What's On My Mind

First off, I'd like to give a big shout-out to Katie over at www.runsforcookies.com for mentioning me on her Motivational Monday blog post this week...it was super-awesome to be acknowledged in that way by the blog community, and the encouragement is so vital during this process.  I really appreciated the mention, and the feedback it received.


Next...my friend, Lauran that I ran the Covered Bridge 5K with is a Beachbody coach.  Her group was putting on a 3-day reset on facebook, and she asked me to join it.  I didn't really see much value in this, since I've been doing the exact same things since January, lol, but she thought I'd be able to add a lot in terms of support, so I agreed.  So far, I haven't really added anything, because I'm just too slammed for time, but I have been following along as best as I could.  The one difference that I've been trying to abide by is that this program requires a gallon (yes, a GALLON) of water per day...exactly twice the amount I'm used to. 


So far, I've been able to do it.  Today is day 3 of the challenge, and frankly, I'll be glad for this particular monkey to be off my back.  Not because it's particularly hard (it's not), but because it's just one more thing on my plate that has a strangle hold on my day.  I don't need to complicate my life any more...I need to simplify it as much as possible.


Which leads me to the last topic on my mind...and it's a biggie.


Yesterday was hot.  Melt-into-the-pavement hot. Go-home-you-idiot-and-sit-in-the-a/c hot.  It was also the first day of my new 10K running program, and I had a 2 miler scheduled.  With this in mind, I worked until 7pm, so the heat of the day would have a chance to dissipate as much as possible before I got out there.  Thanks to Lauran's program, I knew I had hydrated well, so I wasn't worried about that too much.


I chose to run the Tweetsie, because it was the most level, best-shaded spot I could run in.  And I did fairly well in the first mile...a sub-14:00 pace, which is pretty good for me.  I worked on my form, and tried not to kill myself, but by the second mile, I could tell I was struggling bad in the heat.  All my energy was just sapped, and my legs felt like water.  Galloway's run/walk plan always pops into my head during times like this, and I generally dismiss it, but yesterday, I just couldn't.  So I dropped to a walk (not too far a drop), and tried to run in stages until my runkeeper app called time.


To say I felt like a bloody failure is an understatement...I just ran 3 miles on Saturday...and now, I can't even run two??


Of course, that's not true at all.  But I can't help thinking that maybe the choices I've made recently regarding my training have set me up for failure.  And failure is not an option, not at this stage, and not ever.


So...with that in mind, I've decided to take a step or two back, and re-evaluate what I've been doing, and where I need to go from here:

• I know I want to keep running, even through the hottest part of the summer.
• I've learned that running every other day works best for me.  Any more, and my muscles rebel.  Any less, and my joints freeze up.
• I know that as much as I want to be, I'm not ready to start training for a 10K in this heat.  I have nothing to prove by doing it now, and I can just as easily start that in the fall, or even next spring.
• Nothing would prevent me from running another 5K this year.
• I feel like it would serve me better to work on my form, my core strength, and my speed until I'm happy with it before I start working to lengthen my endurance.  I know I can do that...but running six miles and running six miles well are two entirely different things.
• I know that running any pre-scripted schedules right now would be self-defeatist, given the current weather and my current condition.

Given all this, I've decided the following:

• I will be keeping my current training schedule of running every other day.
• I will be keeping my distances to 3-4 miles or less, for the foreseeable future.
• I will begin immediately to incorporate strength/resistance training to build muscle.
• I will work on my form and speed, and hold off on my endurance training at least until I feel that I can safely and consistently run at a sub-13:00 pace, at which time I will re-evaluate.
• I will also be looking to incorporate some yoga to aid in my mind/body connection.  I think this will also help me in other aspects of my life, primarily for stress-relief.

I found a great article on SparkPeople that gave great advice on training plans...you can find the entire article here:

Here's a great training plan to ensure that you are working both systems efficiently to help increase your speed:

• Two 30-45 minute "steady state" runs at a moderate pace each week. This will enhance and build your aerobic capacity.
   
• One "tempo" run each week that alternates between 5 minutes of steady-state (moderate) running followed by a 60-second anaerobic speed burst for a total of 30 minutes.  This will train both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems in the same session.
   
• One day dedicated totally to sprinting is a great addition to any program, especially if you use a hill for your sprints. By adding in hill sprints you get the added bonus of improving your running technique; running uphill makes you focus on driving your arms and ensures you build and engage the posterior chain muscles which are essential for running faster. This will be an intense workout to train the anaerobic system, but it can also be a shorter workout than the other days.
   
• Finally one day running 1-mile repeats at a faster pace than you run on your moderately paced days will get your body used to running slightly faster over distance. After each mile, you rest and recover until your breathing is back to a resting state (about 3-5 minutes for most people). For a 5K distance completing just three or four 1-mile repeats on this day should suffice. As you get close to race day, do 1.5 mile repeats. The more you train your body to be comfortable at a fast pace the easier race day will become!

I'd like to follow this advice, at least to start...with one proviso: since I won't be running but 3 to 4 days a week, I'll be alternating some of this. It will be structured loosely on the 5K program I just finished, but will incorporate all the aspects of this program, too...sort of like this:

• Monday-foundation or "steady state" run (1-3 miles).
• Tuesday-off
• Wednesday-interval training/repeats
• Thursday-off
• Friday-hill sprints
• Saturday-off
• Sunday-foundation run (1-3 miles)
• Monday-off
• Tuesday-tempo run
• Wednesday-off
• Thursday-foundation run (1-3 miles)
• Friday-off
• Saturday-long run (3+ miles)
• Sunday-off

Nice and mixed, to alleviate boredom.  Incorporates all the elements of a good, well-balanced program.  And plenty of off-days, two of which will be spent working on strength training. 


For the time being, I really believe this to be the best option for me.  As always, I reserve the right to reevaluate at any time, but if there's one thing I've learned in the past six months, it's that I need to listen to my body.  And right now, my body is really liking this new approach.


So...where does that leave us for the immediate future?  Good question...today being Wednesday, I will actually start this tomorrow with a foundation run, per the second week of the program. :) Just like a diet, one doesn't have to wait until Monday to start a new thing when today works even better!