Adjusted Reality

“Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.” – Mark Twain

Tag: navel gazing Page 25 of 29

The show must go on…

This is my motto this year week.  I’ve given myself time to throw a pity party about everything, and now it’s time to put on my big girl panties and move on.  Drinking more days than not over the last two weeks finally made me crash HARD yesterday (woke up at 10:30, took a nap from 1-3, took another from 5-6:30, and was asleep by 11).  I still felt tired this morning.  It’s time to start doing good shit for myself.

May23-2

The last couple weeks have been kinda like this – the awesome healthy veggie/hummus/turkey sandwich, but also the fries.  And the not-pictured beers later.

#projectraceweight took a back seat the last two weeks.  I don’t think I’ve gained anything, but losses have been minimal if any, and I haven’t been tracking my calories.  I didn’t hit the gym for about a week.  While my consumption post-cruise has not been reprehensibly bad, I’ve been forgetting things like water, vitamins, veggies, and some things have been fried or slathered in BBQ sauce or covered in cheese.

However, there’s no day like today to start again.  This week, I’m hoping to remember what it was like to be at least a recreational triathlete.  I’m ready to turn it up a notch, though that notch is from 2 to 3, not to 11 or anything.  I need to start tracking my intake again, it’s the only way I make progress.  I’m also ready to go to bed at a reasonable hour and stop pretending I’m in college again.

So, here’s where I’d like to reset with next week’s goals.

  • Go back to doing the things that were working.  Water, vitamins, veggies/fruits, tracking calories, 10k steps.
  • Gently start a schedule again.  I’d like to hit somewhere between 3-5 hours of things a triathlete would actually do (run, bike, swim, weights) on top of otherwise being active.
  • I also want to start getting up and doing some of it in the morning.  My schedule has definitely shifted to bedtime at midnight or later most nights.  I’d like to start thinking of 7:30-ish as a reasonable time to get up, not the middle of the night, so I can do a little cardio or weights before work and still get there at a decent hour.
  • Bike commute once.  This is the week it happens.  I practiced over the weekend and I really enjoyed using my bike as transportation.
  • Go play outside as much as possible.  It’s been really nice outside but I’ve been staying up too late and been too bleh to really enjoy it this week.  Next week, it’s on.  Also – WAH PAHHHH!  I’ll be at the waterpark when it opens at 10am on Saturday.
  • Volunteer for Packet Pickup for Cap Tex the day before (Sunday).  Not doing the 5am wakeup call this time. Maybe even ride bikes there if we’re feeling saucy, perhaps?
  • Stay on the 60 day schedule completion for my Personal Training class.  I have 90 days to do it but I’d like to be done in 60.

So far, I got up early enough to get a quick run in before work, and I plan to hit the gym for weights after work before we stock up on groceries, so it’s off to a good start!

Here’s a few other things that have happened in my life the last two weeks besides vacation, work crap, and vodka…

Short Hair Kinda Care

May23-3

Recursive me is recursive.

It freaked me the fuck out the day I got it cut.  It’s the shortest it’s been in my adult life.  I think it may have been the way it was styled or just the huge difference in length, there may have been a bottle or wine that night instead of the gym to cope.  But a few weeks later?  I love it and wish someone would have tied me down to a stylist’s chair earlier.  The jury is out on whether it’s going to be great for training because it just sort of almost doesn’t go back (if I really need it out of my face it takes a clip and multiple Rey ponytails).  However, I love that I can wash my hair in the morning before work, and it is mostly air dried before I can finish my coffee.

SUP Paddleboard Yoga

2016-04-20 18.46.39

It’s hard enough to just do this… right?

I like to paddleboard.  I like to yoga.  I’m not particularly good at either, but I figured, why not try both at the same time?  I suppose it’s the same logic as triathlon (why not suck at 3 sports at the same time?).  At first it felt super awkward, but then I realized something – while some of the things I lack (strength, flexibility, balance, etc) kept me from succeeding at every pose, I tried it all.  I found that I could get up into a backbend on a paddleboard.  I got up into a headstand for about .2 seconds.  I also fell in the lake three times and slipped on my board a bit as well.

One of the girls gave me huge props when she found out it was my first class.  She said that she was scared of falling off.  I told her I figured that I had been in the lake all morning, so that didn’t bother me.  I guess sometimes it’s just about not letting the fear of failing falling keep you from trying something fun.

Bike Adventures

May23-1

Not all bike rides need spandex and garmins.

I’ve come to love my bike more lately, but one thing I really wanted to get into this Spring is using my bike as transportation.  This weekend, we finally did that.  We took a 5 mile ride on the cruisers down to a new lunch spot (and then back a little more slowly with full bellies).  Then, we got a call that some friends were hanging out at a brewery 3 miles away, and we biked there and back as well (about 16 miles in total).  It felt very Austin.

I will start riding my bike more.  I really enjoy it.  I didn’t even mind traffic *that* much, especially on the no-clips cruiser.  We’ll see how rush hour traffic makes me feel but I’m ready to give it a try!

And with that, I’m off to make the most of my week, the show must go on, y’know.

 

Random Non-Obvious Half Marathon Advice

So I had a lovely, lovely *deepthought* type post planned for today and then today happened – a 2.5 hour dentist appointment, a super busy (and late) day at work, and I’m not in any capacity to do anything but shallowthought.  So hopefully tomorrow I’ll scoop out my brainpan and throw it all over.  Today, something a little lighter.

I’ve gotten a few requests for half marathon advice.  I’ve posted EXTENSIVELY on the training methods and emotions and play by plays of my runs and whatnot, but here are some random right before/during/right after the race advice I can pull together from the last race and both training endeavors. In no particular order and absolutely not inclusive of all advice – just what’s off the top of my head, I present my tips and tricks.  Not including having this chasing you (I know I’d get a PR fo sho…)

1.  Bring slippers to the race.  There is nothing like getting out of those shoes you just ran 13.1 miles in and putting on something fuzzy.  Bring a change of clothes too.  Generally you will be too tired to care, but if you’re exceptionally sweaty or it’s rainy or muddy or if you might just feel like NOT wearing what you spent the last 2+ hours running in, it’s nice to have the option.  Especially if it’s a long way home.

2.  Mentally prepare and visualize a perfect race day, and then realize it’s going to be anything but.  I was so late to my first half marathon my warmup was a half mile all out sprint to the start line and I had to haggle with the race officials to let me cross the timing start since they were taking it down.   Not a graceful start at all.  I’ve run 5ks in pouring rain and one course had sticks in part of the path.  Yeah, it’s as uncomfortable as it sounds to run on.  Shit is going to happen.  Whatever it is, you are a rockstar and you can recover from it.  Don’t let anything shake you.  This is your damn day.

3.  Don’t plan anything after the race.  You might be totally rarin’ to go and that’s cool, but you might also be so drained you can barely walk.  My first 10k, I was so pumped after we did a big long bike ride that same day.  Same after some of my double digit runs – I do believe I did a 11 mile run and a 20+ mile ride in the same day.  After the half?  WIPED the fuck out.  Just wanted to eat massive amounts of food and then go home and spend the evening with my butt planted on the couch.

4.  DO NOT DIET the week of your race.  I know you’re running less.  I know the scale might get angry with you.  Make sure to ingest lots of awesome healthy food and ignore the fact you’re only running what feels like a warmup.  Whatever was working for you before, keep it goin’.  Also, splurge after the race.  You don’t have to eat the moon, but definitely take the opportunity to have something yummy.  I mean, you just burned over 1500 calories if you ran a half marathon, and even if you ran a shorter race – you just ran the hardest you ever have in your life!  Get THAT THING that you have been salivating over.   This is THE DAY for it.

5.  Speaking of eating, eat something the night before that you know is not going to bother your tummy.  My meal was steak, fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, a loaf of bread, and salad.  Nothing spicy, which is difficult for me, and nothing from a questionable food cart.  I went with a chain steakhouse I’ve eaten at dozens of times.  Most people say stay away from so much protein and fat, but it did me great.  For me, it was VITAL I did not wake up hungry because I won’t get up early enough before the race to eat anything substantial (grumble grumble stupid early start times grumble grumble).

6.  Even if you’re not going to eat a full meal in the morning, eat something.  A protein bar or a normal AM type snack for you is good.  Something you’ve eaten close to working out and been ok.  And make sure to hydrate.

7.  What does eating lead to… hmmm?   Yeah.  Try to #1 and #2 as many times as you can before the race, #2 mostly.  It disturbed me I could not do the later for about 24 hours before the race and I was SO EFFING scared I was going to have to stop during the race but my body did me alright.  But make sure you give yourself the chance.  Once you get going the sweat should balance out the need to pee so just make sure you go before the race and you should be fine.

8.  Don’t get to the end of the race and don’t get your time reported because you went the wrong way!  Or, you might feel like this guy above.  If you have questions while running, ask the race officials.  I don’t know how many people got DQ’d on the last race but it was quite a few… it was definitely a confusing course.  The officials are there to help, don’t worry that you look stupid.

9.  Do whatever feels good after the race.  Sure, you’ll recover faster if you keep moving.  But honestly?  Who cares!  You just blew your load.  You ran your big race.  You’re probably not going to run for a few days, so don’t push yourself.  I collapsed about 100 feet after the finish line, rested, got up, hobbled to the water cooler, collapsed again, drank about 10 glasses of water, hobbled to a bench, and stretched.  I tried to do the post race thing but what I really wanted was to sit, so I left.  See #3 about not planning anything.

10.  Give yourself a break.  If you push yourself to the limit and give 110% (or do some other cheesy sports cliche phrase type thing), it’s going to take a while to get your mojo back.  Do some easy cross training  the next week.  Maaaaybe some really easy jogging-like runs.  It is going to take a WHILE to want to go either FAST or FAR.  You just spent 3 months doing some really intense things with your body.  Give it the recovery time it needs.  Go swimming.  Ride your bike.  Take up dancing.  These are the things I did for about a MONTH before I started running again.  I wondered if I would ever run again like I did before that month.  But a few months later, after resting a bit, I shredded my 5k time by almost a full minute (and more in practice).  And you know how strong I’m feeling lately.  So no matter how weak you feel shortly after, know you WILL recover.  Chill out and do some active recovery.

Other little tidbits?  Smile during the race.  You love this.  This is your day, and you are carpe-ing it.  Run hard, leave it all on the course, and have fun.  Enjoy the course (personally, I DON’T study courses which is so all against my controlling, type-A ness, but for some reason, I like the surprise that day and rolling with it).  Cheer other runners on if you get the chance.  Double knot your laces so they don’t come undone.  Carry at least one 100-calorie pure sugar source.  Don’t train with any sports drink – it’s so much better to be able to use it as your ace in the hole.   Lift your hands and celebrate wildly when you cross the finish line – it’s unlikely anyone will get a proper picture of it, but they’re cool when they come out.

Any silly or random race tips to share?  Any more serious specific half marathon or race questions you want me to answer – I mean – I’m not an expert, but this will be my 7th race in a year, so it’s not my first BBQ, so I’ll be happy to share any biased and twisted wisdom I can.

Writing in the Future Tense

**Note – I thought this would be a clever post, but upon rereading it, it feels very weird and disjointed.  Hopefully it makes some sense to y’all.  Also, super random funny pictures because it’s late and I’m lazy. /end disclaimer**

5pm:

So, I am SUPER NERVOUS about this tempo today.  8 miles @ 8:55 pace.  This is the run for all the marbles (if by marbles you mean confidence in the sillyfast pace I picked for myself which I do).  If I can hit this pace, I am convinced I can do anything.  This is also the LONGEST run I will have to do at this fast pace.  I’ve done 6 miles twice and the first time it was tough, and the second time I barely made it.  I am trying to channel the essence of time 1 when I wasn’t shooting darts through my brain at the inventor of the FIRST program after mile 2, and realize that all I have to do is add just a bit under 18 minutes to that fairly notsohard run.

If I just remember that #1 the pace is non negotiable and #2 I am not going to remember how hard it was, just if I finished it or not and #3 I never have to run this again at this pace – I should be all golden.  I have a good playlist, and I am about 1:30 away from hitting the ‘mill, but I doubt I’m going to finish the post before then, so instead I’m going to talk to you from the future.  I bet this guy would have liked a future-gram saying PROTECT THE FAMILY JEWELS, kthx.

Hi all!  It’s about 7pm and I’ve just gotten out of the shower after my run.  I am soooooo pleased to report that I was able to get through my 8 miles and keep my pace.  I’m totally pumped now because it means I can do ANYTHING! ROAR!  I have confidence a-plenty that I will ROCK my goal pace at this half coming up.

So I went into the day prepared.  I had a super 30g protein bar for breakfast, and made sure to stay SUPER hydrated all day.  I had a nice mild lunch that I know doesn’t aggrivate my tummy (seafood salad salad w/cilantro dressing) and kept feeding my face with healthy snacks (like pistachios, carrots and hummus, and fruit) so my fuel tank would be topped off and I’d be rarin’ to go.  I had also changed up my playlist and put all my favorite songs that make me pick up the pace so I didn’t run into silence around mile 6.5.

I got to the gym and warmed up and took off.  I decided that it seemed to work best last time when I started at 6.2 and worked up to 6.7 over the first half mile, so I did that.  Once I got there, it felt fast, but comfortable, and I threw my workout towel over the numbers and spaced out, getting really into my music.  I had even remembered to bring a second towel so I could cover the screen with one and wipe my sweaty face with another.

Miles 1 and 2 were uneventful.  Mile 3 started getting a little tough, but I focused on some happy news I got today and breathed through it and made it through my first 5k feeling strong.  I just kept repeating 5 miles to go.  You can do anything for 5 miles.  Look at how STRONG you look.  How STRONG you feel.  You are such a STRONG runner lately, how awesome is that?  Mile 4 – 5 seemed to go quicker, but 6 kinda dragged.  I was starting to feel it – this SHOULD be the end where I do my final sprint to the finish line, but I still had more to go.

I dug deep and reminded myself that this was the most important run before my marathon.  That if I can do this, I can do anything.  That though it was tough, I didn’t NEED to slow down, I just WANTED to.  That I would only remember if I did or didn’t do it, that there was no room for “I tried”.  That this was my longest tempo run I have to do.  That I have 2 days off running starting the moment the treaddy ticks to 8.0 miles.  These thoughts got me through the first half of mile 7, and then a really kickin’ song came on and I got buoyed up by that and barely noticed when I was onto mile 8.

When .5 miles to go hit and it was time to kick – my legs were barely my own, but my fingers were still within my control so I hit the speed increase every tenth and finished up the run at an 8:57 pace.

As Miz likes to say, I am my own superhero today.  Almost as super as Fire Breathing Al Gore.

After the gym, I shall come back and share how things really went in superfun strikeout text.

…ok back from the gym.  Here we go:

Hi all!  It’s about  7 9pm and I’ve just gotten out of the shower after my run finished my run, eaten dinner, had a beer, and am snugged up watching sci fi.  I am soooooo pleased to report that I was able to get through my 8 miles and *almost* keep my pace.  I’m totally pumped now because it still means I can do ANYTHING! ROAR!  I have confidence a-plenty that I will ROCK my goal pace at this half coming up.

So I went into the day prepared.  I had a super 30g protein bar for breakfast, and made sure to stay SUPER hydrated all day.  I had a nice mild lunch that I know doesn’t aggrivate my tummy (seafood salad salad w/cilantro dressing) and kept feeding my face with healthy snacks (like pistachios, carrots and hummus, and fruit) so my fuel tank would be topped off and I’d be rarin’ to go.  I had also changed up my playlist and put all my favorite songs that make me pick up the pace so I didn’t run into silence around mile 6.5.

I got to the gym and warmed up and took off.  I decided that it seemed to work best last time when I started at 6.2 and worked up to 6.7 over the first half mile, so I did that.  Once I got there, it felt fast, but comfortable, and I threw my workout towel over the numbers and spaced out, getting really into my music.  I had even remembered to bring a second towel so I could cover the screen with one and wipe my sweaty face with another.

Miles 1 and 2 were uneventful.  Mile 3 started getting a little tough, but I focused on some happy news I got today and breathed through it and made it through my first 5k feeling strong.  I just kept repeating 5 miles to go.  You can do anything for 5 miles.  Look at how STRONG you look (didn’t have a mirror spot).  How STRONG you feel.  You are such a STRONG runner lately, how awesome is that?  Mile 4 – 5 seemed to go quicker just about as painfully, but 6 kinda dragged.  I was starting to feel it – this SHOULD be the end where I do my final sprint to the finish line, but I still had more to go.

I dug deep and reminded myself that this was the most important run before my marathon.  That if I can do this, I can do anything.  That though it was tough, I didn’t NEED to slow down, I just WANTED to That I actually physically needed to slow down a little for just a little bit if I was going to make it through. That I would only remember if I did or didn’t do it, that there was no room for “I tried” That a strong finish was more important than pooping out at 7 miles.  That this was my longest tempo run I have to do. That I have 2 days off running starting the moment the treaddy ticks to 8.0 miles.  I took a tenth of a mile at 6.0 at the beginning of mile 6, and because I had to stop to reset the treadmill after 60 minutes, I slowed a tenth of a mile before and after stopping as to not shock myself into a stop from a breakneck pace. These thoughts got me through the first half of mile 7, and then a really kickin’ song came on and I got buoyed up by that and barely definitely noticed when I was onto mile 8.

I tried to start the kick at 1 mile to go to make up some time, but I had to slow down again because I felt physically spent, however… When .5 miles to go hit and it was time to kick – my legs were barely my own, but my fingers were still within my control so I hit the speed increase every tenth and then every 5 hundreths the last quarter mile and finished up the run at an 8:57 9:07 pace.

As Miz likes to say, I am still my own superhero today.

…no explanation for this one.  It just made me LOL.

Analysis:

So honestly, I’m going to give myself a B+.  Sure, I didn’t hit my pace.  Sure, I had to slow down.  Sure, it sucks BALLS that I was just 10 seconds per mile off my goal pace.  But – I was only 10 second per mile off my goal pace!  I felt pretty strong at the end of it.  I found that 8 miles was just a little too far today to keep one OMG CRAZY pace, but I did learn that it is way doable with a few slowdowns for recovery.  And if I can add 5 miles and stick pretty close to the pace I kept tonight, I will still beat my goal.  And… I firmly believe I run stronger outside, so I have that going for me.

Now, it’s up to me to keep training strong.  Somehow I had lead myself to believe in my sillybrain that if I did this run perfect, everything else would fall into place.  I didn’t do this run perfect, but I did good enough.  And that will just have to be good enough for my confidence.  I get another chance to rock it Saturday with an 11 mile run @ 9:40 minute miles, and then another 2 hard weeks of training to prove myself to myself before the taper.  Wish me luck!

The Dreaded Weigh In

So, we’re all about honesty here.  We being me and my other three personalities, I suppose, but I digress.

Full Disclosure #1 – I am writing this the day before, so I honestly have no idea what I weight.  All I know is I weighed in on Tuesday at 157.8 and again on Friday, at 157.8.  So I do not have high hopes for tomorrow.

Full Disclosure #2 – I had to squash some weird urges this weekend.  I didn’t have the mindset of “I am going to be really really good so I don’t have to count calories and go back to that”, I caught myself thinking “Might as well enjoy myself before I go back to counting calories”.  Bad, bad, bad.  Chalk another one up to my *notarolemodel* list.

Full Disclosure #3 – I am currently wearing knee length men’s black socks because they are warm.  What, just said complete honesty, didn’t specify fitness related stuff, right?

So the great maintaining endeavor is not going so well.  That last week of holiday just kicked me in the hiney.  Literally.  Being able to barely move + eating crap = big jump in the scale.  And I’m ok with that.  Not happy, but ok.  There are a few times per year when I think it’s a good thing to just let go a little.  Just like I need a few vacations a year, I also need a few times per year where I can have a plate full of deserts at the buffet.  Or *shock-n-awe* eat sugar on the same day I also have some drinks.

The difference is I usually move A LOT on vacations.  Vegas x 2 and NOLA, we walked at least 5 miles a day.  At home, I couch planted and barely got up.  And I was a lot more dedicated to the efforts of being really good after vacations away than home vacations.  Since I really wasn’t coming *back* from anywhere, it wasn’t as different.  And the not-as-healthy stuff was also in the HOUSE, not some faraway land.  So while I certainly haven’t been a little devil last week, I *have* had some sweets.  I have kinda been liberal with the handfuls of pretzels. I am not eating as cleanly as I had come to before the end of December.

I did an oops and forgot to eat much on Saturday after my 10 mile run and then ate about 2/3 of the calories I burnt back with crappy pizza because it was there (instead of the burger I REALLY WANTED) and the rest of it with rum.  Yeah, I felt GREAT the next day, let me tell you.  In which I got myself the burger I wanted the night before for lunch.  I had a nice veggie-ful dinner but the damage had already been done.  I mean, I know I have some leeway when my runs burn upwards of 1300 calories but really?  Cardboard pizza?  I know that it was due to plans that fell through (we were supposed to go out to get said yummy burger with friends) but I should have been a little more sensible and had a healthy snack so I didn’t go so hog wild on the ‘za.  Even today, I felt the effects of the weekend – I didn’t feel like myself on the run and just couldn’t quite keep up the pace.

So, besides airing my dirty laundry, I guess, I’m just giving fair warning.  YES, I had said I was no longer going to count calories, restrict calories, log my exercise, or worry about my weight.  However, that was also contingent on staying under 155.  Which I have a funny feeling is not going to happen.  So, unless magic happens, tomorrow, I return to the world of weight loss for a very short, temporary time.

My plan is:

-1500 calories non-running days

-up to 2000 calories running days (since this week, I’m burning between 875-1000 on my short runs)

-up to 2500 calories long run days (since I’ll be at about 1400 burnt on my 11 miler)

-ONE sweet treat per day that fits into my calorie count (A hershey kiss or A truffle).

-on high calorie days (on all days but especially when I eat more), do my best to become a trash compactor for veggies/fruit and lean protein and good fat.  Like pre-workout today, where I consume d mass amounts of fruit to natural sugar-power my workout.

I mean, I can’t think of much else to do.  If I was not training I would go all kung fu on calorie count until the weight comes off but I learned very well last time that not feeding your body enough and running long distances does nothing but send you to the fridge to consume handfuls of chocolate chips.  So I might as well invest in myself and eat the right things instead of being forced to the fridge to eat the quickest thing because your body has to have SOMETHING.

And the silly thing is… I might step on the scale tomorrow and have it read 153.  And I’ll have postulated and whined for nothing.

I do think, if nothing else, it will be a good exercise for me.  I haven’t tracked my calories in and out since… sometime in the fall.  October? November?  I haven’t had to bite it and write it since then.  Maybe there is non-obvious room for improvement I’ll find.  Oddly enough, I’m almost looking FORWARD to tracking my food for a week.  Numbers, numbers, wheeee!

The one thing I will say is that I am NOT dropping below the calorie counts above even if I don’t lose weight.  I’m working with right around 1200-ish useable calories (a little less) after workout burn which is 800 under my maintenance level (supposedly I can sit on my ass and eat 2000 calories and not gain – but this so does NOT work for me), so it should be about the minimum I can safely do.  After the race I will re-evaluate, but running is #1 priority here.  Not making myself weak and frail and skating the thin line between starvation and injury is most important.  I’m pretty sure there is a way to do that and get the holiday bloat off, right?  I mean most people run TO lose weight, heh.

I will let you know tomorrow how the weigh in goes, or you can be my friend on the Twitter or the Book of Face as I’ll probably whine about it there earlier.  How’s the scale treating you lately?  Is it all sunshine and hugs?  Have you sent it to the corner for punishment?  How do you make sure your waistline stays in check?

Second Half Marathon Training, Week 7

Epic.  Fail.  I think that’s about all I can say here.

I was psyched up to do some pivital runs this week (my 8 mile tempo and 9 mile long).  I had rocked the hell outta my sprints Monday.  I was feeling great and then Tuesday morning before my workout, I sat down on the couch and OUCH, something just popped out and my left butt cheek hurt like hell and I could barely walk.  For three days.  I got better JUST in time to enjoy New Years Eve not in complete pain and only returned to a DDR cardio only workout yesterday.  I’m finally feeling up for a run today, but I also don’t wanna go into next week wiped out, so I think I am going to do something yoga-ish or DDR-ish or strength-ish later.  Or just enjoy my last day of vacation on my not-in-pain hiney and resume normalcy tomorrow.  Still haven’t decided.

I have been battling the head-demons a bit, but mostly succeeding.  They’ve been trying to hit me with little ditties such as “missing two runs in the middle of training is going to set you back” and “what if you just lost your momentum and you can’t keep up your paces” and the classic “you are a failure for not pushing through the pain/making up the runs/etc etc”.  What I’ve been telling them is such: “Tomorrow, I’m gonna rock some sprints.  Mid-week, I’m going to bust up my self-doubt a tempo run.  Saturday, I’m going to run 10 miles and it’s going to be the fastest 10 miles I’ve ever run in my life.”  I don’t see a reason WHY a minor injury that is pretty much all better now is going to do anything to my pace.  Or missing 2 runs.  That’s just excuses.

The only little nagging voice that is actually affecting me is the one whispering, “oh yeah, well why has this happened twice in less than two months…hmm?”  Right now I’m combating this with “being lazy about stretching, duhhh”, but I am actually really quite lucky and have a massage therapist friend who is coming to stay with us in January who I might be able to convince to work on my poor naughty knotty back.  I just really really really gotta be vigilant about a quick stretch every time I work out, and keeping up with the yoga.

So there.  This week, I ran sprints as planned Monday (4×800 @ 8:10 pace), took off Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday unexpectedly and took off Friday expectedly (Jan 1st is official hangover day, y’know).  Yesterday I did 30 mins DDR, and today, as explained before, is up in the air.

Next week, the goal is to hit each and every workout as planned.  To keep my confidence up.  To keep my fitness up.

Monday: 6×400 sprints @ 1:58 pace (with the requisite 1 mile warm up, 1 mile cool down, and 400 recovery in the middle)

Tuesday: DDR circuits

Wednesday: 6 mile tempo (tempted to make up the 8 mile tempo but I think I’ll refrain)

Thursday: DDR circuits

Friday: off

Saturday: 10 mile run

Sunday: off

The mid-week might change a little as I might have an event to go to one night after work, but the book ends are non-negotiable.  By Saturday afternoon, I will log my 5th ever double digit run.   Wish me luck!

Nutrition/Other Stuffs:

I won’t be talking about losing weight very often anymore due to my resolution #1, but I am going to hop on the scale tomorrow as the first weigh in of 2010 and it will start the new modus operandi around here.  If it is under 155, no action is needed.  If it is over 155, I have one week to get it down.  If at the next weigh in it’s not under 155, I start tracking calories (attempting to average 1500 per day) until the next weigh in where I am under 155.  The only exception is right before a race – in which case the calorie restriction will start after.

My prediction is that I will be over 155 this week, but not next week.  I did indulge a bit more than normal but I didn’t go crazy all the time.  I am actually REALLY, REALLY looking forward to getting back into my normal eating habits.  I don’t quite feel right not having my normal regiment of protein bar mornings, fruit afternoon snacks, pistachio and jerky refreshers, and healthy home cooked meals most days.

As begrudgingly as I am returning to work and the daily grind, I’m finding that two weeks off without traveling was enough vacation to want a little normalcy back.

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