Am I On the Edge?

Back.  Sadly back.  I spent two weeks in my favorite place in the world (Maine!); one week of vacation, one week of remote work.  I got to spend some good time with my family but I also stuck with my training schedule about 80% of the time. 

I got up mornings to run between 8-17 miles.  I stuck with my eat then run routine but my body is so adapted to a certain cycle that it actually was 1.) eat bagel + drink diet mt. dew ,  2.) sit in bathroom for an hour and a half waiting for my body to get all it's pee needs met so that I don't have to beg bathroom usage along the route, 3.) go outside and stretch, and 4.) run.  The reason for hiding in the bathroom is that while I was getting up at 5-6, everyone else was not.  I needed to avoid annoying everyone and since I didn't hear any complaints I considered it a success.

The routes I ran were pretty fun.  If I ran to the right I would go about two miles out and run into a beautiful view of the sea.  If I went to the left I go to run a mile and get to the pier and see the carnival rides!  I've been going on vacation to the same town for 32 years and I still got to see new things by being on my feet vs in the car.

Breakfast was supplied at the main house for our group but I missed it most of the time because of my timing.  I did get to eat the favorite meal of french toast twice, but I did miss out on some conversations by missing out on breakfast. 

I got to spend a lot of time resting on the beach.  That was definitely a good thing.  The bad thing was that even with that rest I still felt exhausted a lot of the time which lead to missing out on some of games in the late evenings.  That exhaustion got worse the second week when I was running/working/playing at night. 

I look back at the vacation and don't regret the time spent training.  I expect next year to be on a less rigorous schedule and be more relaxed about when I would run.  I also got to do some runs with my cousins which was really fun.  I just wish I wasn't so different in my schedule than the others were. 

With the above said I am becoming increasingly concerned with overtraining.  I don't think I'm there - yet.  My main problem is the exhaustion.  I also am concerned that I might not be eating enough for how much I am training.  I find myself fighting against my body on long run days when I get really hungry. I get hunger pains and sometimes resist eating which makes no sense.  I got so hungry yesterday that nothing appealed and I didn't eat.  Bad. 

I feel good about how well I am doing with my training after 7 weeks.  As I enter week 8 I'll be back to the strength training that I missed while I was away, will look at scheduling another massage, and will be rotating in new running shoes.  As always I will be watching myself to not overdo it but at the same time challenge myself. Balance!

Tap Those Toes!

Week 4 of marathon training was completed on Sunday.

Highlights:

* Back on my feet fully and back on track after back ouches.

* Getting a really awesome feeling when I complete a week with 9, 10, and 11 mile runs - and none of them are my long runs

* Lowlight is that I skipped personal training but I think it was the right choice; I probably would have thrown myself back in too far with that

Right now I am feeling vaguely stiff and achey in the mornings.  I had a massage on Monday that was good and also interesting in that now I don't have the pain in the back but more around my tailbone?  It's not bad but it is interesting.

I ended the week by going and getting new new shoes.  The new there twice is not an accident; I had bought a pair of Mizuno Inspire + another pair of Ravenna 2s (on sale!) at Dick's but in size 6.  Vanity kept me from buying a half size up, which is a mistake I believe. I need more room right now.  The black toenails are pretty much an obvious sign.  So I returned both pairs and went to my LRS and got Brooks Adrenaline 12.  They are a bit more supportive than the Ravennas and I do wonder if they might be too supportive.  I made the mistake of going in to be fitted the afternoon after 9 miles so I think there was some stiffness that might have made my walking a little off?  I'm going to give them a chance, though.  I wore them this morning for a 6 miler and they felt good!

I still want to get another pair of shoes so I can rotate but that's going to the backburner.  I leave this Friday for VACATION!  So happy.  It's my absolute favorite time of the year and I can't believe it's ALMOST HERE.  My mom drives up tomorrow afternoon so I am WFH and I CANNOT WAIT.

I do plan on following my schedule while I am on vacation but at least I will be able to sleep on the beach instead of having to go to work after those runs.  YAY BEACH!

Oh, and the title of this post?  I've fallen madly in love (in a female crush way) with Sutton Foster.  So fierce.

Feed me, Seymour

Second week of marathon training.

* 14 mile run in heat = taking more breaks than I wanted, but FINISHED.  Then got in a car and drove for 4 1/2 hours to Mom's house, no break for lunch.  Me  =/= smart at that point.

* Mid-week runs - two around Mom's neighborhood, relatively hilly.  Still hot, still adjusting.

* Third mid-week run - on a nice very shaded path.  Meant to be 12 but started late enough that I didn't want to deal, swapped with 6 mile run.

* Yesterday's 12 mile run, same path mentioned above.  New experience - #1 and #2 trailside.  And I do mean trailside; about a foot before dropoff.  Luckily no one saw me.  Other new experience - running only in sports bra.  It was HOT.  I wanted to give up at 6 miles but didn't.  But - walking at some points.   Don't feel too bad about it, actually; I feel like I gave my all.

* Today = day off.  Yay!  First since Memorial Day, as I was finishing out the RW summer streak.

Notes from this week:

* I WAS STARVING.  Really, seriously, hunger hunger.  It's harder/awkward feeling this way in someone else's house.  My choices aren't here and it was one of those strange hungers that was hard to satisfy.
- Mitigation plan - Good snack planning when I get home because this is going to continue while in training.

* It was hot.  Hot hot hot.
Mitigation - Need to consciously ignore the Garmin and SLOW DOWN even more.  Consistent running > some walking > not finishing.  Let's get more in the first group, but second is still okay.  Time on feet.

Next week:
* Books on yoga for running on their way to the library - yay!

Overall still excited/happy with my training.  My butt belongs outside!  Running tan FTW!

(Tan, not burn - sun tan lotion also mandatory)

(Still starving)

I can fly!

I spent $30 bucks on this image - it's going everywhere.  That's me (duh) at the race this past Sunday.  Pros - both feet off the ground, which is good to see.  Not too much waist fat showing.  Pretty cool angle on the legs.  Arms look muscle-y.  Cons - I think I'm held up by the combo high arms/clenched fist action.  Need to work on that.

I started marathon training this past Monday. The first day was six miles - and it was hard.  What - I can't PR and then bounce right back?  Inconceivable!  After that first run, however, I have to say all the rest were super great.  The one that I had the most nervousness about was on Tuesday - 5 miles easy + 5 miles moderate = 10 miles total.  I've done 10+ miles multiple times but for some reason this was overblown in my mind.  Happily I really got into it and ended up with a great run - followed by a series of great runs all the way through this morning.  I'm feeling extremely confident about this training schedule - but talk to me in 19 weeks when I'm approaching the race!

I also am going to be finishing a running streak on July 4 - the Runner's World streak.  I am totally looking forward to it - I think I need a rest!  

Today's run was 4 miles - breaking in  new shoes!  Well, relatively new; they were a pair of orange Ravenna 2s that I got several months ago when I saw they were releasing a new model.  Wearing them really made me realize how beat down my three pairs I run in (Asics 2160, 2150, and Ravenna 2s) are.  They are all in the 250-300 mile range.

I want to get another new pair of running shoes, and right now I am drooling over the Mizuno Wave Elixir since I saw someone wearing them at the 10K.  I'm also thinking of the Inspires as a more day to day shoe.  I might get both.  I'm worth it!  Plus saving my knees is worth it.