crossfit

Accountability Monday: IT’S JULY! — and June wrap-up

- Mel 1 Comment

Wrapping up June first, I finally got back into a routine with my workouts — planning most sessions out from start-to-finish, being open to doing “quickie” ones instead of nothing at all, and maintaining the consistency that I lost months ago. I still have a few weeks left in the “off-season” before my half marathon training starts up again, and I’m feeling really excited with this momentum.

By the way, this image that I downloaded from my Gasparilla race photos (thanks to that 50% discount code) is EVERYTHING:

love running gasparilla race photos

Quick wrap-up for June: Set up my Achievement Wall in my home gym, started setting weekly goals (even if not a 100% success), had my first race in Iowa (a pretty terrible half for me, but happy to get that out of the way!), and didn’t have to worry at all about tracking my mileage for the month. 😉

This week’s goals were mostly a flop again, but I feel good about the work that was done.

MONDAY: REST DAY

TUESDAY: I was in an INSANE mood after work, and hearing the song “Roxanne” on my drive home got me pumped to do some more burpees. At my former CrossFit gym in Pittsburgh, we were introduced to this burpee routine – dropping down every time you hear the name “Roxanne.” It’s a great addition to warm up, and dang if it doesn’t actually make me smile when I finish.

That was only *part* of my workout:
I warmed up with 3×5 reps of inch worms, mountain climbers and alternating single leg bounds (thanks again to Runner’s World for a great idea to add to my routine).
Jump rope for 2 minutes
Ran 2 miles at a 9:30 pace (followed by a cool down walk for 2 minutes)
Roxanne burpees (one day I’ll count them!)
Ladder plank holds to Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” (ha, the RAGE!)
Workout 1 from the Strong & Fast movements from Runner’s World to “cool down”
And then some long stretches with my TheraBand

WEDNESDAY: My third golf lesson! Still working on corrections to my swing, but I’m definitely making more contact than I did when I first started.

THURSDAY: REST

FRIDAY: REST (dinner and drinks and fun at the golf club overruled my evening workout)

SATURDAY: BOO, RAIN! I was all set up to join the social run club at LifeTime in the morning before my massage, then it started raining at 6:30am, and… well, I’m not officially training for anything, so NO THANKS. This, unfortunately, blew up my goal this week to both run outside AND go out with a running group. Also, can you believe that there were NO afternoon classes to take after my massage? A 10:45 yoga class was it, and my 90-minute massage ended at 11:30. :-/ Alas, I went for my massage, and then sat around for most of the afternoon reading books, reading blogs, and planning out my vacation workouts.

In the evening, I did a 15-minute run on the treadmill with a 5-minute walk to warm up and a 3-minute walk to bring my heart rate back down – I’m loving the Parks courses that were recently added to iFit maps. Shout out to my girl (Pittsburgh City Girl, that is) Chelsea, I ran in Central Park!

Also, randomly, this was the first time that I tripped the breaker while on the treadmill. I, err, hope that doesn’t happen again because this is a new house. WTF?! While the boyfriend was resetting the breaker, I cranked out 20 burpees.

SUNDAY:
I have fallen trap to this “all or nothing” fallacy, where if, say, I have a mimosa in the morning, then I can’t do anything for the rest of the day (like, do my workout). It’s been a REALLY hard habit to break, to remind myself that I really only need 30 minutes and that having a drink at brunch does not negate the entire day. So sometimes that means doing your run at 9pm because you feel good and you’re awake — and dang it, you’re just sitting there watching the stupidest game shows on TV (now, sober). DO YOUR DANG THING.

Again, because I was in some kind of mood, I decided to do a speed test of my 5k PR pace (which is standing strong at 28:08 from last year). And I KILLED those three miles at a 8:56 pace. No joke, it was hard — but I need to be committed to do some of my runs at a harder pace or I will NEVER get faster. Like my cross country coach used to say about rewards: if you puke, you get a hamburger! Which I realize is really terrible advice for a 12-year-old.

Goals for this week:

  • Do ONE new thing
  • TWO workouts while traveling
  • Run THREE times
  • FOUR workouts total
  • One FIVE-mile run

Weekly Therapy: A wild life and wildlife

- Mel

the week:
Feeling a lot like my first week of work, as I’m transitioning into a new role on my team. So, it’s been a lot of training (both receiving and giving, as I have to train a couple team members who are taking over my previous tasks) and exploding my brain with new procedures and systems.

BUT I love that the work is a little more intense and challenging and providing me with a broader skill set.

It’s also really, really hot this week — like, in the 90s, hot. It feels nothing like Pittsburgh 90-degree weather (which I found completely sticky and oppressive), and I actually spent time OUTSIDE kind of enjoying the hot winds (yeah, it’s still windy!).

weekend:
Last night we went to a fundraiser at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, which is in Prairie City, Iowa. I want to post something separately about this wonderful preservation because it was a beautiful place and a fun event.

Since it’s going to be close to 100 degrees with the sweat index today, I’m going to spend some time in some air-conditioning at Ulta replenishing some of my make-up stash (birthday gift cards, ftw!). And then, we’re golfing on Sunday — I get to practice some of what I learned at my lesson this week.

seven things, seven days:
1. I plan to attend one of these beginner adult ballet classes at Des Moines Social Club.
2. I’m also starting to think about CrossFit again. I’m just… not comfortable or confident with lifting alone at my gym (and I can’t get a trainer to respond to my online requests to set up an appointment), which is kind of a bummer.
3. Man, just when I thought that MarathonFoto was a rip-off, to download pics from my race last weekend is $18 per freakin’ picture. FOR A LOCAL RACE.
4. For all my fellow Goop haters: Is Gwyneth Paltrow full of shit? Science says yes. And I especially love said scientist calling out detoxes as “fancy anorexia.” {via Think Progress}
5. Hold the carbs, please. {via NYT}
6. On the tireless consumption of foodies. OOOOOH BOY, do I hate the word “yummers.” {via The Baffler}
7. We’re booked on next year’s Rock Boat XVII!

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #3

- Mel

This is week three of training for the Gasparilla — a two-day running event with four different distances. Part of this race is a half marathon (on Day Two), which will be my fourth half and the focus of my training plan (an adapted Higdon’s Novice 2), but this is my first challenge event. I don’t currently have any plans to PR these races. But I do intend to do a LOT of workouts on tired legs, since I think that’s really the only way to train for one of these things. Running the morning after derby practices and back-to-back training days will probably help me the most, and how I ultimately plan to be “ready” for this challenge.

MONDAY Spinning Skipped spinning. I was just plain exhausted (and did not sleep well at all on Sunday night). [Walked to/from work.]

TUESDAY REST… and bake cookies. I haven’t baked in so long! Made some gluten-free dark chocolate-butterscotch chip cookies for my office cookie swap on Friday. I also tried out this King Arthur Gluten-Free Cookie Mix for the first time too — they came out pretty good (only lost a couple to cracking). [Walked to/from work.]

WEDNESDAY run//yoga//run club, holiday edition, which started with a plate full of cookies and peppermint bark — and lululemon gifting us a run top (Our ambassador brought a few different pieces and colors to select from; I picked a Runderful 1/2 Zip in a beautiful green color). Both lululemon and Urban Elements been absolutely amazing already in sponsoring these weekly run and yoga sessions, and this was above-and-beyond thoughtful. So I got to test out the top immediately, which was nice — I love the cuffins and small zip pocket in the front. The Runderful is WARM and super cozy. And Pittsburgh, as you know, hasn’t been cooperating with winter weather. But I will get plenty of use out of this top.

So, our group did 3 miles again (3.22) at an average 9:20 pace. We were speedy! Splits: 9:12/9:01/9:41

After the run, we were welcomed with another hot and sweaty 75 minutes of yoga flow, which really felt great for my hips and we did a good amount of plank/core work. Our instructor even put a series of Utkatasana poses to the 12 Days of Christmas (Muppets version, natch) and it was a leg burner! While we laid in Savasana, the lulu angel came around and left gift cards underneath our mats, so I will definitely be treating myself to a little something this holiday.

THURSDAY Two-hour roller derby scrimmage practice that started with some ladder-drill endurance work (woof!). We basically only had six players per team, which meant MORE endurance — so I played most jams (and even jammed a few times). First jam of the game: a direction of gameplay penalty. 😐

Alas, this was our last practice of the year, and it was SO FUN.

FRIDAY As much as I wanted to run before work, I was up super late from practice (past midnight) and I was out for after work (had to leave for a 5pm dinner reservation and holiday party). Sooooo, I took another rest day. [Walked to work]

CrossFit 12 Days Xmas WOD

SATURDAY I returned to my CrossFit box, Industrial Athletics for anyone looking for a gym on the north side, for a 12 Days of Christmas WOD and Cookie Swap. The workout was insane at first glance and felt a little chaotic when it started, but I found my rhythm with each progression. I scaled back to part bronze/part brass and finished in 32:15.

Check out my Overhead Squat! (and, naturally, an awesome lifting face). Since I haven't been to CF in a few months, I only used an empty bar.
Check out my Overhead Squat! (and, naturally, an awesome lifting face)

SUNDAY I waited late in the day to get this run, and to be honest… I struggled with leaving the house. I knew that I would be running into drunken Steelers fans again on the north shore and just didn’t feel like dealing with it. But, I bundled up (chilly run even at 4pm!) and did my long run in 59:16 (6.02 miles, average 9:51 pace). Splits: 9:50 / 9:25 / 10:17 / 10:08 / 9:26 / 9:53

Naturally, I felt better once I was out there (and thankfully, no incidents with drunken tailgaters aside from overhearing a guy call me crazy that I was “out running in this” — I’m assuming he meant weather, but… seriously?). And I’m definitely crashing early.

TOTAL RUNS: 2
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 9.24 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 24.30 miles

Weekly Therapy: Wherever you are, be all there.

- Mel

the week:
Finally got my butt back to spinning (and working out in general)! I’m trying to figure out what my workout schedule should be through December — when I then start training for the Gasparilla race(s) challenge in February 2016. I’m super excited about this destination running event, by the way. I need to sit down and figure out my race and training schedule for 2016 overall too.

I woke up on Tuesday morning at, like, 3:30 a.m. and considered staying up and going to a 5:15 a.m. CrossFit session but I found my way back to slumber (and dreaming again that all my hair was falling out, which is a little too close to reality right now). Daylights Savings Time, amiright? To be honest, I don’t know if my training will ever revert back to regular CF. I have a TRX system now at home (that I still need to set up) and maybe I’ll ask for a barbell for Christmas… but I just can’t stomach the $135/month membership fee anymore when I have a YMCA membership and a yoga pass and own enough equipment to get in decent at-home workouts.

weekend:
It only seems life-appropriate to have some dental work done the week after Halloween, right? I’ll also be watching a bit of the WFTDA Championships. I plan to get my first post-marathon run in on Sunday morning too, before my inlaws come out and spend the afternoon with us.

52 books in 52 weeks:
I finished FOUR books this week — I am determined to catch up! And it’s amazing how much time I have to read when the boyfriend is traveling for a week. HA!

#36: Lion of Hollywood: The Life & Legend of Louis B. Mayer — So happy that I kept with this book (it took me a LONG time to finish but it was worth it. Read my Goodreads review.

#37: Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek — great read for anyone who is a runner or likes big, limit-stretching goals. It wasn’t my favorite book about ultramarathons, but I liked it better than Rich Roll’s (and it had much less sponsor endorsements).

#38: Five Weeks in the Amazon by Sean Michael Hayes — well, I just hated this book. But after seeing how quickly I could finish it, I kept with it (hoping that Hayes would become more likable or authentic… and that just didn’t happen). Final thoughts: immature writing and attitude, and what a hypocrite!

#39: Living With a SEAL by Jesse Itzler — I received a Release Day copy of this book from the publisher, and I really enjoy Jesse’s casual writing style. I mean, I read it in two days! His storytelling of training with a Navy SEAL for 31 days was fun and you feel as though he’s one of your closest friends telling you his latest crazy story (and it’s nuts!). He cracked me up more than once! There’s even a tear-out workout page included in the book if you’re so inclined to repeat his insane month-long training schedule.

seven things, seven days:
1. When looking for socks for a Halloween costume, I realized that my ENTIRE collection of derby shorts, tights and socks are GONE (save for one pair of socks and one pair of cat shorts) — likely stored in a bag in the basement and tossed during our sewer backup over the summer. And, well, I’m pretty devastated about it.
2. All things considered, my Halloween costume turned out awesome for thinking of the idea on the day before.
3. My stylist seemingly mitigated my hair breakage problems with a keratin treatment (even if it has the faintest hint of a rose gold color… which is, surprisingly, kind of awesome). But it seriously looks and feels SO much better, and I got a few other products to use as daily/weekly treatments to help protect it.
4. When it’s 70 degrees on a November evening in Pittsburgh, you go have Thai food on Nicky’s patio.
5. “At distances over 2,000 miles, you are negating the benefit that males have due to increased muscle mass and aerobic capacity.” On Longest Hiking Trails: A Woman Finds Equal Footing {via NYTimes}
6. My definition of work-life balance is, simply, that I’m not living to work. But beyond that… it gets a little complicated. More about the assumptions of work-life balance {via APA Center for Organizational Excellence}
7. The things I learned from being an Ironman. SO GOOD. {via The Things I Learned From…}

Training Week 5: Niagara Falls International Marathon

- Mel

With my workouts this weekend, let me just say how awesome it is that the boyfriend can drive me to work this morning. WOOF, my legs. I will enjoy my Monday rest day to the fullest.

My training week called for four days of running — with one fast finish workout and a Fartlek (which… what?) and two cross-training days (which, two-a-days are my BFF). I was also back to my increasing-weekly long run on Sunday. My home TRX system was delivered this week, so I’m excited to start those workouts (buuuuut probably not until next week, since I’m traveling this weekend).

Highlights of the week: 7-mile long run and CrossFit
Highlights of the week: 7-mile long run and CrossFit

MONDAY: Day of REST

TUESDAY: 4.03 miles at average 10:11/mi pace. I made sure to stretch a lot today after this run.

WEDNESDAY: 3.04 miles with run//yoga club at average 9:29/mi pace, followed by 75 minutes of hot yoga. This was an awesome class tonight too!

THURSDAY: Today was supposed to be my cross-training day, but I got enough of that from yoga the previous night.

FRIDAY: REST. Today was supposed to be my Fartlek training day with 4 miles easy and some hard 15 second bursts. I was already anticipating a tough CrossFit class the following morning, and of course we ended up doing sprints! #nailedit

SATURDAY: Run 1.45 miles to CrossFit. Today’s workout felt like TWO workouts (I don’t know if I was quite ready for this kind of return to CF). Warm up with some kettlebell swings and single-arm snatches, then 4 rounds of 8 box jumps/8 burpees/40 jump ropes (that was just the warm-up!). The WOD itself was a 20-minute AMRAP: 5 pull-ups, 5 knees-to-elbow (I did my first set of these toes-to-bar), 8 thrusters, 8 cleans, 3 flights of stairs, then road sprints. I intended to run home, but nah, I was good with walking it off — especially since I tweaked something in my glute during sprints (thankfully, while it still feels strained, it didn’t prevent me from my long run on Sunday).

SUNDAY: Run 7.01 miles at a (miserable) average 11:00/mi pace. I felt OK, but definitely felt like I was slogging through these miles again. I took a few 30-second walk breaks throughout the training run too. One of these days I’ll wake up early enough to get ahead of this humidity, but today wasn’t that day. And amidst all the crazy homework I had due, I’m happy that I mustered the energy to pull myself away from my computer for a little while.

Weekly Runs: 4
Weekly Miles: 15.53 miles (that’s a 3.41 increase from last week! woo-hoo!)
Total Training Miles: 51.60 miles

Accountability Week: Post-half marathon workouts

- Mel

Since I’m not currently training for anything (at least for a couple more weeks), and posting my workout weeks helps keep my motivation in check, this is my accountability week(s) post. I’m currently starting to look at training programs for running the full in October, with about 18-20 weeks of training, so I welcome any references! I’m familiar with Higdon’s model, but I’d like to know what else is out there. Update to my race schedule: I now have another half on the schedule in August (The Rock Hall half in Cleveland) and I’m running the Akron relay in September with some friends.

The week directly post-half marathon I DID NOTHING (in the form of exercise). It was kind of glorious, and it left me a good span of time to focus on finishing out my winter semester. My recovery from running the half was pretty seamless into my regular life; I was able to walk to work the next day (and the next!), with very little soreness. Must be that post-race chocolate milk!

My intention last week was to get a couple runs in to shake everything out, return to CrossFit workouts, and do some YOGA.

IMG_0627

Week May 11-17:

MONDAY: Rest Day, duh. While I generally don’t like working out on Mondays (I don’t know, I’m grumpy or something), my friend returned to spinning class on Monday evenings at the Y, so I’ll start that up again once a week starting next week.

TUESDAY: CrossFit. Naturally, we started off with a 500m run warm-up, and I was happy about all the mobility work. The WOD was a quickie 3RFT for stair climbs (3 stories), snatches, and box jumps. I stayed easy today, with only the bar, since I haven’t been going regularly.

WEDNESDAY: Run//yoga club at Urban Elements. We had a small group today, so we held a pretty quick pace (for me) of 9:30/mi for 4 miles. First run back, and it pushed me a bit, but I was able to keep up. And maybe I should stop running at 10:30/mi so much. Following up the run was a 75-minute yoga session, where we did a lot of Warrior work. It was intense! And we have a new instructor, but I loved how she taught for different skill levels. I’m hyper-mobile, so she also suggested some great adaptations for me to enhance my practice and how to stretch my hamstrings.

THURSDAY: Rest.

FRIDAY: Rest. Wine.

SATURDAY: Did another CrossFit session that was book-ended by running TO the box and then back home. In the rain, no less. We did a couple sprints before the WOD and a 500m run, then it was Elizabeth. I’m still hanging out in the Bronze category, so it was 55# for me and three miserable rounds of push-ups at 15-12-9. For time: 6:21 minutes.

SUNDAY: Another day of rest

Week May 18-24:

This was another week where I had a lot of motivation going into the week, yet quickly lost it because of stressing out about school work. I need to learn that taking a break to do something active will help alleviate that feeling, but I get SO blind-sided by the onslaught.

MONDAY: My return to spinning! This session reminded me why I love spinning so much — it’s such a great, low impact workout (I barely sweat, but that doesn’t mean I’m not trying) that hits you with that good soreness a day later.

TUESDAY: Rest day.

WEDNESDAY: Lunchtime yoga started today, courtesy of work. We get some wellness “points” that contribute to a program that gives us some money back for our health premiums by participating. Plus, I get away from my desk for an hour a week. This session was a great restorative and slow practice, and she actually went well over an hour (oops). I enjoyed every minute of it.

After work, I had a hair appointment near home, which I planned to run to. I took a long route through the Point, which was a nice 1.90 miles to add to the log this week.

THURSDAY: STRESS DAY. Because let’s be honest, while I wasn’t necessarily working out, my body and mind were not at rest. BLARGH.

FRIDAY: This was a rest day.

SATURDAY: Does cleaning my patio count? Because I feel like it was a workout.

SUNDAY: My return to golfing! Oh man, I am still terrible, but I had one really great drive out of 9 holes of play. Now, how can I do that all the time?

It was absolutely wonderful to be out in the sun, and as I mentioned before, my boyfriend is super relaxed when playing so I really had fun despite my annoyances of not being able to get much lift on the ball. It felt like vacation in a way; we had lunch outside at the club and then hung out at the pool for a couple hours.

How is everyone else doing in their “off season”? Have you planned your next races?

Cherry Blossom 10-miler: Training Week 5

- Mel

Short and sweet and to-the-point wrap-up today.

Monday: I tried out a new CrossFit program at my local YMCA; since I already have a membership, and the first three classes are free. And, well, let’s just say I’ll stick to my old CF home. (I did degrade my monthly membership though, since I wanted to focus on my running training — but still want the option to drop in once a week.)

Tuesday: REST
Wednesday: STRETCH/ROLL
Thursday: REST
Friday: REST

Chocolate milk recovery 4 LIFE
Chocolate milk recovery 4 LIFE

Saturday: What was most important this week was that I got my long run in. Originally scheduled for Sunday, once I was out on my run, I felt good enough (and the weather was amazing!) to extend my mileage. As per the tip on the Cherry Blossom’s training plan, I ran at a super-comfortable pace — about 11 min/mile, which made me feel as though I could run forever. Even though my left knee started spazzing out on me around mile 4, I picked up the pace as I approached my couple miles back home (the pace I originally hoped to race at the Cherry Blossom).

6.42 miles

Sunday: Swapped my long run to Saturday, so today was an easy 3 miles. Not-so-easy on my knee. I’m starting to freak out.

R.I.C.E. (and it's been a while since I've sweat outside like this!)
R.I.C.E. (and it’s been a while since I’ve sweat outside like this!)

Total runs this week: 2
Weekly mileage: 9.43 miles
Total training mileage: 21.13 miles + 9.43 miles = 30.56 total miles!

Cherry Blossom 10-miler Training: Week 1

- Mel

Don’t let the title of this post confuse you!

Soooo, I decided to make a change to my weekly training schedules and switch to a Monday-Sunday format. Both of the training plans I’m following adhere to this style (except for MapMyRun, which… anoying), so my posts will begin to reflect that. Starting…. now. Also, I’ve signed up for two upcoming races: April and May — the Cherry Blossom 10-miler and Pittsburgh Half Marathon, respectively — the Cherry Blossom race is first. That, too, is something I’m changing going forward (hence the title of this post). When the 10-miler is complete, I’ll switch back to whatever week I am in the Half training. Is that weird? I don’t want to lose focus, but I do much better target one thing at a time. Basically, I’m going to be WAY ahead of the game running a 10-miler a month before the half, so I’ll be weirdly merging my training runs until April.

Receiving my first week training plan for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler today lit a fire under me. I hope I can hang onto that motivation because I am PUMPED. (We booked the hotel this weekend too… SQUEE. Yes, I SQUEE.) Cherry Blossom is only (ha! only!) 10 weeks away.

Monday: Treadmill Day — 2.25 miles. Hey, the treadmill run didn’t feel too bad today, but BOY does it feel so much longer.

Tuesday: First evening class at CrossFit. I kinda dig it! (I felt much more beastly than normal, but then again I LURVE box jumps.) The Cherry Blossom plan called for an interval program, but I’d rather do an HIIT workout. I don’t know how this affects me as a runner, but I’m also trying not to burn out from running over here.

cf boxes

Wednesday: REST DAY

Thursday: REST DAY. My Cherry Blossom plan called for a run day, but I had a presentation for school AND it’s negative 80 outside AND the Y closed at 9. DAMMIT.

Friday: REST DAY.

Saturday: I originally wanted to to CrossFit on Friday, but I pulled a double-duty for my Saturday. 11 AM CrossFit — a mean row and thrusters complex, followed by a jumprope cash-out. Although, I finally strung together more than 2 double-unders — I completed 4 in a row! So pumped about that.

Then, I did one of my easy RUNS — 2.16 miles. I had two goals for this run: obviously to keep the run on my schedule, but also to do the entire workout without my earbuds and music. I was WAY too aware of my body and my surroundings, and to be honest, I’m not sure that I like it. Holy crap, do I always breathe that terribly?

TWO-A-DAY!
SAT run 0207

Sunday: What a beautiful day to be outside! But also VERY muddy. Today was my long run of the first week of training: 4.23 miles for me. (Still having this inconsistency between my Garmin Forerunner and MapMyRun app, but tracking this week for MMR).

sunday run

Total runs this week: 3
Weekly mileage: 8.64 (per MapMyRun)

How do you develop a training plan when you’ve got two races with two different mileages on the horizon?

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Training: Week 3

- Mel

Sunday: RUN DAY! 4.66 miles (according to MapMyRun; Garmin logged 4.45 even though I stopped my watch at 4.50 UGH!) Anyways, it was early and cold and it FELT SO GOOD TO BE OUT. And my dumb phone died again when I stopped my workout on MapMyRun.

train bridge winter

Monday: Woo, did I need some restorative yoga. Side note: don’t rely on Hulu exercise videos. Not only are the yoga episodes disruptive with loud commercials (seriously, at least 5 commercials within the first 20 minutes), the video abruptly stopped after one of the “breaks” and wouldn’t reload. How frustrating. I took the remainder of my session to stretch out what was bothering me. Too bad I couldn’t get an appointment with my massage therapist on Monday or Tuesday because I have a dang pinched nerve in my shoulder again.

Tuesday: Afternoon CrossFit session: handstand push-ups, back squats and stair climbs (and rowing for the cash out #dumb). Man do I miss these noon workouts during the week. Totally taking advantage of my last day of non-traditional scheduling.

Wednesday: REST DAY

Thursday: SUPER SLEEPY DAY. And wow, are my legs still sore from Tuesday’s CF!

Friday: EVEN MORE EXHAUSTED.

Saturday: Wanted to do a CrossFit class this morning, and disappointed to see that all classes were canceled because of an away competition (annoying). It’s so freaking cold (like, negative cold) that I wasn’t able to run outside (wah!). Anyways, I took an awesome two-hour Trigger Point Therapy workshop at Urban Elements yoga studio (although, I was car-less for the afternoon and had to walk). More on this in my next post!

What a weird, all over the place, week. It’s yet another training week where I started out strong and quickly lost steam. I’m trying to give myself a break, considering the weight of adjusting to a new schedule and the stressful exhaustion that comes with starting a new job, but… ahhhhh, the defeat. I can only try again, right?

Total Runs this Week: 1
Weekly Mileage: 4.45
Total Pittsburgh Half Training Miles: 18.62
January total (per MapMyRun): 18.83

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Training: Week 2

- Mel

So I perused my upcoming Higdon training schedule — just to get an idea of what’s to come in terms of distance markers, frequency, when to sign up for races, etc. I realized that the date I’m supposed to run a 10k, I’m running 10 MILES in the DC Cherry Blossom run. It’s still a month before the Pittsburgh half, but I hope it doesn’t derail my training plans (and that I don’t go through some early plateau that Chelsea has warned me about).

In any event, this week was TOUGH to schedule runs, what with a BOB SEGER CONCERT (!!!), Pippin’ tickets, a fun event with Levo League, AND a wonky last week of work schedule (including my last day and subsequent going-away party). Geesh, excuses much? I am nothing but transparent here, folks. While four runs was proving to be impossible, three runs is also really tough. I would be happy still with two runs. But you know what, it’s actually really disappointing I could only find ONE DAY to run. By the way, I totally tapped out on that Ab Challenge — 15 Days was challenge enough for me, and well… I need to refocus.

watch 2 miles

Sunday: Rest Day (work, and a PSYC paper due)

Monday: RUN DAY, 2.03 miles! And I kept a 9:30 pace.

Tuesday: I, err… damn. Rest Day.

Wednesday: CrossFit workout before work! I realized this morning that I might have to bump up into the 5:15am class when I start my new job and… OH GOD.

Thursday: CrossFit before work. This was my kind of workout: birthday burpees for our coach set to Roxanne; the WOD was a 15-minute AMRAP of handstand pushups and box jumps. WOOT!

Friday: Stop asking me!

Saturday: Going to have to do another Rest Day (my last day of work, then my going-away party). REST DAYS ARE IMPORTANT, OK!?

Oh well, I know we can’t all be winners every week. I noticed there being some daylight when I was walking home this evening, so there’s hope soon that I can get some runs in after work. Otherwise, I’m waking up early Sunday morning and starting over!

Total Runs this Week: 1 (GAH!)
Weekly Mileage: 2.03
Total Pittsburgh Half Training Miles: 14.17