Keep Showing Up.

 Week-Beginning Thoughts:

Keep showing up.

Monday
Scheduled: yoga
Did: 10min AM yoga, 4.5mi stroller walk
Had a doctor's appt for my voice loss/hoarseness where I weighed in 16lbs heavier than my "usual". While I know that about 5lbs of that was my heavy shoes and all the crap in my tote back, which was over my shoulder, it was still a WTF moment. Lots of emotions. Lots of anger. Lots of "this isn't fair". While I haven't been tracking everything I eat, I've been eating fairly well, certainly better than anyone else whose meals I see on a regular basis, and better than the average American.

It was incredibly discouraging to see that, even if I haven't "let myself go", all the feelings of my clothes getting tighter over the past few months wasn't just "in my head" or "period bloating", it's actually real, and I'm SO angry about it.

...so, I signed up for Noom, a weight-loss app that I knew some friends had had success with. And then cried. 

Tuesday
Scheduled: 10KTuesday
Did: 6.31mi @ 9:44/mi avg
Day 1 of Noom. Woke up, weighed in (a good 7lbs lighter than what I'd been at the doctor's, btw), and tracked the hell out of everything. I'm just angry that I "have to" do this if I want to be healthy. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 5K and lifting

Did: 15min lifting, 3.2mi @ 10:04/mi avg
Did NOT want to get up and out on a "feels like 26 degrees" day, but remembered how shitty I felt with long COVID and my promise to myself to never skip a workout when I was physically able to workout.  

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-5mi

Did: 2mi WU, 4x800m/400m, CD = 5.67mi @ 9:21/mi avg

I'm enjoying the new routing of weighing myself each morning (to prove how much weight fluctuates day to day and get a "trend line" instead of a few random data points), and swapping out reading some short content Noom articles/motivation instead of scrolling social media. I'm NOT enjoying feeling like I'm depriving myself of things and trying to work on reframing that to be "I'm choosing to feel good in my body, because that's more important to me than ______". Still sucks. 

Didn't plan on speedwork, but TP had some work, so I opted in rather than just running mindless laps on the track.

4:28, 4:22, 4:18, 4:18

Friday

Scheduled: nada

Did: 30min treadmill walk

Didn't really have time to workout today. I enjoyed my one morning a week to wake up next to my husband and actually talk before our day started, worked, then got groceries and meal prepped. Noom's step tracker motivated me to get on the treadmill and walk a few miles to get around 9000 steps for the day while my family did other things in the same room. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 10-13.1mi easy

Did: 13.11mi @ 10:35/mi avg 

This was a victory lap for me. After getting COVID in April 2022 and suffering from long COVID for nearly 9 months after, there were so many times I didn't know if I'd be able to run again, especially not at the level I did pre-COVID. While I'm still not back to my pre-COVID fitness (in more ways than one), today marked a huge milestone in that slog back to "marathon mama".

My legs hurt during the run. My right foot (where I've been dealing with PF for over a month) ached a bit from time to time. It was 32 with 14mph winds that made it feel like 26 and my arms were cramping from the cold.  I planned a deceptively hilly route, unintentionally. I was much slower than my companions. 

But I did it. I ran a half marathon, something I hadn't done in over a year. So strange for something that used to be an "every weekend" occurrence to be so hard now, but that's just where I am right now... and it's a sign of progress. 

Sunday

Scheduled: easy 5K, yoga

Did: 3.12mi @ 10:13/mi avg, 15min yoga

This run felt sluggish and blergh, but I got it done.

Total Weekly Mileage: 31.4

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Slowly making it, and proud for completing a week "on the Noom wagon" :) 

An OK-ish Week

Week-Beginning Thoughts:

Keep showing up.

Monday
Scheduled: yoga
Did: 10min yoga, 40min lifting afternoon
Small dry cough overnight, but feeling much better. Did lifting on the back deck with my baby after work, followed by a picnic.  

Tuesday
Scheduled: 10KTuesday
Did: 6.31mi @ 9:46/mi avg
Woke up with soreness in my throat, and had a weird swollen feeilng in it after eating lunch outside. Allergies? 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 5K and lifting

Did: 3mi walk
Had a rough sleepless night and bailed on my AM run. Felt fatigued during the day and napped twice. Also had voice difficulty during a presentation today. Ugh. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-5mi

Did: nada

Bailed on my AM run and slept 9.5hrs instead. Still deep swollen throat feeling upon waking... ugh. 

Friday

Scheduled: nada

Did: 5.12mi @ 9:41/mi avg

Made up for Thursday's run today. Still had a swollen throat feeling in the AM. My GP said to go see an ENT since the throat stuff is lingering, so I guess that's on the docket for Monday... 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-10mi easy

Did: 12.73mi @ 9:56/mi avg + 2mi walk

Slow and steady hilly ass run that I wanted SO badly to turn into a half marathon (my first in over a year)... but I had a misstep on a curb/island SO close to the end. My pinkie toe base really hurt after it impacted the curb, but we tried a lot of stepping on it, bending it, etc. at the site of the accident and it didn't seem broken. I walked the rest of hte way home, iced, and had no more troubles with it throughout the day. 

Sunday

Scheduled: easy 5K

Did: 20min yoga, 20min lifting

Well, I've got a nice, big bruise on my foot from yesterday and it's supposed to be heavy rain all day in the high 40s.... sounds like a great day to stay inside and let my foot rest up. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 24.2

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Slowly making it :) 

Non-Sick Week

Week-Beginning Thoughts:
My goals for this week are to keep showing up. I want to run T, W, Th, S, and S. Even if it's only a 5K, multiple days is more important to me than mileage this week.

Monday
Scheduled: rest
Did: 20min yoga
Got up and started my week with some relaxing yoga/meditation. It's always nice when I can find time for that. Still have hoarseness in my voice, but I can speak. 

Tuesday
Scheduled: 10KTuesday
Did: 6.23mi @ 10:05/mi avg
This felt harder than it should have. Blergh. Worked a 12 hour days afterwards.... 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 5K and lifting

Did: 15min AM lift, 5k with stroller @ 10:04/mi avg
I felt proud for getting up this morning to lift. I woke up without my alarm and got myself downstairs for some unguided chest/back dumbbell exercises. After work, I made use of my kids' offset schedules to take the little on a greenway stroller one before getting the older one. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-5mi

Did: 5.04mi @ 9:41/mi avg

Nice run with my TP. 

Friday

Scheduled: nada

Did: nada

I had hopes of getting in a 30min MBF session or a walk, but had too much to do at work/home. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-10mi easy

Did: 10.1mi @ 9:51/mi avg, SOA rehearsal

This run felt GREAT. Maybe it was listening to a marathon podcast yesterday, but I was IN my element. 

Sunday

Scheduled: easy 5K

Did: 3.11mi @ 10:25/mi avg

Did a fundraiser 5K today with my oldest and was SO SO SO SO proud of him running the full thing, including some intense hills, and beating his previous 5K PR by about 5 minutes. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 27.6

Week-ending Thoughts:

• This is the first week I've kinda felt like running self in a long time. Here's hoping it continues.

Dumb Week

  

Monday
Scheduled: rest
Did: 1.87mi @ 9:56/mi avg
Felt good enough to take advantage of the big bridge .25mi from our VRBO. So weird to run when I haven't in over a week.... 

Drove home from TN. Voiceless. Ugh.

Tuesday
Scheduled: 10KTuesday
Did: 5.08mi @ 9:53/mi avg
Didn't think a full 10K was smart after being off for over a week. Still voiceless.

Wednesday

Scheduled: nope

Did: nope
Worked today, voiceless, since I was off on Monday. I really cherish not working more than 2 days in a row.... 

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-5mi

Did: 5.31mi @ 10:01/mi avg

Pushed a little harder on the 400s, but nothing faster than a 9. Still voiceless.

I was thinking that a week off would have cleared my foot issues, but I still have some weird stuff happening on my right arch. 

Friday

Scheduled: nada

Did: 5.00mi @ 9:35/mi avg

Still voiceless. Enjoyed an afternoon run in the rain solo, though. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-10mi easy

Did: 4.9mi @ 10:38/mi avg

Did a run alongside kiddo on bike, pushing other kiddo in stroller. Have a hoarse voice... 

Sunday

Scheduled: easy run 3-4mi

Did: 4.28mi @ 9:46/mi avg stroller run

By the end of the week, my goal just became to get 20-25mpw, and I'm happy to say I did it. It was weird to wake up this morning and realize it was Publix Marathon/Half weekend, and I literally can't run that distance right now. I had so long where I could go out and just run a half any given day, and now it seems so far off. :( 

Part of what I was so angry about when I had long COVID wasn't just that I couldn't run/workout, but that I knew that taking such a long pause would make it harder for me to mentally get back to waking up every morning for long runs, etc. Inertia is a bitch. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 26.44 Heeey, it's like I ran a marathon this week :P 

Week-ending Thoughts:

• So far this year, weekly mileage totals have been:
• 20.59
• 18.29
• 11.41
• 27.59
• 19.53
• 17.46
• 0.0
• 26.44
• I liked not having a designated "long run" this week and just trying to run shorter mileage, more consistently. Maybe that's the ticket back for me?

Sick Week.

 

Monday
Scheduled: rest
Did: yep
Took it easy today. Might be getting sick... I felt a lot of crap in my throat and wanted to eat more trash than usual. That typically only happens when I'm getting sick... 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 10KTuesday

Did: nope

Felt sick-ish last night and opted to sleep in this morning. That was a good call. I bounced back and forth a LOT of time between going into work and not... then working from home or not... Ultimately spent the day in bed/at the doctor's. 

I'm negative for strep, RSV, flu, and COVID, but uggghhh this "just a virus" is killing me. Sore throat like UGH, fever, and headache. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: MBF Legs and Core 1

Did: nope
Another sick day. Worked just enough from home to keep things rolling at work... Fever's gone, sore throat lingers. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-5mi

Did: nope

Still sick, but good enough to work from home. Sniffly/runny nose... and fatigue.

Friday

Scheduled: MBF Core 2

Did: nope

Went into the office to wrap stuff up before vacation, but I'm definitely still suffering from a runny nose and have started a nasty cough. 

Drove up to Chattanooga for a fun weekend with the family.

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-10mi easy

Did: nope

Walked a few miles around town, but struggling with my voice a bit, and barking cough like nobody's business. Uggghhh.

Sunday

Scheduled: easy run 3-4mi

Did: 2mi walking

And, here we go, I'm officially voiceless. I can't even hum and don't make any sounds when I laugh. Great.

Total Weekly Mileage: 0

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Well, so much for this 20mpw thing... Heh. 
• At least I'm back to "normal for me" sickness? It's been a few years, but I've had recurrent voice loss after viruses before. 
• Really hoping I can get my voice back for a huge presentation on Wednesday... 

Blergh Week.

Monday
Scheduled: rest
Did: yep
Well, all of my children were exposed to COVID at school last week... this'll be fun :/

Thought about working out this evening, but ultimately just decided to scrap it and go to bed.

Tuesday

Scheduled: 10KTuesday

Did: nope

After unknowingly running with COVID last year and dealing with that for almost a full year after, I played it super safe and didn't run today. Everyone tested negative, but littlest had a horrid barking cough overnight, so I was up, anxious that we were about to have another round of COVID run through the house... and didn't even get up to do a workout. 

Had a horribly full day of driving ~3hrs for work stuff, having a sick kid (not COVID) need to be taken to the doctor in the middle of the day, and then running around to multiple places to get all the required medicines.... Thought about working out because I knew it would improve my mood, but opted to eat crap and watch Netflix instead. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: MBF Legs and Core 1

Did: MBF Week 3 Total Body, 20min yoga, 6.22mi stroller run @ 10:03/mi avg
I feel like we're over COVID scares, but still need to test tomorrow to verify. I was home with my sick little one (pink eye), so we went out for a stroller run. It was slow and easy, but it was nice. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-5mi

Did: nope

Got up, but my training partner was ill so I just bailed completely.

Friday

Scheduled: MBF Core 2

Did: 2mi WU, 5x400/400, 2x400/200, CD = 6.16mi @ 9:09/mi avg

I felt so good during this run. It's the first time in a long time that I completed a speedworkout and felt great during it... well, except for this bit of sore right arch/PF stuff, that I definitely aggravated with my last few intervals. Ugh. At least it's normal running stuff, though. 

1:59

2:02

2:03

1:54

1:57

1:50

1:44 :D

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-10mi easy

Did: MBF Week 3 Core Day 2

Scrapped the long run today in favor of letting my arch rest up a bit. It hurt a little during MBF, but rolling it over a frozen water bottle and ibuprofen seem to have helped. 

Sunday

Scheduled: easy run 3-4mi

Did: 5.08mi @ 9:53/mi avg

I'm pretty certain I shouldn't have been running today, but I really, really wanted to. I'm glad I did, and think I was able to tape myself up well enough to not do too much damage. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 17.46mi

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Well, so much for this 20mpw thing... Heh. 

Sick Week

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

Monday
Scheduled: rest
Did: yep

Tuesday

Scheduled: 10KTuesday

Did: 6.3 @ 9:36/mi avg

TP had a progression run on her schedule, but there was another 10KT runner who also wasn't feeling that, so she and I took it easier for the bulk of the run. I did have fun picking up the pace on the last mile, though. 

My throat felt dry during the day, but I went to chorus anyways and enjoyed the evening. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: MBF Legs and Core 1

Did: MBF Legs, 30min walk
Yeah, pretty sure I'm a little sick-- not too sick to function, but just enough to slow me down a bit. MBF felt good, but going for a walk with my husband afterwards I really noticed how blergh I felt.

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-5mi

Did: nope

Took today off from working out (not work) and enjoyed sleeping in until 6:30am. 

Friday

Scheduled: MBF Days 3 and 4

Did: MBF Day 3 and 2

Felt much better today, but not 100%. At least this cold is just a cold. It's amazing how much having a little illness like this not take me down improves my confidence overall. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-10mi easy

Did: 5K @ 9:07/mi avg, 20min stretching

My husband's down with the crud, so I stayed on kid-watch overnight and through the morning. This didn't leave me much time to get any sort of workout in before kid sport event in the morning, which kinda fueled my faster-than-usual pace. 

Sunday

Scheduled: easy run 3-4mi, MBF Day 5 

Did: 10.11mi @ 9:53/mi avg, 20min yoga

I'm still not 100%, but after yesterday's frigid and fast 5K, I believed a long run would be -challenging, but ultimately a net positive for me (physically and mentally). The first 10K was good, and then I definitely felt it, and couldn't wait to be done starting around mile 8. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 19.53

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Whelp, it wasn't 20mi in a week, but I'm still okay with this. Four strength workouts, three runs, and a blerghity blergh virus that worked its way through our home  = alright for me