Training Overview #sftsRUNS

Welcome to today’s 10K Training Overview!  This is a weekly series in which I 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:

This week, I could feel myself mentally refocusing on fitness which is exactly what my goal was.  Actually, my goal was to not skip any training runs.  That goal was unreached this week, but I’m really happy with how the week went.  I tried to balance between the need to add mileage and listening to my body.  My body let me know pretty early in the week that we would not be logging too many miles too quickly.  I missed a few runs after all.  BUT, I’m happy with the quantity of miles I logged and also at the quality of my runs.  I’m feeling pretty confident going into this week!

Training Plan:

Planned Mileage:  13.5

Actual Mileage: 11.86

Longest Distance:  4.52

Training Miles to Date: 13.86

Weight Change:

I really dislike weighing myself when my monthly gift arrives because my body retains an unnecessary amount of water.  I have seen 10 lbs. fluctuations over the course of 24 hours, it’s actually insane.

Physical Condition:

I didn’t notice any issues this week, except that I think my shoes are nearing their end of life.  I was hoping they would last me through Great Race training, but I don’t know if they will!  I’m waiting a week or so to figure out if my feet are just readjusting to being active again, which is equally as likely right now.  Running in Pittsburgh is no joke, yo.  The unwavering humidity we’ve had, the endless steep or rolling hills, THE MADNESS.  Maybe I’m just not a summer runner…but I’m trying to be dammit!

Mental Condition:

My super power is that I curl up into a ball and wait for death every time I menstruate, so yeah.  I’m in my usual fog of complete and utter exhaustion, fatigue, hunger, and crankiness right now BUT I’m not letting it stop my fitness.  <- I actually talked to my doctor about this and she prescribed me a low-dose birth control which I will be starting soon.  Hopefully being on the pill will help regulate my hormones and I won’t be on such a crazy emotional roller coaster every month.  It should also prevent the hormone fluctuations which I think are causing my fatigue.  No more excuses!

Nutrition:

Somehow I managed to procrastinate grocery shopping for almost two full weeks, which meant scavenging for food when I was home and eating Subway when I couldn’t find anything.  I don’t feel like I ate particularly bad, but it wasn’t great either.  The summer heat does NOT motivate me to cook much, let alone eat much.  The good news is, I stocked my fridge and pantry back up so this should improve this coming week.  🙂  I had considered trying the paleo diet, but the doctor said that I should rethink it.  I’ve been reading a ton about macro-nutrients and IIFYM; I’m still sifting through all the info and I’m thinking this might be the one for me!  Right now I’m just focusing on preparing and eating healthy options.

Non-Mileage Training (but still running related):

Big zero in this column for the week!  I even skipped the last day of Yoga In The Square because I moved my long run to Sunday.  Ooops!

Impact On Real Life:

Someday I hope I look back on this post and remember this rookie mistake:  I started training for an end-of-September race in the beginning of June.  This makes absolutely no sense, but does explain why I was feeling so burned out by training by the time actual training was supposed to start.  I was technically training for a Firecracker the entire month of June, but mentally I was training for the Great Race.  A more experienced runner would’ve separated their 5K and 10K training into two different plans, with a few recovery weeks in between.  Hindsight being 20/20, I won’t make that mistake again.  But, last week I realized that I needed to reevaluate my training plan to get the most out of the time I have left.

Action Plan:

This week, I really need to dig deep and get every training run in. The only person who is going to be effected is ME, and why would I want to screw myself over?  I don’t want to screw anybody else over obviously, but I definitely don’t want to screw myself over!  I want to finish the Great Race, and honestly I’d like to run a better race than I did in the PM Relay.  I have a hundred thousand excuses for any and everything throughout the day – they no longer apply to my running.

Training Overview #sftsRUNS

Welcome to a half-hearted installment of my 10K Training Overview!  This is a weekly practically-defunct series in which I 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:

Well, well, well.  So we meet again Weekly Overview.  Tbh, I thought of you as my nemesis for a few weeks there, but it’s time to face those fears.  I literally (and by that I mean, in theory or probably or supposedly) have a psychological condition in which I put so much pressure on myself to do something that I freak out and sabotage myself.  I think I have a fear of being successful.  Sad, really.  The worst part of this psychological condition is that it’s made up, so the only remedy is to get over it.  Combine that drama with a few weeks of depression and it made for a whole lot of un-training.  Or counter-training.  Per my usual routine, I took a two-week break from running right smack in the middle of my training program.  I didn’t run a single mile from 7/27 – 8/9.   You know, just long enough to lose fitness and want to shoot myself in both feet.  Unluckily, I was born with the gene that loves to make myself suffer, but LUCKILY it came with the freakishly competitive gene that has to come out on top.  So my training program, my overview posts, my dignity, and my goal will all be salvaged.

Training Plan:

Since I’ve taken 2 weeks off, this section is insignificant this week.  I will be writing a TON here next week I’m sure as I reevaluate my training program yet again.

Weight Change:

My weight loss goal is 150 lbs.  By August, my goal is to be down to 175 lbs.  I weigh in immediately after I wake up on Monday mornings.  This morning I weighed in at 185 lbs.!!!  Only 10 lbs. to go by the end of the month.  Since I’ve been mostly sedentary, I know that reaching my summer goal weight is still very much a reality.  Over the weekend, it felt phenomenal to go shopping with my sister and know that I wasn’t relegated to the small sections marked “XL” anymore.  I actually bought a pair of size MEDIUM yoga pants from Victoria’s Secret.  Last summer, I couldn’t even wear the brand at all – this was a huge victory for me!!!  I’ve said it a hundred times and I will keep saying it:  progress happens in the kitchen!  Clean eating is 100% responsible for my continued weight loss progress.

Physical Condition:

I went for a 2 mile walk yesterday with my mom and I felt like it was the jump-start I needed.  I was actually winded from walking up a baby size hill and that scared me.  Turns out, I think it was just my allergies, but it lit that fire under my ass!

Mental Condition:

I’m getting there.  It’s true what they say:  the more active you are, the more active you want to be.  The reverse is also true, the more lazy you are, the more lazy you want to be.  I know that each decision I made to be inactive fueled the vicious cycle of inactivity.  Our habits really are just a series of decisions that create results.  It’s a big powerful thing when you realize that you pick the results you want by simply making the decision that matches up.   I think that’s why healthy living suits me – the practice of it follows the same principles that the practice of sustainability does.  Be mindful, be accountable, and think of the bigger picture.

Nutrition:

Even when I’m not sticking to my clean eating routine, I still eat pretty healthy.  Even on a bad day, I’m having a better day than most people.  Even though it took me YEARS of trial and error to teach myself how to eat/think about nutrition, the struggle is worth it.  The journey has been hard and it will never really be over.  I imagine that little itch, EDNOS and/or binge eating, will always be in the back of my mind, always too far out of reach to be scratched.  The last 2 weeks took a significant downturn for me and I was finding myself stuffing my face with Nutri-Grain bars (1 is healthy, 4 at one time not so much) and Chex Mix Muddy Buddies.  I ate my favorite meals over the weekend and now I’m mentally ready to buckle down.

I spent the weekend reading about the paleo diet and I’ve decided to give it a try.  More on this during the week!

Non-Mileage Training (but still running related):

I continued to attend yoga throughout my running break, along with riding my bike a few times.  This week, I’m focused on mentally pushing myself to get in every training run.  That’s my #1 goal for the week.

Impact On Real Life:

I’m just happy to not be curled up in a ball watching Lifetime movies at this point.  One day at a time!

Action Plan:

Obviously, I need to be very specific with my goals.  This week, my goal is to stick to my training plan 100% and not skip anything.  That’s all I can ask of myself right now!

 

Training Overview #sftsRUNS

Welcome to today’s 10K Training Overview!  This is a weekly accidentally sporadic series in which I document my weekly accidentally sporadic 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:

As with everything I set my mind to, I got a little distracted.  HEY!  I’m an Aries!  Give me a break!  I’ve been running, working out, and eating clean but I haven’t been following my set training plan.  At all.  It felt fake to come here and try to BS my way through an update with what amounts to fluff.  Something has gone awry in training land, but I am determined to get myself back on track!

Weight Change:

My weight loss goal is 150 lbs.  By August, my goal is to be down to 175 lbs.  When I began this training cycle, I weighted 192.7 and I am happy to report that this morning I weighed in at 186.7!  That’s a -6 lb. weight loss since the beginning of June.  I am thrilled – that is about a pound per week!  190 was a plateau that I just could.  not.  break.  through.  I’m so excited to see my progress with a more regular cardio regimen.

Physical Condition:

This past Sunday, I biked downtown (22.56 miles roundtrip) to participate in some FREE yoga in Market Square.  It was gorgeous and so much fun!  Seriously, how beautiful is Pittsburgh?  Ugh…I love it so hard.  My body is completely sore in so many different places from yoga, which of course makes me want to go back every Sunday.  Loved it and hey! you can’t beat the price of free.

Mental Condition:

I’ve honestly fallen into another one of my “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” slumps and have been lacking any and all motivation to regularly work out.  My body has been itching for physical activity, I’ve just got to get my mind back on board.  I’ll get there. 😦

Nutrition:

My clean eating has been my only salvation lately.  The FB challenge group I belong to has helped with this exponentially!  Also, not buying junk food has helped.  I did fall off the wagon once over the weekend, but that’s only because I’m making it my own personal mission to keep the fro-yo place down at the Waterfront in business!  Every night I say a prayer that it will survive what so many other ice cream related shoppes could not.  PS – I don’t even feel bad for eating this because the topping is mostly fruit and the total was less than $3.00.  That’s basically imaginary fro-yo in my book.  ALSO, I absolutely hated the bottom flavor (french toast – it 100% tasted like a Yankee candle) so I didn’t even eat half the yogurt.

Non-Mileage Training (but still running related):

This has been the majority of what I’ve been doing.  Oops!  Lots of biking and walking, a little yoga, and a little running.

Impact On Real Life:

Clean eating has changed my metabolism and it’s really starting to pay off.  Seeing results without actually putting in much effort is huge and it makes me want to push myself this week.  I will get more results if I put it more work!  The only thing holding me back from being the person I want to be is ME.

Action Plan:

This week I need to stick to my training plan and get in all my miles.  I need to get back on track with running and I’m looking forward to more yoga on Sunday 🙂

 

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.
• 
• 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.

Training Overview #sftsRUNS

Welcome to the 2nd 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:

Unfortunately, my personal life continued along its downward spiral last week.  Running is extremely cathartic and I am so thankful that I’m able to do it.  I had scheduled some T-25 days with my friend, but because of the long hours I was pulling at work I just couldn’t juggle it.  I did try and get out of the house a bit, so I went to the Pirates game on Thursday with some friends.  I had planned a few other things, but I was basically just trying to keep my head above water all week.

Training Plan:

Planned Mileage:  9.5 miles

Actual Mileage:  8.18 miles <– Still under my goal, but improved since last week!

Longest Distance:  3.39

Training Miles to Date:  13.83

Weight Change:

My weight loss goal is 150 lbs.  By August, my goal is to be down to 175 lbs.  I weigh in immediately after I wake up on Monday mornings.  Last Monday, I weighed in at 190.2 and this morning I weighed in at 190.9.  I’m not discouraged by that at all because I drank quite a few beers at the Pirates game and spent half the week eating whatever I felt like.

Physical Condition:

Excellent!  I’m not expecting anything to really start changing until a few more weeks into training.  I’m still happy with my running shoes and am pretty consistent with stretching after a hard workout.  As far as I can tell, I’m staying hydrated – still just working on my summer swag.  Runner’s World recently posted some tips for running in humidity.  What I got out of it:  I overheat quickly as it is, but the humidity exacerbates the situation by not letting my sweat evaporate.  Therefore, it is important for me to be mindful of when the humidity is lowest, stay hydrated, and take walking breaks when the humidity is high.

Mental Condition:

I try to keep my posts light-hearted for the most part, but this week felt like the 9th circle of hell.  Running helps, of course.  But, I noticed a problem that I think translates into my life.  I don’t believe in myself enough.  As soon as I let doubt creep into my mind, I succumb to it.  I don’t know when I lost faith in myself to be a capable, independent, strong person but I am all of those things.  The only one holding me back from taking control of my life/health/happiness is me.  Even if I block out or try to forget what I put into my body – my body keeps a very accurate record.  Really, this isn’t something you can half ass.  I’ve been half assing it for years which is why I’ve managed to maintain the same weight but never lose.

Nutrition:

Well….this is where things kind of fell apart this week.  Oops!  Not saying it wasn’t worth it, but I can do better.

#yolo

Non-Mileage Training (but still running related):

I had a few days where I walked the dogs as cross training, but I really didn’t do any of my HIIT work.  No excuses, I just need to do it!

Impact On Real Life:

I think the problem with last week is that I didn’t let it have an impact on my real life.  I let depression and anxiety get the better of me and I sabotaged myself.    Writing all of this out makes it much more clear, so thankfully I can see where I need to make improvements.

Action Plan:

I hit the grocery store on Sunday and spent a lot of time meal planning/prepping food for the week.  I also made it a point to go through the daily/weekly pages of my planner and write things down.  I added in fitness info, more meals, and added my blog posts for the week.  Even if I have to switch the days around, at least everything is there and I have to look at it.  I forgot to snap a pic when I was finished, but this is about halfway through:

I honestly don’t know how people function without writing things down.  So, my action plan this week is to follow the plan I have written down for myself.  I mean how hard is that?  (Don’t answer that question.)  Do the damn workouts, eat the damn food and don’t binge out.  My mantra of the month:  I can do hard things.  I can.  I don’t even care if it sounds like a “That’s what she said…” punchline.  It helps me and it also makes me giggle sometimes!