idk week

Monday

Did: nada

Husband wasn't feeling great, so I was on full parent duty. Sore legs from the race, but just didn't have time to workout...

 

Tuesday

Did: 5.03mi @ 10:34/mi avg

Kept distance low since I'm still dealing with post-race leg soreness, but only walked a few bits due to soreness

Wed

Did: 1.5mi @ 10:00/mi avg-- CPET

I finally got to have my CPET today, via my cardiologist. I had to pick 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 or 8.0mph to run on a treadmill with an increasing incline. This was my last step to getting cardio clearance to resume training. 

Thurs

Did: nada

Had a rough night of anxiety and skipped this morning's workout.

Friday

Did: 3.17mi @ 10:32/mi avg

Straight run with my TP

Saturday

Did: 6.05mi 4/1 intervals @ 10:38/mi avg, LIIFT4 W3D1

Enjoyed a "long" run and some lifting. 

Sunday

Did: LIIFT4 W3D2

Back and biceps

Weekly Mileage (it's back!): 15.9

Sick Week

Week-beginning:
Little one probably has RSV, and it looks like I'm next...

Monday

Did: nothing

Took a DayQuil and felt reasonable throughout the morning, but definitely noticed when it stopped working. Ugh. 

 

Tuesday

Did: nothing

Runny/stuffy nose allllll day. I made the right call opting out of running today. Despite being sick, I feel good. Like, this is the first time that I've been sick in almost a year where I haven't felt fatigued during it. Instead, I feel like I just have a headcold, but I could go workout if I really wanted to. 

Wed

Did: LIIFT4 W2Shoulders, 15min yoga

Thurs

Did: nada

Another runny nose day. Felt like I had a faucet in my face.... 

Friday

Did: nada

I think I could've run today if I'd really wanted to, but, with a race coming up on Sunday, I didn't want to push myself. Instead, I focused on my work deadline and enjoyed a Halloween fun house with the fam. 

Saturday

Did: LIIFT4 W2Legs, 10min yoga

Today was the first day where I haven't had to blow my nose. Hooray! I definitely felt a bit fatigued when pushing hard through today's HIIT session, but enjoyed it. I think I needed a sickness like this to get past a lot of my long COVID PTSD. Here's hoping for a good run tomorrow. 

Sunday

Did: 3.11mi Women's 5K race @ 8:35/mi avg

Course was short, so I ran extra afterwards to hit the full 5K

Weekly Mileage (it's back!): 3.11

Week-end Feelings:

I'm okay :D 

Race Report: Alpharetta Women's 5K

Previous PR: 22:18 (Hearts & Soles '20)

90% Goal: sub-30

50% Goal: 9:30 average
10% Goal: sub-9 average

Result: 26:42 (8:35/mi avg)

Training: HA. I don't think anything I've done since February could actually count as training. Long COVID's been a pain. I've been run/walking regularly for the 3 of the past 4 weeks. The most recent past week I had symptoms of whatever RSV-ish thing my youngest had so I didn't run at all (and only did two LIIFT4 workouts). 

Pre-Race: I got to meet up with two of my best running buddies who were doing the half, which was nice. I had zero thoughts of really any sort of pacing. Until this morning, I hadn't known if I'd be doing this race solo or with a stroller. I'd kinda wanted to have a good stroller race with my littlest (he's gotten the short end of the race stick with COVID), but this course is NOT a stroller-friendly course (despite the race itself being stroller-friendly). Ultimately, I decided I didn't want the stress on my body of pushing a stroller up the Westside hill and just wanted to enjoy running without working hard. Solo, I can vary my pace to what my body wants to do. With a stroller, even walking up that hill is WORK. 

Race:

I let myself run whatever felt good. There wasn't a single moment on the course where I wanted to slow down. In the first mile, I was a bit alarmed that I was sitting in fifth place. I looked at my watch- 8:30s. That was faster than I had thought I'd be going, but it must be a slow crowd if I was sitting in fifth. Eventually, I got passed by some faster ladies, but I ended up finishing 15th overall, which was a real shock considering both my finish time and the state of my training/body. 

Reflections:

Really happy to have had such a great experience (and performance) today, and hopeful that, despite all of the setbacks this year has brought, maybe I'm finally on my way back up. 

family came to cheer for me :)

awesome friends :D

Week 3

Week-beginning:

Confidence is building, in my body and myself. 

Monday

Did: LIIFT4, 15min walk

 

Tuesday

Did: 6.29mi 4/1 @ 10:25/mi avg

Wed

Did: 30min cycling @ 13mph avg, 1hr walk

First time on the greenway all season. Wow.

Thurs

Did: LIIFT4

Planned on running, but thunderstorm = stuck inside

Friday

Did: LIIFT4, 1.5mi "race" with my kiddo @ 11:26/mi avg

This was the first race I think I've ever approached from a truly "just have fun/be grateful to be there" perspective. Y'all, I ran with deely-bobs. That's how casual this was. 

Saturday

Did: 5mi 4/1 @ 10:50/mi avg

Sunday

Did: 3.71mi with stroller @ 9:55/mi avg, LIIFT4 W2D2

Sick kiddo overnight = sluggish morning, but I was able to get us out for a late morning run at the river. I'm enjoying making Sundays my "straight run" days so it's just me out there, and I have no pressure to stick with anyone else's pace. After an easy mile, I decided I wanted to pick it up for a mile, and ran a comfortable-ish 9:23. It's nice to see my HR also playing nicely with these paces:

Mile 1: 10;38, HR 135bpm - felt comfy

Mile 2: 9:23, HR 169bpm - felt pushed

Mile 2: 9:37, HR 169bpm - felt much more relaxed

Weekly Mileage (it's back!): 16.5

Week-end Feelings:

Hoping that sick kiddo doesn't mean I'm going to get sick, but I'm taking it in stride and trying not to freak myself out over health stuff. It was a good week, and I'm grateful for what I've been able to do. It's been three months since my last relapse, and I've been able to train for three weeks without issue. Grateful. 

Week 2

Week-beginning:
Feeling hopeful and SO much calmer than previous weeks/months with one "good" week under my belt

Monday

Did: 30min yoga

 

Tuesday

Did: 6.34mi 1/1 @ 11:22/mi avg, 20min yoga

Wed

Did: 30min yoga

Thurs

Did: 2.95mi 3/1 intervals @ 10:42/mi avg

I feel so muhc more like me when I can do a run with my training partner in the morning. :) 

Friday

Did: LIFT4 W1D1, 10min yoga

It's been a good week. I'm considering doing LIIFT4 again, which would be eight weeks of 30-40min lifting sessions 4x a week, in conjunction with my return to running. Today was nice, though I've noticed my right arm is weaker and was shaking SO much during light lifts (since I had that torn wrist ligament and couldn't even hold a hair brush for 4+ months).

Had a follow-up with my sports cardiologist and we're going to run a CPET later this month to see what's going on with my heart/VO2 max during exercise, but I'm still clear to do what I've been doing unless I feel any warning signs. 

Saturday

Did: 4.45mi 4/1 intervals @ 10:43/mi avg, 20min yoga

Enjoyed a morning run with my TP. 

Sunday

Did: 5K with stroller @ 11:01/mi, LIIFT4 W1D2

Nothing makes me happier than stroller running. I took it slow today, but set out to run a straight 5K, and was surprised at how comfortable I felt going as slowly as I did. When I'm healthy, it's hard to go slower than 10:15. Heh. 

 

so grateful for these moments

After a morning out and about, I also got in another LIIFT4 session around lunch. I think I'm really going to try to commit to this program for the next eight weeks. Every time I do it, I see incredible results, and, after gaining 5-8lbs thanks to long COVID and treating myself to ice cream a bit too often, I could use some slimming down so I can fit into my full wardrobe again... 

here we go

Weekly Mileage (it's back!): 16.9

Week-end Feelings:

I can't even begin to describe how being able to workout this week has changed my life and made me feel more like myself again. I'm hopeful that this continues, and that, maybe, I'm finally going to be able to slowly ramp back up to normalcy-- in training, work, family, and chorus. 

Week 1

Week-beginning:

Week 1 of what? I have no idea. 

Monday

Did: MBF core

Multiple kid wake-ups overnight, uggggh. Opted out of morning workout, but got in a core workout between work and dinner.

Tuesday

Did: 5.15mi 2/1 intervals @ 10:36/mi avg, chorus

Amazing sleep, woke up on my own at 3:51am feeling great. I cut the 10K short to not chance over-doing it with with a 5K only two days ago. Unfortunately, I felt sick by the end of the day-- headache and fatigue-ish by 3pm. 

Wed

Did: site visit
only 5hrs sleep due to chorus, post-nasal drip and little bit of head-cold-like symptoms in morning, not too fatigued, but not interested in working out, dry throat... This is also the first week of overnight temps in the high 40s, so that's kinda par for the course. I had a site visit for work, so I had to be there. Went, got stuff done, and probably felt better for it? 

Thurs

Did: 30min walking

11pm wake-up with kid, woke up with head-cold-like feeling, lots of feelings of anxiety before bed, dry throat in the morning, etc. I probably would have wanted to just lay in bed and sleep away the day, but needed to get work done. Had another long COVID appt, with a sleep doc this time, who, no surprise, said she thought my poor sleep was related to anxiety and referred me to a therapist. 

Friday

Did: 15min LIIFT4, 2.24mi @ 1-2/2 intervals @ 13:24/mi through woods

No work today = much-needed personal day. I had hopes of doing a run, yoga, and workout, but found myself uninterested in pretty much anything. I lifted a bit in the morning, then forced myself out to the greenway for 30min of activity. I chose to head into the woods to bribe myself with something new, and ended up running a bit, and feeling good. I'm hoping that by having a few experiences this week where I worked out not at 100% (but hopefully don't have any adverse reactions), I'll gain some confidence back and lose some of my health anxiety. 

Saturday

Did: 20min yoga, 11min walk, 3.35mi 1/1 @ 10:56/mi avg

Started the day with some flow yoga-- really appreciated the time to focus on my breath. I need to do more of this. Walked to get bagels before the kids' soccer game, and game home and enjoyed a beautiful, perfect fall weather run with 1/1 intervals. 

Sunday

Did: 17min yoga, 23min walk, 26min hike

Family photo day = didn't want to have to wash my hair before curling it, so I opted for another morning of flow yoga with a walk around the neighborhood. After photos, we did some family "hiking" around the location. 

Weekly Mileage (it's back!): 10.7

Week-end Feelings:

I've had some really low lows this week, where I've felt like my life is basically over. Then, two days later, I'm okay again. So many feelings. :(  SO much anxiety. Trying to let go of things and take care of myself...