Fitness Friday: Goals

My goals & reasons for this weekend's long run:









What about you? What are you doing this weekend to be the best you that you can be?

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Thankful Thursday: Tough Love

This week I read a post by my friend Barb that was a bit of a wake-up call.  What I have to say here might piss some people off but mostly I hope it makes you think. In her post, she wrote:

"It seems that at least once a week, and usually more often, I see someone lamenting about how slow they are biking, running, swimming, or whatever. Or how they didn’t go far enough, or saying how horrible their workout was because…wait for it…they were injured."

I know I'm 100% guilty of this - in fact, her post could have been directed at me.  I'm coming back from injury (very slowly and not to my liking) and I admit that I'm not happy with how many of my runs have gone.  I know I've slammed myself on dailymile, twitter, and even in this space here.  However, Barb isn't pissed off just because I/we am/are beating ourselves up. She went on to say,

"Can you imagine how I feel reading a post that says something like, “Gah! I’m so slow, how can I even call myself a runner?” then looking at their pace and it’s 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes per mile faster than mine? Those people must look at my run reports and think I’m a total idiot for daring to call myself a runner. No? What else am I supposed to think reading posts like that? Of course they would never say disparaging things about my training, but you know what? They don’t have to. They’re putting me down just fine by treating themselves like that."

It has never been my intention to put someone else down (or cause them to feel that way) based upon how I feel about myself.   My perceptions of my performance (or my weight, my looks, whatever) are exactly that. MY perceptions about ME.  They are in no way a reflection of how I feel about them.  She's right - I would never say to someone else what I say to myself most days.  My Inner Mean Girl is a royal bitch, but she's only a bitch to me.  Just because I'm upset that I ran a 12 minute mile doesn't mean I'm any less proud of someone else who's run a 13 minute mile, or a 15 or 20 minute mile, or for that matter a 7 minute mile.  It means I feel like I didn't perform to MY potential. BUT...and this is a big BUT...like one of my friends reminded me, every workout I do, the rest days I take, how I take care of my family and my job I do to make improve myself in some way.  Just because I was unhappy about a run doesn't mean I didn't learn something from it or get out of it what I needed, even if at the time I didn't realize it.  Every runner has their own set of abilities, talents, work ethic, nutrition, etc that affects how they run every single day.  How I run and how I feel about those runs are my feelings.  I'm comparing myself to me, although I've definitely been in Barb's position and fight very hard to not compare myself to runners who are much faster than me (and even to the runner I was a year ago because I don't have her abilities right now).

So, why is this being posted as part of "Thankful Thursday"? Because of what Barb went on to write. She wants to declare September to be "Celebrate Your Fitness" month.  Barb says,

"I pledge to celebrate every workout I do in September. I won’t put myself down just because my pace or distance was not what I had planned. I will celebrate the victory of that workout, which might be as simple as getting out when I really didn’t want to or as profound as a personal record. It doesn’t matter how big or small the victory seems at the time – I will celebrate it and ditch the negative."

She's giving us all a little tough love and a wake up call to celebrate what we do and why we do it.  Will I be 100% positive all month about my workouts?  I highly doubt it.  But I will try to focus more on being thankful for the ability to run what I'm capable of running, even if my performance isn't where I feel it should be.  

At the same time, I want to give Barb and anyone who has ever felt the way she has a little tough love, too.  (This includes myself, by the way.) Realize that we are proud of you for what YOU can accomplish.  We are individuals and just because we are hard on ourselves doesn't mean we feel the same way about you.  I don't want to read that someone felt bad because they didn't run as well as the next person or because they didn't lift as much weight or they took a rest day when someone else was working out.  But I also don't want to see someone getting complacent because, "I'll never be able to do as well as so-and-so."

Be the best person you can be. Be thankful for every workout you are able to fit in.  But also please stop making comparisons and thinking someone feels less of you just because they are hard on themselves. It simply isn't the case.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Attitude

Source: Pinterest

And if that doesn't work...

Source: Pinterest

Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 2

This week represents my last week of summer before school is back in session.  Today is my first day back and the kids all go back next Tuesday.  Training is going "ok".  I'm definitely feeling the effects of my increased mileage, with my left shin acting up.  I saw my sports chiro on Thursday and he still feels a lot of the issues are stemming from my left big toe (crazy that a jammed up toe joint would result in so many issues, but whatever).

Here's how the week played out (I'm not going to show plan/actual since I don't really have a "plan" at this point:

Monday 8/20/12 - XT - Biked 20 miles in 1:25.  Averaged around 14 mph which was great because I had so many stops and route issues.

Tuesday 8/21/12 - Tempo - managed to maintain 10 m/m pace for 1.5 miles :)  Total 3.1 in 33:43.

Wednesday 8/22/12 - XT - completed a NTC 30 minute strength workout.

Thursday 8/23/12 - Yasso 800s - 2x800 at approx 9 m/m pace. Total 3.1 in 31:32.  Then did an OWS that was a disaster. Swam for 30 minutes, somewhere around 1/2 a mile.

Friday 8/24/12 - Rest day

Saturday 8/25/12 - Long Run 5 miles - Kept it very slow and easy. 1:00:39 (12:07 pace). Trying to be ok with the really slow pace.  I wish I could say the slow pace kept me from feeling sore, but it didn't.  I spent most of the day stretching and icing.  I even had soreness in my right knee and I NEVER have knee issues.  This concerns me.

Sunday 8/26/12 - XT - walked 3.1 miles in 52 minutes, then 25 minutes of stretching and abs.

It was a pretty good week - I managed to get in all my workouts, but I'm fighting the injured feeling and that frustrates me greatly.  Hopefully the next week will go better, but with school starting up, getting the workouts in will be the hard part.  Do I start working out at 5 am?  Ugh.

Fitness Friday: Tough Decisions

I believe in previous posts I alluded to the fact that I wanted to complete one more triathlon this season.  Being in Michigan, the tri season is relatively short - basically June to mid September and my first tri was mid August.  As far as first triathlons go, it went very well.  I'm still recovering from that ?@!#?$%)* stress fracture/reaction and my running has really not been where I'd like it to be - pace wise or pain/ease wise.  I had it in my heart to compete in the Reeds Lake Triathlon on Sept. 8th but in all honesty, I'm not ready.  I won't BE ready in 2 weeks.  I have it on good authority from several friends who have raced it before that this is NOT a beginner tri.  The course is much hiller than Millennium, not to mention longer.

If you are friends with me on twitter or daily mile, you might know I had a rough swim yesterday.  At this point, the swim was the one discipline I really felt comfortable with, but Thursday's OWS in a different lake and in a wet suit shook me up a bit.  To be clear, that isn't the only reason I've decided (85% sure) that I will NOT be competing at Reeds Lake this year.  I just know deep down that I'm not ready.  I know that I could do serious damage - both physically and mentally - if that race does not go well.  (It actually has some pretty scary minimum times - ones I'm barely hitting in all disciplines - so there's a strong chance I may not be able to even finish.)  BUT...I've never considered myself to be a quitter.  Having a DNS for the 5/3 River Bank Run this year SUCKED OUT LOUD - but I was in a boot and there was absolutely NO WAY I could have run 15.5 miles. I couldn't have even walked the 5k. The DNS was decided for me. I probably could do Reeds Lake, but I might end up even more injured if I try. My shin has been hurting quite a bit with the ramping up in my running since finishing the tri.  I'm working HARD to get my base back and it's literally kicking my ass (and pissing off my leg). After many long discussions with a few of my friends (and you know who you are - thank you for looking out for me and being willing to tell me the shit that I don't really want to hear but need to hear for my own good), I know that this race is a bad idea. I need to be smart.

Sometimes being smart is admitting you aren't ready.

My priorities have changed. I LOVED training for Millennium.  I would have never guessed that I would end up liking biking and swimming so much and the challenge of the "threesome" (as my van now says) was right up there with distance running.  But for the next few months I need to be a runner.  I 100% MUST be healthy and finish Disney's Wine and Dine in November. Failure is not an option. It's already paid for and it wasn't cheap. Plus, that race is where my heart really is right now.  I'm looking at a few running races between now and then to use as tune-ups or training runs, but I probably won't decide to actually do them until the day before and that's ok.  (With the exception of the Grand Rapids Marathon Relay, which I'm already registered for and REALLY excited to do.  It will be my first relay and I can't wait to tell about the experience later.)

This post may sound a little Debbie Downer, but it really isn't meant to.  I had a rough day yesterday.  I won't deny that I shed more than a few tears (ok, I cried a lot), but I'm ok with it.  I'm running smart.  I WILL do more triathlons next season.  I'm hoping to get a bike trainer, new shoes and clipless pedals this winter so I can keep improving my biking and I'll continue to swim for cross training, too.  But for right now, I am focusing on getting healthy and running the best race I can in November.

Semi-wordless Wednesday: fresh!

Another great use of the fresh basil (bruschetta) & zucchini from our garden (sadly the tomatoes are from the store - ours just aren't getting red)



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Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 1

Last week I asked what you all thought of the training recaps each week and the overwhelming response was to keep them, so here we are with week 1 of my training for Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon.  The race is November 10, 2012. Wine and Dine will be my 2nd Disney race and my first night-time race.  SQUEEE!!! I have some lofty goals in the back of my mind for this one, but coming off injury (and my running and my race weight not getting back to where I think they need to be fast enough) the primary goal will be to cross the finish line in the upright position and get 2 medals hung around my neck.  When I finish, I'll also have earned the 2012 Coast to Coast Medal since I ran the Tinkerbell Half back in January out at Disneyland :)  The chance at double bling will keep my feet moving for 13.1 miles.  Worst case? I crawl.

When I started looking at a training plan for this race, I really thought I would use the half plan from Run Less Run Faster, but the first long run is 10 miles and I knew that wasn't going to happen.  So, I'm still following a 3 run per week (tempo, yasso 800s (speed work), long slow run) plan for this race, but it's scaled back quite a bit.  I'm also still toying with the idea of another triathlon before summer is over, so some biking and swimming are thrown in the mix as well.  The plan just isn't nearly as detailed as my tri plan was and I have no clue when/how I'll fit in any bricks before the tri since I don't want to give up any long runs.

So let's see how week 1 played out.

Monday 8/13/12 - Plan XT - Completed Run 2 miles in 20:57.  Calves and ankles were really stiff from the tri but loosened up a little on the run.

Tuesday 8/14/12 - Plan Run 2 miles tempo - Completed XT Bike 12.69 miles in 55:15.

Wednesday 8/15/12 - Plan XT - Happy Birthday to Me! Completed 2x800 at 4:30 pace with 4:30 recovery. With warm up and cool down I ended up with 3 miles in 32ish minuts.

Thursday 8/16/12 - Plan 2x800 at 4:30 pace with 4:30 recovery - Completed XT Swim 1000 yds in 46:40.

Friday 8/17/12 - Plan OFF - Completed OFF

Saturday 8/18/12 - Plan Long Run 4 miles - Completed 4.33 mile run in 49:36 with negative splits. WOOT!

Sunday 8/19/12 - Plan XT - Completed 30 min abs and arms workout.

Basically this week was the trial week to see how things fit.  Obviously, Tues/Thurs runs did not work out and will continue to not work because of my girl's diving schedule - so there will be some tweaking to the plan in the coming weeks.  So long as I get in the 3 quality runs each week, I'll be good.  I'm happy that I got in all of my workouts, even if my legs are a little pissed at me.  Running 4 miles without stopping on Saturday was a huge confidence boost, too, since that was the longest run I've done without walking since getting injured.  Let's just hope the trend continues.