M5T W5 Recap - Runfession Time

 
My last recap concluded with me cutting my long run short due to nausea.  The trend continued for a couple more days last week.

Sunday - Rest day
Still not feeling good, rested

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Ran 2.81 miles

Tuesday - Intervals - 8-9 miles
I don't even remember why I didn't run on Tuesday.  I just didn't.

Wednesday  - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Ran 5.5 miles.  Still a little nauseated, but started feeling good and had a few strong miles.

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
I had planned on bike commuting with Les.  We gave our notice to our Hawaiian landlady and will be clearing out of there at the end of October so I knew my bike was coming home this trip.  We were rained out and I was really bummed about that.  Les will still be working for the company that is based in Hawaii, but he's got a project with a company in Connecticut, so it makes more sense for him to be in California.  We will still go back to Hawaii (like in December for the marathon!) but not for more than a couple of weeks at a time at least for now.

Friday - Rest day
Walked 4 miles
Since I had taken Thursday off, I thought I would do my long run on Friday.  I knew I'd have fresh legs.  Obviously that didn't happen.  What happened was the conclusion of two weeks of not wanting to run.

Friday morning I was feeling really negative about running in general.  "Why am I doing this?  Why did I even sign up for another marathon?  I don't think I want to do it this year..."  I am usually not a negative person, so when this happens it seems to be magnified. As I was walking, I was trying to figure out my next steps when it finally dawned on me what was going on...

Hormones.

Yep, it all boiled down to that.  But it's not as easy as it sounds.  In my 20s and 30s, I recognized PMS for what it was, because it was almost always the same - a few days a month I was irritable, then I was fine.  In my 40s, migraines got added to the repertoire, but it was still predictable.  Now I'm in my 50s and for the past couple of years it feels like anything goes.

If PMS is an emotional roller coaster, perimenopause is the entire amusement park.  I feel like I've had it all - from the Tower of Terror to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride to the Haunted Mansion!  Some days I'm ultra sensitive, other days I'm tired.  I've had anxiety and insomnia.  Last month I had about 3 weeks of multiple hot flashes every single day.

I hate this feeling of being "off."  I've never suffered from depression and I can usually work my way through hard stuff, but this is just so different.  I don't know from one day to the next how I'm going to feel. One of the really frustrating parts about all this is my legs are fine.  I'm currently injury free so running should be great.  Our life in general is great - we're super busy and traveling gets old at times, but we're healthy and happy.

When I got home from my walk last Friday, I had pretty much worked all this out in my mind.  I talked to Les about it (he's SO patient with all this) and came to this conclusion:  "My decision is not to decide."  How many times have I made a decision I regretted based on emotion?  That rarely ends well.  For now, I'll continue training and hope I start feeling more normal soon.

Saturday - LSD 14 miles  (10:35-10:50 pace)
Rode 15.52 miles - my last Hawaiian bike ride (for now!)

Total planned miles 34
Actual
Running 8.31
Walking 4.00
Cycling 15.52
Total  27.83

I must runfess that this is quite the downer of a post!  I don't usually share this much, but I'm hoping by typing it out it will help me sort through all I'm experiencing.  Hopefully the pictures will make up for the text.

Help a friend out - What do you do when your head's not in the running game?  What about when life throws curve balls?

M5T W6

We are flying home to California today.  I'm having a little trouble with my laptop, so this is a cut and paste post.  I'll have last week's recap up in a day or so.  It'll be a runfession for sure!

 

This is week six of training. After this week, race day will be 10 weeks away.

This week you'll have three days of easy running and a 9 mile run that includes 2 miles of tempo running.

Ease your pre-run stress by taking care of the logistics early in the week. Firm up your plans with running partners, and make sure you're well stocked with all the fuel, gear, and fluids you'll need. Plan to eat and get to bed early the evening before, and make sure you've cleared your schedule on the day of the run so you can rest afterward. Long runs are dress rehearsals for race day, and taking care of these issues ahead of time can go a long way toward helping you feel—and run—your best when it matters most.

Sunday - Rest day

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Tuesday - Intervals - 8-9 miles
2 mile warm up
4-6 x Yasso 800 @ 4:00 with 400-meter recovery jog
2 mile cool down

This is your second session of Yasso 800s. Warm up with 2 miles of easy running. Then run 800 meters, or one-half mile in 4 minutes. Recover with 400 meters or one-quarter mile of easy running. Repeat this cycle 3-5 more times. Cool down with 2 miles of easy running.

Wednesday  - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Friday - Rest day

Saturday - LSD 9 miles w/2 miles @ tempo

5-mile warmup
2 miles @ Tempo (8:33/mile)
2-mile cooldown

Today you'll do your first miles at tempo pace. Warm up with five miles of easy running, then ramp up to your tempo pace (8:33/mile) and hold it for two miles. Cool down with two miles of easy running.

It's especially important to sandwich the more challenging workouts run with a warmup and cooldown of at least five to 10 minutes of walking and easy jogging. Warming up helps you feel more comfortable on the run and prevents injuries such as muscle pulls. Cooling down helps prevent muscle cramps.

Total planned miles 29

M5T W5

Welcome to week five of training. After this week your race will be 11 weeks away. Tour long run buildup will continue with a 14-mile long run.

If your easy runs don't feel truly easy, it's okay to relax back to 10:50 pace and progress when you're ready.   The object of these easy runs is to finish them feeling exhilarated and strong, with enough energy to run another mile. If you feel injured, achy, or like you’re struggling to finish the distance for the day, then back off. Remember: The first goal of training is to get to the starting line feeling strong. Before you can attempt to achieve your time goals on race day, you must first achieve this primary goal.

Sunday - Rest day

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Tuesday - Intervals - 8-9 miles
2 miles easy run
1x1 mile (1600) @ 7:50-8:00 pace with 800 easy run rec.
1x800 @ 3:55 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1x400 @ 1:56 pace with 200 easy run rec.
1x1 mile @ 7:50-8:00 pace with 800 easy run rec.
1x800 @ 3:55 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1-2 miles easy running

Wednesday  - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Friday - Rest day

Saturday - LSD 14 miles  (10:35-10:50 pace)

Total planned miles 34

M5T W4 Recap

This was a really goofy week to me.  Runfession: I had zero motivation.  I got up wondering why I was signed up for another marathon.  I whined to myself numerous times.  Then I went out and ran anyway!

Sunday - Rest day
Ran 3.43 miles
I was pretty sure I was going to be exhausted on Monday morning after our concert, so I opted for my easy run on Sunday.

Monday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Rested.  Wiped out from Sunday night's concert.

Tuesday - Intervals - 8 miles
Ran 6.01 miles total
This was the morning that I felt zero motivation the most!  I almost talked myself out of intervals while I was warming up, but finally gave in and did them.  They weren't great, but they weren't as bad as I expected.  I did an out and back and had the bonus of wind and pouring rain on the way back.  I just laughed since I was on the actual marathon course and this is exactly what I can expect in December.  I cut my cool down short to get out of the rain.

Wednesday  - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Ran 3.15 miles
I was feeling my intervals and took it pretty easy for this run.  I did throw in a few hard digs.

Thursday - 4 miles hills (10:35 pace)
Rode 13.01 miles
This is the worst bike ride I have had in a long time!  I was stiff the entire time.  I commuted with Les and could not keep up.  It wasn't much of a workout for him.

Friday - Rest day
Rested

Saturday - LSD 10 miles  (10:35-10:50 pace)
Ran 8.65 miles
I had to give myself a very stern talking to to get out the door again.  Once I did, I felt really good the first 3 miles, got rained on a little, had a headwind, but I was okay.  Somewhere in the 4th mile I got extremely nauseated.  I walked a bit then started running again.  The nausea did not go away.  Nearing the 5 mile mark I felt awful.  It wasn't the "I need to find a bathroom, port-a-potty, bush" type feeling, just extreme nausea.  I thought I might have gotten overheated but wasn't sure.  Each time I tried to run the feeling was back.  I cut it short and walked the last few miles.  I think I must have picked up a bug of some sort since I'm still not feeling great today.

Total planned miles 28
Actual
Running  21.24
Cycling 13.01
Total  34.25

M5T W4

This is week four of training. After this week, your race will be three months away.

This week will follow a similar pattern as last week, with two to three easy runs and two days of rest. Your long run will drop back to 10 miles to give you a chance to recover form the mileage buildup so far.

Sunday - Rest day

Monday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Tuesday - Intervals - 8 miles
2 miles of easy running
2x400 @ 1:56 pace with 200 easy run rec.
1x800 @ 3:55 pace with 400 easy run rec
1x1200 @ 5:52 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1x800 @ 3:55 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1x400 @ 1:56 pace with 200 easy run rec.
1-2 miles easy running
Continuing with the theme of "Tuesday is interval day", you'll start to extend the distance that you run at pace. The pace suggested is relative to your goal marathon time so please resist running any faster. You want to finish each of these workouts STRONG and you must realize that future Tuesday workouts will add more and more distance.

Wednesday  - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Thursday - 4 miles hills (10:35 pace)

Friday - Rest day

Saturday - LSD 10 miles  (10:35-10:50 pace)

Total planned miles 28

M5T W3 Recap

Saturday sunset

 As I predicted, my week was nothing like my plan.  If I was closer to December 11th, I'd probably be a little more worried, but I've had a fun week!

Sunday - Rest day
Rested

Monday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Ran 6.1 miles on my favorite trail
I knew this was my chance for a good trail run.  The temps were awesome and I enjoyed every step.  I was glad I got an early start because as I was on my way down the entire Simi High cross country team was coming up.  They are an amazing group of kids - always friendly and share the space.

Tuesday - Intervals - 8 miles
Rested
My legs were sore from the trail run, but we also had a leak under our kitchen sink.  This meant the laundry and cleaning I needed to do before we left for Hawaii had to get done early so Les could turn the water off.  I'm just glad we discovered it while we were there.

Wednesday  - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Another rest day, if you call travel resting.  We tried Uber for the first time and loved it!  We live about 40 miles from LAX and have tried just about every mode of transportation.  This was cheaper than a shared shuttle van and the ride was smoother.  We lucked out with a great driver.

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Ran 10.11 miles, then walked 1.1 miles for cool down.
Awake at 4:00 a.m. due to jet-lag?  Might as well go for my long run!  I'm really glad I got my long run in on Thursday as the rest of the week got a little crazy.  Still didn't get the planned distance, but close enough.
First night of music workshop - blasted my lungs for about 2 hours.

Friday - Rest day
Rested.
I had planned to bike commute with Les but it was pouring rain when we got up.  Second night of music workshop - blasted my lungs for another 2 hours.

Saturday - LSD 12 miles  (10:35-10:50 pace)
Rode 12.6 miles
I was short on time so cut this ride a little short.  Music workshop at 9:00 a.m. about an hour away.  That was a little tough, but my lungs got another good workout!

Total planned miles 30
Actual
Running  16.21
Walking 1.10
Cycling 12.60
Total  29.91

How was your week?
Ever tried Uber?

Fall Favorite - Who Needs Pumpkin?

The first days of September in California are teasing us with beautiful weather.  My list for the grocery store last Thursday included ingredients for my favorite Fall muffins - Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins.  Unfortunately, the shelf space for canned pumpkin was empty.  This happened once before and I improvised by making Spice Muffins with canned sweet potatoes, and that's what I did again.  These are so good and easy, I knew I needed to share.  They also make the house smell amazing.

Pumpkin or Spice Muffins

Makes 18 muffins
1 Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) OR
1 15 oz. can Sweet potatoes in light syrup


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Grease cupcake pans.  Puree sweet potatoes in the blender for about 30 seconds.  Mix ingredients (no egg or oil, just the cake mix and pumpkin or sweet potatoes) and pour in prepared pans.  Bake according to mix instructions for cupcakes, using the full amount of time (approximately 25 minutes).

Remove from oven and enjoy while still warm!  Go all out with the fine china...


These are less than 150 calories each.  They are very dense and filling.  Make these, you won't regret it!

Any easy Fall favorite recipes you want to share?