LIIFT4: Week 1/8

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Between COVID-19 self-isolation/working from home/home-school madness and starting a new program this week, I have no idea what this week is going to be like... Oof.

Monday

Did: LIIFT4
Um, it's Friday. I don't even remember Monday...

but it looks like I took a photo to mark the occasion? 

Tuesday

Did: 10KTuesday + LIIFT 4
Solo 10KTuesday due to social distancing/self-isolation, and a workout.
Stressin' for sure.

Wednesday

Did: 4.5mi double stroller run @ 9:50ish?
This run felt so freaking hard.

Thursday

Did: 4.5mi run + LIIFT 4

Another tough run that involved fording the river... twice. Did feel like a total BA when other people turned around, but I was the mom with the double stroller who just pushed right on through the several inches of standing water.

baby seems thrilled

Friday

Did: LIIFT4 + 2mi run @ 9:30/mi avg
Woo! Finished out the first week of weight lifting and remote working while homeschooling and parenting. Gonna call this a success, especially since today was leg day, and I haven't done leg strengthening since.... um.... awhile? 

I got up before the family today to get my LIIFT4 session in, and followed it with a solo 2-mi run, just to get something in. Running alone along empty streets in the dark, I couldn't help but think about The Walking Dead. I mean, it's not quite the same (no zombies... yet), but looking at all the houses and imagining other families holed up there, self-isolating, just hoping to stay safe in an unknown world with scary dangers... Also, I live in Atlanta. :P 

Saturday

Did: 10.01mi stroller run @ 9:32/mi avg, Big 5
Not being able to run with my training partners due to this self-isolation stuff sucks. Fortunately, I can still run with my children. Even when they don't talk to me, it's still really great to have the company. Today, I set out to do ten miles, and, thanks to my baby's company and the Hamilton soundtrack, made it. :) 

best part: seeing the YMCA's sign, which said "You Got This!", as I was climbing the hill out of the greenway

Sunday

Did: 3.03mi with double stroller @ 10:03/mi avg, Big 5
Not seeing my training partners all week has been... tough. I've never been more grateful for the ability to bring my children along on my runs. While they're a very different sort of company from my teammates, they make me feel less alone. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 29.92

Week-ending Thoughts:

• It's a good week to have a new at-home lifting program start. 
• I feel really good when I lift.
• I'm so glad my coach recommended LIIFT4 over the 21 Day Fix I was considering.
• I miss my teammates like crazy. Beyond just the runs, I miss talking to them, having that social/friend time, etc. 
• This whole week has felt like somewhat of a dream. Like, this can't be real, right? 

Recovery Week #2

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Mmm. I'm pleasantly sore from yesterday's lifting. This whole weight training regimen might be more appealing than I'd thought. There's something awesome about going through your day feeling super strong. :) 

Monday

Did: rest
A big part of my upcoming LIIFT4 program is the nutrition component. Typically, I've been following my own "don't eat processed crap"/"calorie-counting" plan. I'll allow myself to eat crackers, cereal, and cheese, but still eat pretty clean/whole30-ish. Today, I decided I'd eat the same way I've been eating, but "translate" my meals into the Beachbody program, just to get a feel for how they compare.

Some people think counting calories is a PITA. I've done it off and on for 15 years, though, so it's really second-nature. I've memorized the calorie counts and serving sizes for my frequently-consumed goods, which makes it easy to evaluate throughout the day, even if I don't have my tracker with me. Transitioning to a new system is a total PITA. Instead of weighing items, I now have to use color-coded volume containers to identify volumes of fruits, veggies, grains, proteins, fats, and seeds throughout the day, and compare those to my daily allocations of each. 

kind of like this

In time, I'm sure it'll be just as easy for me to do this as it is to count calories. Right now, though, it's a lot of extra work. :P I do, however, like that the Beachbody plan also forces me to get the right type of calories, by mandating certain amounts of protein, etc. 

Today, for my first go, I realized I need to eat more protein and less grains (shocker... lol), but my standard calorie-counting fare actually matches up really well with portions and overall calories/quantity mandated by the Beachbody plan.

Changes:

• breakfasts are greek yogurt with fruit (instead of superhero muffins or a cup of Cheerios)
• snacks are beef jerky instead of crackers- I need a cheaper protein alternative :P 

Tuesday

Did: 6.33mi @ 9:22/mi avg, Big 5
Good run. Good meals. 

Wednesday

Did: 21 Day Fix's Upper Fix, Fit4Mom Body Back Preview Class
Wanted a bit of a workout, so I took advantage of my all-access Beachbody on Demand subscription. It's nice to have something I can do in the early mornings, from home, with a little baby crawling around, playing next to me. 

In the evening, I got a quick escape to the Fit4Mom "Body Back Tranformation Class" preview. I knew when I came that the class wasn't going to be an option for me due to the schedule, but wanted to take advantage of a free opportunity to: 1) workout, 2) see what it was about, and 3) be part of a little "team" again with my StrollerStrides buddies. Good workout, good vibes, and good reminders for how to live your best life. 
"We don't get to be here long."

(No, I don't normally wear make-up to workout. I had a presentation for work today,
 though, and never bothered to take it off)

Thursday

Did: 5.02mi with stroller @ 9:07/mi avg
I am LOVING how I feel doing all this strength training. :) Opted out of a morning track workout and into a post-work stroller run on the greenway. Intent was to do 1mi WU, 3mi tempo, 1mi CD, and I stayed true to the idea of the workout:

9:45, 9:00, 8:54, 8:35, 9:20

Those middle miles didn't feel quite tempo-y, but they were a pushed and challenging effort, especially after work, in the sun, with the stroller, etc.

Friday

Did: 2mi @ 10:06/mi avg
Suuuuuper easy run with sore legs.

Saturday

Did: 10.01mi @ 9:42/mi avg plus 3mi double stroller walk, Big 5
Fun morning run. Intended on 2-3 laps of a 3.33mi loop, and felt awesome enough to do the third even after my training buddy left after 2. Enjoyed a second workout of the day in the form of a family double stroller walk.

Sunday

Did: 5.01mi double stroller run @ 9:53/mi avg, Big 5
This run was hard, slow, and definitely a product of rainy weather, quarantine-related stress, more stress, and sore legs.

Total Weekly Mileage: 28.4

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Pretty solid last week before LIIFT4 starts... Looking forward to next week. 

5K Training: Week 11/12

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Wow, we're already at Week 11 of 12? This training cycle has gone really well. I feel like I've been working hard, but not so much that I'm consumed by running/training thoughts all the time, or having to modify my life to accommodate training. Opting to train for a 5K instead of a spring half was definitely the right call. 

Monday

Scheduled: rest
Did: rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 10K w/strides
Did: 10KTuesday with 4xhill repeats= 6.35mi @ 9:49/mi avg, Big 2
Hooray for having training partners back! :D We had some nice easy miles to start (all really consistently around 9:40 after the WU mile), and then took off for the hills. I felt really fast and really strong up them, but my pace was "only" in the 7s for the ~150m or so of hill. Oh well, still felt like I had good form and got something out of it. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: XT
Did: 20min weights, 10min yoga
Heeeey, look at me, I'm doing something on Wednesdays! Special thanks to the littlest baby in our house for having a reasonable sleep schedule that facilitates this sort of thing. ;) 

Arms, chest, back, and then some hip-opener yoga

Thursday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 5x1000(4:11)/400, 1mi CD
Did: rest
Felt kind of sick and opted out of working out. Got a 90min sports massage to deal with my IT tightness. Oof. Hurt so good.

Friday

Scheduled: 3-4mi easy
Did: 2mi @ 9:55/mi avg treadmill, Big 5
Felt a bit better from the sickness side of things, but my IT band was definitely feeling the effects of yesterday's massage. I decided to run, but just cut it to 2mi.

Saturday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 3x2mi(16:00-16:30)/800, 1mi CD = 9.5mi
Did: 2mi WU, 5x1000(~4:30)/400, 2mi CD = 8.72mi @ 8:47/mi avg, Big 5, all-day chorus session
I had a lot of thoughts about what this workout could/should be. I knew I wanted some sort of "challenge" element, and that it probably ought to be on the speed side versus pure distance. I ended up choosing to do Thursday's workout, but parking further from our usual track parking to get extra mileage on the WU and CD. 

It was a cold morning- 28 degrees. The 2mi WU wasn't bad, and then it was just a matter of knocking off a series of (5)-2 1/2 laps with 1 lap in-between. Between my sore IT band, getting over a sickness, being tired, and the cold weather, I had plenty of excuses to lean on when it came to not "going for the gold" on my split times. Based on my indicator, I should've been running 4:11. I let myself not do that today and just went comfortably hard, which ended up shaking out to:

4:30, 4:31, 4:30, 4:28, and 4:27

Good. Enough. 

Stretched, showered, ate, and then set off for another full-day chorus coaching session with my adorable 20+ lb weight strapped on for seven hours.

Sunday

Scheduled: 4-5mi easy with stroller
Did: 5.02mi @ 9:54/mi avg with the double, Big 5

Couldn't figure out why my legs were so sore on a Sunday until my training partner noted she felt the same... due to speedwork on Saturday. Ohhhhh, yeah. River was flooded so our route was limited with the strollers- lots of out-and-backs, but we got our 5mi in. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 22.09

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Definitely does NOT feel like the last week of training before a race... There's no anxiety, excitement, or even confidence leading into this coming week. I think I've already "checked out" of Publix? Maybe it's because my IT band was acting up, or because I already had the performance I was hoping for at my time trial, but I'm just kind of in a "go with the flow" mood for my goal race. 

5K Training: Week 10/12

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Oh, man. BOTH my weekday training partners are out of town this week. Good thing I've got this blog, Garmin, and text messages to keep me accountable.

Monday

Scheduled: rest
Did: rest
When baby woke me up at 3am, I really should have just run instead of attempting to go back to sleep at 4am. I never got back to sleep, and would have been better setup for my day had I just got some monotonous miles in... 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, tempo (20-30s slower than RP), 1mi CD
Did: 4mi PRO (10:11, 9:45, 9:24, 9:01), 4x0.05mi hill (sub 8 pace), recovery, 4x0.1mi hill (sub 9 pace), ~1mi CD = 6.23 @ 9:41/mi avg, Big 5
Another night/morning where, when i got woken up by the baby, I should've just stayed awake and gotten my run in. Up at 12:45am, baby down again by 2am, and I never really got back to sleep until 4:15am, just in time for my 4:20am alarm. Sigh. 

Today was a bit harder than usual, since I was solo. I waffled back and forth about wanting to go outside solo or treadmill it, an eventually opted for outside because: 1) it meant I couldn't just stop whenever I felt like it and be home, 2) I knew I wouldn't actually do "hills" on the treadmill by changing the incline if I stayed indoors, and 3) I was guaranteed to finish my workout without family interruptions if I went outside; inside, I'd be subjected to mom guilt if I heard the kiddos. 

So, I texted one of my traveling training partners a pic of myself pre-run with the caption:
"I'm only doing this right now because I know you are too."

With that for accountability, I headed out in the pouring rain. It was actually pretty nice, after a mile. I enjoyed the serenity, ability to be outside and moving, and then hit the hills hard on the way back. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: XT
Did: 20min weights, 5min yoga
Husband got the baby wake-up at 4am, but baby didn't stay asleep long after the monitor got dropped off with me at 4:30. Sigh. Knowing baby didn't need anything, but not being able to get back to sleep with the cooing/crying, I reluctantly got up, grabbed my dumbbells, and got to work. 

3x15x5lb (each hand)
row
upright row
shoulder press
bicep curl
tricep kickback

1x30x5lb
chest press
fly
skull crushers

Miler Method core workout
30s each:
side/front/side/back plank with leg/hip raises
flutter kick
scissor kick
and
20 knee push-ups

then followed that with some yoga/breathing exercises

Thursday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 6-8x200/200, 1mi CD
Did: 1mi WU, 400m, 6x200/200, 1mi CD = 4.0 @ 8:44/mi avg, Big 5

Heeeeey, I finally learned my lesson this morning. After multiple days where I'd get up with the baby before 4am and waste time attempting to get back to sleep before my 4:20am running alarm, I finally just stayed up and got my run done early. 4pm is going to suck, but the morning went great. lol


I spent my entire first mile trying to figure out what I wanted to do for my workout. I had 200s on the schedule, but the idea of doing them on a treadmill was intimidating (esp when I saw my prescribed pace was *gulp* 9.9mph. Last week's 9.0 had been intimidating enough. Yeeesh!

My other option, as I saw it, was to re-do last week's 800m workout, since I'd only made it through 4.5 of 6. That, too, was unappealing.

Maybe I could swap this week with next week and do 5x1000s? Nope. That pace was still an 8.9mph. If I didn't want to do 800m at 9.0, was getting a 0.1mph "break" really enough to go another 200m? Nope.

In the end, I opted to run just under a 9mph pace for a bit after my warm-up. I made it through a quarter mile and decided I did not feel like holding a hard pace for that long again today.... so I doubled down and went for the 200s. Solid choice. I felt like I could keep that pace JUST long enough for the 'mill to click to the 200m. I only did 6 of 'em, but, considering the workout was "6-8" AND I'd done a bonus 400, I felt good about it.

Friday

Scheduled: 4mi easy
Did: 3.11mi easy on 'mill @ 9:57/mi, Big 5
Contemplated waiting to run until lunch or after work to be outside, but opted for the 'mill instead just to get it done. Legs are still sore from yesterday, so I only did a 5K, but am planning to "make up" that mile on tomorrow's distance run. 

My legs are definitely appreciating the fact that I'm actually stretching them again. :P 

Saturday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 10mi push pace, 1mi CD
Re-scheduled: 1mi WU, 3x3mi/1mi = 13ish
Did: 1mi WU, 2x3mi/1mi, 4mi CD = 13.2mi @ 9:19/mi, Big 5, 30min stretching, 15min foam rolling
I changed this workout on Monday from 10mi of push pace to some shorter bursts, hoping to wind up with faster paces. The first one went pretty well (26:00), as did the second (26:40, though the second burst was super hilly). Around mile 8, though, I started feeling some tightness in my right hip/IT band. When my training partner said she was going to cut the last repeat and consider just running it in for an easy 10, I figured it would be a good idea to join her... though I still planned on getting to 13.1.

We ended up both making it to 13.1, but my right leg was not very happy with me the rest of the day. I took a LOT of time to tend to it, with the Big 5 stretches immediately after my run, another 25min of dedicated leg stretching about 1.5hrs later (after tending to children, shower, and eating), and 15min of foam rolling in the evening. Hurt. So. Good.

Sunday

Scheduled: 4-5mi easy with stroller
Did: 3.6mi with double stroller @ 10:22/mi avg, Big 5

Hooray, all the stretching worked! My legs felt much better today. I was looking forward to a nice and easy run with the double today, but flooding drove us from the concrete path to the gravel one, and unexpected rain meant we ran a little faster on the way back than planned... and cut the run a little short. Still a good way to end the week.

Total Weekly Mileage: 30.14 (is this the first time I've been over 30 in awhile?)

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I'm really glad to have my training partners back this coming week. I would not be nearly as consistent of a runner without them.
• I'm also really glad that my right IT band issues were so easily mitigated
• One more week of hard work, and then it's taper time! 

Postpartum Week 4

Week-beginning Thoughts:

• My good diet/nutrition is starting to become a habit again. I've got somewhere between 9 and 14lbs to go to make it back to my pre-pregnancy weight, depending on what that actually was
• While my Achilles isn't 100%, it's definitely improved with a week of rest and dedicated PT sessions 2x/day. I'm planning on running 3-4 days this week (all easy runs) with KT tape, keeping up the PT, and seeing how it does.

Monday

Did: 3.11mi with stroller @ 10:01/mi avg, Achilles PT x2

Achilles PT at midnight with the baby, nice and easy run with the single to get the potato to school, and another round of PT in the afternoon.

Tuesday

Did: 6.22mi @ 10:19/mi avg, Achilles PT x 1

Wore my normal VFF shoes for 10KTuesday and had a symptom-free run for my Achilles, though it was still tight when I first got up and semi-sore for the rest of the day. Biggest issues today included: super sore quads (from stroller strides on Friday?!?), a really rough sore/achy patch on my right IT band (from Achilles PT on that leg?), and generally feeling big and out of shape on my run. If I'm 20lbs lighter than I was pregnant, how come I can't run any faster than I did when I was pregnant? :/ 

After the run, we did a family trip to a major attraction downtown, where I enjoyed some SPD aching near my pubic bone for the majority of the day. Hooray, postpartum running. :/ 

Wednesday

Did: 3.11mi stroller walk
Walk/ran the oldest to school. 

Thursday

Did: 1mi stroller run @ 10:02/mi, Stroller Strides, 1mi stroller walk, 3.04mi double stroller walk

Tight Achilles in the morning, but no trouble during activity. I did an easy jog with the stroller to warm-up before Fit4Mom Stroller Strides class, and then a 1mi cool-down. Later in the afternoon, I walked to/from school with the double to pick up my oldest. 

Friday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, 3.11mi stroller run @ 9:24/mi avg, Achilles PT

Enjoyed a nice, cool walk to school with the kiddos (where I had to use my spare sleeves that live in the bottom of the double stroller as blankets for them-- oops!), and then followed up with a single stroller run along the river with one of my teammates. 

"Mommy, I don't like shirts as blankets. I like blankets as blankets."

being on maternity leave the same time as one of my teammates = awesomeness

Saturday

Did: 3.29mi run @ 9:59/mi avg, Achilles PT

Family run on the greenway = husband pushing the double and me running without anything in my hands--- that felt WEIRD. I was really down on myself for how hard this run felt, since I wasn't pushing any kiddos, had good weather, wasn't pregnant, and was still "only" around a 10min/mi average pace. It's hard to think I'm doing well when I feel like I've been "not pregnant" forever (it's only been a month) and should be easily running low-9s again. I mean, I've dropped 20lbs, so WHY AREN'T I GOING FASTER?

It's times like this where I have to think about what I'd say if one of my friends wrote the above. Why are we so supportive and uplifting of others, but so hard on and critical of ourselves? 

Sunday

Did: 4.01mi with double stroller @ 10:23/mi avg, Achilles PT, Big 5

I went on my first not-from-home run with the double stroller today. I was more nervous about getting the stroller in/out of my husband's car than the run itself. lol. Pushing 100 pounds of stroller + kiddo + stuff wasn't easy, and I, again, found myself disappointed with my pace. I need to get over that. :P

super hard to get everyone in the pic with the carrier... lol

RUN SQUAD <3 

Total Weekly Mileage: 16.95

Week-ending Thoughts:

• At this point during my last postpartum period, I'd only run a couple times, was still taking walk breaks, running 10:44-11:33/mi, finding running really hard, and definitely not running or working out more than every other day
• Definitely feeling some SPD/pubic bone soreness post-runs, but I remember that generally just being something I had to get through/deal with postpartum with my first
• My Achilles has definitely cleared up a ton this week. I"m attributing this to the PT.
• Now, I need to focus on stretching again, because I've had a small tight-ish patch in my left calf on my last two runs that shows up a few miles in... 

Peachtree Training: Week 3/12

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Is it July yet? Sigh. 

Monday

Did: rest

Tuesday

Did: 1mi WU, 4mi PRO, 1mi CD = 6.34mi @ 10:09/mi avg

I'm loving these PRO Tuesday runs. It's a chance to leverage all my frustrations into a productive "speed" workout, and do something a little different than usual. 

Today's splits: 10:29, 10:06, 9:41, 9:06

Wednesday

Did: 3.31mi @ 10:55/mi avg, Big 3
Planned on 4mi today, but during my first solo bit, I had a bit of an incident with a sidewalk that had experienced differential settlement:

not pictured: the matching knee

No bumps were harmed in the generation of those injuries, but I didn't really feel like continuing after my teammates were done with their 2mi. 

Thursday

Did: 1mi WU, 5x800/400, 1mi CD = 6mi total @ 9:36/mi avg, Big 5
Another #SpeedworkThursday, another awesome start to the day. There is nothing that makes me feel more alive (and less HUGE) than pounding out repeats on the track. I'm happiest when I'm pushing, focused on my form, my lean, my arms, and breathing hard on the oval under the stars at 5am.

Reference: 8min/mi = 4:00 
1) 3:49
2) 3:49
3) 3:46
4) 3:50 (focused too much on arms and slowed my cadence)
5) 3:43

Boom. I am a unicorn. 

Friday

Did: 4.01mi with stroller @ 10:46/mi avg, Big 5
SO excited to get to run with the Riverside crew this morning. My little one has also been really upset that I've been running without him (every morning, he sees me come back and says, "Mommy, did you go running without me again? I wanted to come run in the dark with you with my safety vest"), so it was nice to be able to take him for a change. I ended up running a bit slower than I would have otherwise to stay with part of the group, but it was a really enjoyable four miles, and especially nice to watch the sun come up along the river. 

Saturday

Did: 3.12mi @ 10:55/mi avg plus 10.08mi with stroller @ 10:49/mi avg, Big 5

Wanted a half marathon today, but had to begin parent duty at 6am. Solution: run a solo 5K at 4:45am, then grab kiddo and stroller run the last ten with friends at the river. I definitely didn't want to go much faster on either part of this run, but the whole thing felt very comfortable (well, besides having to pee so frequently). I'm so grateful to still be making these miles happen.

Sunday

Did: 1mi with stroller WU @ 11:57/mi, 5K "race" in 28:24 (9:10/mi avg)... and then 1mi with double stroller @ 10:50/mi avg, Big 5
I started the day with a 5K charity race in support of an ATC teammate's daughter, along with another of the running mamas. We did a warm-up mile with the strollers (since the kids wanted to "race" and strollers weren't permitted in the 5K distance), which was touuuuuuuugh on the hills. 

gorgeous rainbow to start the day

The race itself was also pretty rough. The entire first half of the race was basically one long uphill. Oof. I remember looking at my watch at one point, and literally recoiling when I saw that I wasn't even half a mile into the 3.11mi distance. 

I had no goals for this race, other than to run comfortably hard the whole way, and hoped I'd come close to 30min. Mission accomplished, with some sweet preggo splits: 9:27, 9:29, 8:43. It's funny how these times seem SO FAST right now, when they're have been "taking it easy by 2min/mi" in my non-pregnant state. So proud of my sub-29 finish! 

=

Later in the day, I got a chance to try out the double stroller while watching a fellow running mama's kiddo along with my own. It wasn't nearly as tough as I worried it would be... until I had the slightest bit of an incline. Holy moly. I have such mad respect for anyone who pushes a double stroller!!!

Total Weekly Mileage: 38.05

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Unicorn status = fully engaged
• Still feels like this was an easy week... lol. Man, I love what marathon training has done to my frame of reference.