Recovery Week

 Week-beginning Thoughts:

Calves are soooo sore. 

I think I'm gonna go back to focusing on my nutrition and strength for awhile. Maybe I'll do the whole LIFT4 program again (8 weeks). Maybe I'll just go through a week or two. Maybe I'll just do today's workout and then focus on something else... 

Monday

Did: 2mi lunch walk

Calves = sooooo sore. Did lunch walk and felt nice. Planned on going home and doing LIFT4, but didn't think my legs could take it. 

Tuesday

Did: 5mi run/walk

Strapped my calves into compression socks and went out for a 10KTuesday walk/run this morning. Legs are soooo sore. Got a little jogging in, but wasn't comfortable doing much more than that. Finished the 10K with another walk at lunch. 

Again, my motivation to get lifting is tied to how my legs feel... Guess I'm not as into returning to lifting as I thought this week. :P 

Wednesday

Did: LIIFT4 W1D1

Enjoyed a little bit of lifting this morning. I think I'm going to try to re-commit to this program, and actually use the right (read: heaviest I can handle with good form) weights this time, instead of doing what feels comfortable. Not sure if I'm interested in doing nutrition too, but at least this gives me something to focus on since I'm struggling to run due to my calves this week.

Thursday

Did: LIIFT4 W1D2, 5Kish double stroller walk (with a little run thrown in)

Lifted in the AM. We lost power before I could start, but I was able to get the exercises (all lifting, no HIIT today) off a website and make it happen. Took the kids out in the afternoon for a walk, but ended up running a little (like, about two minutes) towards the end due to kid needs. My ankles and feet felt really wonky, but I blame running in non-running shoes for that. 

Friday

Did: LIIFT 4 W1D3

I want to run. :( My right calf still has a little bit of a sore/tender patch (only noticeable when I push on it), though, so I'll wait... 

Saturday

Did: 3.74mi stroller run @ 8:56/mi avg, 1.25mi stroller walk , plus 2mi of trick-or-treating :) 

Went out for an easy walk/run this morning, part of which I joined up with a friend running his first full and walked alongside him. Calves felt fine, so I guess this means I can kind of go back to easy running. 

Road Runner and Coyote :D

Sunday

Did: 4mi stroller run, LIIFT4 W1D4

Enjoyed finishing out my first week back at LIIFT4 with leg day. Oof. Then headed out to the river with the single stroller for a nice easy run. I'm confident that my legs are healed up after last weekend's beating and looking forward to committing to another week of easy running combined with the second week of LIIFT4. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 10.9... that's... odd. (but, bonus: I hit 1400mi for the year!)

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I've kind of tried to do nutrition along with LIIFT4. It's haaaaaard to eat less carbs and more vegetables. I'm finally good on fruits and protein, though, in my default eating habits. 
• I'm really enjoying weight lifting again and feeling strong. 
• I'm not ready to launch into another running training plan yet, but think I'll try to at least do a tempo run this week with my easy mileage, and look at making that a regular thing for myself. 
• I do want to do the miler method plan again and try for that elusive sub-6... just not quite yet

21 Day Fix: Week 2/3

 Week-beginning Thoughts:

Hope my calf is better this week.

Gonna log my containers here each day for accountability, too. 

Daily Goals:

5 Green (1c vegetables)

3 Purple (1c fruits)

5 Red (3/4c protein)

4 Yellow (1/2c carb)

1 Orange (1oz seeds)

1 Blue (1/3c healthy fat)

5 Teaspoons (healthy oils)

Monday

Did: 2.25mi run/walk plus 21DFX Lower Fix plus 10min HardCORE

Nutrition was great today. 

Breakfast: banana, shredded wheat, coffee (1P, 1.5Y, 1/2B)

Snack: greek yogurt with oats, strawberries, and honey, sunflower seeds (1 R, 1/2 Y, 1P, 1T, 1O)

Lunch: spaghetti squash, ground chicken, tomatoes, peas (2G 1 R)

Snack: granola bar (1Y, 1/2 B)

Dinner: asparagus, spaghetti squash, peas, mild sausage, shredded wheat (3 G, 1 R)

Evening: greek yogurt with banana (really proud of this one-- kind of wanted wine, but opted to fill out my purple and red container allotment instead of going over on yellows) 

5G, 3P, 4R, 4Y, 1B, 1O, 3T

Total Calories: 1930 (net 1540)

Tuesday

Did: 10KTuesday @ 9:44/mi avg, 21DFX Upper Fix

Man, it was weird to have to set an alarm for today (I've gone without alarms for the better part of the past ten days), but so worthwhile to get out and run with my friends again. Right calf (the problem one) felt fine, but my left one seems a bit tight at my achilles... looks like I need to hit that one hard with the same rehab I did last week to the right :P 

Breakfast: Larabar, 2 eggs with shredded wheat, protein coffee (1 P, 1/2 B, 2 R, 2 Y, 1/2B)

Snack: skinny 1 pump PSL, larabar (2 Y, 1 P, 1/2 B)

Lunch: carrots, asparagus, 2 eggs, mild greenwise sausage (2 G, 2 R)

Snack: apple (1 P)

Dinner: tomatoes, asparagus, meat of some sort 

2 G, 3 P, 4 R, 4 Y, 1 B

Wednesday

Did: 3.5mi run, 21DFX Cardio

Well, crap. Looks like my left calf is now angry with me... tight knot in the same place on it after this morning's run. At least I can still do things and it's not strained.

but such a pretty view!

Didn't record food today...here. I mean, I always do MyFitnessPal

Thursday

Did: 2.5mi walk, 21DFX Yoga, 10min HardCORE

Up at 2am with a screaming baby + calf = started morning out with a 4:30am walk with a friend. Did yoga, went to work, then did abs in the evening. I feel like there was something I wanted to say about this workout... but can't remember. 

Hit my calf knot hard with massage.

Friday

Did: 21DFX Dirty 30

Good workout in the morning, and then early to work. I can tell I exhausted my triceps because I had to switch from my lightest (5lb) weights to a full water bottle for the last round of kickbacks, and still felt it.

Breakfast: smoothie (2 G, 2 P, 2 R), coffee (1 Y 1/2 B)

Snack: Larabar (1 P, 1 B)

Lunch: ham (1/2R), carrots (1 G), broccoli and asparagus (1 G)

Snack: apple (1 P)

4 G, 3 P, 2.5 R, 1 Y, 1.5B.. plus whatever I had for dinner

Saturday

Did: 21DFX Plyo, 4ish mi walk

Well, my calves did well enough with plyometrics (jumping), so that's a good sign?

Didn't track containers today, but feel like I did decently with all the veggies I ate and limiting carbs. 

Sunday

Did: 21 DFX Pilates, 2x1.5mi walk, 5K stroller run @ 9:14/mi avg, 1mi walk

Pilates is not my jam, but it seems to be good for me. I feel like I'm doing a great job strength training and cross training with this 21DFX stuff, and it's been really nice to have a stable "plan", i.e. doing 30min workouts each day. 

Did a family walk to/from a destination, which felt really good, and then I tested my calf with an easy stroller run in the afternoon. I was really pleased by how good things felt. I kept moving post-run with a walk to cool-down, but felt good afterwards too. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 13.9 (well, it's almost double last week?)

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I'm supposed to start Miler Method tomorrow (again), but I don't feel like my legs are strong enough to take that sort of intensity. I'm debating holding off for another week (to let myself get one solid week of easy mileage without any concerns before going into training) or just taking it easy for week 1 and kind of half-a**ing my way through it. 

21 Day Fix Extreme: Week 1/3

Week-beginning Thoughts:

I'm looking for something low key for this week, and think I've found it in 21 Day Fix Extreme Real Time. This program gives me a 30min workout every day, which I can choose to add running to or not. I'll also try to get back on the container bandwagon for nutrition. 

Monday

Did: 21DFX Plyo Fix, 1mi @ 8:53/mi avg

I hate plyometrics. Jumping always just feels like a great way to get injured. Especially since my calf feels a little funky today, I took it easy. Proud of myself for making it through a workout I really don't like, though. 

...then I went for a mile run just for funsies. :) It's always amazing to me how much faster I run after a strength workout where I warmed my legs up. 

Nutrition was great today. 

Breakfast: oatmeal, shredded wheat, protein coffee

Snack: graham crackers with strawberries

Lunch: 2 HB eggs, cauliflower/broccoli/zucchini/squash/ground turkey succotash

Snack: apple, lara bar

Snack: triscuits, second coffee 

Dinner: ham, zucchini, squash, celery in lettuce wrap

Tuesday

Did: 21DFX Upper Fix, + 10min HardCORE  10KTuesday @ 9:24/mi avg 

I feel like freaking super mom today. My husband's sick, so that means I've basically been single parenting since 5pm yesterday. I've been to work both days so far this week (in the office, which is its own challenge, especially when it comes to bringing enough food). I couldn't run this morning (partially because I was a little worried about my calf, but mostly because I needed to be on-call as a parent). After getting everything done in the evening, I finally made it out the door around 7:30pm. 

Running in the evening was weird. I kind of enjoyed the solitude, but it was also strange to have other people on the sidewalks, cars at intersections, and, DAYLIGHT. What even IS that? 

I felt physically fine until about 4mi in, and then my legs were a bit tired, and I started to feel my left calf tighten. Of course, I was only two miles from home at that point, so I pushed on... and then stretched out once I got home. 

Pretty proud of this dinner, too! 

Nutrition was a bit of a struggle. I'd only planned ot be in the office until lunch, and then run at lunch and go home afterwards. Instead, I was there the whole day... so I went out at lunch and grabbed some Starbucks for sustenance. Not the best choice, but I tried. 

Breakfast: greek yogurt smoothie and protein coffee

Snack: KIND protein bars

Lunch: Sbucks Tomato Mozarella panini + grande flat white

Dinner: green beams with salmon and veggies

Evening: taco shells, 2 eggs, shredded wheat (post-run)

Wednesday

Did: 21DFX Pilates
Another solo morning with the kids = workout didn't happen until the evening, but that was kind of OK since my older one did it with me :) Love sharing fitness with my family. 

Nutrition was awesome today. I planned, and I executed. 

Breakfast: oatmeal, 2 HB eggs, and green beans (fitting in those veggies/green containers)

Snack: protein coffee, banana, KIND protein bars

Lunch: greek yogurt with strawberries and sunflower seeds

Snack: carrots

DInner: steak lettuce wraps

Evening: banana

Also took a massage stick to my calf and did what I could to destroy the knot. Blergh. 

Thursday

Did: 21DFX Lower Fix, 2mi walk

I don't even remember this day. 

Friday

Did: 21DFX Cardio + 10min HardCORE

Also don't remember this day... I do recall struggling with nutrition though and eating a ton of taco shells in the morning. When I'm sick, my go-to food is always crunchy, salty things, like tortilla chips. Guess we know what this weekend has in store. UGH. 

Also hit my calf hard with massage again. 

Saturday

Did: 21DFX Dirty 30, 6.75mi walk

Got my 21DF workout done first thing with my baby this morning, and then my family opted for a 100min walk instead of our normal 10mi run (since my husband and I are both dealing with calf issues). I feel like I could run, but really want to be as healthy as possible to start Miler Method in another week, so I'm trying to rest, stretch, and roll this thing out.... 

The hardest part for me is modifying my food intake since I'm not burning the same calories I ususally do... I've learned not to eat my normal big breakfast, though, and that helps. If I can make it through the morning without gorging on the kids' animal crackers, I'm generally OK. Today, I was pretty proud of myself for making a salad for lunch (SO MUCH EFFORT when you don't pre-prep!) instead of just making another PB&J. I also did spaghetti squash and tomatoes for a hearty, filling snack later in the day instead of handfuls of animal crackers. Pretty happy with how today turned out. 

Sunday

Did: 4.06mi walk + 21DFX yoga + 0.5mi walk

Another family walk since both my husband and I are still bum, but at least I don't feel the knot in my calf anymore. Hopefully, I'll be good to go for 10KTuesday in a couple days. It's been so weird to take almost a week completely off from running. It was kind of cool, though, to have my kid run his first mile (there was a bit of fast walking, but he was definitely at least jogging for the most part-- so proud). 

Yoga was nice, though it's hard to "focus on the stillness and quiet" when you've got munchkins climbing all over you... 

Total Weekly Mileage: 7.3... Kind of hilarious to go from 70 to 7.3 in barely ten days :P 

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Um, I don't even know...  I'm glad to be doing 21DF and have some sort of "plan" to follow right now.
• I'm a bit worried about my ability to execute the mile training plan in a week, and hope I'll be healed up. 
• Nutrition is tough when I don't plan, but I'm starting to get back into a high-veggies mode. The hardest part is how limiting the green container qualifications are-- like, peas don't count as a veggie, but rather as a carb. If I'm going to have a carb, I'd rather eat some shredded wheat or oats. :P 

Recovery Week

Week-beginning Thoughts:

It is REALLY, REALLY nice to sleep in. I have so much time if I don't run in the morning. I can sleep. I can do yoga. I can curl up in my reading nook with a book and a warm cup of coffee. I can sprawl out on my couch, ALONE. I can calmly make breakfast. I can DO WHATEVER I WANT. 

Also, my legs are definitely tired and sore. I should have gotten up and done yoga this morning instead of going back to sleep... but sleep was nice. :) 

I need to figure out what I'm doing this week. Part of me had wanted to take a week "off" from running (and by "off", I mean maaaaybe 20mi/week). But, we're super close to finishing the Great American 5000 relay, and are kind of "racing" another team... so that means mileage. 

My next Miler Method camp starts on September 7, three weeks. I think I'm going to try to get back to 25-30mpw of easy running in combination with a lifting/yoga program to prime myself. Decisions, decisions... 

Monday

Did: 2.11mi walk, yoga
Didn't get up in time for much yoga, but did opt into a lunch walk with my husband. My left calf (not the one from Saturday's incident) is a little sore today, but I'm otherwise feeling alright. 

Got yoga in post-dinner, felt super relaxed... and then had to snap back to reality rather abruptly. Ugh. 

Tuesday

Did: 30min yoga, 10KTuesday in 3.5mi@ 10:04/mi avg + 3.11mi @ 9:16/mi avg

Opted out of meeting up with anyone today in favor of: 1) sleeping in and 2) letting my calf rest a bit more. I got up around 5 and fit in a nice yoga session solo. That was really nice. Plus, I got to enjoy the post-yoga zen for a bit before the fam woke up. Ohhhhhmmmm. 

Wasn't sure I was going to run today, but my calf felt good, and the weather was PERFECT (like, cool enough that I wore a shirt, which was so weird). I did a 5K after kiddo drop-off, and then another one pre-dinner. Feeling good. 

Wednesday

Did: 30min yoga, 2mi walk, 2mi treadmill walk, 5K @ 8:17/mi avg, 1mi treadmill walk/run 

What a day. Another morning of sleeping in until 4:30am (BLISS), followed by yoga, and a post-drop-off walk before starting my work day. 

...and then my husband sounded the alarm. 

Our virtual cross-country relay team was in an intense race to the finish (for 11th place in our division... lol). We'd started the day 40mi ahead, but the other team was rapidly gaining. 

"20 miles to the finish line, we are up by ONE mile. This is gonna end today, on thing that's left is who's first," he posted in our team forum.

For the next hour, I had the most fun I've had this entire quarantine. Our team had a flurry of messages back and forth, with each of us trying to figure out how we could maximize our contributions for the rest of the day. The adrenaline was pumping, and the team spirit was exilierating. We had about half the team drop what they were doing and go run RIGHT THEN, updating each other on how many miles we planned to do, and locking them into the databse as soon as they were complete. I took a late lunch and busted out a faster-than-usual 5K run, feeling SO energized, like I was actually running a real relay race to the finish, with/for my team. It was awesome.

The flurry of messages seemed to indicate that, once my husband finished his 5, we'd be done. I drew a quick finish line on our street for him to cross, and grabbed our trusty cowbell to cheer him in.

...and then I looked at the tracking site. 

We'd been counting down miles to the next waypoint, i.e. the New York state line, NOT the actual finish line, which was about 25mi further.

...well, I feel a bit silly. 

So, we all had a great laugh about how we just exerted a ton of effort for... nothing. Haha.

...but then we re-doubled our efforts as a team later in the evening, with our guys carrying us through to the finish, running and walking until the wee hours of the night (well, 10pm-- that's late for us). 

We proudly finished 115th overall, and solidifed our 11th place division finish (pretty sweet since we were in the 12-person team division, but only had 9 on ours). 

Thursday

Did: 30min yoga, 30min strength training (21 Day Fix Extreme: Upper Fix Extreme), 4mi @ 9:03/mi avg

I am loving this sleep in + yoga week. :D Also treated myself to a weight lifting session over lunch, as a reward for staying so focused at work this morning. Weeee. 

Finished off the day with an easy 4mi (that was surprisingly fast) and celebratory Zoom call with Team Pink Elephants on Parade.

Friday

Did: 30min yoga, 1mi walk

Another morning of yoga, followed by a full day of work... then around the park with the kids.

Saturday

Did: 13.11mi @ 10:07/mi avg with the double stroller

I was solo with the kids today while my husband took some time off. When I asked my kids how far they wanted to run, and the older one said, "A HALF MARATHON", I didn't give it a second thought. I mean, I've been running 10mi every weekend without any issues since, like, March. What's another 5K? 

With a double stroller? A LOT. 

I haven't run more than about a 5K with the double for awhile, since my husband pushes the kids whenever we run as a family as a "pace equalizer". Today was a looooong run without him. We stayed entertained with singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "C is for Cookie", making up stories about a dinosaur and his family vacation across the Pacific Ocean, up to Russia, and up to the North Pole to search for Santa Claus. 

Had some calf issues during the run-- little sore spots that always went away within a tenth of a mile, but were still noticeable. Biggest "issue", though was the soreness I had in my wrists throughout the afternoon and evening post-run. I guess pushing 110+ pounds of stroller+stuff+kid is demanding.

Sunday

Did: 4mi hike

Opted for a family hike today instead of our normal Sunday Runday. This was a nice change of pace. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 26.9 (and I feel like such a slacker... lol)

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Starting my days with yoga and sleeping in has been really nice this week. I'm glad I gave myself the week "off" from morning runs. I missed them for sure, but it was a nice temporary change of pace
• I think I'm going to try to do 14 days of "21 Day Fix" from Beachbody over the next two weeks (until Miler Method starts back up). That'll give me something active to do each day, but also be more strength-training than cardio. I'll also try to get back on that container nutrition plan, since it worked out really well for how I felt before. 

Postpartum: Week 6

Week-beginning Thoughts:

• I'm starting this on Saturday, so... idk

Monday

Did: 2.1mi run as part of Strides360, 3.5mi double stroller walk

I tried something new today: Fit4Mom's Strides 360 class. When the chapter leader found out I was a runner, this was the class she recommended for me, due to the amount of running in it. The class wasn't quite as run-heavy as I'd imagined (I was thinking more like a track workout, but with strollers), but I enjoyed it nevertheless. We had four circuits of SAQ (speed, agility, quickness) drills separated by a 4min run. 

The thing I love about these Fit4Mom classes is that you can really make them whatever difficulty you want but adjusting your personal effort intensity. On days where I'm not feeling it, I can feel good about getting a 60-min workout in, even if that's just doing things slowly, power-walking, or modifying the exercises for lower resistance. On days like today, I can push myself to get as many reps of the quick exercises in during the time interval. 

Tuesday

Did: 6.31mi @ 9:47/mi avg, Big 5, Stroller Strides, 3.5mi double stroller walk

FINALLY! A 10K time I can be super proud of. Also, I finished the day with 15mi on my watch, which was super exciting. Maternity Leave = ALL the workouts = ALL the calm

3:43am up to feed baby
4:50am out the door for 10KTuesday

Wednesday

Did: Stroller Barre

Loving these Fit4Mom classes. I thought it would be good to take a pseudo "rest day", and opted for Stroller Barre since it's really more focused on stretching/slow strengthening exercises. That said, it's amazing how exhausting some of the armwork can be! 

Thursday

Did: 2.10mi double stroller run @ 9:35/mi (part of a 3.5mi walk)

Ran part of the way to school this morning for dropoff.

Friday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, Stroller Strides, 2mi stroller walk

Lots of stroller activity today. My favorite part was that our Stroller Strides instructor had a 90s themed class. Instead of feeling like I was working out for 60min, I was amped up by her playlist, constantly excited about what the next song might be. The power of music is always amazing.

partner work at Fit4Mom

Saturday

Did: 4.14mi run @ 10:04/mi avg, Big 5

Normalcy! I did a short run with my training partner at 5am today, before the kiddos woke up, and it was really nice. 

Sunday

Did: 4.29mi with stroller @ 9:56/mi avg, Big 5

Running Mamas morning at the river was great, especially since we ran into so many running friends who were also out and about.

Total Weekly Mileage: 18.93 run

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Achilles is feeling better. I only taped it for half the week, and am definitely feeling less sensitivity when I press on it. Still there, but improving.
• Calf is definitely improved. I haven't noticed it much at all the past few days, though I remember putting calf sleeves on for Tuesday's 10K. 
• LOVE LOVE LOVE the Fit4Mom classes. I was really on the fence about signing up for a maternity leave membership (since my maternity leave is unpaid), but it's totally been worth the $ to have unlimited options for weekday workouts with the little one (and some adult social time)

Postpartum: Week 5

Week-beginning Thoughts:

• well, my Achilles seems 90% healed, but now I've got this small tight spot in my left calf that acts up about a mile into my runs... 

Monday

Did: Stroller Strides class

Fun family class with my husband (and two kiddos in the double)

Tuesday

Did: 6.23mi @ 10:06/mi avg, Big 5, 2x3.5mi double stroller walk

Run felt way harder than it should have for that pace, but I got through it. Added in stretching (calf has been a little tight) and two daycare walks. 

Wednesday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, 3.5mi walk

Was supposed to go hiking today, but ended up just doing a few walks instead. 

Thursday

Did: 2.29mi double stroller run, Stroller Strides class, 3.25mi double stroller walk

Ran/walked to daycare in the morning, Stroller Strides with weights, and then a leisurely walk to pickup oldest one from daycare later in the day. 

jump squats with a wall press

Friday

Did: 2.03mi stroller run @ 9:52/mi avg, Stroller Strides class, 1mi stroller walk

Stroller Strides with resistance bands, and then met a teammate for a stroller run/walk

SquishLife

Saturday

Did: 3.17mi stroller run @ 9:15/mi avg, Big 5

Now, we're talking! THIS is the pace I've been hoping to see, and, oddly enough, I don't know where it came from today. I went to bed around 8:30pm, was up from 11:30pm-1am, and then again from 3:30am-4:00am with the munchkin, and finally up for the day at 5am due to volunteering at our chorus garage sale. So, by the time I got home and ready to run, it was nearly noon, in Atlanta, in early September, and a disgusting high-80s temperature with full sun. OOF.

I ended up on the greenway with my oldest, ran comfortably, and clocked a fantastic pace! :D No Achilles trouble (it was taped), but I had a little issue with my left calf, though it was higher than it had been yesterday. Guess it'll just have to work itself out. 

Sunday

Did: 4.01mi stroller run @ 9:20/mi avg, Big 5

A glorious sunrise run with my potato at the river. Today felt harder than an easy run, but nowhere near a tempo pace. I had a lot of times where I wanted to just cut my run short, but kept going since I was using it to teach the potato about math (2 out + 2 back = 4mi total). Pace was a little faster than I expected, which was nice. Achilles was symptom-free (though taped), but my calf tightened a little on me late in mile 3 (though higher than before). I was diligent about stretching post-run, and think I'm starting to get some recovery... 

Total Weekly Mileage: 17.73mi run + walking 

Week-ending Thoughts:

• It's really weird not running much. I'm glad that I've got Stroller Strides in the meantime to keep my fitness up, though, and give me some new things to build different muscles. It's a nice workout that I can do as hard or as easy as I want on any given day. 
• Achilles is improved, but still "there". I've actually been running in normal-ish shoes (as opposed to my VFFs) to test that out, and it's been fine. I'm not super concerned, but still irked that it doesn't seem to be completely resolved after two months. I barely feel it unless I'm actually pushing on the spot, though, so that's good?
• Left calf tightens up a little during runs, but the spot of tightness moves around, so I'm not worried. Probably due to all the weird/new exercises I'm doing at Stroller Strides. 
• Maternity Leave Life rocks. I'm basically just working out all day long between walking kiddos to/from daycare, Stroller Strides, and whatever runs I do.