Hope you guys enjoyed my race recap! I wish I could have reported I got a sub-2! But I’ll get there soon enough. 😀
I KNOW I NEED TO REST, but I took a three hour nap yesterday and then was asleep again by about 8pm. I am a little sore Monday morning but what was oddest of all? I FELT THE NEED TO RUN! Usually after a race I feel like I don’t want to run for a while. I am just DONE.
This week I don’t have a plan to follow other than what ever I feel like. But mostly it will be recovery… also I have gone to sleep early (like 9pm or earlier) every single night and just had the best sleep ever lol.
Currently listening to:
I am loving this book and kind of switching off an on! This book just became available and I needed a little change of pace. It is thriller-esque!
Monday – (1/30.23) – Plan: foam roll and stretch properly Actual: Yes, I was sore… but in order to foam roll you have to warm up your muscles! I was going to just walk, I really was… but everything in me wanted to run. I took it slow and did 5.4 mph, but realized that it made my HR a little higher than I wanted and dropped it to 5mph. PERFECTO. It felt so good. I feel like I really got the lactic acid out. 24 min and 22 seconds and 2 miles total. Then a really nice foam roll session as my quadriceps were TIGHT!
Tuesday – Wednesday: gave myself 2 real rest days so I didn’t jump too fast into anything and allowed my legs to fully return back to normal
Thursday – Plan: 4 miles (1 mi warm up, 2 mi at 6.3-6.5 and 1 mi cool down) + MetCon workout Actual: 2.5ish miles – 1 mi WU, 400m @ 6.5 , 6.7, 6.9, 7.1 with ~1 min rest inbetween, then .25ish mi cool down. Got super bored and didn’t want to continue. Then did 20 minutes strength!
My hamstrings are sore after my workout! I also have the desire to run A LOT OF MILES, slowly. lol. I don’t care about speed, I just want to run far and with the baby dumpling. Also, excited to announce my oldest will begin training for his first 5k! I found an all kids race happening in one month! And he gets a medal and shirt! So excited he is excited about this.
By Thursday I was no longer interested in running! haha I now know I need a break.
Saturday – 3 mi EZ with stroller + walking
Hendrix ran/walked 1 mile today too! In just under 19 minutes
Sunday – lots of playing outside – like A LOT. Despite all of us being sick with snotty noses. The outside helped us quite a bit. it was beautiful!
Jesse went out fishing while we played and caught some fish. Hendrix loves posing with them lol
I think I am going to take off a week from running and just rest and do weights.
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
Final week of training! Full disclosure – everyone in the house is getting sick with cold/congestion and cough. But still in quite happy spirits!
Monday (1.23.23) – Plan: mobility Actual: Mobility was completed in the evening while baby dumpling was running around. Every time I go into downward dog position she thinks it is a greeting to lay under me and roll around. I gladly accept the challenge. I really like the idea of showing her NOW that working out is normal and healthy. I hope I can make her a runner! lol
Tuesday (1.24.23) – Plan: 40min outdoor Actual: 40 beautiful minutes (and 4 miles) outside in HIGH winds, 50’s and cloudy weather. My legs were COLD at first. They went a little numb too when the wind hit them. But other than that, the Nike long sleeve that is a little fleecy inside was overkill. I wasn’t dying – but I know I won’t be wearing this for this weather longer than a 40 minute jaunt. I listened to “Eat and Run” and cruised along the Intramural Track at South. A few people joined, but I toddled on alone. Re: the book – While I LOVE the idea of eating plants and vegetarian, I know I probably wouldn’t ever convert fully. But I definitely intend to eat more plant foods and try to reduce consumption of processed foods. I know that my body feels better with more veggies. And for me, a banana a day keeps the doctor away! lol. The last 2.5 weeks I haven’t had a SALAD because the dumpling messed with some buttons on the fridge (my fault) and turned down or up the temp so that every time I put lettuce in the crisper drawer it would FREEZE. We had eggs freezing, salad freezing… everything. It was the worst lol. I think we finally got the temps back to normal. Our shredded lettuce we used for taco night didn’t freeze at all!
Wednesday (1.25.23) – Plan: strength Actual: A late start to the day! The kids had dentist appointments so work didn’t start til 12:30pm which meant I didn’t take a lunch. Which means no strength. Hope this doesn’t bite me in the butt lol.
Thursday (1.26.23) – Plan: 4 mi EZ pace Actual: Lacking motivation, enabled determination! 4 miles at 5.5mph (wow that was boring) and finished in ~43 or 44 minutes? Today would have been PERFECT for a run outside, but I wasn’t properly prepared for it so on the tready it was. (borrrrring)
Each time I look at the weather for Sunday it gets worse!
Friday (1.27.23) – mobility Actual: I neglected mobility and went shopping. *sigh* I did do some in the evening time though.
Saturday (1.28.23) plan: Packet pick up and a quick 10 min tempo pace shake out actual: since the weather on Sunday (after 12pm) was going to rain the birthday party my son was invited to switched to Saturday. Was that ideal for me? No, it left me quite exhausted! But life is about being flexible. So to the party we went! It was unfortunately right during packet pick up time. 🤷🏻♀️ Oh well! We played for hours at the park, the fresh air seemed to help EVERYONES snotty noses and minor coughs. Plus the sun was out so it was very nice for us. Hazel ran around and booped a little boy’s nose (so funny) and we swang on the swings. And Hendrix had an epic nerf gun battle with the birthday party. (such a smart birthday idea!)
Sunday (1.29.23) – RACE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It wasn’t rainbows but it was great (looking back at it) I’ll give a whole recap. But oddly, a lot of Garmin’s were not synced up to the distance. So mine shows 13.04miles lol
Beautiful morning and around 60°!
In my recap I am definitely going to list out what I want to change about my next training cycle. We will see if I follow them lol!
Week 11 of 12 training! And the tapering begins!! I have really enjoyed the long runs with the baby dumpling. I never thought I would ever say I enjoyed running that far while pushing a stroller, but it is nice to have the company! While I now know I can cover the distance, we will see if I can stick to the pace.
How do you feel about the upcoming race? I am both a mix of excitement and dread. I feel like I can do it, I know I can make the distance. For SOME reason, sub 2 doesn’t scare me. Like I think I can run it. But am I underestimating it? Am I overestimating my ability? I remember my first and only HM race at mile 9 and I was DYING. So, I just don’t know what to expect. That race was also 4.5 years ago. I was still a newb
Are you planning on something afterwards?
I have been fantasizing about after the race and what I will do. I think I want to aim for more outdoor running and keep my mileage up. I am going to try to train outside even during the summer (unless it is torrential downpour and thunder storms- which happens a lot) But ultimately I want to cut down on gym time (maybe save money there) and also unsubscribe from the app that costs ($20/month!) but in due time. 🙂
I have enjoyed running with Hazel so much I want her to keep enjoying it but also when the heat comes I know it won’t be as comfortable. I have just put both of these in my Amazon cart. It’s funny how easy I can spend money on her, but if it were for me, I always put it back lol.
I just told my friend I have a goal to run 18 miles with Hazel in the stroller. I feel like I can do this! Do you??
Monday (1.16.23) – Plan: REST Actual: While I felt relatively good I knew I needed to do some form of movement to get the lactic acid out. I went to the gym and did some deep stretching, probably only about 20 minutes worth. But it was nice!
Tuesday (1.17.23) – Plan: 50 min intervals Actual: I went to the gym… walked in and quickly realized I FORGOT MY TOWEL! Which wouldn’t have been the end of the world but if I was going to do this intense sprint workout I would NEED to shower after. So, I walked back out and rescheduled it.
Wednesday (1.18.23) – Plan: Strength Actual: I was aiming to do the 50 min interval + half strength.. HOWEVER, I started to feel REALLY ill. My head was absolutely pounding and I was extremely nauseous. So, I didn’t go to the gym at all.
I AM READING THIS:
Thursday (1.19.23) – Plan: Mobility + other half strength Actual: I needed to get in some run today. And when I woke up my plan (on the app I pay for) was just POOOF gone. Something or other happened but I got the plan back and decided I definitely needed to do some strength and hopefully I can get mobility in tonight. lol (1.5mi run)
Friday (1.20.23) – Plan: 4 mi Tempo run + strength Actual: I nearly didn’t do my run. I was NOT feeling it. I decided to let my insta friends know I was lacking the motivation. And they came through!!!
This is my girl, Amanda, who I met through IG and we’ve run together exactly one time. She lived about 80 miles in Mississippi and now she has moved to Virginia. (cue tears!) But, she sent this when I was walking to my car from a work errand and it immediately made me go HA! I AM GOING! It worked! And even though when I got to the gym and MY treadmill was taken, I tried to not let it shake me. I tried to not let the fact that I left my Garmin in the car either shake me. I plugged in my running playlist and I DID IT. I hit my tempo pace (7.3mph) and then sprints at the end at 8mph and 8.7mph! I did a total of 4.5 running miles with a .25 mi cool down walk.
Listened to this on the way home… I AM LOVING THIS !! Can’t wait to listen to more of the series. I, myself, have lived life with too much worrying what others think of me or my decisions and I am stopping today!
Saturday (1.21.23) – Plan: REST Actual: We went to sleep extra early the night before and woke up at EIGHT! (unheard of with a little one lol) But also goes to show we are fighting a lil bug. Luckily River didn’t wake us up either. But the day was mostly just rainy blah. When it wasn’t raining we did venture outside for some fresh air a little but mostly we played inside staying warm. Did a lot of listening to music and dancing and Hazel is getting more independent and she has claimed a little cabinet that’s mostly empty except for some travel coffee cups and she loves opening the cupboard and taking things out.
Sunday (1.22.23) – Plan: 60 min endurance run Actual: to be honest I TRIED but I had given up before I even got to the treadmill. I didn’t want to run on the ‘mill. I really wanted to run outside and with Hazel. But its been so rainy and freezing and windy that it just wasn’t the weather to take us out in. ALSO we both have coughs and a sore throats and I’m trying to make myself stay healthy! Prioritizing sleep and rest and staying warm and dry. I made it (barely) 40 minutes. I was just so bored!! 3.5miles total I also had to run to the store to get the rest of groceries for taco night, which we had neighbors come over and enjoyed some drinks and tacos.
I have one week left of training and then I will have some off time to decide what I want to focus on. I know for one thing I want to focus on running outside, mobility and strength. Lol mostly running outside though. And with the baby!!
Goal for next week: MORE REST, MORE SLEEP, GET HEALTHY. DONT LET LUNGS GET SICK!
It is still sinking in that we are in 2023! Have you gotten used to it yet? Also, the sun is starting to go down later and later! I am sooooooooooooo excited!
It’s amazing how some runs can make you full of doubt and others are the game changers. I know for a fact I can finish the distance. If all goes right, I could probably get pretty close to a sub-2 hr also. But, the main thing is.. I can finish. I know I can.
Oh! I got bluetooth headphones but was unable to test them out on the longrun because of my constant companion. not that I am whining. I really enjoyed having Haze with me the whole time! She is a music SNOB and really enjoys the good vibes. At only 13 months old she will tell you if she likes the song or not, she will sing and dance along as well!
Monday (1.9.23) – Plan: REST! Actual: My body is sooooo ready for rest! I am extremely tired, I think I would’ve benefitted from a walk or even a light jog today to wake myself up! I am not sore, just TIRED.
Tuesday (1.10.23) – Plan: 4 x 1mi repeats + Strength Training (goal for 1mi to be faster than the last and getting to race pace) Actual: I went to the gym very reluctantly and I felt feverish in the first 5 minutes. I could not hang at 6.5 (just the beginning of my repeat) and I ended it immediately. While I REALLY wanted to run outside, I knew that timing would have been too tough and I was feeling off. So, I was at the gym for all of 6 minutes and I left. With the race coming up I need to make sure I am on my A game. I ended up going to sleep around 9:30 and sleeping extra hard!
Wednesday (1.11.23) – Plan: Mobility Actual: I really wanted to go out and run some trails during lunch and do mobility at home, I even got changed into my running gear. But I couldn’t get myself out the door. I just was in a mood (still). So, I worked through lunch and bailed at 4pm. I wanted to spend time outdoors with my family. And when I got home early and surprised everyone I was welcomed with cheers! Everyone put shoes on and we went outside and watched Hazel toddle around and clap her hands, played with River and enjoyed the fresh air. Haze fell asleep around 6pm (way too early) but it allowed me to get a run in on the treadmill! I finally felt up to it. I didn’t know how long she would be asleep so I did 3 1 mile repeats. I could’ve pushed myself more but I am glad (as I write this the following day) that I didn’t. We slept pretty poorly and my body hurts this morning.
Thursday (1.12.23) – Plan: 8 mi run Actual: I was hoping to run this outside as coach wanted, however we were under tornado watch plus there were 25+mph winds + thunder storms happening. I feel like that warranted a treadmill run. haha! Anyway, I wore my Craft Endurance shoes which I am trying to see if I feel like these are going to be my race shoes or not – they felt really good during this run! And I love how they push me forward and respond to my pace increase – I probably will wear these! What I didn’t take into account on this run was fuel, and lots of chafing! (ugh) My shorts that I love have been chafing me. My high impact sports bra also chafed my right boob. My Garmin that I wore on my ankle to hopefully get a better pace calculation ALSO got my ankle. Needless to say the shower after my run was REALLY painful! It was like each new place the water hit it was an “OH NO! OH CRAP!” So, now I am trying to figure out shorts that don’t have thick inseam so they won’t rub my legs. I know I wont be wearing that bra either on race day. Guess these are all good things to know prior to race day!
my ankle chafed from my watch, my boobs chafed from the bra and my inner thighs chafed. this pic is before I realized how much hurt I was in for!
I went to sleep later than I wanted, around 10:15pm but we got solid sleep so I feel pretty good. My hips are tight, I have a pain in my groin area so hoping some mobility work and possibly skipping the speed today will help.
While I am listening to Running Home I also just started listening to:
Friday (1.13.23) – Plan: 30min Speed + Strength Actual: I skipped it, the 8 miles definitely were TOUGH on me and I needed rest. I went shopping and I even put everything away so I didn’t buy anything. (On a budget!) lol
Saturday (1.14.23) – Plan: REST DAY Actual: We did a massive grocery shopping trip and hung out for the day.
Sunday (1.15.23) – Plan: 14 mi long run Actual: It felt like we woke up too early, but it was around 6:30 or so. I had my coffee and then a liquid IV type drink called Drip Drop. I had this around 8am but I knew I had to wait till it got warmer, we woke up to around 32 degrees F outside and I knew Hazel would be coming for at least part of the run.
Coffee first, then this! It was so yummy
For breakfast I had eggo waffles with peanut butter and strawberry jelly. I assumed that I would be leaving within 30 min to an hour so I was trying to time things perfectly! I got my waters ready, gels and fuel. But then Hazel fell asleep! And she slept for 1.5 hours lol. So during that time I played Bakugan battles with Hendrix and we played outside on the electric scooter and nerf gun battles.
PBJ (strawberry jelly this time) on eggo waffles for pre run fuel!
Fuel for the run! Plus the caffeine maurten bc I want to check it out!!
saucony shorts + body glide (many layers) = NO CHAFING ! yay
We started the run around 11:30 a.m…. Hazel took an hour and a half nap beforehand so I was worried that she wouldn’t want to sit still. Between the time I had eggo waffle PBJ and running I needed something else, so I had some Pop-Tart LOL. We loaded up in the stroller got the tunes going and set off, I was hoping for at least 7 miles because I wasn’t really sure if it was going to get too hot or not. It was probably in the forties maybe low 50s the sun was shining and there was a really good headwind almost the whole time no matter which way we turned. It took me a little bit of time to get into the groove of things but once I did it was pretty easy smooth sailing. More than once I had to tell myself to slow it down and enjoy the views. Once we reached 7 miles I figured we could just keep going and see what would happen. She hadn’t fussed once, I was feeling really good since my fueling was ON POINT! I checked in with Jesse and headed around on another loop. Hazel fell asleep from miles 9 to 12 and when she woke up she started clapping along to the songs and dancing. We finished off 14 miles just a little bit before getting home and I was able to do a 5-minute cool down walk. I bawled from happiness and was just so stoked. This is not only my longest stroller run, but just one mile more and I would have tied my LONGEST EVER RUN I’ve done. And to think I could’ve kept going if I had to.
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.
THREEEEEEE!!! weeks till the race and I don’t feel ready. This is the first training cycle I have continuously missed runs. It makes me worried and like I need to change my goals. At this point, I am just hoping to finish it with a smile!
It is time to narrow down the outfit of choice and I keep going back and forth between shorts or leggings. Long sleeve or tank top, short socks or tall socks, jacket or no jacket… vest?? All of it. If I wear shorts I will probably do a tank with a long sleeve and then I can take the long sleeve off if it gets warm. I need “throwaway sweats” as well. The last race I did (2020!!) I was able to find my throwaway clothes I left under a tree and bring them back home with me haha!
What are you listening to? I just started “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” I really enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid books, so I am very excited! It was interesting and very sad at the end!
Do you have any resolutions for the new year? Yes! The same as always are: reading books, keeping up my blog, taking more family pictures, and of course running! My new ones are: strengthening my back and glutes (hopefully less back pain in the end of this), less screen time, be more present, adventure more!
Monday – (1.2.23)- Plan: Strength Actual: Strength done! And 1 mile on the ARC trainer which was rough and boring at the same time! I really think I need to focus on strength after the training is done.. but also I can’t help but dream of trail running and ultras lol Enjoyed this delicious chocolate! (more like 6!) so yummy and marshmallowy
Tuesday – (1.3.23) – Plan: (8) 400m repeats + Core Actual: Really really excited about the paces I hit today! My hamstrings did feel quite tight and I didn’t feel very graceful, I got them done! I put my Garmin on my ankle and it worked out pretty great! (4.5 mi total) I also finished off with a really really good stretch session and a little foam rolling!
Wednesday – (1.4.23) – Plan: 6 mi endurance run Actual: I was supposed to increase speed each mile, but it didn’t go exactly to plan. I was battling a lot of should I or shouldn’t I in regards to running outside. It is 76* and full sun. But there is a great breeze and I haven’t been able to hang out outside since last weekend. So, I decided to drive to University of South Alabama – where I got lost lol and finally after 30 minutes (15 extra minutes of driving) I found where I wanted to end up. Because I was so late in arriving and knowing I had a longish run, I skipped the warm up! (bad bad bad!) I jogged around the track for one lap (~.75mi) and then set off around the campus. I was on a lot of gravel and a little dirt, but mostly stayed away from paved sidewalk. The wind felt so nice and I luckily didn’t get too sweaty. I made it to the trails, played for about 5 minutes in there and found my way out (reluctantly). I then found the pathway back to the fields which got me to just over 4.5 miles which meant two laps on the field and I was done. By that time though, my hips were hurting a little, my heel hurt some and I was almost empty on water. I took a look at my gate and how I was running and realized I was SHUFFLING! After some internal monologue I picked up my feet and the pace a bit and the last lap I focused much more on form. 6 miles in total and a happy camper!
Thursday – (1.5.23) – Plan: REST Actual: My legs are so dead that if I had a workout planned I would have skipped it! lol. So, as Haze gets older and we are scrambling to try to keep a routine, she is constantly throwing us off. Last night she passed out at like 7pm and then woke up around 9:30pm and played a little then went to sleep with us around 10ish quite easily. But she is waking up a lot in the night recently so I feel like quite the walking zombie.
Midweek I found this book – it is starting out great! I needed positive thinking and inspiration for my race! I am starting to doubt my ability to get a sub 2.
Friday – (1.6.23) – Plan: 40 min (54321) speed play + Core Actual: A miraculous finish! I am practicing positive thinking to motivate and inspire me to believe in myself! I feel like I haven’t done any real threshhold pace runs, no runs at HMP (half marathon pace) for that long and the doubt is sinking in fast! So, I am trying with all my might to believe in myself. And if I don’t hit my goals and the VERY least, I want to enjoy my race. (4.48mi)
Remember when I told you the other week when I tried doing a speed workout and I couldn’t read the speeds on my app at all? Well, I decided to avoid frustration and write it on a post it note! lol That way I didn’t have to squint to see the dang TYPING! Happy to report it helped SO MUCH and I didn’t get frustrated at all. Also, I committed the times to memory, but luckily it was easy (5min fast, 5 min slow, 4 min fast, 4 min slow… etc)
Saturday – (1.7.23) – Plan: Mobility Actual: gardening, walking the pup, walking for donuts, chasing after haze running in the grass and friends coming over to hang out! I hit well over 16,000 steps today! While I tried for a relaxing day to prep for the following run, it was jam packed full of activity. Minimal mobility work at the end of the day was done.
Sunday – (1.8.23) – Plan: 12 mi run Actual: The original plan was completely thrown out the window when the news said “Expect extreme weather by noon today!” So instead of planning to take the kids to the park and then running back, I set out around 8ish AM and with Haze in the stroller. I was trying to be as flexible as possible since last week she cried 1 mile in last week. Prior to our outing I had half a PB&J with a “drip drop” which is like a liquid IV packet for dehydration and Hazel had toast and milk.
So, I told Jesse we would probably just do 3-4 miles and then I would drop her off if she seemed fussy. But, she fell asleep (timing was immaculate) 1.25mi in to the run and slept till about 5.5mi. She woke up happy and content, so I kept going. By mile 8.5 I was going to need more water and a pee break. So we stopped at home and filled up. I thought there was no way she would want to come back out, but she climbed back in the stroller and made it known she was ready for more! So, off we went… only by about mile 10.3 did she start to fuss. I got worried but decided to switch the music from country to blues. She instantly stopped and chilled. (thank goodness!) We ran around the neighborhood and hit 12 miles! This was my longest ever run post partum AND longest EVER stroller run!
I am extremely impressed with the endurance and strength I had during this run! I took gels at miles 3, 6, 9, 10.5.
toothpaste on my shirt lol
Weekly mileage: 26.1miles!
(also we spent probably 18+ hours outside all weekend – yay!!) It was so awesome seeing Hazel running all around the yard and enjoying the outdoors so much.
Do you have trouble planning your long runs? Because I sure do! Navigating a 13 month old (omg how is she already 13 months old!?) and her increasing independence / codependence is tough! As independent and albeit ruthless as she is, she sure loves her mama time. (Obviously, I am awesome lol). But, when I have a race coming up and I NEED to run, it is hard to fit it in. And with the last attempt at her riding in the stroller, I don’t want to assume she will make it for 12 miles with me, or be 6 miles away from home and her freak out on me.
little me back in 2018
When I first started running our son was already 3 years old. He wasn’t nursing anymore and so it was MUCH easier to get any runs in I needed. It didn’t mean automatic work for everyone else. I say that with love, but kids can be tough. She wants to be held A LOT. So, needless to say it is tough to sneak away when your significant other has been with the kids all day long and then you ask for 3 more hours to get your run in. But, he would never say no.. it is more of just we need to strategically plan it out.
So, for the next two weekends I have my longest runs. 12 miles this weekend and 14 the next. The current plan, that I am so excited about for the 12 is for us to take the kids to the Fairhope Park and let them run around and tire out. And then Jesse drives them home to which Hazel will sleep for 2 hours (here is hoping!) and I will run back. Unfortunately it is only ~6mi away, so I need to also do some loops around the neighborhood. But I get to do half my “Perfect Day” run!! I know there is a lot more uphill going back towards home, so that should be interesting and beneficial.
This is how I hope the day will turn out:
Go to park around 11am, eat my pre-run fuel (PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH) and have my water bladder and a couple other smaller waters in the vest ready. I will have 3 gels for the run and I will probably also take a 4th (the Caffeine Maurten gel). Pair that with a hat, shorts, tank and New Balance 1080s and I will be ready. If I am lucky, we will be at the park till around 12-12:30 and then they will head home while I run and enjoy the sunshine and views.
Timing wise- I must be flexible. The course is less of a MUST than the fact I really need to run outside for these next two long runs.
When this blog is posted, it will be THE NEW YEAR! WOW!! HAPPY NEW YEARS!
Monday, highs of 49 and lows of 22! Tuesday was a low of 31 lol.
What are you listening to? I haven’t been able to find a book worth getting into, yet! Trying numerous books but nothing is sticking. However, I am really into the Wednesday playlist on Spotify!
Monday (12.26.22) – Plan: MOBILITY Actual: Mobility in the evening and lots of play during the day! It was in the 50’s today and let me tell you, it felt wonderful!! We didn’t have to bundle up nearly as much and all went to the park to play. The dumpling went down the slide for the first time and had SO MUCH FUN! She also finally took to the swing and enjoyed it a ton. This past weekend she mastered walking! A very Merry Christmas was had.
nerf gun photo shoots prior to the fight!playin ball with pupsriding on the scoot!
Tuesday (12.27.22) – Plan: 40 min speed incline speed sandwich Actual: 4 mi total and WHOA NELLY! This was good and fun and I completed it and I also can’t believe we have 4 weeks left till training is over. The run consisted of a warm up, then 10 min at varying speeds at 8.0 incline, then 1 min sprints followed by 1 min walk, then varying speeds for the last 10 minutes. Then a 5 min cool down walk.
super blurry pic because someone came around the corner and scared me! But I love this shirt from Nathan and I wore some PF socks.
We didn’t want to make dinner tonight, so out we went to… Whataburger! And it hit the spot. Baby dumpling fell asleep for the end of the car ride and part of the night so we learned to play Bakugan with Hendrix. And I stole his snuggie, which was amazing and I probably am getting one for myself!
don’t mind the messy room! lol
Wednesday (12.28.22) – Plan: 50 min aerobic run Actual: I can’t believe I left my gym bag at HOME! I was prepared and ready (clothes wise) and was going to go to the track and run in the sunshine, as soon as I got to my car at lunch I realized I forgot the MOST IMPORTANT part of it! MY SHOES! My only hope was to be able to get both kids down early for bedtime and run at night. Unfortunately, Hazel had other plans and didn’t fall asleep till close to 10pm. I tried everything to get her to go to bed early too, it’s like she just knew! So, needless to say I didn’t get my run in. Oh well!
Thursday (12.29.22) – Plan: Rest Actual: HAIRCUT! I wanted to get a reset before the new year. Trying out someone new and I know exactly how to describe what I want so hopefully I am happy with it afterwards! (3 haircuts in one year?! Wow! lol I neverrrrr)
Friday (12.30.22) – Plan: REST (supposed to if everything went to plan) moving to: 50 min or speed workout + strength Actual: laundry, music school, fetch, thunderstorms and some torrential downpour! I got the babes to sleep (finally) and ran to the garage to do my run and STRENGTH. I ended up doing 25 min (half) of the Tuesday workout at 5.6-6.0 and then did strength training (loved this and hate that I always skip it!) And then I did 90% of the speed. I feel like I gave up way too easily and am a little disappointed in myself for it. But I did what I did and that’s all that matters (5 mi completed!)
One of my favorite meals growing up! Rice, kielbasa sausage and eggs! Made a plate for the youngest too and she was super digging it! Growing up in an Asian household meant there was rice for almost every single meal!! One of my daily jobs was to make fresh rice when I got home from school! Hazel LOVES my eggs, and she was loving the sausage and rice! funnily she won’t eat anyone else’s eggs lol. I dfeed her the same eggs as I eat, so she eats all the spices on it 😊
Saturday (12.31.22) – REST Actual: we enjoyed a foggy humid morning and did the two mile walk. Hazel slept for most of it and I tried getting into yet another book but it wasn’t very captivating. 😑 We saw a red tailed hawk in a neighbor’s yard and watched it fly around, a few roosters picking at the ground and then enjoyed more kielbasa sausage and some toast for breakfast!
Most of the day was spent putting laundry away and attempting to clear our baby girl’s room so that she can hang out in there more instead of using it as a storage place for clothes lol. And then we played with the dog, ran around outside (a lot) and had a lot of fun! Oh and lots of Bakugan battles!
By the late afternoon we planned to do fireworks with the neighbors and by evening time the whole neighborhood was on our driveway listening to music, talking and setting off explosives! The kids zoomed around on their scooters, the dogs barked, the adults had some drinks (except me lol because of my run the next day) and the baby was in complete awe of the lights.
Sunday (1.1.22) – Plan: 90 min long run Actual: I tried taking the babes out in the stroller but 1/2 mile in and the stroller acted funny which lead me to banging on the wheel which led to my babes getting scared and cryingggggg. She’s at that age where things are definitely hitting her differently and she’s more empty. So we headed home, but she made me carry her the whole way haha! She wouldn’t sit back in the stroller at all 😩😩😩 anyways, we came back and she cooled off. Then the boys declared they wanted donuts so Hendrix and I went and walked over but they were closed!!! So we walked back and Hazel ended up being asleep so I stole away and got my run in. I wanted to work on picking up my pace and incline work and I did just that. As I watched the last episode of “Wednesday” I increased speed and incline every few minutes and it felt really good! Oh and the last 10 minutes I was doing 30 second strides! And then finished strong in the last minute pretending like it was race day crossing the finish line! It kept the body guessing and let’s just say my legs are feeling it! I got in ~9 miles today!
Is your life what you pictured it a year ago? (a WordPress prompt that I thought would be fun to answer!) It is 100% NOT WHAT I PICTURED. I actually thought that I would be either a stay at home mom with Jesse working full time or working from home. I imagined myself to be doing daily stroller runs outside, hiking and exploring the trails nearby and just in general different. BUT I love where we are at right now. Because I also pictured us being happy and smiling and laughing every day. With our first, we were young.. naïve and frankly we were not a good team. We both held resentment and it was a negative space. So we worked really hard during this last pregnancy and after birth to get us on the same page and work together so we didn’t have the same feelings come back up.
Christmas week! – What is planned? Wrapping presents, staying warm in the cold and watching movies and plenty of treadmill miles
Are you feeling any better about the race quickly approaching? yes and no… I am really hoping that on race day I have a bunch of adrenaline and run faster than normal.
Goal is to get ALL workouts done, but I am moving them all around to fit the week.
Monday – (12.19.22) – Plan: REST– moving mobility to today Actual: mobility workouts completed tonight with the little lovely Hazel flopping all over me LOL
Went down memory lane and someone liked this old old post from earlier this year where I was beginning to run and hit my first 4 miles post partum and was so excited for 6 miles to just feel easy and like a “no biggie” to hit. And now I laugh because I am looking at my mileage this week and its like “oh my, 10 miles- doable but it’ll be long!” lol.
I need to start practicing my nutrition during these long runs. As much as I would love to just take Maurten gels (love those) they are bloody expensive!! I have taken SIS gels and I like those, but they are huge. But I think I’ll just purchase those and start practicing.
Tuesday – (12.20.22) – Plan: 4 – 1200m repeats (try to beat or keep the same time as the last 1200m repeat day!) + strength Actual: Did not hit the same paces I did last time, I was sticking around 6.9-7.2 for the first 2 and then the last 2 I was ranging 7.2-7.6. I still had more in me and could’ve pushed it. 4.5 mi total! Strength was completed as well as stretching.
Wednesday – (12.21.22) – Plan: Mobility – moving rest day to today because there is supposed to be a Christmas party at work! Actual: Work had a Christmas lunch get together and we ate! Also, we got our bonuses which basically paid for the treadmill! So that is a huge win! I am currently looking into pacing strategies for my half and creating a playlist! I have never done either before, I also HATE when my watch beeps at me if I am off pace so I know I won’t be putting it on my watch but I just want some ideas of where I need to hit, probably will write it on my hand or arm or something. I am currently creating my playlist so that I am pumped the whole time! Listening to what I have so far so I can see where I might need some “pick me ups” While I tend to listen to not such “ratchet” songs, when I am going hard and running I listen to not child friendly music. My teenage years come out and I want to listen to rap and hip hop to get me moving. We are currently in the high 40’s of weather and for some reason I thought it was brilliant to just wear an oversized thermal shirt. I swear when I saw the weather it said high 50’s.
full disclosure, this is Jesse’s shirt! Lol.
As I was going down memory lane last year I specifically went to end of January to see what the weather was like and low and behold I ran on the day of the race (that I will be attending this year) and I wore leggings and a short sleeve, but I wasn’t running fast or far so I am thinking I might be doing shorts and a tank?? Ugh, the planning I love and hate!
We actually had decent Mexican food! Tacos and nachos for the holiday party! I filled up on all of it! I ended up taking a short lunch, filling up my gas tank for $30!! (amazing that the prices have gone down again) and I got a new jacket for myself (a really pretty emerald green) and a WARM flannel for Jesse that I will most likely steal.
Thursday – (12.22.22)- Plan: Hill Repeats(8!!) Actual: Grrrrr! I could have totally done this outside! It was in the 50’s and it would’ve felt great out there with the wind too. But, I had to do some errands for work and it was much easier to hit the gym in-between the errands than to go to Springhill to run up the hill I have been fantasizing (sarcasm) about. I have to admit I wasn’t fully committed to this… I gave up in the last 30 seconds of some of the repeats. I did 7 out of 8 of them. 6% incline for the first 5 of them and increased speed 6.0, 6.2, 6.4, 6.6, 6.5 and then the last two of them I did 4% incline and 6.8mph. In total I ran 4.09 miles in ~46min.
Friday – (12.23.22) – Plan: 20 min speed run! + STRENGTH Actual: attempt number 1 at 10mi long run – wore the wrong shirt and tried going inside and the baby was awake from her nap. I decided to put off the attempt and hang out with her and wait till afternoon nap!
Saturday – (12.24.22) – Plan: REST DAY-moving 10 mi run to today Actual: REST DAY! LAST DAY TO GET THE LITTLE THINGS AND COOKIE MIX! and I ended up finding hidden presents that I had to wrap late at night 🤣
Sunday – (12.25.22) – Plan: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND 10 MILES – REST DAY Actual: Christmas was very very early, the littlest one woke up at 4:00 a.m. and we all got a bit out of bed open presents by 5:00 a.m. and then took little naps throughout the day. They had lots of fun opening up all of their presents and it was a slightly warmer day today so we did enjoy the outside a bit more and had a Nerf gun fight.
Snowsuit coming in super handy this weekend!
While I didn’t get in the 20 minute run and strength training, I’m really happy with the 10 mile run I did get done with. Hopefully those little cold that I’ve contracted is not going to stay for long and rest will help!
Run Jac Run 🏃🏻♀️ 