10x10: Week 2

 

Week-beginning Thoughts:
This 10x10 Challenge is definitely a Challenge. Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, trying to figure out how to motivate myself to get up and run 10mi solo, my crazy challenge-mate messaged me, "Hey, wanna run together tomorrow?"

We hadn't planned on doing every run together, but, man, I think I'm gonna need that type of motivation. 

Monday

Did: 10.07mi @ 9:32/mi avg, Big 5

Today was a little tougher than past days. My legs were a little tired, and I felt every single one of the small inclines on our route. That said, we both noticed that when one of us was telling a story, or we had some good conversation, the miles went by faster. 

I've started wearing my calf compression sleeves when I'm not running. Not sure I need them, but it's a nice feel good security blanket. 

Tuesday

Did: 10.08mi @ 9:49/mi, Big 5, 10min abs

Today felt GOOD. I was pleasantly surprised by how great I felt on the run. We did our normal 10KTuesday route (with another teammate that I hadn't seen in five months), and then the two of us 10x10 challengers tacked on another 4. 

I'm struggling a little bit with nutrition. I feel a little stressed about not having enough calories, and wanting to eat more, so I backed down on my MyFitnessPal goals and am closer to a net of 1500-1800 a day now, instead of the ~1400 net I was operating on to lose weight.

A typical 10mi day looks like this, food-wise:

Pre-run: salted Larabar (190cal)

Post-run: chocolate milk mixed with 1% (280cal)

Post-shower: shredded wheat + 1 egg + 4 egg whites + 2oz ham (280cal)

Driving kids to school: protein shake with milk and coffee (190cal)

Morning snack: PB oat bar (115cal) and greek yogurt/spinach/banana/fruit smoothie (300cal)

Mid-morning snack: spinach wrap with turkey (100cal)

Lunch: sweet potato + corn + peas + ham + cheese succotash (270cal)

Mid-afternoon: oatmeal or dry pasta (150cal)

Late-afternoon: beer (200cal)

Dinner: 6oz meat + roasted cauliflower/squash/zucchini (350cal)

Post-dinner: graham crackers and whole milk (200cal)

Total ~ 2650cal

I still never feel like I can eat what I want (i.e. a giant plate of nachos with lots and lots of gooey, melt-y cheese), but I'm hitting the right macros with this setup, and getting enough energy/protein/stuff to not feel tired. So, there's that, right? 

Wednesday

Did: 10.04mi @ 9:34/mi avg, Big 5, 10min abs

Today was a hard morning to get up. I've struggled the past few nights with sleep (all my own "fault"-- can't even blame the baby). I just keep waking up every half hour starting around 2am. 

It was kind of hard to get up and be ready to drive to meet my teammate before 4am

...but I was glad to have someone to meet! 

I really liked today's route, though. We did kind of a "T" route. Starting at the bottom, we ran 3mi to the joint, then 1mi ONB each side, then 3mi back to start. Breaking up the run into these short, manageable segments really helped mentally.

Bonus: I got to see my first ever shooting star as I was stretching at my car post-run :) 

Thursday

Did: 10.06mi @ 9:36/mi avg

It was hard to get up today, but only because I couldn't sleep last night (again, not the baby, just me and my mind). I was once again super grateful for the accountability of meeting my teammate for our run at 4:30am. 

These runs have become habit. Ten miles is no longer a "long run"; it's just "a run". I don't fuel specially for them. I don't get anxious about the mileage. It's just part of my routine that I mindlessly, to some extent, execute each morning. I feel like a machine. 

Friday

Did: 10.02mi @ 9:52/mi avg

Yet another night of limited sleep (up at 10:30pm, 12am, 2am, and, finally, 3:30am). Blergh. It wasn't hard to get out of bed, though. Ran a slightly hillier-than-ideal route this morning, but appreciated the variety. This was the first run my legs actually felt a little heavy during the run, but I felt good afterwards. 

It's been fun doing this challenge, and I don't know that I'm ready for it to be over quite so soon. :) 

Saturday

Did: 10.01mi @ 9:48/mi avg, 2.91mi walk

The threat of rain/thunderstorms later in the morning meant I might not get to do my normal Saturday stroller run, so I got up early and met my teammate for mileage instead. Today was the first day that I felt tired during the run- not so tired that I couldn't do it, or it was a struggle-- just tired enough to be about 20m behind my teammate most of the run. Yesterday's hills definitely had an impact. SO glad that we took our other teammate's advice about staying as flat as possible for the duration of this challenge. 

Afterwards, it still wasn't raining, so I went out with my family and logged another 3ish miles of walking (veeeerry slowly- lol) on the greenway. 

...and then it happened:

While struggling to get my baby in/out of the high-chair without stepping on/dropping him, I moved a little too quickly, and felt a twinge in my upper right calf.

F---. 

I spent the rest of the day icing, with calf sleeves, moping and munching animal crackers, hoping I hadn't just injured myself.

Sunday

Did: 10.07mi @ 9:57/mi avg, 3.07mi walk

Yassssssssssssss.

I didn't touch or try my calf at all yesterday after the incident, and woke up hopeful that it would be fine to run on. Within a few steps, I knew I was going to be alright for the distance. <3 <3 <3

My teammate and I enjoyed a slower run today, along the riverside boardwalk, counting up from 90 to 100 as we went. 100 miles in ten days. What a feeling! While I'd been pretty good up until today, I was definitely glad this was our last run. 

Best part: hearing my husband and our kids behind me at one point, and knowing they'd changed their run plans to be at the finish. :D 

dem legs

Total Weekly Mileage: 70.4 (all-time high)

This is SO cool to see :D

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I am incredibly proud of my body's ability to endure so much. When I started this challenge, I truly wasn't sure it was something I could do. Kind of like running Publix pregnant, I knew I'd be able to finish it to some extent, but wasn't sure if that would mean walking some, breaking up the mileage within a day, or cutting the challenge at one week instead of the full ten days. Instead, I was gifted with ten beautiful days of pushing myself to a new limit. This is exactly the sort of challenge I needed. 
• This challenge was so awesome, my teammate and I are considering making it an "annual pilgrimage".
• YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY :D