Good or bad, the weeks are flying by this summer. As I write this, it's hard to believe it's the last day of July. My fall marathon is seven weeks away. There is still plenty of time to train and to work on NOT getting injured.
This was a good week. I was able to get my runs accomplished and my strength training, all on schedule, even though my daughter was visiting. The strength program continues to step it up with more difficult workouts, and I like the way it's causing me to work different areas. I don't like doing evening runs because of the heat, but during the week I have no choice. It was very hot when I did my nine mile run this week, and I was wearing new shoes. Even though they are the exact same except in color as the other pair I started breaking in last week, they felt tight on one foot and I ended up with a blister on the bottom of my little toe. Ouch! I know sometimes different colors of the same shoe are slightly different, but this felt much tighter. I believe, however, my feet were very swollen because of the heat or other issues. I wore those shoes for my other runs this week, and by Saturday morning's run they felt fine.
That's it for this week.
No Excuses / Gotta run
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Week Ten - Tough Week
I'm amazed I've made it this far without any injuries or major training detours. I've been following my schedule, making adjustments as necessary. I was able to get my strength training in, too. That program stepped it up a bit and I can feel it, especially in my abdominal muscles.
This week was supposed to be a "cut-back" week as far as mileage. Every few weeks, this schedule has a week with much less mileage. I suppose it's to keep one from burning out. I switched and moved the lower mileage week to next week. My daughter is visiting at the end of the week, and I didn't want to try to squeeze in my runs or skip any high mileage while she is here.
The hot, sometimes stormy weather made this a tough week. Tuesday's scheduled 10-mile run became an 8-mile run on the treadmill. I didn't feel like taking a chance with the lightening that was happening, but after 8 miles I could do no more on the treadmill. I used to do a higher percentage of my runs on it, because of weather and family obligations. I can't imagine that now! Wednesday we ventured to the big city and I was able to finally purchase some new running shoes. Mine were well over their prime, and I could feel it in my hips and knee. Of course I had to try them out, so I made up the 2 miles from Tuesday as soon as we got home. Well, I MAY have gone 3 miles, but the new shoes felt so good!
The toughest day by far this week was today. I ran (technically I ran and walked) 20 miles! I slept in a bit and started later than I planned. Originally I wanted to be out by 4:30/5:00 a.m., but I ended up out the door at 5:50 a.m. I wore my headlamp for part of the run, then looped back home to drop it off once it was light enough outside. We are under a heat advisory, so I wanted to finish before it got too hot. I didn't quite accomplish that goal, but the point is that I finished 20 miles. Last year when I was training for my October marathon, I didn't end up with any 20-mile runs due to schedules, injuries, etc. I have two more planned before this marathon.
Since today's run was so long, I altered my route. Instead of keeping it in the country, I ran into town, by the library, a park (both of those twice - going out and coming back), some major parking lots, and so forth. I did a country loop at the end. I stopped home at 17.5 miles because all of my water was gone, and I was very thirsty. I was tempted to stay in the nice air-conditioned house, but I couldn't since I was so close to my goal. I saw some interesting things on my run. At the library, I saw a group of people sitting on and around the cannon. There is a Pokestop there, and I imagine someone set up a lure. I saw quite a few runners; I assume they were like me and wanted to get their runs finished before the heat of the day set in. I saw the usual deer and other wildlife. I'm glad I stuck it out and finished. I didn't have my usual stomach issues, so I'm getting better at know what to eat and what not to eat the day before. Now it's time for a little rest!
No Excuses / Gotta run
This week was supposed to be a "cut-back" week as far as mileage. Every few weeks, this schedule has a week with much less mileage. I suppose it's to keep one from burning out. I switched and moved the lower mileage week to next week. My daughter is visiting at the end of the week, and I didn't want to try to squeeze in my runs or skip any high mileage while she is here.
The hot, sometimes stormy weather made this a tough week. Tuesday's scheduled 10-mile run became an 8-mile run on the treadmill. I didn't feel like taking a chance with the lightening that was happening, but after 8 miles I could do no more on the treadmill. I used to do a higher percentage of my runs on it, because of weather and family obligations. I can't imagine that now! Wednesday we ventured to the big city and I was able to finally purchase some new running shoes. Mine were well over their prime, and I could feel it in my hips and knee. Of course I had to try them out, so I made up the 2 miles from Tuesday as soon as we got home. Well, I MAY have gone 3 miles, but the new shoes felt so good!
The toughest day by far this week was today. I ran (technically I ran and walked) 20 miles! I slept in a bit and started later than I planned. Originally I wanted to be out by 4:30/5:00 a.m., but I ended up out the door at 5:50 a.m. I wore my headlamp for part of the run, then looped back home to drop it off once it was light enough outside. We are under a heat advisory, so I wanted to finish before it got too hot. I didn't quite accomplish that goal, but the point is that I finished 20 miles. Last year when I was training for my October marathon, I didn't end up with any 20-mile runs due to schedules, injuries, etc. I have two more planned before this marathon.
Since today's run was so long, I altered my route. Instead of keeping it in the country, I ran into town, by the library, a park (both of those twice - going out and coming back), some major parking lots, and so forth. I did a country loop at the end. I stopped home at 17.5 miles because all of my water was gone, and I was very thirsty. I was tempted to stay in the nice air-conditioned house, but I couldn't since I was so close to my goal. I saw some interesting things on my run. At the library, I saw a group of people sitting on and around the cannon. There is a Pokestop there, and I imagine someone set up a lure. I saw quite a few runners; I assume they were like me and wanted to get their runs finished before the heat of the day set in. I saw the usual deer and other wildlife. I'm glad I stuck it out and finished. I didn't have my usual stomach issues, so I'm getting better at know what to eat and what not to eat the day before. Now it's time for a little rest!
No Excuses / Gotta run
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Week Nine - Keeping it going
Week nine - wow. I've come this far without an injury, and I hope to keep it that way. I accomplished all my scheduled runs this week, along with my cross-training/strength training. I seem to be running at a significantly slower pace, but that may be key to keeping injury-free. Slow and steady finishes the race!
I have adjusted my schedule and I will see how it works. Most weekends I prefer to do the long run on Saturday, and I had those scheduled for Sunday. The change allows me to enjoy Saturday evenings without the the worry of what I'm eating and how that will affect the next day's run. Also, usually the day after a long run (not the day of) I'm starving, and when I do my long runs on Sunday, I end up at work without enough to eat. Monday's are difficult enough without being continuously hungry! There may be a few Saturday's I'm unable to do that, but I'll adjust. I've also added an occasional extra run in - it depends on how I feel. I want to keep the enjoyment of running going, so if I feel like going for a run, I will. And again, flexibility with my schedule is a key part of continued success. I may have to switch up a few weeks due to family obligations, and that's OK.
This is a rather boring entry, but when things are going well, there's not much to say. I did have one interesting run this week. I knew the rain was coming, and I enjoy running in the rain. The thunder was OK, too. I was smart and, after my 3-mile loop, instead of doing a second one (I was aiming for 6 miles), I stayed in my neighborhood, running on every side street. I was a block or so past my street and planning to run to the stop sign at the entrance to my subdivision. As I said, thunder is OK. Pouring rain is OK too, and it actually felt quite refreshing. Then, there was lightening. I don't do lightening! I turned around and quickly ran back home. I cut my run short by .4 of a mile, but safety is paramount!
No Excuses / Gotta run
I have adjusted my schedule and I will see how it works. Most weekends I prefer to do the long run on Saturday, and I had those scheduled for Sunday. The change allows me to enjoy Saturday evenings without the the worry of what I'm eating and how that will affect the next day's run. Also, usually the day after a long run (not the day of) I'm starving, and when I do my long runs on Sunday, I end up at work without enough to eat. Monday's are difficult enough without being continuously hungry! There may be a few Saturday's I'm unable to do that, but I'll adjust. I've also added an occasional extra run in - it depends on how I feel. I want to keep the enjoyment of running going, so if I feel like going for a run, I will. And again, flexibility with my schedule is a key part of continued success. I may have to switch up a few weeks due to family obligations, and that's OK.
This is a rather boring entry, but when things are going well, there's not much to say. I did have one interesting run this week. I knew the rain was coming, and I enjoy running in the rain. The thunder was OK, too. I was smart and, after my 3-mile loop, instead of doing a second one (I was aiming for 6 miles), I stayed in my neighborhood, running on every side street. I was a block or so past my street and planning to run to the stop sign at the entrance to my subdivision. As I said, thunder is OK. Pouring rain is OK too, and it actually felt quite refreshing. Then, there was lightening. I don't do lightening! I turned around and quickly ran back home. I cut my run short by .4 of a mile, but safety is paramount!
No Excuses / Gotta run
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Week Eight - Still Running
I finished with week eight of training. Usually by this time in my schedule there have been some minor issues or injuries, causing me to pause training for a week. So far everything is going very well. I have to be careful to not tell myself that, since things are going so well, I can step it up beyond my scheduled training. Pushing myself is when I end up getting injured. I think it is helping that I haven't registered for any local races during the training. When I run a local race, I sometimes feel I have a reputation to keep up (I often place or win in my gender/age group) and I push myself too much.
That being said, I have done two things I said I wouldn't in that first paragraph. I signed up for a 5K in early August. It's close but technically not local, it's a women's only race, and it raises money for a good cause. It will be late enough in my training that I think I'll be trained enough and disciplined enough to avoid injuries. I'm scheduled for pace training the day before, so I'll adjust and make the race part of that training.
Also, I added a run this week. Because I switched and did my long run on Saturday, I had an extra day. Monday was a holiday, so I met up with one of my friends and we ran. Originally we discussed the idea of running the local July 4th race, but decided to just go for a fun run. That was a good decision. We had fun, saw some local wildlife, and didn't push ourselves like we do when we race.
I adjusted my long run schedule again this week. One of my friends is visiting her family (she lives out of state), and had a scheduled long run for Saturday. I decided to again switch to Saturday so I could run with her. And a funny thing happened on Friday - I was out for a short "shake out" run (scheduled, not extra), and ran into her. So we ended up running together two days. It's a great way to catch up on whats going on.
As far as cross training, I missed one session. I'll simply repeat last week and get it in. As I've said, flexibility in a training schedule is key for me. We had out of state family in town, and we had a last minute dinner invitation. That was more important than one session of weight training. The week was so busy that there was no other time to fit it in.
In the past, I would obsess about having to get in that training, possibly causing myself injury by not allowing myself enough recovery time from running. Now I've learned to relax and realize that the only way any training program will work for me is if I allow enough flexibility to actually live my life too. Running is a regular part of my life, not just when I'm training for a marathon, and I want to keep it that way. A few years ago I got pretty burned out and didn't enjoy running. I won't let that happen again.
No Excuses / Gotta run
That being said, I have done two things I said I wouldn't in that first paragraph. I signed up for a 5K in early August. It's close but technically not local, it's a women's only race, and it raises money for a good cause. It will be late enough in my training that I think I'll be trained enough and disciplined enough to avoid injuries. I'm scheduled for pace training the day before, so I'll adjust and make the race part of that training.
Also, I added a run this week. Because I switched and did my long run on Saturday, I had an extra day. Monday was a holiday, so I met up with one of my friends and we ran. Originally we discussed the idea of running the local July 4th race, but decided to just go for a fun run. That was a good decision. We had fun, saw some local wildlife, and didn't push ourselves like we do when we race.
I adjusted my long run schedule again this week. One of my friends is visiting her family (she lives out of state), and had a scheduled long run for Saturday. I decided to again switch to Saturday so I could run with her. And a funny thing happened on Friday - I was out for a short "shake out" run (scheduled, not extra), and ran into her. So we ended up running together two days. It's a great way to catch up on whats going on.
As far as cross training, I missed one session. I'll simply repeat last week and get it in. As I've said, flexibility in a training schedule is key for me. We had out of state family in town, and we had a last minute dinner invitation. That was more important than one session of weight training. The week was so busy that there was no other time to fit it in.
In the past, I would obsess about having to get in that training, possibly causing myself injury by not allowing myself enough recovery time from running. Now I've learned to relax and realize that the only way any training program will work for me is if I allow enough flexibility to actually live my life too. Running is a regular part of my life, not just when I'm training for a marathon, and I want to keep it that way. A few years ago I got pretty burned out and didn't enjoy running. I won't let that happen again.
No Excuses / Gotta run
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Week Seven - Already?
I'm writing this one day early. I adjusted my schedule due to the holiday and an event we will be attending. If anyone reads my blog, remember I write these entries AFTER my long run, when my brain is not working quite right :) Training went well this week and I was able to get in all my planned activities. My knee is holding up, and I don't feel as sore as I used to when I ran almost every day.
Three things I learned this week:
1. Putting my runs and other training events on the calendar really helps.
2. With the calendar, I still need to remain flexible with my schedule.
3. A middle-aged woman cannot (or should not) move a bookcase upstairs by herself.
Further explanation follows.
By putting my runs, etc. on my calendar, it's always with me (I use google calendar so it's on my mobile phone). It helps when I'm scheduling things - I can look and see what training is on the calendar and work my activities around it. It is an attempt to make my running and training a top priority (as much as possible). Also, I share my calendar with my spouse. He will say something like "so today is strength training, right?". It helps him motivate me and also gives him an idea what I'll be doing that particular day. As we have entered middle age, our memory isn't as good as it once was, so any tools are useful!
Even with the calendar, I have realized that flexibility is important (not only physically, but with schedules). For example, this weekend is a holiday weekend. It is also one of our friend's annual birthday party. Normally I do my long run on Sunday. That means on Saturday I have to watch what I eat, drink, etc. The party is today (Saturday). I want to enjoy the party, so I altered my schedule enough and did my long run this morning. Not only does it allow my to be able to not have to watch my food intake quite so carefully, but it also insulates me against some stress I may feel, as I'm not an extremely social person.
Now to the last one. I was rearranging my office, and I needed a bookcase for all of my running, fitness, and computer books (I teach computer classes part-time in addition to my full time job). I cleared off a bookcase downstairs, and decided to not wait for someone to help me take it upstairs. I diligently removed the shelves and proceeded to try to carry it up the stairs. I was up one stair when I realized what a mistake that was. I was forced to wait for my husband, and we got it upstairs without further incident. Unfortunately, I strained my back to the point it was a little swollen when I went to bed. I was able to run today without an issue, so that is good news.
Of course along with physical and mental training, food is important. Our local grocery store has 1/2 price produce on Thursday evenings, so this is how my refrigerator looked after shopping:
Three things I learned this week:
1. Putting my runs and other training events on the calendar really helps.
2. With the calendar, I still need to remain flexible with my schedule.
3. A middle-aged woman cannot (or should not) move a bookcase upstairs by herself.
Further explanation follows.
By putting my runs, etc. on my calendar, it's always with me (I use google calendar so it's on my mobile phone). It helps when I'm scheduling things - I can look and see what training is on the calendar and work my activities around it. It is an attempt to make my running and training a top priority (as much as possible). Also, I share my calendar with my spouse. He will say something like "so today is strength training, right?". It helps him motivate me and also gives him an idea what I'll be doing that particular day. As we have entered middle age, our memory isn't as good as it once was, so any tools are useful!
Even with the calendar, I have realized that flexibility is important (not only physically, but with schedules). For example, this weekend is a holiday weekend. It is also one of our friend's annual birthday party. Normally I do my long run on Sunday. That means on Saturday I have to watch what I eat, drink, etc. The party is today (Saturday). I want to enjoy the party, so I altered my schedule enough and did my long run this morning. Not only does it allow my to be able to not have to watch my food intake quite so carefully, but it also insulates me against some stress I may feel, as I'm not an extremely social person.
Now to the last one. I was rearranging my office, and I needed a bookcase for all of my running, fitness, and computer books (I teach computer classes part-time in addition to my full time job). I cleared off a bookcase downstairs, and decided to not wait for someone to help me take it upstairs. I diligently removed the shelves and proceeded to try to carry it up the stairs. I was up one stair when I realized what a mistake that was. I was forced to wait for my husband, and we got it upstairs without further incident. Unfortunately, I strained my back to the point it was a little swollen when I went to bed. I was able to run today without an issue, so that is good news.
Of course along with physical and mental training, food is important. Our local grocery store has 1/2 price produce on Thursday evenings, so this is how my refrigerator looked after shopping:
Look at all of that fresh fruit! It's so good. But, this is what I was doing after Thursday evening's run:
Flexibility is important with diet too. And the brownies tasted so good!
And this is what running is all about. After a nice morning run, I feel insulated from the stresses of the day. I know I have done something just for me. And when I can run outside (most of the time I can), I experience the beauty of nature. Here are some sights during my runs this week:
That's about it for today's blog. I know it rambles, but most runners will understand!
No Excuses / Gotta run
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