Monday – (10.24.22) Plan: 50 min speed and incline intervals Actual: Had to stay home with sick kid and Jesse. The flu is hitting everyone very hard this year! While I hated every minute of missing my workouts, I at least don’t feel like cr@p!
Tuesday – (10.25.22) Plan: Mobility Actual: I had to unfortunately skip today because I was invited to a retirement lunch at work.
Wednesday – (10.26.22) Plan: Endurance repeats Actual: DONE! Felt so good, the plan was 3 rounds of 1200m(2 min walk) / 800m (1 min walk) / 400m (1 min walk) increasing speed each round. 1200m speeds started at 5.8 / 6.0 / 6.4 800m speeds started at 6.0 / 6.4 / 6.7 400m speeds started at 6.4 / 6.7 / 7.0 Because I haven’t been getting the best sleep and since J is sick I didn’t want to push to failure and so I think I didn’t push myself enough. This was a great workout and I am really happy with how I felt! I managed .56 mi and then I was interrupted with a phone call and started over and completed the whole workout in 55 min doing 5.11 mi. So I guess in total it was really 5.66mi!!
Thursday – (10.27.22) Plan: 35 min EZ pace Actual: I decided that this run needed to be outside. So after I dropped off Hendrix at school I stopped by a little trailhead nearby and ran around. The goal was to keep HR under 150 which I successfully did! It was in the low 50s which was absolutely perfect and it felt great just breathing fresh air. I am very happy to report that I didn’t have any music on and just enjoyed the peace and quiet. I saw a few deer running past and some dogs. :)(2.91 mi completed)
Friday – (10.28.22) Plan: Strength Actual: My whole plan on the app was accidentally deleted!! So I attempted a 50 min LR but was humbled and could only make it 37 minutes. 3.37mi total today. Hoping this weekend my app will be back up and I can complete strength and mobility and another run with River.
Saturday – (10.29.22) Plan: 50 min LR Actual: soccer and tornado warnings all night!
Sunday– (10.30.22) Plan: 2.76 miles with River in the afternoon, we finally got to try out his new harness which was nearly impossible to get on him because he was so excited! The front bit was loose so I have to tighten that and get him used to wearing it more. But it was a delightful run/walk with him!
I might have briefly touched on this topic from last week, but the older nugget got sick and was running a fever all weekend and into Monday.
Monday (10.17.22) – Plan: 4 1200m repeats (~4 mi) Actual: I came into work for half of the day to get the payroll completed and headed back home to help out. Needless to say a little bummed I missed this workout because it seemed like Hendrix was doing totally fine. Acting normal! However, that was not the case at all..
Tuesday (10.18.22) – Plan: strength! Actual: Since the nugget has been sick since Friday+, I took him to the doctor where he was confirmed to have the flu!! 😷😩 Super sucks, but luckily we’ve all been kinda isolating and keeping our distance to try to not get the whole house sick. Me and the dumpling spent a lot of time outside, even though its getting colder, it felt nice in the sun and we bundled up nicely. I definitely took advantage of the time off work to spend time outside in the fresh air. We also were able to open up the back door and let the breeze through the house which was so refreshing. We spent time with the pup, walking around outside and even went on a run! River loooooooved it and without the heat he was really moving fast! I am excited to see how far he can go with this cold snap coming through and the winter months because maybe he can really build some good base mileage.
Wednesday (10.19.22) – Plan: Intervals Actual: To be honest I am feeling run down! I woke up every few hours to give medicine to the oldest to keep the fever down and then also had to wake up to feed the dumpling. (I’ve just realized both their nicknames are food – I must be delirious) This week is going to just have to be hold on to the heath. I am avoiding the gym and if I feel up to it I might go for a run or walk on the trails.
**friday morning updates** The best laid plans this week and the hope to complete them and I could not. I stayed home on Thursday and took the nugget back to the doctor while Jesse disinfected everything. Strep throat test came back positive. So, we are battling the flu and strep, and I am trying my hardest to keep liquids up, nourishment up and resting! I am itching to get out and run but also weary because whenever I try to push it I end up paying the price for it. I have packed my running clothes and I might try to walk on the trail but still jut not sure. I do plan on a Sunday run with River (if I am still ok!) Jesse is planning on a fishing trip tomorrow to Florida.
Saturday (10.22.22) – Plan: 45min easy pace Actual: 2.22 mi walk/run with the pup and bebe. It is warming up, which is not what I want. I was enjoying cooler weather! So perfect for running.
Sunday (10.23.22) – unfortunately Jesse is now sick! 😔 So, the long run I planned to do solo didn’t happen. But I did take the dumpling on a great 5 mi walk! We explored a new neighborhood with gorgeous houses! So that was a lot of fun!
Today is Day 1 of Intermediate Treadmill/Outdoor, Weight and Mobility I decided to go with intermediate since I want to run faster, the beginner was a little too easy, and I adjusted the speed a lot so I thought I would take a look at intermediate. Things have to be a little challenging if you want to get better!
Monday (10.10.22) – Plan: warm up (mid foot strikes jumps, pistol step downs, ankle and hip openers), 40 min benchmark run (steady pace), Strength (core – baby turkish sit ups, high plank hip rotations, KB windmills) Actual: I was hoping to hold a better pace than I did today, I couldn’t hang out at the 10 min/mi mark long which definitely bummed me out, but that’s okay! So I hung around 5.8 and completed 3.85 mi running with a .15mi cool down walk. Completed one round of strength work and will complete the other half at home tonight. I really did not understand the high plank hip rotation and couldn’t connect my mind to my core with this so I want to have more to time to understand the movement! You can’t just do the work without knowing WHAT you are doing. You won’t get as much bang for your buck! Also, it is very safe to say that the maroon Vongos (4) that I’ve had since last year are TOAST! I have put on just about 400 miles, give or take a few and they are no longer giving the support needed. So, I will have to wear the craft shoes till Friday. The other shoes come in Thursday!
Once I got home everyone was outside, J was watering plants and H was with the dumpling strolling around. With the summer heat dwindling it has been SOOOO nice hanging out outside in the late afternoon early evening. We kicked the soccer ball around some and ran around with River.
Once the kids were asleep I finished my core rounds and the high plank rotations I was having issues with earlier really made a difference when I connected my muscles to my mind. It turned out to be a really good workout!!
Tuesday (10.11.22) – Plan: Strength! Actual: Skipped and I paid the price for it too. I am now in the midst of taking on a new role at work and have this pressure (put on by only myself) and didn’t feel like I could leave the office. So I worked the entire day, I did get a lot done, but I didn’t get my time to lift done. I need to learn to take the time off for myself.
After this picture I went and showered and washed my hair – felt amazing!!!
I was drinking liquid IV to prep for hydration!! I sweated it all out (sure of it!) lol
Wednesday (10.12.22) – Plan: warm up (around the world taps to hip extension jump, single leg deadlift to jump, dorisflexion jumps) + 40 min interval treadmill workout! Actual: I hate dorisflexion jumps – I literally DON’T GET IT! I assume I am doing them wrong. Anyway, I thought today was going to go smoothly.. it did not. Besides my right bicep hurting weirdly, my lower back hurting some I TRIED and gave up 26 minutes (2.4mi) into my run. twenty six minutes! I couldn’t hold on for 14 more minutes??!!?!? uggghhhhhh. But I did go and complete (half assed) 2 rounds of strength from yesterday.
I am currently reading Daniels Running Formula by Jack Daniels. And it is quite interesting! This happened to be the page I was on when I opened up the book today after my failed workout attempt, fittingly it says “expect ups and downs, some days are better than others” and also “set intermediate goals” I feel like I have set one BIG goal for the half marathon, but there are so many mini goals I want to get to as well. Such as: – run 6 mi in an hour – run 20 mi a week – Strengthen back so I don’t have pain every single darn morning when I get up.
Thursday (10.13.22) – Plan: Warm Up (falling stance pull-backs, cossak rocks to a high knee, push pop lunges), 35 min interval treadmill run, Strength training (~12min) Actual: I realized (and I KNOOOOOOOOW that I was supposed to do this, but I neglected it!) that I wasn’t doing proper warm up and cool down. And by that I mean I just did the warm up activities quickly minus my normal warm up that just gets muscles warmed up. I was absolutely not doing a little 2 minute walk on the treadmill like I normally do, I was absolutely note doing a cool down walk after the treadmill workout. And I was most certainly not stretching properly. Soooooo yeah. I am calling myself out on that. So, today…. I took the time. I did my leg swings and swooshes, I completed the warm up activity, I did some more hip opening work and made sure I felt ready. I did my 2 minute walk on the treadmill to get moving and I went into the workout with warm muscles. I altered some of the speeds and inclines, but I finished! 3.5mi in total. And then after that I walked for a few minutes to cool down, I STRETCHED and really just stretched. And then I did three rounds of my strength work. — Alsoooo I have been having trouble with sweat dripping ferociously into my eyes and if I wear makeup it stings my eyes and hurts like a b*tch. So, today I wore a hat and it helped SO MUCH. Soooo looks like hats and visors are my new accessory.
little lay out of all my things I needed for running!
Friday (10.14.22) – Plan: Mobility + 6 mi endurance run Actual: I was able to do a few mobility moves but I knew that in the end I NEEDED to do the run. I WANTED to! So after mobility I followed up with the warmup of Cossack rocks, single leg hops (loathe!) and jumping curtsey lunges (minus the jumping). I did my leg swings and in general just felt pretty good mentally to go and get this run done.
Initially my goal was under 1 hour because the treadmill will only go for 1 hour. But I didn’t want to rush it so I was like “negative splits is the way to go!” I did my 2 min walk warm up, then 1 mi at 5.5 and then pushed it to 5.8 and cruised there till mile 3. At mile 2.8 I took my first ever Maurten Gel – which I have to say, they are expensive! But it was an easy open, it tasted really good! The consistency was weird at first, but it wasn’t like gross. It was so easy to digest, I had ZERO tummy issues and I felt stronger! I knew I needed that gel (which originally I was going to take it at mile 3 but I was getting hungry and needed to get ahead of the ball) – I think that Maurten has my money now, for good. I am definitely investing.
the new babies!
Ok, so after mile 3 I kicked up the speed to 5.9 then 6.0 in the next .5 mi. Mile 4 crept up fast and I was running out of water, so I paused Garmin and the treadmill and ran to the water station to fill my water back up. And I got to say I am enjoying the feel of these new shoes!! After mile 4 I kicked it up to 6.2 or 6.5 (I can’t remember) but at 4.8mi I had about 8.5 minutes left an I needed to kick it up a notch. So, I think I hovered at 6.8 and went from there to 6.5 or so… unfortunately I hit 60 minutes and I didn’t hit 6mi so I had to guess as to how much further I needed to go during the cool down- which I just kept increasing the continue lowering of the speed. I ended up going over 6 miles and did 6.24 mi in 63 min and 52 seconds. But I felt really good! I did a 10 minute (YES! 10 MINUTE) cool down walk and stretched!!!
Saturday (10.15.22) – Plan: mobility work that I skipped yesterday and either a 2 mi walk or run with River and bebe Actual: 2 mi walk with river and the bebe this morning followed by lunch and a glorious nap! Some mobility exercises as well!!
Sunday (10.16.22) – Plan: rest Actual: laundry, cleaning, nap, walk with dumpling and River and the oldest nugget was unfortunately sick all weekend, so taking care of him and last but not least grocery shopping
Wow, 12 weeks left of the year. Where did the time go???
Ok, so this might be TMI, but I am excited to share my menstrual cycle has returned. Weird right? Well, my hormones finally feel more regular and leveled out. I feel more like myself NOW than the last 18 months. I have woken up with a whole new set of goals and a determination that can’t be waivered. I am excited to run with this!
With one month left till real half marathon training happens, here are my goals:
STRENGTH TRAIN 3X a week (20-40 minutes each time), include one HIIT workout
Run 15-20 miles per week. (work way up to that)
tested out my new Vongos – unsure about them! the foam feels off
Stretch and foam roll!
Eat the rainbow!
Monday – (10.3.22) Plan: glute activation, 1 mi WU, 4x400m @ 7.0, 1 min @ 5.2 recovery jog, 1mi CD, Legs & back workout Actual: I changed it up because I am frantically looking for training plans to get me in the best possible shape ever, so I decided to do 1 mi WU (quit) went and did core work and then came back to the treadmill since I felt awful for giving up and finished the workout. 6 x 30seconds at 7.0 / 60 seconds jog 5.5 3 x .20mi @ 7.5-7.7mph and 30-60 sec @ 3mph rest .25 mi cool down at 5.5mph total of 3 mi (including first mile)
Tuesday – (10.4.22) Plan: Upper Body Push + bike ride Actual: Decided since I have a one week free trial of “Run With Meg” I would follow her one week plan. hip mobility work – which was honestly WHOA!
Wednesday – (10.5.22) Plan: 40 min tread workout, varying speeds Actual: 40 minutes and 3.35mi total! I am really enjoying the warm up exercises that have been provided and the mobility work was definitely next level.
I like that my HR stayed relatively low! 🙂
Thursday – (10.6.22) Plan: Strength
To be honest, it has been a little high stress this week and crappy sleep!… holidays are nearing which means deadlines like cleaning and sorting and organizing are on the tops of the list. It is hard to balance everything when I am away from 7:30am – 5:30pm then Tues/Thurs/Sat there is soccer as well. But somehow, I gotta put in a little effort each day! With that being said, there was NO WAY I was going to let the bad mood of the household take me away from my strength today. I really needed it and boy am I glad I did it! 3 Rounds ea: Suitecase deadlift march ( I was supposed to have an exercise band but forgot one) mid foot strike plyo (very interesting little exercise) Goblet squats REST 3 rounds ea: Hang clean to split jerk (really enjoyed this one once I got the hang of it!) Holding V-sits (this was a good one too!) Bulgarian split squats (my legs and butt! ouch! – but just after doing proper warm ups before runs I feel my glutes being used more, which is so good ! I don’t want “dead butt” anymore! REST 3 rounds ea: RDL pass through (omgggggg this is gonna get you!! balance plus strength! My whole leg was twitching, I am keeping this on in rotation) KB swings Double leg sliders to push-up (I have to use my core more, I realized the first two rounds I was doing it incorrectly and my back hurt a little)
All of those made it to about ~40 min! Fantastic work, I think I will continue with Run With Meg because she has great warm ups, workouts, strength and mobility and I really need that in my life!
Friday – (10.7.22) Plan: 4 mi -> 2 mi conversation pace, 2 min break, 2mi at a faster pace but not “hard” Actual: Here’s the thing, my craft endurance shoes are supposed to be for fast paces, but I haven’t tried them really yet except that one failed 1 mi attempt and I hadn’t completely gotten healthy yet. I am going to return the New Balance Vongo 5’s because I just don’t think I like them. I am going to test them out ONE more time tomorrow for an easy run. So, I decided I would try the craft babies out today, I started out at 5.5mph for the first 2 miles and eased in. (obviously after doing some amazing warm up work to get everything primed) and then I debated not doing the 2 minute rest. But thought, LISTEN TO YOUR COACH – that’s why you pay em, right??? (well, I will be paying her lol, still in trial mode right now) and so in the next 2 miles I started at 5.8mph for the first 5 minutes, went up to 6.0 the next 5 minutes, then 6.2 for the next 5 minutes, which put us roughly at 1.5 miles and so the last .5 mi I decided to up it to 6.5mph and with the last .2 miles I went to 6.8 and BOY DID IT FEEL GOOD! I haven’t felt this good coming off a run in a long time. Everything was clicking into place and it was magical.
sorry for my ashy dry legs! ewwwww no lotion lol
So, anyway I am so excited about these shoes and the way they react and propel you forward.
Saturday (10.8.22) – I did ALLLLLL the laundry AND put it away, organized and put away all of the dumplings clothes. Made a garage sale pile. Set up the office (partially), repainted our family garden sign because it faded. Then me and dumpling sat in the grass in the sun listening to music and relaxing 🖤
Sunday (10.9.22) – plan: 35 minute run
Actual: we woke up around 7am and headed out first thing! We covered just under 3 miles. It was chilly, in the high 50s, so luckily we put a long sleeve long pants jammies on the dumpling the night before, I put her in a jacket and covered her in a blanket and off we went! Today was the day I would decide if we are keeping the Vongo 5s or not. Last week when I tested them I wasn’t in the best of moods and thought maybe I was just in a negative mood and didn’t give them a chance. Buuuut it wasn’t a fluke. I genuinely hate them. The foam is not cushiony at all. So they will be returned. Once I got home, I found 1080 v11 for $75!!!!!!! So of course I bought them immediately haha. I loved the v12s, a friend said the 12s were a little lighter in weight but I can’t justify spending another $160 right now. So the 11s will have to do!
Total mileage: ~13 miles (definitely thought I hit more, but stoked on the mileage and the strength I did this week! I have decided to give “Run With Meg” a try for the next month and make my final decision on what program to train with for the half in November.
This week was supposed to be amazing! I was supposed to get back on track running.. but then it all took a turn.
9.26.22 (Monday) -Oh boy, oh boy…. I woke up this morning just like any other week day morning and started getting ready until I sneezed and my back all of a sudden did this WEIRD curve thing and it gave out. A pinched nerve (we think it is this or a muscle tear) had me crumble to the ground. At first I was breathing through the pain and hobbled out of the bathroom to try to get to the floor to stretch it out. But as I was lowering myself in immense pain the dumpling started crying. I tried calling out for Jesse for help but he couldn’t hear me so I hobbled along the hall to the room and immediately started sobbing when I reached the bed. Queue shock and horror from Jesse as he sees me blubbering like a baby and telling him my back went out. He had to pull me on the bed and lay me flat as I screamed and cried. I tried explaining what happened through gasps of pain. I emailed work and told them what happened and had to lay in bed to rest. By the time Jesse dropped H off at school he brought the dumpling to the living room and helped me out of bed.
Throughout the day I was laying on a heating pad and progressively stretching. I was very very limited as to what I could do. But by evening I was standing upright and stretching on my own with no crying! My whole left side of my back is still hurting quite a bit, it is inflamed and I can’t walk fast. Which really stinks because if I don’t get this under control and strengthen back up I won’t be running a half marathon in 4 months. 😦
my postpartum tummy brace came in handy to help me with support for my back!!
9.27.22 (Tuesday) – After a lot of shuffling around and some ouchies throughout the night we made it to the morning. Laying on my side nursing the dumpling did not feel good. But as the day progresses I am starting to feel better. I am doing my research on what the possible issue is. Pinched nerve vs. strained muscle. It seems more like a strained muscle. The pain, which was 10+ yesterday is now a dull 3 with it sometimes being 5 when I turn too hard one way or reach too fast. I plan to not run all week and to do stretches daily. I will take River on short evening walks to see how my back does. It will have to start with just walking around the yard so I am not too far away. If he pulls hard, it will PROBABLY send my back into a world of pain. Technically, half marathon training doesn’t start till November… but I do need mileage under my belt, so we will see what happens.
I am also toying with purchasing aaptiv again which has half marathon training and they give you strength with it. As long as I don’t treat strength training as an option I will be good. I just need to remember the absolute pain I was in and know that if I kept up with strength I might not have hurt it this badly. In the evening I took the dumpling for a walk and also did some core stabilizing exercises along with stretches. Things were good! no pain!
Wednesday (9.28.22) – Very minimal pain, like a twinge in the neck but other than that feeling almost back to normal. We have a cold front coming in as Florida is being slammed by a hurricane. I am actually able to wear a jacket comfortably all day! (this is crazy for this time of year, its normally still sweltering!) I decided to download Aaptiv and give it a 7 day trial, I don’t think I will keep with it though so I will cancel subscription before the 7 days are up. I quickly remember that I don’t like all of the coaches voices. *eye roll* I am a little too particular when it comes to things like that. I went to Old Navy where they had another sale and got four UltraLite Racerback Rib- Knit Performance tanks ranging from $2-$8! They were super comfortable and I got all purple, bright green, blue, and marble!
Thursday (9.29.22) – Plan: Get to the gym and do some core stabilizing workouts and light weights and do a 1.5-2 mile walk! Actual: Unilateral leg workout + some glute bridges and stretching out specifically for my back to bring strength to the parts that let me down earlier this week. I was feeling good, I was feeling really strong so I headed to the treadmill and I did run/walk for 25 minutes. I could have kept going, I could have run the whole time but I am testing out how this movement makes me feel tomorrow. I HAVE to start slowly. 1.8 miles
Friday – Plan: 2 miles run/walk + strength Actual: I was a little sore in glutes and legs and had minor pain in my back this morning so I decided I would forgo any run/walk plan I originally had. Instead I did 4.5 miles on the bike and some mobility work.
Saturday – 1.5 mi walk with the dumpling and puppy in the crisp morning! And a great soccer game that we won!
Sunday – 1.5 mi walk with pup, dumpling and H to get donuts! 🍩 Yum yum! My lower back is a little sore which means I need to take a step back and look at what’s going on and continue to strengthen pelvic floor, transverse abdominals and stretch it out. We also did some minimal Halloween decorating!
I have always been interested in fitness, and back when I was in my early 20’s thought maybe I could be a fitness coach or personal trainer. But I backed out because I had no confidence and was not outgoing enough. Now, I am looking into the possibility of it. I love talking running and I love helping out others with their goals. While I still have so much to learn, what is the harm in taking a course or two? Maybe I won’t coach, but that knowledge from professionals might really help me in the long run too?
Running coaches are EXPENSIVE, I certainly can’t afford one, I wish I could! If money weren’t an object, what would you expect from your running coach?
I thought it would be good to keep a mileage journal so it is easier to track how many miles I do. Sometimes I don’t always load them in strava or garmin so there are discrepancies.
9/1 – 4 miles
9/2 – 5 miles @ 11:12 min/mi
9/7 – 4.20 miles @ 11:35 min/mi
9/8 – 4 miles (speed intervals) @ 11:14 min/mi
9/9 – 3 miles @ 12:29 min/mi
9/11 – 6 miles
9/12 – 4 mi
9/13 – 5 mi tempo
9/15- 4 mi
9/16 – 7 mi
9/19 – 3 mi
9/20 – 3 mi
9/21 – 2.97 mi
9/25 – attempted 1 mile time trial. (failed – sick and bad sleep)
9/26 – hurt back!
9/29 – 1.8 mi run/walk method to test out back pain
9/30 – 4.5 mi on the bike
September mileage – 55.17 miles! Highest mileage in a long time. I can only go up from here!
October goals – STRENGTH TRAIN, this is non-negotiable. And work way up to 15-20 mile weeks.
I feel lost because I have till November to really start training, so I am thinking I will focus on keeping mileage up and getting faster.
Monday – Plan: 3 mi + strength Actual: I’m really getting over those stupid little baby hairs I’ve got re-growing! 3 mi completed and strength completed! I was going to start a new strength plan from nourish, move, love but it was hurting my knee so I went back to the strong split.
Tuesday – Plan: 3 mi + stretch Actual: 3 mi (with no water 😭😭 waaaahhhh) 31:49 min 10:28 min/mi pace Today kind of SUCKED. I forgot my workout clothes, and actually I remembered before I even left the garage, but I knew I couldn’t go back in because J was trying to put the dumpling down for a nap and I would then break the routine and she would start crying. So, I had to re-wear my stinky (and I mean STINKY) clothes from yesterday. Not only that, but I lost an earbud pad thingy, I forgot my water bottle ANNNNND I was late to the gym! Oh, and one more thing, after my run I noticed that the chafed area I got from my shorts last Friday RE-CHAFED! A little bloody today after my run and I put on some Body Glide. Honestly, I almost was just about to say “f-it” when I realized I needed this run more than it needed me. And it definitely changed my head space! I watched Squid Games again and made it through part of the episode. So intense! The gum helped me get by without water too. Do you chew gum while running? I have found lately it has been a really good motivator and distractor. I’ve tried RunGum before but found it very hard and it hurt my mouth to chew. And the flavor didn’t last long at all. With some regular Trident I can get through 3-3.5 miles (going at 10:30-11 min/mi pace!).
Also, as I was reading my favorite running blog (Hungry Runner Girl) I decided to check in on my running shoes and the prices. Remember how some weeks ago I was saying I had to save up money? Well, that thought can be damned! I found my Vongo 5’s (that are normally like $170 for $112) HOW CAN YOU PASS THAT UP??? I couldn’t. I should’ve gotten more lol. And I got another pair of bike shorts by Baleaf because I really like them.
Wednesday – Plan: HILLS Actual: With the third day in a row of running and it being a hard run I was weary but optimistic. The plan was 1 mi warm up, 3 x .25 @ 6.0 and 5.0 incline, jogging in-between each .25 mi incline run and then a 1 mi cool down. I think I could have run a little faster on the uphills, but since I’m just kinda making ish up as I go right now, I didn’t over push myself. After the 3 incline runs I decided to do some 1.5 min sprints at 8.1. I made it through two before a pain started in my right mid foot. I immediately stopped. 2.97 miles total. 😦 I hobbled back to the locker room and decided to sit in the sauna and stretch and rest. I think I stayed in there longer then I have ever before, at least 15 minutes. (lol) I stretched and my foot was no longer hurting. Luckily tomorrow is a no run day and I just bought new running shoes. But those aren’t expected to be in till Oct. 7th!!
Last night (Wednesday) I had some REALLY bad sleep. Hazel has off and on been waking up crying inconsolably during the night. It took quite a while (over an hour) to settle her down and get her to sleep. She finally found her spot in-between and me and Jesse, making sure I was on the edge of the bed. River also started barking during that time so I went outside to shush him and slammed my middle finger in the door. Throbbing pain took over, I thought I would’ve had a black nail… instead I split my finger open. I also have a terrible stuffy nose which I don’t know if I can attribute to just seasons changing or if I am sick. It feels a little like I am sick. I am tired. I am stuffy. And I really want to sleep. I am glad today is not a running day.
Thursday- Plan: prehab work and relaxing Actual: I was sneezing and had so much snot in me that it was not a good idea to go to the gym. Like at all. So… what else is a girl to do but take a poll on Instagram about how many shoes each person has on rotation and find out she was lacking?! I decided to go to FleetFeet (again) and get scanned. Read here for my shoe updates.
Friday – Plan: 6 mi long run Actual: started feeling so sick and run down, I had to leave early from work. I was feverish, throat hurt, absolutely exhausted
Saturday – soccer at 11am! While I was still not feeling that great, I had to show up for the oldest! It was too hot for the dumpling to go, so her and J stayed home in the AC. Hendrix ended up scoring the first goal and they won 3-2! I started feeling a little better, but my throat was still pretty sore and I was still sneezing quite a bit
Sunday – I was awake from 2-5:30am which did not bode well and I shouldn’t have even tried to run. But I tried to do a one mile time trial… Not a smart idea. I tried my new craft shoes and started out way too fast. Like in the 6’s so of course i could only hold it for 30 seconds. 🙄 And I stopped. I tried again and went slower but my lungs and throat hurt. It was already 9:45am and 80% humidity and 79°. If I felt better and actually got decent sleep I think I could have pushed through. But I need to not run myself down into the ground. Soooo I stopped. With all this going against me I am trying so hard to not be hard on myself. But I did expect more. I’ll try again when I’m feeling better. Needless to say I didn’t get my long run in.
In an attempt to try to get all running done during the week, this will be a little tricky and I will have to be READY for it all. Soccer games start this weekend, and fishing season is almost done. So, J’s only fishing day is Sundays since he wants to be there for the soccer games. Which means, my running has to be completed during the week. tricky tricky tricky! But doable! (I hope) Luckily this is only pre-lim and upping mileage, so one the real training starts soccer should be done and fishing will probably have slowed down some.
Monday – Plan: 4 mi EZ Actual: Woke up and did 2 rounds of lower body strength before coffee! This was great and activated my muscles but wasn’t too intense. Once mileage goes up I tend to not get to do strength, but if I can break it up into smaller workouts morning/night that would be great! 4 miles easy pace and an easy distance (now)… I am really enjoying this build up cycle! It isn’t too much and overwhelming, today was fun! I watched 45 minutes of “A Star is Born” with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper – I have never seen it before and it was just getting good my last mile! I ran at 5.7 mph which felt really really good!
Tuesday – Plan: 5 mi tempo run I might have mentioned early on that my friend was coaching me through this cycle for free, but unfortunately he had to pull out due to LIFE issues, just too much going on, and I get that! But it does stink because now I am like hmmm what workout do I do? But that’s ok! Research is my friend. Last night was an absolutely HORRIBLE nights’ sleep. Hazel (bb girl) woke up at 12am, 2am, 4am and 6am. River woke up at 1am, 3am, 5am. That meant I was woken up every single hour from midnight to when my alarm went off. Talk about being quite the grump in the morning. We are trying to separate Hazel from us at night and sleep a little further away, she isn’t digging it. I am not digging the not sleeping part of it. Needless to say, I got myself an energy drink for before my workout. Plus today is a LONG day with soccer practice later. Actual: 5.86 miles !!! Holy moly! 1 mi warm up 5x .5mi @ 6.8mph 2.3 min jog 5.2 REPEAT X 5 walk 3 minutes 60 sec sprint @ 8.0mph 60 sec walk REPEAT X 5 OOOOUUUUCHHHH. This was awesome. Effort wise I left it all on the treadmill and I am stoked about that. I took a shower and it felt so amazing lol. I was sweating so much. Now, I just need to get through a couple more hours of work, homework/studying with H, soccer practice and bedtime!
I slept amazing! I had the dumpling next to me, even though we are trying to not do the whole co-sleep thing, I just COULD NOT handle another night of no sleep. I know that eventually she will sleep on her own, that is what our son did and I loved cosleeping with him anyway. So, I am not sacrificing sleep in this crucial time. I love my sleep. And she was way happier sleeping through the night as well! Surprisingly, my body feels AMAZING (Wednesday) morning after 3 days in a row of running. The BCAA I drank after the workout + stretching extra at night + a good nights’ sleep helped a ton!
Wednesday – Plan: Stretching + Sauna Actual: Skipped the gym because we began planning a beach trip to Navarre for the weekend and the baby dumpling needed a new swim suit. So, naturally I went shopping. But in the afternoon me and H did some soccer drills and then took Rivs on a walk. So, it was an active rest day!
Did I mention that the dumpling is crawling everywhere? She also has the dexterity of an adult – meaning she can pick anything up… a grain of rice? yup. a tiny tiny piece of plastic, like one from a tag of a shirt? yes. Which means we have to watch her like a DANG HAWK! She found a tiny piece of tape (no idea where it came from) and put it in her mouth and nearly choked. Soooo… amazon to the rescue! After MONTHS of deliberation I finally talked J into getting a BIG play area for her. At first he only wanted to get a small pack and play. I was gunning for a bigger area to fence her off in for safety so we can you know, walk away to use the bathroom and she be safe! Or do some dishes without having to turn around every 3 seconds to make sure she isn’t somewhere she shouldn’t be. We got one that is about 4ft x 4ft… plenty of room to play and lounge in and she has those rings to pull herself up (which she has been doing a lot of!) and it fill fit some toys and we can sit in there too!
Thursday – Plan: 4 mi EZ shake out Actual: Its crazy how 4 miles (on the treadmill specifically) is feeling easier and easier each time I do it. I did NOT want to go, I am a little tired and mostly want to nap. We slept through the night, but it wasn’t super comfortable. ANYWAY, 4 mi down and treated myself to Chipotle. We NEED to go grocery shopping, we are all out of bread and snacks. Avg pace 11:04 min/mi (5.7mph) 4.1 miles 45:24 minutes Avg HR: 146bpm (yesssss)
apparently it looks like I peed myself!!! I didn’t even know I sweat there
I tried something new with my littlest one and I think she was having a hard time sleeping because of a regression but also probably teething. Last night was great, she slept in her bed all night. She woke up 2x but not crying and sobbing. She nursed for about 5 minutes and then went back to sleep. It was amazing and I needed that extra sleep. I wasn’t prepared to do a long run in the morning like I had originally planned, so lunch treadmill run will have to do.
Friday – Plan: 7 mi LR Actual: It felt really good to be at the gym in a controlled environment. I decided to watch Squid Games and I really hope no one was watching me as I was running and watching it, because I was making all kinds of faces! That show is SCARY INTENSE. Mile 1-2.5 I was good, got some gum and started chewing (I’ve been doing that this past week and its helpful!) 2.5-4.5 was a little bit of a struggle and then the sudden urge to pee came around. I jumped off the treadmill and beelined it for the bathroom. Made it in time! And then from 4.5-7 I was engrossed in Squid Games and it went rather quickly! I finally “met” one of the trainers I see at the gym every day. An older fellow who is always so nice and waves. His name is Dave (he looks like a Dave), he used to run 60 miles a week until he got into power lifting – his knees were bad so he backed off running. Anyway that was nice! And then I stretched in the sauna and showered quickly. Avg pace: 10:23 !!!!! Avg HR: 151 (a couple beats higher than I want, but I was pretty worked up with what I was watching) TE: 3.7
Saturday – first soccer game of the season! We lost and it was hot as hell! But he had fun, and that’s all that matters! A lot of the boys gave up because it was so hot and some were overheating. (94 degrees and sun fully blasting on you is rough!!) Hendrix did amazing and didn’t give up, which made us very proud! There’s work to do on their game, but overall stoked for them.
The baby “jail” as we lovingly refer to it, is perfect! Haze and Hendrix chill in there and play lol. Hendrix was by no means forced in either, he is having lots of fun chilling in there playing too. I even got to do some strength training at night!
Sunday – Beaaaacchhhhh!!!! We woke up early, despite not wanting to and drove to Navarre, FL to check it out! The water was a little murky, but the temperature was super refreshing and nice. Hendrix swam and made friends, Jesse fished some and me and Haze stayed on the short sitting in the water. She transformed into a little buddha monk. She absolutely loved everything about the water. Jesse took her in the waves a little and she seemed to be in heaven. She felt the sand between her hands, let the water rush past her and smiled and laughed the whole time. We all came back a few shades darker!
I am excited I got all my runs done during the week so I could relax on the weekend, that was really nice!
Total mileage: 20.96 miles (hit my goal! woo hoo! next week I will cut it back just a little bit)
It’s hard to celebrate any kind of holiday when a female runner, Eliza Fletcher, last week never returned home from her run. She, like me is a mother, a full time worker and enjoyed running. She was trying to fit in her run in her day, so whether that be early in the morning or in broad daylight, she should never have been abducted.
She wasn’t “asking for it” when she was dressing for the weather or because she chose to wake up and go for her run. She wasn’t asking for any of this. And my heart is hurting for her and her family. It isn’t fair. I really didn’t realize how much her story hit home until I found myself crying, bawling my eyes out trying to explain the situation to Jesse. It was eating me up inside, he hadn’t heard the story yet and so when I was finally able to calm down and both the kids were in bed I let it out. I told him her story and how it really shook me up. I told him my worries and fears and how I used to just run out the door at 4:30am myself to run when we were in San Diego. I think it is hitting me harder than other stories because it could have been me one of those times. And for some reason, it didn’t happen to me.
Monday – (9.5.22) Labor Day – Also, the dumpling has flat out refused a walk or run in the stroller. She screams bloody murder as soon as I set her in the stroller. I must’ve made her pretty upset when we did that long run a few weeks ago. So no run today!
Tuesday – (9.6.22) Got so sidetracked with work that I missed lunch! But it is first day of soccer practice, so I am going to just enjoy it. I’ll switch around my runs and make sure to get them in. Soccer practice was super fun! But it was a lot! A lot of drama by little boys, kicking balls out of each others legs… jumping on each other. It was mayhem.
Wednesday – (9.7.22) Plan: 3 EZ Actual: I had about 50 minutes left of Crazy, Rich Asians to watch and so I switched my 3 mi to the 4 mi EZ pace and zoned out. I wasn’t planning on running outside, but something in me is also telling me to dedicate miles to Eliza. And so I may join virtually with the Memphis running community on Friday to finish her run. I also did some weights and stretching after my run. At night time I continued doing strength with my free weights and the dumpling scooted across the rug to get her hands on some weights as well lol
4 mi EZ, 11:35/mi, avg HR: 143bpm
Thursday – (9.8.22) Plan: 1 mi WU, 6x400m @ 6.5 for the first three intervals and 7.0 for the last three intervals with 60 sec rest, 1 mi CD Actual: ~4.25-4.5 miles total! I did it to the tee, the first 5 intervals felt great, the last one was a little harder… not pace wise just my legs feeling a little heavy. But I did all 6 intervals and my whole 1 mile cool down. I almost cut it short, but I thought to myself “you are bored, and need to practice patience” and I did just that. Do you ever find yourself more bored on a cool down or warm up and just stop? It takes a lot of will power to keep going despite being bored! After my work out I took time to really stretch it out. I am focusing on releasing tension from my hips and also I can feel my meniscus popping more, so I need to strengthen my knees. After work I took H to soccer practice where it went A LOT better.
the distance on the tread vs. garmin is always so weird!! this equals out to 3.85 miles. But I know I did more lol
Friday – (9.9.22) Plan: 4 EZ Actual: 3 mi EZ pace completed. No, I did NOT want to go. I am tired tired tired! I didn’t get great sleep, but also I really want to continue my mileage upwards soooooo gotta go! I didn’t take a picture lol. I am feeling some knee issues (not while running per say) but I am looking to strengthening my knees and prehab!
Saturday – (9.10.22)Strength/ active recovery Actual:
Sunday – (9.11.22) Plan: 6 mi long run Actual: 6 mi at 11:48 avg pace… Slower than I wanted but I got the miles done! River was with me for the first 2.4 miles of that and he paced me around 10:20-10-50 which I thought was my slow/warm up but then I really slowed down after I dropped him off. 😭 I apparently really like running with someone and not alone. Need to work on that! I hope in time he can take on longer runs, maybe when it gets cooler out! I’ll have to keep him in the runs more consistently though!
After running and showering me and the kids walked to Aldi’s and got a few things, like ketchup, syrup, cookies and crackers! The essentials lol. And then came home and made burgers for lunch and watched Cobra Kai.
Mileage Goal : 16-17 miles Actual Total: 17 miles!!
Woo hoo, very excited for hitting 17 miles this week and next week I’ll be at 20 and then do a cut back week and then average 20-25 for another 4 weeks till the real training begins!
How is it all ready September?? This year has gone by so incredibly fast! The last two years have gone by fast.
Goal for the week – balance and happiness I should preface with the fact I had a monumental breakdown on Sunday night because I am drained. I am rushing from one “job” to the next and it is leaving me exhausted and not feeling my best self. Everything we had to do this weekend left me feeling more drained than the regular work week – and not getting 10 minutes to myself was the hardest part. (I am an introvert and I thrive on “me time”) So this week, I need to focus on calmness and restfulness. Which might be hard since I have a lot going on.
Monday (8.29.22) – Plan: 3 mi EZ pace Actual:3 mi EZ pace .5 mi cool down. ~11 min/mi average pace while watching Hustlers. I was going to go to a trail and run outside, after all it wasn’t raining. Buuuuuut I really wanted to watch more of the movie. And so, the gym won. And then I rested in the sauna for about 8 minutes, until my phone overheated and forced me out. It was really nice though, very relaxing. I like the dry heat haha. (3.5mi total)
Tuesday – 8.30.22Plan: (Original) Full body strength + 30 min XT I accidentally took my headphones home (normally I leave them at work) and then when I found them at home, instead of putting them in my bag for work I set them on the dresser. And now Tuesday morning, that is where they lay. On the dresser. So new plan! We are running the trails. Actual: Baaaaby! We ran the trails at Sebastion Nature Preserve at USA South. A nice network of trails that I went to a few weeks back when it was raining. I had no idea all the little trails it had so it was actually A LOT of fun! I filmed a lot of it and went on rants and ramblings, check them out! rambling here and here is my first transition! While I only made it 2.32 miles it sure did feel like 7+ miles. I had to pee so badly and contemplated squatting to pee but also was too worried about being seen (there was no one on the trail) or getting a tick bite and it crawling like up my butt lol. Weird fears, I know…. But I really feel rejuvenated and great after this run! I forget how much nature grounds me and reminds me how grateful I am. Also, my toe didn’t bleed at all since I cut my toenails yesterday! lol I almost lost a toenail because I was too lazy to take care of it.
I love these shorts from Amanda!Crossing my legs so I didn’t pee myself
Wednesday – 8.31.22 Plan: Upper Body + 30 min XT Actual: I decided to go to the trail again since it is supposed to rain… I got there, got out and started. But I was not feeling it. It was just everything in me stopped. I didn’t want to do it. I couldn’t make myself either. So.. I left.
Thursday – 9.1.22 Plan: 4 mi EZ pace Actual: I enjoyed the last bit of the movie I started earlier, Hustlers and really got into the groove of things. 4 mi flew by! However I totally forgot my Garmin in the car and so I used my Fitbit, and oddly but maybe not oddly? there is always some difference. But the distance on the Fitbit was .20 miles off from the treadmill (ahead of the treadmill). So, I went by treadmill distance and finished 4 miles and then did a quarter mile cool down walk.
Friday – 9.2.22 Plan: 6 mi LR Actual: 5 mi completed because I ran out of time! I spent 1.5 hours in traffic getting home 😭maybe I should’ve just stayed for the extra mile haha
Saturday – 9.3.22 Plan: Active recovery Actual: a little walk with the pup in the morning and then lots of stretching!
Sunday – 9.4.22 Plan: 2 mile or REST Actual: dog parks and dance parties
Goal weekly mileage: 13 miles Total mileage: 15.32
I wish I stayed for the last mile! I got anxious about getting home since it was getting late! But I’m glad I got what I got in 😊
Run Jac Run 🏃🏻♀️ 