Days 6 & 7, Week 1: My legs have a workout hangover.

Yesterday I did some of my beloved Cathe; specifically, I did her PHA Training workout.  This morning I did the 17 mile bike ride I was supposed to do yesterday before I did the 3 miler actually on the schedule for today.  And this pretty much sums up how I feel right now:

True story.

I think this is partly because I'm coming back from a few weeks of recovery, and partly because I am dumb and have to re-learn some workout lessons over and over again (just like eating lessons).  What lessons would those be?  Well...

Lesson #1: It's hard to train for both a duathlon and a marathon at the same time.

When you start adding bike rides to your cross-training days, you tend to get way more tired.  And then you tend to skip them because you're tired.  It's one of those horrible negative feedback loops that culminate in "whoops maybe I should have ridden my bike more" during the bike portion of the actual race.

I may have to start taking my bike to work and getting those rides done after work and before I go home and pass out for the night. However, I predict this will still make my legs tired.

Lesson #2: Cathe's Strong & Sweaty Series' lower body exercises make your glutes beg for mercy.

There's a lot of squatting using one or more legs during those workouts, oftentimes with a heavy weight in your hand.  This is what happened during the PHA TRaining workout yesterday, and my glutes (which are not used to doing these workouts anymore on the regular) were crying this morning.  So of course they enjoyed the 17 miles of bike this morning.  Not really.

I need to remember not to hit the glutes so hard before another hard workout.

Lesson #3: Every workout is not a race.

Let me show you the average mph for the bike ride.

I don't know what got into me this morning, but I was all in race mode for some reason, taking the hills like there was no tomorrow and just never slowing down.  As you can imagine, this did nothing to help my crying glutes.

Any time I do this I pay for it...and I will on my 25 mile ride tomorrow, I'm sure.

Lesson #4: Don't try and make up missed workouts.

I was actually supposed to do that ride yesterday, but I farted around and it got too late to do it.  So of course I thought I would slap it on the front of the run for today and ended up slapping all the energy out of my legs.  And now visiting the bathroom is an adventure all its own if you catch my delayed-onset-muscle-soreness drift.  Skipping the ride today would have been the better option but, you know, I'm a moron.  That's pretty well-established.

Lesson #5: I have got to get better at workout selfies.

While this is something I usually remember to do, I need to get better at the action shots like all those pretty ones the pretty fitness people post on Instagram.  I think I would get better if a) I remembered to take them during the workout and b) I wasn't afraid of dying on the bike if I tried to use my phone.  So this is as good as it gets for now:

ZOMG there's a camera on the ground.

My face: "Did it take the picture? Did it?  I can't tell."

Enough major learnings; time for the minor ones:

• I also learned that an Instant Pot can get you some chicken salsa verde in 10 minutes, people, so you can top off your baked potato and have some major yums:

• I also learned that my sunscreen breaks down after an hour and hey sunburn hurts.
• I also learned that I have to slow down at intersections out in the country now because of that darn corn everywhere around here.
• And finally I learned I need to organize my transition area just a tad better than I do now.

Tomorrow's workout: 25 miles on the bike...not in race mode.

I ran 6 miles but who cares - my new shorts are awesome.

You all know that large dog and I do a lot of running together.  In case you've never met him, here he is in post-run-blissed-out mode:

ZOMG ZOMG I WENT RUNNING

Today the training schedule said to run between 5 and 6 miles at around a 10:02.  So of course we did a 9:18 average pace because I'm a moron.

But none of that matters because I got a new pair of sweet, sweet running shorts in the mail today that are freaking awesome in their sheer colorful awesomeness.

Awe.  Sum.

You may have to take in all that awesomeness a little bit at a time.  To ease off on the awesomeness, here's another picture of post-run large dog for you.

It's not love.  It's just sweat he's after.

You can come down from all that shorts awesomeness with some of these learnings:

• Large dog keeps stopping to take breaks now during the runs.  He's getting a little lazy.
• Although I am impressed with us busting out a 9:18 in those freaking strong winds we had today.
• Everyone should be impressed with those shorts.  Go buy a pair or several.  
• I really wanted to write a dumb post with tons of facetious garbage about running with my dog, but it just wasn't happening.  Maybe tomorrow.

Tomorrow's workout: Some weights and some cycling.  I know you can't wait to hear about it.  Yep.

Random long run thoughts

I experienced this thing called "productivity" today. I got up at around 5:30 AM, cooked myself some breakfast, cleaned the house and vanquished the animal fur, did two loads of laundry, ate lunch, and then headed out the door to do that 13 miler I was supposed to do yesterday with large dog attached to me.

Large dog be like, "see the crazy I have to put up with?"

Large dog only stuck around for 8 of those 13 miles, mainly because he kept dragging me into ditches so he could stop, turn around, and stare at me like the running jerk that he is.  So I ditched him at the house and then did the last 5 on my own.  This run was supposed to be at marathon pace (9:20), so let's take a peek how I did:

I'm a failure.

Those two really slow miles are because I had to stop back at the house - once because Mother Nature called yet again and the last time to drop off the ditch-resting dog.  But other than that I ran much too fast, which as well know by now is NOT a good strategy for me to actually make it to the finish line without completely falling apart.  At least I'm consistent in applying a bad strategy, and consistency is the key.  To failing, apparently.

Anyway, let's not dwell on such thoughts.  Let's instead dwell on the random thoughts that crossed through my brain as I was running those 13 miles:

• What shoes am I going to wear for my marathon?  The lucky shamrock Launch 5s or the Levitates?  I can't decide.
• This 30 degree weather in April is so much BS.
• Large dog sure is stopping to pee a lot.  Does running destroy a dog's kidneys?  I hope not.  Something to Google later.
• Did I put on enough Body Glide?  I don't want to set the dogs off barking again after I scream in the shower.
• It's only 13 miles.  I can run faster than my marathon pace for that.
• Man, I'm getting a little winded.  Must be the cold.  Or that fact that I'm running too fast.
• I think this base layer shirt has seen one too many long runs.  It's bad when I can smell myself.
• Are those dogs going to come eat me? Stay in your yard...stay...in...your...yard......
• I'm so glad I found a new scary story podcast to listen to while running.  It's too bad their narrators are extremely annoying.
• Man.  I'm really getting winded for some reason.  I have to stop for a second. I'm a complete wimp.
• Why am I getting so winded?  *looksatwatch* Maybe it's because I should slow the *bleep* down.
• Still not slowing down....let's slow down, legs.  Please.  Seriously.  C'mon.
• Sure, let's bust out the last quarter of a mile at 8:50 pace.  Makes sense even though I've been telling myself to slow down the entire time.
• I'm a moron who can't slow down.

So this running too fast thing...right now the plan for my marathon is to run the first 3 miles at a 9:30 pace and then speed up.  I'm not holding out high hopes for that plan right now.  But hey - what matters right now is that I actually have a plan.

Learnings matter too:

• Right now I'm leaning more towards the Levitates than the Launches.  This will have to be a last-minute wardrobe decision, methinks.
• I just have to get disciplined and run the pace I'm supposed to.
• And now let's remind ourselves that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
• And by "road to hell" I mean my marathon course.
• And if you hate bulleted lists, this is a post from hell for you.

Tomorrow's workout:  A bike ride and a little weight work.

Today's long run: I was totally April fooled.

In case you were wondering since last I blogged, I did my usual total body weight workout on Friday and fully planned on doing the last 20 mile long run on the training plan on Saturday. Until I got up, looked out the window and my inner meterologist told me two things:

1) It was raining heavily for crying out loud, and
2) The winds were so strong our poor trees were all curved at odd angles and begging for mercy.

Naturally, I went to plan B, which was to do the entire 20 miles on the treadmill.  Yeah.  Well, I did get dressed and get all my gels and water together on the 'mill and even started running on the treadmill at one point...but my quads seemed really fatigued and the thought of doing 20 miles on the thing made my brain cells cry.  So I stopped.  And then I proceeded to sit on my butt the rest of the day, watching the move I rented to watch on the treadmill (Thor: Ragnarok, which was pretty freaking awesome) and then went to bed early instead of at least getting in a 30 minute ride on the spin bike.

I've told you all before: I'm a moron like that.

So, out of sheer guilt at my laziness I got up super early, cleaned the house, and then headed out the door to get that 20 miler done.  Here's the overview of the run:

Don't let what looks like a good run fool you.

While that run looks pretty fantastic for a slowy joey like me, let me tell you that a LOT of suck was completely and utterly embraced on this run.  And, just like any of my long runs, it had some good, some bad, and pretty disgustingly ugly things.  Let's review them, shall we?

The good:

• I remembered to carry hand-warmers. Because it was pretty cold for April 1st (more on this in the "Bad" section below), I was impressed with myself when I actually had hand warmers when my right hand began to go numb in mile 14.
• I did not freeze to death.  I was wearing fleece-lined RBX tights on top of some Brooks thermal long-ish running undies I got about 5 years ago (they no longer sell these that I know of) and my legs were pretty toasty the entire time.  A nice Reebok thermal mock base layer with a nice Brooks running jacket completed the outfit kept my upper body from freezing to death, which is always a plus.  I would have taken a picture for you, but getting in the shower after the run was my main priority rather than starting to icicle-up while taking pictures.
• As you'll find out below, just freaking finishing all 20 miles was a major accomplishment.
• I got to wear my tie-dye Brooks Launch 5s.  Always a good thing.

The bad: 

• Hey, it's April, so the weather will be awesome now....APRIL FOOLS.  Remember when I told you how yesterday it was super duper windy?  Well, it was also 50 freaking degrees outside, which just added insult to my windy injury of not running.  Could it be 50 degrees today? Absolutely not.  Mother Nature totally April fooled me into thinking that today would be a nicer day to run, and it most definitely wasn't thanks to the mid-30s temps and the cold lesser-velocity-than-the-day-before-but-still-high-enough-to-notice winds.  
• My calves and quads were tired by mile 9.  I don't know why my legs were so whiny, but they were.  I took in my gels as normal, and even had a banana when I was at the house answering my usual call from Mother Nature at mile 4.  Probably time to lay off the lower-body weight work.
• Large dog and I did the first 9 miles way too fast.  The intended pace for this run was marathon pace plus 15 seconds, making that around 9:35.  There were way too many 9:15s and 9:25s in those 9 miles (with one 10 minute mile only because large dog kept stopping to investigate ditches for absolutely no reason at all other than dog).

The ugly:  

• This run was a shorter version of every bad marathon I have ever had.  Because I started way too fast (hello, Dallas Marathon) and I suspect the cold was affecting my pace, the back half of this run was way slower than the first.  I was lucky to pull off any splits below 10:00, which that 9:39 pace from the run summary picture above doesn't tell you.  While this is the fastest 20 miler I have done on record, that picture doesn't show you that I stopped about 6 times to catch my breath and massage a nagging sore spot in my left butt cheek that started acting up.  For me, stopping at all is a huge disappointment, but it was the only way I could think of to get all 20 miles done and not call the hubbs to come and pick me up in defeat.  And run/walking wasn't an option because I was afraid I would freeze in place during the "walk" part of it.  
• Speaking of freezing, I thought I would never be warm again.  A hot shower, two layers of warm clothes, and two blankets weren't enough to convince me I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life in search of warmth.

ZOMG cold is all I will ever know FOREVER

• That feeling when you are in the last 10th of a mile of a 20 mile run and Mother Nature is calling in a way you absolutely MUST answer.  When that happens, you start running through your front yard to reach your house because running down to the road leading to your house will only result in disaster and embarrassment.  

EMERGENCY IN PROGRESS

Learnings aren't ugly; they're beautiful and they are below:

• This was one of those runs where you consider never training for a marathon EVER AGAIN.
• It's also one of those runs where you realize Mother Nature can never, EVER be trusted unless you're trusting her to do bad things.
• It doesn't help that there's nothing but brown to look at this time of year.  Brown and asphalt.
• The only thing that helped was grabbing the biggest Starbucks refresher I could order after I managed to find the warmth again.

Tomorrow's workout:  Upper body weights and stuff.

Tidbits from the tempo.

Just some quick tidbits from the tempo run this morning:

Tidbit #1: I am a moron.

I had a ten mile marathon pace (9:20) tempo on deck this morning, so of course I ran it faster than that.  I do this because I am a moron.

Tidbit #2: Tempo math is hard.  So is getting out the door on time.

I said I had a ten mile tempo to do...yet I only did nine miles.  This is because I just had to finish my coffee this morning before trucking around my little town for nine miles.

And it is still completely insane that 5 AM is late for me to start running.  Insanity, I tell you.


Tidbit #3: These splits were crazy easy.

I was all "I'M RUNNING TOO SLOW I KNOW IT I BETTER SPEED UP" and then, when I looked at my pace on my watch every 3.2 nanoseconds, I realized I was running under pace.  Apparently I had to realize this over and over again for 9 miles.

I told you; I'm a moron.

9 miles of moron.

Tidbit #4: Large dog apparently thrives on cold weather running.

Large dog and I went for 8 miles this weekend when it was much warmer and he was all, "Meh. I'm done at mile 6, human."  Not this morning; even though it was in the 20s with an 11 mph really freaking cold wind, he was all about the run, wanting to get that tenth one in with or without me as he tried to drag me past the driveway to keep going after mile 9.

Large dog be like, "WIMP. SHOULD
HAVE KEPT GOING"

Tidbit #5: Speaking of cold weather, did you know it's cold?

The backs of my arms, thighs, and other unmentionable places that are located below my back but above my hamstrings were so cold they were a bright merry-freaking-xmas red after the run, so much so that the hubbs thought I had an allergic reaction to my tights.

I couldn't even run with my thumbs exposed to the wind - had to tuck 'em into my little mitten pull-over things on my Saucony Ulti-Mitts.  Happy spring, ya'll.


Tidbit #6: Some running tights are more aesthetic than functional.

So while Nike bills these tights as thermal, don't you believe a freaking word of it.

While these are in my top 5 favorite pairs of running tights of all time due to their sheer obnoxiousness, they are definitely not designed for warmth (unlike my RBX fleece-line tights which keep my quads nice and toasty).  Instead, they are designed to hurt people's eyeballs and, from the picture above, attract cats.


Tidbit #7:  I dragged the dog into a ditch during mile 8 for once.

I'm going to let you figure out why that was and head off to bed now.


Tidbits are over; time for morsels of learnings:

• Even though I was tardy getting out for the run, my motto was to get as many miles done as I could.
• It was nice to be done with a run and realize the sun was coming up.  I need more sun in my life.
• Hubbs was all, "Those are some nice tights.  Too bad the only one to see them on your run was large dog because you ran in the dark." HILARIOUS
• Even though large dog did 9 miles this morning I still came home to laundry strewn everywhere while he pranced about with one of my socks.  I give up.

Tomorrow's workout: 30 minutes on the bike!

My fitness confessions.

Yesterday I managed to complete my 13 mile long run, although not all at one time.

I had every intention of doing the run outside, the first 8 miles with large dog and then the last 5 miles by myself.  But after 1.5 miles this thing called "snow" started coming down pretty thick and heavy, and even large dog kept looking at me with snow plastered over his face like, "Really, woman?  Let's go inside."  So we did after getting in 3 miles.  And then I rented another movie on my Kindle (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) and hopped on the 'mill for 10 miles which, after doing 15 miles on the thing on previous long run excursions, seemed like a pretty short run. 

Sick, I know.  But marathon training does this to a person.  It also makes a person run in tie-dye shoes to make the run that much brighter.

Gaze upon their awesomeness.

Today I have some upper-body strength training planned--both workouts from Cathe's Lift It, Hit It strength DVDs, only with two sets per exercise plus some abs.  I have to confess that I look forward to my weight workouts more than my running workouts most days, mainly because the suffering of lifting heavy weights is over long before the suffering of an intense running workout ever is.  Don't get me wrong, I love running, but it's nice to know that not every day will be a day of "how many more miles??? I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT" suffering.  As a matter of fact, I have a lot more little workout confessions like this.  Let's list them out, shall we?

• I also wear bright colored clothing for running on the treadmill even though no one sees my outfit except for my animals.  They are also the ones to see my treadmill anguish.

Mile repeats again?!?  WHYYYY

• When I have a long run to do on the treadmill I stop a little too often to blow my nose or take a drink of water.  Please note that I do these things WHILE running when I'm outside.
• I never, EVER want to do a long run.  Ever.  But I always tell myself just to do 3 miles and see how I feel...and I always feel like a wimp if I quit after 3 miles.  Self-shaming - it's how I get those runs done.
• I always walk my recoveries during speed workouts.  Don't judge me.
• I know I need to back off all the running when I am at the starting line of a marathon and I realize my brain just said, "Uuuuuuugggghhhh I don't want to do this" before I even realize it.  That's why I started dropping to half-marathon training during the summer (and because it's too freaking hot to run 20 milers).
• Push-ups.  I can't stand them.  They are on par with how I feel about mile repeats.
• The main reason I take large dog with me running is so my house doesn't get destroyed and my underwear isn't ripped from the laundry basket and scattered around the house while I shower each morning.
• And finally, I always do way too much intense leg work the day before a long run and struggle to hit my target pace during the run.  Because I'm a moron.

They say confession is good for the soul.  But I'm not sure if my soul is in any way healed from writing that list.


And now, the learnings:

• I meant to post last night, but it was a crazy day and I fell asleep in the chair.  
• I also meant to make a huge deal about the fact that I got the exercise bike put together (thanks, hubbs) and can't wait to use it, but I will wait until I actually use it to bore everyone to death about it.

BFFs

• When large dog begs me to go inside during a run, you know the weather is bad.
• One last confession - I really, really need spring to come so I don't have to do long runs on the treadmill anymore.

Tomorrow's workout: Speed!  12 x 400m, lawd help me.