Back at It: Goals

Motivation
After a 2:06 half marathon with the double stroller, I don't really have any lingering doubts about my physical readiness to resume training. I've always thought I'd run another marathon to "get back in shape" after this second baby, and, with three of my teammates already signed up for fall marathons, doing another full was a tempting thought.

...but my head just isn't in "full mode" right now for a variety of reasons:

1. It feels like I "just" did a marathon. Even though I wasn't training all-out, I did train pretty well for Publix less than a year ago.
2. New baby = still getting used to everything... oh, and I'm not sleeping. 
3. New job + new baby = still figuring out our new schedules, and I'm not sure how training is going to go with all the new stuff in my life.
4. When I trained for Chicago, I was also preparing for the Sweet Adelines International contest, and that was SUPER stressful. This year, my chorus is, again, slated to compete at the international contest in October. Doing a marathon that will interfere with bringing my A game to that endeavor is a no-go. 

So, I've decided to try for a spring half instead. I've looked a ton of races, and decided that the one that fits our calendar (and my other requirements) best is the Berry Half in Rome, Georgia. 

• Race date between February and early May? March 7
• PR-friendly Comes well-recommended by friends, and the elevation map is agreeable
• within 7hr drive or 2hr flight within 2hr drive
• ability to stay within walking or mass transit distance of the start/finish and restaurants maaaaaaaaybe not, but the town is super small, which means I don't mind dealing with parking/driving around
• race temps between 25 and 50 degrees check
• $100 or less registration check

And the bonus criteria:

• cool theme/name/shirts Nope, but that's alright.
• around 1000 finishers Nope, only 400ish, but that's alright too. 
• kids race and/or 5K for my husband Kids race at 10:30 (2.5hr after half start)
• state I haven't raced in Nope, but that's also alright. The nearest states meeting this criteria are IN, WV, and AR... which all involve $$$ travel.

Goals
My current half PR is 1:47:02, set the day I found out I was pregnant. The idea of running any kind of distance in the low 8:XX/mi range still boogles my mind, but I figure setting a 1:45 tentative goal (but knowing I'll be totally pleased with whatever hard effort my body can execute at ~8mo postpartum) is a good plan.

According to Google, I should be able to do around a 47min 10K and a 22:30min 5K if I want a shot at 1:45. Those happen to be my respective PRs at those distances. I don't think I'm in PR shape right now, but it's worth going for it. Worst case, I figure out what I'm capable of right now and get a good twelve-ish weeks of training in the meantime. 


Plans
This was is the hard part. When I'm training, I'm running 5-6 days a week, with workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These days, I'm running 3 days a week, with zero workouts, and some light xtraining in the form of Fit4Mom classes. 

I looked at the Women's Running plan, my past half plans, and some Hansons plans. All of them seemed like more work than I want to put in. lol. 40+ miles a week? 12x repeats? Tempo miles? 




I took a look at my schedule (both current and what it will be in January), and decided I could commit to:

• Mon rest day
• Tues 6-8mi of easy, tempo, or other speedwork-esque miles that can be done as part of 10KTuesday
• Wed easy mileage, up to 5
• Thurs track workouts
• Fri easy mileage, up to 5
• Sat long runs, whatever it takes
• Sun easy mileage, up to 8

That's a max weekly of ~45, which fits nicely with what I'd need for a half. 

In addition, I know that I want the following elements in my plan:

• tempo miles: I hate these, but I need them for mental stamina building
• more than just repeats for track workouts, but no more than 7mi total 
• flexibility for the easy run mileage
• ability to take a second rest day during the week

So, I haven't crafted/found the right plan yet, but I'm hoping to nail that down this weekend, because there's only 95 days until RACE DAY! 

Postpartum: Week 13

Week-beginning Thoughts:
This is the first week in a long time where I've felt capable of setting goals for my future self, and not just in running, though that's what this blog is about. I haven't even thought about my Achilles for long enough to consider "what's next" on the training front, and I'm excited by that... a lot. 

Plus, I'm starting a new job nex Monday. w00t. 

Monday

Did: 4.01mi stroller run @ 8:59/mi avg, Big 5

Had a morning meeting and couldn't make it to 360 class in time, so I took the littlest one to the river instead for a nice morning run together. 

Tuesday

Did: 6.32mi @ 9:44/mi avg, 3.5mi double stroller walk, Strides

Good run. Good walk. Fun Strides class. 

Wednesday

Did: rest

Had an all-day work seminar + didn't feel well in the morning

Thursday

Did: 3.11mi on treadmill @ 9:44/mi avg

Still not sure I'm totally over the little cold that seems to have taken down both my little ones, so I opted for a gentle, indoor run today.

Friday

Did: 4.04mi treadmill @ 9:10/mi acg, 2.26mi treadmill @ 9:36/mi avg, Big 5

Frustrating day of sick kids, kitchen repairs, and inept delivery service providers = two-a-days

on the bright side, my hair looked awesome, and I didn't do a thing to it after getting out of the shower

Saturday

Did: 10.02mi @ 10:27/mi avg, Big 5

I knew I would NOT feel like getting up to run this morning, but WOULD want to have a double-digit run at some point during the weekend. So, Friday evening, I asked a teammate to meet me at 5am to run together. She's racing tomorrow, so she only had 3mi, but meeting her would at least get my butt out of bed and on the road. 

After a sluggish 3mi, I continued on, relying on mental math, singing Hamilton in my head, and trying to relish the solitude in order to entertain myself through the next few miles. I ended up just being paranoid since I'm not used to running solo at 5:30am, and even less used to seeing male runners at that time to day (I saw FOUR this morning). I kept my pace artificially slow in case I had to bolt at a moment's notice for safety. 

It wasn't pretty, but I got it done, and I'm proud of it. 

Sunday

Did: 4.25mi stroller run @ 9:33/mi avg, Big 5

I had a few teammates racing today near my house, so I opted to do my SundayRunday stroller run to/from the race course so that we could cheer. It ended up being even more fun than I'd expected! We had a weekend of success from all of my teammates, and I actually felt like the odd one out for not doing a race. I kind of wished I'd signed up (because it was a stroller-acceptable race) and run with my little one, especially since he kept asking, "Mommy, why are we not running this race? I wanted to run with you because we're super fast together." Mom guilt. 

Also, I've realized that we don't have many more months of fitting in the stroller to race together... and this absolutely breaks my heart. 

still had fun cheering

Total Weekly Mileage: 34. BOOM. That's a post-#2-partum PR. 

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Watching races, especially this women's race, makes me super emotional. I think I cried like three times this weekend about other people's race experiences...
• Stroller running with my potato is the best, and my heart is truly going to break when the stroller becomes too small... even though I have "another potato", it's not the same.
• I'm totally ready to get back into race training, though I have no ambitions for any overall PRs, only a post-partum one. Might try to do a little speedwork over the next few weeks before Thanksgiving, and I think I want to do a half marathon pushing the stroller... maybe even the double. That's probably stupid ambitious, but, hey, YOLO. 

Postpartum: Week 12

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Erm, well, it's Sunday...

Monday

Did: 1.91mi of stroller running @ 8:02/mi at Strides 360, 3.5mi double stroller walk

Tuesday

Did: 6.33mi @ 9:50/mi avg, 3.7mi double stroller walk

Wednesday

Did: 3.91mi stroller run @ 9:38/mi avg, 0.83mi walk

Incredibly frustrating morning = hill run with the littlest to get Starbucks

walked to the playground after school... and then up this hill with the double :P

Thursday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, Strides

Friday

Did: rest

Saturday

Did: 10.03mi run @ 9:35/mi avg, Big 5

Took advantage of grandparents' proximity and interest in watching the kiddos to have a date morning at Atlanta Track Club's annual Halloween training run. Fun fact: green body paint will stay on for 10mi! :D

Sunday

Did: 5.8mi stroller run @ 9:54/mi avg, Big 5

Let my kid pick our route today at the river... Kind of cool. We went to the "hand with the fish" statue, and then down to the "end of the bumps" and back. ;)

Total Weekly Mileage: 27.98

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Super proud that I was able to run 10mi with the track club yesterday at such a baller pace
• Stroller running = happy :D
• No Achilles issues this week!!! :D :D :D I'll keep it easy through Thanksgiving and then try to find a good goal for the first part of 2020... 

Postpartum: Week 11

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Kinda feeling like I need a goal race.. or a goal something... but not really wanting to commit to anything or train for realz. 

Monday

Did: 3.2mi double stroller walk, Strides 360 = 1.97mi run total @ 8:07/mi, calf stretches
Didn't really feel like executing at 360, but make it happen, and I'm glad I did. 

Tuesday

Did: 2x anti-inflammatory gel, calf stretch x 2, 6.26mi @ 9:52/mi avg, 10mi weight lifting

Did a little bonus lifting in the afternoon... but probably should have stretched my calves instead.

Wednesday

Did: 1mi WU, 4x400/400, 0.5mi CD = 3.5mi @ 9.24mi avg, 1x AI gel, 2x calf stretches

Planned on Stroller Strides 360, but class was rained out. Opted for a treadmill run instead (hooray for having one of these-- baby happily played next to me while I ran), and decided to try some intervals to mix it up a little. Hooray, first post-partum "speedworkout". 

Splits: 2:08, 2:04, 2:03, 2:01

Nothing faster than an 8min/mi, but still glad to have pushed a little for a bit. :)

Thursday

Did: 3.13mi @ 10:09/mi avg, 1x AI gel, 2x calf stretches, Stroller Strides

Got up to join some teammates at the YMCA hill (didn't do any repeats myself, though) and enjoyed a brisk morning with capris and arm sleeves! Followed it up with Strides and, wait-for-it, FOUR calf stretches. Considering I've been prescribed 6-8/day and averaging under 2/day, this is progress.

Friday

Did: Stroller Strides, Calf Stretches x 2

Oops. Regression...

Saturday

Did: 10.4mi @ 9:48/mi avg, Big 5, Calf Stretches x 2

Finished up this run juuuuust before the rain started-- win! 

Sunday

Did: 3.02mi stroller run @ 10:08/mi avg, Calf Stretches x 2

Didn't super feel like running this morning, but opted in for a short run with my oldest... because it's fun to run with my kiddo. Nice and easy, and enjoyable. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 28.29mi

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I suck at stretching. The one perk of pregnant running was having the relaxin hormone assisting in relaxing the muscles around my pelvis for me, without stretching. :P
• Achilles is still doing relatively fine, though I need to be grateful for this and keep up with my exercises if I want it to stay that way.
• I've had a little PF in both feet, probably just from mileage and, obv, not stretching like I ought to

Goals, Lack Thereof

For someone as goal-oriented as I am, it's odd to find myself just "going through the motions" in regards to working out these days. Sure, I'm consistently doing something, but not for any real purpose, other than to check the "workout" box on my mental, daily "to-do list"... and to be able to eat a bit more and still hit my MyFitnessPal goals for the day.

All of my teammates are currently dealing with their own versions of this. Some of us are injured, others just not feeling it for different reasons, and a couple of us are coming back from second babies. We're all kind of in the "what's next?" mindset, though, and it got me thinking my running goals/focuses of years past:

2011: Couch-to-5K
2012: run first 10K
2013: run first half marathon
2014: run first marathon
2015: run through first pregnancy
and then I got serious about training
2016: Marathon
2017: 5K, Mile
2018: 10K, followed by Half Marathon
2019: have another baby...and run a marathon while pregnant
2020: ???

For the first time in awhile, I really don't know where I want to go from here. I'd really thought I'd want to do another marathon to comeback from Baby #2, but I think running one while 5mo pregnant filled some of that desire. Plus, with my chorus competing at International Contest in Fall 2020, I'd either have to dive into a spring marathon (which means starting to train in, like, a month and a half) or opt into the stress that a fall marathon + fall international would bring (I did this with Chicago and it was not ideal). 

Of course, there are plenty of other distances besides the marathon, but I can't seem to get motivated for any of them. I feel like I'm nowhere close to being able to train for speed (or pain, in the case of the mile/5K), so why bother? I'm hoping to take the rest of 2019 "easy", enjoying Stroller Strides workouts, 10KTuesday, and a couple weekend runs. Maybe if I use Thanksgiving as a "time trial" to see where I'm at with zero training, it'll motivate me to pick a distance and get to it once the new year arrives...

Postpartum: Week 9

Week-beginning Thoughts:
I should really delete this section... 

Monday

Did: Strides 360, 3.3mi double stroller walk

baby loves Strides 360

Tuesday

Did: 6.23mi@ 10:41/mi avg, 3.2mi double stroller walk

Wednesday

Did: 4mi double stroller walk

Thursday

Did: 3.3mi double stroller walk, Stroller Strides

Friday

Did: 3.12mi double stroller run @ 9:20/mi avg, calf stretches, Stroller Strides

Saturday

Did: 7.31mi @ 9:53/mi avg, Big 5

Suuuuuuper tough to get up this morning after baby wake-ups at 10:30, 12am, and 2am, with really zero sleep after that since I couldn't get back down... but I'd promised a teammate (who also has a newborn) I'd meet her for some early miles before our older kids woke up. It's easy to bail on yourself; it's impossible to bail on someone else. 

Within a mile, I was awake (still tired, but awake). I gave myself the option to back out at a 5K or a 10K, but found that I actually wanted to continue. I think I could've gotten through ten today if I'd had to, but, considering my lack of distance/consistency when it comes to running lately, figured 7 was a good stopping point. 

Sunday

Did: 5.62mi stroller run @ 9:59/mi avg, Big 5

Went further today than I had originally planned. :) 

Total Weekly Run Mileage: 22.28

Week-ending Thoughts:

• SO pleased that my Achilles is improving with the night splint + anti-inflammatory gel! I haven't KT-taped it at all this week, and have had mild issues only :D
• Cooler weather finally hit this weekend, but I'm not feeling as much of a boost as I'd hoped I would from it. Still not really feeling like I'm in any shape (mental or physical) to train for anything. We'll see if Flying Pig 2020 happens... I do have three more months before I'd need to start training. 
• After considering family and costs, we've decided against doing the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half that the track club puts on every year. Neither of us registered early, and I'm not sure I'll be up for a "full half" (lol) by then. We did, however, opt into continuing our family tradition of doing a race every Thanksgiving (well, except that one year where I was literally having a baby on race day). 
• I've found a cheaper and more convenient option close to home that also offers our visiting family the option of friendly spectating: https://www.fivestarntp.com/races/Five-Star-Turkey-Trot. 
• With lots of distance options (5K, 10K, 15K, and half) AND the option of running with either the single or double stroller at whatever pace/seeding we want, this is a home run for us.
• Bonus: since we did one of their races earlier in the year (the day before my due date, actually), Thanksgiving will be FREE for us. 

Postpartum: Week 8

Week-beginning Thoughts:

• Writing on Thursday... lol

Monday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, Stroller Strides 360

Tuesday

Did: 6.31mi @ 9:35/mi avg, Big 5, 1.7mi treadmill walk, Stroller Strides

Wednesday

Did: Stroller Barre, 1.5mi walk

Thursday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, calf stretching, doc visit

Had an official doctor's appointment for my Achilles today, since it's still lingering after almost three months. Dr. Google and my experience were correct: I've got insertional Achilles tendinitis, and have been treating it properly. I've also been prescribed a night splint and topical anti-inflammatory gel to help. Best part: I'm clear to keep running, but just avoid heavy hill work/speed work, though the doc isn't concerned at all about the risk for rupture. Hooray, peace of mind. 

Friday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, calf stretches, Stroller Strides

Saturday

Did: 6.73mi @ 10:05/mi avg, Big 5, calf stretches

This run was hard. I feel pretty defeated when I'm only running about a 10K and wishing it were over after 5K... What happened to my marathon mama mentality? 

Sunday

Did: 4.5mi stroller run @ 10:00/mi avg, Big 5, calf stretches

This run was hard too, and I had to break it into segments to get through it. Blergh. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 17.54mi run

Week-ending Thoughts:

Maternity leave is great, really, but I'm struggling to feel satisfied each day. While I'm enjoying this "floating in limbo" feeling to some extent, it's also really frustrating to not feel any forward progress towards anything. I'm kind of ready for this Achilles thing to heal up already so I can get into some sort of training, maybe a 6 or 8 week program for the Thanksgiving 5K? 

Postpartum: Week 7

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Whelp, again, I'm writing this on Saturday, so... yeah. 

Monday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, Stroller Strides 360 (2mi running @ 8:41/mi avg), 3.5mi double stroller walk

Another day living the maternity leave dream. Strides 360 involved four speed/agility/quickness circuits, each separated by a 2min out/2min back run. It's a fun way for me to get a HIT-ish workout in, because I would not do any of this myself (except the running). 

  

side shuffle slalom 

Tuesday

Did: 6.3mi run @ 9:55/mi avg, Big 5, 3.23mi double stroller walk, 3.13mi double stroller walk

today was exhausting
(in a good way)

Wednesday

Did: 3.25mi double stroller walk, 3.5mi stroller walk

Had a few professional org calls today and needed the baby to be quiet, so I took them from the road and literally walked the stroller to/from the grocery store to triple-use that time. It was a little awkward taking my running stroller into Kroger as a cart, but we made it happen (good thing I didn't need more than a few items). 

Thursday

Did: 4.13mi run @ 10:04/mi avg, Big 5

I had a few appointments today that conflicted with Strides, so I got in an early morning run with my training partner before the day began. It's nice to have that still feel normal. 

Friday

Did: 3mi double stroller run @ 10:21/mi, Stroller Strides, 1.9mi stroller run @ 10:00/mi avg, 0.45mi stroller walk
Munchkins wanted to run to school this morning, so we made that happen with the double. For the past month, I've needed to shower immediately upon returning home, even though I've only been walking. Today, I was able to leave the shower until after Strides class despite running the whole way (well, except this monstrous hill in my neighborhood). Hooray, 60s! 

Followed up Strides with another run with my other teammate and her little one, and a cool-down walk around. 

full house at Strides

Saturday

Did: 4.08mi run @ 10:41/mi avg, Big 5
Had a lot of SPD pain when I woke up this morning, probably because I've logged over 20mi in the past seven days. I'm doing some targetted exercises to help this, but have also accepted it's just a part of postpartum running. With my last pregnancy, it lingered for about a year (I remember waking up at 4am after running the Chicago Marathon at 10mo postpartum to trek down the hotel hallway for ice to put on). It's nowhere near as bad this time around, but still a nuisance. No trouble on the run, though, with the SPD, calf, or Achilles. 

I ran solo this morning due to some family stuff during the day, but really enjoyed the solitude (well, besides the constant anxiety need to be aware of my surroundings at all times).

Sunday

Did: 4.51mi stroller run @ 9:58/mi avg, Big 5
Just a nice, easy run with my running mamas this morning. Always a good time when you get to bust out the sleeves/blankets for the first run of "fall". 

Total Weekly Mileage: 22.87mi run (first over 20mpw since delivery)

Week-ending Thoughts:

• While my Achilles is definitely improving, I'm still probably going to schedule something with a doctor... just because it's gone on so long
• I'm eager to start more normal training soon (hill day, track day, long run day, etc), but can't see it really fitting into my schedule until I'm back at work and no longer doing daycare dropoff/pickup walks and Fit4Mom conditioning. I think I'll train for a 5K to just see where I'm at, and then we can go from there. I know I mentioned wanting to do a spring marathon next year, but I don't know that I have the motivation for that right now... We'll see what happens in a few months. 

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)