Optimistic; Ambitious; Crazy…meh, I don’t see the difference

It’s Labor Day weekend and I’m off from work until September 15th.  Roll out the parade because this is a much-needed break!  Today I am grateful for sunshine, fresh air, my health, my husband, and of course, PTO (paid time off).  🙂

At this point, I would say I’m about 90% healed/recovered from my “tibial stress syndrome” injury from early June.  This has been a long road of rehabilitation, physical therapy, and mental fortitude, but I can confidently state that I am officially on the mend.  I’m running again, but only within the past two weeks have I been able to run more than once a week, and I’m only running 2-4 miles at a time (for now) on crushed gravel/treadmill (no pavement yet).  I will say that once I seem to have turned the corner and could start running again about 4 weeks ago, progress has been pretty quick and steady.  I lost a lot of endurance and cardio/pulmonary strength, but it’s coming back quickly.  I think once you achieve a certain level of fitness, unless you quit/are forced to abandon physical activity for years, your body remembers how to perform.  I’m determined to come back from this injury stronger and smarter than before.  The word gratitude again comes to mind – I am so very grateful to have legs to carry this body and that I am able to get out and pound some trails again (finally!!).  

I recently explored the Waterton Canyon trail here in the Denver area (I’ve been down there many times, but only to either grill/camp out or do stupid stuff back as a teenager).  It’s an amazing path through a canyon, paralleled by a winding river, with beautiful views.  It’s scenes like these that remind me why I frickin’ love running:

I have a 15K race on October 5th for which I registered months ago and before my injury.  I am crossing that finish line and will do everything between now and then to train and finish strong (whatever that looks like at the time – I’m not going to push this injury – if I take walk breaks, I take walk breaks).  Also this morning, I finally signed up for a 2015 race I’ve had my eye on for about 4 months now, the Colorado Marathon in Ft. Collins.  May 3, 2015 it’s just me and the Poudre Canyon.  I can’t wait!  I may have gotten carried away with the race bug this morning, or I was just feeling cocky now that I’m running again, but in addition to signing up for that race, I also signed up for another race I’ve had my eye on for months – the Highlands Ranch Backcountry Wilderness Half Marathon, on November 8th!  I know, I’m loony tunes…or maybe brilliant and going to use it as my muse to fully recover…I’m not sure.  What I do know is that running is a sport in which you have to challenge yourself to make progress, so I think I’m covered with the “challenge” part for now…

I am also happy to report it’s been a month now since I gave up meat and…………I don’t miss it!  Honestly, and trust me, no one is more shocked about this than me!  I had an epiphany that I was only eating meat because I’ve eaten meat my whole life.  Don’t get me wrong, meat is tasty – I can still acknowledge that and wish you meat eaters out there the best of times.  However, the fact that I don’t miss meat and have not struggled with vegetarianism for a single second since I started this, hit me like a ton of bricks and I don’t anticipate going back.  The absolute only thing I could even fathom being tempted by at some remote point in the future is sushi – I love sushi.  I made a deal with myself that I would simply cross that bridge when I get to it.  Meanwhile, vegetarian it is, and I love how I feel.  I’m eating more vegetables than ever before and I’m not going hungry.  Now that I’m running again, I’ll keep you updated on how I may need to adjust what I’ve been eating for the past month to make sure I properly fuel my body, but I have complete faith it’s possible to be a runner on a vegetarian diet.  How can you not love meals like this:

Veggie tacos – yum!

I feel a little bit like a hippie hipster going vegetarian, but I don’t ultimately care.  This is doing wonders to help me manage my weight, cut down on binge eating, continue the journey of recovery from an eating disorder, and pursue health.  I’m committed to staying on this path.

Run and eat happy!

Becky

 

   

 

 

Lessons from an Olympian

dis·ap·point·ment noun \ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯint-mənt\
: the state or feeling of being disappointed

: someone or something that disappoints people : a disappointing person or thing

From Wikipedia:

“Disappointment is the feeling of dissatisfaction that follows the failure of expectations or hopes to manifest….disappointment is one of two primary emotions involved in decision-making.”

Tonight didn’t go according to plan, and I’m certainly feeling what we all know as “disappointment” in the truest sense of the word: I had an expectation that failed to manifest. However, instead of falling into this and throwing myself a little pity party, I decided that I’m going to analyze this objectively and rationally.

Let’s back up a little bit. I got home tonight from work feeling more tired than usual, but decided to push myself for a 4 mile run. Sure enough, even just putting on running clothes and lacing up made me feel more awake and excited for my run. I got my stuff together and headed out with the sky looking like this:

I wasn’t too worried though. The air was cool and the plan was to bust out a quick 4 miles and be done. Also, I tried my first Honey Stinger vanilla waffle – um, those things are scrumptious! Why didn’t I try these sooner??

So I ate that like it was a dessert and headed out to run on the crushed gravel path of the High Line Canal because my leg was still hurting a little bit after my Sunday long run.

As soon as I started jogging, I knew the pain I was feeling was not a good sign. It wasn’t initially a shooting or sharp pain, and it even lessened a little bit after about the first quarter to half a mile (yea, I kept going – dumb – I realize that even now, just an hour later). However, all of a sudden, the pain was back – BAM. Pretty sharp shooting pain in my lower left leg. I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s definitely not a muscle or tendon kind of pain, it’s deeper. It actually feels like my bone hurts (my tibia, to be precise). So, not even 1.5 miles in, I turned around and headed back, thinking I would just cut it short of hitting my two mile turnaround point. I didn’t get much farther before I realized I was going to have to walk the whole way back. It really sucked. I got passed by a couple of other runners and felt disappointed, dare I say, embarrassed. The feeling was fleeting though as I realized I was genuinely in pain and needed to simply focus on getting back to my car.

It’s not enough pain to cause tears, definitely not in that territory, but it’s actual pain, not soreness or heavy legs. So I was initially disappointed in myself for not being able to complete a 4 mile run, but then my feelings shifted and I was suddenly disappointed in myself for not paying better attention to my body and doing something, anything else, other than run tonight. My leg has hurt since Sunday and was definitely bothering me during my run last night. Why did I feel the need to push it? What am I trying to prove to myself?

So now the reality of the fact that I’m going to have to dial things back for several days if not a week to determine whether this is a full blown, going to take several weeks to heal, type injury has set in. I’m just so bummed. I was trying to ramp up my weekly mileage and had had some really solid long runs recently and that got in the way of me paying attention to some physiological signals my body was sending me. I know better than this.

Anyway, the good news is that instead of wallowing in this (I know it seems that way, but I’m really just writing about this to process it) I’m choosing to keep a positive attitude. The Wikipedia entry on disappointment goes on to say this:

“In a 2004 article, the journal Psychology Today recommended handling disappointment through concrete steps including accepting that setbacks are normal, setting realistic goals, planning subsequent moves, thinking about positive role models, seeking support, and tackling tasks by stages rather than focusing on the big picture.”

This could not have been stated better. I have to adjust and move forward.

I was humbled by this picture today of Amy Van Dyken-Rouen less than a week after a horrible accident in which her spinal cord was severed. Now here’s a woman who is facing disappointment; a major setback. And look at her here. That is one tough chick and I’d do well to take a lesson from her.

Stay healthy and grateful!

Becky

“A” Races versus “B” Races

An article popped up in my Zite reader about a week or so ago that discussed the concept of classifying the races we do as “A” races, “B” races, and even “C” races. The gist was that you can really only have a couple of races each year where you really train hard for months, follow plans, change your nutritional requirements, taper, and then go all out – regardless of whether it’s for a speed record on a 5K or for that marathon – you can only have a couple of these each year, tops. These are your “A” races.

Any other races thrown in there (because, let’s be honest, races are incredibly fun and keep us motivated) need to be considered “B” or even “C” races, meaning they are stepping stones on the way to an “A” race. You don’t go all out during them, you don’t train for months, you likely don’t really taper, and sometimes, especially in the case of “C” races, they’re completely just for fun with no real intention to break any personal records and are likely registered for with relatively little advance notice. The author was postulating that you will perform better for your “A” races and reduce your chances for injury if you keep this strategy in mind.

Now, I don’t necessarily know about the science behind this assertion, but logically, it just makes sense and really appeals to me. Those “A” races will be fewer and farther between, but man, they will be so much more worth it. It also kind of reduces some of the pressure to perform like a rock star each and every time you step up to that starting line. I have decided that my “A” races in 2014 were/are the Platte River Half Marathon back in April and the Hot Chocolate 15K coming up in October. I am still kind of tempted to do a late year half marathon, but when I think about things in this context, I would not want to cheat either my Hot Chocolate race or the half marathon by trying to squeeze both of them in. I will do a few more 10K’s in November and December (there are fun races that time of year), but I should probably be smart about my strategy this year so that I don’t injure myself or hurt my chances at ramping up again to do the Colorado Half Marathon next May that I’ve pretty much settled on. I’m a new runner with (all things considered) pretty low weekly mileage still and I probably need to be a bit more strategic about this. It’s just all so exciting – I want to do every race I find out about, ha ha!!

Anyway, that’s what’s rattling around in my brain tonight. I don’t even have any new pictures to share. I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym tonight at a 9:15 pace. Even though my 5K on the 4th of July is honestly probably a “C” race, I would like to beat my only other official 5K time of 29:47, even if only by a hair! I also have a much better strategy this week to hit my 20 mile goal, so I’m feeling good about that. I’m having some pain in my left lower leg (knee and shin) though which I’m really hoping is just from Sunday’s long run and not a sign of an injury creeping in…

Did you guys see this about Amy Van Dyken-Rouen? – http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_25927605/amy-van-dyken-rouen-6-time-olympic-gold How tragic – I can’t even imagine what she’s going through and how her life has just completely changed. Things like this make me very grateful for my aching legs because I can still run and play on them.

Happy racing and stay grateful, friends.

Becky

New PR, or PB, or Whatever – First Time For Something I’m Proud Of!

This turned out to be a pretty great weekend, and it’s not even quite over! Yesterday was productive with some errand running and then we met up with some friends for dinner at Mezcal on east Colfax. Mmmm….fish and shrimp tacos…they were so good! I allowed myself a beer too, which I don’t normally like to do the night before my long run day, but damn, it was worth it!

I did, however, refrain from partaking in the round of shots – but it was fun to watch the group!

I originally woke up this morning just before 7, but ended up falling back asleep until about 9:15. Oops. I kind of felt like my body was telling me something though, so I tried not to beat myself up over too much. Breakfast was whole wheat banana pancakes with blueberry syrup. Crafted – as usual – with love by Neal 🙂

Do carbs get any better than this? I mean, really?

All fueled up and caffeinated, I got dressed for a run. I was determined to get in some solid mileage since prior to today’s run, I was only at 8.5 miles for the week. Wah wah. I knew I wouldn’t be hitting my goal of 20 for the week, but I was determined to get a hell of a lot closer, ha ha! I threw my hair together into something that actually turned out pretty cute and kept things out of the way, so I think I’ll try this again in the future.

I was in a purple mood today (it’s my favorite, after all!), and of course, the socks had to match.

Fun socks really do make me run faster – honestly 🙂

I was also still in the mood to try a new trail, see some new scenery, so I headed out east a bit from my house and got on the Cherry Creek Trail near the reservoir and headed north. It is a good path, not too hilly, but there are enough ups and dowsn to challenge you, several bridges, curves, fast and flat sections, etc. I will definitely be covering this terrain some more for future runs.

This was one of those runs where you know it is just going to go well. I felt rested, strong, and ready to bust out 8 miles. So off I went, and sure enough, it was an amazing run! I think it did help that it was relatively cool since a storm was moving in – more on that in a second – but my body just felt ready to tackle that distance. I set Run Keeper to only notify me of my distance every 4 miles so I would know when to turn back and then got lost in the run. At 4 miles, I took a 60 second walk break, ate a gel, guzzled water, and turned back. I was also sipping on some water with a Nuun tab dissolved in it the whole way. I felt like I did a good job of staying fueled and hydrated.

That storm was moving in the whole time, but it didn’t start to sprinkle until within the last quarter mile (how lucky!) and then literally within the last tenth of a mile, it OPENED UP. I mean, absolutely started pouring rain. It was all I could do to get into my car and strip off all of my gear in there. It was crazy! There were tornado warnings on the radio threatening instant death if you didn’t seek shelter right away (well, okay, not that bad, but they did say to seek shelter, that properly was likely to be damaged, etc.). This picture is somewhat from the sweat, but mostly the rain!

And the view from the car on the way home:

And once I got home looking back east where the storm was:

The clouds were really neat!

Okay, so the PR/PB part: I checked RunKeeper when I got home and not only had I completed 8.15 miles in 1:20:36 (with about a minute of that when I first started and got all my gear strapped on and in place), but mile 3-4 was a new personal record at 8:30!! Most of us can run pretty fast when you’re actually sprinting, so I have no doubt I can sprint way faster than this, but as far as just a pace I achieved in the middle of a run, without even trying, that’s a first by a long shot – almost 40 seconds faster than my previous best individual mile split. I feel pretty damn proud of that, and for hitting that distance today.

I finished my running week at 16.75 miles – a hair shy of my 20 mile goal, but close enough that I know I can just get myself together next week and hit that 20 miles.

Were you guys happy with your activity level for the week?
Did you do anything fun or new?
What challenges are you working to overcome (or just meet each week) right now?

Enjoy your Sunday!

Becky

Blazing New Trails

Happy Friday, friends! Okay, so despite the title of this post, I didn’t exactly forge any new paths, but I did try a new trail for my run this morning. It was a nice change of scenery and the trail itself is well maintained, so I was happy. It goes for quite a distance too, so I’m looking forward to exploring it some more.

I went with the motto on my shirt and got out to enjoy the great scenery and a good run in the cool air left over after last night’s torrential downpour.

Run Happy, you say? Okay – especially when I only paid $12.99 for this at Marshall’s – double score!!

We’ve been getting some crazy rain around here and all of the rivers/creeks are pretty full. There are waves and “white caps” on the Platte River where there is normally just a pretty mellow flow of water.

This Platte River/Mary Carter Greenway trail is really nice and close to my house, so it’s where I usually run.

Water levels are pretty high.

About a mile into my run, I took a turn off of the Mary Carter Greenway trail where I took the pictures above onto the Bear Creek trail, which I had never done before. The path was more narrow and hilly than along the Platte River, but it was a nice trail and it felt kind of adventurous to try something new. I’ll definitely be going back to explore more.

The run itself was challenging for some reason. I only ended up going 4.6 miles when I was planning on 6. Something just felt off today as far as my energy level was concerned. It made me kind of mad, especially since I started the day off with one of my favorite breakfasts, peanut butter and fried eggs on whole wheat toast. I like to cook the eggs over easy so the warm yolk oozes into the peanut butter – nom nom nom…

I know some people hate eggs over easy, but I like ’em runny!

Natural peanut butter was weird to me when I first tried it about a year ago, but I swear by it now!

During my run I came to the conclusion that I’m probably putting too much pressure on myself for my weekly mileage. I recently decided I’d like to hit about 20 miles per week (up from about 15-18 currently), which shouldn’t be a big deal, but the stress I’m feeling over “gotta make all my runs longer, have to get in an extra day each week, push, push, push, miles, miles, miles” is already taking away from the simple joy of just running. I run because of how it makes me feel, of the mental clarity it brings me, of how it helps me maintain my fitness and has built a lot of self-confidence, not because I’m hardcore and training for a big race or chasing a PR. Those people are awesome and I follow plenty of their blogs because I truly enjoy reading about that journey, but I realized it’s not my journey. Yes, I ran a half marathon in April and plan to run more in the future – and I will necessarily ramp things up for those types of races. Even for my 15K in October, I’ll have to up my game a little bit, but overall, I run because I just want to get out there and feel good. 20 miles per week is doable for me and a good target I’m still going to keep in mind, but I gave myself permission this morning to 1) not achieve that every single week and 2) not feel an ounce of guilt when that happens. There. One problem solved. I love it when that happens 🙂

And finally, I got an email from Pro Compression where I ordered my compression socks a few weeks ago with a great promo going on until June 15th for 50% off of their socks and sleeves (minimum two item order)! I was really impressed with the quality of the first pair I ordered, so I went ahead and ordered two more pairs. The best part? The promo code is good for anyone! Yes, you can use the code JUNE to get 50% off socks and sleeves until next Sunday at http://www.procompression.com/. I am not affiliated or compensated by them (although, maybe I should be ha ha), I just liked their product and think 50% is a hell of a deal, so give it a try if you’re in the market.

I ordered these http://www.procompression.com/marathon-powder-blue/ and these http://www.procompression.com/marathon-black-with-neon-dots/. I can’t pass up a great deal on fun socks!

Happy Friday everyone!

Becky

Running Conundrum

Happy summer! Okay, I know it’s not technically summer yet, but something about June just always makes it feel like summer has officially begun. The weather has changed, we’ve had a few 90+ degree days, we’ve been grilling out every night for dinner, it stays light so late – enough so that even if I get out of work late and don’t get to run until 6:30 or 7, that’s totally fine – you know what I’m talking about.

Dinner tonight was delicious summer fare – BBQ chicken legs, corn, caesar salad, and cantaloupe. Tastes like summer to me!

Pig corn holders again – they legitimately make the corn taste better 🙂

So since I only started running about 9 months ago, I wasn’t running at this time last year. Before running, my exercise was exclusively indoors – spinning, zumba, strength training, Insanity exercise videos in my living room, etc. It mostly got the job done, but it was ALWAYS a chore. Plus, I’m not a huge fan of the gym. I never have been. I maintain a membership at 24 Hour now so that I have access to treadmills when I need one (and I’ve really been nagging myself lately to pick up some strength training again – I know I should), but I never knew how happy connecting with nature by being outdoors to exercise could make me until I started running. Not to mention how many awesome new areas and trails I have explored right in my own backyard that I never knew were there! It’s like I experienced my home town all over again through new eyes. It has really been pretty incredible.

Where was I? Oh yes – so one of the things I’ve been working through lately with the arrival of hot summer weather has been feeling the need to adjust my running schedule. I typically leave work anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30. Either way, it’s still pretty darn warm at this time of year (or it’s raining) at that time. So, I have one of two options: either run later after about 6:30 or 7 (which I’ve done a couple of times and works out pretty well except that I eat dinner way later than I like to and then bedtime comes around really quickly by the time I finally wind down. Plus, it’s more tempting to skip a run if I wait that late); or, get up early to run. It’s obviously much cooler in the morning and the 5 AM hour is quite pleasant here this time of year, but I have to be honest and admit that it’s just really sucky to get up at that time. I’m just as bad about hitting the snooze button and skipping workouts at that time of day as I am later in the evening. This is why I just need to be independently wealthy so that I can workout any time between about 8-11 AM like I prefer 🙂

The other thing causing me stress this week is my new self-imposed challenge to hit 20 miles per week. What this essentially means for me is that I need to go from running 3 days per week to 4. That in and of itself isn’t the problem – the issue is that my legs (specifically shins and knees) don’t really do well with running 2 days in a row, which would have to happen once per week to add that 4th day. The other alternative is to increase mileage for all 3 of my current runs, but that has its drawbacks too. I don’t want to get super stressed if I have to miss a run, or I have an off day and just can’t quite get the mileage in and next thing I know I’m 3-5 miles short for the week and beating myself up over it. I know myself – this will stress me out. It’s already stressing me out, ha ha!

I’m trying to keep in mind that it will likely just take a few weeks to settle into a new schedule to deal with both the weather and my desire to increase my mileage. I also have a sneaking suspicion that adding strength training back into my routine might help alleviate some of the issues I experience when I run two days in a row. I cross train by cycling once or twice a week for 15-20 miles at a time, but I have not been strength training for a while now.

So there you have it – my recent conundrums. I’m taking tomorrow off from work to deal with some things related to a bathroom renovation project we are getting started on and am going to run in the morning. I’ll let all of this knock around in my head during that run; that seems to be the most effective way of solving my problems lately: just let it rattle around the ole noodle for a few runs (or lots of runs depending on the magnitude) and an answer will eventually become clear. That’s one of the many things I love about running, the mental clarity. It’s truly invigorating and fills me with happiness, wonder, and gratitude.

How do you guys deal with the uneasiness associated with the need to adjust a training schedule?
Has anyone ever experienced issues with running two days in a row, and were you able to overcome it somehow?
What’s your favorite part about the arrival of summer?

Happy running!

Becky

Notes to Self:

New things I have learned/realized in the past couple of days:

1) Under no circumstances am I to ever again go for a long bike ride the day before a race thinking it won’t affect my performance and that in so doing, I’ve still somehow “tapered” or “taken it easy” before a race. Ha, I crack myself up.
2) I need to make time to stretch after races. They are some of the longest distances I run, and in the excitement of finishing, meeting up with family, checking out the post-race goodies, etc. I have thus far neglected to stretch after all of my races. I sure do feel it the next couple of days and certainly the first time I run again after a race.
3) I like using the RunKeeper app to track my workout and record distances, look at splits afterward, etc., but turning off the audio cues is probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in a while. Previously, I had it set to notify me of time and distance every half mile and I believe now that it prevented me from settling into a natural pace and letting my mind drift off…

I went for a run tonight – 4 miles in just over 40 minutes. My legs were tight and I felt like I was plodding along the whole time, but I got it done and felt better afterward. I indulged in a solid 10 minutes of stretching afterward and felt even better. Refer to number 2 above for how I can likely alleviate this scenario in the future.

As you may have seen in the pictures, I didn’t wear my new compression sock for the race this past Sunday because they didn’t match the color scheme. I have, however, been wearing them around the house in the evenings and I wore them on the run tonight. I don’t know if it’s the placebo effect or if they really make a difference, but I do certainly like them.

The bright color makes me so happy!

Also, for some unknown reason, I have pretty much made a new goal for myself to hit a minimum of 20 miles each week. I’m currently in the 15-18 weekly range, so this isn’t a huge stretch, but it’s enough of a change that I feel like I’m challenging myself. I will be counting the mileage every Monday through Sunday, and this week is already off to a good start.

And finally, I leave you with something that always puts a smile on my face – pig corn holders!

Corn is just so much tastier with these little guys 🙂

Happy running!

Becky