Back on Track

Thank you all for your kind words on the last couple posts. I forgot that even when the school year starts smoothly, it takes some major readjusting. This week my legs felt better and I was able to get all my runs done!

I mentioned in my last post that I ran Monday evening with Kristin. After having such a successful night run, I chose to do Thursday's at night, too. I just decided that some extra sleep might help me get over the long run hurdle I've been facing.

It started raining as I paused to take this selfie. It was the perfect way to finish my run.

I did five miles, repeating the bridge twice. It had stormed earlier so I got out a bit later than I planned. I forgot my visor so I was pretty glad the rain had stopped, but it started again just in the last mile, which was perfect. I hit some of my fastest paces in awhile, and was able to maintain them. Color me pleased!

She sent me this picture like three times. Talk about good motivation! (Steph has Celiac, too, so it's always important to figure out which brand of bread is best to use for this kind of delicacy.)

Coming off that run, I was feeling confident about my long run Saturday. I knew I wanted to get back into the double digits but still didn't want to ramp up from the lapsed mileage to the full 16 that's still waiting to be run. 

At this point, I've decided to get back to where I was when I had that week off and build again. (I can do that, because my training plan is like 26 weeks long haha.) Technically this week was a cutback week but I used it as a normal building week, so I'm finally back on track.

So this morning I was smart about my long run. I did my first three miles without my fuelbelt, then stopped by the car to put it on and did my next six miles with it. I paused at the car again to drop it off and finished my last two without it.

Finally! A weekend run that left me smiling and confident!

Starting without the weight of the belt, and therefore being more comfortable, went a long way in helping me get through those first few warmup miles. And losing it at the end was amazing! As a result, my paces were more even and were about a minute faster than they've been this summer. I didn't have to walk at all, although I did pause to stretch my calves a couple times when I took fuel.

I ended up doing 11 miles total and felt really good the entire time. I think the slightly lower humidity helped with that. (It was only 76 with 96% humidity when I finished haha.)

Pretty much how I feel after my training this week.

All things said and done, this was a great way to start the long weekend!

Are you running long this weekend?

 Are you a French toast fan?

Running in the rain: yay or nay?

ABK

Odds & Ends

1 - I'm like, the worst blogger in the world right now. Updates are slow, comments are behind...But it's not just on the blog. I've been kind of avoiding the internet in general. I've developed, overnight, it seems, some kind of phobia of checking my email or looking at Facebook. I think knowing how behind I am on it all just adds fuel to the anxiety, but I can't seem to get around it. It'll be nice when the school year isn't "new" anymore and things fall back into routine.

Yep. Serious avoidance issues right now.

2 - The other night Matt and I went to the gas station to get ice cream. They opened a frozen yogurt bar and we basically had the most ridiculous "date night" ever. But it was delicious.

3 - After ice cream, I ran. I might have skipped it because my giant helping of peanut butter yogurt, Butterfinger, and hot caramel wasn't the best fuel, but I couldn't leave Kristin hanging! I haven't seen her since June. It was amazing to catch up, and it was nice to remember that running with a buddy can be super motivating and fun.

After the best 3 miles I've had in awhile!

4 - My legs feel much better adapted this week. No more stiff joints or sore hamstrings. I think my long run will stand a chance this weekend. I have noticed that I keep waking up with a sore back, though. Am I just getting old?

5 - Speaking of pain, when I went home last weekend for Matt's race and saw my dad, he spent about an hour regaling us with tales of his most recent surgeries. Remind me that if I ever need a crown put in or a tooth drilled, I should be unconscious for it. Also, this man has guts of steel; when he had a tendon cut in his hand to deal with his arthritis, he was fully awake and watched the doctor do the surgery. Apparently watching your tendons move inside your hand is really awesome. Yeah.

I didn't take any pictures of his crazy surgery scars, so here's a picture from a much prettier scene from the weekend.

6 - Matt has been working tirelessly on our garage. The shelves are up, the paddleboards hung, his workbench built from scratch. I'm so glad I married someone who knows his way around power-tools!

7 - I took a bunch of sequins off a shirt last week and now we're finding them all over the house. I swear I threw them in the garbage, but they've managed to migrate all over the place.

8 - Uplifting text conversations make my day. Seriously.

I'm so grateful that after last weekend's aborted long run, my running friends were there to pick me back up!

9 - Hilarious autocorrect situations also make my day.

This was in regards to the ice bucket challenge...My autocorrect is dirty!

10 - I had over 2200 photos on my iPhone and I deleted all but a dozen today because my memory was full. I kept photos of old students' notes on my whiteboard, important race photos, photos of my students doing Zumba last year, All Star photos, and some favorite family/friends pictures; now I have 204.

So, that's my life this week. I'll try to be more present! I hate putting the blogging world on the back-burner because I find it so motivating and I care about what you all are up to...but life is just a little crazy at the moment!

Do you delete old photos from your phone once you've uploaded them?

Is ice cream for dinner ever acceptable?

What is your favorite ice cream topping? I go for Butterfinger every time.

ABK

Highs and Lows

This past week definitely played with my emotions. 

Before I get into the details, let's review the week prior: I went back to work for teacher training and ran 2 miles...total. Readjusting to 6am wake-ups and badly timed inclement weather made for a sub-par week. 

At 6am, nothing tastes better than coffee.

This past week, I was determined to get back on track. I woke up at 4:30 Monday morning and did my 2-miler before work. My first day with students went swimmingly...I think my confidence and experience is finally paying off. I never even got butterflies. 

We start earlier this year so I've been at work by 7:15 and I have stayed late everyday to make sure my room is ready each morning. And in case you've never really paid attention to how teachers do their thing, I'm on my feet for literally 8 of the 9 hours I'm at work. By Wednesday, my hamstrings were screaming. 

Still, I was determined to prove that I can run in the mornings before work and actually get my training done. Thursday I ran hill repeats, completing four miles before I had to leave to shower and get ready for work. (I need to work on timing and maybe wake up at 4 instead of 4:30.)

My bridge, long before sunrise.

I had paused to stretch my hamstrings on the bridge when Adria ran by me and stopped briefly to say hello; she's way faster than I am and we don't train together, but she's running the same marathon, so it was an awesome morale booster to see her!

6 repeats in the bag!

The week finished well, but this is where I hit a snag. Matt had a SUP race scheduled for Saturday, and I was due to run 16 miles. I decided to go super early so I could still make it to the start of his race. 

We didn't get into town until 11pm. In the back of my mind was an article I'd read earlier in the week; it said that when marathon training, if you take a week off for illness or whatever, the week after should be a little easier to help you ease back in. 

It wasn't a good thing that this piece of advice was rattling around in my brain when I started out for my 16-miler because I think it gave me an excuse right off the bat. My calves and feet were tight and cramping with the first step, tired from the week, I'm sure. My Fuelbelt felt ridiculously heavy even though I only had two bottles in it. Despite the slightly cooler morning, I was covered in sweat by the first half mile - stupid humidity. 

This is not the face of success.

Basically, I got about six miles in before I called it quits. 

Back at the house, I felt torn. I wanted to go back out and at least do one more 5-mile loop, but while the desire was there, the ability wasn't. My legs were shot.

I know beating myself up won't do me any good. It won't make me a better runner. I need to build a bridge and get over it, use the disappointment to fuel my runs next week...And I need to shake this weird mental block I have going on all of a sudden in regard to my long runs. I think the humidity has kind of scared me into thinking I can't complete them, even though just two weeks ago I did 12 with little trouble.

So, the highs of the week included a renewed sense of dedication and ability in that it proved I can wake up early and fit my runs in before work; but the low - not completing my long run - has got me pretty down. 

Next week I intend to foam roll and stretch every day to try to ease up my leg muscles. Standing and walking all day is rougher than running, I swear!

How do you deal with mental blocks?
 Does it still feel like summer where you are?
What were your highs and lows last week?

ABK