Annual Wrap-up

'bout that time, eh, chaps? 

This year has absolutely sucked for me, in so many ways, and I think my fitness recap adequately reflects that. 

What My 2022 Goals Were:

don't let more than two weeks go by without a 30min lifting session

Oh, was this a goal of mine? I think it's pretty apparent how unimportant this was to me considering the last time it was on my radar was January 2021. I'd broken it by March. 

train for and race a 5K in the spring

Nope. This didn't happen either. I was about three weeks into a training plan when COVID hit.  

 keep running 30mpw

Nope. I had exactly FIVE weeks where I even hit 30mpw this entire year, the last of which was in March.

What Actually Happened:

• I spent 175 days this year sick or injured.
• The year started off with a random virus, moved into sore calves, went through a few 2-4 day viruses, then had a horrible wrist injury to round out the first quarter. 
• After that, I got COVID, which kept me down for a full month, and then continued to plague me with fatigue and other long COVID symptoms until nearly October. During that period, I also experienced the joy of strep throat, anxiety, various other viruses, yeast infections, post-nasal drip ALL THE TIME, and a variety of other life stresses. 
• I ran a miserable 138 days for a total of 714 miles. 
• To close out the year, I'm currently laying in bed with ANOTHER bout of strep throat.

Other Accomplishments I'm Proud Of:

Not giving up on running. It's been a HARD climb back, worrying about all my health issues and how running will or won't impact them. 
Getting myself the help I needed through therapy, medical care, and friends to get through this shitty year

By the Numbers:

• 714.03mi run
• 120 hours, 13min and 13s of running (or run/walking, since that's most of my April - October)
• 10:06/mi average pace for the year 
• 175 days affected by injury and illness
• 2 races. 0 PRs

Looking to Next Year, Goals:

What would I like to do next year? Lose ten pounds, and be comfortably pushing myself weekly with 30mpw running and 2x lifting sessions, while eating clean. Is that realistic for me? Probably not. I've got so much LIFE stuff going on that's taking bandwidth. I think maybe my realistic goal for next year is just to keep running. Keep 10KTuesday in my life. Keep running 2-3x a week with my training partner. Have a few races I do and enjoy, but not train for a PR. Just to keep showing up. 

A GREAT Week

Week-beginning:

I'm feeling optimistic about being back where I want to be athletically next year. :)

Monday

Did: rest day

Tuesday

Did: 6.36mi @ 9:48/mi avg

Fun Christmas run with friends. 

Wed

Did: 2mi WU, 3x150m, 6x50m, 3x200m, 1mi tempo, 1mi CD = 6.32mi @ 9:52/mi avg

Weather is supposed to be NASTY tomorrow, so we bumped our Thursday run up to today. I knew my TP had a workout, but didn't plan on doing it when I woke up. In fact, I barely made it out of the house this morning. I didn't feel like putting running clothes on when I went to bed last night (I usually sleep in my running clothes), and it was tough to get motivated to take off my warm jammies and go out into the cold this morning for a run.

But I did, and with each bit I ran, I decided I wanted to do the next step of my TP's workout with her. SO MUCH FUN. :D 

WU: ~10:09/mi avg

150s: 6:30/mi, 6:53/mi, 6:39/mi

50s: 5:09, 6:02, 5:48, 6:24, 5:20, 5:39

200s: 6:37, 6:23, 6:23

Tempo: 8:15

Thurs

Did: LIIFT4 W8D1

Quick lift and then half a drive to DC. 

Friday

Did: drove to DC

Saturday

Did: LIIFT4 W7D4

Short workout in my SIL's basement. 

Sunday

Did: 6.23mi @ 10:09/mi avg

Had a nice long run with my husband today. We'd hoped to explore a trail behind my SIL's house, but couldn't actually find the entrance she'd recommended... and then found parts of the trail were impassable. So, we explore a bit and just enjoyed running together. 

Weekly Mileage: 18.9

Week-end Thoughts:

Really starting to feel like myself again.

A Better Week

 Week-beginning:

Idk

Monday

Did: nada

Took a rest day.

Tuesday

Did: 6.35mi @ 9:33/mi avg

Oof, this was the fastest 10KTuesday I've had since March. 

Wed

Did: LIIFT4 W7D1, 2.06mi @ 9:21/mi avg

Enjoyed morning lifting, followed by a short run, and kid's school holiday party

Thurs

Did: 4.23mi @ 9:40/mi avg

When I started off running, I figured I might just do 2mi of warm-up with my training partner, and then call it a day. After all, I'd run yesterday. Man, how much this year has changed my perspective... :P 

After the warm-up, I joined my teammate on the track and figured I'd do some easy laps to hit 3-4mi total... but couldn't help wanting to do a little more than that. I opted to alternate slightly pushed laps with easy ones for a total of 4x400. 

2:09, 2:08, 2:10, 1:59

It felt nice to stick my toe back in the water. 

Friday

Did: LIIFT4 W7D2- Legs

I lounged in bed this morning instead of getting up to lift, but had some time in the afternoon between work and kid pick-up to get it done. I'm in the final two weeks of my program, which is the "Shred" phase instead of "Work". We've changed up the routines and this one was a LOT of leg-focused lifting. Probably not the best idea before long run Saturday, but I figured it wouldn't hurt me. 

Saturday

Did: 10.19mi @ 10:01/mi avg

I did it! Double digit long run! :D 

My legs were definitely feeling the day before lifting, and I can't say I didn't want to stop pretty much between miles 4 and 8, and then was excited I was GOING to stop around miles 9 and 10... but it happened, and I'm grateful/proud. 

Sunday

Did: 3.12mi with stroller @ 10:05/mi avg, LIIFT4 W7D3

This one felt good. 30 degrees, but no wind is one of my fave running weathers. I'm so grateful to finally be back to the point where I'm running and/or working out regularly. 

Weekly Mileage: 26.0

Week-end Thoughts:

Really starting to feel like myself again.

Back at It

Week-beginning:

Blergh. Life. SO life-y right now.

Monday

Did: nada

Post-nasal drip stuff. Ugh. But, I can breathe through both nostrils again, so that's good. 

Tuesday

Did: LIIFT4 W6D1

Slept in. Definitely the right call. Did a lifting-only, low-impact, low-intensity workout later in the day. 

Wed

Did: LIIFT4 W6D2

Did more lifting, but bailed on the HIIT component of today's workout. Had some rough life stuff, and a bad headache at night. 

Thurs

Did: 4.0mi @ 9:56/mi avg

Woke up without a headache and decided to go run, because it's 62 degrees. It was HARD to motivate myself to get out, but I'm so glad I did. 

Friday

Did: LIIFT4 W6D3 & W6D4

Finally feeling healthy again. :D 

Saturday

Did: 9.12mi (you read that right) @ 10:08/mi avg

When I started running again (regularly), I had a lofty goal of getting back to double-digit weekend runs being comfortable by the end of the year. I don't think that'll happen, but I do think I'll be able to execute a 10mi run by the year's end. 

I woke up today with sore legs and abs, which was very appreciated. It's nice to know I'm working my body again with the LIIFT4 workouts. I planned a 6mi route so I'd have the option of bailing at the car or continuing for whatever ONB I felt like. For the first mile, I felt sluggish. Between mile 2 and 3, I felt like I could go forever. Getting back to m6 was a mixed bag, but also had a LOT of hills. I figured I could go out and back for a little more, and opted to continue... and then continue. 

Nine miles was good today. I'm definitely not where I used to be. This run felt very much like my first ramp up to half marathon training, where you push yourself to increase distance a little more each week. It wasn't a push today, but was a "reach" for sure. As always, though, I'm grateful to be ABLE to do it. 

Sunday

Did: 30min yoga

Weekly Mileage: 13.1

Week-end Thoughts:

None

Sick Me

Week-beginning:
Ugh. I think I'm getting what my kids had last week.

Monday

Did: nada

Felt oddly nauseous after work. Went straight to bed.

Tuesday

Did: 4mi @

Slept well and did a shorter run than usual to be safe. Had runny nose in evening after chorus.

Wed

Did: LIIFT4 W5D4

Stuffy sinus pressure and runny nose.

Thurs

Did: nada

Stuffy sinus pressure and runny nose. DayQuilled up to get through the day.

Friday

Did: 3.5mi walk

Stuffy sinus pressure and runny nose. DayQuilled up to get through the day.

Saturday

Did: 3.07mi @ 9:06/mi avg

Atlanta Track Club used to have this amazing event where teams of 4-5 would run a relay in loops of 5K, with a home base/tent setup and lots of time to just hang out with friends. The last time they had it was in 2014, but it came back this year in a slightly different form. I was stoked as soon as they announced it and signed up immediately. 

I felt quite different this morning, waking up with lingering sinus pressure/congestions, after another night of sleeping with my mouth open to breath, chapping my lips to hell, and struggling to sleep through dry mouth. While I'd have preferred to stay home in pajamas, with a mug of hot tea, watching the World Cup as it rained, I got myself up and decided to make the most of this once-in-however-long opportunity. 

One teammate had a last-minute conflict and had to bail, so someone needed to run twice. I volunteered as tribute, planning to run legs 2 and 4. About a quarter mile into my first leg, though, I felt like I'd already run a mile. It took forever to get to 1.0, and that's how I knew I really should NOT be going back out there to run again. So, my husband took one for the team and changed BACK into his nasty, sweat-soaked running shirt from Leg 1 to finish out Leg 4 for us. 

Sunday

Did: 3.5mi stroller walk

Not up for a run... Really made the right decision to not go for a second loop yesterday. 

Weekly Mileage: 12.3

Week-end Thoughts:

Meh

Sick Kid(s)

Week-beginning:

Let's see what happens this week...

Monday

Did: nada

Busier day at work than expected. Sick kid.

Tuesday

Did: 6.3mi @ 9:52/mi avg

Looong day at work, but fastest 10KT in nearly a year. Grateful.

Sick kid.

Wed

Did: LIIFT4 W5D2

Sick kid, in-laws arrived.

Thurs

Did: family 5K with oldest :D, LIIFT4W5D1

Grateful for having our oldest finally participate on their own two feet in our family Thanksgiving race tradition :D I ran alongside the whole time, and we finished in 37:03.

Since I only jogged the race, I did some more lifting at home, and we also did a walk to the neighborhood playground. 

Baby is still sick. SIgh

Friday

Did: 5.36mi stroller walk, 30min yoga

Sick baby = home and walking in the stroller. I didn't feel super hot, and stuck to yoga instead of a HIIT workout.

Saturday

Did: 8.1mi @ 10:16/mi avg

Felt a little tired, but wanted to get out. A "good" overnight recharge encouraged me to go for it, but I opted to stick with 8 instead of pushing to 10. This was a good call, as I ended up napping later in the day. Baby still sick. 

Sunday

Did: LIIFT4 W5D3

Wanted to go for a run, but it didn't make sense iwth our schedule today. Stuck with a LIIFT workout and spent a good bit of time outside hanging holiday lights. 

Weekly Mileage: 17.9

Week-end Thoughts:

Meh? 

Pre-Thanksgiving

 Week-beginning:

I wrote a training plan for myself this weekend. It's basically an easy-runs-one/mileage-building plan, but I'm happy to have a sense of progress/accomplishment back in my life.  

Monday

Did: nada

 

Tuesday

Did: LIIFT4 W4D3, 6.26mi @ 10:29/mi avg

No internet, so I just did the lifting part of the shoulders workout, and then enjoyed another 10KT with the girls. So happy to finally start feeling like myself again

Wed

Did: nada

Well, I planned on working out today, but had too much work to do on my "off day" to actually do it. 

Thurs

Did: nada

Felt a little off, and heard about a friend who I was with Sunday testing positive for COVID, so I kept it chill and didn't workout.

Friday

Did: three deadlines at work

No workout again today, but feeling better and will run tomorrow

Saturday

Did: 8.05 @ 10:04/mi avg, 30min yoga

I felt a little tired this morning, but got up and out anyways. I love running in 30 degrees and no wind at 5am. :) My calf bugged me a bit during the run, and my left hip was weird in later miles, but I think all that can be chalked up to the cold. 

Enjoyed a yoga session during little one's naptime where I focused on hamstrings. Ahhh, yeah. 

Sunday

Did: 3.13mi @ 10:06/mi avg with stroller, LIIFT4 W4D4

Great run with my littlest in the stroller after a HIIT leg workout :) 

Weekly Mileage: 17.4

Week-end Thoughts:

Not bad for a week where I felt sick for a good part, and my kids were also under the weather. 

Really proud/happy to have hit my longest run since COVID.