Friday Follow Up

TGIF folks! Woohoo for finally Friday!! Even though I'm off work today, I'm still glad it's Friday!

I'm enjoying the new work schedule so far. I was especially thankful for the break from work this week. I got sucked into a workplace drama vortex of astronomical proportions and it has been quite the ordeal!!  I guess I must be kind of a Pollyanna, because I just expect that people will always do the right thing for the right reason and be kind to one another. Every now and then though, the hateful side of people rears its ugly head and it is almost more than I can bear! I typically try to avoid those situations but I got brought into this one by default as I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I so badly wanted to just tell them all "it's not my circus, not my monkeys"! I think the worst of it has blown over now and hopefully when I return next week, it will be forgotten!!

 

This is the final week of Pathways, with the Tulsa Run 15k being tomorrow. I'm so proud of my group! They started strong and finished strong! They endured heat, humidity, rain, wrong turns, etc and still stuck it out!!  Their longest run (9 miles) was in the rain. Our maps quickly turned to mush that day, so we had to wing it on the route a little bit. They were probably annoyed but they took it in stride with grace!!  Last Saturday, they did Golf Ball Hill which has become a rite of passage for Pathwayers. It is a long, fairly steep hill with an elevation of 800-ish ft. At the top of the hill sits a water tower that resembles a golf ball on a tee, hence the name. There may have been a couple of wrong turns that day as well, but I plied them with mimosas at the end of the run to keep them reasonably happy! And tomorrow, they will run with perseverance the race that is laid before them like the champs that they are!!  Last night was our last run as a group. We tried to keep it fun and light hearted but I couldn't help feeling a little bit somber and somewhat melancholy. They've been such a fun group to work with. 3 of my girls gave me a really sweet card and QT gift card that will help fuel my sweet tea addiction for a while!  I can't wait to line up at the start line with them!! I've got the 12:00 min/mile group but we have anywhere from 11:45 - 13:00 minute/mile runners. And, until this week, they have been running intervals. My plan is to start at about an 11:45 with them but my goal finish time is 1:40 so I will need to maintain an 11:15-11:20. I don't plan to run intervals either. I run until my body feels like it needs a break, then I walk for a few seconds and run again. The weather is going to be quite warm for October and this is a new route, so I'm just hoping for the best really, but a shiny new PR would be nice!!

 

 

Hubs and I have been consistently strength training. I was a little pressed for time when I got home from work on Monday night. I wanted to workout but didn't want to spend an hour doing it, so we tried the BodyBeast Bulk Chest. Holy sore pecs Batman!!  The bulk workouts are no joke!!  They are about 30-35 minutes in length. They incorporate the same super sets and drop sets as the build phase but there is less rest between sets. There is more stress/tension on the muscles therefore we should see some serious growth soon!! 

I'm still trying to clean my diet up but I just like sweet treats too much!!  I'm going to try a couple of different things for the next couple of weeks to see if I notice any difference. Cross your fingers for me!!

Ok, that's all I've got for today! Until next time--get up, get out and get moving!!  Whatever you do today, be awesome at it!!

Your friend,

Theresa

Workout Wednesday

Good morning folks!

We're halfway there!! 

Last night was track night for Pathways. We did 4 800's. Our splits were 5:21, 5:14, 5:21, 5:17 I was very proud of them!! The track can be scary and intimidating but we had a large turnout. I spoke to them beforehand about not worrying what everyone else was doing out there, to just do the best that they could do and that's exactly what they did. This is such a great group!! Thursday nights we usually do hills, but tomorrow night we're doing a progression run. I'm a little bit concerned because that's 2 speedwork days in 1 week. And I'm planning to race my 5k this weekend. And by race, I mean HARD! My goal is to win my age group!!  I guess I'll be in recovery socks and doing yoga this weekend!!

After the run, I came home and did the 21 Day Fix Upper Fix. I've got to stay consistent with my cross training because I know its good for me and I LOVE it! I feel so good after I finish my workouts! Tonight I'm doing Body Beast Build Back and Biceps.

As you know, I'm always looking for new workout options to keep things fresh and keep me motivated. Well, I recently discovered DailyBurn   It is a total fitness site with video workouts, meal plans, etc. There is a 30 day free trial then it's $10 / month which is pretty reasonable compared to most gym memberships. The nutrition plan is an extra $5 / month but that's still pretty cheap. I pay much more than that for a gym membership and personal trainer. I would like to try the CORE workout program. I think that I could stack that with my Body Beast workouts. And, if I like it, then I will drop my gym membership and use this instead. I really prefer working out at home anyway.

Ok, that's all for today.

Until next time -- get up,  get out,  and get moving!  Whatever you do today,  be awesome at it! 

Your friend, 

Theresa 

Mental Overtraining?

Good morning folks!!  Happy Wednesday! We're halfway there!!

Happy AHA National Walking Day!

I guess I was having a little pity party yesterday. Sorry 'bout that! Actually, I'm glad I could get all that off my chest.

No, I didn't run yesterday. I desperately wanted to. I was invited to join my friends for "Turkey Tuesday" but it wasn't meant to be. I was sick with an upper respiratory infection for a couple of days. I thought that I was feeling better, so I went ahead and went to work. But, before I even got there, I was running a fever again. I stayed as long as I could tough it out, but I left early. I came home, got on my pj's and got back in bed. I feel better today just weak. The most I could probably muster today, if anything would be about a mile if even that. But 1 mile is better than no miles, so we'll see what happens after work. ;-)

Getting all that out there yesterday really made me reflect on what's been going on with me lately. We know that training takes so much physically. We get in the miles, we do the stretching, foam rolling, pre-hab and rehab, etc required to achieve our goals. But, do we think about how much mental prep is involved in training for a big race??  I know that I don't.

Last fall, when I decided that I would train for a marathon, I was gung ho. I was excited because I had a new goal and I approached it with reckless abandon. Then, in late January, I had the realization that a marathon wasn't a realistic goal for me. That was a little bit of a let down. I lost some of that gusto. Then, 2 weeks later, it became obvious that my Achilles injury was going to be an issue. Another let down.....   More wind out of my sails......   

So, when the half marathon rolled around, I wasn't really as excited about it as I should have been. Race day came and it was a less than desirable experience. After the half, not only did I have the normal post race let down, but I had an injury that was going to take some time to heal. I didn't know how long it would be before I could run again. Or if I would ever be able to run again. As  result, I didn't have any races planned, so nothing to look forward to our goals to work forward. Looking back at all this, it's easy to see how I've gotten so discouraged and down in the dumps. I try hard to always maintain a positive attitude. But one can only fake it so much.

Ok, so now I recognize it and I'm owning it. Now, it's time to figure out how to move past it. I think that I'll eventually get my mojo back. But I don't want to force it. If I do and I have problems, then I'll probably stop forever. I'm pretty sure that I'll know when the time is right and I'm thinking that it will be sooner rather than later!

I've got to form a game plan and figure out how to take better care of myself mentally and emotionally, not just physically when I'm training.

Until next time--get up, get out, get moving and be awesome today.

Your friend,

Theresa

How do you take care of yourself while training?

Friday Followup

TGIF friends!!

Yay!!  We finally made it!!

Yesterday was VERY busy at work. It seemed like things were going well then, out of the blue, things suddenly went south and everything blew up! I went from "ok, this is going great, I might get out of here on time" to "I'm sorry honey, I'm still working and don't know when I'll be finished" Even my co-workers were surprised. They kept saying "what are you doing here, isn't it time for you to go home"

When I finally got out of there, I blazed a trail straight home. I had a new workout to try and I was eager to get to it (not really, but trying to be enthusiastic for your sakes) Hubs and I have been doing our 30 day strength training program pretty faithfully. I'm really liking it. I think I can see some changes in my arms already. We adjusted our rest day this week to accommodate schedules though so we were taking last night off. Well, I was browsing the interwebs the other day and I saw that Jillian Michaels has a new workout DVD out, the One Week Shred. I was intrigued.

I'm a fan of Jillian. I have most of her DVD's. It's an intense 7 day workout and custom diet plan designed to help you lose the last few stubborn pounds that you've been dying to lose for a special event. Well, I just happen to have a college reunion next weekend, so I bought it. You're supposed to start with the strength workout in the morning and do the cardio workout in the evening. Each workout is about 30 minutes. Well, I did them both back to back last night. I've done several of her workouts in the past and I have to say that this one is pretty challenging. When I finished, I felt like I had done some work! It will be interesting to see the results at the end of the week!

I'm supposed to meet some friends for happy hour after work. I really would like to go, but I don't want to miss my workout so we'll see. No big plans for us this weekend. We're just going to play it by ear. We may stay home and chill but we might fly by the seat of our pants and find something fun to do. Who knows?!

Until next time--get up, get out, get moving! Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend!!

Your friend,

Theresa

What's on your agenda for this weekend?