What's Next?

I wanna run another marathon.

I don't mean racing a marathon. I'm totally checked out from training right now. I am, however, really all about finding an experience to have. Running Publix pregnant last year was an experience, an accomplishment, and not really stressful or challenging. It was a celebration. I'd like to have another one of those, please-- a five-hour celebration. 


Considering my life can't handle that right now, I'll have to settle for just enjoying moments along the way right now. I'm taking a two-month break from serious training to unwind before Mile Training. 

Since I'll be taking it easy on the track, I figure I can focus on my body. I considered doing Fit4Mom's "BodyBack" transformation to do something completely different. I'd still run 3-4x a week, but this would be an eight-week session with (2)-60min HIT workouts a week plus a focus on body composition via measurements and nutrition. 

Oh, wait... it's $349 fora single  eight week session and throws a major wrench in my schedule due to the classtimes? 

Never mind.




Then I looked at online body transformation programs that would give me specific enough plans for weight training and eating with enough flexibility to: 1) keep me running 20-30mpw and 2) not impact my family's meals or have me cooking separate food for my kids. It's TOUGH to find something like that, and looks like I'll probably have to create my own on this front. Ugh. That's a lot of work. Also ugh: I don't know much about this stuff.

Once upon a time, I had a good experience with some ChaLEAN Extreme DVDs from the Beachbody company. Between that and having some FB friends who do them, I decided to explore that option... and found myself talking to Nicole of http://fitnessfatale.com/.

She's a marathoner, a mom, and has done these programs in conjunction with mom-ing and running. Slam. Dunk. 

I'm starting up her program on March 16, and planning on doing an 8-week strength program (LIIFT4) with their nutrition program. The whole deal still costs a bit more than I'd like to spend, but the bulk of the charge actually covers an entire year of access to the workout videos, not just an 8 week term. Sweet.

So, I signed up, shelled out the $$$, and am trying to get my head in the game to accept changing some of what I'm doing and learning new things so that I can achieve the goals my current lifestyle just isn't capable of reaching. 

Let's do this. 

Braves Training: Week 2/3

Monday
Scheduled: 2mi + 5 strides, nada
Did: 4mi + 5 strides WITH THE STROLLER (10:04/mi avg, strides @ sub-6:00/mi)
I'd planned on taking the Memorial Day holiday as a true rest day.... but then I got the notice I'd be traveling for work on Wednesday, which would force a rest day. I went back and forth between what to do day, and woke up with tentative plans to go out for a family run. But when one of the running mamas, who's been in overseas for the past few weeks and arrived home yesterday, asked if anyone would be up for a stroller run today, I couldn't pass the opportunity up. 

Still, I wanted to get some sort of speedwork in. Real workouts aren't exactly social, and they're also near impossible to do with a stroller (at least safely). I compromised and decided to join the girls for an easy 3-4 and just fit in five strides as I had the right terrain to do it safely. 

It's fun to go fast. I took the "out" easy, to warm-up, converse, and scout out the best places along the route for strides on the return. The strides on the "back" felt GOOD. I had zero issues with my calves or any other part of my body. The hardest part, in fact, was realizing I couldn't use my arms AT ALL; having a kiddo along for the ride necessitated keeping both hands on the stroller at all times for the strides. At least I know I actually do use my arms when I'm running normally ;)

Hello! 

Strides were all a bit shorter than usual (normally ~30s), but I was also beholden to the terrain, which meant slowing up "early" due to turns, change in surface, other pedestrians, etc.
Feelin' pretty good about hitting 5s WITH A STROLLER, even if it's only for, like, 100m

Tuesday

Scheduled: 1.5WU, 3 tempo @ 8:00, 1.75CD

Did: Nailed it
I'm sure I've done it recently, but this was my fourth consecutive day of running, and it felt like I hadn't had a rest day in FOREVER (even though I had one on Wednesday). Combine that feeling with: 
1) this being the first day back after a holiday weekend, 
2) baby crying out a few times last night and waking me up,
3) this being the first workout I've done since... March 28

I was nervous about this morning. I haven't pushed myself in so long, and I was scared of not being able to do what I was supposed to do, feeling the burn of a hard workout, etc. This is the first time in quite awhile that I've set out to run with an actual goal in mind, which meant it was the first time I could actually "fail". That's always a little intimidating. 

The first mile was "a Kenyan warm-up". Once upon a time, Coach Amy told me that the Kenyans usually warm up with a 10min mile. Ever since, B and I have enjoyed joking that we train like Kenyans. lol. Within the first tenth of a mile, I was bringing up the rear. I had no problem running solo if that's what it turned out to be. I'd rather go nice and easy on my warm-up if I was going to have three hard miles to do in the middle. 

Mile 1.5 came too quickly for my liking, and Brad and Brandi took off. Even though I wanted to run around an 8:00 for my tempo miles (pace for a 50:00 10K), I didn't want to get caught up on the pace. Brad was well ahead of us, and I let him go, choosing, instead, to focus on my breathing and just run a "comfortably uncomfortable" pace, whatever it ended up being. 

Tempo Mile 1: I was comfortable, and keeping an eye on my watch to make sure we weren't too far below the 8:00 pace, because I had concerns about keeping it if I started out too fast-- no trouble. 

Tempo Mile 2: Decidedly not comfortable. There were some hills that I never knew existed on the 10KTuesday route until I had to do them at a pace. This was very much a "just get through it" mile, and I wished at the end of it that I only had two tempo miles to do instead of three.

Tempo Mile 3: This was the real workout. I was fatigued and wanting to stop, but gutted it out, literally thinking through laps on a track, and trying to just keep Brad and Brandi in my sights. I was beyond glad when I finally felt the mile vibration in my wrist and could stop. 

Oooooh, data

As soon as that last tempo mile was over, I stopped and walked for about 45s, and then jogged as slowly as I could (clearly not that slow since the pace was still under 10) for the cool-down home. I finished sweaty, disgusting, exhausted... and really proud. It feels good to be back "in training", even if I don't know what I'm training for :P 

Wednesday

Scheduled: rest

Did: site visit for work, 15min airport yoga
Did a decent bit of walking a job site; definitely ate like a construction worker today (I don't think ANYTHING I consumed today would have qualified for last week's "Partially Whole 7"); had a delayed flight home so I did a 15min yoga YouTube in an empty corner of the terminal 

Thursday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 10x300tempo/100m recovery, 1mi CD

Did: scheduled workout; total = 5.07 @ 8:33/mi avg

​

I'd planned on slowly wading back into speedwork with 4x400/400. But then I talked with Coach about the potential to do the mile at Braves last night. 

So... I suppose that means I'll be racing the mile next weekend. 

...and then I asked her how to spend the next 10 days.

Hard workouts? Lots of intervlas/
Erm... but, why? 

Fortunately, I've got a group to get me through the hard workouts. #SpeedworkThursday resumed this morning, with three new members (from the #10KTuesday) crew. Though we had three different workouts scheduled between the six of us, starting and ending together was enough motivation for us all to get out and meet up at 5am.

#SpeedworkThursday, getting it done 

My workout was 10x300m hard/100m jog, with the hard being more of a tempo than a true push. That's 10 laps in the track. While it pales in comparison to some of the workouts we did for Chicago, or even the first 5K of the year, I was dreading it from the moment I saw it.  

It ended up rocking rhombus. I had anticipated something like a 8min/mi on the hard intervals. Noppppppe. Sub-7 on ALL of them. :D 

Though, disclaimer: the distance reading on my watch is more than 300m.
I ran 300m by track markings, so, even reducing the GPS distance to the 0.186mi (300m), I'm still sub-7

Random thoughts about this workout (I had a nice summary written, but computer lost it):

• focused a lot on my arms (since that was a weak link from the Little Kings Mile) 
• paid attention to my form too
• proud that I didn't stop for water until lap 7 (normally I'd stop at the quarter points of a workout, etc)
• workout only started to get "hard" after lap 6... which is clearly why I was assigned 10 repeats
• I freaking love the track 

WEEEE, SPEEDWORK GRAPH

Friday

Scheduled: DIY strength 

Did: 32min weight lifting - BOOM
Traveling again today. Enjoyed getting an opportunity to just lift. My only goal for the day was just to do 30min of whatever sort of lifts came to mind. Did lots of stuff that I've forgotten in the past 48 hours since I didn't write it down. :P 

Wee, muscles!

Saturday

Scheduled: easy, XT, or off

Did: 3.43 @ 9:00/mi avg, Big 5
Wanted 5-6mi, but wasn't able to make that happen due to schedule constraints. Normally, I just get up early enough to get whatever miles in before my obligations for the day begin. Today, that wasn't an option. I drove my planned route before running it, and found myself SUPER creeped out that on the entire four miles, I didn't see a single other car or person. It was eerie, and I didn't feel safe running it... which sucked. 

I waited until sunrise, and was still able to get ~3.5 in. It wasn't the route I wanted, but it was really nice to run around my alma mater... and take a few pics along the way. I didn't run while I was in school, not really, at least. My senior year, my sorority little and I used to walk/run a 2.5mi loop around campus Mondays and Wednesdays to make up for our Friday morning bagel and coffee dates, but that was it. A lot of the parts of that route that felt like mountains back then weren't even hills to me today. That felt good :)

Sunday

Scheduled: 3-4 with stroller

Did: 3.1 on the treadmill @ 6.5mph (~9min/mi), Big 5, foam rolling
Unpredictable pop-up thunderstorms forced the running mamas to cancel our stroller run this morning (I actually ended up driving out to rescue Jerry who was already part-way through his 12-miler when I heard the first thunderclap). I wanted some mileage, but the rest of the day had 40% chance of thunderstorms, so I turned to our handy-dandy basement treadmill, something I haven't used in.... awhile. Very glad to have it, though! 

#legit... and sick... yeah, mostly sick... (and not in a cool/good/anything-other-than-literal sense of that word)

2017 Goal Check:
Run a Mile Under 6:33: Accomplished 1/1/17
(2) - 30min strength sessions per week: 2/2 sessions for this week and 2/2 complete weeks for the year
Break 23:00 in a 5K
Run a race in just a sports bra and shorts

YOU GUYS, I HAVE A COACH!!! :D I'M A REAL ATHLETE!!! THIS IS SOOOOOO COOL!!!
I've been given an opportunity to beta test an online training platform for ATC. In exchange for feedback about the system, I get a personal training plan and coaching from the Begleys. Google them. They're legit. 

this is me being way too excited about seeing my training schedule for the first time

I've never had a coach before, in anything. I did a LOT of activities as a kid, but none of them were sports/athletics, so this is really exciting for me. I've felt like an athlete for a long time now, but this is just one more bit of proof that I'm not the fat girl I used to be anymore. :) 


Monday
Did: bootcamp
Oof. I think this was the hardest bootcamp session I've been to. Our instructor did an amazing job sculpting a workout that alternated some serious challenges (for me, at least) with some solid exercises that worked muscles well without being too demoralizing. 

since you probably can't read the board:
4 Rounds of 48s on/13s rest (alt exercise each time through)
1- Suspended Speed Rows/BOSU ball burpees
2- Punch/Hammer/Hook Sit-ups/Wall Balls (10#)
3- Ropes with reverse lunges/Quick Box Hops
4- Touchdowns/Suspended Kneeling Tricep Extensions
5- Stability Ball Plank Rollouts/Box Step-downs
6- Jump rope/Bear crawls

Finisher
3x 150 high knees, 12 Hindu push-ups, 15 leg lifts w/hip raise

The 48s of work felt like forever on some of these exercises, and I had to do about half of them at the base level. In particular, the wall balls, ropes, and suspended speed rows took a lot of out me. Keeping the ropes moving while doing the lunges was too hard for me, so I used the "just alternate hands and move the ropes" modification. It was still hard. I've never done ropes and always thought of them as a cool novelty. Now I know they're a HARD, cool novelty. :P 

By the end of the second time through the finisher, I was struggling. I broke it down into sets of 6 Hindu push-ups with a quick breather and sets of 5 raises in order to complete things (and keep form), and was really proud to see my face in the mirror during the last set. It was a bit red, covered in sweat, and screamed "determination". I feel the most confident and attractive when I'm pushing my body like this and getting it done when I don't want to. 

Tuesday

Plan: Recovery Run 10KTuesday

Did: 6.3 @ 9:19/mi avg

After staying up past midnight to watch my alma mater win the National College Football Championship (GO TIGERS!!!), a 4:30am alarm came way. too. early. Yet again, the hashtag, and my friends, saved this training run. We talked a lot on the run about how 10KTuesday embodies so much that's wonderful about running communities. We get out and run with our friends because they make us better and stronger. You get out of bed not because you want to run, but because you don't want to miss out, because you want the same rewards that others are going to get from the run, even if it means you're a little tired the rest of the day.

I'm really proud of this little community that I created. It's not unique, and I don't do anything more than anyone else to keep it going, but I did start it, and I'm continuing it. It's been really cool, too, to see a few other "10KTuesday" groups starting up in other areas of metro ATL, and hearing people talk about it at ATC events. When the club magazine comes out next month, it'll be even more of a "thing". 

Oh, and as far as the run goes:

I looked down at my watch in m1 and saw a "10:30/mi" instant pace. That was a bit depressing, but I reminded myself that this was JUST a recovery run, and that I had a lot of reasons why this was not going to be a good run. I hadn't set myself up for success, so, instead of worrying about pace, just enjoy getting to run at all.

We ended up a bit faster than expected too:

orange and purple disco vests for CLEMSON! 

Wednesday

Plan: rest

I'm glad this is a rest day. After limited sleep Monday, and limited sleep last night (sick kid + husband), I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick too. Oh, Mom Life... 

Thursday

Plan: 2mi warm-up, 4x800 @ 5K Pace/400, 1.5mi CD

Did: 1.5 warm-up @ , 4x800 (3:30, 3:31, 3:27, 3:22) /400m, 1.5 CD

Yep, I'm definitely sick. I woke up with an awful sore throat, and debated speedwork for about ten minutes. I ended up deciding to go because: 1) my only symptom was my throat, 2) FOMO, 3) I figured I was probably going to be sicker tomorrow and unable to run, 4) I could always bail early or take it down a notch if I wasn't feeling it. 

This workout was amazing. My 800m goal in 2016 was 3:36 (same pace as a 22:24 5K). I decided to just run and see what I could do, with 3:30 being my tentative goal. When my first split was exactly 3:30, I felt pretty awesome. It was a push, but a good, solid speedwork day push. I focused on engaging my arms more as we went on, and was super proud to see my last two splits be so much faster. 

yeah, so that pace equates to a 21:46 5K (!!!)

Of course, around 11am, after I got baby boy home from the pediatrician, I started feeling really bad myself. By late afternoon, I had a fever and was pretty much dead to the world. I certainly didn't do my body any favors with this morning's workout, but, mentally, I'm really glad I got it in, since it doesn't seem like I'll be running for a few days... 

Friday

Plan: 4 easy + strength

Did: laid in bed feeling like death

The only thing running today was my nose... and I had a sore throat, watery eyes, and slight fever accompanying it. I hated missing a workout on my training calendar, but I hated feeling sick too. 

yep... 

Saturday

Plan: 7mi easy, 4 mi easy

Did: 5mi easy @ 9:12/mi with the stroller?!?!

I woke up feeling somewhat better, so I decided to go out and do a really easy run with the stroller, solo, so that I could truly do whatever my body felt, even if it meant run-walking a bit. 

I suppose forgetting my GPS watch at home should have clued me into the fact that I wasn't quite up for a run, but it didn't. Instead of turning around, I figured I'd just run the routes I knew and use the stopwatch feature on my phone to keep time. I cannot remember the last time I ran without a watch. It was both freeing and incredibly uncomfortable. 

The first few miles were fine, though I felt oddly chilly in just a singlet and shorts despite the 52 degree temperature (clue #2 that I wasn't as well as I thought). Fortunately, stroller running means I have a suitcase with me at all times, so I donned the extra long-sleeve shirt I keep in the basket for moments like this. (Sidenote: this particular hoodie lives in the stroller because it's the shirt from the race I was supposed to run the day I had baby boy. It always makes me happy to think about that)

Around m3, I passed a guy who noted that I was running faster than him AND pushing a baby. That made me feel good, especially since, looking at my stopwatch, I had myself pegged around a 10:30/mi. 

Mile 4 sucked (probably because it was mile 5). I felt completely beat down and let my pace slow, figuring I would stop at 45:00 on my watch, because, surely, I would be at 4mi then, assuming an 11:00/mi pace. When my watch clicked 45:00, though, I wasn't at a good location marker and, since I needed to know my end location so that I could map it later and get distance, I continued a bit more, to the next landmark... which actually put me at 4.98mi, not 4.00. >_<

I don't think I've felt so bad after a run in quite awhile. I was cold, achy, and definitely should not have gone running today. While I was able to feel better enough to do a quick run to Target and be conscious and functional for about two hours post-run, I crashed HARD after noon and ended up feeling even worse for the rest of the day. :( Guess there's a counterpoint to the case that running makes you mentally strong enough to push through anything: sometimes, it's not a good idea to do that.

"You really shouldn't have done this, Mom" - Baby Boy

Sunday

Plan: 4mi easy

Did: 30min strength

I really, really, really wanted to get up and go meet the girls for SundayRunday at the river this morning, but, after how I felt post-run yesterday, I knew I shouldn't push myself... Even if I didn't feel like I was pushing myself during the activity, it would probably just keep me sick longer. Plus, on the off-chance that one of them came down with whatever this crud is, I'd feel awful. So, I took it easy this morning, slept in, had a great family breakfast with the boys, and then spent the next six hours working to catch up on everything I missed being out two days last week. 

Since I felt well enough, and because I have this whole weekly goal of 2+ strength sessions, I did 30min of weight lifting after baby boy went to bed. I could've done an at-home workout from bootcamp, but didn't want anything too intense. 

3x10x10# db: overhead press, bicep curls, row, 

3x10x5# db: arm raise front, arm raise side, tricep kickbacks ea side

3x10x10# db: chest press, fly, wipers

3x10x10#db tricep extension

3x10 hindu push-ups, elbow-to-knee sit-ups, those k-something sit-ups we do at bootcamp where you grab your opposite wrist, leg raises, side plank hip dips, real push-up, knee push-ups, bicycle crunches

1:30 each of the following plank rotations: forearm, straight arm, left side forearm, right side forearm, forearms with hip touches

#goals