Suck it up, Buttercup (week 7)

This week, I was back up and running again, now that my foot is healed.  Our weather has turned colder and more gray, which is making running much more difficult.  My plans called for 2,3,2,3 in terms of mileage, which isn't bad.  I just did not want to drag my butt out of the door--at least for these three runs. I did my first three mile run of the week on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving), and it was in the 40s and raining.  It took just about every ounce of me to get out there and get that run done.  I even had an errand that I had to do, and the chilly weather and rain didn't make that thought any better.  But, the errand did have to be done, so I could only put it off for so long.Wh

So, I decided that the run was just going to be a case of, "Suck it up, Buttercup," and just get it out of the way.  I dressed in my running leggings, a lightweight long sleeve running top, and a fleece jacket (I don't have a waterproof running jacket).  It wasn't raining hard at the time, so I decided to get it over and done with.  Once outside, I had to give myself some pep-talks...."Come on, a little rain never hurt. You got this. Think about your buddy. Your buddy has it rougher than you.  Alright now, keep going. Us runners are tough. You get bad@$$ points for running in this.  The sooner we get this done, the sooner you cango back inside and take a hot shower..."

Funny enough, that run ended up being a good run!  The three miles didn't really feel like 3 miles. I did make the brief stop for my errand, but I was in and out in about a minute.  What was also helpful that I saw another runner, an older gentleman, on my way back.  We passed each other, and he told me something along the lines of, "We gotta get these miles in somehow." I responded back, "Hey. We get bad@$$ points for this!" That made him laugh, and made me feel better, knowing that I am strong enough to power through the rest of the run (although, I have to admit, my past two half marathons were WAY more wet, and I FROZE afterwards).

I didn't run on Thanksgiving or the day after, since I decided to spend that time enjoying good food and friends/family.  I personally think people should really enjoy food on Thanksgiving, and not really think about calories consumed and all that, unless they have a medical reason.  I've seen postings online with stuff like "If you eat two slices of pumpkin pie, then you need to do X amount of miles,"or, "You will need to do this amount of burpees,"  or, "You will need to do this amount of X workout X times." If I had followed that, I would have had to run 8 miles or something....yeah...not happening there.. I will just sit and enjoy my slices of pumpkin pie, thank you very much. :)

So yesterday my two mile run.  This run was slower, and I think it was partially due to all that I ate on Thanksgiving, plus having four slices of pizza from my favorite pizza place in my hometown on Friday probably didn't help that much. However, I have learned of another food that I can't have before a run......cranberry sauce.  I was craving it the night before, and I had some leftover cranberries, so I made some up.  I ate some of the leftovers during my late morning breakfast (or more likely, brunch, since it was around 11). I did my run a few hours later, and I just feel that stuff not settling well with me. That made me feel really heavy, and kinda tired (maybe too much sugar), and I didn't appreciate having to burp.  That was one run that I was glad to get out of the way. In addtion, it was windy, which made my face cold (yet my body was sweating some), and I could feel a lot of tension in my neck, which I'm guessing is partially from the chilly wind, plus it just being a harder run in general. I was just so ready to be done, and was really glad when I hit my two mile mark, and was back home in the warmth. I ended up back home, under the covers, and developed a bit of a headache, which went away as I rested some and showered. The one positive thing (okay, I'm choosing it to be positive) was that there was a car that went by, and honked at me quite a bit, with a bit cheering.  I didn't catch who was driving, but I decided to think that they were cheering me on, thinking I was an awesome runner.  If I have a tough run or race ahead of me, I might as well have a dose of awesome sauce thrown in, right?

The run today, although I wasn't burping cranberries, was just really tough. I must be running low on my awesome sauce juice or something, as I really wasn't feeling it.  I'm not quite sure why the run was so hard. Even my oatmeal didn't seem to give me the energy boost that I normally get.  Mentally, I was not wanting to run, but I had to do it.  So, this time, I decided on a different direction, just for a change of pace. This direction brought me more into the downtown area and a bit onto campus.  I dragged myself out the door, and got going.  Again, my energy just didn't feel up par, and mentally, I wanted to be back at home.  I was running in my running pants, a long sleeve running top, and a hoodie, so I was warm enough. However, I felt like a turtle trudging through mud. I have no idea what my pace was, as I didn't have my phone on me, but I just couldn't make myself go any faster.

Mentally, I wasn't there either. I about wanted to call it quits when I ran past my block, but I knew I would be mad at myself for not completing the run.  I had all of these negative thoughts going through my head about me just dreading being out there, being so slow, feeling some random aches, wondering what if I have to walk in the marathon, how hard this run is, and who knows what else.  Yet, the other voice in my head was going, "SHUT UP ALREADY! JUST.SHUT.UP! Think about your buddy. Think of him "running" with you for this last bit.  Besides, this whole walking thing, you're already planning on walking through water/aide stops in the marathon if you do it. There's no shame in that. So, just shut up, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Besides, you're almost done. X street is up ahead, and you'll only have a matter of blocks to go from there." I pictured myself running with my buddy for a bit, which did make the run a slightly bit easier towards the end. Plus, I did manage to run just a wee bit faster (pretending I was heading towards the finish line), but man, I was so glad to be done.

I know that these won't be the last of my tough runs, but I really felt that difference between of me wanting/needing to run (for my sanity), and me needing to run because of this training.  It is such a mental game. This makes me wonder on how much tougher mentally the marathon will be if I do it. The physical part is going to be super hard, no doubt about it, but mentally is a whole different race. Yet, at the end of it all, I want it to be 100% worth it.

off week---foot injury

This week, I am grateful that I have some extra time built into my training schedule because I ended up needing it.  Unfortunately, I had a slight injury happen with my left foot when I was in gymnastics on Thursday.  I was working on a handstand drill using a training beam, and when I came down from one of my attempts, I mis-stepped off the of the edge of the training beam, and my foot kinda rolled sideways. I ended up falling to the mat next to me.  At first, it did hurt some, so I spent a few minutes massaging and moving it about. I knew it wasn't serious as I still had my range of motion. The pain lessened after a few minutes, so I thought it was kind of a random thing to happen and that it wouldgo away on it's own as I continued to practice. I got through the rest of practice fine. I did notice that my foot felt slightly swollen in my shoe, was otherwise feeling okay.  I get home, go to bed some time later, and wokee up about 1:30 a.m. with a fair amount of pain, and some loss of range of motion. I could put weight on it, which was a good sign, but I was tentative to do so. I didn't have an ACE bandage, so I wrapped a sock around the middle of my foot, which is where I felt like it needed the most support.

The good thing about this is that I could feel that my foot was improving, almost by the hour.  There really wasn't bruising either.  I'm thinking that maybe I mostly jammed the foot.  Either way, I'm glad that the foot is improving, and I'm hoping to get back on track with this training program this week.

On a happier note, I learned earlier this week that my running buddy, Mateo, turned 3!  I really hope that I can one day meet him and his family.  He is such a huge inspiration to my running, and I can't wait to get back onto the pavement for him.  The only thing I'm not liking that is getting colder outside, and I don't have much in terms of winter running gear.  I will have to make due to with the running stuff that I have for right now, but maybe with the holidays coming up, I can get some cold weather gear either as a Christmas gift or on sale to buy for myself.  I'm trying to avoid running on the treadmill as much as possible still. I know that I will eventually have to do some runs on the treadmill, but I'm still hoping to be outside as much as possible.

One last thing for this week's post: music.  Although I've been running without music more often lately (mostly because of me needing to get my butt out the door in time to run), but sometimes, I still do like running to music. Keep in mind that I mostly run to pop music. I do realize that there are risks with running with music, so I try to take those precautions, and still be aware of my surroundings.  That being said, I decided to add a few new songs to my playlist, as good songs can also help me find inspiration in my run, whether I find that I like lyrics/message (and find myself mentally changing the lryics to make it running/racing related) or just the overall beat.  Feel free to look these up online, and add them to your own playlist if you find ones that you like.

Shakira: Try Everything
Adele: Send Your Love (to your new lover)
Rihanna: Pon De Replay
Walk the Moon: Work This Body
Imagine Dragons: I Bet My Life
Meghan Trainor: Better When I'm Dancing
Sheppard: Geronimo


  

Week 6: Choosy Mom's May Choose Jiff, but I can't

This was one week in which I am glad that I got to run.  For those of us in the states, we had our Presidental Elections, and that has caused tremendous stress for a lot of people. Without getting too political, I realized that regardless whomever is President, that does NOT change me for who I am. I am still a person who still cares for my loved ones and who still wants peace and happiness for everyone. I think there has been a lot of fear and sadness going on, but the only person that I can control is myself.  It may sound selfish, but if I'm really angry or upset, I cannot make rational decisions to help others, let alone focus on what I have to do. ISo, with that being said, I continued to run, despite some emotional hardships I had this week, and running helped my physically deal with that stress.  I needed those short runs (2 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles), as I was able to regroup, and maybe get a bit of an emotional boost that we can all use.

As for my long run today, I am in the beginning stages of figuring out some fueling. In terms of the actual training runs, most of the foods I have been eating have been working fine.  I have found that peanut butter crackers, fried eggs, and oatmeal work well for me. I did make the mistake of eating an enchilada chicken and bean dish for lunch one day.  The beans gave me quite a bit of gas, making me quite gratefull that I was running by myself outside.    Oops!

Today, I was needing some pre-run fuel, as I had a long run of 4.5 miles on the schedule.  To be honest, money is also super tight right now, and groceries are getting a bit scarce, but I found some peanut butter and nutella.  So I mixed some of each in a bowl and ate that.  About 30 minutes or so later, I headed out for the run.  I don't know if I didn't allow for enough time for them to settle, but I could just tell that stuff was not "setting" in my system well.  It was too rich or something, because I really struggled mentally nadn physically through this run, even at a really slow pace.  I almost felt sorta sickish to my stomach, and could taste the peanut butter with some of the burps that happened-eeew.  I'm not sure if it's the particular brand that didn't agree with me, or if it was just too rich for my system to handle. I'm kinda thinking it was the later, as I've done just fine with peanut butter crackers.  Maybe I should've had something else to go with it, like a banana or something, but I'm having to make due with what I have for the next few days.  Whatever it is, I'm mentally marking off that combination as a possible fuel choice.

Mentally, I think I was struggling because of the slower pace that I had to run at.  I think it was also partially due to the fear of running 4.5 miles. It seems so irrational at this point, but I haven't ran that far in quite some time.  Plus, I knew I didn't have the best energy in me. It was like I wanted to go faster, but my body physically couldn't.  Granted, it's been a long time since I've basically ran 4.5 miles in one shot. I did have a few stops for traffic, which I used as a quick breather, and a chance to stretch, but that was it. Since I was struggling, I was questioning if a marathon really is possible for me, and was thinking of the "What's if's" if I do a marathon:

"Man. I'm going at a turtle pace today. What if I do finish last?"
"What if I do throw up at the finish?"
"What if I have to walk more than anticipated? Does that still make me a marathoner?"
"What if I really can't run this race?"

Then, on the other hand (foot?), I was trying to shut that negativity up.  So thoughts like these were crossing my mind:

"Hey. You knew there were would be some rough runs coming up. This is one. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other."
"Think about your buddy, Mateo. He just went through 3 weeks of intense PT/OT and speech therapy for his CP, and handled that like a boss.You can certainly handle this for him."
"Left right left right left right left right..."
"Hey! You're past half way! Come on, one more, then you'll be turning around to head back home!"
"Oh hey! You're closer to home than you expected. That was a long mile, but you got this one. Come on. Get to that mile, then cross X street.  Take a quick stretch and breather there if traffic allows, then run a few blocks past that.  Anything after about 3 blocks is a bonus. Besides, what if you finish this marathon strong? That would be sweet! BTW, walking is acceptable at a marathon. Even walking 26.2 miles is still a marathon distance, and you're already thinking of walking through water/aid stops anyways, so chill out."

As a whole, I don't think this run was a "bad" run. I was out there, and kept putting one foot in front of the other, and just learned a lesson along the way.  I'm now back at home, and anxiously waiting for some crockpot chilli with fresh beans (black, red, and pinto), chicken, fresh sautted onion and garlic, frozen corn, and a crushed fresh tomato to finish cooking.I really wish I had cheese, sour cream, and avacado to go with it, but oh well. This will do for right now.


Happy Running!