Weekly Chase Week 1

I've been reading the Weekly Chase started recently by Melissa at Live, Love & Run (a fellow Sweat Pink sister, which I am getting to posting about, darn work getting in the way last week!  I shall not blame the fabulous girls weekend mostly away from the internet though) and have been thinking about joining.  I do love goals, or pretending to be organized and creating goals even if I don't exactly keep up with them (ack, how is it the end of August already, I need to revisit July's goals!)  Weekly Chase is a group of bloggers posting at least one goal for the week and linking up to offer support and check in on Mondays to see how the previous week's goals went.


So, I'm jumping right in on my first Weekly Chase!





Oh my, this month has been a month of back sliding for me.  August is coming up this week, and things must be turned around!  I've been in such a beer and chocolate mood.


1. Get eating back into check  Before vacation and before my birthday, I had been really good about tracking my eating, packing good lunches and snacks, drinking water.  I keep a jug of water at my desk, but this week, I would like to actually fill it up and use it and start getting back and being aware of what I am eating.


2. Get training back into check I had good reason to take a break, but I'm feeling better, so back to it.  I miss running and working out, but waking up has not been easy, and I know this goes hand in hand with my eating.  So, I must get serious this week and not press snooze quite so much.


3. Make a sticker chart  My other goals are broad and trying to get back into a routine.  This one is just fun.  I like incentives and prizes for doing well.  I don't want to reward myself with food, and I have a strange love for stickers and stationary items, so I'm going to make myself a sticker/incentive chart.  I actually got the idea from my friend, D, who is doing the same.  I'm still working out the details, but I plan on having fun with this crafty project.


Any suggestions for milestones and rewards are more than welcome! 

My favorite running advice

Get yourself fit for shoes!!
Now, most times I still feel like I'm too new at running to give valid advice and when I do give advice, I babble, afraid half of what I'm saying isn't making sense, but I am becoming more confident in that respect.  One thing I have been confident about from the start, however, is the importance of shoes.


Running doesn't have to be a expensive sport.  Part of it's appeal can be its accessibility.  I buy new running accessories because new toys to play with is something I enjoy.  Racing can get expensive, but I draw so much energy from the training and atmosphere that it is worth it to me.  I understand running shoes can seem so expensive compared to the sneakers you can get on sale at any store.  But, if you're trying to run with any regularity or distance, getting fit for running shoes is the best, and the first, piece of advice I give. 


I finally made a doctor's appointment for my shin splints because on Thursday, they felt like they were getting worse instead of better.  And as usual, just setting up an appointment was a quick cure (though I'm sure resting and icing helped as well).  I went to the doctor yesterday morning still to make sure it was nothing worse, talked about treatment in case I hurt again, and got the go ahead to ease back into running.  All very exciting news for me!  I was told that after a week of resting, as long as running was not causing discomfort, I could resume said activity.


Even at my appointment, the nurse practitioner was talking about how she got shin splints once because she decided she could wear any old shoes while exercising (her example was basketball shoes for aerobics).  She was totally supportive when I told her about my Sunday afternoon activities.


Which was... buying new shoes! 


Yes, I got new shoes for my birthday just over a month ago.  But, apparently they were not working for me.  When I got the new birthday shoes, I tried on a few different pairs, but bought the newer model of the pair I had been using.  The newer model is a lot more flexible than the shoes I had that worked so well for me.  Still great shoes I'm sure, but they put me back on the treadmill to take a look at my run, and I need a lot more stable shoe that what I got.  It was funny, because my stride on my right leg looked horrible even though it's my left leg bugging me.


The guy helping me was super knowledgeable and gave stretch and strengthening advice too.  It was hard, as usual, to try on a pair of pink shoes and have them not work as well as another pair.  Sigh, color is not as important compared to fit.  I did, however, get ht pink laces for my shoes (spoiler alert: more info on this later this week!!), so I still have my pink somewhere and my leg and I are happy.


I was also sold on compression sleeves for my calf, which I had been thinking about getting for a while.  I'm interested to give these more of a try.

J stole my other sleeve, apparently we have the same size calf.  We are going to leg press and squat together to see if this is a good or bad thing for me.  Also, I obviously haven't changed my laces yet.

I did try an easy jog.  I got the go ahead and you know I couldn't just let new things sit around for too long.  And it went well.  A little ache, but not painful.  I think I'll like these shoes.  I'm not sure about the sleeve, but I think it will be more beneficial on longer runs.  

I recalculated my training plan and was good with the three miles scheduled for today, so even though I'm easing back in, I'm also staying on track.

Disclaimer: Obviously shoes are not the end all be all in injury prevention or care.  They would be a lot more expensive, I would imagine, if they had some magical anti-injury qualities.  Some people can just go out in whatever and not get hurt.  Some people can get fit and still have issues.  It's something that is really important to me, and which was driven home recently.

I also realize that things could have been worse for my leg!  The first sign of something not feeling right and I was ready to rest my leg.  I'm stubborn, like many runners I know, and if I hadn't been coming back from being sick and feeling like I was falling apart all together, I might not have been so quick to take time off, so yay for summer colds?  

Marathon training is...

1. Going swimmingly
2. My favorite thing ever.ever
3. Stalled


If you picked number 3, ding, ding, ding!  You win... nothing.  Ugh, you guys.  It actually was going well and I was so excited to post I had started, even though I never actually posted that, but it's the thought that counts, right?  Yea.  Anyway, side tracked.  So, things were going well.  I was following a plan by Smart Coach on the Runners World website using my Frederick half time.  I was excited about trying speed work and tempo runs and even about building mileage (that part is a little scary, but in an exciting way).  Then I got a sore throat and was super wiped, so I decided to take a short break.  It actually lined up with a light week, which was nice, and I wasn't missing much.  The end of the week, I was feeling better.  So, I decided to go on a short run on Thursday.  All went well and I was excited to go out again on Saturday.  I was still super tired, so I decided to just do what felt comfortable and not follow my plan.  


Except sometime between my Thursday run and Saturday morning (Friday sounds like the likely culprit, but I can't pinpoint) my left shin started hurting.  Eek!  So, dealing with a possible shin splint.  I am under strict advisement to take a break from running to make sure my legs are ok.  Lots of cross training in the meantime.  I am currently R.I.C.E-ing.  Part of me, during the rest part of this thinks maybe I'm making this worse than it is in my head and I'm just a little sore.  And then I do something like walk down the stairs and definite pain.


I did elliptical Tuesday for some exercise.  I haven been so off track and I know it gets my diet off too, so I need to get back into some kind of routine.  I'm really not sure how I feel about the elliptical.  While I was on it, I was like ugh, not for me, but afterward, I was glad that I gave it a chance..  And, until I'm sure I'm good to go, I think I'll be logging more elliptical time.


Also, swimmingly, notice that?  I suppose I'll be giving swimming a try for cross training.  Yea, I don't really swim.  But I figure, indoor pool, I can doggie paddle my way through a few laps.  And, this past Saturday, instead of family run day, J and I had cycle time, which felt fab.  Gave J a good chance to explain heartrates and zones during exercise to me.  I think i'll make my own little triathlon at the gym: doggie paddle, spin, elliptical.  And that, folks, is as close to a tri as I'll get (I know, never say never, but seriously, I don't swim).


So, we'll see how things go with my leg.  I just got new shoes, so I don't think it's that.  And, they're the same as my last pair that worked so well.  I even tried on a few other pairs to make sure when buying these ones.


I also was planning on starting a weight routine.  I found this routine online, which says it's Kara Goucher's routine, and when I got her book from the library, sure enough, there it is!  I modified it yesterday to concentrate on upper body and plan on doing the same for workout 2 tomorrow.


Usually I'm really good at this resting thing, and I know this post makes it seem otherwise.  But, I really am taking care of my leg, I just need to make sure I'm taking care of the rest of myself too.

What I'm Reading

I just got Kara Goucher's Running For Women from the library and am really enjoying it! I have been under the weather and not doing much running this week, so I'm soaking up the advice instead. I'll try to do a review when I'm done.

I have had a sore throat on and off for the past week, along with headaches. I thought I was feeling better the other day, so decided to test out a run Thursday morning. It actually went really well, about 2 miles in 20 minutes and I could have done more. But I didn't want to press myself. And I'm glad I didn't! I spent the afternoon completely achy, especially in my neck. I couldn't turn my head without whining. But I woke up today feeling better, so I'm going to give it another go tomorrow! Fortunately this was supposed to be a light training week anyway.

Race Recap: Firecracker 5k

Sorry it's taken so long to write this recap!  I was putting it off because I was all upset with myself thinking that I barely met goal three until I pasted my goals in this post this morning and realized I totally did PR!  I apparently forgot my previous 5k time, even though I just typed it in my goals the day before the race.  It totally made my morning to realize I PR'd in what felt like a tough run, and if I had done the Tabb 5k last week, I could have broken 30 minutes (a true flat course).


Let's start with getting the heat out of the way.  Everyone everywhere has said it, posted pictures, shared the heat in some way, so you'll believe me when I say it was so hot, you guys.  The race started at 8am and at that point it was already about the normal high for the day and humid.  I don't know if was the heat or the fact there was some incline, but the first mile felt quite long.  I wouldn't say there were full on hills, but there was a definite incline.  The good part?  Unlike some races, where the hills just kind of flatten and keep going, mile 2 had some great downhills.  


I hit mile 1 at 11:00 (pretty much exactly!) and was not thrilled.  But I picked up plenty of speed on the mile 2 downhills and entered mile 3 at 19:48.  10 minutes to finish the race at my top goal!  The only mile 2 snafu was the water station.  Everyone, myself included, failed to notice all the tables and tried to crowd around the first table for a some water.  So, I jogged while drinking, but it was a little cluster-y getting said water.  All in all, I count that as goal 3 accomplished.


Mile 3 had another steady incline right before the finish.  Seriously, what is with all the races I run having a hill right before the finish?  Complete with people telling me I'm almost there?  No, I'm not.  I can't see the finish, it's not time to sprint it out, I'm not almost there yet.  But, then I rounded the corner and saw the finish, and a lady who had just finished told me I was almost there, and I totally trusted her.  And somehow finished.  I also almost hit the puke point while running.  My heart rate was super high, the highest I've really hit and maintained, and all I wanted at the end was water and air.  But, I'm happy to say there was no puking, which is good because there were a lot of people milling about and not many trash cans near by.


I realized when I was getting close to the finish that I wasn't going to get under 30.  So so close, so I waited until I got my chip time to confirm what my watch said.  30:22.  So, I really thought, until this morning, that my previous PR was 30:14.  I think I was combining my PR, 30:31, with my last race time, 31:14, in my head.  But, new PR and new goal for next time (you know, in addition to the new under 30 standard).


3. Run the full race, even the water stations, without dumping water up my nose while trying to take a drink. CHECK
2. PR, under 30:31. CHECK
1. Under 30.  Eek!  Might be possible, apparently it's a flat and fast course. Almost...

J likes that I'm beating the guys in this picture.  I love my left leg and that my face doesn't look like a tomato.  But beating the guys is also awesome.

Results:
30:22
9:48 min/mile
440/957 overall women
87/163 age group (30-34)  

I forgot some goals!

I have a 5k tomorrow and I have some goals!  The Firecracker 5k is tomorrow and I feel kind of ready.  I mean I've been doing longer runs, but I've been going slower for training and heat reasons.  


3. Run the full race, even the water stations, without dumping water up my nose while trying to take a drink.
2. PR, under 30:31.
1. Under 30.  Eek!  Might be possible, apparently it's a flat and fast course.

Return of the monthly goals

But, bear with me with some babbling first.  It will kind of relate to my goals.


I haven't posted actual numbers weight wise.  I've debated and always chickened out.  I'm afraid of being judged.  I look at my numbers, and while they're not the best (technically in the overweight category), they're not that bad either.  I've come a long way since I had O.  So, I was talking to a friend about my goals and was honest with specifically where I am and where I'd like to be in a month (breaking down for small goals, people.  Looking at the big picture is exhausting).  As I was  getting to the part about being judged, I realized how silly I sound.  I worry about this with running as well.  Instead of accepting compliments and encouragement, I brush off and downplay.  


And of course, this judging is in my head.  It's me being harsh on myself and projecting (because if people really do have a problem or something to say, whatever).  Quite a revelation, huh?


But you guys, I'm tired.  I am tired of beating myself up and worrying about other people.  So, I'm going to be honest and I'm going to try to not beat myself up so much when I look at pictures or in the mirror and that's not going to happen overnight or be easy.


I will try to be more specific with my goals.  And hey, today is weigh in day!.  Also, I debated how I was going to say I was under the 150lb mark without giving away my weight (I'm in a new tens, decade? huh?  I don't know why I got stuck on that word even though it was completely the wrong word), so I guess I don't have to worry about that now.

July
1. Get to under 150
2. Run 3 times a week
3. Strength train 2 times a week



I do want to try to come up with a non food related prize system for meeting my goals.  Any suggestions?  I still have about 20lbs total I'd like to lose - something every 5lbs?  A gold star every work out?  With my love of stickers, that might work actually.