Run Jac Run 🏃🏻‍♀️

Quarantine Week 3

When I wrote the title to this week’s blog post, I was kinda baffled. I didn’t realize we were already completing WEEK THREE of shelter in place!! And expected to stay inside till at least end of April. And I’ve heard some states have already announced shelter in place to JULY???!!!! Oi vey!

Monday- Rainy rainy rainy all day long. I made it a point to voice my intentions first thing in the morning. I said, “I WILL RUN TODAY! I WILL GO FOR AT LEAST ONE MILE. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW HARD IT RAINS, IT WILL NOT STOP ME.” The only thing stopping me was Jesse telling me I couldn’t go when it was pouring, but maybe when it was just sprinkling. lol.
Actual: 1 mile bike warm up (this seems to help a lot warming up the muscles) then I do some dynamic stretching and open my hips up and I am gone! There was some crazy strong wind as well, the quarter mile was me against the wind, then with the wind and felt like I was really jamming (sub 9!) and then against the wind again and made my average “slower” but still stoked on it. It felt so good to be out, even though I came back drenched. Jesse was more afraid I would get sick… so I quickly changed into warm clothes and dried my hair. I felt like I could have kept going, and NO ONE was out walking but 2 couples… it was nice! Just like old times before everyone decided to go out and exercise haha. I like it, I am glad people are exercising…. but they are also crowding the streets. (1.72 miles run)

Tuesday- Plan was to get in a couple miles but it was raining and way windier than yesterday. I thought if the rain calmed down I could run in the afternoon, but then it started dumping!!
Actual- 10 min fast paced barre class found online, GoNoodle exercise with Hendrix (kids exercise videos which were really fun jumping and running in place. His smile is infectious!) and then a 2 mile bike ride. Followed by jump squats, lunges, side lunges, and a deep stretch. All in all this was a randomly well put together work out, and I made sure to voice my workout for the next day so that Jesse was aware of my plans. I literally shouted out “I will wake up early tomorrow morning! I will go running if it isn’t raining too hard, if it is I shall get my butt moving another way out here!” And he looked over and said “HELL YA! DO IT BABE!” Honestly, that kind of support is EXACTLY what we all need. Sometimes I get embarrassed working out at home, Jesse corrects my form sometimes and I get aggravated, but I know he is only doing it to help! But his support means everything to me. If you check out my IG you can see the video of Hendrix doing his little GoNoodle class.

Wednesday- Plan: WAKE UP EARLY AND RUN!
Actual: Woke up, pondered life… realized it wasn’t raining and got my butt up! I did a 10 minute core workout, warmed up with 1 mile on the bike and then was off to run. It was really nice and I ALWAYS forget how nice it is to get my workout done early. Saw a few people on running and walking. 2 miles stronger today! Went back home and did a little more core work and stretched it out. Today felt great!

Thursday- Plan: core work and bike (because it was supposed to rain like crazy and not stop)
Actual: 1 round of core, looked outside and saw SUNSHINE! Was bewildered, threw on my running shoes and went out. I wasn’t ready or prepared, but I did it, I knew I was only going to run 1 mile so I went faster than normal. It was really nice, I did NOT warm up properly.. and definitely wasn’t dressed right either, but! I was only out for 10 minutes and then came back inside and finished the core workout and did 4 miles on bike.
Core workout: 3 rounds
Russian Twists w/ 10lb kettlebell – 30/30/30
Knee drops- 20/20/30
Plank Dips (each side)- 15/15/20
Bicycle crunch- 20/30/40
Burpees- 10/3 (gave up, hate these… substituted for mountain climbers
Mountain Climbers- 30/40
Windshield wipers- 20/20/20
Oblique crunches w/ 10lb kettlebell- 15/15/15
4 point balance- 10/10/10

Friday- Plan: sleep in, do pilates or some yoga in the evening
Actual: woke up at normal time (6:45am) it was POURING rain, I couldn’t sleep any more but also didn’t want to get up. I let myself stay in bed for 5-10 minutes and then hopped out and stretched. My obliques were feeling pretty good and sore from yesterdays workout! (so cool, I love the feeling of being sore, its like a “yesssss the workout did its job!) I didn’t really want to do ANYTHING, so I chose the easiest option. I hopped on the bike and rode for 10 miles while scrolling through my phone.

Saturday- Plan: Get outside for a walk or SOMETHING!
Actual: 30 minute walk with Hendrix in the stroller (first day without rain in like 5 days!), Day 1 of Chloe Tings Hourglass challenge

Yesterday as I was randomly scrolling through Instagram, I came across a fitness influencer, Chloe Ting… I had never heard of her before, but for some reason it caught my interest. She offers “challenges” online for free to tone up and target areas or full body. I was intrigued, especially (and I hate to admit this) I had weighed myself the other day and saw I gained weight… I attributed it to stress of EVERYTHING going on, a bit more snacking and over-eating junk food. I hadn’t weighed and recorded my weight in over a month. When I was actively trying to lose the weight, I would weigh myself weekly just to make sure I kept up with my progress as well as changed caloric intake as needed. The more you exercise, the hungrier you are… but also, the less you weight the less calories you need. So when you hit a plateau, you have to re-evaluate your food intake but also take into account how much you are exercising. (I am a data geek, so I would dive in on numbers for hours a day to figure out what I needed to do to hit my goals- PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT A DIETICIAN OR HAVE ANY KIND OF CREDENTIALS… I just did what worked for me!) Anyways… I weighed myself mid week and realized I had gone up about 4.5 pounds. Today, I weighed myself and that number drastically changed. Looks like it was WATER WEIGHT! Anyways, back to Chloe Ting.. my body is not as symmetrical as I would like. I gain muscle VERY easily, some people don’t… I do. I LOVE my body…. but do I wish sometimes I had leaner/thinner legs? Tighter core? Smaller arms? BIGGER BUTT? YES! YES! YES! YES! So, one way to help gain confidence is to exercise differently. In order to get different results, you have to be willing to do things differently. So, I went on Chloe Ting’s website and found her latest challenge, “Abs and Booty Hourglass Challenge” and I tried it out. ~30 minutes of butt and core work… and I was pretty sweaty! If anything, this will help with running… strength is important when running. So I am going to give it a go! Check out more of her site if you are interested… being in Quarantine I figure I have MORE than enough time to set aside 30 min to an hour to do something for me.

Sunday- plan: run 4 miles (I didn’t get much running in this week so I didn’t want to overdo it and strain anything
Actual: Bike 3 miles for warm up and then RUN 5 miles! And it felt sooooo fantastic! I was really amazed at how well the run went, I enjoyed every bit of it.

Hope everyone had a great Easter Holiday! I realize it was probably very different as we are all in quarantine. We didn’t do much of anything special, Hendrix got an Easter Basket with the most prized possession of a MEASURING TAPE! that’s right, this kid is obsessed with measuring things.

I also realized I did not have a real rest day all week, and even though I feel so productive, I definitely will take a proper rest day this coming week. Also, I just want to put it out there, my activity and “productivity” is not meant to make any one feel bad. I see online a lot this misconception that people have to come out of quarantine with a new skill or great body or something, and that is not the case. For me, I feel better when I work out and sweat- it makes me HAPPY. It allows me to de-stress, and that is the only reason why I work out daily/almost daily. I hope you all choose something to do that makes you happy!

Along with working out, other things I do to relieve stress: deep breathing exercises, stretching, baths, a glass of wine, reading, writing, going outside for fresh air, talking to friends, CRYING. I am a sensitive person… I can cry over almost anything, and lately I have been feeling intense emotions and just cry- whether it is being sad or finding something just so utterly amazing and sweet. I like to ride these emotions sometimes, give them the space to explore so that I don’t bottle them up. I find it healthy. 🙂

How are you guys dealing with isolation? What do you do to deal with the emotions of it all?

Quarantine Week 2

We received the official email that the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon (May 31st, 2020) is POSTPONED. To when? We don’t know yet… but to the fall time. Which means, I can’t/shouldn’t sign up for any other races as this will be my big race.

I have decided I am going to build my baseline. Since I have no more races booked out anymore, they will be rescheduled to either next year or later this year, I need to work on getting mileage back up. Since I am basically starting from scratch, I am going to follow Hal Higdon’s Novice Base Building plan. I should be able to increase quicker, and will adjust mileage if needed, but for now.. running 9-10 miles a week is almost lofty feeling to me right now. For me, I like running on Mondays, so I change up the days as I have noticed a lot of plans say Monday is a REST day, but I treat Sundays as rest/recovery day and Monday’s as the first day of the week and I want to do running!

Monday- Plan: Bike 2 miles warm up, run 1.5 miles, stretch, yoga, bike in the evening 5-6 miles
Actual: Warmup 2.4 miles (because the odometer on this bike started off weird), 1.5 miles running at 10:08/mi
Running Specs:
Total time: 15:12 min
Average pace: 10:08/mi
Avg HR: 163
Max HR: 176
TE: 3.1
Avg. Cadence: 181 spm
Max Cadence: 190 spm

Tuesday- Plan: Strength Training- 30 minutes as many rounds as possible
20 hip thrusts w/ 10lb kettle bell
20 squat pulses
10 e. reverse lunges
10 e. leg step ups (on what!??)
1 min wall sit
REPEAT as many times as possible in 30 minutes!
Actual: 6.2 miles on the bike in the morning and totally forgot the actual plan. I am exhausted! Jesse went out fishing at night (his only time) and I stayed up way later than normal.

Wednesday- Plan: bike 2 miles warm up, 3 mile run (HR < 150) Shake out run
Actual: Strength training from Tuesday! 6 rounds completed in 30 minutes plus a 3 mile bike ride.

During a 1 min wall sit… dyinggggg (and such low quality picture- ugh!)

Thursday- Plan: bike 2 miles warm up, 1.5 mi run (HR<150) or if super stressed just balls to the walls it
Actual: 1 mi bike warm up, 1.21 mile run (interrupted by a phone call from my boss!), 2 mi bike ride in the evening. I literally had to sprint home to call my boss back, pretend I wasn’t out of breath and answer a series of questions about a customer issue. It was HARD work, and funny thing is, if I had just told him “hey, on a run… be back in less than 15 minutes” it probably wouldn’t have been ANY kind of issue. lol

sad face because my watch didn’t want to work so I used STRAVA to track my time and distance. I had to reset watch and charge it…. but now it works fine!

Friday- REST/STRENGTH DAY
Actual: 5 miles on the bike on level 5 and strength!

Saturday- Plan: 3 miles Easy (HR <150)
Actual: 2 mile warm up bike, 4 miles running! 🥳🥳🥳 I did not keep my HR low, in fact it was at like 170 the whole time! I couldn’t lower it and I felt like I was going slow all ready… need to work on that. My main focus was to exercise my mental strength. I didn’t want to stop and give myself an excuse. Although, you should really listen to your body and if your HR is that high for that long… probs not the best thing for ya!
During this run I noticed a lot of people out walking with masks- I can’t run with a mask so I won’t do it… but I did mind my distance and tried to not scare anyone when running up behind them. All the beach entrances are closed, police are paroling beaches to make sure no one is on them. I also noticed an electric sign (like what they use for traffic signs) posted near our beach stating “no running, no biking, no open water sports” and I am really not 100% sure if they mean no running in general or on the beach. Guess we will just have to see!

Sunday- Plan: 30 min walk
Actual: 20.4 mile bike ride watching Frozen 1 &2
Spring is in the air and my allergies have taken me dowwwwwnnnn!! I am a sneezing snotty mess! After this ride I was NOT ok. Tried to go outside for a walk… BAD IDEA! 😭

Total running miles: 6.85 miles
Total biking miles: 41.8 miles

Quarantine week 1-ish

So, last week we were still working at the office and preparing for quarantine, keeping distance from others.. that kind of thing. But this is the first full week of quarantine and working from home. (WFH) It is getting TESTY! Stress is rising between everyone in the apartment complex. Social media is testing others and the opinions of others are just bleh. So, let’s not discuss that! This is about running. 🙂

Monday-
morning– 85 second plank
some core stuff (really was NOT feeling it today)
5 miles this morning
1 mile test run at 5pm– foot felt ok… definitely needed to warm up and I DIDN’T! Felt a little pain/strain in my foot, but I really think that if I had warmed up or walked to warm up more it wouldn’t have hurt AT ALL!
5 miles on the bike at night because I was bored
Honestly, best decision to get the bike- we just hop on when we are bored, but sometimes I wish it had arm movements so it could be more full body and not so focused on legs. My legs might get even bigger now! lol.. QUADSQUAD! “
The run went well though! It was so nice running and moving, cycling definitely made it so I did not lose my aerobic capability, I even did run/walk intervals. Real easy pace, I wanted to pushed it.. I wanted to keep going, but I am trying to do this slowly. I don’t want to injure myself more!

Tuesday– Been pretty sore, probably because I have done more strength training in the last week than in a really long time. This morning I woke up and decided to take it easy, and I did my own version of sun salutation. I just stretched what felt like needed to be stretched, I breathed deeply and I felt much better afterwards! The rest of the day was spent working and just resting, didn’t feel like working up a sweat today.

Wednesday- Quarantine life is making me sad. I am trying not to fall into a hole. This morning I wanted so badly to just stay in bed and do nothing. But I know that if I give in, depression is right around the corner. Keep moving, breathe in positivity and keep going. So, I got up, I did my 90 second plank challenge (which I really didn’t want to do) but afterwards I was happy I did it! I did 12 more minutes of core work, the 10 pushup challenge with friends from IG and then hopped on the bike for 4.5 miles. By the end of the little workout I had a smile on my face. I won’t allow quarantine to mess with my head. I will continue to stay positive throughout this.

The attempted shaka for the 90 second challenge

Hendrix ended up taking a nap and I decided to steal away for a quick run! 1.5 miles not paying attention to pace, my lungs burned, my brain begged to stop. My endurance isn’t what it used to be, but I pushed myself anyways. Reaching an epic runner’s high in under 20 minutes is INSANE to me! Before it was like 8+ miles and then I would get that high, now its way less and I am here for it!

Thursday- 95 second plank done! Then I really wanted a slow morning, so instead of hopping on the bike I treated myself to jumping back into bed and reading some of my book. With the more lax schedule of WFM I don’t have to get up and make sure the workout is done in the morning, I can fit it in other times… still hard, but I decided to allow myself this morning to relax. It was nice to wake up slowly and just do what I wanted.

I decided to steal away for 20 minutes to get in another run and push my distance a bit more. By 1.3 miles I wanted to be DONE! I was tired, but I kept pushing. I should we running slower, but right now my legs want to go fast and I will allow it this week. Next week I will work on easy pacing and slowing it down. Look at that pace!!! Amazing!

Friday- The workout was supposed to be:

100 burpees
100 jump squats
100 inch worms
50 bulgarian squats (ea leg)
100 shoulder taps
For time/ as many reps as needed
This is what I was able to get done:

After two rounds I did 2.5 mi bike ride (14ish minutes) and then I did a final round to complete it, I was sweaty and done. I also tried for my 100 second plank but couldn’t complete it. I got to 80 seconds, then tried again and only got to 45 seconds.

Saturday– way too sore from Fridays workout to do anything real! so REST DAY! But I did do 110 second plank!!! We went to visit my parents for a change of scenery, it was a lot of fun! Which I know, we probably shouldn’t have done… but ya… no comment.

Sunday– 2 mile warm up on the bike to get the legs warm, dynamic stretching and then a nice 3 mile run! It was so nice outside I really wanted to keep going, yes.. my legs wanted to stop running and it felt like an extra long run, but it also felt so nice!

First week of quarantine done! It was touch and go, we are riding a roller coaster of emotions. How are you guys doing in quarantine?

Life Training > Marathon Training- Week 10?

Training is now on HOLD. Due to the COVID-19, there is a 99% chance the marathon is postponed. San Diego has put out notices that groups over 10 are NOT ALLOWED for 8 weeks minimum. The marathon is in 8 weeks. There is no way 30k runners are going to be allowed to get together and run this thing in 8 weeks. And, I am just not prepared for it. So, this is no longer a training diary and more like “what do I do next?” I would love to run, I cry over it sometimes… maybe I am a bit dramatic. But I really truly miss it, I took it for granted to be able to just run around care free. Now, I am limited to cycling and strength training. I will treat this as an off season- I will get stronger where I can.

Monday- Plan: SLEEP
Actual: I DID NOT WANT TO GO TO THE GYM. I had reached my limit and was exhausted, yet wired. I wasn’t in a happy place mentally. Jesse and I had gotten into a huge argument that day and I was OVER IT. Paired with high emotions and COVID-19, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and hide in the covers. I almost did just that, except on my way home from work I got stopped at a red light. The light where I could either turn left to go to the gym or go straight home. I took it as a sign. I turned left and I went to the gym. I told myself, make it 10 minutes and if you are still pissed off you can go home. I hopped on the bike and started pedalling. I didn’t hate it as much as I thought. I made it 30 minutes, and could have gone longer, but decided to cut it short. Then I went and relaxed in the sauna for about 10 minutes. This was exactly what I needed, to get out some aggression and cool myself down. I went home and we made up and talked. TV was turned off and we all enjoyed some quality music and dance time. Hendrix is getting much better at UNO! too. Even though I destroyed him haha! He is learning how to lose graciously. Sometimes, motivation is lacking. Sometimes there is ZERO determination, and some times there is a sign that says “you should still go do something active” and that is what the red light did for me. I don’t know how much longer the gym will stay open, but for now it remains, and it is my little sanctuary.

Little did I know Monday would be the LAST day the gym would be open. Thank goodness I made myself go! I would have been SO upset if I skipped it. I tried going on Tuesday, and they put up a notice saying they were closing due to COVID-19.

Tuesday- Went to Marshalls and picked up a kettlebell. Unfortunately all they had was 10 lbs, but I will make due with what I have!

Wednesday- trial for working from home. Panic/not so panicked bought a stationary bike like this: Exerpeutic Folding Magnetic Upright Exercise Bike with Pulse

It had great reviews, folds up and is light weight. I wanted to get something more “sturdy” looking- more like a spin bike, but I realized right now, this is what will fit in our lives and it had GREAT reviews. So, I am hoping and praying it comes on Sunday! I told Jesse about my semi-impulse buy- I had told him earlier I was thinking about it but hadn’t pulled the trigger… and he was very supportive- gosh it’s nice to have supportive partners! He was concerned I would have to stop working out because of the eventual lock down, and we both know that I can get into a bad funk and spiral down if I can’t have my “me time” or exercise time- which I normally bundle together.

Instead of a lot of TV/movies, we have been turning to uplifting music. Music playing in the background of daily life seems to keep our spirits much higher. And dancing, playing and singing is helping too. What are you guys doing to keep off the bad vibes?

Thursday- I came home from work and Hendrix was a bit stir crazy, so we decided an adventure was needed! He has such a good imagination and I love being included in the games, so we went out on a walk following his map to “treasure” and were walking for at least 45 minutes. We got caught in some rain and made shelter under some trees and ran through mud, followed “panther” tracks (dog tracks) up and down a path and made arrows for others walking down the path to seek shelter. (he’s got an imagination!) After that we headed home for dinner and to get warm. That is when I made my plan. I talked with Jesse, we discussed how if I can’t run what can I do? Would I take up cycling more? Maybe… would I find a different sport to put my passion in to? Maybe… We just gotta wait and see how my foot is. That is when we made my plans for working from home. This sounds logical, but I was going to do everything the opposite. I was going to sleep in each day and just work in pajamas- but that would lead to me getting into a slump of depression. So, I listened to Jesse’s idea. Wake up when I normally do, work out in the living room, get ready for work like normal and then get to working. Easy, right? YES!

Friday- Full body circuit with a trainer I found online (free on youtube) and some extra burpees, squats and lunges. I want to get a bigger butt – there I said it! I would love a little more junk in the trunk and more toned tummy. And that is what I am going to focus on! 🙂

More adventures! Lots of walking probably close to 5 miles!!

Saturday 10 miles on the NEW BIKE!

70 second plank challenge – ACK don’t mind the messy ground lol.

I joined a plank challenge where we add on 5 seconds each day. It’s kinda fun! Join in and share with me! @runjacrun (IG)

Sunday- we went out on the kayaks! They have mirage drives so it’s similar to a recumbent biking motion! I think we did close to 2 miles or so, my legs were still very sore from my friday workout!

In conclusion… I feel like working from home makes me eat worse and more… but also I am walking around A LOT MORE! My average daily step count is closer to 10k than in a normal office day. And that isn’t counting riding the bike at all, Hendrix and I go on long walk adventures throughout the day which sometimes tests my patience but in the end it’s really nice to be outside in the fresh air. And I just need to remember he is aching for outside and playtime and friends just as much as I am with running or socializing.

On our Saturday walk I did a little running on the trails, moving ahead of him and then running back… MY FOOT FELT GREAT!

So, this afternoon my plan is to try to run. Just 1 mile and see how I feel. Probably even a run/walk combo. According to this Strava article I should do 1 min run/ 1 min walk – I shall do this for a week and each day increase 1 minute of running…. let’s see how that feels. As much as I just want to lean in and go to 10, I know I shouldn’t! Everyone must start somewhere, so this is my new beginning. I shall overcome this. I SHALL.

COVID-19 how are you staying motivated?

Gyms are officially closed. People are staying inside. California just announced shelter in place on Thursday night… do you know how big California is? It would take minium 10 hours along the coast… without traffic- but there is always traffic! Some people are completely out of a job as service industries are shut down! How are we going to make it work? …. by being a society. Understanding others might be hurting in this time of need. Reaching out and offering help as needed (from a safe distance 😉) but still! Try to do your part!

Wednesday I worked from home as a trial. At first it was tough with Hendrix and Jesse around and being loud. But by mid morning we had it down pat. Leave me alone and let me work so I don’t bark at you.

I was more productive at home than ever at work. However I was staring at my computer screen for hours on end. By 11am I had a raging headache and went out for a walk around the neighborhood. The boys were cooped up inside. So when the sun finally came out we all went on a family walk. Hendrix brought out his scooter, we bundled up and headed out to get fresh air. Of course we ended up at the beach (only a block away) and played with the sand and stacked rocks. It was a nice little break that we all needed.

But it made me realize…. I enjoy working out on my own. It’s my “me time” so how does one do this when you can’t really run and you feel silly working out in front of your silly sorta judgy- they would really just make fun of me (nicely). How do I do it? I don’t want to be miserable inside and not get my sweat on.

So I’ve decided to take action. I will set aside time for myself to do a workout video, to go on a walk or do something. I also purchased a stationary bike that should arrive on Saturday (1 day away!!). I am not going to allow myself to go into a funk because I can’t work out. I am not going to allow myself to not carve out my much needed “me time.” It’s important! And you should make an effort too! We all need something.

Yesterday I did a very mini workout and then decided I would kick my feet up and enjoy my book for a little bit. I had a couple drinks (wine an a margarita) so I wasn’t interested in sweating too much. (Haha!) but it was nice to read my book for a bit and enjoy that peaceful time.

What do you do to keep your sanity during this time?

After speaking with Jesse, in order to not get in a slump or injure myself more trying to run, I wake up normal time do a workout, shower and get ready for the day. As if it were an actual work day. Sounds simple, it didn’t cross my mind though.

So, Friday morning- first day of ‘Shelter in Place’ I woke up at 6:45am and put on my workout clothes. I did a quick 15 minute workout with a focus on core, legs and triceps. I SWEATED too! I did some burpees, some banded squats and lunges and felt great.

For me, I thrive on routine, so this is my routine I will follow while working from home:

6:30am- wake up and get dressed to work out

6:35am- daily plank challenge through marathon handbook!

6:40am- HOP ON THE BIKE! I think I will follow a hard/easy workout kind of schedule. So one day I will do some intense intervals, and another will be an easy recovery. the easy days will also include some strength training.

7:30-8am finish up work out and hop in the shower

9am- work meeting

9:15am- 11:30am- emails and working

11:30am- break, walk around and get fresh air

12:30-1:30pm lunch break and walk around “adventure time”

1:30-3:30pm- work/emails/meetings

3:30-3:45pm- break/snack

5:00pm- sign off from work and put everything away

After work, this was delivered! New bike 🙂

Marathon Training- Week 9

I am training for my first EVER marathon, 26.2 miles… the farthest I have ever ran is 13 miles. And, I am currently sidelined due to my foot hurting when I run/walk/ put too much pressure on it. Will I be able to actually make it to the marathon? Will I make it to the half marathon that is in just over 2 weeks away? I HAVE NO IDEA! And that scares me. It sucks not knowing what is going on, it sucks facing this fear that I might not be able to continue to run for a while and that I will lose my endurance and have to start over again. But, I have to rest in order to heal… but that doesn’t mean get lazy and complacent.

Monday- Plan: Bike 10-12 miles
Actual: skipped… my foot was hurting just walking around, Jesse was having a rough day, and my family needed me. As important as training is to me, I won’t put it in front of my family. So I headed home to see what could be done. Jesse needed someone to vent to, Hendrix needed some hugs and someone to play cards with and I was able to help with both. No harm done. And it allowed me to look into different ways to lace shoes to take pressure off of the top of my foot.

Tuesday- Plan: XT/ Rest
Actual: Since I skipped yesterday I made it a point to go this morning, despite my very long day at both jobs. Sometimes it is just easier to get the workout done early so you can’t make any excuses later. So, to the workout.. I picked up a 20 pound kettle bell and did 2 round of sumo squats, back lunges, KB swings, lateral lunges, side bends, and crunches. Then followed up with 4.5 miles on the bike with intervals from level 7-16.

Wednesday- Plan: XT
Actual: CYCLING AND ARMS I have had a very tough couple of weeks, I work on the customer service/ sales side of a manufacturing company. Our factories are in China. They were shut down for 4-5 weeks due to the virus… we are still getting back up to speed, which means there are lots of delays in shipping materials. I am the first person that gets all the questions, complaints and comments on how the end customer is feeling about these “ridiculous” delays. I feel I am blamed for delays or lack of communication with the factory, but we don’t have the staff back yet to help arrange such major productions yet. I am struggling and feeling the stress of this blame. So today I took half a day off. I needed time for myself, away from the drama. I voiced my concerns to my supervisor about how I feel I’m being dragged through the mud. How customers somewhat understand the situation but still seem to blame me for the shortcomings. It’s very hard to realize that they aren’t technically blaming me they are just in a predicament. I can’t always separate those and to me it feels they are attacking me. So, I took my mental health into consideration and took a half day off. I told jesse my feelings and how I needed to do something for myself. So off I went to the gym for a few hours to sweat out my frustration and cry in the sauna (lol) sometimes you just gotta cry a little.

Thursday- Plan:
Actual: SKIP/ nothing 😔

Friday- Plan:
Actual: tried to go to the gym and run, because I thought my foot was better… I made it 1 minute. I couldn’t do it. My shoes are hurting me. My feet are hurting. My ego is HURT. I hopped on the bike for 3 miles and called it quits. Honestly I was super defeated and upset about the workout. This COVID-19 is messing with my head. I’m taking it seriously, in the fact that I don’t believe it’s nonsense and I think that it is up to us to help stop spreading it. Do I think I am at serious risk of dying? No. But others are, and we can be the transmitters to others with weakened immune systems.

Saturday- Plan:
Actual: “REST” but was really trying to find a doctor or chiropractor to help with my dang feet!!! Both! Argh 😤

Sunday- Plan:
Actual: watch tv and cycle as much as possible. Did intervals with the bike from level 14-17

Total cycling miles: 39.87 miles

Total Running miles: 0

Marathon Training- Week 8

I have less than one month till my half marathon, which I signed up for well before I knew I was even going to do a full. However, I feel very unprepared for it. I want to run a sub-2. It is a goal of mine! I totally bombed my first attempt last year and felt terrible the whole race. Major reason why you don’t try new things on race day! I was battling with an upset stomach the WHOLE time, but managed to squeak in at 2:09. So, I need to shave off 9 minutes, basically I need to run 9 min/mi in order to just manage to come in under 2 hours. Which seems doable, but the things working against me right now are.. my foot hurts (a little, but who knows if it will escalate), can I sustain that pace for 13.1 miles?!, it’s in Encinitas- which is my home town, but from my run last week.. I was not too thrilled to be running the streets. Things have changed so much, it put me in a bad funk. Jesse noticed the funk I was in and asked about it… sometimes there are no words for the funks, I don’t know what it is and I just have to ride it out.

Part of me wonders, WHO would I be if I didn’t run? I associate so much of my “new” self as a runner, I don’t know who I would be if I couldn’t run. I started listing things off… mother, partner, hard worker, book reader, writer… and that’s about it. Does that mean someone needs many more hobbies to associate with other things? I don’t know… but for now, let’s ride this mopey wave of confusion!

Monday- Plan: 3 miles EASY
Actual: the plan called for 3 miles, my foot said NO. I barely made it 2 miles and called it quits. I was in quite a bit of pain and just couldn’t figure it out. I went home to stretch, ice and elevate it.

Tuesday- Plan: XT
Actual: On Tuesdays I usually have to work at my restaurant job, but I called out because I didn’t want to walk around on a hurt foot and I needed to get myself out of this funk and confusion. I found a kickass workout on Pinterest that was an hour of intervals on the bike. My legs were on fire and it was great! 13 miles done in 1 hour… I LOVE IT! I even did some strength work and then came home and had dinner.

Wednesday- Plan: 5 mi INTERVALS
Actual: I did not have time to do a long workout today, so before I picked up Hendrix from school I hopped on the bike at the gym across from his school and I got 6 miles done. It was boring.

Thursday- Plan: 3 mi EASY
Actual: I thought my foot felt much better after resting for two days! I decided to go for it, it felt a little “off” but didn’t hurt or was uncomfortable during the run. I managed to get in the 3 miles I needed, but after my run my foot started hurting pretty badly. Feeling pretty defeated I iced it and wrapped it up.

Friday- Plan: XT/REST
Actual: I wanted to cross train, but it became an unwanted REST day, however I did get myself out of that funk with a shopping spree! I had to take Hendrix to the dentist and then my mom took him to hang out afterwards, so after the appointment I decided to treat myself to some shopping. I love shopping, for me. lol. Sometimes other people, but I love (and always have loved) just buying things for myself, with my own money. Like… YEAH I deserve it! I worked hard for it. So I got some new jeans, a few new blouses appropriate for work, two sweaters, new shoes, and a workout tank.

Saturday- Plan: 9 mi
Actual: I did the same interval workout from Tuesday today + and extra 5 min cool down, that got me to 13.95 miles. Then I hopped off the bike to stretch and do some core work and hopped back on for a quick 5 miles. Little did I know if I had just done 5.05 I would have done 19 miles on the bike. (major face palm!)
Total mileage: 18.95 miles!

Sunday- REST

Total Planned Mileage: 20

Actual Mileage: 5

So, my mileage for running sucked this week, and I have to figure out what is going on so it doesn’t derail me from my ultimate marathon goal. I reached out to a physical therapist on Saturday over IG, but she couldn’t do much without seeing me. So she said rest, ice, compress, elevate (RICE) and if it still hurts in 1 week, go see a doctor! (I hope it doesn’t have to come to that.

Goals for Week 8

I am in a little bit of a FUNK. I don’t know why, I don’t know where it came from, but to be honest it has confuddled me. I always try to be as honest as possible, I used to be severely depressed in my late teens and early-mid adulthood. But, now I can cope with it more. So, I want to have some goals for this week to get out of this funk. But, I do want to make it clear, it is OKAY to be in a funk, to be depressed, to have mood swings… all of it. We are human, and it is ok to feel.

For me, I don’t want to slide down the hole of depression, I lived in it for 15+ years of my life, and I will do whatever I can to keep myself on top of it.

After my attempt to run my Monday short 3 miler, my foot hurt and I cut it short, after talking to my coach I am going to take a few more days off of running and focus on cross training and strength.

Goals for this week:

Since I won’t be doing my 5 mile interval fun (I call all speedy runs fun lol) run I want to do 60 minutes of interval biking, kettle bell workouts specifically working core, back, arms and legs (okay so the whole body) and I want to enjoy the sauna.
FOAM ROLL! tight calves hurt more than just your calves
get fitted for new shoes- which means facing my fears of the shoe store and get my gait analyzed and spend more money
Start and finish taxes- this has been a bit of a stress for me and I just need to buckle down and do it.
Do something just for me- massage, pedicure, manicure, face mask… something
Have a good cry
embrace a big hug from Jesse (his are LITERALLY the best and make me feel so warm, but often times in my feelings of funk I shun hugs and I really need to stop!)
Eat “healthier” which to me means don’t eat so late at night, stay away from super salty foods and eat some more veggies. I know I don’t eat SUPER healthy, but it works for me right now. Would I want to clean it up? Yes, but I am ok with where I am. I eat modestly and try not to over eat too much.
Get some more sleep!
Go outside for walks during work more, these help so much with my mental state.

As I started writing this yesterday, and am completing it today, I would like to say that a little bit of the funk has been lifted. I didn’t realize how much internal stress I was feeling over the fact I had to sign Hendrix up for kindergarten! It’s hard to come to terms that my little boy is not so little anymore. He is GROWING UP. And I don’t want him to, but also I want him to.. does that make sense? Anyway, gold stars for me! I got him into after school care at the school (there were only THREE spots left and he barely got in), his dentist approved our new insurance so I didn’t have to find a new dentist, we have a doctor appointment scheduled for end of the month… things are slowly coming together! And I got two big hugs from Jesse plus a little cry last night. He knew something was off with me on Sunday and I talked to him about it last night and said I was in this funk of stress and needed a good cry. So, he let me choose a movie that would let me do just that. lol. Honestly, he has a heart of gold.

What are some things you do to get out of your funk?

Marathon Training- Week 7

Started off the week with some major blisters and tight calves. I wanted to continue to focus on cross training and getting biking miles in as well as toning my abs. A strong core means strong runner! But as much as I want to focus on strength, I also need to make sure I properly stretch after! I find it hard to really slow it down and do yoga flow, but I know I need to.

Training for any kind of race is time consuming! Not only are you putting in the miles, but there are all kinds of other supportive things you need to do to get you through those miles. Cross training, strengthening, stretching… It is A LOT, but I think with great support from Jesse and Hendrix this is doable. Some sacrifice will happen, but in the long run- it will be ok!

Free Monday- Plan: 3 miles EASY
Actual: 3.2 mi at average 12:09/mi pace. These slow paces are still hard to do, I still find myself wanting to speed up when I see others running or even walking and want to beat them. But aside from that I am enjoying the slow pace, especially this one where it was recovery and a blister was poking its ugly head up!

Tuesday- Plan: Rest/ XT
Actual: 4 mile bike ride and KETTLEBELLS blister update: band aids really helps

Wednesday- Plan: 1 mi warm up/ 6x800m @ 8:20/mi/ 1 mi cool down
Actual: 6.47mi total I did the whole work out and somehow managed to keep sub-8’s for all the 800m repeats. I couldn’t find my footing to get 8:20… so I managed around the 7:50’s and it felt great. It didn’t even feel like I was sprinting, yes they were HARD. But, I think that since I’ve been running so easy when I was scheduled to, I was able to let loose and kill the work out. Below are my splits. And when I contacted my coach and showed him my splits he near dropped down dead and congratulated me on absolutely smashing it. When I looked at my charts for HR, it actually showed I was able to lower it quite a bit during my recoveries, which is awesome! Once I got home I stretched for quite a long time, multiple times actually… 5 minutes at a time and then walking around, then shower then I stretched more. Woke up the next morning and my legs don’t feel as heavy as I thought they would. I still foam rolled a little. Garmin told me to rest for 3 days, when I brought this up to coach he said it was okay, it was important to get an easy shake out run today and let him know how my legs were feeling. If they stay strong throughout the day and through the run, then he knows my fitness is going up and we can increase a little more mileage next week! YASSO 800s are my new favorite, and the Strand in Oceanside is the perfect place to do them!

Thursday- Plan: 3 mi EASY with Sola!
Actual: Sola wasn’t able to make it to the run, so I took Hendrix out with me, even though he is getting too big for the stroller, there is no way I can just say no for an easy 3 miler…. also, I would have never said this last year! It is tough pushing a kid that’s closing in on 40 pounds and a stroller that is just as heavy! But we’ve got it worked out, he knows not to lean forward because that adds extra weight and he knows he can’t jump out or anything. It is a generally nice time.

Friday- Plan: Rest/ XT
Actual: the myrtle workout (hip strengthening) and some barre

Saturday- Plan: 10 mi
Actual: 9 miles completed. My left foot started hurting really badly! I drove down to Encinitas to run to Cardiff and back and more than one thing just didn’t go to plan. I didn’t have my chest strap HR monitor, I didn’t eat my breakfast like I should have, and my headphones died 1 mile in! and I was just rushing. It was hotter than I thought it would have been and I was not into the game. I couldn’t mentally get into it, I was upset and stewing in grumpiness- which I really don’t know why. As much as I wanted to turn around and quit I had two realizations… 1. Jesse gave up a fishing trip for me to do this run and 2. there are some runs and races where I really won’t be on my A game, or parts of the marathon where I won’t want to continue, and this is exactly why I MUST continue! Running isn’t always easy, sometimes the hardest part is getting over the mental hump. Finally around mile 4-5 I started feeling better… but then at mile 8 my foot started hurting really bad. I stopped running at mile 9 and hobbled to my car for the remaining mile. My foot was swollen, it was hurting, I was tired and hungry. (did not fuel enough/ no breakfast really didn’t do my any favors! live and learn) After some light research and talking to my coach, I vowed to stay off my foot, ice it and roll out my muscles.

Sunday- Plan: REST
Actual: ROLLING OUT ALL MUSCLES, OIL CHANGES, PLAYING DOMINOES WITH H. SUFFERING FROM CAT ALLERGIES AT MY PARENTS.

Total Planned Mileage: 22 miles

Total Mileage: 21.67 miles

Update from Monday morning (March 2nd) foot is doing much better and will definitely try to run today.

Marathon Training- Week 6

Hi All! Not sure if anyone is new here, but I am training for my first marathon, it is the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon. Where there will be HILLS galore. I am nervous and excited- more excited and ready to see what my body is capable of. I have always always wanted to run a marathon- even though when I was younger I could barely run a mile on my own. Not because I was fat or overweight or unmotivated, mostly because I have always been a sprinter. Never long distance. And that all changed at 28 years old. Fast forward 2 years and here I am training for my first marathon! I am relearning methods and correct ways to train and trying to gather as much info as possible. If you have any questions, comments, corrections.. feel free to share them!!

Monday- Plan: 3mi EASY
Actual: 3.02 miles Ran with Hendrix in the stroller… he really is getting too big for it! It makes me super sad too! He is asking to run along with me, but he can’t run for very long/far yet so it’s hard to let him do that when I am training for something specific. And it sucks to say no to him to run. HR is not correct, although I would like it to be, I don’t believe this is true. After some research and talking to some other pro’s we have determined that the HRM on the watch is not accurate.

The pictures NEVER do the sunset justice, I always want to show how pretty it is, but I guess there can’t be two beautiful things in the same pic. 😛 lol jk

THIS is what I was trying to capture…. ah love sunset!

Tuesday- Plan: XT (cycle 10 miles)
Actual: I wanted to do 10 miles, I only had 25 ish minutes though… so I cranked out 5 miles and also made it to 300 miles for RTY! (run the year) so that is great! As you can tell, I actually have makeup on lol so I was trying soooo hard to not sweat too much and ruin it.

it’s also about time I get my hair cut again, I don’t like it resting on my shoulders!!

Wednesday- Plan: 1 mile warm up, 4×3 min at 9:20-9:45, 3 min recover, 1 mile cool down. ~4 miles total
Actual: felt really good and comfortable- I do have a nasty blister forming on the bottom of my right big toe, though! I think it has something to do with the boots I wore the other day combined with rubbing of socks yesterday. Tender after the workout, but not too bad the following day! I kept going a bit too fast and having to slow it down, but all in all my GMP (goal marathon pace) is spot on. If I wasn’t strapped for time I would have wanted to keep going.
4.43 miles total @ 10/mi
WORKOUT AND SPLITS
1 mi warm up @ 10:14/mi
4 GMP splits for 3min: 9:51/ 9:30/ 9:44/ 9:43
4 recovery for 3min: 9:48/ 10:03/ 10:03/ 10:12
1 mi cool down @ 10:05/mi

Fell in love with the pattern of the mailbox and had to take a pic with it. I was hoping I could make it look like a whole wall lol! fail

Thursday- Plan: 3mi EASY
Actual: 3.09 miles of pure bliss. I am really enjoying these easy days and just going, the pace feels way more familiar and it’s just nice to get out for a little bit in the sun. Can’t wait till spring… and then SUMMMERRRRR!!!

Friday- Plan: XT/REST (cycle)
Actual: 6 miles on the bike + kettlebell abs I always find it hard to find the time to do other workouts besides cardio but I really need to put that time aside. It’s so important to use weights as a way of preventing injuries!! Gotta keep it going, my obliques are SINGING after this workout!! 😤

Killer abs workout!! Did two circuits of about 10-12 reps each

Saturday- Plan: 9mi Long Run
Actual: date day! Pushing the run to Sunday morning 😊👌🏽tried to go bowling… the wait was over an hour, then tried to see a movie but nothing sparked our interest. So we just went shopping haha.

Trying to capture the golden hour sun and it was too bright 😂

Sunday- Plan: REST
Actual: 9 miles with Courtney! (No pic with her 😔) but she came to pick me up at 7am (god bless her) and we drove down to Encinitas and ran back to my house. She isn’t the best at pacing so I paced us, we talked non stop- which is probably why my HR was a little higher than expected, but nonetheless it was FUN! Courtney is such an awesome soul and so up for anything, I love it! We ran through Encinitas, Leucadia, Carlsbad and then into Oceanside. We tried one of my gels from Science in Sport (Apple for me and Lemon lime for Courtney) and they went down really well! Not as thick as the honey stinger ones and kept energy levels up without like making us feel like we were bouncing off the walls. And no GI issues! Win win! These will be on the course for the marathon so I bought a sample pack to try. Just need to remember to be careful when taking first gulp because the mouth piece is wide and I cut the inside of my cheek! Not too bad, but just a note of caution.

Quick stop at home for the bathroom and then drove back to get Courtney’s car and some much needed brunch! Salivating over eggs lately so we stopped at a place called “Nectarine Grove” that was all farm to table and organic (which wasn’t something we are hell bent on, but it’s Encinitas so that’s what they are all about) anyway! Delicious egg and bacon sandwich! Followed up the breakfast with meeting up with Christine and her puppy Luca for a 2 mile hike. (No pics 😕) but he is so cute!! Also nursing some blisters on my toes from my socks… think they were rubbing my toes and now I’ve got THREE blisters!

Planned Total Mileage: 19 mi

Actual Mileage: 19.59 miles!