Month: September 2016

Yesterday I ran the Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race 10k (that’s the full title, here in the ‘burgh we just refer to it as the Great Race). I’ve run it before, but not for a few years. Last time I ran it I was a month or so out from my first marathon and was at my heretofore fittest. I don’t do a lot of 10k races, so that has stood as my 10k PR. And I crushed it. I beat it by 4 minutes and 39 seconds.

Here’s the thing that I can’t get over though–the last time I ran that race I was at my ‘racing weight’ and what I consistently think of as my fittest. But here I am, still a solid 15-20 pounds heavier than my ‘racing weight’ and I am crushing it. I truly am coming back better and stronger than I was before. It’s a constant mental shift I’m working on–I’m in better shape than I give myself credit for. I can’t help but wonder what I’ll be capable of when I do get back to my ‘racing weight’ (that’s still one of my big goals, I’m not getting complacent just because my running is going well).

The other big thing that’s occurred to me lately is that I just wasn’t myself in so many little ways that I didn’t even notice until I caught myself doing them again–not only was I not running, but I wasn’t rapping when I did run (I use my hands, it keeps me loose yet pumped), I’d stopped wearing heels, and I don’t think I yelled at football once last season–how unbelievable is that? It feels so good to be myself again.

Next weekend’s 5k will be a challenge–I’m doing the Fly By 5k at Pittsburgh International Airport. Airport = flat course. Not my strong suit, I’m much better with a little bit of elevation change. But I also love a challenge and my goal is to beat my official 5k time of 35:30. (I technically did that during the race yesterday, the halfway point was 5k and I hit that at 35:26, but I don’t count it since it wasn’t a complete race, just a split.)

Treating myself to new running shoes when I get paid this week. Can’t wait to order them.

Happy Monday, friends. Have a good week.

Down 2.5 pounds this week. Happy about that. Rest day on Monday after Sunday’s race–tried to run but ended up walking. Great class Tuesday, chased with a solid training run on Wednesday. Felt good yesterday so I tried to run again but ended up walking a bit and heading home. Taking a class tonight and resting tomorrow. Great Race 10k on Sunday. Can’t. Wait. I haven’t done the Great Race for a couple years, and this is Andy’s first Great Race ever.

Still feeling renewed energy in my efforts. I signed up for the Fly By 5k at the airport next weekend, to be chased by a long run on Sunday. I need to get my long runs back in action, but I think taking a couple week break was good for me. Really hoping I can PR the 5k on Saturday–I was close last time, though 30 seconds can be an eternity in running.

I can’t wait to see what I can do on Sunday. And looking forward to the Expo and packet pickup on Saturday. Husband is in the mood to buy more running stuff, which I will never turn down.

Short and sweet this Friday. I’m sure I’ll have much more to say on Monday. Happy Weekend!

I’ve been having a rough few weeks. I’ve really struggled with myself and the process. Not seeing the progress I was wanting or expecting, and just struggling with myself. I was stuck in an old pattern of feeling inadequate, and believing I wasn’t good enough, wasn’t doing enough. I had a few awesome workouts. I didn’t work out much, but it was definitely a quality over quantity week. I only ran twice, but damn I ran hard, and my class on Tuesday was the strongest I’d felt in a long time. But still, come Friday night I was in a dark place with myself, I couldn’t seem to get out of my own shadow. I was stuck in my head and spinning my wheels. But I made a decision, that regardless how I felt, I was going to go shopping on Saturday and get a few new clothing items. It was time for some transitional pieces, and despite the little nag in the back of my head saying I didn’t ‘deserve’ them yet, I also could recognize that I feel best in my running clothes because they fit me better than anything else I have right now. So I went to Target. And I got a couple new pairs of jeans, a new dress, and a new pair of heels (and other stuff, because it’s Target, but whatever). I’d wanted more work clothes, but I wasn’t happy with my options at Target–dresses that didn’t appeal to me, and dress pants that didn’t fit quite right (I’m good in jeans, but frustratingly between sizes in dress pants, gah!). So I might need to hit up a Kohls or something soon. I know I should go thrifting, especially for my transitional pieces, but I do not have the patience for it. I just don’t. I have to be in the right mood for Gabe’s, Marhsall’s and TJ Maxx–actual thrift stores are more frustrating for me than those places. But I digress–I tried things on and was non-judgemental about them. If it didn’t fit quite right I passed. I tried on quite a bit, but I didn’t buy much. I didn’t settle. If I was iffy on it then it wasn’t worth it. And I feel like a rockstar in the things I got. I immediately came home and put on new jeans and heels. I have not felt that good about myself in months.

But there was still a hurdle to overcome. My running was stuck. I haven’t been able to progress my intervals. I ran my heart out on Wednesday, the day after a tough kettlebell workout, but it was short interval work. I’ve been running again for about 3 months at this point. I’m in fairly decent shape, I should be able to run longer intervals than I have been, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. I’d try, but I would always back off or talk myself out of it. I couldn’t tell you when the last time I ran a mile straight through was, even thought I knew–KNEW–I was in good enough shape to do at least that much. It was insanely frustrating to me, because also knew that if I could just get past that I would be fine. I just needed to prove to myself that I can do this. So we had a 5k race on Sunday morning, and my only goal going in was to beat my time from last month’s 5k race. I went in with no other expectations, but in my heart I had a feeling that it was the day I’d clear the mental hurdle. So I gave it all I had. I crushed my goal by shaving nearly 2:30 from my previous 5k time, and I came close to my PR (just about :30 off). But even better–I ran the whole first mile–at a 10:37 pace. At my fittest point 3 years ago I could do a mile in the 9s (when I was only going out for a mile). After yesterday, I’m good now. I got this, I know I got this. I know I can not only reach my goals but crush them. Still have 2 weeks left for September Beast Mode and I intend to finish strong. I really feel like I got my groove back.

Ever forward. Happy Monday…

Wow. Basically three months into this endeavor. And the scale gave me a big zero this week, despite having, arguably, two of the best workouts of my life. Lest I seem all sunshine and roses–rest assured I’m incredibly frustrated right now. But I’m trying to stay positive and forward focused. As I’ve been saying the past couple weeks, there are a million factors–my body is adjusting, I’m close to the set-point my body likes (though I’m personally not thrilled with), etc. etc. etc. I’m trying to shift my focus a bit and focus mostly on running and racing and how much I love it and making that progress.

I had an amazing run on Wednesday. I was sore post-class (because I killed it on Tuesday) but did everything I could to keep the ache to a dull roar because I wanted to run. And I ran my heart out after work. Intervals were still on the short side, but man, when I was running I was flying. I pushed the whole time, spent a lot of time in the 9s and 10s (I think I even flirted with the 8s a couple of times). I ran hard, like my life depended on it, and it felt amazing. I have a 5k on Sunday and I can’t wait to see what I can do then.

I also bit the bullet and joined Steel City Road Runners–about damn time. Thinking that maybe some group runs with pacers will help push me. Plus race and gear discounts. Why didn’t I do this sooner? Just stubborn I guess. Also re-upped my Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs memberships (even though I’m not planning on any fulls or ultras anytime soon) because running. Soon I need to invest in some new shoes…its endless but exciting to me and makes me happy. Looking forward to some good runs this weekend with the milder temps.

Happy Friday!

I did my long run for the week on Saturday. It was hot and miserable. I should have planned for Sunday when the weather was supposed to be better (and was) but I knew I wanted to go to church on Sunday for the ingathering ceremony, so I set out on Saturday morning. I didn’t get started as early as I had deluded myself that I would, but it wasn’t late. Traffic was a nightmare on my way to the Waterfront–the people who weren’t already in town tailgating for the Pitt/Penn State game were now on their way. I got to the Waterfront–finally–and got myself ready to head out.

It started off good. Really good. I got into a nice rhythm, I was moving along, it felt good. I had 9 miles on the training schedule and it seemed all would go well. Miles 1, 2, 3 flew by without much thought. Started to get tougher around mile 4. By mile 5 I had completely fallen apart. I lost my rhythm and couldn’t get it back. I had a brief moment of recovery–a song came on the playlist that perked me up–but I fell apart again soon after. I ended up walking most of the last 3 miles back to the car. Nine miles done, but not the 9 I’d wanted or hoped for. Not the 9 I’d needed to feel confident about my upcoming race.

I blame the weather in part. It was pretty awful to be doing distance. I should’ve gone earlier or planned better so I could do it Sunday. But you don’t always have the weather you want for races, so I’m also keen on making myself work with sub-optimal conditions. If I only ran in weather I liked I wouldn’t run all summer. More than anything I think I was projecting too much onto the run. I wanted it and needed it to be too much. Running isn’t just an activity in my life–it’s a relationship. And like any relationship, if you expect too much, if you don’t give enough, you’ll be disappointed. More than the weather, something was off balance on Saturday’s run. I couldn’t get out of my head enough to just let it be what it was. And that’s part of the magic for me…I can go out with a planned number of miles, but after that I have to get out of the way and let it be what it is.

So Saturday did not go as planned. Yesterday I was not supposed to run, I was supposed to do my active recovery workout. But after church, the weather was just too nice and I felt good, so I went out for an easy 5k and it was excellent. Really happy with my push and pacing. Cleared my head in the way that I needed. I let it be what it was and got out of my own way.

I have races the next two weekends so no long run redemption for a couple of weeks, but I’m looking forward to it when it happens.

Wow. Hard to believe I’ve been back at this for almost 3 months. At this point it just kind of feels like life, which is good because it kind of should be. So scale check-in…down 2.5 from last Friday (another half pound from last weekend). Headed in the right direction. Running is going well. I’m happy with how I’m pushing for intervals and distance is coming back. Hill sprints tonight after work and I’m looking forward to them. Seriously. Never thought I’d like them, but I kinda do. It’s a fun challenge for me. Cannot wait for fall races, some of my favorites of the year. I’m in love with running again. I want to do it all the time, I can’t wait to get out there after work and on the weekends. I’m trying to remain diligent about cross training because it is important, but all I really want to do is run. I need to bottle this for when I have to run on the treadmill this winter, because that is significantly less fun for me but necessary.

Happy to be heading into another weekend. The work week has been tough, and I’m looking forward to some runs and relaxation. And wine.

I’m in the frustrating place where my clothes don’t fit–my ‘big’ clothes are getting too big, but I’m not back into my ‘skinny’ clothes yet. And even the stuff that still fits and I can still get away with doesn’t look great. If I could get by wearing just my running clothes I would be all set, but otherwise I’m going to have to break down and buy some transitional clothes soon. Not a bad problem, just an annoyance to spend the money–and thrifting on the weekends is not an easy task, I’d be better off if I could go during the week, but alas. The flip side is that I’m–and looking–more like myself. Even though I’ve been heavy for most of my life I’ve never felt like that was me or my body. When I close my eyes I see the person I am when I’m running–fit, strong, healthy, and every day, little by little, I’m getting myself back.

My long run on Monday was great. I managed to maintain my slightly longer intervals throughout. Still a LOT of work to do to make my goal in November, but I’m confident about it. I know I can do this. Beast Mode will get it done. LOVE my new hydration FlipBelt, but definitely should have taken an extra bottle or two with me. Only took one gel about halfway through. Getting the hang of fueling with a more minimal approach and it’s working for me. Currently I’m doing a 5 minute run/3 minute walk interval set, my goal is to be up to 8 minute run/2 minute walk by the end of this month. Making it public so I don’t back down–I really should’ve pushed myself to that already but I didn’t. No matter, ever forward.

So in Big Things…I signed up for the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon 2017 and the 5k the day before–known as the Steel Challenge. They’ve done the Challenge for a few years now, but I have never done it. It’s a risky maneuver, given that I plan to PR the half, but I’m a bling junkie, and I’m confident that I can run the 5k and not race it so I won’t blow myself out for the half the next day. Plenty of time to train (races aren’t until May), and having registered for it already will make sure that I do it–don’t wanna waste my money. This is especially key for the winter months when I’m hating treadmill life.

And on that note, time to get ready for work. Happy Wednesday!

I like my job, but I love me a three day weekend. Thoroughly enjoyed not setting an alarm, even though I’ve been up early every day. I ran hill sprints on Thursday, a solid 5k on Friday after work, another solid 5k on Saturday, and yesterday I didn’t run but did a yoga DVD and my ITB rehab/core/jump rope/squats routine. Yesterday might have been a mistake–I’m a little more sore than I’d like to be going into a long run, BUT…clearly I hit muscles in a different way than I do when I run, so I should still be fine. Pop an IB and get it done. 8 miles on tap for today, longest since the half in May and I’m looking forward to it. Got a new FlipBelt with water bottles, so I won’t be quite as limited to running locations, which is fun as I get to longer distances.

Finally hit the 20 pounds lost mark over the weekend as well. Obviously not in time for the ‘official’ weigh-in on Friday, but I’ve been sitting at the 18.5 mark for a couple weeks and it was making me nuts. Nice to have reassurance that pushing just a little harder was the right thing to do. I’m starting to look and feel like myself again, and I’m definitely getting more comfortable in my body, which is great. The more I push myself, the more I want to push myself, to see what I’m capable of.

My husband commented the other day what a difference running makes in me. The decline in my mood and personality had been gradual so neither of us really realized it until it was bad, or we chalked it up to other things. But the shift back to me being happy and emotionally stable has been much faster. Running balances me. I still have bad days, I’m human, but much fewer and farther between.

And on that note I’m going to start prepping for my long run. Happy Monday.

If you want something you’ve never had, you have to be willing to do something you’ve never done. -Thomas Jefferson

Same as last week scale-wise. But I’m not the same as last week. August was kind of a blah month for me, like I couldn’t get the hang of it. Progress had kinda stalled, but it wasn’t a plateau. I had to do some soul searching to admit I just wasn’t working as hard. I was working hard, yes, but I’m physically different than I was 4 years ago–I’m in better shape now, so the things that worked then won’t work, I have to push through this wall like it’s mile 20 of a marathon–dig deep, find that next level, and just do it. And I literally woke up yesterday morning with new fire and determination.  I *need* to shake up my running. It’s going well and I love it, but I’m not progressing as much as I want and need to to make my goal for November. So I’m working on trying some different things to help me push through the mental wall.

Last night, for the first time in my life, I ran hill sprints. Not the longest, not the steepest, but it was a place to start, and you know what–I didn’t hate it. It was kind of fun to do something different. And just like I decided that my short runs need to be 5k (unless there’s an obvious reason to cut it short, i.e. pain that shouldn’t be ignored) I’m deciding that my intervals have to be longer. I can do it, but I haven’t made myself do it. Is it hard? Sometimes yeah, but that’s a lame excuse. And with one less class at the gym I have no excuse to not focus on my running. That’s why I did it in the first place. And I will honor my commitments to myself.

September = Beast Mode. Time to get shit done and make shit happen. Progress and success are what I’m after.