I know that some of you never write sad blog posts. You're always "crushing" your workouts, and it seems many of you have been breaking PR's and really stepping it up lately. I'm happy for you, I really am. But right now, I just don't give a shit.
My training isn't going as well. I'm working hard, but it feels like my body is hardly working. I'm slowing down every time I run. My sub 30min 5k's are now 31 minutes. My 10min/mile long runs have dropped to 11min/mile. I'm hurting in places I've never hurt before. And I'm very very discouraged.
Now, that's not saying that I haven't made any improvements. I've upped my mileage a lot. Last week, I did my first 15-miler and I broke into the 30miles/week category. So I'm working hard and seeing advancements in distance. But the rest of it kinda just feels like it's falling away. I honestly can say that this is the first week that I've felt that I *may* not be able to complete my marathon. I actually feel a bit like giving up. I give up on a lot of things, so this wouldn't be that different. Except that I've proudly crammed my few accomplishments and goals into the faces of all my internet community. So I guess I keep trucking and hope not to break down in the near future.
Maybe some of it is because of the move and lack of friends. Maybe it's the extra stress on my body from upped mileage. Maybe it's that I'm finally watching what I eat and drinking less alcohol. Whatever it is, I'm just not a big fan of it and I'm ready to stop slowing down and feeling achy.
I'm trying a few things to help "mix it up." My PiYo certification is on Sunday, which is hugely exciting and can hopefully take me out of my slump. I started doing interval training, 200's first and moving up to 400's when I'm not such a wimp. I'm drinking protein shakes for breakfast, cutting back on caffeine, upping water, and eating less junk food. I'm seeing noticeable differences in my body, at least. My legs just aren't moving as fast or as happy.
So this is where you guys come in. Those of you who have trained above a half marathon--is this normal? Do things tend to stagnate in the middle? Or am I doing something wrong?? I'm so tired of hearing how running is just rainbows and butterflies in the blogger world lately, I'd really like to know that others have to weather the storms at times too.
I'll use this afternoon and the amazing warmth and sunshine to try to find some running zen. It won't be easy while pushing two kids and stopping at duck ponds constantly, but I'll do my darndest. Let's cross our fingers that it works out a little, and that my weekend full of houseguests and PiYo training gets me on a new track to marathon-dom.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
I'm a crappy blogger
Seriously. I really try to blog more often, but honestly, I just sometimes don't feel like it. I think the kids notice when I try to focus on something, and they turn into little orcs at the mere thought of Mommy typing for more than 30 seconds. So I'll just write an update now and hope that next week is magically different.
The family and I had a wonderful trip to TN last week. We spent a few days with my inlaws and got in some good relaxation in the hotel pool, then we went to my family and spent some time with them as well. The kids were in heaven and I even got to run a race! A very cold, snowy, veeeery wind race, but a race nonetheless.
I registered for the Strawberry Plains Half Marathon on a whim that week, and I'm so glad that I did. I got to the race Saturday morning, running what I thought was just a small-time country run. Then I stood in the bathroom line between a woman who qualified and was training for Boston, and another woman who made her look like a tool. The woman behind me in line was 65 and had completed 246 FULL marathons and about a gazillion half's. And she started running when she was in her 40's! I was so impressed! And then I got nervous about this being a legit race. So I crossed my fingers and hoped for other slowpokes out there.
The race wound through pretty farm neighborhoods in a town that I grew up in, but had never actually seen this part of. There were dogs, horses, cows, chickens, pigs, and even some angry turkeys along the course. The race volunteers were the nicest I had ever seen. Even in the snow and horrible wind, it was very serene. So serene that I noticed myself going slower than I should WAY too many times. But I made it to the finish, and it wasn't my slowest half time, so I was happy. Afterwards there was an awesome spread for breakfast, including crockpot oatmeal with chopped fruit. And the race shirt was a long-sleeved tech shirt that wasn't a strange looking bag shape. Score! This was probably the best race experience I've had to date.
As for this week, I've been taking my training up a notch. I'm running my mid-week long run with the jogger now, which makes me feel like Supermom. I've determined that my treadmill hates being upstairs, as it always manages to set the smoke alarm off. Which, let me tell ya, makes me feel super awesome about my weight each time it happens.
The rest of life is trucking along with ups and downs. The kids are beginning to go crazy with loneliness, which is heartbreaking. We've skyped with our NY peeps a few times, but until I can get these kids into something consistent, they won't have anything more than playground pals. BUT the kiddo has her first taekwondo class today, and hopefully things will begin to change.
I'm also pretty lonely at times. I've decided to try starting up a Moms Run This Town chapter here via Facebook and Meetup, post my weekly runs, and hope other moms show up. Then maybe with a few members I can get more of a word out. If that doesn't work, I may start to troll the playgrounds begging for people to be my friends. I think that'll work.
So here we are, weekend. No friends and no activities planned. I'll get a 15-miler in at some point, but otherwise, we're baffled at what to do for two days. But I'm sure that whatever it is will be awesome, because my family is cool like that. So enough about me--what are your weekend plans?
The family and I had a wonderful trip to TN last week. We spent a few days with my inlaws and got in some good relaxation in the hotel pool, then we went to my family and spent some time with them as well. The kids were in heaven and I even got to run a race! A very cold, snowy, veeeery wind race, but a race nonetheless.
I registered for the Strawberry Plains Half Marathon on a whim that week, and I'm so glad that I did. I got to the race Saturday morning, running what I thought was just a small-time country run. Then I stood in the bathroom line between a woman who qualified and was training for Boston, and another woman who made her look like a tool. The woman behind me in line was 65 and had completed 246 FULL marathons and about a gazillion half's. And she started running when she was in her 40's! I was so impressed! And then I got nervous about this being a legit race. So I crossed my fingers and hoped for other slowpokes out there.
The race wound through pretty farm neighborhoods in a town that I grew up in, but had never actually seen this part of. There were dogs, horses, cows, chickens, pigs, and even some angry turkeys along the course. The race volunteers were the nicest I had ever seen. Even in the snow and horrible wind, it was very serene. So serene that I noticed myself going slower than I should WAY too many times. But I made it to the finish, and it wasn't my slowest half time, so I was happy. Afterwards there was an awesome spread for breakfast, including crockpot oatmeal with chopped fruit. And the race shirt was a long-sleeved tech shirt that wasn't a strange looking bag shape. Score! This was probably the best race experience I've had to date.
 | |
| Post-race. Schwarzenegger stole my race medal. |
As for this week, I've been taking my training up a notch. I'm running my mid-week long run with the jogger now, which makes me feel like Supermom. I've determined that my treadmill hates being upstairs, as it always manages to set the smoke alarm off. Which, let me tell ya, makes me feel super awesome about my weight each time it happens.
The rest of life is trucking along with ups and downs. The kids are beginning to go crazy with loneliness, which is heartbreaking. We've skyped with our NY peeps a few times, but until I can get these kids into something consistent, they won't have anything more than playground pals. BUT the kiddo has her first taekwondo class today, and hopefully things will begin to change.
I'm also pretty lonely at times. I've decided to try starting up a Moms Run This Town chapter here via Facebook and Meetup, post my weekly runs, and hope other moms show up. Then maybe with a few members I can get more of a word out. If that doesn't work, I may start to troll the playgrounds begging for people to be my friends. I think that'll work.
So here we are, weekend. No friends and no activities planned. I'll get a 15-miler in at some point, but otherwise, we're baffled at what to do for two days. But I'm sure that whatever it is will be awesome, because my family is cool like that. So enough about me--what are your weekend plans?
Thursday, February 9, 2012
On the road again, and a tribute to Sherry
Here we are, in yet another hotel. Again. Marriott and Hilton are beginning to love us, I do believe! Hubby is on a work trip in his hometown, so the kids and I decided to hitch a ride. We got into town last night, ate dinner with my in-laws, and came back to swim in the hotel pool. Now we're relaxing after a large continental breakfast, getting ready to swim more and meet a friend and the neighboring McDonald's Playland. Yep, we're classy, be jealous.
Aside from seeing family this weekend, another awesome thing coming out of it is that I planned an impromptu half marathon! I registered two days ago, and I'll run the Strawberry Plains Half Marathon this Saturday morning. I'm really excited to be able to just jump into such a long distance without fear. In fact, I almost got a bit cocky about it. Of course, once I got my confidence up on Tuesday to register for it, I felt both of my shins retaliate against me on Wednesday. I switched my stride to forefoot because of all of the recent studies, and I think my shins are still recovering from the upped mileage for marathon training. So, despite my urge to go downstairs to the hotel gym and run on a fancy treadmill, I'm forcing myself to take it easy until Saturday. Thanks to my sweet hubby, I even got to sit in the hot tub last night and put the jets on my inner shins. Amazing!
So working against me Saturday already are my shins, and now maybe my wardrobe. I've been in over the moon running in NC/SC climates lately, and I'm often the only runner out there in shorts and short sleeves. In the 40's, I'm in heaven! So I packed my outfit for Saturday with short sleeves and an option of compression shorts or capris. Well, now there is a freak storm coming in and they're calling for snow flurries. And weather in the upper 20's. Awesome. I see a trip to Marshall's activewear sale racks in my very near future.
But even with my shins and the damn cold, I will finish my race proudly. Right after I registered and the odds started stacking against me, I got invited to run a virtual race on Saturday morning (at the same time as my race starts) for Sherry Arnold. If you don't know about her, she is a runner who got abducted less than a mile from her home last month. It's a heartbreaking story, and it has shaken women runners nation wide. And on Saturday, we'll run for her. I thought karma was telling me Wednesday that I shouldn't have gotten my confidence up so high, but really it was telling me that I had something more important to do at that race. So no matter how much I hurt or how cold I get, it'll be totally worth it. And that is what running is all about.
If you want to run for Sherry this weekend (Saturday is the virtual race, but I'm sure Sunday will be just as awesome), you can learn more about it on her cousin's blog Shut Up + Run.
Now, I'm off to find my swimsuit and get in a bit of splash time before our classy McDonald's lunch date. That is, if the kids will stop playing with the hotel phones....
Aside from seeing family this weekend, another awesome thing coming out of it is that I planned an impromptu half marathon! I registered two days ago, and I'll run the Strawberry Plains Half Marathon this Saturday morning. I'm really excited to be able to just jump into such a long distance without fear. In fact, I almost got a bit cocky about it. Of course, once I got my confidence up on Tuesday to register for it, I felt both of my shins retaliate against me on Wednesday. I switched my stride to forefoot because of all of the recent studies, and I think my shins are still recovering from the upped mileage for marathon training. So, despite my urge to go downstairs to the hotel gym and run on a fancy treadmill, I'm forcing myself to take it easy until Saturday. Thanks to my sweet hubby, I even got to sit in the hot tub last night and put the jets on my inner shins. Amazing!
So working against me Saturday already are my shins, and now maybe my wardrobe. I've been in over the moon running in NC/SC climates lately, and I'm often the only runner out there in shorts and short sleeves. In the 40's, I'm in heaven! So I packed my outfit for Saturday with short sleeves and an option of compression shorts or capris. Well, now there is a freak storm coming in and they're calling for snow flurries. And weather in the upper 20's. Awesome. I see a trip to Marshall's activewear sale racks in my very near future.
But even with my shins and the damn cold, I will finish my race proudly. Right after I registered and the odds started stacking against me, I got invited to run a virtual race on Saturday morning (at the same time as my race starts) for Sherry Arnold. If you don't know about her, she is a runner who got abducted less than a mile from her home last month. It's a heartbreaking story, and it has shaken women runners nation wide. And on Saturday, we'll run for her. I thought karma was telling me Wednesday that I shouldn't have gotten my confidence up so high, but really it was telling me that I had something more important to do at that race. So no matter how much I hurt or how cold I get, it'll be totally worth it. And that is what running is all about.
If you want to run for Sherry this weekend (Saturday is the virtual race, but I'm sure Sunday will be just as awesome), you can learn more about it on her cousin's blog Shut Up + Run.
Now, I'm off to find my swimsuit and get in a bit of splash time before our classy McDonald's lunch date. That is, if the kids will stop playing with the hotel phones....
Monday, February 6, 2012
Busy little bees
We've been busy! The last post I wrote was when we still lived in NY. Now we're in the South and trying to get settled into our new life. It began with a whirlwind of going away parties and too much vodka. Our group quickly realized that we aren't college students anymore. Then we said our goodbyes and the movers did their thing. We drove the long trip down with a vomiting toddler, which was awesome. We broke our hotel bed just sitting on it, our cat destroyed everything, and the world was generally just pooping on us the entire way to our new home. I took it as a sign. Not a sign that we weren't meant to come here, but as a sign that we should never forget that we can get through ANYTHING. We've moved across the world with just suitcases, moved our children internationally, and constantly been on our feet. This WON'T do us in. And it hasn't even come close yet.
Sure, the kids are having a slightly hard time because they miss their friends, but we've got so many awesome things going for us here. Like the fact that we finally have a little yard and the weather warm enough to play in it. The kids are over the moon about that! We've also found some awesome places to go around here--kids' museums, beautiful greenways, Ikea of course, and some neat state parks. Plus, my daughter is finding that when she speaks to people down here (which is constant, the child unfortunately doesn't know a stranger), they all speak to her. And most are even more talkative. Ahh, the South!
Speaking of my daughter, she's had a bit of a tough time with the move. She misses her friends and her classes. She finds kids to play with here, but she needs some consistency before she'll get settled. I've been talking up Kindergarten (omg, soooo soon!), and I plan to take her to a TaeKwonDo school this week. Add in a dance class, and I think she'll be doing much better. She still handles things better than I think most kids would. She's getting used to this process and knows that it will eventually work out.
The toddler is doing better than she is. He fusses about missing his girlfriend, but he's totally digging our "big house" and all the space he has to run. He can throw things without breaking everything in sight now, and he thinks that he's super cool with his big boy bed. We have space to finally take apart the bunk beds, and he now actually ASKS to go to sleep. I'm taking advantage of it, too.
Hubby is adjusting to the job well and already has some great opportunities with it. He'll be traveling to a town near his hometown often, which gives us the opportunity to hitch a ride with him and visit the grandparents!
I'm adjusting okay to the move. I have some pretty major friend withdrawal. I haven't had a full conversation (other than grocery store strangers) with anyone but hubby for a week now. I was previously seeing my awesome neighbors on a daily basis. I'm a bit in need of adult interaction! But otherwise, I like it here and don't think it'll be too hard to find friends, once I know where to search.
As for my marathon training, it seems to be going well. I'm finding new places to run, which is always great. I even tried to go on a group long run yesterday. It wasn't a perfect experience, unfortunately. I quickly discovered that 1)they were muuuch faster than me, and 2)they weren't going as far. So I knew within two minutes that I wouldn't be at the Starbucks social time after, which is mainly why I went. I don't chat a bunch while I run, but I wanted the runner coffee time at the end. Oh well. Two people were trying to be helpful and would stay back to check on me, but I felt like a total tool because of it. I actually almost broke out in embarrassed tears once! (I'm such a dork.)
But on the plus side, I pushed myself much harder than usual for my first five miles. Especially for my long run. I took the first five at my 5k pace, just so I didn't look too ridiculous. (These assholes were FAST.) When they turned around at that point, I instantly slowed down to a recovery pace and prayed I'd make my entire run without blowing something out. Because I didn't know the area well, I got back to my car at mile 11.5, which was 2.5 shorter than my goal distance. I must've looked like a complete fool, because I took about four minutes of door opening/closing to convince myself that I needed to go out and finish it. My two final deciding factors?? My inspiring Team Tough Chik mates, and the reminder that 26.2 will probably hurt a hell of a lot more than the feeling I had then. So I finished my fourteen miles with a decent time and a new farthest distance to date!
So I think that today will be spent moving slowly as I deep clean the Superbowl explosion from our house. On the football plus side, the Giants won! Unfortunately, we missed out on the NY party action, which would've been awesome I'm sure. Our teams always do well once we move away from them. TN basketball, Mainz soccer, Giants football....looks like the Panthers will make it big in a few years, depending on when/if we ever leave this place. I'm (almost) willing to bet on it!
So yeah, that's a basic update with lots of holes in it. I hope to start back the blog full-time now that we're getting normalized, but I can't promise anything. If you don't here from me, let's pretend that it's because we're out making super awesome new friends, and not because we're getting lost on old SC roads, m'kay?
Sure, the kids are having a slightly hard time because they miss their friends, but we've got so many awesome things going for us here. Like the fact that we finally have a little yard and the weather warm enough to play in it. The kids are over the moon about that! We've also found some awesome places to go around here--kids' museums, beautiful greenways, Ikea of course, and some neat state parks. Plus, my daughter is finding that when she speaks to people down here (which is constant, the child unfortunately doesn't know a stranger), they all speak to her. And most are even more talkative. Ahh, the South!
Speaking of my daughter, she's had a bit of a tough time with the move. She misses her friends and her classes. She finds kids to play with here, but she needs some consistency before she'll get settled. I've been talking up Kindergarten (omg, soooo soon!), and I plan to take her to a TaeKwonDo school this week. Add in a dance class, and I think she'll be doing much better. She still handles things better than I think most kids would. She's getting used to this process and knows that it will eventually work out.
 |
| Their final lightsaber battle, Luke and Vader style |
The toddler is doing better than she is. He fusses about missing his girlfriend, but he's totally digging our "big house" and all the space he has to run. He can throw things without breaking everything in sight now, and he thinks that he's super cool with his big boy bed. We have space to finally take apart the bunk beds, and he now actually ASKS to go to sleep. I'm taking advantage of it, too.
 |
| Their final romantic evening together |
Hubby is adjusting to the job well and already has some great opportunities with it. He'll be traveling to a town near his hometown often, which gives us the opportunity to hitch a ride with him and visit the grandparents!
I'm adjusting okay to the move. I have some pretty major friend withdrawal. I haven't had a full conversation (other than grocery store strangers) with anyone but hubby for a week now. I was previously seeing my awesome neighbors on a daily basis. I'm a bit in need of adult interaction! But otherwise, I like it here and don't think it'll be too hard to find friends, once I know where to search.
As for my marathon training, it seems to be going well. I'm finding new places to run, which is always great. I even tried to go on a group long run yesterday. It wasn't a perfect experience, unfortunately. I quickly discovered that 1)they were muuuch faster than me, and 2)they weren't going as far. So I knew within two minutes that I wouldn't be at the Starbucks social time after, which is mainly why I went. I don't chat a bunch while I run, but I wanted the runner coffee time at the end. Oh well. Two people were trying to be helpful and would stay back to check on me, but I felt like a total tool because of it. I actually almost broke out in embarrassed tears once! (I'm such a dork.)
But on the plus side, I pushed myself much harder than usual for my first five miles. Especially for my long run. I took the first five at my 5k pace, just so I didn't look too ridiculous. (These assholes were FAST.) When they turned around at that point, I instantly slowed down to a recovery pace and prayed I'd make my entire run without blowing something out. Because I didn't know the area well, I got back to my car at mile 11.5, which was 2.5 shorter than my goal distance. I must've looked like a complete fool, because I took about four minutes of door opening/closing to convince myself that I needed to go out and finish it. My two final deciding factors?? My inspiring Team Tough Chik mates, and the reminder that 26.2 will probably hurt a hell of a lot more than the feeling I had then. So I finished my fourteen miles with a decent time and a new farthest distance to date!
So I think that today will be spent moving slowly as I deep clean the Superbowl explosion from our house. On the football plus side, the Giants won! Unfortunately, we missed out on the NY party action, which would've been awesome I'm sure. Our teams always do well once we move away from them. TN basketball, Mainz soccer, Giants football....looks like the Panthers will make it big in a few years, depending on when/if we ever leave this place. I'm (almost) willing to bet on it!
So yeah, that's a basic update with lots of holes in it. I hope to start back the blog full-time now that we're getting normalized, but I can't promise anything. If you don't here from me, let's pretend that it's because we're out making super awesome new friends, and not because we're getting lost on old SC roads, m'kay?
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