half marathon training

Weekly Therapy: overloaded

- Mel

the week:
First full week of my new job, and I’m (hopefully) filling into my role. I have business cards!

On the school front, I had to drop my first class in the program. I was feeling really overwhelmed with some of the course requirements — especially at already taking 16 credit hours. I’m hoping to get into another class that starts later this month, but my advisor has been completely MIA (which is a whole other unnerving thing in itself) and my student status is considered “overloaded.” STORY OF MY LIFE.

me_blue chair

weekend:
Friday night was the ballet — Beauty & the Beast — and then half marathon kick-off weekend! Wow. It’s here. So I want to take my weekend full of “down time” to be active and OUTSIDE. Because we are all excited about 30-degree temperatures in this place.

seven things, seven days:
1. First evening CrossFit session, and I felt BEASTLY. Maybe there’s something there.
2. One group presentation out of the way!
3. I had a volunteer info meeting this week, which I thought was downtown, so I didn’t drive to work. And then I realized said location was not downtown at all, but in Oakland. Woof, my perception of things.
4. Feeling SUPER meh about my last StitchFix box. Even with notes to my stylist about needing new work pieces and redefining my classic style, this Fix fell WAY flat — as in, not work-appropriate for me at all. Also: another really cheap bracelet for $30 kinda pissed me off. Also-also, they sent me the SAME dress I already purchased from another box, but in a different color. What the heck?!
5. There’s nothing like waiting for a package from USPS… and finding it face-down, frozen in the ice in your side yard. Yeah, they basically just tossed it over the fence without care or regard. SIGH.
6. Oh, hey, it’s OK to be an overbearing pet parent (and yes, there is some merit to the “crazy cat lady” title) {via Science of US}
7. I loved the message behind this post from the Greater Good blog: Be divergent, not perfect.

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

Let the Half Marathon Training Commence: Week 1

- Mel

While my Higdon Half Marathon Novice training program doesn’t begin until February, my mental training begins this week. By that, I mean, I need to train my body and brain into running a couple times per week — it’s all about the frequency right now. Nothing by calculated time or distance, but just getting out there and running a few miles here and there. I also intend to amp up my strength training program a little with consistent CrossFit workouts.

running outside

Naturally, I started Day One (Sunday) by COMPLETELY FLAKING OUT ON THE FRIGID 5 MILER. And then I felt guilty after chatting with the clerk at True Runner about skipping out on the race, and decided to run a couple miles in my neighborhood later in the day. Even though it was a decided “heat wave” from the prior week, DANG was it still cold. I hit a puddle about 2 miles in, and 2.38 was it for me. But I got to test out my new Garmin running watch!

Day Two: Did my 30-day Ab Challenge (Days 11 and 12. Woof.), and some good ol’ healthy foam rolling.

treadmill day

Day Three: Dreadmill, Treadmill Day. Wanted to run after work, but didn’t have the energy to get dressed for the weather. So with a boyfriend in tow, I scooted my new-Fabletics-covered-booty over to the YMCA for 3 miles. Then I came home for Day 13 of the aforementioned Ab Challenge (BLECH!).

Day Four: 30-day ab challenge again (ooof).

Day Five: Treadmill day. I can’t do another treadmill day. Thankfully we’ll have a little weather break in Pittsburgh this weekend, so I can get back outside. I could only do 2.5 (totally miserable) miles. And then I came home to complete Day 15 of the 30-day Ab Challenge (help me!). I’m also pretty sure that I fell asleep on my yoga mat for a hot minute.

Day Six: REST DAY!

Day Seven: I missed the training Run with SCRR (wine on an empty stomach was a terrible idea), but later in the afternoon I did 4 miles! The weather was glorious, and I SO missed being outside. My Garmin Forerunner and MapMyRun logged two different distances (and times), so I kept running until the lagging one caught up to 4 miles. I was also angry that MapMyRun logged me running some other completely different course — no clue how that happened! And then I ended my last mile running up a north side hill (because apparently my side stitches weren’t bad enough?).

northside_run

I realized that I need to work on my scheduling. I only have one class right now, but in a couple weeks when I’m in THREE at once, planning and ACTUALLY DOING these runs will be critical to keeping up with my training program… and, well, everything else in life.

Total runs this week: 4
Total miles this week: 12.14

I need to find a race next weekend, if I’m going to meet my “one race per month” goal, so I need to get on that.

Post contains affiliate link for Fabletics. I am seriously in love with their workout clothes and bras!