P is for Progress

My training schedule each week has increased in intensity, which is AWESOME, but it’s hard to feel like I’m making progress or completing a workout thinking “oh, that was easy”. When workouts continue to get harder I am always in the same mental boat of “how the heck am I going to get through this week?!” But I always do despite all of my complaining and not taking any time to reflect that I am, in fact, making progress.

Of course I realize that I still have a lot of work to do, but this past week I had a few shining moments where I was able to be so joyous during my workouts. The week wasn't off to a great start with a track practice in the pouring rain, a solo bike ride with 20mph winds and a LOT of saying “I don’t want to”, but bounced back in true Newton’s law form.  

I was feeling nervous and intimidated to run with the SB running & racing team Saturday morning (even though I met a few of them already at track practice) because they're such an elite group of runners! I definitely wasn’t the fastest… not even close… but the people in the group are all so friendly, humble and helpful. Much like the SB Tri group. (I need to start including hash tags like #strengthinnumbers or #whyikeeptraining in my posts to emphasize how important and beneficial it is to train with a like-minded group(s)!)

Anyways… back on track… we ran around the Mountain Drive/Gibraltar area & if you need a new running route try this one! The views are SO spectacular that I was often distracted by them & not realizing I was on mile 6… 10… 13. I’m not sure I should share this next part with you because I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it, but I’m not one to hold out on you guys :) . I ran 15 miles total (warm-up, tempo run, warm-down) with NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES. No iPod, no audio book, no nuthin’. The craziest thing is that I actually felt like the run was easier and I could keep my pace (& sometimes go a bit faster).

This goes against everything I've ever believed in regarding running. I was running hills + long mileage on a early Saturday morning, listening to my own breath and ENJOYING it.

Mind. Blown.

I've already been instructed to run with the same group this upcoming weekend so I’ll let you know if that time was an outlier or if I’m becoming *gasp* a runner. Also have to admit that my knee was feeling a bit fatigued/sore the last few miles but I assume that’s because of the hills I hope?

Another shining moment was in yoga class yesterday. I’m finally able to do the crow pose!!! I must have looked like a psycho in class with my “kid on Christmas” smile after we were done holding that pose, but I was so giddy to finally be able to do a new pose that I've been failing at for weeks that I couldn't contain myself. We were then supposed to follow it up with a tripod headstand but my brain heard “not-so-graceful somersault” instead. Maybe next time.

So yes… the feeling of actual progress... It’s awesome. I’m thankful for the moments I realize that the training really does pay off and VERY THANKFUL for the people who hold me accountable, teach me and support me. This week of workouts is looking pretty intense… but at least the weather is going to cooperate and after next Sunday I start tapering! Yipeeeeeee! :))

Less than 1 month!!!!

Don't let the exclamation points fool you... I'm soooo not excited about this race (yet?). In fact I'm the opposite. I got in a 3-hour 18 mile run this past weekend including bathroom, water and a few walking breaks (mainly to mess with my Audible and iTunes accounts). This has been the longest run of my entire life to date, and instead of celebrating the fact that my short stems made it that far, my only thought was "I have to run 8 MORE miles after this to finish the race!?" 

I had enough fuel from a wonderful home-cooked (day after) Valentine's day dinner the night before & packed my favorite GU's & plenty of water for the run, but I think the lack of a good night's sleep played a part in my fatigue after mile 14 of 18. I'm still such a novice that I need everything to be jusssst right to get in a good run. I need the right fuel(s), an embarrassing amount of sleep, sunny but chilly weather, to be really pissed off about something, my lucky socks, etc etc. It's very rare (never happens) that all of these elements are present when I have a big workout scheduled. I can't wait for the day when I can just go out at any point to run an obscene amount of miles and just love/enjoy/appreciate every bit of it. 

Running 6-8 miles is my very sweet spot. This is the amount of running I can do without an iPod or break, have peaked endorphin levels and feel like I got a great workout in. Anything up in the double digits has not been the most enjoyable experience of my life to say the least... aside from the bragging rights. All of the 15+ mile training runs have only been enjoyable AFTER I'm done, have had a hot shower & any kind of food in front of me. I usually treat myself to Blenders. No judging. Although this past weekend I had a Crushcakes cupcake for breakfast. Sorry I'm not sorry. (oooh I can just imagine most of you cringing at the mere thought of eating processed sugar!!) :)

I'm not sure what's on deck the next couple weeks for my long distance runs yet, but I can guarantee you that I will be giving myself a lot of sugary rewards every step of the way. I may not enjoy 3+ hours of running, but I am pretty proud of my legs and can't wait until I can say that I ran & finished a FULL marathon. Not trying to qualify for Boston... just want to FINISH the race. I'm sure my coach is thrilled to read about how shameless I am about aiming at the very lowest point possible to achieve my goal. I'm sure I'll pay for that at track practice :)

Other positive notes: marathon training makes me like swim practice a lot more, I don't feel guilty about eating like a human garbage disposal, I have a deeper appreciation for other runners & for yoga, & truly enjoying the horrified looks on people's faces when they ask "how far did you run today?". Also I can't possible forget about, or forget to thank, all the people who are so supportive of me & my crazy goals ;)

See y'all out there (because let's be honest, that's probably the only time I will see most of you) :)

Quads & Coughs

Another half marathon under my belt J. At this point, I should say it’s just another training run under my belt on my bigger journey to my first FULL marathon in a few weeks. With my warm-up miles included I ran about 15 miles total today (same as last weekend) and am still very skeptical on how I’m going to make it to 26. I can only say that I enjoyed parts of the run, but luckily it seemed to fly by pretty fast. My brain was having a good day, but my mind & leg muscles have a LOT of work to do in the next few weeks!

I love admitting that half marathons are kind of no big deal now. I can hear myself slowly turning into a running snob, but I’m still on the safe side until you hear me say that I LOVE running marathons. Don’t hold your breath, y’all.

I was really hoping to set a PR today, but for not working out all week because I got sick AGAIN and still having a nasty cough, I was just glad to run at all & use this as my training run. It's so much easier when you're running with people! For any co-workers reading this or people who’ve been around me a lot this past week… I think you’ll back me up when I say my cough probably added at least 10 extra minutes to my time haha. AND…. AND… still no knee pain!!! I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll get the green light from my PT tomorrow to only come in once a week.

Hopefully I can get back into my regular training routine this week since I’m feeling better, but since I start my new job tomorrow we’ll see what happens with my schedule now J. If I have to miss swim practice I will absolutely not be upset about it. I AM looking forward to my bike workouts though since I have a new fancy-shmancy bike to ride! If you see a flash of white light go past you on the street… it’s probably someone else. I’ll be the not so flashy cyclist who looks like she just learned how to ride a bike.

Next race planned is the Marathon (LA - March 17) so I won’t have any races to blog about until then… just a lot of complaining about my quads & how my brain won’t ever shut off. Maybe swim practices will actually be preferred over running workouts before too long.

See ya out there!

TInkerbell

If anyone has a desire to run a half marathon (I know you all do), I strongly suggest running the Tinkerbell half marathon (well, if you’re a female. or don’t mind being surrounded by 10,000 females in tutus). Despite having a recovering knee, a sinus infection and starting the race at 5am, I finished the race in 2:08. This is my personal worst, but all things considered I’m really happy about it. My energy level was great, it’s a flat easy course, I was able to run the whole time, & was cheered on by Disney characters, live bands and an impressive amount of people who showed up that early to watch the race. Only gripes: 2^nd half of the race was through the streets of “beautiful” Anaheim (I’d rather have the last 6 miles be in the park!) & that we missed the Expo because of LA traffic. We were FOURTEEN minutes late & got turned away… so allow for plenty of time to get there.

 

Oh, and did I mention the medal???

My friend Megan & I braved the LA traffic & stroller monsters moms to get to this race even though we were both feeling unprepared, and well… crappy. Breathing in/out of our noses was a challenge at this point, & we were joking over dinner that out of our friends, we’re definitely the minority who would put a race before our health (& all logic, honestly).  :)

We also reflected on the fact that it was basically NBD for us to not feel well & wake up at 3am to run 13.1 miles in the freezing cold dark. I ran my very first half marathon (Santa Barbara) with her as well 2 years ago, and at that point running a half was a VERY big deal. Lots of training tips, carb loading, blog reading and playlist making involved there. And now 2 years later what we considered a huge accomplishment (well ok, it still is), is now moved into the shoulder shrug “why not?” category. For us, this race was merely a training run our real marathon and/or triathlon training.

I’m now a little less than 8 weeks out until my first marathon! I will still be cross-training like crazy, but my main focus will be running. I consider this a very big deal. I know that I can follow the training plans & eat accordingly, but the mental part is what’s freaking me out the most. During a race your mind turns on you. It’s rude. The thoughts of “you can’t do this”, “whyyyy are you doing this??” “you can stop at any time” “are we done yet?” surface & it takes all of your mental strength to either battle the thoughts or get them to shut up. I know how to physical train for a race, but how do strengthen your mind? CAN you? Even Basshunter & Calvin Harris can't drown out my thoughts sometimes...

Ta-Da! err… Tu-Tu!  :)

 

(Still) All about that new new

2013… so far so GREAT! I knew right from the start that this is going to be a really really great year.

Like always, I start with overly-optimistic goals for what I want to accomplish throughout the year and realistically hope to cross off at least half of that list. I’ve been taken by surprise that so much has happened already and we’re only two weeks in. Aside from a very obnoxious sinus infection (I think I said “ohh I nevvvvver get sick” one too many times, so I had it coming), I’ve taken a job promotion at another company, am back into full triathlon training schedule thanks to my coach (yes, I have a coach now), have a recovered knee AND bought a new bike.

Holy.Cow. It’s been pretty wonderful.

I’ll get more into the job stuff later when I can officially announce what’s happening, and hopefully by that time I can talk about some other really sweet stuff that’s currently in the works ;)

For NOW, I’ll get back to the training since that’s the main purpose of the blog. I have a lot of goals this year – meaning a lot of races. I’m trying, for the second time, to run a full marathon in March as well as compete in a number of triathlons and a half IronMan. My goal is to podium at one of the races and ,while I know it’s a pipe dream, it would be so awesome to have that happen at Vineman. It would be the best birthday present EVER!  Also I’m determined to get the tripod headstand nailed down. Yes, that is a serious fitness goal I have.

So as you’ve read already, I’ve hired a coach to help me be adequately prepared for my races and to keep me accountable for my training. He definitely knows what he’s doing and I trust that if I follow his schedule (which is tough, by the way), I will be physically prepared and have the confidence to race at my full potential.  And a new race bike should help too :)

 I’ve also been going to physical therapy twice a week which is producing miraculous results with my knee. I ran 10 miles with no pain last weekend, which I'm stoked about considering since last September I have not been able to run over 6 without my knee acting up. Pretty incredible. We’ll see how it does in my first race of 2013 – a half marathon – this weekend! I’ll be wearing a tutu running through Disneyland… what could go wrong?

More updates coming soon, y'all :)

Delayed... not Defeated

So… marathon training:  It’s not happening. I haven’t felt very encouraged to blog about my progress because I’ve been going backwards. Not only do I have the excuses used by everyone that,  “I don’t have enough time”, “I’m too busy”, I also have a stubborn left knee that refuses to get on board with my 2012 Goals list. I want to run sooo badly but my legs aren’t cooperating. I’m sure that this is my body’s way of making a point, which I can’t ignore, that it’s tired from completing all of my other goals this year.

I’m officially “downgraded” to running the SB half marathon in a few weeks instead of the full. Downgraded you say? I know. I realize I’m talking crazy for most of you reading this. I should be stoked that I’m not even phased by running 13 miles, and do admit it’s a little ridiculous to be super bummed out that I’m only running 13 miles instead of the 26 I was hoping for.

Don’t worry… already signed up for the LA Marathon in March. Delayed… not defeated. Goal for 2012 2013: run a marathon. Among other things…. ;)

In the meantime I will be besties with Ibuprofen, a foam roller, ice, a PT (Geoff I’m counting on you!), and my knee brace. Oh, how I LOVE my knee brace. I can run a slow painful 4 to 5 miles with it on, versus not wearing and having much limping and crying involved after only running 1 mile. It’s pa-thet-ic.  I suppose that now is as good of time as ever to focus on my swimming “skills” if I’m attempting to complete an IronMan in the near future. (Wait, what?)

Also, in unrelated news I’m MOVING! (Finally, right?!) Just to a different part of the city, but I’m so excited for a change… AND a roomie AND awesome neighbors ;). I broke the news to my sweet, generous grandparents last night… I told them I had very exciting news for them to which my grandpa immediately replied “you’re finally getting married??” God bless him. “Mmmm… no…. grandpa, I’m not. I’m just moving out 3 years after I told you that this was only a temporary living situation, & thought you’d be excited about it.” Delayed… not defeated.

This will also delay my plan to get a “better” bike with aero bars. Less than 1 year & I already want an upgrade!! It’s unfortunate that I can’t bring my current bike in & just exchange it for a different one. J

So with many things athletic and personal, I will accept *temporary* delays and not be or feel defeated. Oh, United Airlines would be SO proud of me for saying that (which is a WHOLE other story which I can tell you if you’re having a bad day… it’ll make you feel a lot better). I think I’m beginning to understand & respect the mantra that I’ve heard a few of you use: 

Relentless. Forward. Progress.

Race Report Digression

I’m definitely going to sign up for more sprint triathlons – they’re super fun! And for me, way more practical at this point J. The Carpinteria Triathlon was a bit harder to train for only because I felt like I got too busy with LIFE to put training as a priority. My life has shifted from having track workouts, Nite Moves, or group rides and swims everyday to my volunteer work plus trying to get in more face time with family, friends and also not be a complete disaster in the dating realm.

With little training, I was pleasantly surprised with my performance last weekend. I came in 7^th in my age division and had a great race with no injuries, flat tires or shark bites, great weather and great support. For this race I felt like I was actually competing against people instead of watching everyone fly by me. Granted I still felt like that during the swim, but on the bike and run course I was actually PASSING people. I have a lot of swim work to do before my next race since it’s without a doubt my weakest area, but overall it felt really great. And FUN! Again… love the sprint distances. For anyone reading this who hasn’t done a tri (but I know you wannnnt tooooo!!), please do what normal people do & sign up for the sprint distance FIRST.

Do as I say, not as I do ;)

Now I can “fully” concentrate on my upcoming marathon. Yes I know – it never ends! I have about 5 weeks to feel comfortable running 26.2 miles, which at this point seems really scary and unattainable. WHY a FULL marathon?? It hurts. The training hurts my body more than it did for the triathlon. I’m also still swimming a few times a week & incorporating yoga in as much as I can for cross-training. I’m realizing that training for a marathon requires yoga and foam rollers as much as it does running!

It’s crazy to think that one year ago I was training for the half-marathon which, at the time, seemed like a huge undertaking. Now I’m running distances longer than the half as my TRAINING runs. My legs are absolutely not happy about this, but my ego thinks it’s pretty cool. As much as I complain, I really love it though. Not the pain, but everything else. Pushing your body (& mind a lot of the time) and being temporarily (super) uncomfortable is worth the rewards that come with it. Double entendre? Kidding?

Not sure that I can be a marathon advocate as much as one for doing a triathlon at this point. Will keep you posted as promised. I can say though… running 15 miles yesterday has erased ALL guilt of me sitting here right now listening to Louis Armstong’s “La Vie En Rose”, enjoy the “Fall” weather & write… with chai tea… and cookies… sleeping in until 8, even. I’m not sure I can sell you on running 20+ miles, but I can sell you on how great recovery days can be.

I’ll try & do a better job keeping up with blogging with my last few intense weeks of training for the year. I’m hoping I won’t have too many training woes. Maybe I’ll just it into a running forum: ex: “what 4-5 hours of music do you listen to on your iPod?”, “how long am I allowed to stay in the ice bath?”

I digressed a bit from my original plan to have this entry be a race report on Carp. So…. ahhh, yes basically Carp is really as great as everyone says it is & I would most definitely do it again. J

 

P.S. If anyone knows great Seattle running routes (cough, Maddie) let me know