Training Overview Week 3 #sftsRUNS

Welcome to the 3rd installment of my 10K Training Overview!  This is a weekly series in which I will document my weekly running progress, nutrition, photos, and mileage as I train for Pittsburgh’s 2014 Great Race on September 28th.  If you are on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook – you can also follow along using the hashtag #sftsRUNS.   These overviews are intended not only for me as a way to document my fitness journey, but also as a means to inspire other newbie runners who are ready to move beyond the 5K distance.

Weekly Overview:

• Liberty has been accompanying me on more and more – I can tell she really loves it.  I really miss my old running buddy, Hallie the poodle, but Liberty is becoming an old pro.  Except for when she gets distracted by her reflection, or stops to take a shit in the middle of a cross walk of a busy intersection (who does that?!)…or all the times she seems to forget what we are doing, so she basically stops right in front of me.  We’ll get there, Liberty.  I’m also slowly working on training a new little running buddy – Bea Arthur.
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• The humidity last week absolutely sucked the life out of me.  The air has been so saturated it feels like there’s no oxygen.  Bumping my runs up to the wee hours of the morning has definitely helped this, along with taking way more walking breaks than usual.  The last thing I need is to pass out on the side of the road with Liberty attached to my arm.  I visualize her dragging me onto the train tracks while she chases bunnies into the brush.  That was disturbing.  Moving on…listening to my body seems to be working.
• As of Friday we are 2 weeks out from the 4th of July!  I am registered for the Brentwood Firecracker 5K – will you be running with me?!

Training Plan:

Planned Mileage:  10

Actual Mileage: 10.45 <— BOOOOOOM!!!!!

Longest Distance:  3.09

Training Miles to Date:  24.28

Weight Change:

Last week I weighed in at 190.9 and this morning I weighed in at 189.2.  That’s a -1.7 lb. loss for the week!!!!!!  If you can read that and say “What’s the big deal, it’s not even 2 lbs.” then obviously you’ve never been fat.  I am ecstatic!!  I haven’t been able to break through 190 all year and I finally did!!!  HUGE HUGE HUGE motivator for me this week.  I want more more more less less less <– however you look at it!

Physical Condition:

No cramping, aching, stiffness, or other physical symptoms.  I felt extremely tired, but I think it’s just the weather.  Despite the fatigue, I stuck to my training mileage and I felt like I gave 100% all week.  I hope I’m being smart.  It’s never easy for me to discern smartness from my own laziness when it comes to running.  I’m terrified of getting injured and I’m basically flying blind with this whole running/training/fitness thing.  I think I’ve found a balance between being cautious and simply not having motivation to push myself harder.  Oh, to have insurance and not be consumed with these things.  That’s a lie, it would still consume me.  Anyway, my only complaint is bike seat butt pain from a long ride on Sunday.

Mental Condition:

Mentally, I’m in a much better place than I was the last 2 weeks.  Things are still complicated and stressful, but I’m not investing too much energy into stressing myself out.  Who knew it was that easy?  We are down to 1 vehicle while the other is in the shop, so I’ve kind of been forced to run some of my old routes around the Homestead/West Homestead/Waterfront area.  Don’t get me wrong, there are endless places to run with no shortage of things to look at.  It’s freaking awesome, BUT…after running the same routes over and over started to make me dread running.  Now that I’m a regular back at my old stomping grounds, it’s cool to see how much I’ve improved since last year and also how much I’m improving day by day.  I’m finding fun ways to challenge myself on my old routes by playing little games with myself and just generally trying to make it more mentally engaging.

Nutrition:

I hit the grocery store HARD last Sunday and I stockpiled tons of healthy options.  The theme this week was: Eat Breakfast,  Dammit!  I’ve been making it a point to eat breakfast every single day and it truly helps me make better decisions during the day.  Still struggling with chocolate cravings and Lord, do I want BEER.  Nice, cold, refreshing beer on these muggy summer days.

Non-Mileage Training (but still running related):

You can just give me a big “F” in the HIIT column AGAIN this week (- God, what is wrong with me?!)  I did go for an amazing bike ride on Sunday, so I got in my hour of cross-training and then some.  (More on that later in the week!)

via DailyMile.com

Impact On Real Life:

I am truly loving the whole crack of dawn wake up call thing!  By the time I go to work around 10AM, I feel like I’ve all ready accomplished so much during the day.  I have the type of personality that really thrives in a structured environment.  When I start to get into the swing of a training plan, my entire life becomes more productive.  The dogs are getting more attention, I’m cooking more often, doing meal prep more often, my house is cleaner, etc.  I’m sure this may change as I move into higher mileage training, so I will enjoy it while I can!

Action Plan:

Strength train. Strength train. Strength train.  I may be getting away with not doing it now, but I will pay for it later!  My 5K is just around the corner and I couldn’t feel more ready.