More random things running has taught me

Yesterday I did one freaking hard workout.  It was a threshold workout that consisted of three 2-mile repeats at at 8:43 pace, with a roughly 3-mile warm-up and a 1.5 mile cool down--roughly 10.5 total miles. 

While that workout is hard enough in and of itself, I made it harder by doing it outside on all the hilly hills around my house instead of on the treadmill.  This decision was made because temps were again in the mid-60s, and you just can't waste a summer morning like that by staying inside and staring at a blue wall whilst slogging away on the treadmill.

But as I was getting ready to go do the run, I didn't think I could do it.

The distance and the hills (not so much the pace--8:43 I can totally handle) and the amount of 2 mile repeats were all getting in my head and forming a big ball of doubt.  But I forced myself outside and you know what happened?  I totally crushed that workout.

I've been running for a little over 9 years now, and you'd think I wouldn't doubt myself before a run anymore--but nope.  But I also love proving to myself that I can do the things I think I can't do, which is the one thing that motivates me to get out and do a run that I am fearful of doing.  It's one of those things I've learned in my 9-ish years of running--that I can do more than I think I can.  It's also taught me some other things along the way as well, which shall now be enumerated in a bulleted list for your viewing pleasure:

• I'm not invincible.  Sometimes I get injured because I'm playing fast and loose with recovery days or run too many races without enough rest.  When injuries start to crop up, preventative maintenance is needed - such as ice baths accompanied by cats with WHOA faces.

• Getting enough rest is essential.  Sleep is essential for getting the most out of your runs and for recovering/getting stronger.  It is also essential for staying awake at work the entire time and not wanting a nap at 2 PM because you got up at 3 AM to get that run done.  
• You'll always feel better if you just shut-up and get that run done.  At least, that's what the master of naps says in our house.

Hyooman.  Go running so you GO AWAY

• Consistency is key.  I've said this in previous posts, and I'll say it again - if you want to be better at running, you have to run consistently and with the intent to get better.  That's true for running ot anything in life, really.
• It's a hill.  Get over it.  Yesterday's run was full of annoying little rolling hills.  But because I was running for a certain pace, I told myself to power through them (up them, really), get over the hill (literally and mentally) and get to the downhill part as fast as possible.  It wasn't always easy and I wanted to stop and cry several times (especially when I had to run 0.25 uphill *sob*), but I kept going because I knew my post-workout would be beating myself up mentally for stopping.  Plus, I'm training for Twin Cities, which is known for its hill back half--what better training could there be for it but an elevation profile that looks like this?

holy hills

• Running is always better with a buddy.  Even if that buddy is constantly trying to pull you sideways into a ditch while you're trying to run in a forward direction and slobbers on himself during the entire run.

So much slobber.

• Skinnier doesn't mean stronger.  I used to be 20 pounds lighter than I am now, as shown in the pic below after my 4th 5K ever about 9 years ago.  However, that girl couldn't run a marathon, grit her teeth through an ice bath, or even think about running all the crazy hills I do now.

And she definitely wouldn't have thought about running over 10-ish in just a sports bra and shorts before going to work on a Tuesday morning, like the girl below does on the regular.

Tomorrow's workout:  I still have one more thing to learn - how to get tomorrow's 17-mile long run in before the heat gets all crazy while still attending a 5K with my dog at 8 AM at a location 35 minutes away.  So, if anyone has any helpful suggestions about how to solve the word problem I just gave in the previous sentence, I would welcome them (other than "skip the run you psychopath").  Myself, I forsee a 4 AM start time in my future....so if you're in my area Saturday morning and you see a bobbing white light following by a green blinky one on a lone country road, it's just crazy little me running in the dark.  Nothing to see there.

Who knew eating right would improve your running performance? (Everyone)

You know what's crazy? I ran 19 miles yesterday over the serious hills around my house and I woke up today like it wasn't no big thing.

Look look SPRING

For once that smile isn't fake.

Now, don't get me wrong; it was a challenging run.  I was really pushing during that 19th mile, and those hills were not making my life any easier, let me tell you.

It was all downhill from there.  And then uphill.

But for once I wasn't completely destroyed the next day...my legs today felt amazingly...just fine.  In fact, I cleaned the entire house today without my legs feeling like stiff appendages that weren't really mine once.  And after cleaning I did 45 minutes of spin and about 35 minutes of lifting heavy things with my tiny dog as supervisor.

Tiny dog is unimpressed with my workouts.

Look out weights...here I come.

Tiny dog did helpfully clean my weights between each use.  Which is gross, actually, but we pretty much let tiny dog do what she wants because of the sheer magnitude of her tiny and cute.

Tiny dogs licking weights aside, some might attribute my new-found long-run recovery to me consistently running all the runs on my training plan, which I'm pretty sure has helped a ton.  But I actually think a lot of the credit for my new-found long-distance running strength is the whole "not eating crap" thing I've been doing for a few months.  In fact, I have even started meal prepping a bit.

Yummo alert.

So far I've just been doing lunch because that's what I don't have time to make in the morning (I *am* running 10-12 miles before work some days, remember), but it has completely helped with keeping my diet consistent and my portions under control.  And because this former biology teacher knows a few things about science and how cells work and stuff, I'm pretty sure my healthier options are giving my cells what they need to not only perform well but also recover well.  Case in point: my splits from yesterday's run, excluding mile 9 where I stopped at the house to go to the bathroom and forgot my watch wasn't set to auto-pause.

Kids, for me to be running 9:30s at the end of a run like that is amazing. And now I wonder why I didn't do this healthy eating and run all the runs stuff for my previous 33 marathons.  After all, being 12 pounds lighter is also probably doing a lot for my marathon goals as well..and I'm actually beginning to see that the weight is coming off.

I also see that this post is over, and it's now time for the learnings:

• I am not exaggerating about those hills, people.  They are some serious business.
• I am also not exaggerating about the convenience of meal prep. Those 5 lunches took me less than 20 minutes to make and prep.
• Those 5 lunches are also all the same...because I am the master of eating the same foods over and over again.  What can I say; it's a gift.
• We really do let tiny dog do whatever she wants, except be nasty to the cats or eat non-food things off the floor.
• We also need to stop typing now because large dog is trying to sleep, and he needs his recovery time just as much as I do.

Tomorrow's workout: My usual Monday speed...just some quick 200s though that for some reason will last 9 miles.