down and just winced so hard. I used a 20lb KB and that was definitely enough weight for now!
Oh🤣,I did the Bulgarian squats in circuit 3 but nothing else lol. And then biked 5 miles while scrolling Reddit.
Tuesday 4.2.24 – Plan: 45 minute run+ 5×30 second strides at the end + mobility Actual: a couple things I forgot until late yesterday! 1. I forgot that today I have to leave early from work so I wouldn’t be able to get in my run at lunch. Luckily, Vina’s client cancelled and she was able to meet me for a run today! 2. I forgot to check the weather yesterday, but today it is 72° (at 4:45am) and 90% humidity! Dew point is 68° and a nice 12mph wind from the south.
The breeze was a welcomed blessing! My legs felt VERY heavy and I am in need of a good stretch. I got really good sleep last night despite some weird dreams. I know for a fact if Vina wasn’t meeting me I would have turned off the alarm to sleep more. It helps so much when you know you’re meeting someone!
The fit… Before the run! I didn’t have any food because I was so full from last night – I ate too many meatballs! Haha
There were SO many people out this morning, we have never seen so many walkers and runners – it was nice! We went a different route because of yesterday’s crazy dog encounter. So I vetoed that route for a while haha. We made up a different loop that took almost to the same mileage as yesterday! By mile 5.5 my legs were donezo! And I was so thirsty! I took one 6oz water bottle and it definitely wasn’t enough. I came home and downed an electrolyte drink haha!
Wednesday 4.3.24 –Plan: Active Recovery Day – mobility, stretching, walking (I hope I wake up early and take River out for a run/walk) Actual: I unintentionally took a full break today and worked through lunch, which in reality was probably for the best.
Thursday 4.4.24 – Plan: Speed Work + Strength Actual: Once again Vina came through because of a cancellation to her class lol. Funnily enough Jesse and I both fell asleep really early last night and I really didn’t want to run this morning. But vina was waiting on me and that’s just the kick I need to get out the door. It was MUCH colder today. Like 20° cooler than Tuesday!!
Also by the time I got back home, it had gotten even colder! It was 44° by 6am!! We wore shorts and a long sleeve and I was a little chilled throughout the whole run. But probably would have overheated if I wore leggings or a jacket.
Pretty happy with the pace I kept with Vina. It really didn’t feel in the under 10s at all! The first two miles I clearly was on my own just jogging along. When I run to meet Vina, I haven’t been listening to any music or podcasts or anything. Just listening to the sounds of birds and enjoying the quiet. So different from the past!! But also with it being so dark I want to be aware of my surroundings and make sure I dont
I am thinking of possibly not running Friday and just biking so I can save my legs for the weekend. With already doing nearly 20 miles this week it’s a HUGE jump from the last month so I don’t want to go in tooooo hard. Luckily it’s been easy miles and I think I’ll stick with easy runs for a bit before adding speed again? (I think lol) Hoping if time allows I get in a biking session today at lunch with some mobility work!
Over the last couple weeks these are the projects Jesse has been working on/completed
1.89 mile walk with Hazel this evening
Friday 4.5.24 – Plan: 60 minute run easy Actual: I didn’t get my run in and I’ll be honest I was a complete grump. But I did it to myself by not going to the gym. Regretting that laziness! I was getting a bit spoiled by running outside and yeah… Gotta not do that. I wasn’t even planning on running but just movement would’ve been nice!
with the last two days of rest, I was a little more easily triggered on being overanxious and not so nice. Does that happen to you? My patience was thin and I knew I needed a run. I texted Vina who had already mentioned wanting to run this weekend and we set up for a run on Saturday morning.
Saturday 4.6.24 – Plan: REST
What actually happened: Since I didn’t run for the last two days, I HAD to get out and run, emotionally I was jumping off a cliff and needed it so badly!
Weather: 51° / feels like 49° / light 4-6mph wind from the north – with the lower humidity we both knew this run was going to be epic
I didn’t sleep well (maybe because I didn’t do any movement the last two days!?), but woke up ready to go. Had my bagel with PB and honey like I was for Marathon training since I knew we were going out for a little longer. I’m hoping like 1.5 hours. Still want to be home before everyone wakes up lol and the past week when we’ve only run an hour I didn’t fuel at all, mostly because I really wasn’t hungry but also it was a shorter run. *fueling and having caffeine before a run is what I should always do lol
Wearing: new balance grey long sleeve with this fancy cowl neck kinda zip up thing (first thing I grabbed from my drawer) + (new) spanx shorts (interesting right?) athletic line – got these because they are flowy but also have spandex underneath and hold phone/ gels! Got them at TJ Maxx and thought I would give them a whirl. They aren’t like shape wear although the brand is known for shapewear!! Wearing green feetures + black new balance shoes to cushion me on my long run.
**I guess actually resting (no runs for 2 days) + fueling before a run makes you like 10x better because this run was amazing! I felt like I was flying!
I did bring my Nox Gear vest, but I ended up grabbing dead batteries from the drawer (WHYYYY were dead batteries in there?!) so it didn’t light up at all. But I had the reflective band thing on the waist so I feel like that helped some. I ended up turning on some music to get me to Vina’s meeting point, I needed to get a little pumped up and it worked because I didn’t really want to go run but when I turned on the music I felt like I was “flying” also just everything felt soooo smooth and effortless! We met up and ran through the athletic park, stopped for a quick bathroom break and kept going. The moon was insane! It was a crescent moon but also like orange! There was A LOT of animal chatter on our run, we heard coyotes, owls and birds chirping a bunch. It was fantastic 😍
Usually I can tell I am holding Vina back on pace because I truly like to cruise. But today, I was pulling back because I could tell she wasn’t hanging on. Granted it was colder and she does much better in the humidity. So she was really flying Monday and Tuesday while I was dragging a little more. Funny how weather does that. Do you do better in the cold or heat? Humid or dry? Usually my warm up paces are in the high 10s or 11s but today it was low 10s for the first 2 miles and it was just effortless. I left plenty in the tank after our run because I have a lot of yard work to do today. This was almost exactly 90 minutes lol! How perfect.
Shorts update – really nice! Soft and great, only thing that stinks is there’s only one pocket on the compression part and not on both sides. But that’s okay! They are super soft and there’s a small pocket with a zipper in the back waist band where I kept a PB bar just in case I needed it. I ended up not fueling during the run, but I did have two water bottles that I almost finished.
After my run and some semi-good stretching, a small cup of coffee and a scroll through the ‘gram I went outside and started pulling weeds. Magically, an hour flew by and then we headed off to Home Depot to get chicken wire…. I had no idea how much chicken wire cost, but dang!! $150 later and we came home and started wrapping – which was a little harder than I thought it would be. We started at 10:30am!!!!!
We took a small lunch break for sandwiches and then went back to it. I think the bottom half took like 2.5 hours!
Sunday 4.7.24 – Plan: 90 minute run?
Actual: I was pretty dang tired and my goal was to sleep in this morning. I managed to sleep in till 7:30 am!
I really wanted to take River on a run, even if it was short. It didn’t seem like I was going to get it in because to be honest I was exhausted today! Allergies took a toll on me today! The wind was blowing and a lot of pollen was in the air.
I did even more weed pulling! And we went to the park twice! Hazel had a blast running through the water
After dinner, I mustered up some energy and we ran around our little loop with River and managed 1.75 fun miles
I was tired the whole day, no matter how much caffeine I had, but after this run…. I had more energy than ever – ha!
Total running mileage: 30.37miles! Wowwwwww lol both Vina and I were shocked, it really helped her schedule was free and I was up for waking up early. It was a bit easier than I thought it would be the only problem was that I didn’t want to go to the gym at all during lunch and the made for a long day at work!
It is spring break! Which means I don’t have to wake up a grumpy 9 year old to go to school – ha! – I really want to focus on: hitting my miles and paces, strength training, stretching and playing outside with the kids.
Also, how is it already week 13 of the new year?!? And how is it already spring? And how is it 2024? Ha! Time is wild. And it never stops and I am baffled.
I am currently listening to Throne of Glass, which took me a little bit to get interested in, now I am invested and enjoying the story!
The second half of the week I started this book:
My mom and aunt get to go to italy in a week for a cruise and then they are staying after the cruise for a couple weeks? To explore!!
Monday (3.25.24) – Plan: 50 min speed play run Actual: so, originally I thought that today was like an aerobic day and not speed. So mentally, I was not ready and physically I probably could’ve and should’ve taken it easy since yesterday felt hard. But, I didn’t. So, I really tried to do this and I ended up altering it a bit. Here is the prescribed run:
I did a 5 minute warm up first And I ended up doing the first 8 minutes then the next 5 minutes I contemplated just doing easy 6.0-6.2 and then though OH SCREW IT! and I did part 2, but altered it to do 1 minute walks in between each faster pace. And then I completed part 3 with no altering although I wanted to go slower haha, I didn’t. And then part 4 was done and I ended at around 56 minutes and a total of ~5.35 miles. Of course because of all the walking my average pace suffered. I need to balance more easy miles with the speed work. But this plan is calling for two speed days. Maybe I just need to do the aerobic pace as more easy pace. (I think I’ll do that) Also, I was sweating ssoooooo much that I was grabbing paper towels during each walk break to dab the sweat away.
Finished with some stretching and mobility movements at the end and then a glorious shower to get the stink off!!! Haha
It was pretty windy and dark this evening so we didn’t play outside. We made tacos and I burned the heck outta my arm!
Tuesday (3.26.24) – Plan: 40 min Aerobic Run Actual: so, I changed the “aerobic run” to easy peasy pace run. I went at about 5.5mph and there was a couple times I upped the elevation just to get a little bit in. And it was only for like maybe 30 seconds at a time. I climbed 27 ft so NOT much haha. My heart rate was around 136-140bpm the whole time. I genuinely took it easy but I feel pretty beat up. I also decided I really dislike how the Topo Cyclones feel. I don’t like the 5mm drop, I like 8-9+ mm drop. I also decided to do a strength workout and I realized I lost a lot of strength!
I did 3 rounds of circuit 1, 2 round of circuit 2 and then 1 round of circuit 3 and I called it quits. Lol. I went from 25lb KB to 20lb and it was still so rough.
Total mileage: 3.57mi at 11:12 min pace.
Once I got home the kids immediately asked to go to the park. (Jesse’s truck isn’t working right now so they’ve been stuck at home during spring break) So off we went to the park to play before dark! Hazel made me run around and climb everything. After the park we had dinner and baths and relaxed.
Wednesday (3.27.24) – Plan: Strength + Cycling Actual: woke up this morning pleasantly sore and ready for some.mlre strength training and then cycling to flush the lactic acid!
Well, I did it again! I skipped the gym. But at least I did some strength yesterday. I’m still hoping to get some in tonight and hopefully cycle with the kids. I got some necessities though! Like a new shower curtain liner, shoe inserts, a new sun shade for the car, window shades for the kids when they sit in the back, the best hair conditioner for 1/2 off and sunscreen! So, win win!
Thursday (3.28.24) – Plan: REST – Going to try on running shoes with Rina (not to be confused with Vina who I ran the marathon with- ha!!) Actual: the night went by way too fast last night! Thank goodness I don’t have anything on the schedule today. I can’t wait to go back to sleep!
We got MOD pizza which something on it really upset my stomach because I was in the bathroom not even an hour after eating it! Then when I got home I took the kids to the park and the store to grab some soil!
Friday (3.29.24) – Plan: 50 minute speed play Actual: I had a raging headache today and couldn’t get myself to the gym at all. Guess this week is a little lackluster in running.
Saturday (3.30.24) – Plan: 8 mile LR Actual: Jesse and Hendrix went out early in the morning for fishing which meant no long run but I still managed to get in some running with hazel. First off though, we slept in! She slept til 8:30!! And I woke up around 7:45, had my coffee, did the dishes and had a great slow morning. We had bagels and cream cheese for breakfast and then got ready to head out. My goal was just to go as far as we could. I knew she wanted to go to the parks so I was already mentally prepared to do lots of stopping. So, first off we stopped at our normal playground which happens to be one that Hazel sometimes just hates! And we don’t know why lol, but she sometimes will play there and other times she adamantly says Nooooo. Today, she did not want to stop there, so we headed to another park near the bay. Our first stop ended up being 1.74 miles away from home. We played there for a while and had some snacks and then she wanted to walk on her own. We walked, ran and jumped around. Then I convinced her to get in the stroller if she wanted to get to the park faster. She gladly jumped in after 10 minutes of exploring on her own. The next park we tried to go to was at a school which surprisingly was locked. So we passed that and went to another. At this point she was getting tired and I could tell she was over it. We headed home and got a total of 5 miles today!
Had to share because this is my first time trying this flavor and it is SO good!! I don’t do many energy drinks, but sometimes I have to on the weekends to keep up with everything haha
Sunday (3.31.24) – Happy Easter! (Mobility Day) Actual: We had an Easter egg hunt without the eggs lol. While we thought we had leftover eggs from last year, we did not! Silly me never checked so instead we used some of Hazels old ball pit balls and Mardi gras beads! Once the kids found them all I just distributed candy out. Lol that actually made for a much easier way to make sure they didn’t get candy overload!
I did minimal, and I mean minimal weed pulling before taking the kids to the park! It was around 75° out and the sun sucked all my energy out. We stayed out for a little over an hour and then came home for lunch. Hazel wanted to watch her new favorite show “Ms Rachel” and we curled up in bed and passed out to her songs haha! I didn’t want to lay down because I was going to attempt a run, but she made me and I looked at her dead in the eyes and said “if I lay down i am going to sleep” and she then quickly passed out right next to me haha!
This weekend was full of pollen so I was sneezing soooooo much, and that always takes my energy out of me! so, after a glorious nap we went to the grocery store and then played some more outside. It was a great weekend but running wasn’t really on the menu much, which was okay. By 7pm I got a great text from Vina asking to run Monday morning 😄
Date: March 16, 2023 Location: Fairhope, Al Start time: 8:00am Weather: 62° with 92% humidity
I woke up at 5:15 am and definitely didn’t want to get out of bed. (even though it was only a week or two worth of early brighter mornings, I really enjoyed them and hate that it is dark till almost 7am now!) But I did get up. It was rough! Started with a watermelon electrolyte drink – oh yeah, this was a day of many firsts and that’s never a good thing haha. The electrolyte drink made me think of high school watermelon vodka (🤮🤮) and I barely choked it down. Then I had my usual bagel with peanut butter and a drizzle of honey.
I wore Reebok bike shorts which I normally don’t wear for races because they don’t have a key pocket where I would normally put an ear piece for music or my car key. But I thought it would be fine since I wasn’t going to listen to music and in general they were tight, right? But, without the phone holder holding my shorts up they were a little loose around my waist during the run – so lots of tugging them back up. Oh yeah! FIRST race phone free, water bottle free and music free! It was kind of really nice to not have to deal with anything at all. But if I were to want music I wouldn’t be able to listen to any – so that means I definitely need a Garmin upgrade with music (obviously lol) 🤣
After eating I did some mobility work to get moving and warm ups. I ended up leaving around 6:20 am and it was difficult to figure out where to actually park which meant driving around aimlessly for an extra 15 minutes. But I had plenty of time. They had a good portion of the streets blocked off for an arts and craft street fair which was confusing. I met up with Vina after I picked up my bib around 7:15 am or so and we both figured we would just leave our phones in our cars. Which of course later gave us problems trying to find each other since we split up half way through the run.
Mile 1- we started at the front not knowing what peoples paces were but figured we were just gunning it and going for whatever. We were hitting 7:30 paces!! With the arts and crafts fair going on/starting up we ended up running through some of the greasy food tents and it definitely would have been more amazing if it weren’t so overwhelming. You would think it would be a great thing, the food did smell good, but not while trying to race, it left us nauseous. It was just too much when we were pushing. And I held the 7:30 for about .5 mi haha and then we slowed it down. Average pace: 8:09min/mi
(I gotta be honest with ya, I had no real expectations since I didn’t train specifically for a 10k at all – which also felt like a nice excuse to fall back on)
Mile 2- I was dying. Let’s be real, my legs were heavy as heck and I was just trying to hold on. Average pace: 8:50 min/mi
Mile 3- there was some real good elevation during this run, and mile 3 was basically all uphill. It was HELL. I think I lost Vina a little after mile 3 on a water break. She was doing great and I let her go. I got a stitch in my side, my biggest weakness is not being able to stay in the uncomfortable zone for long. So I will definitely work on that. Average pace: 9:21 min/mi
Mile 4 couldn’t come soon enough but it was downhill from there. Average pace: 9:15 min/mi
* also race support was SO much better than the marathon or any other race I’ve done down here. It was surprising, but I was hurting and in the pain cave and couldn’t properly say hello. The humidity really got to me today! I stopped at each water station and got water, wish they had powerade or some electrolytes, but that’s ok!
Mile 5- I think I blacked out. I was playing leap frog with another girl who didn’t seem like she was dying at all. Average pace: 9:13 min/mi
Mile 6- I tried to go faster but it started to go uphill, an UPHILL FINISH!?!? COME ON!! Average pace: 8:35 min/mi
.2 I tried to go fast, I was toast. Average pace: 8:42 min/mi
Unofficial time: 55:26 Feeling like: Burnt toast. I pushed myself and I am soooo happy I did! It’s not a PR but I went into this knowing I wasn’t going to PR. but still, I’m happy with the results, especially since it was so humid! I don’t think I have ever pushed myself that hard in a race, sometimes I feel like I let myself down by not, but I was heaving at the end of this one, which was great! I feel like I left it all out there.
After going through the finish line, there was a longer than normal walk to get water and snacks. At the first I thought there wasn’t any! Which would have sucked. I got orange slices – they tasted soooo good!! Makes me think I should have oranges on long runs in the summer! And I guzzled a whole 16 oz water bottle too!
if you can tell on my shoe there is blood, my toes were bleeding – another first for me!
Here are my splits. Not too shabby, I am so excited with this starting point and happy at the paces I managed to keep especially with the up hills! I thought I was moving A LOT slower!
Goal: REST and RECOVER. I’m coming off such a high and I really want to jump back in to running full send! But I don’t want to injure myself. So I am going to focus on recovery.
I have been craving since Sunday after the race and Vina mentioned them, CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. haha I also want to run all the miles, literally after the marathon I was like “wanna run it again?!” Knowing all too well I was hobbling the last 5 miles 🤣 guess you could say I am absolutely hooked! And I couldn’t be happier with the feeling this left me. But, back in 2020 I had a FANTASTIC 10k race and PR’d but then I didn’t properly rest and recover and I went straight into marathon training and I got injured. I don’t want that happening again. So I am going to be mindful.
Monday (2.26.24) – Plan: stretch + walk + sleep
Actual: soreness level: 7.5/10 active recovery mobility in the morning then attempted the 2 mile circle walk with Hazel and River but turned around ~.8 miles in. Seemed like a better idea that to keep going, I had to pee so badly but also my hips are just hurt! The joint part, where the ball and socket move. It’s creaky. But I did do some pick up jogs 😅 just to see if anything else popped up to hurt. Nothing did. I stayed moving for most of the day til after lunch when I took a 45 minute nap. ❤️ After our nap and some yummy food we headed off to the park. Over the day my soreness level definitely went down and I wasn’t walking so funny. I was rather tired by 9:30pm and went to bed but tossed and turned all night.
Tuesday (2.27.24) Soreness level 1.5/10
I finally got my chocolate chip cookies and ate them all!! I was going to go straight to strength training and cycling but I think I will do bodyweight core work and walking slowly. The walk yesterday was harder than I anticipated so I need to start off slow. And that’s ok! I did 1.49 miles walking in 30 minutes with some slight incline and then mobility/foam rolling again.
This evening I feel like I’ve gotten into the Post Marathon Blues – I was a bit cranky…. I really want to run or train or do something more active but I also know I need to rest. I had a good venting session with Jesse who listened as I complained about wanting to do more but I know I shouldn’t..
Wednesday (2.28.24) – my legs feel heavy! As if I did weight training (but I most certainly have not) This morning I woke up and did a core workout and I hope to walk for 45-60 minutes.
I ended up doing a run/walk for 30 minutes. 2 min walk at 3.0 and then 3 minute run at 5.5 and repeat till 30 minutes. Then I walked for a cool down til 3 miles total. 2.32 mi run/walk and .68miles walk
Afterwards I did upper body strength with dumbbells and it felt great!
Thursday (2.29.24) – ummm first let’s just say I slept SO GOOD last night. I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow and slept till 5:30am. I also love that it’s getting light earlier and staying light later! I can’t wait for daylight savings time!! Today, I decided NO GYM at all. NO extra walking and just take it easy. I think my body liked that idea. And tomorrow I might do the bike.
Friday (3.1.24) – taking yesterday completely off made me feel like a million bucks today which makes me think maybe I should take today off too? Also, I started thinking about what my next goal to do is. I obviously want to focus on strength but also running! For a little bit I thought about maybe doing an ultra for my birthday, but my birthday is in the dead of summer and down here in the south it’s unbearable and really hard and there’s an extreme risk to be doing those kind of endurance activities without a crew or aid stations in that kind of heat and humidity. Sooo I think might focus on base building and then a marathon in December!! I’ve already discussed with Jesse about my goals and thoughts and he is behind me 100%! I’m so excited and it’s nice to have so much support.
Saturday (3.2.24) – I feel really great and did a little running warm up I would normally do, some stability work and jumps and it wore me out! Lol but no pains. We went on a 1.8 mi walk with River and it felt great. It was a very gloomy day and humid, so everything is wet and not drying because no sun is coming out.
Sunday (3.4.24)- officially one week ago I became a marathoner! Still wild that I held myself back for so long and also wild that I completed it!! There was a lot on the agenda today and luckily the sun came out and it was beautiful! I started out with weeding – I just did a small section because it’s a lot of yard!! My deal with Jesse was once training stopped I was going to focus on the yard. Then I did ALL the dishes (yay me), put away the laundry, and I took advantage of the beautiful weather to bathe River!! Gosh he needed it so badly haha! It has been so cold and we give him baths outside that he just hasn’t had one in a few months! He’s also a lab so his skin doesn’t do too well with excessive baths. But I bathed him twice, he absolutely loved it! Got all his scratches and itches and did the butt wiggle dance! Ha! We also rode some bikes earlier in the morning.
tried to go to the park to play after Hazel’s nap around lunch time but it was really warm and the direct sun was a little too much. They haven’t turned on the water play area yet so we had no relief. We ended up leaving about 40 minutes after arriving.
AND I really wanted to try for a run! My eyes were bigger than my stomach (as always) and I wanted to go out for 6 and keep paces. But then I thought better of it and said I’ll be really happy with 3 miles and it doesn’t matter the paces. I made it 2 miles out and 2 miles back. The .5mi was rough and it felt like I was breaking in new legs haha and then it got easier. I noticed I need to work on unilateral Strength and some mobility. My left Achilles hurts just a little after 2 miles as well as my ITband, so that is a huge focus I’ll be working om next week and the coming weeks.
Really happy with how this past week went and excited for next week! I’ll be picking up some kettlebells and weights!
(I was waiting for the race pictures since I didn’t really take any during race, but I can’t hold off and really want to let you know how the race went!!) * race pictures down below!*
9 weeks ago Vina and I were on a long run minding our own business when we thought….. “you know.. we could probably totally run a marathon in 2 months.”
And so we finished our run, went home.. thought about it more and said. LET’S DO IT. And that is how it happened! And then afterwards I was hit with the gnarliest FLU bug ever. This was her second marathon, my first one. I have been wanting to complete a marathon since 2020! So, 4 years later and I am finally ready.
Date: February 25, 2024 Start Time: 7am End Time: 11:45am! Weather: woke up to around 43° but it didn’t feel terrible – I let River out to use the bathroom in the hopes he lets the others sleep in haha! 50% of the time it works out well. *Update – everyone slept in til 8am!* It was an absolutely beautiful morning and the sunrise over the beach was gorgeous!!
Also it ended up being around 47° at the start and sunny and it was absolutely perfect!! We noticed a lot of people had WAY too many layers on, and I was happy I chose shorts and a tank rather than shorts + long sleeve! I can’t believe I was so stressed out, I should have had sunscreen though!
What I wore: black moisture wicking tank + black shorts + lime green feetures socks + black new Balance 1080s + visor for the sun (thank goodness I brought this!! Almost didn’t and it was a life saver!) AND sunglasses! – not pictured but I wore the EXACT same sports bra I wore for every single long run and it still cut up my back during race and it never did during long runs!! Also, my phone case that I had stuck phone, running snacks and a small water bottle. *it must have been unbalanced* because it basically hit my back and bruised it up.
What I ate before: At 4:30am I had 1/2 plain bagel with peanut butter and honey+ electrolytes – I figured I would need another bagel beforehand and brought another half bagel but I couldn’t eat it. The nerves got me! What I brought to eat during: 3 gu gels, pack of honey stinger energy chews, gluckos shot, macca gummy. There are also more gu gels at each race station so I will be relying on those a lot.
How am I feeling before? ANXIOUS!! I had an anxiety headache all day yesterday (Saturday) that made me super nauseous. Once I picked up our packets it went away for the most part. I didn’t sleep great, woke up 30+ minutes before my alarm went off and couldn’t lay in bed any longer. I am much more nervous than I’ve ever been. Just trying to go through the motions
Miles 1 -6 These were the best miles and we were just constantly chatting and laughing and our mileage was MUCH too fast! fuel: 1 chocolate gu at ~3 miles and another choc gu a little after the 6 thoughts: this is so easy and fun!
Miles 7-13 I still felt great miles 7-8 but then around mile 9 I started to get a little bit of pain in my butt (priformis muscle) and I tried ignoring it but finally voiced an issue around mile 11 when the pain was much sharper. So around that time is when we had to stop to stretch it out. Which helped immensely for about .5 mi and then it would hurt. So every 2ish miles we stopped and tried to time it with the aid stations and get water/Gatorade and stretch. fuel: I think around mile 9 and 10 I had some honey stinger chews. Mile 13 I had Tylenol and a salt pill. I tried to concentrate on fuel but it was difficult.
Miles 14-19 HURTING. I just wanted to keep going but was so bummed that I was hurting. I think I choked down some more gu and chews and had Gatorade at every aid station. But I was a little defeated with my priformis hurting so much and having to walk. By around mile 18 I really had to walk more and even stop at benches before the aid stations could come around. It was also all in sun and not much shade left. The temperature was really climbing!
Miles 20-23 feeling/fuel/thoughts: once I hit mile 20 I was happy because then it was like the furthest I’d ever gone! But with the pain it took away, although I did get random bursts of excitement and picked up the pace for a bit due to excitement. I didn’t ever hit a wall where I thought I couldn’t keep going, because I knew I could. It was just a pain in the butt. I don’t think I had ANY fuel during this time because nothing sounded good at all!
Miles 24-26.2 feeling: hurting a lot! But also so grateful for Vina being there and helping me out. I was never once like out of breath, just hurting! And everything felt great except my priformis. So I kept trying to just say “my feet feel great, my arm swing is great, my legs arent sore and feel energized.” I tried focusing on everything except the pain.
By mile 25 Vina pulled away a little which was totally ok, she was only about 10-15 ft ahead of me. And once I hit mile 26 I was like OMG IT IS REAL. the last 100m I started crying and got emotional and I’m actually so happy I had that time for myself to feel it all. I ran through the finish line and (I think) I had the biggest smile on ever -haha! Hopefully the pics show a smile! fuel: I think I choked down one caramel gu that was WARM and kinda gross haha. thoughts: I can’t believe I am a marathoner!
Overall – I can’t wait to run another marathon! I am trying my hardest to recover properly and not go run or too hard on anything, but it’s more of I am SO BORED during the middle of the day at work that its really hard to not go to the gym. I know I won’t lose my fitness, it’s not even about that. But work is slow this week and the 1.5 hour block for lunch is mind numbingly long if I don’t do something! My mind wants to run a million miles but I know I have to slow it down.
Race pictures!!
HE PROPOSED DURING THE RACE! Thought this shirt was soooo funny!
I can’t believe that this is RACE WEEK! I am so nervous! And every other moment I feel a new pain and niggle!
Monday (2.19.24) Plan – recovery mobility + strength Actual: REST – I had to skip going out for lunch because there was a lot to do today at work. I even went to bed at like 9:15pm!
Tuesday (2.20.24) Plan – 3 mi EZ + core Actual: 1 mi run – felt a pain in my foot. The ball of my foot. Stopped immediately. Did 1.5 miles on the cycle and then 25 min strength train followed by 10 minutes sauna session.
I bought salt tabs, courtesy of Janae from hungry runner girl and I am going to test them out on a cycle session this week.. probably Thursday just to make sure they don’t upset my stomach. But it seems promising and even if I don’t take it for the race, during the summer I think they will be EXTREMELY helpful!
Vina is being the sweetest and calming my nerves because I am a mess and stressing out. We’ve decided we aren’t bringing headphones and will be together and run it. She believes that if she needs to push me through some pain cave she can and I won’t fail. And that’s honestly what I needed to hear! Also I informed my boss that there is a good possibility I won’t come in the next day or will be late because I couldn’t move. I’m seriously thinking the worst could happen and need to stop so I don’t put it out in the atmosphere. It’s a flat course, the 20 miler didn’t do much damage to me at all and I felt great. So I just think I am overthinking everything … Like normal! I just want to finish and have fun!!
Also, I have been stressing over carb loading. I thought I ate a lot of carbs. Apparently I barely hit 150-180g of carbs – even when I have pizza 😒 when I used feather stone carb calculator it is telling me 300+ a day for three days before. I’ll try to hit what I can but I know my digestion will be off all week due to stress and overthinking so I don’t want to go out there heavy and bloated. BUT GOSH I AM SO EXCITED I CANT HELP IT
Wednesday (2.21.24) Plan – 3 mi speed + mobility Actual: I really do love watching Grey’s Anatomy while running on the treadmill. That’s a huge plus lol. I decided against speed work. I want to save my legs. I did a super easy 4 miles while watching an episode of Grey’s and then stretched after.
Thursday (2.22.24) Plan – 25-30 min biking + core Actual: today is also day 1 of carb loading!
I’ve Always tried to give people who don’t run/have running knowledge the benefit of the doubt. The general population doesn’t run for fun or know the ins and outs of training and running long distances. But within the last 2 days I have been asked “what place do you think you’ll get? Are you trying for first place?” And it’s like no, it doesn’t matter what place I get really .. it’s that I finished. And tried explaining I’m no elite runner just running because I genuinely love it and I want to challenge myself. And I’m left with a look of just like “why would you do that if you don’t want to place first?” And it’s like because I literally can’t run a sub 2:30 on my first race or probably ever LOL. The second thing that’s happened (it’s happened a lot too) is how long is your marathon I’ve always wanted to run a 5k marathon! And I’m like do you want to run a 5k or a marathon? Because those are two different distances… And I get a look of complete puzzlement and they are like it’s a 5k marathon how far is YOUR marathon? And I’m like um, the marathon distance is 26.2 miles, that is what I am training for. 🤣 And it’s just like watching someone not really get it. And it’s like you know, never mind… You get that 5k marathon goal! Lol it’s so funny to me sometimes I just am trying to not get upset lol.
I decided to do 8 miles (in 34 minutes) and then focused on mobility afterwards. Then I was too hungry to get core work in and left ha!
As excited as I am for this marathon I’m really excited to focus more on strength 😁
Friday (2.23.24) Plan – mobility Actual: REST – I slept wrong on my neck two nights ago and it’s still a little kinked up. Muscle wise, I feel great today. foam rolling yesterday was brilliant and helped a ton. I just want to rest my legs and might go for a little jog tomorrow.
Saturday (2.24.24) Plan – shake out 1-2 mi run Actual: I had a splitting headache all day! It was a stress headache that immediately went away once I picked up our race packets.
I wanted to take a snapshot of what the predicted weather was for marathon weekend.
While yesterday when I looked it said chance of rain showers, it changed! So what better way to follow along on the changing of the weather than this 😂 Also, this is a great way to show you my absolute ANXIETY over weather. (Update on 2/23/24) I have been watching the weather go up and down and trying to check to see what predictions will happen since the first of February, maybe even before. Honestly, at this point I have given myself an eye twitch worrying about over dressing or under dressing.
So, on Wednesday – February 14th, this is the prediction:
Thoughts on 68° – HOLY BALLS that’s warm!! I hope it isn’t 68° in the morning haha 😆
Thursday, February 15th prediction:
Friday, February 16th prediction: (rain, humidity and wind percentage is going down!)
Saturday, February 17th prediction:
Sunday, February 18th prediction:
Hourly wise… It’s predicting 48° around 7am and climbing to 58-60°
Monday February 19th prediction:
Tuesday, February 20th prediction: (it keeps getting just a little colder for the start – which I am NOT mad about)
Wednesday February 21st prediction:
Thursday, February 22nd
The last final update, because I need to stop this nonsense, but I know I will look back at this post and face palm majorly.
Friday, February 23, 2024 prediction:
As of last night I had to dump all my worries on Jesse and he helped me come to the conclusion for race day and what to wear. He knows I am an absolute worry wart and overthinker. So, we sat down to look at the weather. Here’s the plan…. BRING BACK UPS OF SHORTS AND LEGGINGS haha!
I don’t want to overheat during the run, but I also won’t be running terribly fast. I don’t want to be too cold on the run either.
If you have any insight, please let me know! I love running in shorts and was thinking shorts + long sleeve with a tank under for layers but if it gets too hot I can take off the long sleeve. I am of course wearing sweats down there to keep warm as well.
still kind of weird to say 2024. Even weirder that we are past halfway through FEBRUARY!!!This week is not only Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day – but also Hendrix’s 9th birthday!! He has the week off because down in the South they give kids Mardi Gras off lol. Goals – GET OVER THIS SICKNESS
I haven’t been able to really sink into a good book, I haven’t had that “want” so I’ve been listening to podcasts like Choose Strong and the Armchair Expert. It’s been fun and relaxing to zone out to those but hopefully soon I can get back into books.
Monday – (2.12.24) – Plan: Low impact strength + bike + sauna Actual: Felt today I really needed to not go and try to workout and worse sneeze everywhere and get snot on everything. So I stayed in! Probably for the best. 🤞🏽🤞🏽
I am constantly checking the weather to see what is going to happen. This past weekend it got warm enough for shorts and no jacket – regular time, not running – running was shorts and sports bra. But also, it is showing a cool down trend..while it’s still 13 days til race day, it is predicting 50°, windy and rain! I’m nervous about the rain and running in it for 26.2 miles!
Tuesday – (2.13.24) – Plan: Run with Vina Actual: checking in Tuesday morning and I feel SO MUCH BETTER. really glad I didn’t push it yesterday and decided to rest.
It’s currently 4:22am, I’ve had my bagel and peanut butter and drinking my electrolytes and caffeine for the morning.
It’s 47° with some 9mph wind. I’m planning on wearing my long sleeve New Balance top with leggings and pink pair of balega socks with my craft Ultras. I don’t want to put too many more miles on my New Balance 1080s since I want to wear those for the race and there’s around 85 miles on them. Which, I know isn’t too much but I’m paranoid! Haha this morning is a huge drop in temperature from just a couple days ago .. 20+ drop! Which is wild. And I’ve come to realize I like running in the cold more than the hot. And vina likes the hot humid miles lol. Maybe I can learn to like them too! I am very excited the days are feeling longer! It’s staying light out til 5:45ish and so when I get home I have a good 20 ish minutes to run around outside with the kids! ❤️
Fuel on run: two 6 oz water bottles (forgot the honey stinger chews but also it wasn’t going to be super long run so figured I would be ok)
Feelings during run – I could feel a little congestion but it wasn’t too bad. Effort was 5.5/10
We ended up doing 7.5 together and then went our separate ways home and ended with 9.5 and an average pace of 10:13… By the last half mile I was ready to eat something! Lol clothing wise, I was a little warm but the cold wind made it necessary to have pants on. Definitely not cold enough for a jacket so I’m really glad I didn’t wear one like I originally thought I would need.
We (I- Hazel definitely didn’t help haha) cleaned out the playroom and swept out all the dust and dirt. Felt great! I had to take out the rugs and once they were cleaned Hazel made camp on one of them and laid down in the sun. I joined her and it was fantastic!
After playing and lunch we took the most GLORIOUS nap ever. hazel had a hard time falling asleep and eventually conked out on the couch. I went and slept in the bed and had it all to myself! I think I slept for 2+ hours! I needed it so much!
By 4pm Aunt Mel got here and we were all playing outside. Hide and Seek was lots of fun!
Counting to 20 before going to find Hendrix
Ready or not! Here we come!
Wednesday – (2.14.24) – Plan: 4 mi shake out + mobility + sauna Actual: since I didn’t get strength in yesterday I decided that would be main focus today. Plus I forgot to bring shorts, a change of socks and a towel! Lol so, I did a “Runners KB Class” and a 3 mile cycle. Which still worked up a sweat but not as much as a run would have. Also, I like really really didn’t want to workout at all. But I’m so glad I went and I went to the main part where I took my spot and just did my workout. It is empowering being out of there instead of in a studio alone. I also kept repeating to myself that I needed to keep strength up for when I grow old so I can strengthen my bones. Obviously next week I won’t go super crazy with strength but I don’t want to stop completely either. I find it helps me.
Thursday – (2.15.24) – Plan: Low impact strength + sauna Actual: morning plan is to run with Vina – I hope this doesn’t backfire on me doing more runs that on the “plan” but with Aunt in town and an extra set of hands it’s just so nice being able to run outside. I also just really need that time outside and fresh air.
I dressed for colder weather, I didn’t need to wear my thick long sleeve but oh well! It was so nice to chat – it was a little difficult, my legs were feeling the workout from yesterday! But it was so nice to get moving this morning! And I got a wonderful hot shower, coffee and breakfast in before Hazel even woke up! I call that a win win win!
Despite having the time to shower, drink coffee and eat breakfast I didn’t get to properly stretch! So for lunch I decided to stretch and do mobility work. I was going to do upper body and core work strength and decided to save my energy. I’m tired! And I don’t want to run myself into the ground – especially since it’s Hendrix’s birthday! So we will be celebrating tonight and I need more energy. I even fought the feelings to get on the bike just for the sake of doing “a real workout” for some reason I felt like I needed to do something MORE than just stretch, foam roll and mobility. But I don’t. I did my work, and that’s all.
Somehow I have a 9 year old. Still not sure how that happened lol – the years fly by!!!
Friday – (2.16.24) – Plan: 8 mi EZ (maybe some speed if feeling ok) – this was the plan before doing TWO other medium-long runs with Vina this week, so I am probably going to cycle and/or row. Actual: 10 mentally tough miles on the bike. I was a little bored and had trouble zoning out. Couldn’t find a good podcast episode or music I really wanted to listen to! But I did it and I’m glad I didn’t stop early.
Saturday – (2.17.24) – Plan: REST Actual: I slept in till nearly 8am! It was amazing!! And Hazel didn’t wake up till well after 8:30! It was pretty cold, rainy and windy so our original plan for Hendrix’s bday party was rescheduled to tomorrow because it wouldn’t be wet. So, we played inside mostly went for a 2 mile walk which led to Hazel napping and all around it was a super chill day.
Sunday – (2.18.24) – Plan: 12 mi LR Actual: the predicted weather and what dress my run is telling me to wear:
Fuel: toast with peanut butter and honey + honey stinger chews + gu gel + 2 6oz of water Wearing: leggings + Nike (thicker) blue moisture wicking top + long sleeve shirt under + jacket + gloves + ear muffs/cover
Feelings before run: 10000% don’t want to run. Vina isn’t able to and so I totally don’t want to. However this is THE LAST ONE long run then afterwards is race day and I know it’ll be a while before really getting out there due to wanting to recover properly. So I gotta get it done!
Feelings during run: At first the cold was really biting, and I had on my ear covers, gloves, and two long sleeve tops and my jacket. About 1.5 miles in I took off first layer of shirts, gloves and ear muffs. After warming up, the minimal wind made the cold 32 degrees feel really nice. I am type A, aren’t most runners? Lol and I usually like to know exactly where I am going and my route and distance. But this time I only had a general idea of where I was going and how far I actually wanted to run. A lot of it was on a whim. I realized I didn’t want to do loops and I didn’t want to do a straight out and back. So I incorporated a little bit of my normal 5 mi loop and Vina’s run that we had been doing the past week. And it turned into exactly 10 miles and I didn’t have to do any loops or back tracking! While the plan called for 12 and I could have very well done it, I stopped at 10 and called it because today is Hendrix’s birthday party and I knew I needed to be home to get ready and have energy.
Played with Rivs while stretching after the run
Feelings after run: EXCITED that this training cycle is almost over and so surprised with how I handled the higher mileage and kept up with strength and mobility work! Feeling accomplished and excited for next week!
We threw Hendrix a birthday party and it was so fun! We had pizza for the second time in like 3 days so we are definitely pizza’d out!
Total running mileage : 26.5miles! Biking mileage: 13 miles
Absolutely wrecked this Monday (2.5.24) morning! I don’t know if the miles are catching up to me or if I am just not getting decent sleep OR this is onset getting sick. It doesn’t feel like I am overreaching, but I have jumped mileage significantly in the last month. But also, I haven’t gotten the best sleep the last few nights… So maybe a combination?!
GOALS: get more sleep. Strength train 2x for minimum 30 minutes Hit the mileage Mobility 2x
Monday (2.5.24) – Plan: Strength Train + 5 mile cycle + 20 minute on rower Actual: despite being absolutely wrecked this morning and wanting to sleep. I didn’t have to dig that deep to get my workout done. In fact, I really killed it today! (I however did so good on strength, there was NO way I could get on the rower)
First off, I did this strength workout with 25 lb KB And in the main part of the gym. I usually get a spot in a little studio room where no one else is because I’m a bit self conscious and don’t want someone to see me with bad form. But today, there was someone in there taking a class and I didn’t want to disrupt or put off my strength training like I’ve done in the past. So I grabbed a spot in the main gym and got the equipment I needed. First off, it’s like turf right there and WAY more comfortable to be barefoot on – so I think I’ll continue working out there! And I was just able to zone out and I feel like I pushed myself more because I didn’t want people to see me give up haha! But I pushed myself really hard, ugly face coming out and working til failure and all at the end of the sets!! I felt invincible and like SUCH a badass!!
I absolutely wanted to just lay on the ground for 10 minutes after this workout. Which I feel like is awesome haha. I haven’t pushed myself that hard in ….. Ever?? Quite a while, to say the least! Not with strength anyway. And I am SO happy with my box jumps! I used a 24″ box! And cleared it… Probably could have gone to 30″ but I didn’t want to move equipment around lol. And the Bulgarian split squat was also intense but loved it. Let’s just say, the 3rd circuit was a killer for sure.
After a couple minutes rest and gathering myself, I hopped on the spin bike and threw on my sub2 playlist from Spotify. I haven’t listened to it in a few months so it really hit the right chord and I pushed HARD. 4.8 miles in 20 minutes flat.
I nearly fell out of the bike trying to get off, my legs were feeling it! This was the best exhausted feeling ever. I want to bottle up the amount of success I felt today! I stretched and then showered off and came back to work. What a great workout, so ready for a nap now though!
Tuesday (2.6.24) - Plan: 4 mi Actual: this morning waking up my legs feel a little heavy but not horrible (not yet) so this 4 mi will definitely be a shake out easy run!! (This little input was first thing in the morning haha – the optimism!)
I tried to run. I made it 1 mile and my calf wouldn’t stop straining. It felt like the muscle was going to pull and split apart! So I hopped off and rowed a mile. Then went back to the treadmill to try again but my feet were not FEELING IT, I was so upset with my feetb that I just gave up. I couldn’t keep going, it felt like an injury was lingering Is this the taper crazies/scared sh*tless of getting hurt?!?
At 4:07pm I received the best text ever:
WE ARE A GOOOOOOOO FOR THE RACE! I have been so stressed over the race and running with Vina AND the fact that Hendrix wants to have a bday party! But the RSVPs are rolling in… All I gotta hope for is good weather!
I ended up going to sleep pretty early with Hazel, she wanted to lay down in bed at 9pm… I definitely didn’t say no to that! It seemed like I needed it. Haha! (Garmin says I got 8 hrs and 25 minutes!!) Sometimes I wish I had a whoop to see the recovery part. I bet those numbers are such a mental hurdle if they are bad but if they are good recovery numbers then you’re like YESSSS I can do anything!!
Wednesday (2.7.24) – Plan: (Original Plan) 6 mi **new plan since messing yesterday up** 2 miles easy warm up, 8 x 800m pick ups at 6.6-6.8 with a 60-90 second recovery walk, 2 mile cool down – this should get me to 8. Actual: my inner thigh (adductor) on my left side was HURTING and super tight so I am very happy I had a stick roller/massager thing just for those thighs!! I rolled my legs out vigorously before my run and did a proper warm up.
I wanted to be a little conservative with my “speed workout” and also give me a “gimme” to boost my confidence. This workout did just that. I had to edit it for time:
1 mi warm up at 5.2mph, then straight into 800m at 6.8, then 1 min at 2.5 and repeat for 6! The last two 800s I had a lot left in the tank and bumped it up to 7.0mph. that left me with about 56 minutes and meaning 4 minutes til the treadmill turned off automatically- ending at 5.73miles. Had to get to an even number and went til I hit 7 miles. And was going roughly at 5.5 which felt easy. Honestly all the 800m felt relatively easy and not hard. I could’ve bumped it up, but I’m glad I didn’t either.
I’m starting to really enjoy these pink crafts!
After the workout walking around work was a little difficult, gotta be honest. I was feeling like I had lead legs! But I went to bed at 9ish with Haze and we got pretty good sleep. 8+ hours at least! And when I woke up Thursday morning my legs weren’t so heavy any more! Yay!
Thursday (2.8.24) – Plan: Mobility + Strength and a bike ride OR rest Actual: I made it to the gym and just couldn’t get myself to change and get into my gym clothes. I needed a day off. And that’s fine, I want to make sure I keep the joy of training up and be ready and happy for the race not feeling “I have to do this” because running and working out is for fun as much as it is for my health. So after sitting in the gym changing room for about 10 minutes I packed up and just headed out. 🤷🏻♀️ It is what it is! It definitely made for an extra long and boring day at work since I was only gone for about 20 minutes haha, but it meant I could leave a little early. And with that extra time I came home and me and the kids ran around outside before it got dark. So, it was worth it!!
Friday (2.9.24) – Plan: 8 mi Actual: what’s TMI? LOL… well, this might be. But it’s a running blog – we gonna talk about it! Pooping.
I felt super backed up last night and thought “why not take a laxative and clear the system out” 😂 so casual about it. And well, I cleared the system! Just about ALL morning today and had more at the beginning of my run. But despite that obstacle, this run went really really well and I felt really strong. I am glad I took yesterday to rest and didn’t force myself to do strength. Today, I did like a ladder type work out… I warmed up and started at 5.2 and moved to 6.0 in the first mile, then after the first mile each .25mi I increased by .2 so it went (6.0, 6.2, 6.4, 6.6) then the next mile I went down 6.4, 6.2 6.0, 6.2) and back up. I felt really strong. And the only reason why I stopped at 5 miles was because I had told myself early on just get to 5. And I probably shouldn’t have limited myself like that. I was like… I’ll stop and do 3 cool down miles. Well, I did stop and was happy with the pace and effort and I was DRENCHED. But I couldn’t get comfortable in the super slow pace of cool down and gave up .5 in. So, total was 5.5 miles on the treadmill.
Then I went to the mat and thought I would stretch and cool down and do some mobility. I was slipping and sliding alllll over the mat!! Lol courtesy of sweat and lotion on my legs lol 😆
I was very tempted to hop back on the treadmill and finish off the 2 miles but then thought better of it since tmrw I am running the 10 with Vina. So I hopped on the bike and did those 2 miles REALLY easy there. Like did not push or even pay attention to it. It went by quick.
I am really really enjoying these craft Ultras!! I think I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again . I think they are finally broken in and the insert is helping so much, I just really like how they feel!!
— today’s workout fueled by listening to “Choose Strong” by Sally Mcrae
Friday night I did the most terrible thing…. I ate after Hazel – which in itself isn’t terrible, but she had a runny nose. And paranoia set in.
Saturday (2.10.24) – Plan: rest Actual: We are of course switching long run to today haha. Here is the projected weather (according to dressmyrun.com):
And the recommended gear:
According to the weather channel:
So, the actual weather: raining and 64° and really dark What I wore: hat, sports bra, shorts, New Balance 1080s, like green feetures socks (gotta get more!!) Fuel: one pack of honey stinger chews + whole wheat bread and PB since we were out of bagels How am I feeling pre-run? So bummed! Vina wasn’t prepared to run in rain and I totally get her reasoning for not wanting to go in the dark and rain because we could slip and hurt ourselves. But this was my only time to go. I didn’t even finish my pre-run drink fuel with caffeine. As soon as she said she was going to wait til later I just went to the treadmill. How I felt during run: the first mile I started at 5.5 and then went up to 5.8 every .25 miles and played that game and went up to 6.1 tops for the whole time. I mostly stayed above 5.8 though and hovered at 5.9-6. I stopped the tread at 7 miles since I knew I only had about 20 minutes left before the treadmill would automatically shut down. Then restarted it for the next three which I kept at 6mph (I think) the whole time. Even after yesterday’s impromptu workout I felt so good and strong today! Finished in 1:44, with an average pace of around 10:30 min/mi. How I felt after run: really strong and good and not exhausted. Funny how I kept saying “it’s only 10 today!” Where like 2 months ago that would have been like 🫣I am running 10!!! Funny what marathon training does for ya, huh!! Pretty sure I got bit by a few mosquitoes too on the run, as I had the garage door open to our “gym”
My hat I wore with the intention of going out to run outside stayed on and was so heavy and full of sweat it was a great contender to my sportsbra that weighed nearly 6 pounds! (Guessing here but dang it was heavy!!) Haha I finished in the dark and then it got light about 20 minutes later, by that time I was playing with River and the rain had stopped
Saturday afternoon – I am starting to feel sick!! Hazel has a cold, everyone in office is sick… I’m trying my best to steer clear but I accidentally ate after her and now my paranoia is going haywire!! So prioritizing rest and hydration!! And not drinking or eating after her at all!!
Sunday (2.11.24) – Plan: 10mi Actual: REST —- going to trampoline park for a birthday party!
It is HUMID today, 93% and 67° !! Hazel and I went on a morning walk and she fell asleep! That hasn’t happened in a while!
I am full blown sick. Very congested, lots of snot and sneezing and feeling pretty worn out. NOT GOOD. We still went to the trampoline park – which wore us all out – Haze LOVED it but all I could see were disgusting germs everywhere! I was internally freaking out. Hazel took more of a turn for the worse once we got home and we took a nap she woke up drenched in sweat… we got to bed around 9:30pm and slept hard. I am going to prioritize hydration, vitamin c and zinc and rest.. I hope I can do a whole “mind over matter” thing and not let this effect me!
Total Mileage: Run: 24.02 mi – it’s funny that just last year (December) I made a goal for average 20-25 mile weeks and now this feels and looks so incredibly low to me!! Haha I LOVE that!! Bike: 7.78 mi Row: 1 mile (lol) walk: 1.75 mi
I think I prefer the long runs on Saturdays to Sundays. I woke up this morning really just wanting to sleep more! haha. But overall, feel so good this morning and not like I just ran 20 miles! That feels WILD to me!! (Obviously written last Monday)
Now, this is written Monday 2.5.24 – I feel EXHAUSTED! is this the kind of exhaustion they talk about when marathon training ? Just running + life in general is wow! My bones are tired. I had a hard time sleeping the last two nights but waking up this morning I nearly fell over and I DID wake everyone up! I couldn’t stand. Wonder if that means I’m lacking something??
Monday (1.29.24) Plan: Mobility + full body strength
Feeling: super tired and a little hungry. Looking forward to Chipotle today to refuel as I wasn’t overly hungry yesterday but it is coming to bite me today, so protein protein!! I could do with a good nap today too. But I’ll just do my strength work and mobility.
Actual:
So, as I’m reading and prepping for recovery after a marathon and what to expect, one that jumped out at me was the possibility of cold like symptoms! Because you’ve worn down your body so much. Well, last night I started sneezing so badly and getting cold when it wasn’t that cold. This morning I am not only exhausted but a snotty nose. So, guess it’s a good thing we are cutting back this week!
This sea turtle shirt was a gift from Hendrix 4 years ago! It’s normally a simmer time shirt but I had to grab whatever I could for the gym this morning without waking up Hazel and this is what I grabbed. haha
Tuesday (1.30.24) Plan: 4 mi shakeout run + 6 mi cycle Actual: 3 mi run + 1.1 mi cycle + foam roll – the gym literally had no water. So my water bottle stayed empty. And I couldn’t keep going either walking, running or cycling.
My watched accidentally got stopped 5 minutes into workout and didn’t catch the activity so I just deleted it.
And here, I am soooooo thirsty but the water fountains weren’t working and I didn’t bring any water so I just gave up. My head started hurting from lack of water and decided I would just foam roll and head back to work for my sandwich.
(Wed morning) – it is clear my body is still recovering from the 20 miler…. I fell asleep with Hazel on the couch at 9pm lol. Also, have you ever had a dream and been so asleep that you woke up feeling like your legs weren’t working? I thought I was paralyzed – but I think I was still 1/2 sleeping!
Wednesday (1.31.24) Plan: 3mi run + strength Actual: okay, so I decided that today just needed to be a rest day. My body is still recovering from the 20 miles on Sunday. I haven’t had a real day off from doing anything in four and a half five weeks. So what better day than today? I use my lunch time to go get gas in the car and incredibly walked around TJ Maxx to see if I could find something, anything. But slowly I come to realize how much I hate that store now cuz they never have anything good. I know this is just because of where I am and the stores probably have not lost that much good “quality” as it did in California. So, I did not end up buying anything which is best for my wallet. I am thinking of doing a double tomorrow, and doing my run in the morning and then in the afternoon doing a lift session. I want to go into this Marathon with rested legs and a joyous outlook. And today just was not the day.
Here are my January totals!! What awesome mileage!! I haven’t hit this like ever??? Lol
Thursday (2.1.24) Plan: 8-10mi bike + sauna Actual: 3.5mi run with incline + 2.5mi cycle + .5mi on the rower! No sauna today. It felt really good to move, Im glad I took yesterday off, I think I really needed it.
Had to share – I packed THE BEST afternoon snack… Apples, peanut butter with a few chocolate chips!! 😁 I love peanut butter and chocolate but I’ve never thought to add the chocolate with apples too and hot dang! That was perfect!
Friday (2.2.24) Plan: 6 mi ez + mobility Actual:
This simple exercise.. hinging your inner (upper) knee like your quad? Is absolutely blissful!! And you can do it on the outside of your leg for your IT band. Don’t roll just hinge. So great! Such a release
Saturday (2.3.24) Plan: rest Actual: a storm is coming on Sunday, so I had to do my run today… But Jesse also went fishing so I had to postpone til afternoon. Which was rough because I definitely didn’t fuel right for it. I didn’t want to overdo it and I accidentally under-fueled. Vina had to go to her son’s soccer tournament so it was a solo long run and boy was it rough! I didn’t want any part of it, but I did it. I tried to wear a crop top with a long sleeve over it to see if I would like it for the race. Turns out if I just have the crop the belt that I have to hold fuel and phone rubs on my skin too much. So I had to keep the long sleeve on the whole time. Which was fine, at least I know now and not race day!! The run itself was very mentally difficult. The winds were high and matter which way I turned I was facing the wind head on! I even texted Vina half way through telling her how much this run was sucking and how I wanted to quit. But I didn’t because I know these are the runs that make you. I’m glad I kept going and finished but it definitely sucked!!
This morning though consisted of a lot of playing outside, a little bike ride and the park. So I wore myself out before the run even started!!
The photo I sent vina to tell her how much I hated this run lol
Pretending I was happy running, I wasn’t!!
So, these paces are shocking to me because whenever I like looked at myself through a shop mirror it looked like I was barely moving! Like I thought I was walking. So definitely weird to see they were in the 10s. I looked back at my old runs from 2020 and at first I was like WOW I am so fast hitting those 8s!! But then I also looked and saw the “easy runs” were 10 minute ones and my heart rate was 160+ so I’m like okay I’ve been doing much better. So maybe after marathon training we focus on getting fast!!
Sunday -(2.4.24) Plan: 13 miles Actual: yesterdays 13 left me more tired and sore than the 20 last week! So I decided while the dumpling napped (surprisingly at 11am!!) I decided to do some much needed mobility work and it helped soooo much!
After she woke up and had lunch we headed out to grocery shop which also went really easily – normally it doesn’t go that smoothly, today it did and we have a dinner menu planned for the whole week 😱. I stocked up on more honey stinger energy chews because I realized how much I enjoy eating those in-between gels. And I’ll probably get a few gels from Amazon. The race says it is supported with gu’s – which is what I’ve been practicing with this whole time, I just don’t know what flavors there will be so I’m thinking I will just bring my own so it’s no surprise.
After grocery shopping it was the park! This afternoon was actually warm enough for shorts! There were still puddles from the rain this morning so she did A LOT of puddle jumping. I looved watching her enthusiasm and jumping and running through all the puddles. PS. The boots were her choice. Haha
Total mileage: 25.64 – definitely a dip down week!!
Goal for next week – 2 strength sessions + MOBILITY – my hip flexors are feeling weak! And hopefully I can figure out what I want to wear for the race. It’s still too early to really depend on the weather. We are on a warming trend but it’s windy as heck by the beach so I think a long sleeve will be necessary.
You might have wondered what am I training for? I don’t think I actually mentioned it because I wanted to know if I could actually put the time and effort in to meet the goals needed. I think with the last few weeks I am going to be okay with sharing this! I am training for my first marathon. And no, it wasn’t a 16 week training cycle. DONT BE UPSET I KNOW NORMALLY I WOULD NEVERRRRR, but I think there are some things working in my favor! I think I benefitted from the half marathon in November so I am not starting at ground zero. I was focusing on weights and recovery in the first half of December pretty exclusively. Annnd I like really want to crush this! Also, after meeting Vina and our schedules mashing so well, we decided to go for it and train for a full with just 9 weeks til race day. Now, I will preface with saying I was doubtful at first and very reserved because I didn’t want to injure myself. But my “A/B and C” goal is to finish. I don’t have a time I need to finish in- which I think reduces the probability of major injury and definitely limits stress. I think the mileage increase has actually been much easier for me this time around and it hasn’t made me too tired or too overwhelmed. In fact I’ve noticed that I have been feeling extremely well even with some good 30 mile weeks – and still keeping up on house chores and taking the kids out to parks and not laying around recovering. I’ve focused on recovery a lot and intend to keep focus on that as the year goes on! Warm up, cool down, fuel properly, sleep! (I’ve been getting 7.5+ hours of sleep most nights) strength train and mobility – oh and cross training – cycling!!! I hit the 16 and 18 finally the 20 miler and I think I can make it the full distance. I’m excited for this as I have always wanted to complete a marathon and I’ll be able to do it (fingers crossed) before I turn 35 in July!!
I’ve paid special attention to stretching, mobility and strength as well as running easy and not getting too caught up on speed drills even if I miss the mark I wanted to hit. I’m trying to tailor my mindset and I keep repeating to myself “The body achieves what the mind believes” and that has really helped me. Along with Vina as a constant companion on long runs and throughout the week keeping me accountable! Lol
Just finished reading:
Started reading this (mid week):
End of the week I continued on with a thriller genre of:
Monday – (1.22.24) – Plan: Heavy weight Runners: Barbell/KB work + KB class and core work Actual: I woke up earlier than my alarm this morning and did a great mobility workout that focused on hips and glutes. It felt so good to move. I still wasn’t feeling stiff or sore at all from the run, but I wanted to get this in because I knew lunch time would be primarily focused on weights. Honestly, it feels wild to me to not be incredibly sore or exhausted after long runs – like I know now I was doing something wrong in the beginning – that being said I am purely just running and taking the long runs easy and not doing anything pace specific.
It was weird not going for a cycle, I had to tell myself to tire myself out on strength and not leave more in the tank for cycling. I left it alllllll out on the mat! And I increased weight, last week the 20lb KB felt way too light. So I upped it to 25 and HOT DANG IT WAS A BURNER but so good!! And I increased my barbell by 2.5 pounds on each side which felt very heavy haha!
The Bulgarian split squat is like my best friend and worst enemy lol and the KB full squat cleans were challenging!! I loved every second. I feel like Jello though so tomorrow will be a good shakeout run!
I really didn’t have it in me to do a more challenging core workout but I know I would’ve benefitted from it more. But something is better than nothing. After working out I scarfed down my sandwich and yogurt haha.
Tuesday – (1.23.24) – Plan: 4 mi shake out Actual: I slept really hard last night and woke up to my alarm and a little hobbling to get coffee. 6/10 on the soreness level so not terrible! But like I had a good effective workout. The shakeout run was needed and relatively easy going. I watched Grey’s Anatomy and just went nice and slow. Then I stretched afterwards and headed back to work for my sandwich. I’ve recently been adding some salad mix into my sandwich for some crunch and it really makes a difference! I love the extra crunch! PS. I know that HR on watch isn’t perfect but it read average of like 132bpm which I can get behind because I remember I used to run at pace with like 160+BPM and always wonder why after every run I was so exhausted. If only I could get my stinking battery for the HR monitor strap then I would wear that and test it out lol.
Wednesday – (1.24.24) – Plan: 5 mi speed /4 mi ez / 4 mi speed + Core work (I read my plan wrong and thought it was 5mi of speed work, then this morning realized it was only 4.. then thought I was too tired for speed work and would just go EZ then had the energy to kick speedworks butt! Actual: woke up this morning sooooo tired! But quickly woke up! But still, it was hard to open my eyes today. Training is taking a little out of me. I think I will take a rest day tomorrow! (this was clearly written before I got a burst of energy lol)
Today felt like it was barely moving by, but when it finally hit 11, I felt exhausted. I was tired and nearly skipped the gym. Felt like maybe I should just take a rest day. But then, I had a little bit of my sandwich and I perked up. And so I told myself that I would just try to get in a mile or two. But while on my way to the gym I felt surprisingly well. I had the energy and so I did the dang workout! And I’m so happy I did!! 4.26mi of speed + .24 mi cool down walk (4.5 miles total)
I even added one more 1 minute sprint in part 3!
I didn’t do core work – instead I just did my run and cool down and then headed back to work. So glad I got it done though! This evening I indulged in peanut butter jelly sandwiches and a glass of wine! We went to bed slightly later than normal but we slept like heaven.
Thursday – (1.25.24) – Plan: Strength (core work) + 8-10 miles Cycling Actual: I woke up feeling like I had a massive reset! I felt great and strong this morning so I went back to the original plan for an active recovery day.
6 miles in 27 minutes (!!!) on the bike! 1910m (which is around 1.16miles) rowing AND 15 minutes of core work!
Friday – (1.26.24) – Plan: 7 mi EZ Actual: I woke up and my back was SORE! At first I was like oh I must have slept on it wrong, lol then I realized it was from rowing!! I’ve never worked out my back so this is totally new, and I’m not mad at it. I’ve always wanted to strengthen my back! So I think I’ll try to continue to incorporate rowing 1x a week 😊 needless to say though, last night by 9:30pm I decided I was absolutely wrecked and exhausted and wouldn’t be waking up early to do part of the 7 mile today lol. I think 7 is pretty doable at lunch? I did want to try my treadmill again because I put oil on it the other night but I’m really glad I decided to just sleep and get the extra 1.5 hrs of sleep rather than waking up for a run.
It is supposed to be thunder storms all afternoon into the night raining and thundering AGAIN Saturday morning. If it were just rain I would say the run is fine, but if it’s supposed to be thunder and lightning that’s not super safe. So it’s a possibility of just running on Sunday.
Actual workout: Okay, so I did 7 miles, but garmin picked up on 6.62 miles… fiiine whatever. But here are the stats when I changed the mileage to the correct number. Pace increased to 9:39 min/mi and best pace was 8:04 min/mi This felt so good, I felt really strong and the pinkies (shoes) really gave me some bounce. I was smiling ear to ear after this run. I loved this little push I made myself do
While running watched this action movie: LOOOOVE me a good heist movie lol
Saturday – (1.27.24) – Plan: Rest Actual: At first, Vina and I were going to try to run the 20 this morning… But decided last minute we would push it to Sunday because she wasn’t feeling 100% and I kept telling her it was supposed to rain…. Well, really glad we slept in because by about 6:30am it was down pouring rain so hard and there was a ton of thunder and lightning. This rain wasn’t just rain it was sheets of rain coming down where I imagine we would have been drenched to the bone and unable to see, so thick cars are pulling over because they can’t see well either!
So, we watched from our covered porch. In fact, it was warm so at least there’s that! Hazel and I sat under the covered porch and she played with a toy and sang a little song while it rained and she just absolutely loved it. It’s those simple pleasures! Then we ran through the lighter rain to the playroom and played with some other toys before heading back inside for food. A lot of the day was actually spent outside despite the rain! It was off and ok so when it was “off” we headed out and played around and it was great fun! She had a glorious nap and then afterwards the rain stopped for good. We have a big tree and as we were standing under it Jesse came and grabbed a branch and soaked us all! Then it became a game and we all went inside later soaking wet haha! After baths and hanging out we went back out for some scooter walks in the sunset and a 1 mile bike ride! Hoping none of this comes to bite me in the butt tomorrow!
Sunday – (1.28.24) – Plan: 20 miles!! Actual:
Weather: temp – 48° feels like 44° / 83% humidity/
Wearing: moisture wicking tank with long sleeve over and senita zip up top/jacket + shorts! With the feetures socks and new balance 1080s and of course the Nox gear light up vest to be seen
Feelings before run: I have no idea if Vina is coming or not! She went to the Marine Corps ball last night with her hubby and never texted me if she was making it or not lol
*update by 4:30 she texted saying she was ready! So after I found that out I was a bit more relieved. We were planning to run meet up at the YMCA roughly 1.7 miles away. Ran out the door at 5:02am or so.
Feelings during run: I felt really strong during the run, the first 10 were amazing and then on the way back the wind started blowing and it was a bit chillier. The hills were also hillier lol! I had 1 salted caramel and 2 chocolate gu’s, 1 macca gummies with caffeine, 1 pack of honey stinger chews and 1 gluckos shot (electrolytes) and 5- 6oz of the water bottles. On the way back from Fairhope the wind was a gusting! So my legs definitely felt colder but it wasn’t terrible. We never stopped to walk up any of the hills like last week and all in all we were pretty strong! We did have to stop for the bathroom 3 times this run. Vina was the one who planned the route and when we got back to the meeting point we each had closer to 3 miles left lol, so we ran together a little longer then split ways. I ran the last 1.8 miles home on my own and they were very happy and fun. I decided no music and just to continue flowing. I tried to keep my form and not get sloppy. My hips were feeling the aches and so were my feet.
We went our separate ways at 18ish miles and those last 2 miles were magical, I had a smile so big on my face despite my hips hurting a bit and my feet and still having to go up an down hills lol! But I knew I had it and I kept repeating “I can, I will and I AM” meaning I can do this, I will do this and I am doing this!! It was so awesome, I’m not sure how to keep up pace the last 10k for a full marathon but we will see how it goes. Excited for tapering haha
As soon as I got home I was greeted by River and Jesse. Jesse said he and Hazel had JUST woken up about 10 minutes ago! 🤣🤣 Which means they had a glorious sleep in till 8:50am!!! Haha 3.5 hours of running and apparently 30 minutes in total of bathroom breaks (whoa)! After the run we played outside and ate breakfast then I took the kids to the park. Hazel properly tired herself out, had a meltdown – she melts when she is overly tired and then we took an amazing nap!
Jesse and Hendrix prepped the backyard for a bonfire while we slept and once it got dark I made chili tater tot casserole – which was kind of perfect for eating outside in the cold. The kids ran around like maniacs and had so much fun!
Planned running mileage: 35 miles
Total mileage: 35.26 miles!!! Plus 7.15 miles biking! Plus 1.16 miles of rowing
Ok, I need to preface the overview of this week with something – I stayed as positive as I could, but it really felt like every day I had a new struggle/obstacle to tackle. I am a little sad I didn’t hit all my miles, but also I see a lot of growth. The beginning of the week I lacked A LOT of positivity and as the week went on I gained more positivity even as things got kind of hard!
The goal of this week is to make it seem like I am not marathon training at all! Which mostly just means I need to start my long run earlier, which will be EXCRUCIATING, look at what the weather is looking like:
School is cancelled on Tuesday due to the freeze and the rain at night which will mean there will most likely be ice on the roads and the Super Intendent doesn’t want anyone out on the roads.. especially the buses! And Wednesday is supposed to be a late start day.
Monday – (1.15.24) Plan: Strength (full body!) + 30 minute Spin Bike Actual: I warmed up with a 3 mile bike ride and then as I started my strength work I had knee pain doing a front barbell squat – which isn’t new – but I stopped immediately and did this preventative knee pain workout. I will implement strength training tomorrow, but I definitely needed to do this workout and do the proper foam rolling – the adductor and IT band release part was amazing!!
Tuesday – (1.16.24) Plan: 5 miles EZ + Actual: woke up to some snow and freezing rained. Also tried to stretch, literally just reaching up and something pop and cracked in my back and my right shoulder is very tight and hurts. 🫣
The lack of motivation is REAL today! And even with Tylenol my shoulder is still hurting a lot. I managed 3 miles on the treadmill and that was it.
Garmin and Treadmill were the same today!
My shoulder started really hurting once I got back from the gym! It was soooo stiff, so luckily I got Jesse to rub tiger balm on it at night. It loosened up and felt good but dang something is twisted up in there!
Wednesday – (1.17.24) Plan: 6 miles tempo work? Actual: I woke up and my shoulder felt a little better but not 100%.
The weather we woke up to!
I went into this workout thinking I could do it! But I chose the wrong one at first! It felt way too easy… The walking in-between was too slow for me and there wasn’t an incline when I hit “play” on the workout. I had to stop .44 miles in and find a new one…. It is cool to know that the “beginner” workouts are WAY too easy but now I see the advanced ones are WAY TOO HARD lol – stick with intermediate ones!
So I chose this one
Total mileage: 30.78 miles run Bike: 9 miles
Not only did I die on part 2… But so much played against me! (here are the obstacles I spoke of) 1. I forgot my towel in the car so I knew I either had to run out in freezing weather to grab it or suck it up and go back to work sweaty. 2. I had to pee at the beginning of part 2! So I had to stop 3. I couldn’t get back into the swing of things / I switched treadmills which I shouldn’t have done and I swear the new treadmill I hopped on WAS FASTER! I couldn’t hang on at 7.8 lol! I was dying and like WTH!!! 4. Then the doctors office called and I had to take the call, so then I had to stop and there was just no going back after that. Tried to finish off with a slow jog and do some fast for a minute then slow and off and on, but got so over it and I had been at the gym for 1.5 hrs so it was just too much. I left feeling very defeated and all in my head! “How am I supposed to put the mileage in when I can’t get down 6 miles of speed?” And so much more…
Thursday – (1.18.24) Plan: Strength + Sauna Actual: (morning)motto: I WILL DO THE WORK!
Planned to do 45 minutes of strength but like this week has gone, it didn’t go to plan! My app wouldn’t play the routines I wanted to do, so I only got in 30 minutes. It’s better than nothing! I also have realized I can most definitely increase my KB weight to 25 pounds! (huge win)20 felt way too easy and I’m kicking myself in the butt for not switching out my KB.
I wouldn’t let the strength debacle get me down, I hopped on the spin bike and went for 6 miles in just under 27 minutes! I was a SWEATIN, my legs felt like jelly and it was amazing then I stretched it out and got ready to go back to work. These leggings make me feel like Beetlejuice lol
Friday – (1.19.24) Plan: 9 miles Actual: I have to leave early from work for a parent teacher conference. Soooo goal is to wake up early and at least knock out 6 miles. Slow and easy. 4:50am wake up to run as much as I can before 6:15am and then get ready for the day!!
Here is what happened: Pretty much like every other day this week… Something happened 😒. I woke up before my alarm (yay, win!), and had set aside my clothes. It was a beautiful 55°!! So shorts were fine…. I hopped on the treadmill and was ready to just zone out and chug along. The treadmill was not ready at all. I need to get lubricant for it…. It’s screeched before but not like this. It was persistent, it was ANNOYING and so loud. And then since I’m in the detached garage I realize this is really close to my neighbors bedroom (most likely – back of their house) and I don’t want to wake them up with this treadmill screeching at 5am. Let me set it straight, it wasn’t screeching the WHOLE time. But probably within the last .5 mile of my first run (oh, there were THREE runs) I had to decide to just step off. It was getting too loud and obnoxious. I stopped at 3.7 miles. I thought maybe I would just run outside the last couple miles. Except there are some major no-nos. 1. Jesse wouldn’t know and I know he would be upset I went out without telling him – safety wise. 2. I had no lights on me. 3. couldn’t see bc no street lights 4. The wind was cold – I ONLY MADE IT .4 MILES OUTSIDE. So, I got back to the treadmill thinking that maybe it would be better… LOL. It was THE worst and EVEN louder than before. I managed .90 miles for my third and final run. I had to close the garage door to try to keep the sound in and not disturb anyone. It made it so much worse. So, I called it quits and thought at least I tried. SO I RAN A TOTAL OF 5 MILES TODAY.
Which makes me realize Vina and I will need lights to see tomorrow morning. A Jacket will be needed for the gusts of wind and it is supposed to freeze again. Oddly this Friday and last Friday were warm and then it gets to the 20s.
The positives I am finding this week: ~ 5 miles feels REALLY easy and doesn’t take much energy out of me anymore – which is great! I like when 5-8 miles feels just easy peasy and like it is nothing. I remember back in 2019-2020 when this mileage was like an easy whip it out and put it down. ~ Strength training and mobility is making me feel really strong and good ~ I have been focusing on protein intake and I think that is also helping A LOT. Although, currently finding getting over 80g is REALLY TOUGH. According to nutrition it should be like 110g – 120g! Not even sure how to fit that all in lol
Saturday – (1.20.24) Plan: Rest Actual: Weather:
What I am wearing: full length Leggings + base layer long sleeve + thicker long sleeve with mock turtle neck + running jacket + special feetures socks + 1080s Fuel: bagel + pb + honey and an energy pack 2 chocolate gu, (1)mocca shot gummies, salted caramel gu + glukos shot + honey stinger chews How I feel before run: I got a good sleep this time around and didn’t wake up before my alarm (set at 4am), I actually had to physically turn it off which is rare. I was in a sleep cycle for sure, but I got up and stumbled out of bed (literally) and I feel ready. I’m excited to tackle this run with a friend! It definitely helps or else I wouldn’t want to start this early lol. How I felt during run: SUPER STRONG!!! We met up at 5am and luckily beforehand I rolled out my legs did my “monster walks” with the resistance band and in general warmed up! I felt ready!! Vina isn’t one to warm up- she isn’t one for doing things conventionally and today really bit her in the butt. So, the first 5.5 miles went so good. It was a beautiful clear sky and the stars were GORGEOUS! The wind was at our back and we worked up quite a sweat on our way. She has a pilates studios 5.5 miles into the run and we stopped by there for a water break and bathroom break. As I was assessing myself I realized I had sweat through my first layer of shirt – like it was drenched sand soooo cold. So I took it off and had my thicker Nike blue mock neck shirt on with the jacket. My head band was also soaking wet and would have done more harm than good if I kept it on. We laid them out so they could dry and swung by after we hit the turnaround. Unfortunately as we were approaching the turn around Vina’s leg started to seize up. And from there, it was messy! (By the way I had gel/fuel at mile 5.5, 8, 12, 14, 16/17) I didn’t feel like I NEEDED it but I didn’t want my body rebelling at all. So, after we got our stuff from the studio and headed back there were a lot of uphills. This is where Vina’s legs really started crampeUnfortunately Vina has major leg cramps and IT BAND issues and it forced us to walk a bit and slow down pace a lot. I walked with her hoping it would help her to move on but unfortunately she really needed to stop. About 1.5-2 miles away from the car I took off and ran for it. She had to walk, I got the car and drove back to pick her up. After I dropped her off at her car I stretched more and then headed home and stretched more after a hot shower and changing into extra warm clothes! Topped with some foam rolling and a protein shake, it was awesome!! How I felt after run: I feel strong and if I had to do 2 more miles I feel like I would have been able to 😱😱😱 – honestly shocking bc I never thought I could never do these kinds of miles
the sunrise was GORGEOUS!!!
this pic was for Jesse to see if there was an accessible way to get his kayak there lol
this is me after 18 miles feeling spritely!
After my run I did a LOT of stretching and it felt sooooo good, and then I tried to keep moving for the rest of the day. I made sure I had water, protein and rest as well as movement. I think the cold really takes it out of the kids – I tried taking them to the park, per their request, but we only made it about 22 minutes lol! (It was still only like 30° and super windy!) Then we had lunch and played a bit inside. I ended up taking a glorious 1.5 hour nap with Hazel – she’s a champ and got 2+ hours in! After naps we bundled back up and the weather reached around 40s and I walked Hazel on her scooter. Which at first was painful but then it all loosened up and was great! We were out walking for about 25-30 minutes.
I felt so good this morning, I slept amazing and really hard! Coffee was amazing – I was a bit hungrier and probably because of yesterday lol. I thought I ate enough to replenish but maybe I just needed a little bit more. Anything to keep my body moving and doing great things! I solved my hunger with some delicious bagels and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! I got the kids on the bikes/trailer and we managed 1.6 miles. Goal was ~4 but then Hazel fell asleep and so we tried to get her to sleep in her bed and then she was awake. FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!! So, as I’m writing this after dinner, she has only had about a 15 minute nap!! Haha she ended up crashing a little after dinner around 8:30pm or so. We had a late dinner of pulled pork Mac and cheese! So delicious 😋
Weekly mileage Plan: 38 miles
Actual mileage hit: 30.8 miles
Biking: 10.6 miles
I must say I’m happy I’ve kept up my strength training up and mobility work. I think that’s been a key ingredient in allowing me to increase miles so much!
Goals: hit all the runs and miles. Eat my protein. Get my sleep. Enjoy fresh air. Don’t spend money on eating lunch out.
Monday – (1.8.24) – Plan: morning mobility work + strength + biking lunch time Actual: Core in the morning – woke up around 5am and couldn’t go back to sleep. But didn’t want to get out of bed. Finally did around 5:45am and did this core work.
For lunch I did this strength work
3 rounds – I used a 20 pound kettlebell and I think 30 pounds for the Barbell! 🙂 It was challenging but JUST right. I’m so excited because I know last year I was only doing 10 lb kettlebell and 20 pounds for barbell! 😁 Knee drives/ hang cleans/ barbell Bulgarian squat High plank KB row/ KB clean to push press/ barbell RDLs Hip flexor strength / barbell sit down / full KB squat clean
After strength I got on a spin bike and it was a TON of fun. I am trying to slowly introduce myself into the weight section – I get nervous, but it was emptier than normal and not as scary. It was like being there, but on the sidelines but not fully on the sidelines because treadmills are in a whole different area lol
Tuesday - (1.9.24) Plan – 5 mi ez Actual: My glutes and hams/quads were sore, no doubt from the Bulgarian squats I did yesterday! I was going to do strength after my run but I gotta keep the easy days easy… I did incorporate some “speed” into today with a fast finish. Really I just increased the speed a little nothing like sprinting at all. It was all very manageable and not out of breath at all. After the first mile my legs felt much more relaxed but the first mile or so they were very tight.
Wednesday – (1.10.24) Plan – 1 mi wu, 4x800m repeats at 7.0-7.4 with 90 second rest, 1 mi cool down + upper body strength
My legs are still so sore from Monday’s workout!!! It’s like DOMS (except I guess it isn’t delayed since they’ve been hurting the last two days lol) or something, man! It was rough walking this morning just to get out of bed. I found a good speed play workout on my running/strength app that I followed… Sort of. About 25 minutes of it lol, then I thought I needed to run easy and not push too hard since I still have more miles this week and I don’t want to burn out haha! Maybe I need to just focus on ONE speed day and not “two” even though yesterday wasn’t really (??) it was faster than an easy run, but didn’t leave me tired/winded. 🤷🏻♀️ I’m confused idk what to do haha – I think I did just what needed to be done today and didn’t push too hard. Also, I have a super new blister on my big toe from my socks rubbing in my boots (fancy boots at work) which I didn’t realize until after my workout it was raw and nearly bleeding! (It’ll be fine 🫣)
Here’s the workout I was going to follow – but only did part 1 of it and attempted the first 4 minutes of part 2. Then I switched to running easy.
But really it was 5 miles 😒
After the run I did .25 mile cool down of strictly walking and then I did a GREAT mobility / flexibility workout afterwards which felt so good and hurt so good! Lol
SO MUCH SWEAT
Thursday – (1.11.24) Plan – morning mobility + upper and core strength+ sauna Actual: woke up finally not feeling sore! Feeling normal/walking normal! Ha! However, I didn’t do any mobility in the morning – but I did do some yesterday after my workout so….!?!? Still a win? Lol also, had to incorporate a little bit of spin bike (3 miles) because I needed to work up more of a sweat for the sauna – I can’t sweat in the sauna if I don’t already have a start to it. It’ll take like 30+ minutes to sweat and I didn’t have that kind of time. Strength felt so good! I don’t hit upper body enough and I really need to make sure I do!
Friday – (1.12.24) Plan – 8 mi ez Actual: I had to split this run into two, because no way was I getting in 8 in the morning or all 8 during lunch. For the first time all year (lol) I woke up at 5am and ran. Also, I was waking up all through the night worried I was going to miss my alarm, so I woke up before 5am… I could have run outside, it was so warm!! But I didn’t prep for that so I just stayed on the treadmill. I did 3 miles while watching Grey’s Anatomy. PS. we are (hopefully) going to be cleaning out the gym area so it can be an actual gym and not a storage with a treadmill 😂 I’m so excited Jesse wants to start working out too! This morning was warm enough for a sports bra and shorts but tomorrow calls for 32°!! How wild a 30° difference will be in just 24 hours! Also this is the warmest morning all year. It’s been consistently in the 30s and 40s early morning for a couple weeks now!
This run felt effortless, it was super easy and just chill. I really enjoyed it! Like a lot. There was no like “oh no, I am running out of time” feeling or anything like that… It was just nice!! I hope that the run later today feels like that and I really hope my Long run feels good too!
Run #2 fueled again by Grey’s Anatomy and oh boy it was a tear jerker and I almost started crying! And then of course my heart rate went up about 10bpm trying to NOT cry in the gym 😂 weirdly my pace is showing differently but I ran both at 5.2mph. but on two different treadmills! Which could only mean that they are calibrated differently?? I finished off my workout with a 10 minute sauna and stretch. Now I just need to recover, stretch more tonight and maybe some mobility and get a good dinner and sleep in for tomorrow’s long run!
Run # 2
Saturday – (1.13.24) Plan- Rest Actual: I have to do my long run today and switch things up yet again because fishing is supposed to be good on Sunday! Also Vina is out of town again this weekend – so it is a solo run. She is in my hometown, which she actually used to live lol! Small world… But she’s there with one of her kids to visit friends. So, today is the day! Weather /Temperature: 33 degrees with some 5-10mph wind, but sunny! Fuel before run: half plain bagel + peanut butter + honey and an energy packet in water Fuel during run: 2-3 (can’t remember if I had them all) salted caramel gu + new caffeinated mocha chews + glukos (electrolytes). Wearing: tank top + moisture wicking long from last week + Nike fleeced running top + Outdoor voices leggings + crew pro compression socks to cover ankles + New Balance 1080s – I was really worried I would be overdressed with the layers, but it worked out perfectly and I never got too hot! My hands were cold and I had to tuck them into the Nike top for most of my run. Feelings before run: ready to tackle and very excited! But I didn’t warm up my glutes properly in my excitement. Definitely trying to make sure I don’t overdress but also planning to do the neighborhood 2 mile loop first so that if I need to add or ditch a layer I can do it after a proper 2 mile warm up. Feelings during run: it is so cold!!! My hip flexors kind of hurt, I’m not going to pay attention to the pace even though I wanted to originally… This is taking a long time. I like that the sun is out, these leggings seem thin and not superb for this coldness. I wonder if the blister on my toe is going to get worse. (the blister did get worse) Feelings after run: I was pleasantly surprised when I finished! It was a big accomplished feeling, but since it was only 1 mile more than my longest ever run, it didn’t bring tears of joy. But I am glad I got it done!!
After breakfast and putting away the mountains of laundry I neglected all week (lol), I took the kids to the park and had to bundle up soooo much! I was almost shocked I ran out there in this haha!! But moving around definitely makes it more tolerable. After the park was lunch and Hazel happily slipped into dream world for 2+ hours. I tried to rest but couldn’t get to sleep. Possibly because of the caffeine gummies I had?!? So, I played with River and then Hendrix and I battled it out on Mario Kart! In the late afternoon Hazel hopped on her scooter and I had to push her probably close to 1.5 more miles (haha!) I guess that is good for the legs to get out the lactic acid. But really the only thing sensitive was my heels. They stopped hurting after 5 minutes.
I’ve heard of people having trouble sleeping after like Ultras and how they get terrible sleep, I wonder if tonight was like that because I couldn’t sleep for the life of me! Like I was exhausted! I did fall asleep on the couch from 9pm-10pm and then when I woke up it was very very hard to go to sleep. I ended up getting out of bed around 1am to stretch, drink water and then decided I would take Tylenol (even though my body felt fine??) I was just wondering if maybe it would’ve helped some to relax. And it did! Eventually…. probably from like 4am-6:45am I got decent sleep. 🫣 I think Sunday I’ll have a Good nap!
Sunday – (1.14.24) Plan – 16mi LR work out Actual: I woke up feeling so amazing (despite not sleeping well)! My legs didn’t hurt at all, which I find wild – I am really perplexed at how strong I feel after these big runs and I am not extremely tired and sore… maybe it’s because I’ve been doing actually easy miles rather than super hard workout and not recovering properly?? The weather was absolutely beautiful this morning and we couldn’t pass up a bike ride to the park! It was so sunny, and even though low-mid 50s it was gorgeous with minimal wind! 2.36 mile ride with the kids – I also miraculously found a pair of thicker almost fleece-like leggings that I tried out and they might just work for a run to keep my lower half warm if the temps continue to freeze! After our morning park rendezvous we had lunch and took a nap. I think I got in a solid 45min nap but Hazel slept for nearly 3 hours!!!!! After her nap, Jesse got home from fishing and since the day was still so beautiful and we knew that REALLY cold weather was coming, we packed up the kids and took them to another park! I think I’ll remember these days when I’m old… Packing the kids up to go to different parks and just watching them run around and be nuts. its so fun! Although the second park was overrun by little kids and Hendrix wasn’t having as much fun we decided an adventure was in order! We went up to a different area where there are trails but then I chickened out taking them because Vina had seen an alligator there Christmas week and I didn’t want anyone to become appetizers lol. So, we stayed near the baseball diamonds and ran around on the pitches and grass. To me, that was fun enough 😅
Then we made it back to the playground and some kids Hendrix knew were there and we played for another 45 minutes! Hendrix ran around with them while Hazel created her own little obstacle course and ran her little heart out. If you’re keeping track, the kids got to play at the playground for 2+ hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon lol
After the park we hit up the store for dinner and the kids roamed the toy aisle for WAY too long lol – Hazel is obsessed with Pikachu and was so sad when I made her put these away. She has so many stuffed animals – she steals them from Hendrix and brings a new one to bed each night.
Running mileage: 34 miles (biggest volume week in a few years!!)
Biking mileage: 10.36 miles
So happy I hit my mileage and I feel strong and capable doing it! 😁
Happy New Year’s!!!!! I really feel like last year my training was all over the place and not super consistent, but these pictures helped to remind me of what I did do!
Here are a couple loose goals I want to work towards this year!
I want to continue to incorporate running, strength and mobility this year! 2. I want to try for 2,024 miles (which includes biking, running, hiking, walking, swimming (maybe?) 3. I WILL save X amount of money for savings (personal lol, so I’ll keep it at X for y’all) 4. I WILL incorporate LESS cell phone time/usage at home so I can be present more and not scroll endlessly. 5.I WILL read/listen to 50 books this year.
As for book reading- I’m finishing up reading A Court of Mist and Fury and I am enjoying it a lot! (Beginning of week)
Monday (1.1.24) – Plan: Bike ride + stretch Actual: Today was the first warm(ish) day we’ve had in a week and I had it off!! (it seems like months lol but it isn’t) it was in the 60s and the sun was shining. I could have run, but I wanted to be mindful. All you needed was a light jacket out there and that was soon peeled off. I told Hendrix he owed me a bike ride and so off we went at a nice easy conversation pace. We had so much fun and talked about so much! We just did circles in the neighborhood so we didn’t have to fight any hills. He did one less loop than me, but at like the 4th loop (2nd mile) he decided his goal for the day was to complete 6 miles since I needed to do at least 6 for my 2024 challenge. I ended up completing 6.72 miles riding the bike! 6 miles were with Hendrix tagging along, 3 of those miles I had the trailer on the back with Hazel and 3 were without the trailer and that felt so great and light lol! I didn’t have my phone on me at all but I really wish I had snapped a picture of us out there enjoying our time!
Tuesday (1.2.24) – Plan: 4 mi + strength Actual: woke this morning with some much needed stretching to be done and plenty of time this morning. While I could have just done my own stretching, it felt nice following a routine. It made me actually stick it out for the full 10 minutes rather than race through poses in 2 minutes, haha!
For lunch I did a solid 4, Garmin chose to grant me .18miles more than it should have been lol. This felt a little harder than it should have – my body just felt sooooo heavy! I had to take a minute walk break at 2.5miles and then I continued on and finished strong at 6.0mph. But still, it was tough and I can tell I am still not 100%.
I stretched (for like 1 minute lol) and then did some core work which felt really good!
Wednesday (1.3.24) – Plan: 5 mi Actual: 5 mi run with .26mi cool down
Garmin shows just under 5, treadmill showed 5… It’s never gonna be perfect lol. Too bad Strava doesn’t let you EDIT the mileage!!!
At first I was hoping to hit the trails at South and get fresh air, but then it was raining like all day and then also it was FREEZING. And since I’m still coughing and not 100% I figure it would probably be best to stay dry and warm rather than wet and cold! Even so… I DID not want to run. I didn’t at all, I actually poured as I left work to go to the gym! 😂 But, I have goals and I want to stick to them. I want to increase mileage and it’s the beginning of the year! Can’t fall off track on DAY 3! LOL
Even though I wholeheartedly didn’t want to run…. I did. Aaaannnnnd what do you know? It was actually a pretty good run lol. Even though I walked into the gym just saying try for 1 mile, if it’ totally sucks, you can stop. BUUUUUUUT the end of ACOTAR was amazing and fueled me on the run … I felt MUCH better and not like I was slogging through mud and molasses. So good in fact that The last 1.5 miles I increased speed ever so slightly. About every .10-.15mi I increased by .2 on speed (ie. 5.7, 5.9, 6.0, 6.2… etc) Ended at around 7.0 for the last pinch but mostly stuck around 5.5 for the majority of the first 3.5 miles. I’m really glad I stuck it out and made it to the gym. 😁
To be honest, I don’t know if I like these Topos Cyclones…. They are finicky! But I guess I don’t mind them for shorter runs 🤷🏻♀️. I wore regular no show socks (not runner sockers) and it rubbed on my arch and made a small blister 😒 – UGH!!!!
These shoes + regular socks = ALWAYS a dang blister somewhere
I finished A Court of Mist and Fire, and the long awaited IRON FLAME BY REBECCA YARROS was available finally and I started listening! Will go back to ACOTAR after because the 2nd book ended so CRAZILY! These books are such good long run books lol… Love them and the action! I like zoning out to listening to them and then the screen just shows random trails and such so it’s nice views 😂
Thursday (1.4.24) – Plan: Strength/mobility + 6-10 mile bike ride The view this morning – notice the FROST on the roof!! Lol River is in his element playing Frisbee. My hands were frozen 😂
Wearing some Outdoor Voice leggings I forgot I had! Love how they fit and the length BUT the only drawback is there are no pockets – which is why they were probably put in a bag of “not wearing these” lol. To be fair, they were given to me by a friend who outgrew them. But, I think these will go back in the rotation, at least while cycling!
Actual: The strength on the plan for the day. Plus added some more KB swings
The proof of being on the bike lol. I set it up to level 3 or 4 and just jammed and aimed for 1 mile every 5 minutes – total of 5 miles, was going to do 6 miles (which lets face it was only 5 more minutes, but in my head felt like TOO long when I had a stop to make at the store)
These pictures were shared with me, they were taken when Hazel was just a couple months old 😍 It is hard to believe she was ever this small!
With increased activity you better believe I have been prioritizing SLEEP! I have been getting minimum 7.5 hours of sleep a night, but usually its 8+. I love how more activity will just wipe me out and make me sleep so hard haha!
Friday (1.5.24) – Plan: 9 mi Actual: So, long story short, I am supposed to do my long run tomorrow – had to switch things around so that Jesse could also go fishing. I know my legs couldn’t handle 9 today and another 14 the following day. Not yet! So, I had to change it up a little. Also, Vina will be in Houston so we are doing solo long runs this week. Which sucks but I am listening to Iron Flame and it has been nonstop action from the first minute of the book – so I am kind of totally OKAY with being on a long run with the book and myself!
Today I did 3 miles at a little slower than threshold- so what is that? Lol just a run? 😂 Like I was working, but it wasn’t all out and I could have held it for another mile or two but I didn’t have the time and I really need to make sure I get my miles in for the long run. So effort based today. 6.75/10 RPE?
This whole week I have just been grabbing and stuffing workout clothes in my bag and just hoping I have a sports bra, shorts/pants a shirt and a change of under garments! Today, I found out I had this monochromatic outfit waiting for me. Surprisingly very unplanned! These are Senita leggings which I hated wearing because I kept needing to pull them up while running and then they rolled down while I was cycling – soooo annoying. But love the color! lol
Oh, yeah, after the quick run I did a 3 mi cycle in 15 minutes flat. SWEAT WAS A DRIPPIN today!
My actually unplanned monochromatic outfit
Saturday (1.6.24) – Plan: REST Actual: LONG RUN TODAY + PICKING UP THE BEST EVER PLAYGROUND for the kiddos! Back story – our neighbor’s parents build custom playgrounds and they have had one for grandkids at their house but want to get rid of it. So, they offered it to us and we are paying a small(er) amount to them than what it should be! I am so excited to have this in the yard for the kids! It is going to be so AWESOME!!!
Run: Weather: 58°, 84% humidity, partly cloudy, no rain, light wind (yeah right, there was some good gusts) Fuel: peanut butter + honey drizzle on plain bagel plus one pack of energy fuel in water + one pack of honey stinger chews, two Gu’s (salted caramel) for the run Shoes: Black New Balance 1080s Feelings before run: ready, but also not ready to run 14 alone. Lots of doubts about being able to run further. Worried about not being able to finish when I go for longer runs. Trying to concentrate on the right now and not the future. Feelings during run: I listened to Iron Flame the whole time which kept me going and much faster than I thought I was doing. To be honest I thought I was moving way slower. It was such a good distraction, and I didn’t think I hit the 10:30’s and even some in the high 9s! There were times when mentally I got too into my head and was full of doubt, I did walk for about 30 seconds 2x which really isn’t that bad. But, overall I just kept going knowing I needed to get the miles done no matter how long it took. By about 9:20 am Jesse called worried about me because I thought I would be home by then, I wasn’t because I left after 6:30 – because 1. it was still dark and 2. I didn’t have my NOX gear light up vest to be seen. lol But I was literally like .5 mi away so it worked out well anyway. Feelings after run: I was sooooo excited when I finished and saw my average pace! I wasn’t expecting it at all. I also wore my new plantar fasciitis feetures socks which were AMAZING and I really enjoyed them. My heels didn’t hurt at all during the run. Afterwards though… My feet/heels are sore. But I guess it’s just a matter of getting more time on my feet, stretching and rolling out my feel and rest. I am so excited I finished this run and got in a pretty good stretch session and super HOT shower and clean dry clothes afterwards. I ended up only using one Gu and 1 packet of honey stinger chews. I was able to stop at some of the water fountains and fill up a bottle while out on the loops too. Luckily it wasn’t hot so my pack was needed – not that I could even use it right now as I lost the mouth piece!!
After my run I wanted to rest, but we had plans! We were supposed to get a playground but sadly the wood was pretty rotted. So we took it apart and Hendrix helped a lot and we salvaged what we could. Hopefully we can build something out of what we got. Kinda stinks as we really wanted this huge playground for the kids, but it wasn’t quite what we thought. The slides (so far) are in good condition and the little rock climbing wall. A lot do the hardware holding the wood together was NOT good, so that should be interesting.
With no nap today, I slept SO HARD when it came to nighttime haha! I think I ended up passing out at 9:30pm -only because Jesse wouldn’t let me fall asleep at 7 😂 He was so “nice” to not let me go to sleep early, but really I was then able to sleep in the next day and not wake up cranky at like 2am and not be able to sleep. So, thank you Jesse!
Sunday (1.7.24) – Plan: 14 mi long run Actual: REST! I woke up this morning with a little bit of aches in the feet and left hip.. but nothing major. It was pretty cold (much colder than yesterday morning) but we got out for some playtime on the swings and the park and ran around before a midday nap. The wind gusts were BONE CUTTING! We put to use part of the playground we got, the tire swing! The kids looooove it! Worth it! Hazel had soooo much fun sitting on Hendrix and being pushed around.
After that we went in for a snack and out to the actual park where they ran around and went down the slides and swung.
Decided to do a quick hip mobility workout while the dumpling slept. And boy! Did it feel good! I keep repeating to myself that the body can achieve what the mind believes and I need to keep believing in myself to get this mileage. I’m so excited for this experience and to push myself to keep going. I feel really good with the mileage I did this week! I don’t feel beat up or over done so I’m excited to see nex
Feeling: excited and ready for race day! Trying to watch the weather to see what I will be wearing for race day – seems like it is supposed to be chillier than I thought and probably represent same temps as last Sunday’s long run. Which will be fine! Also trying to come up with my fueling strategy because I don’t want to overdo it again like last race when I had such a heavy gut the whole time.
Monday – (11.20.23) – Plan: 3 mi EZ Actual: since I did my long run yesterday, I decided I needed to rest. Lol
Tuesday (11.21.23) – Plan: 45 min Strength Actual: 3 mi EZ and some strength. I actually really didn’t want to even finish this run, at 1.5 mi was mentally done but said get to 2 mi and then you can walk. Then I got to 2 and said ehh you’ve only got 1more mile! And so I completed it and then walked for about 10 minutes to cool down. I decided this week I would focus on resting and so I haven’t and don’t plan to wake up at 5 to walk, but I do worry it will be hard to wake up early starting next week!! Haha
Wednesday (11.22.23) – Plan: mini speed sesh – 1 mi warm up, 1 mi faster, 1 mi cool down Actual: I did it! And I stuck with the plan (and took no pictures ha!!) But it was completed! 😁
But!! Of course treadmill is different so really I did 1 mile in 8:26! 😊😊😊😊 Then I did about 25-30 minutes walk cool down afterwards.
Thursday (11.23.23) – Plan: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Rest day Actual: (sentence per picture!)
She let me do her hair! And it stayed up for most of the day!
We went to the alligator trail and hiked through some much smaller narrow trails, she stayedin the carrier and loved every second – my legs at the end were dead though!
A downed tree means you MUST climb it for a photo
He got a buck for walking across a downed tree without falling from my dad! Lol
A trail marker – for me – so that I knew this was the way we went down in case we got lost! Lol
My dad and baby girl… She was running along the wooden trail plats and we were so nervous she would go over the side because she is reckless (as all toddlers are) so we ran beside her and had our arms out just in case!
It was a little chilly today, but I loved seeing the kids sitting on the bench swing together and look out
Hendrix was wiggling the bench swing so hazel was screaming with delight and it resulted in a GREAT picture
The feast! It was sooooo good! My first time trying turkey with cranberry lol (loved it!) And it wasn’t out of a can, it was real cranberries
Friday (11.24.23) Plan: REST Actual: more hiking!!
Saturday (11.25.23) Plan: RACE DAY! Actual: for the first 4 miles I listened to born to run, then tried to listen to choose strong but. Couldn’t get into it. Listened to my sub 2 playlist afterwards. My number one goal was to have fun, Get under 2:15, go by effort only, and to not look at my watch at all. This race was small – they had NO pacers so I did get stuck behind some walkers at first. I thought I found the group I needed to be under 2 hours to be honest, but I finished in 2:11:xx
I went by feel and it was moderate to hard effort but I left a lot in the tank. It felt like a long run harder effort haha.
They had face painting and balloon animals for the kids
Sunday (11.26.23) Plan: REST Actual: I felt surprisingly amazing this morning waking up. I felt like I could run 6 more miles!! Lol but settled for a couple miles walking in-between rain showers and then 2 hours of roller blading with Hendrix and my mom! I haven’t been on roller blades in over 15 years!! It was so much fun, but the skates I rented rubbed on my legs funny and left a super bruise and a few blisters from rubbing so much!! Should have worn long socks!
The picture doesn’t do the pain justice!! I swear it’s a whole stripe of purple bruise lol. Looks so miniscule though .
Total mileage: 19.9 miles
And I feel ready to jump right into strength training focus as I didn’t really race this run! I had such a pleasant time enjoying the surroundings that even the lack of crowd support didn’t bother me at all!
If you have followed me the last 12 weeks, I was working my way up to run a sub-2 half marathon. Before I started training I was not running more than 10 miles a week consistently. I wasn’t super consistent and was a little lost on training and strength. My longest run since having my baby was a walk/run 7 miler.
The last 12 weeks I ramped up slowly to averaging 20ish miles a week, incorporated some strength and mobility. But towards the end I got LAZY and I did not do my strength or mobility enough. (something I am definitely going to have to change!)
The cold or something has made its way through the house and is making everyone snotty and cough up mucus. (Something I was battling a little on race day) But, this isn’t about making excuses!
Saturday morning Jesse was more excited and nervous than me and woke me up at 4:15am, about 15 minutes before my alarm. But I was already tossing and turning so I wasn’t in a deep sleep.
We got up and I ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich I prepped the night before along with a “drip drop” pack to help with dehydration. These things made me very full. (not good)
Another mistake was not drinking coffee and just drinking some energy drink. (acidic! definitely didn’t make me feel good lol)
The night before I set up my clothes and vitamins which made getting ready very easy. By 5:30am I was out the door.
Luckily parking was easy and I met another runner who traveled from Chicago, his goal was 2:35 FULL marathon! He also is trying to run a marathon in all 50 states and has done around 13 so far. He does about 4-5 a year. WHOA!
I got in line for the bathroom and then did some warm ups. I ditched my sweatpants and sweatshirt + long sleeve as it was around 59* and the sun was coming up. The waiting for the race to start was the WORST. (so long) I saw some others still in long sleeves, leggings and GLOVES! I kept my judgements to myself but oh my! Too warm for that lol
It started right on time! 7:30am and we were off! I didn’t like being in the corrals, people around me coughing (not that I was much healthier) but I could just imagine I could catch something worse being so close to everyone. So weird, as I would never think this before 2020 haha.
it’s funny – EVERYONE was taking selfies with the sunrise. made me feel extra silly
Miles 1-3 I averaged around 8:55 min/mi and it felt good! My stomach though felt so heavy… and even though I took gel (as per what I practiced) it did not feel good to take it.
Miles 4-6 I was around 9:05 min/mi and just tried to stay in front of the 2 hour pacer. Each little hill there was I surged up and let loose on the downhill to gain momentum. (that part was quite fun) I tried sticking to my fueling but my stomach was so full and felt awful. I still had a gel at miles 3 & 6 though. I pushed the 9 mi gel to a little later and then the caffeine gel at mile 11ish
After the first water station I was heating up and decided to drink half the water and dump the rest on my head – it felt amazing! I don’t think I got water on anyone else, but I don’t know.
After mile 7.5 I felt like I slowed way down, my hip flexors were screaming at me, I also almost twisted my ankle on an uneven spot on the ground and had to take a moment to stop and collect myself. (looking at my times it seems I was way more in my head than I thought!) I also forgot to set my watch to vibrate at every mile, not sure if that’s a good thing or bad at this point hah!
I remembered a few things during this time of wanting to quit. pain is inevitable. I am only racing myself, no one else. lean into the pain. the body achieves what the mind believes.
Miles 9-12 I did walk a couple times for about 10-15 seconds. I had to allow it, I needed it – and I had to tell myself it doesn’t make me any less of a runner to do that. And as much as I wanted that sub2 I also remembered I was here to have fun! This thought really kept me going and enjoying rather than beating myself up over walking.
I am happy to report that miles 12-13 I jogged/shuffled, slowly and in pain.. but I did it. And the last 100m I sprinted my heart out. I actually sprinted at 5:30 min/mi (granted for 15 seconds) but that equates to 11+ MPH! I had it in me and I left it ALL on the ground. I gritted my teeth and passed two others that were slowing down closing in on the finish line. Yelped a little hooray and teared up. I got a water bottle handed to me as well as my medal and bee lined it to the sidelines where I promptly collapsed.
Also, as you can see I placed 6th in my age group! Pretty cool!
I know I did everything I could do and I left it all out there. I enjoyed the route a lot! I want to bring Hazel back because it is great stroller running terrain. And if Hendrix would bike it would be the best! I did not take my phone out to take any pictures although I thought about it a lot, I didn’t change my music either, although many times I thought “it would be nice to listen to a book” So maybe the HM playlist wasn’t the best of ideas, but I can always tweak things around next time!
My Heart Rate was soaring and I was working extremely hard in the high humidity and through my crummy feelings (congestion, cough .. etc) but I know now that if I can withstand and I CAN DO IT! And maybe, if I was feeling 100% I would have smashed the sub-2!
The best part (not pictured) was when I got home and being greeted by everyone with hugs and love. Hendrix immediately tore through the goody bag and put the medal on running around. Hazel took the tech t-shirt and ran around with him. It was so cute!
**updated to add the official race photos – which ARE NOT PRETTY haha
me – literally SPRINTING down the line as fast as I could. If you zoom in, my face looks terrible – but who cares! (also I am floating! lol never had a picture with both feet in the air!)
just about to pass this guy! And passed the girl in pink behind me, I think I scared her
If you are looking for some inspiring books about running, look no further! These are some books that have completely inspired me and kept my spirits high this past training cycle. I tend to do audio books so I can listen on my drives to and from work and while running. 🙂
I did NOT finish this book. It seemed to be not as much about running as I thought.
This week I am supposed to start training, I have three runs to equal out to 10 miles on the plan. Howeverrrrrrr my toe keeps swelling up after being on my feet for a bit. And when it rubs against my shoe it tends to hurt a little. So, will need to rest it a little more.
With that being said Monday I did not go to the gym. Anything at the gym would have put stress/ weight on the toe. Since I did quite a bit of gardening / weed pulling this weekend, I figured today should maybe be an actual rest day?
Monday – Rest
(Tuesday thoughts) – you know when you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and everything just feels shitty? Well, that kind of happened this morning… to EVERYONE. (nightmare) Hendrix was having a tough time with his clothes and emotions were at an all time high. The car line for drop off is still freakishly long and takes forever, so when we left I handed him my phone to catch some Pokemon and we headed to the donut shop. I was determined to turn the day around. What better way than some sugar? His new favorite donut is a chocolate eclair with no stuffing. So we sat in the trunk of the car talking and he ate his donut. He was only about 1 minute late for school, and since there was still such long lines I don’t think he will be marked tardy! Sometimes, it is the little things to help brighten up a day, I knew a hug wasn’t going to cut it so to our neighborhood donut store we went! 🙂 shhh don’t tell dad or baby girl we went to get yummies, they will be sad they missed out. (no, the baby doesn’t have donuts yet lol)
Tuesday – Plan: Upper body strength + 6 mi bike ride Actual: 1/2 the upper body workout completed at home. I have taken it a little too easy and have let myself down. Switching my mentality from I have to work out to I GET TO WORK OUT!
Wednesday – Plan: Cardio + Abs workout + sauna Actual: I actually ended up trying a Les Mills core workout that was playing in the room and just about DIED. There were 2 other girls in the class, one bailed after 5 minutes lol ( I almost did too) and then the other did only 1/4 of the workouts. It was HARD. After I did about 10 minutes on the ARC trainer and just kept repeating to myself “I GET to do this, I GET to do this.”
My best friend called crying me today when I got back to work. She is going through a lot and I knew she needed help. We have been talking about her coming out here to visit for 1.5 years, and something always came up. So, I bought her a ticket. And she flies out with my parents (basically her second family) at the end of November. While she can’t stay as long as them, I am so excited for her to visit. She helped us get ready to move out here, and that was the LAST time I saw her. Over 2 years ago.
This was after a run we did when I lived in San Diego still, we were so hot we ran into the ocean afterwards and it was the BEST. (I was in PEAK fitness shape lol)
Thursday thoughts – Every. Single. Morning for the last 2 weeks River has woke up at 4:37am and barked. I think someone is walking or something at that time past our yard. today though, it was the weather. So much thunder and lightning and he got scared. I must have dozed off a little because in no time my alarm went off. He barked some more around 6:30 and decided I would let him out early. I’M SO GLAD I DID! He went to the bathroom and I put him back in his crate to hang out for a little longer (he is the type that if you feed him earlier than normal he will DEMAND it at that time the next day and it takes a good week to break the demand lol) right after he laid back down and I got inside it started dumping rain. Oh yeah, I woke and my abs are SORE! Feels really good, my toe didn’t swell up yesterday either and it feels good this morning. So, looks like taking some time off was actually a really good thing.
Thursday – Plan: Assess the toe situation – if it is OK then maybe run 2-3 miles. If not just do the upper body pull + 30 min elliptical/ ARC trainer Actual: I am so so so so so happy I went to the gym today!!! My toe feels great, but I am not ready to try to run. I did a full body weights session, ~20 minutes and then a short 5k bike ride (stationary). Quick, fast and easy!
abs on fire still 😀
After my workout I got a dreaded call that I did an invoice wrong and when I look to see the issues I am COMPLETELY baffled as to how the numbers changed, it makes zero sense when I copy from the previous invoice. So to end this tangent, I nearly screamed with frustration because these invoices have been a nightmare for the last 2 weeks. I thought it was all done and over and it has come back to BITE ME ONCE MORE. arrrggghhh
Friday – Plan: 2 – 3 miles + Unilateral leg workout or 45 min bike ride Actual: RAAAAAANT incoming – I. AM. TIRED. Hendrix has woken up every night the past week with a stuffed nose, trying to blow snot out at 1am. He has successfully woken up EVERYONE in the house each time he has done it too. He wasn’t trying to, he is just stuffed up and annoyed with his nose, I get it! But, I am tired. I just want sleep and the icky attitude is leaking out of me and I am lashing out. I want to run so badly, but I knew that running on the treadmill was NOT going to cut it. I am hoping with all hope that I can do some sort of activity tonight. Even if it is just a walk.
Saturday – Plan: REST
Actual: 2 mi walk with baby girl and then a mile walk with the pup and baby girl before the thunderstorm hit!
Sunday – Plan: 2-3 miles Actual: 6.6 miles! the boys headed out early to go fishing and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go on a run with the baby girl. She woke me up at a not so bad time of 6:34am. Neither of us were quite ready to get out of bed. So, we rolled around and listened to music and giggled away. Finally I got up got ready chokes down a banana and had to pump because she wouldn’t nurse. By 7:30 we are out the door and on our next adventure! it was tough, my legs hurt, I was sweaty but luckily the sun was not up in the sky it was very very cloudy. For the first 45 minutes I adopted a run 10 minutes walk 1 to 2 minutes but then I faced a hill and I walked up that b**** LOL. After that we kind of just ran and walked and did whatever we found a little pickleball practice going on and watch that filled up our water bottles and just this run went from what should have been only 1 hour to close to 2 hours of running and walking so I’m pretty excited and happy to say that we did it the last 10 minutes she hated it she was getting hungry and she wanted to nurse, but now we’re good!
6.6 miles total!
I really want to learn how to do running vlogs, I find so much inspiration from others when I watch theirs and love listening to them rant and talk and seeing where they run! That I’m like, what makes me like to watch?? I think because I can relate to them.. I really want to branch out and I love sharing my experience, through writing, pictures and videos. I like to look back on my training experience and show how far I’ve come. Check out my reel on Instagram at @runjacrun or on TikTok @jtok2989
Alsoooooo I have made my goals known to the family! I want to stop snacking on sugary foods. I’ve been definitely over consuming candy and chocolates and it’s been making me just feel bad about myself. So, yesterday was Day 1! I just want to shape up my diet a little and not eat icecream every single night with all the fixings on it lol. (Trust me, a lil is good!! I’m not getting rid of it completely, but I just need to not be so glutinous about it)
I started running FIVE years ago… weird to say because I still feel like a newbie. I started running when I turned 28 years old and my goal was to do a 10k in under 1 hour. I trained and fell in looooove with the process. We booked a hotel in downtown San Diego and I ran my heart out. (definitely overdressed, even though it was chilly for January early morning) I ran it in 56 minutes and 28 seconds. I was ECSTATIC! All I hoped for was to get it in under an hour, I was training at 10 min/mi so I knew I had to gas it up at the end to make it, but the thrill of the race and everyone around had me running faster than I thought I could.
MY FIRST 10K RACE 2019
That same year I decided to push myself and run a half marathon. I had seven weeks to prepare! My goal? FINISH it! There were some small rolling hills an it was much hotter than anticipated. I was also pretty bummed because my friend was supposed to join me and she slept through her alarm. So tackling that long run without that support was a definite bummer. But afterwards I got a glorious sports massage and was introduced to the massage gun – which I quickly put on my Christmas list! You can see my pained face here, I was definitely feeling like giving up.
FALL 2019 (first half marathon)
Below was the second 10k I did (same race as the first picture) but following year. My goal was sub 55 minutes. I trained HARD for this race, I increased my speed training and fitness so much. I was hyper-focused and as you can see I dressed much better, despite the morning of the race it was in the 40s! I had throw away clothes so that I could keep my muscles warm while I was waiting for the race to start and then that light jacket tied around my waist. It was so cold that J and H stayed in the car in the heat the entire time! They tried getting out but I was already done with the race! haha I clocked in at 52 minutes and 22 seconds! Completely blasting away my goal!
JAN 2020
Summer 2021….. PREGNANT! I had every intention of running my own marathon, I found out about 2 months after I started training I was pregnant. And, if you followed my blog I sporadically ran, kept in shape and movement but was not doing any kind of long distance running. I had a very rough pregnancy and it didn’t leave me much energy to do a whole bunch! As much as I wanted to be that pregnant runner running 10ks all the time, it just didn’t happen. I think I managed 3 miles around 26 weeks pregnant and I was super happy about that!
SUMMER 2021
Summer 2022 – so far, I have run 6.5 miles as my longest run. After not a lot of deliberation, the mutual sign off from J to help support my dreams and my friend signing on to coach me through, I have decided to sign up for a half marathon! This will only be my second half marathon race, and the first in the South! It is set for end of January 2023, so it will be cold and PERFECT weather for long distance running. Goal? SUB 2! Which means I get to not only increase my endurance but my speed and I am excited.
SUMMER 2022
I love daydreaming, don’t you? My go to daydream is running early in the morning and everything goes perfect. Your body cooperates, there are no issues getting to the place you need to, your snacks and water are just perfect. The dinner from last night is sitting well (lol). I am excited for the next 5 months! Lots to unpack and do.
If I could have my perfectSaturday/Sunday it would be this…
I would wake up extra early and be extra rested – no one would be awake… everyone else just completely dead to the world. I get dressed, do some stretches, drink my water, gather my snacks and water up and get River ready for our run. The sun is still low and not ready to peak out yet, it is barely 60 degrees and there are no mosquitos in sight. (haha)
We do a quick warm up lap around the “circle” and head out down the road. We decide to take the scenic 98 route and stop every once in a while for some water. River doesn’t pull, he glides gracefully next to me and we are both in top notch fitness. I get warm and get brave enough to just wear my sports bra. We arrive in Fairhope (about 7 miles away) and stop by an outdoor café where I get something to munch on, River gets something and we take a rest. He doesn’t jump on anyone, we stretch and get ready to run back home.
Once home, a mountain of waffles awaits me and I scarf it down, feed the dumpling and jump into the shower. Of course, you can forget to stretch and rehydrate more. After that, put on some nice music, curl up with a book and River at my feet and fall asleep.
This would literally be the best day. running with River + cool weather + cafes + naps…. THIS WOULD BE A DREAM COME TRUE! No crying, no one needing me for anything, the dog behaving completely, my body not rejecting a long run, no pain, no issues… ahhh that would be an epic day. And here’s the thing – I WILL get there. I will have this day, eventually.
When the dumpling isn’t so dependent on milk and the weather cools down this is something I can do. When she gets to be a little older *chefs kiss* mornings like this can happen, and they will. Just have to believe and keep dreaming.
I will not let the pain in my feet keep me from movement. I will not accept feeling like cement is building up in my body. I will stay positive. I will feel love. I will feel happy and chase endorphins.
Monday – (9.30.24) – Plan: Full Body Strength and capping it with a good stretch session Originally I was going to wake up early and take River out on a walk, but my feet were hurting pretty badly last night AND I was soooo tired that I thought just the extra ~1 hour or so of sleep would help. Actual: an incredibly hard full body workout fueled by banana and delicious everything crackers that I am obsessed with.
I added in regular RDLs after single leg, hip thrusts after Bulgarian squats and extra leg raises as well. I did 3 rounds of all 3 circuits and BOIIIIII was I dead. I laid on the mat for a solid 5 minutes contemplating life.
Normally I have sweet peppers and dip them in yummy taziki sauce… but I accidentally grabbed a HOT DEVILISH pepper from home and it made me cry it was SO HOT!
Tuesday – (10.1.24) – Plan:Run with Vina Walk with River / Upper Body Actual: I think it might be time to get new shoes? My lower back hurts quite a bit when I walk or run… not to mention the ankle sometimes hurting – I can’t tell if I am old or my shoes are old.
We enjoyed a DELIGHTFUL walk and River was such a gentleman. He always goes in for kisses which I have to brush off because he is too curious with his sniffing and I can’t tell if he has found “goodies” on the road or not when it is dark! (ew!!!)
My glutes and legs were definitely sore from yesterdays workout!
Upper body focus with some foam rolling because OMG my glutes were sore!! And handstands stunk today. But I tried so hard
Wednesday – (10.2.24) – Plan: Walk with River/Lower Body Stretching and mobility since I’ve been so sore from lower body on Monday Actual: I decided to not wake up early to walk River and I am SO glad I didn’t go out! Hendrix woke up around 5:30am and got sick everywhere. I slept really funky and so I was incredibly sore this morning.
Not only did I sleep funky making my neck sore as heck, I was starting to not feel so great. Not sure if it’s just in my head or not. But I took it real easy and stretched, foam rolled, practiced my splits and worked on hip mobility and wrist strength
Thursday – (10.3.24) – Plan: Run with Vina Walk with River / Upper Body Actual: I woke up so ready for this walk. And so many people were out walking today! I was amazed.
You can only see Rivers tongue 😂
Barbell used: 50 lbs. KB used: 30lb
Squats, Cleans, RDLs, RDL singles, hip flexor strength and mobility along with assisted pistol squats – I’ve lost all ability I feel like!! And some minor stretching
Friday – (10.4.24) – Plan: Core + mobility (with hopes of a walk in the morning but it’s expected to rain) Actual: I would have loved to go on a walk with River. But it was raining… well sprinkling and I slept like an absolute rock. At lunch I focused on core and upper body
Core work (~30 minutes)
3 rounds 30 toe taps 15 sit ups with weight on feet to hold 15 leg ups holding 10 pound plate 90°
3 rounds 30 Russian twists Plank side crunch 15 e side Plank hold side 25 seconds e. side with pulses
1 rounds Hold weight above head straight out on ground as anchor – “toes to bar” -20 Tucks -20 Tucks side twist 8 ea side
Upper body: 8 assisted Pull ups (2 sets), 6 assisted chin ups (2 sets), 8 assisted dips (I think 3 sets at ~60 pounds) and then 1 set of 3 dips at 40 pounds!, rows 55lbs M
My arms feel like NOODLES.
Saturday – (10.5.24) – Plan: Walk River 4-5 miles / ride bikes with Hendrix Actual: The armadillo must’ve been out because River kept me up barking last night, but it would be like one bark warning every 15 minutes. By 4:30am he saw something else and went into a complete tizzy and wouldn’t stop barking so I was pretty much up and wired. But I laid on the couch and rested a little more waiting for my alarm to go off at 5:30. I wanted to catch the sunrise and walk a little in the light and not just completely in the dark. And we did a new route (to him).
I forgot to check the weather but it was on the chillier side! High 60s / low 70s with a breeze! It felt sooooo nice! River really wanted to run around the fields but there were too many openings he could just run out of and off somewhere that I couldn’t allow it. (His recall sucks)
We went on quite a few walks round the hood and did a 15 minute bike ride.
And the park a couple times!
Sunday (10.6.24) – Plan: Walk River 4-5 Miles Actual: I chose to sleep in and I’m a little bummed about it. But I guess I really needed it. We went on a Few walks and went to the park!
Monday – (9.16.24) – Plan: Just do something – ANYTHING Actual: bodyweight full body plus lots of handstands and attempting l-sits plus ~10 minutes of cycling L-Sits are HARD!!! I can only hold it for 1 second
I have no idea how to do a planche NOR how I even swing from that to an L Sit, that requires a lot of strength!!
Finished off with a little cycle session.
Tuesday – (9.17.24) – Plan: run with Vina/ full body strength Actual: We got woke up at 3:30am by our fire alarm and I have been up since then. I think everyone else got back to sleep though. My alarm went off at 4:40am and then I got ready to meet Vina. We still aren’t running our normal 6.5-7 mile runs so we drive to the meet up spot at do ~4 miles.
With two dogs, one being a puppy, we had lots of stops to do and some crazy moves to get around them so we didn’t fall. It slowed our pace down a bit, but it wasn’t terrible.
A huge rain blob came over us and I am not running in the rain to get to the gym and running back to the car. So, gym is temporarily cancelled.
Wednesday – (9.18.24) – Plan: Walk with River (am) /Upper Body + Bridge Practice + Splits + Pistol Squat Practice Actual: I was hit with a lot of unmotivation but also some stuff going on at school with Hendrix. It led to no gym workout and a lot of talking with the teacher. Everyone is okay, but it’s not an ideal situation.
When I got home the kids were out playing in the dirt and riding bikes (I love this view by the way!) and Hazel took it upon herself to shower herself with dirt. And what I didn’t realize or think about was the amount of dirt that was STUCK IN HER HAIR. luckily she’s small enough to fit on the counter and I held her head under the sink and was able to get out 75% of the dirt. But it’s really in there! I’ll be scrubbing and soaping more tomorrow after play time probably too.
But isn’t the best part about being a kid getting dirty too?!? I sure think so!
Thursday – (9.19.24) – Plan: Run with Vina Plus Full Body KB work in afternoon Actual: I woke up from a glorious sleep. I fell asleep on the couch before 9pm and then fell back asleep hard in bed at 10pm. I definitely wanted to continue sleeping but today is Vinas bday! And she wanted to run with me!
My body doesn’t feel used to running, I feel clunky, I feel like my form is super off and I’m super slow. My feet feel like they are hitting the ground super hard and it just all feels like I’m brand new back returning to running. My lower back even hurts from it!
Me – tired AF – but knowing it’s time to go run with my friend 🤍
We managed 4 slogging miles and chatted the whole time. I’m going to miss her dearly when they move away next year. 😭
Friday – (9.20.24) – Plan: 3x Lunges down the walkway think with 20lb kb Squat press KB 25lb X3 Alternating single leg RDL 20-25lb RDLS
HANDSTANDS PUSH UPS DIPS ROWS
STRETCHING FULL BODY PRACTICE BRIDGE PRACTICE SPLITS
Actual: I woke up this morning feeling like I was hit by a dang bus. Every joint in my body hurt, it cracked and a popped and I feel like I’ve aged 30 years. Making me nearing 70. this week has brought on A LOT of stress and I haven’t handled it well. I completed stopped all strength work and maybe it’s not correlated but I don’t ever want to feel like this again. Age is a thing and it will catch up if I stop moving my body and lifting weights. So this was my wake up call. I don’t want to go down any further than where I’m at Right now.
I did jumps, hops and plyos at home in the back yard. Humbling. I think next week I will be committing to a run/lift routine. I’ve been so out of it lately and just not feeling myself.
After dinner during wind down time I did quite a bit of stretching and it felt so great. I really do have to be honest with myself and you and let you know that “cut” I went on lasted for all of 24 hours. Too many goodies around with my aunt here and I indulged. Which is fine, I am a believer in everything in moderation. But there is nothing about a plate of brownies that is moderation haha! ultimately I just want my body to feel good and be strong. I don’t want to feel like I am a Block of cement.
Saturday – (9.21.24) – Plan: wake up and take River on a walk/run for minimum of 60 minutes. Actual: The fit- new balance crop + spanx athletic flowy shorts + profila (cycling) socks + black new balance 1080s whilst listening to the last of my book!
I was SOOOOOO comfortable in bed and I really didn’t want to get up, but Im so glad I did! I warmed up and stretched a little and then got ready to take Rivs out. I knew I wanted to walk more than run, but I also knew that in order to make it the full 4.5-5 miles I had planned some running/jogging would need to be involved or we would be out there for forever!! That and the fact that I am not comfortable running just means I gotta practice more! I felt a little heavy and clunky on my feet and then I smoothed out some.
We stopped at a couple water fountain spots for Rivs And didn’t run into many people taking advantage of the beautiful morning (which was kinda nice just it being us two out there)
You can tell we did way more walking – because that is what this was supposed to be, just a low key walk… With some jogging put in. We met my goal in minutes out and miles!
Super proud of our mileage though! And then later in the evening the boys rode their bikes, I tried and didn’t get through it all that great (ha!)
We capped off the evening with a bonfire
Sunday – (9.22.24) – Plan: Actual: H’s friend was over at her grandma’s so they got to hang out and play
I really focused on slow intentional movement this weekend and mobility. Gotta keep practicing it every day though!
Fitness has always been fun.. well mostly, but finding new ways to move your body is a lot MORE fun!
Monday – (9.9.24) – Plan: rest and prep for Aunt Mel Actual: shopping 😏 shouldn’t have, but I did
Tuesday – (9.10.24) – Plan: indoor cycle + upper body strength Actual: a quick morning bike session, it was chilly and so not much sweat going on!
A little bit of a full body smorgasbord – did not follow any kind of workout, just did what I felt like and that was a lot of random stuff.
Wednesday – (9.11.24) – Plan: No plan! Actual: a little bit of everything. No pic taken but I did it! And the evening was spent like this:
Even Hazel got out there on her bike and went down the little hills. NO FALLING – IT WAS AWESOME
Thursday – (9.12.24) – Plan: Full Body Strength Actual: Mostly full body with emphasis on pistol squat attempts, dragon squat practice and then pull ups and dips. My hip mobility is getting better. My right hip is tight, my left leg is weaker ha
Friday – (9.13.24) – Plan: No plan other than trying to get better at hand stands and try bridges. Actual: flexibility, mobility, and core work. I can tell that my back is getting stronger and my wrists are getting more used to handstands and weight because it didn’t hurt going into a handstand! ALSO I figured out some more stretches to loosen my back more. I was able to do pain free handstands as well. I even threw in some cartwheels which felt great, if not a little weak. I did core work and flexibility practice (IE splits – ouch) I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this but I was once a gymnast, and something is calling me back to doing more of that kind of strength training routine. And dang it is so much fun!
I didn’t even realize the time passing as I was doing my movements and that’s a good feeling
We went out to Mellow Mushroom (delicious pizza!) and stuffed ourselves silly.
Saturday – (9.14.24) – Plan: Actual: we slept in and then got to cleaning up (me) and working outside. The boys started with some mowing and then we got to digging and building up the berm.
Sunday – (9.15.24) – Plan: Actual: my feet were hurting a bit yesterday and I wasn’t feeling 100% so I decided on just a nice walk with River. And it felt great. 3 miles and listening to a book.
After our walk we did some bike riding around the neighborhood and then went to the park.
I even tried the track! No pics taken, but I survived and it was fun!
First off whoa it’s September! Which means we have about 4-6 weeks left of HOT weather and then it will cool down. I’m excited for cooler weather but not for it to get darker earlier in the day or stay dark in the early morning. That part stinks. I really changed my whole outlook on summer running this year and got out and did it and sweated. It was great! Now just gotta flip the script and love winter running again.
Monday (9.2.24) – Plan:First Day Back to Running, easy paced no more than 3 miles with Vina and then stop immediately if anything starts to hurt. Actual: Vina had company over and couldn’t make the run which probably worked out for the best so I could go at a snail pace and stop as needed without guilt that I was holding her back. I took River since he loves a good jog and he did really well during our run!
I was surprised how I wasn’t winded at all (I didn’t think I would be able to run for “long”)but maybe the biking actually helped some with my endurance? I felt very little heel or foot pain during the run, it occurred a little and then I walked and it went away- I got the amazing runners high around 2 mile mark! River and I did a cool down walk ~.5miles around the neighborhood and then came home. This was a great morning!!
We kept the pace nice and slow and walked for about 1-2 minutes after we hit each mile marker. Weather:
Wore my lime green plantar fasciitis socks from feetures – I think they helped a ton!
Cool down walk selfies
I felt so good after this run but once I started working again in the yard my foot started hurting so much. Like the outside of my foot and heel, I was limping almost instantly and soooo maybe I am not ready for running?? I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. I ended up icing it for a bit and resting but in the afternoon I helped out more and just hobbled around.
Tuesday (9.3.24) – Plan: Spin bike (am) / Strength (pm) Actual: I turned off my alarm and did some mobility work in the morning, I didn’t want to shower AGAIN in the morning – this past weekend left me showering so much (lol) and I was just over all the sweat. Also, you know when you shower and wash like multiple times a day and you are just left feeling dry? That is how I felt haha
I thought I was going to get away with less sweat during lunch, turns out my body is like “it’s time to get sweaty” any time it starts moving. 🥵 I did 2 rounds each (instead of 3) of the Barbell, Core and Stability and incorporated more core work ( leg ups and reverse crunches which killed!! I gotta keep those incorporated more!) and then I did some reverse lunges with the barbell right after the back squat which also was a doozy
I literally collapsed on the mat after I was done for 5 minutes just trying to recover. I am TIRED from all the work this past weekend, but this lift felt so good today.
Wednesday (9.4.24) – Plan: Spin bike (am) / Strength/Upper Body (pm) Actual: Morning workout completed!
Afternoon workout SKIPPED – I just wasn’t feeling it. I went to the Dollar Tree and loaded up on a bunch of goodies for the kids haha. Lots of like weird(ish) things, like popcorn balls (!), “noodle” candy, cowtails, warhead balls… random things that were just cool.
Thursday (9.5.24) – Plan: Run with Vina (am) / mobility + stretching (pm) Actual: Vina drove to the park to meet me and I rode my bike. 2 miles to the park, 3.5ish miles run, 2 miles home. Some pain in outside of foot during run, it was rough – Phoebe and new addition to running Togo were a handful running.
Pitch Black this morning and winds around 20mph! The ride to the park was rough! I locked up my bike on some bleachers and met Vina. (I forgot to stop my watch when I was locking up my bike which took like 5 minutes to figure out haha)
Our slow and stompy run.
The ride home was fast and mostly downhill (thank goodness)
I got home around 6:20, made coffee, played with River, showered and got ready and somehow we managed to leave somewhat on time.
I took Tylenol just in case my foot started hurting, it’s now 1pm (checking in) and my foot doesn’t hurt. Is it from the Tylenol, yeah… But I like not limping
Afternoon: stretch, mobility, some pistol squat practice – I can’t get the shrimp though!
And I did pull ups, dips and rows. And got some PRs!
Friday (9.6.24) – Plan: Spin bike (am) / Strength (pm) or Rest Actual: I thought it would be good to sleep in, although I still woke up at 4:30am but didn’t go out to the spin bike. Hendrix woke up early to finish school work since he forgot about it the night before – and so it begins! Waking up early or staying up late (which I didn’t allow yesterday) to finish work so he doesn’t get a zero.
Saturday (9.7.24) – Plan: Short run Actual: We worked on jumps all day and I stupidly lifted wheel barrow incorrectly and hurt back and neck. I got my oil changed (finally!!) and then H decided to com with we went to the Dollar Tree because the one near my work had a great Halloween section (although this one did not). But he did find a 7 foot ghost that hangs from a tree for $3 so that was a huge win! And we got some more candy and snacks and headed home to build more of the jumps.
Sunday (9.8.24) Plan: REST Actual: Funnily enough the weather for the weekend was supposed to rain both day, all day haha – and it didn’t at all!
So, Sunday morning I met up with Vina for a little run, and this time I just drove to the meet up spot instead of biked and we got in ~4.5 miles with some obstacles along the way since it’s Togo and Phoebe and they are still figuring out how to run next to each other 🤣 it’s quite hilarious when you’re watching and not the one having to deal with the dogs. Overall my foot felt good and then it started to hurt a little during the day working. But nothing too bad.
After the run we got back to work, but this time we were prepping for Aunt Mel to come visit so I started cleaning inside with Hendrix and then we went outside to help with the jumps. Jesse wanted to change it up because the rhythm section wasn’t working the way he wanted it too.
In the afternoon we got in about 3.4 miles of biking around the neighborhood. There was another kid (that isn’t out much) and he was riding his bike so Hendrix was trying to catch up to him but couldn’t as they were playing a game of car and mouse almost haha.
Total running mileage: 11.13 miles(!) Total biking mileage: 13.61miles
First and foremost… this is not a weight loss blog, but I have been loosely focusing on losing a little bit of weight. While I don’t know how much I really want to lose, I know I want to gain strength and lose a little bit of fat. Being almost 3 years postpartum (how the heck did that happen!?) I am going to do a mini cut for the next 8 weeks. Or that is the plan – just trying to stay consistent. Nothing aggressive, just tracking what I’m eating and trying to stick to a “budget”. I was doing pretty good for about a month and a half and then my birthday came and I let loose. Which to be honest I’m not even upset about, sometimes you just need a little bit of a break. And I know that I gained strength from my routines… I’m sitting about a healthy 10 lb above what I was before I became pregnant with hazel. Do I want to lose all 10 of those pounds? No, probably not. I might just want to lose 5 lb if I can gain some muscle. Anyways, this is me trying to be upfront and voice my goals so that I hope I can stick to them. My biggest issue is overeating, I love my sweets and my salty snacks. The fitness part I have on pretty good lockdown, I’m pretty consistent I’m just not consistent with my nutrition.
Monday (8.26.24) – Plan: Full Body Strength Actual: I really felt my booty working, this felt so good. And the pogo jumps were even completed WITHOUT any pain! Ok, a teeny tiny bit but dull and not the sharp OUCH I MUST STOP pain – so we are running there!
In the evening I did more stretching because my legs were feeling TIGHT and my muscles were definitely feeling the workout from earlier today. Went to sleep at a reasonable time!!
*hit my nutrition goals, didn’t go over budget 😊*
Tuesday (8.27.24) – Plan: 60-70 minute cycle (am) / Knee + ankle strength + upper body strength + mobility Actual: I decided to try out our new indoor cycle. And boy is it quiet!! My bike has this weird squeak to it, I think it’s the seat… But this thing is just so smooth and quiet and it’s harder than riding outside. Even with the dial turned down! It’s just not as fun, you don’t have the wind in your face. But I still enjoyed it!
And I even got to try a different pair of padded shorts, which I thought were going to be MUCH better, but they weren’t!
54 minutes and 7.12 miles completed with an average speed of 7.9mph – not even as fast as I would ride on the street. But still a good workout! Then I did a little combo of “good mornings, curtsy lunges and RDLs”, stretched and played with River and got ready for the day.
I completed the upper body strength workout along with all the warm ups, the handstands, pull-ups push-ups dips Rows you name it!
Wednesday (8.28.24) – Plan: (sleep in)/ no AM workout – Cycle sprint + core work + jumps Actual: REST unintentional – I met up with Amberly and we had a Taco Mama – I had a steak taco bowl which was pretty good and filling!
Thursday (8.29.24) – Plan: Recovery cycle + Upper Body Strength + core Actual: I got ready to go out for a 10 mile ride outside…
I intended to ride my bike outside, and went for about 4 minutes and did .58 MI but I really am just not feeling it. So I went to the spin bike!!
With no wind in your face and a stifling garage I sweated A LOT. I kind of loved it though.
Much harder to get in 10 miles on the spin bike though! 4 and done and then stretched, played with River, shower, coffee and get ready for work.
I was pretty hungry and ended up eating my sandwich before the gym, went to the gym and did strength training along with some jumps and testing out my feet and any imbalances. NOT TOO BAD – felt pretty good!
Finished off the workout with some stretching and hip mobility.
Friday (8.30.24) – Plan: Mobility + Jumps Actual: Left work early to beat traffic and didn’t get to the gym. Feel actually horrible about it and I slept even worse!!
Saturday (8.31.24) – Plan: REST Actual: We rode our bikes around the neighborhood went to Hendrix’s old school and played on the playground. I was able to do (an ugly) pull up! All by myself! I wasn’t even able to pull myself up an inch a couple weeks ago! So cool! I had Hendrix video me so this is just a snap shot.
After the park…. We dug a bunch of dirt and made more jumps for like 5+ hours. Actually allergies were kicking my butt so badly I was miserable, so I worked for maybe 2.5 hours then we took a break for lunch and I showered and rested. Hendrix and Jesse were out there till 6:30pm digging and moving dirt around, so crazy!!
Sunday (9.1.24) – Plan: 80-90 minutes cycle – ride to Fairhope? Actual: Allergies kicked my butt yesterday and I was so stuffed up I didn’t sleep well at all so I planned on riding the stationary bike. I completed 60 minutes and about 7 miles. Mentally I just don’t want to ride around in the dark and I kind of like the stationary bike right now. 🤷🏻♀️
Then it was playing with River, coffee and walk around the neighborhood with Hazel and back to work digging. This time I helped THE WHOLE DAY. 9am-11am and then 11:30-1:00ish we played and hung out. Then 1:30-3:30 nap and then back outside to dig 🥵🥵 it was HOT out
Once the sun started going down around 5:30ish Hazel went back outside and coerced everybody to start digging again. I think it is imperative for kids to play and get dirty – it improves everything in my opinion. We aren’t meant to stay clean – it’s called having fun! Besides that’s what showers are for! And this girl was an absolutely filth monster!! She had dirt smeared all over her face and up and down her legs. She was in heaven
After we made the jumps, compacted them down and shaped them Hendrix had to roll over them to compact them down more.
This is called a rhythm section.
Hendrix’s pose for the finish line photo hey come back over her
My Garmin app has not been working lately, anyone else having this issue? Well I didn’t get in all the workouts I wanted to this weekend and all the digging and pushing the wheelbarrow for sure made up for it.
Mileage – 11.5ish miles biked, buckets of sweat and lots of wheelbarrows worth of dirt PLUS ONE PULL UP/CHIN UP now that I look at it.
I am still a little congested/snotty and I would like for it to just GO AWAY! But at least I am not dealing with the extreme fatigue. We have a cold front coming through which has made the mornings an amazing 70 degrees and very low humidity.
Monday – (8.19.24) – Plan: Les Mills Sprint Class + upper body work + core work Actual: Sprint class completed – definitely needed more caffeine for this but it was good and I’m glad I committed to it!
After the spin class my legs were feeling it. So I ran to the stretching section and grabbed a Foam roll to stretch and roll out my muscles. Did some Mobility work along with upper body (minimal pushups) + some focused pistol squat and dragon squat practice. I did some dead hangs, which I didn’t time but they seem to be getting a tad bit longer. Then I did my handstands and tried to stay upside down as long as possible.
Jesse sent me the dirt pile he moved and made into a camel hump – this is just the beginning. We are going to test it out later today! It’s crazy how little dirt we got and how much time and effort it took to get it.
Hendrix walking it through to see how it feels first…
Riding up to the hump gaining speed!
Up and over! Practicing pedal placement and speed
Unfortunately Jesse used Hendrix’s bike and tried to demonstrate and ended up cracking a rib or two! He will be on recovery mode for the next few weeks (to months). Because of this we had a rough night sleep! And I had to help him up and move around and I lost quite a few hours of sleep.
Tuesday – (8.20.24) – Plan: 10 mile ride (am) / Strength – full body (pm) Actual: No ride this morning due to really poor sleep last night. Which is a shame, we woke up to 71 beautiful degrees!! With Jesse getting hurt it is more and more apparent how much I want to protect myself from losing muscle and getting hurt as I get older. So, I did upper and lower body work. Two 25lb KB – 3 x 8reps deadlifts, RDLs and Bulgarian squats. Then I did standing presses as well as kneeling presses. Push-ups and dips + pull ups and dips (assisted weight). Then I practiced L-sits and handstands. This was a good ~45 minute workout!
In the evening Hendrix practiced more on the jump/hill work and we did a little loop around the neighborhood as well.
Wednesday – (8.21.24) – Plan: 8 mile ride (am) / Core work + upper body strength Actual: FINALLY really testing out my new clothes this morning! Although, I have no idea how to tighten that one side of the strap on my helmet ha! It looks so funny.
I can now safely say that this jersey I am wearing is 10000% better than the one I got off Amazon. The fabric on this is truly moisture wicking and soft – it felt great! I am wearing cycling padded Baleaf shorts and some light green (new used) socks! I also put on the gloves because I figured if I fell, I want protect my hands.
I also put on my moisture wicking gator (that would go over your face) and put it over my hair to try to minimize helmet hair! I think it worked well and kept it all out of my face. You can’t tell in the pic, but I know it was hanging low on my back! hahaha
I paused my watch at a long stop light and forgot to start it so I know I got over 10 miles. Probably bout 10.2-10.3 miles. Oh well!
I am glad I finally go out in the crisp morning. It felt great! A
Afternoon: focused on stretching and mobility. My legs were SUPER tight. So I focused a lot on stretching and then core work and then flexibility. And then to cap off a few sets of modified pushups.
Thursday – (8.22.24) – Plan: Lower Body Strength + plymetrics Actual: I was looking forward to the workout and then Jesse called and I left work and he went to the ER. FIVE BROKEN RIBS WITH MULTIPLE CRACKS IN EACH BREAK. No workout for me today.
Feel like I have picked up a new strain of bug, I am snotty once again and congested and my throat is sore. So really stinks.
Friday – (8.23.24) – Plan: mobility work + handstands Actual: I ended up sitting and eating a nice delicious lunch- Indian food – and I skipped the workout because I just needed a moment and it was exactly what I needed.
Hendrix had a bday party to go to at the trampoline park, so obviously Hazey had to come too! She had a ton of fun! Hendrix ran around with the other kids and it was complete chaos. (in the best way)
Saturday – (8.24.24) – Plan: 15 mile ride Actual: because I was not feeling so great the last couple days, my alarm went off and I swiftly turned it off and decided to sleep in. Definitely not mad about prioritizing that. When we did get up we cleaned up the Total gym that we received from our neighbor. Tried to learn a little bit about it but turns out we are missing some parts. Cleaned up the treadmill and the spin bike. Hendrix was hired to do some yard work at a neighbors and then around 9:30 we went to pick up a chest plate for riding.
We’ve been really lucky with getting his bike items and all of our bike items second hand gently used and also we’ve been getting rid of things of ourselves of our own and using that money to purchase the new things for this hobby. So I’m very happy with how frugal we are being. Because biking is not an inexpensive sport.
We played it outside quite a bit with Haze and she kept trying to get on the spin bike but is still much too small.
Sunday – (8.25.24) – Plan: REST Actual:It started to get warmer this morning! Which made me a little sad I missed the cool mornings. While I still didn’t feel 100% or even close – I wanted to get out and do something for me.
The cutest jersey (albeit big) and the baleaf cycling shorts.
I stayed in the Old Daph area and climbed some hills and just in general tried to get more comfortable on the road and in the dark. I did start later today because I just am a little worried about getting hit. My goal was to ride for 75 minutes since normally I am don in 60-65 minutes. And I did it!
Nearly 11.5 miles!
Rivs super excited for his morning play session ha!
Hendrix woke up shortly after I finished my coffee and before Hazel woke up so we rode around the neighborhood and chatted before he had to go back to the neighbor’s to finish is work. He is using this money to buy new handle bars and grips since his are a little too high for him.
We did a fast sprint from one part of the street over a speed hump and I got up pretty fast there – totally beat him too haha
We did two practice sessions – his request – and he is doing SO GOOD. He has been picking up speed and pumping and going over the jump really well. Hazel usually sits out there for about 10 minutes then goes inside to play. She also loves jumping off the jump in-between his jumps.
Second practice we took a lot of videos to watch over and critique. Here are some still shots
Total mileage: 30.8 miles
And my heel has been doing exceptionally well! I walked around the trampoline park with no shoes – because I was jumping with Haze and the next day it felt pretty good. I think resting it has been doing wonders for it and I am going to incorporate more jumps to help the Achilles and strengthen and I might be ready to run soon!
FIRST OFF – where has the year gone?!?!?! SECOND OFF – I haven’t ran in 3+ weeks! My heel still hurts sometimes when I wear the wrong shoes or I am on my feet too long and I don’t know when I will be able to run again. But surprisingly, I am doing okay without it but I know I am losing all fitness related to running. Biking and working on my strength is helping me from going absolutely nuts.
Third off, we found a turtle at work (not uncommon) and someone brought it into the office and I hung out with him for a bit before letting him go. Kinda wish I kept him haha!
He is sooooooooo cute. Hazel fell in love when she the picture. “Baby turtle!!!!” And then she asked if he fell off the desk and I told her no, he just hung out there and she said oh good! 😭
The shows we have been watching lately:
I love me some fast cars, but I have never been into watching racing. Jesse grew up on Nascar, which honestly I find boring because they are just going in circles. But the other night I found this series and they do way more than circles and the cars are cooler (in my opinion – I do love me a European race car haha). We also found that there is an Indy racetrack in Alabama not too far from us! (soooo cool!!)
Jesse started this one while I was at work, which is fine by me. He says there’s a lot of drama but it’s interesting to pass the time when its too hot to be outside. (also, A LOT of cuss words)
I started watching this at work (ha) after lunch to try to learn more about the cycling world – but its really only about the tour. Which is fascinating, but a lot of it is in French and I can’t have my eyes glued to the phone to read the captions. But it’s been interesting!
For years I have seen clips of this show on FB and I finally found it streaming and the first season was AMAZING! I’m in the second season now and its entertaining but love the first one more.
Monday (8.12.24) – Plan: 2 rounds of strength (instead of the full 3 rounds) + a cycling workout. Prepare to be SWEATY Actual: There was a Les Mills Sprint cycling class at noon and so I decided to try it out instead of making up my own workout. It was fun and challenging! And there was a really nice lady in there that was chatting it up and said that this class was HARD. And dang it was! It was so fun too, I haven’t been to a spin class in 5 years! I think I held back some, so I will try it again and go harder.
I tried to do my kettlebell workout after the class and as I was doing a swing my back seized up!💥 Instant panic mode. 💥 I stretched it out and decided to not do any weighted workouts today (just to be on the safe side). I did some random abs and pushups and lots of hand stands for fun
In the evening we had dinner and then me and the kids went on a 1.2 mile walk. Jesse hurt his knee the night before when we went out riding so he took a break and no rides were done this evening. Despite some whining and complaining (by me lol).
Tuesday (8.13.24) – Plan: morning 7-8 mile cycle + mobility and stretching (pm) Actual: I didn’t have a great stretch of sleep last night and found myself to be genuinely just uncomfortable laying down. I woke up every couple of hours or so and it was just a bad night’s sleep. But when my alarm went off I knew the only way to successfully have a good night sleep the next night was to wear myself out today, so definitely couldn’t say no to the ride.
It was warm this morning and the sun is coming up later and later and I definitely don’t like that. There are no proper bike lanes here and so while *most* people are good about driving around and giving a lot of space and slowing down, some aren’t. So it’s definitely sketchy when you’re riding and it’s still pitch black. Today I stayed mostly on the sidewalks which are more like multiuse walkways but more so sidewalks for runners and walkers. I did see a couple more people out there riding this morning (newbie looking like me) and some walkers.
Luckily riding “fast” means more wind in your face, so it wasn’t stifling.
I really do need some padded shorts and maybe some fun jersey colors. This grey is just so neutral and boring! But gosh I love the back pockets on these things.
My average pace is getting faster too! I think partially because I didn’t have many hills but also I have been pulling Hazel in the trailer on our evening rides and it is giving me a good workout. So that’s cool. I really gotta figure out a good route to hit 10+ as riding is definitely much faster than running haha
I ate my whole sandwich before working out and that probably wasn’t the smartest idea. I skipped the warm up and went straight to the strength part with (assisted) pull ups with the weight set at like 65 I think? Possibly 70, I can’t remember. I am going to follow this program and see if it helps with my calisthenics.
I found I couldn’t even hold a handstand (against a wall) for more than 10 seconds! That is sad.
I also ended up doing 33″ box jumps! 55lb RDLs and 35LB squats with KB.
Enjoy a picture of me stretching it out a bit. I also did some stretching and mobility at the end.
My arms feel like absolute TRASH ahaha
This evening we had the kids out riding and Hazel started finally riding!!
She wanted to do anything to get to her brother and keep up! 😀
Wednesday (8.14.24) – Plan: Strength (pm) Actual: REST DAY – I should have gone to the gym to do mobility but I did squeeze some in at home before bed!
In the early evening after dinner the kids got to ride their bikes. Hendrix got a brand new one! His very first brand new from the store bike, he’s always had hands me downs or used. If course I didn’t take a picture of him on it as I left my phone inside but he was cruising and I got to try it too.. it is so light! Its a race BMX bike.
Thursday (8.15.24) – Plan: Morning cycle ride + strength (pm) Actual: a beautiful 10 Mile cycle this morning
The vest held my phone and one water bottle that I didn’t really need except for about 1 mile in after my hill climbing! Haha other than that it was pretty flat and water wasn’t needed but it was nice to have as a back up!
I can feel myself really getting stronger on the bike! Now just to be able to run as fast as I bike!
With both boys getting new bikes I’ve thought about something for myself but I’m no bmx-er. I’m thinking about possibly a road bike but we will see. I’ll stick to what I got for now! Maybe test one out at a shop 😀
This afternoon I did a glute focused workout and just about died! Then stretched REALLY GOOD and it felt amazing. My arms are still quite dead from the upper body the other day which has me giddy. I am going to follow it again tomorrow! Also, I did 3 sets of (only) 5 reps for pull ups. Those were TOUUUUGHHHHH.
Friday (8.16.24) – Plan: Bodyweight fun upper body + core work
Friday morning – my legs are quite tight from the workout yesterday (yay) and I am in need of a good stretch. I finally got some decent sleep and only woke up for a short time around 3 when I had to pee, hazel woke up itching her TOE – seriously she’s woken up every night around 3 itching her TOE but we can’t see a bite or anything on it. And then of course river started barking. But I somehow managed to get back to sleep and woke up five minutes before my alarm. I wish I had more time to sleep. Its been a rough sleep week! Actual: I did the actual warm ups (minus hollow body hold), I did the handstands, pull ups (with 55 lb assistance!!), dips, rows (at 70 lbs!!), modified push ups and squats. I did walking lunges and core focused work with an exercise yoga ball. I did bicep curls with 10lb (I knooooow I could’ve done more, but I didn’t want to go get the heavier ones), practiced my L-sit variation that I can do, stretched and tried to do a bridge!
Bridge like this – not as pretty though! I used to be a gymnast so I know what it’s supposed to be like and mine was ugly and my wrists aren’t used to it yet haha.
Alsoooo at the end of my workout I practiced single leg hops and before it would be really apparent my weakness and my heels would hurt. Today… I could hop and switch feet and pogo jump an IT WAS FANTASTIC!
One load of dirt hauled and helped shoveled out.
Saturday (8.17.24) – Plan:15 mile Ride then garage sale Jesse found free dirt fill and we are going to pick up as much as we can to start building a bmx track so the kids can play! I am going to skip the ride so that I am fresh and ready to help and not exhausted. Actual: 5 more loads of dirt hauled. Pic is one load of dirt. It was soooo hot today and Hendrix had a fever so we mostly stayed inside with some short bouts of being outside. But it was 110+ heat index and just miserable. My arms and hands are tired from shoveling ha!!
Sunday (8.18.24) – Plan: Ride?? Rest???
I was going to wake up for a 15 mile ride. But I didn’t sleep well and woke up around 2am and turned off my alarm. I would much rather catch up on sleep and I have already hit my 25 miles for the week …
I did get in a couple miles with the kids and we went to two different parks! But this weekend was SO hot it was hard to be outside for long.
This weekend was HOT HOT HOT and I wasn’t feeling 100% and very snotty. So, although I feel very blegh and not productive, I was productive in the house! Got the laundry done and sorted and dishes cleaned and put away. small wins!
Calisthenics are exercises that rely on body weight for resistance. They allow for the development of strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. Follow the guide in this article for a basic routine. Calisthenics are performed with differing levels of intensity and rhythm.
For so long I have wanted to work on my upper body and I keep working mostly lower body. There has been an influx of instagram girlies on my explore page completely rocking calisthenics. I am obsessed! And this week I think I will try it out.
Monday (8.5.24) – Plan: Upper Body Actual: I knew my upper body was weak, but I didn’t realize HOW weak it was!!! I did all body weight work and mostly focused on different variations of push ups and dips. OUCH. I tried assisted pull-ups and put the machine at 60 POUNDS! I only got 4 done. Am I embarrassed? No. This is my starting point. And I will get there….
I had so much fun challenging myself to doing bodyweight exercises, and in between I did a lot of core work and hand stands! It was fun. I used to be a gymnast, 30 years ago!! Haha but once a gymnast… always a gymnast?? somehow 50 minutes flew by! I also did stretching —- my back was definitely not strong enough for my handstands and almost revolted… STARTING POINTS… I just am thankful I can get up and hold a handstand for a couple seconds.
And onto my hair journey? I have luckily always had pretty good hair. But I always air dry it and as I get older it just isn’t cutting it! So I am on a journey to figure out how to blow dry my PROPERLY and make it look presentable since I am no longer 10 years old. This humidity in the south really does a number on my hair and makes it poof! So I gotta get it under control.
Back to workout – my arms felt like NOOOOOODLES!
By the end of the night I was tired and not sure if I was going to go riding in the morning or not. Vina didn’t want to bike she really wanted to try running and I know my feet can’t handle that. They hurt when I’m just walking around a store for 20 minutes. They need a break! And hers do too, but she isn’t ready to take it yet. We all learn at our own pace. Anyway, I set my clothes out to ride in the event I felt okay in the morning and thought why not be prepared and if I feel like poop or sleep like poop, I’ll just not go! Simple and easy.
Tuesday (8.6.24) – Plan: 10-12 mile ride (am) / Stretching Mobility (pm) Actual: well, I woke up at 4:45am with energy and feeling revitalized. I’m still stuffy, and the snot rockets are insane (in a good way? more of a gross way- ha!!). But I got out there. My arms are definitely feeling the push ups and body weight dips from yesterday. (I love this sore feeling) I didn’t know how I was going to do out there, honestly just giving myself grace and being grateful I can move and enjoy the outdoors. I headed out just a little after 5am in complete darkness. (It is staying darker later now and that can only mean winter is coming.) I don’t know the weather because I didn’t check it. But it felt cool and not too muggy. I had some trouble on the slight inclines and allowed myself rest breaks as needed. I just rode around the streets Hendrix and I ride and didn’t go on the run route because I didn’t want to deal with the “hills” haha!
This is in front our city hall. It was all lit up and pretty so I stopped for a quick pic!
And, yes I am wearing a long sleeve – chose it for the brightness! It was way more breathable than my actual cycling jersey! Go figure 😒
Wednesday (8.7.24) – Plan: 10 mile ride (am) / Rest (pm) or Strength or row Actual: rest day! My body is fighting a Bug and as much as I want to ride and go to the gym, I would be upset if someone came in hacking and coughing through their workout. I also decided I needed to try to sleep in till a reasonable time. Unfortunately it was only till about 5:30am but it was enough to where I didn’t have any extra time to bike! Ha!!
We did however end up going on a short bike ride that was around 1.6 miles and Hazel was in the trailer, Jesse up front riding and Hendrix keeping up really well with Jesse. (My) Average speed was 7.7 mph!! Which for also having the trailer is awesome. Then we watched the movie “Rad” because the boys want to get into BMX racing. The most unfortunate part is that the closest tracks are THREE hours away??? But we will see what we could do. Sure wish we had a money tree!!!
Thursday (8.8.24) – Plan: 10-12 mile ride (am) / Strength Actual: slept in again this morning so I could try to actually start to feel better and this morning I don’t feel like I’ve been run over by a bus, so that’s a good thing!!! Its also the first day of 4th grade! So lots to get ready and do. I didn’t go to the gym again, honestly I’m trying this whole “let’s actually rest thing a go” we did do a couple loops around the neighborhood after dinner on our bikes though, so there was something! Oh and I did pushups and dips in the office so that was fun!
Friday (8.9.24) – Plan: Mobility and Stretching (pm) Actual: I was planning on waking up early and doing some core work and upper body strength this morning as well as stretching. I did the stretching portion, but core work got pushed aside when my whole body just started ACHING and CRACKING 😅 while on the ground. So I figured mobility and stretching which lasted only 15 minutes is what I did. The power shut off last night around 1:30am and jolted us awake because of the flashing lights and sirens. So that disrupted our sleep some. Hoping to make it to the gym for some lunch time strength or just mobility – whatever works!
Horrible quality but something!
I made it to the gym! And… today I learned that inclined push ups are harder than regular push ups and I could only do 5 at a time. Also, my core is weak (already knew that one) but I am having trouble engaging it and actually feeling the work being done. So, there is something fun I can look forward to. I did a few pistol squats on the bosu ball which were fun and some handstand practice. this totaled about 45 ish minutes. Then I did some weighted rows (50 lbs) on a machine and some lat pull downs (50 lbs) and realized – HEY I could do more of these things. Maybe I can work my way up to pull ups eventually. That was super humbling.
We prepped for the garage sale we were having in the evening!
Saturday (8.10.24) – Plan:Long ride GARAGE SALE Actual: we woke up and started prepping the garage sale items and people came waaaay early. We had way more than I even thought we had haha! It was like WOW I CANT BELIEVE WE HAVE ALL OF THIS TO GET RID OF! So we started at about 6:45am and ended at 11am! We made about $160 dollars in total. Not too bad. And then Sunday was super slow! But we are in the Bible Belt! Still have a bunch of stuff. And I’m hoping we can sell it on market place… We will see. We are saving up for something, first we are using the money and putting it towards a new bike for Hendrix and then the other money we are putting towards something for the house. Things are expensive!!
After Saturday’s garage sale it left us exhausted! (What an understatement) We took like an almost 3 hour nap! Haha and when we woke up it was like WHERE ARE WE? WHAT YEAR IS IT? it was a rough wake up. In the evening we did a little family bike ride.
Sunday we did the garage sale (with not much luck) and then grocery shopping and another ~3 mile bike ride in the evening. It has been Hot hot hot but also really dry. And I am still fighting some bug and sneezing everywhere.
Didn’t get as much activity in as I wanted this week but I did sleep a lot. So that’s good!
Run Jac Run 🏃🏻♀️ 