This week was a mostly good week. I didn’t have to travel at all. The weather was nice and cool for most of the week. I went out and did non-running stuff over the weekend, which feels much more manageable when my long run is under a half-marathon distance. Thank you Hansons Marathon Method! On Saturday, I had an ice dunk, took a little nap, had some beers with some friends, and picked out a pumpkin with my boys. I also had some glorious margherita pizza. On Friday evening, I heard that one of my first coaching clients had passed away unexpectedly, which was incredibly sad. He and I shared the ability to simultaneously grumble about and love doing hard things, and I really appreciated the fact that he had a sweet heart with a salty attitude sometimes. I thought about him quite a bit during my long run on Saturday, knowing that he always asked me how my training was going and how I will miss rolling my eyes with him during WODs. The world won’t be the same, but he had a great story that he loved sharing. Three years ago, he had a catastrophic heart attack and was revived after being clinically dead for 40 minutes. After this, he pursued CrossFit and Spartan racing and trained and completed some road races. His presence will be greatly missed by my CrossFitting family, but I know he is happy and proud of the legacy he has left behind. I know I was truly blessed for knowing and working with him.
This Weeks Workouts
Total Miles: 50.5
Hansons Marathon Training Plan, Week 10
How the Runs Felt
Having a lower mileage week was so needed for my body after last week. I had my last track workout this week, and next Monday I’ll be transitioning to the strength workouts. The repeats will be longer (1-3 miles) at race pace minus 10 seconds. I’ll be shooting for a pace of 7:50-8:05. Based on the fact that I was able to survive one mile repeats at 7:10, I think I’ll be able to hang, but I am a bit nervous, so light a candle for me and say a prayer for my hammies. This week’s track workout felt relatively relaxed for the first three to four repeats, but the last two felt like a pretty hard effort. I was thinking about how much track and speed workouts are equal parts mental and physical, and I’m hoping to share some of the mental tips and tricks I’ve acquired throughout my years of training soon.
The tempo run this week was a different story. I was not hydrated enough, and the temps were in the high 70s (not terrible, but not perfect). The first 4-5 at 8:10 felt relatively comfortable, but the last 2-3 were pretty tough, and I felt crappy for most of the morning after. This was the first eight mile tempo I ran outside, not on a treadmill, without climate control, so it’s not surprising that it was difficult. I had to really focus on drinking water for the rest of the day, and gladly took a nap during lunch. Over Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I ran an accumulated 30.5 miles. Thursday was rough, but Friday and Saturday felt much easier on my stomach. The ligament I talked about in last week’s recap seemed to feel less cranky, and I’m hoping that with enough stretching and core work this week, the 16 miler I have planned next Saturday won’t be uncomfortable. If you’d like to read more about my ligament issues, check out https://metconsandmiles.com/2019/10/20/weekly-recap-10-13-19/
What I’ve Been Listening To
The true crime kick continues this week, and I’ve been interested to hear how the Mysterious Mr. Epstein wraps up. The final episode airs next week. I mean, I know the ultimate ending here, but I’m definitely interested in having a bigger understanding of the full picture. The more I listen, the more angry I become at how long this man got away with abusing young women. But again, it’s an important topic and things never get better when people continue to look away from the stuff that makes them uncomfortable. Because Halloween is my favorite holiday, I’ve been looking for a spooky themed podcast to entertain me on my easy runs (because true crime and murder aren’t “spooky”). I stumbled upon Night Owl, a podcast hosted by a group of paranormal investigators based in Austin, TX. I’ve only listened to a few episodes, but it’s been really fun hearing about ghostly experiences in my old hometown. If you’re paranormally inclined (those are real words, I’m sure), check them out.
How the WODs Felt
Monday’s WOD was pretty tough to be honest, especially after a track workout that morning. I’m not usually very enthusiastic to run in CrossFit after any sort of speedwork. I know that when I’m deep into a marathon program, I need to just focus on getting a quality strength workout, as opposed to pushing myself into near lifelessness in the box. So while Monday was tough, I checked my ego and kept everything at a reasonable pace. Wednesday was more manageable, especially since most of the WOD was cardio & upper body focused, but again I had to remind myself not to trash my lower half in the deads. I was not thrilled about seeing deadlifts again in the 20.3 WOD, and I sure wasn’t happy about how I performed that workout. If you haven’t read about the frustrating mistake I made (and learned from) on Friday, go here https://metconsandmiles.com/2019/10/26/20-3-the-dumb-mistake-i-wont-make-twice/.
What Went Well
I stayed home all week, and slept like a freaking baby! It was marvelous. Also the weather was pretty decent all week, which really helps with my running and pacing. The warmer it is outside, the more likely I am to have GI issues during hard efforts, so I LOVE it when the weather starts to cool off and work in my favor a little. I also got in some good stretching and core work this week, even though it is still not my favorite. I scheduled a chiropractor visit for next Monday. I’m basically earning all the pre-hab gold stars this week. Lastly, I feel like I had more focused time with my two boys throughout the week and during the weekend. I’ve been traveling quite a bit recently, and it’s very easy for me to get caught up in work and training and put my focus on the fires that always seem to come up. While I’m honestly not a fan of the idea of a “balanced” life where you stretch yourself thin trying to be everything to everyone all of the time, I do think it’s important to make sure that we’re living a life that is in line with our values. It’s not always easy to stay mindful, so I want to acknowledge that this week I think I did a pretty solid job here.
What Went Shitty
As I mentioned earlier, I did not do great with the hydration this week. The weather was cooler, I wasn’t quite as sweaty, and my mileage was lower. When it’s approximately nine million degrees outside you do not have the option to allow yourself to become dehydrated, but when the temps start to dip it becomes a lot easier to blow it off. And that’s exactly what I did. Outside of Thursday, I didn’t have any major issues throughout the week, but I can tell my stomach needed to be a bit more watered :). The over-stretched ligament in my pelvis felt less irritated this week, but was still somewhat cranky after Saturday’s long run.
Plans to Improve Next Week
I want to keep up the strength and stretching routine I’ve started, with some additional focus on staying hydrated. While I slept well this week, I wasn’t consistently going to bed as early as I would like. With the mileage increasing over the next couple of weeks, I need to get back in the routine of setting up all of my clothes and gear so I’m not fumbling around for them in the morning. I also took a day off work next week, because #selfcare and mental health are important, and I need a bit of break.
