Another week of solid Running Base Training is in the books, mixed in with some self-programmed and Support Your Local Box workouts. I split up my runs this week between road and trail miles, and was even able to get my 6 year old in on some of the action. I know in a couple of weeks, Texas summer will be firmly upon us, and running mid-afternoon will be very similar to running on the surface of the sun. So we’re definitely soaking in the mild weather while it’s here.
I got in quite a few workouts throughout the week, and it’s been an interesting experience doing more self-programming than I ever have before. I’ve tried to be mindful about not overworking the same systems too repetitively. I know the intensity of the past few weeks has been lower than usual, and I don’t want to try to “make up” for that and break down my body instead. I decided to participate in the Support Your Local Box challenge, which I’ll talk more about in a bit.
This week I continued transitioning into a new role with my company, which is more in line with my long-term career goals. I’m excited to move into the world of regulatory compliance as a manager of Business Process Improvement. The next several weeks are sure to be challenging, and I know I’ll be learning a lot. I tend to feel overwhelmed and anxious when I initially start new things, so now may not be perfect timing, but it never really is.
On Tuesday, I chatted with the ladies from the Run Hard, Mom Hard podcast, and it was a lot of fun. But I completely lost my voice and I don’t know how people talk for a living, because I was EXHAUSTED. I’m looking forward to hearing how the episode sounds, and I hope everyone enjoys hearing my thoughts on running, moming, and having grace for ourselves.
I’m thankful that the boys and I have managed to stay healthy in the midst of this pandemic, and I haven’t lost sight of just how lucky I am to have a functioning body that is capable of taking on all these challenges.
Related Post: Races are Cancelled, Running is Not
Support Your Local Box
I love CrossFit for a lot of reasons. It has helped me to recognize my own strength, I genuinely believe that it empowers women, and most of all CrossFit has a pretty kick ass community. As much as I miss heavy barbells and squat racks, I miss joking around with my CrossFit friends even more. Which says a lot for a person who generally tries to avoid human contact as much as I do. So with CrossFit boxes closed everywhere, CrossFit.com has decided to find a way to continue to unite all of the crazy people who love this sport, and has given us an opportunity to support our boxes at the same time.
What It Is
So here’s the abbreviated explanation of the Support Your Local Box challenge. Basically, CrossFitters everywhere have been able to sign up, complete prescribed workouts, post their results, “compete” with one another, and attach their work to a donation that goes directly to the affiliated box they choose. It sort of merges a GoFundMe for the box with the CrossFit Open concept. CrossFitters love posting their workout results and seeing where they fall with other CrossFitters all over the world, and Support Your Local Box allows them to do so.
Related Post: What Your CrossFit Coach Wants You to Know During COVID-19
It also gives us all a workout to complete “together.” Just like the running community has embraced virtual races as a means of continuing to compete and engage with each other, Support Your Local Box gives CrossFitters a platform to do the same. The workouts can generally be done with minimal equipment, like one dumbbell, and can be modified to no equipment versions. Even though you can post your workouts to compete with the rest of the community, the heart of the challenge is really to encourage CrossFitters to keep moving, use what they have access to, and stay engaged with the community.
Why I’m Participating
I’m not much a joiner, so I was a little surprised when I found myself interested in the challenge to begin with. I do the CrossFit Open workouts pretty much every year, but I never register. Because honestly, I just don’t personally care to see how I stack up against Rebecca out in Slovakia in the double under and deadlift. I’m competitive, but also pretty apathetic.
So why did I join? Well, I honestly wanted to continue to support my box. I’ve kept paying my membership, and decided that as long as the box was posting workouts and supporting their members I would keep supporting the box. I have the financial means and ability to keep paying my membership, and I’m currently borrowing some equipment, so why wouldn’t I? I know most small businesses are taking a hit right now, and I think those of us who are able to keep supporting the economy should do what we can. Can I afford a $20 donation? Yes, so that’s what I decided to do.
Related Post: CrossFitting At Home
And honestly, the first couple of workouts were fun, but not overly difficult. They broke up the workouts I’ve been writing for myself, and they gave me an opportunity keep engaging with my CrossFit box virtually. It’s been a pretty fun experience. Sort of like the CrossFit Open from home. And really, I’m all about anything that lets me spend more time at home. I like it here a whole lot.
I hope whatever sport you are interested in has found a way to continue to support you during the Coronavirus Crisis, and if you need a little guidance for how to stay active during the pandemic, I’ve got you. Check out my guide to Staying Healthy & Sane During Social Distancing.
This Weeks Workouts
Total Miles: 56
Total Workouts: 4.5
How the Runs Felt
Continuing on with my base building theme, all of my runs this week were at an easy pace. On Sunday, my son joined me for 4 of my 8 miles, and I was able to take him out onto the Leon Creek Greenway. It was really neat to be able to take him out on one of my favorite places to run right now, even though we decided to stay on the paved sections.
Monday, I split up my 10 mile run so that I ran 5 miles on the roads before work and 5 miles on the technical trails at the Freidrich Wildnerness Park that is close to where we are living. The park doesn’t open until sunrise, which doesn’t leave me much time before work, so I have to plan my runs out there in the afternoon. Getting some solid time on technical trails, though, is worth the adjustment in training times. You can definitely see a huge difference in my paces on and off the trail, haha. Wednesday was a pretty standard road run before work.
Thursday, though, my alarm went off and I was DEAD tired. I feel like my body has decided that it needs at least one day a week to sleep later than 5am, and this week that day was Thursday. I generally try to listen to my body, so I checked my schedule and decided that I could shift my run to the afternoon after work. I don’t love running more than 3-4 miles after work, because of the amount of time it takes, but I took my 6 year old with me for part of the run, so I wasn’t completely gone all afternoon. Moms find a way to make it work!
Saturdays are my long run days, and I typically try to get out as early as possible so that I have the rest of the afternoon to relax with my boys. This week, however, my husband had a morning commitment that meant going out at the crack of dawn wasn’t going to work for our schedules. I wanted to check out some trails at a park about 20 minutes from us, so I decided to take my 6 year old out and do a couple of miles on the Salado Creek Greenway. We got in four miles before my husband met us out at McAllister Park, and then I got to explore 6.5 miles of trail, and finish up again on the Salado Creek greenway.
The Salado Creek greenway is a section of the Howard Peak Greenway Trail System that I had not explored before. It’s a little more urban than the Leon Creek section, but the wildflowers were definitely out in full force. The trails around McAllister Park are mostly single track with long sections of dirt mixed in with smaller rocky and technical sections. I didn’t have to walk much at all, but it is so different from running roads, where I never stop to walk. Training for these ultra’s is going to be very different than training for road races, but so far I am loving it.
What I’ve Been Listening To
I’m still loving the Run Hard, Mom Hard podcast. On the most recent episode the girls talked to a nutrition coach, and I found the information so interesting and actionable. I’m still finishing up Up and Vanished, but it’s not high on my podcast list at the moment. I’ve been going back and listening to old episodes of the First Degree, and it’s kept me pretty damn entertained.
How the WODs felt
I have been REALLY missing my box. As much as I know how important it is for boxes to stay closed, I am really looking forward to a time when they can safely reopen. I did the quick Show You Local Box Love workout after my run on Sunday. I normally stick to 4 workouts max, but I figured that since I’m not doing any heavy lifting, and the workout was mostly cardio-based and short, it wouldn’t be a deal breaker to tack it onto Sunday’s run. I started a little Memorial Day Murph prep on Monday, and stole my husbands weight vest for my workout. I regretted it pretty immediately.
I got in a few workouts at a school parking lot while my son was running around on his skateboard or scooter. The rest were done on the apartment balcony during my lunch break. I’m grateful to have enough equipment to keep moving and exercising, which is what is most important. But I will be VERY happy to get back into the box in the (hopefully) not too distant future. I’ve continued posting home Workouts that I’m also sharing on my Instagram and Facebook stories.
What Went Well
My stomach has been significantly happier this week, and I think a switch over to non-dairy coffee creamer helped. I’m not eliminating dairy by any means, I just don’t think it’s something my stomach can tolerate first thing in the morning right before my runs. There’s a few other things I want to play with, but I’m hoping that changing up my coffee creamer and using more liquid fuel will continue to help. I got in 3 solid core workouts this week, and I’m sharing them all on my Workouts page. My nutrition has continued to be fairly solid, and I’ve gotten a good amount of sleep.
What Went Shitty
I noticed this week that I was falling into some old patterns of trying to get my runs “over with” as quickly as possible. I think some of it has to do with changes in my work role, and wanting to have more time to spend figuring things out. I don’t have a super strict work schedule, which means I need to be mindful about making sure I’m not over-allocating there. I know this is a brief season of transition, and I’ll settle into a routine more easily once I’ve adjusted. But I really don’t want to approach my running as something I need to get checked off for the day.
Plans to Improve Next Week
Next week I plan to be a little more mindful about my personal boundaries with work. I’m very fortunate to have a fairly flexible work situation, and just to have a steady income at all right now. But that still doesn’t mean I need to fall on my proverbial sword. I’m tossing around the idea of doing a 24 miles in 24 hours challenge, where I run one mile on the hour every hour to remind myself that running is something that is just as fun as it is challenging. I think this whole shelter in place thing is really warping my idea of what “fun” might be, haha.