Manic Monday Training Recap – 05/27/19

Training For VCM Relay: May 26, 2019
What Was Planned vs What Happened

Monday 05/20/19: 3 mile run | 3 mile run + stretching
I zipped out for three rather speedy miles when Ben got home from work. It was quite windy, but sunny and warm.

Tuesday 05/21/19: Yoga | Rest
I had a last-minute doctor appointment for what I thought was a tick bite (it wasn’t, yay!), and since my doctor is an hour drive each way that pretty much shot the day in the foot. But I did stop at Fleet Feet for running fuel… and walked out with a new pair of Altras!

Wednesday 05/22/19: Speed Work | 5 x 400 (3.25 miles total)
I NEEDED this run. Vera is teething and has been super clingy and sad, and I needed me time. I also hit some really great paces, which made me feel so great!

Thursday 05/23/19: Strength | Strength
I put my new, custom made plyo box to work and did a CrossFit inspired workout. 5 rounds each of 10 x box step ups, 10 x thrusters, weighted carry, 10 x dumb bell snatches and 10 x wood choppers. I did a 2 minute plank finisher as well. I miss CrossFit so much!

Friday 05/24/19: 4 mile run | Rest
My folks decided to come up for a last-minute visit, so I had to run around cleaning my festering pit of a house before they arrived. They brought lunch and wine, and by the time they left I was too full to run.

Saturday 05/25/19: Rest | Active Rest
I mowed the lawn and did some stuff around the house, but otherwise kept it easy.

Sunday 05/26/19: VMC Relay | Leg 5 of VCM Relay (5.44 miles)
I felt great the whole time, and kept a great pace!

Weekly Mileage: 11.69

Total 2019 Mileage: 191.79

A pretty good week and a great race! I was riding high yesterday, feeling bulletproof and dreaming about fast summer running. But as the day went on, my left heel started hurting. I did a bunch of rolling and stretching but I woke up limping today. BOOOOO. I’ll write more later this week (does anybody care about a race recap?), but for now, I’m wearing my most supportive shoes at all times and taking it easy. On the docket for today: Memorial Day BBQ.

Have you ever had a great race and then had a mysterious injury afterwards? This is the second time I’ve ended up with a hurt foot after a race even though nothing hurt during…

Manic Monday Training Recap – 04/15/19

Training For: McClure Miller Respite House Jiggety Jog 5k
What Was Planned vs What Happened

Monday 04/08/19: 3 mile run | 3 mile run + hip strength + stretching
I was a little tired and a little sore, but I NEEDED this run. Vera hasn’t been napping well during the day OR sleeping well at night, and I desperately needed some time to myself.

Tuesday 04/09/19: Yoga | Rest
I had my annual physical in the morning, which meant driving and babysitters and a funky nap schedule for Vera, so I wasn’t able to manage a workout.

Wednesday 04/10/19: 4 mile run | 3 mile run + hip strength + stretch/roll
I warmed up for half a mile, then did 5 x 400 with 400 recoveries. It felt good to work hard.

Thursday 04/11/19: Strength | 10 minutes core
We got a last-minute invitation for a playdate with some of Vera’s friends, but I still managed to squeeze in a quick core workout during her morning nap.

Friday 04/12/19: 3 mile run | 3 mile run
I had a rough night getting up with Vera several times and was pretty tired, but I needed the alone time.

Saturday 04/13/19: 5 mile run | Rest
It was a gorgeous day, but I had tickets to go see a show, so I took a rest day.

Sunday 04/14/19: Rest | 4 miles
Hooray for outdoor running! This run contained my fastest post-baby mile and my fastest post-baby 5k, which felt wonderful.

Weekly Mileage: 13

Total 2019 Mileage: 127.25

Woohoo, that was a pretty good week! I’m really happy to be getting outside a bit more now, as my 5k is coming up pretty quickly. At this point, my goal is to hit a sub-30. This was once the norm for me, but I haven’t hit those paces in close to two years, so I’m trying to keep my expectations in check. For now, it’s just great to be running and feeling good.

Have you been getting outside for your runs, or are you stuck on the treadmill like me?

Manic Monday Training Recap – 04/08/19

Training For: McClure Miller Respite House Jiggety Jog 5k
What Was Planned vs What Happened

Monday 04/01/19: 3 mile run | 2 mile run
I was worn out after running my longest post-baby run on Sunday, so I called it quits after two easy miles.

Tuesday 04/02/19: Yoga | Stroller walk
My usual yoga partner is on vacation, but I did haul Vera and the jogging stroller down to the rail trail for a 2ish mile walk. It’s still pretty snowy and icy, so we couldn’t go far.

Wednesday 04/03/19: 4 mile run | 3 mile run + stroller walk
I set the treadmill to a moderately easy pace, and threw in four incline intervals throughout the run. It felt hard, which is no surprise considering that I do 99% of my runs with zero incline. I also met my girlfriend Nikki near her in-laws’ place for a stroller walk with the kiddos.

Thursday 04/04/19: Strength | Abs + Legs + Foam Rolling
I did a circuit of 3 x 10 goblet squats, lunges, and single leg deadlifts, then 3 x 10 of various planks, planks variations, and other ab exercises. It wasn’t a lot, but I got a good sweat going.

Friday 04/05/19: 3 mile run | 3 mile run
Not much to say about this one. I got it done.

Saturday 04/06/19: 5 mile run | Rest
We had a busy day with TWO birthday parties, so I didn’t run.

Sunday 04/07/19: Rest | 3 mile run
Not the long run I wanted, but I ran OUTSIDE and it was glorious! And now my quads are really sore because I’m not used to running outside, haha!

Weekly Mileage: 11

Total 2019 Mileage: 114.25

I am SO EXCITED that outdoor running is back on the menu. I can’t wait to get our jogging stroller in action, because Vera naps really well in a stroller. I foresee lots of nap time runs and walks in our future 🙂

This is also timely because I have a race in a month, so I kind of need to get acclimated to variations in elevation and temperature. And sun. And wind. You know, all that stuff that happens outside.

Manic Monday Training Recap – 04/01/19

Training For: McClure Miller Respite House Jiggety Jog 5k
What Was Planned vs What Happened

Monday 03/25/19: 3 mile run | 3 mile run + hip strength
Woohoo, first run in a week! I kept it nice and easy, and with the company of my audiobook the time flew by.

Tuesday 03/26/19: Yoga | Yoga
I did Yoga With Adriene’s “Rainbow Yoga.” It’s only about 15 minutes long, which was about all the time I had since Vera has been on a run of short naps lately.

Wednesday 03/27/19: 4 mile run | 3.5 mile run
I felt like running hard, so I did .5 up, 5 x 400 with 400 recoveries, and .5 down. My intervals were around a 9 min/mile pace, which is pretty fast for me these days.

Thursday 03/28/19: Strength | Rest
Vera decided to go on a nap strike, so a workout didn’t happen.

Friday 03/29/19: 3 mile run | 3 mile run
Another nice, easy run. I’m trying to really honor the easy runs so that I can really push during workouts.

Saturday 03/30/19: 5 mile run | Rest
It was a busy day running errands and then seeing family for dinner, so I decided to postpone my long run.

Sunday 03/31/19: Rest | 5 mile run + stretching + rolling
Yaaaaay, I got it done! This was another distance milestone–I haven’t run this far since before I got pregnant with Vera. It was a bit of a mental slog on the treadmill, but physically it felt great.

Weekly Mileage: 14.5

Total 2019 Mileage: 103.25

Well, it was very nice to have such a strong week after my illness last week derailed pretty much all of my training. Completing a long run this week felt SO good. I’d like to just kind of hang out in this week of training for a while. Five miles feels like such a milestone, and since I’m not training for any longer races, I don’t really feel the need to go further right now.

From now until my 5k on May 11, I plan to just work on speed and strength versus distance, so that I can actually race said race and not just run for completion’s sake. I know I can run a 5k, and I’d like to run it fast. I’m eager to start working on some post-baby PRs 🙂

Did you get to run this weekend?

 

Manic Monday Training Recap – 03/04/19

What Was Planned vs What Happened

Monday 02/25/19: 2.25 mile run | 2.25 mile run
I warmed up for a mile, then increased the pace every quarter of a mile after that for a nice progression.

Tuesday 02/26/19: Yoga | Rest
We had Ben’s Grammie over in the morning, so I couldn’t do my usual Tuesday yoga date with Penelope, and then the rest of the day just kind of got away from me.

Wednesday 02/27/19: 1.5 mile run | 1.25 mile run + hip strength + stretching
I accidentally cut this run short. I honestly got to 1.25 miles and just had it in my head that that’s what I was supposed to do and I was done. I didn’t realize until hours later that I hadn’t quite made my mileage.

Thursday 02/28/19: Strength | Upper Body + Planks
I dusted off my dumbbells and did a short upper body circuit, plus some plank variations. Wow is my upper body strength shot! Ten pound dumbbells felt super heavy.

Friday 03/01/19: 2.25 mile run | 2.25 mile run + hip strength + stretching
I woke up not wanting to run at all, but after breakfast and some coffee, I changed my mind and got it done.

Saturday 03/02/19: 2.75 mile run | Rest
I was already tired, and I knew Sunday was going to be a long day, so I decided to just take it easy.

Sunday 03/03/19: Rest | Active Rest
With three performances of the Disney show I’m in, this definitely was not a rest day in the typical sense, but I didn’t work out at all.

Weekly Mileage: 5.75

Total 2019 Mileage: 69.75

Considering how busy this week was, and how tired I’m feeling, I’m very pleased with what I accomplished. Now that my show is over, I’m hoping to get back to running long on the weekends. I still hope to run at least a 5k in May, and I may or may not be splitting the marathon with a friend of a friend (more on this later), so it’s time to get my rear in gear.

Any Disney lovers out there? What’s your favorite song? Mine will always be “Part of Your World.”

 

Manic Monday Training Recap – 02/25/19

What Was Planned vs What Happened

Monday 02/11/19: 2 mile run | 2 mile run + stretching
I decided to do a few hill repeats on this run, since I’ve been doing nothing but flat treadmill runs for months. It was a new challenge, and felt great.

Tuesday 02/12/19: Yoga | Yoga
Penelope came over and we did Yoga With Adriene’s videos for Hips and Lower Back and Neck, Shoulders, and Upper Back. It was a lovely full-body stretch.

Wednesday 02/13/19: 1.5 mile run | 1.5 mile run + hip strength + stretching
I wasn’t feeling this run AT ALL, but I got it done.

Thursday 02/14/19: Strength | Rest
I was feeling super worn out and like I might be coming down with something, so I rested.

Friday 02/15/19: 2 mile run | Rest
I still wasn’t feeling it, so I rested again.

Saturday 02/16/19: 2.5 mile run | Rest
Yup, more of the same.

Sunday 02/17/19: Rest | Rest
Nailed it, haha!

Weekly Mileage: 3.5 miles

Total 2019 Mileage: 64

As you can see, this wasn’t a great week for working out, but I have been feeling so incredibly worn down, I know I needed the rest. Between being a new mom, rehearsals for my show, and trying to get back to regular exercise, I think I’ve been overdoing it a bit lately. While I don’t regret being in this show, I definitely think it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

Luckily, the show is this coming Sunday, and after that I can just focus on momming and exercise for a while. I don’t think I’ll be auditioning for another show any time soon. The travel and the staying up late are just too much right now. I need to focus on taking care of myself first; there will be plenty of opportunities to do theatre when I’m not so freaking tired.

When is the last time you took a nice long break from working out?

Manic Monday Training Recap – 02/18/19

What Was Planned vs What Happened

Monday 02/11/19: 1.75 mile run | 1.75 mile run + hip strength
I warmed up with 30 each of squats, glute bridges, clam shells and leg lifts plus a quarter mile jog, then did 3 x 400 with 400 jogging recoveries. Short and sweet.

Tuesday 02/12/19: Strength | Yoga + Abs
My friend Penelope came over for a nice tandem yoga workout. I also did a 10ish minute ab workout of my own devising.

Wednesday 02/13/19: 1.5 mile run | 1.5 mile run + hip strength + stretching
1.5 mid-pace miles. Ben had a snow day so I got to do this on my own time instead of rushing to get it all in while Vera napped.

Thursday 02/14/19: Yoga |  1.75 mile run + hip strength + stretching
My friend who usually comes over on Fridays asked to come over today instead, so I got my Friday run done.

Friday 02/15/19: 1.75 mile run | Rest
I had planned to do a nice HIIT workout, but I was feeling run down and Vera was a bit feverish and needy all day, so I just skipped it.

Saturday 02/16/19: 2.25 mile run | 2.25 mile run
I warmed up for half a mile at a nice easy pace, then bumped up the speed one notch every quarter of a mile until I hit 2.25 miles. It was a nice little challenge, but not too hard.

Sunday 02/17/19: Rest | Rest
We went to a birthday party and an indoor water park and had a blast.

Weekly Mileage: 5.75

Total 2019 Mileage: 60.5

Woohoo, another week of 5k training down, and I didn’t miss a single run! It feels so good to have a plan, and to be sticking to it (for once, haha!). I’m starting to think more seriously about upcoming races and what I want to work toward this year, but the biggest thing for me is just getting back to regular running. If that means I just run and don’t put the pressure of racing on, that’s fine. We’ll see. For now, I’m a happy camper.

Manic Monday Training Recap – 02/11/19

What Was Planned vs What Happened

Monday 02/04/19: 1.5 mile run | 1.5 mile run + hip strength + stretching
My body felt refreshed after taking a full rest day on Sunday, but I still kept the pace nice and easy for this run. I also did 30 each of clam shells, reverse clam shells, side leg lifts, glute bridges, and air squats, and finished up with my split stretch routine.

Tuesday 02/05/19: Strength | Arms + Abs
I did a couple of short workouts from the Tone It Up Girls’ bikini series. It’s crazy how weak my core is post-baby, but I’m committed to working on it regularly.

Wednesday 02/06/19: 1.5 mile run | 1.5 mile run + hip strength + stretching
This workout was EXACTLY the same as Monday, just a tiny bit faster on the run portion.

Thursday 02/07/19: Yoga | Yoga
I pulled up Yoga With Adriene’s “Yoga for Runners” video. It was just what I needed.

Friday 02/08/19: 1.5 mile run | 1.5 mile run + hip strength
Another short, easy run, and a bit of hip strength. I didn’t get to do my whole routine because Vera got fussy.

Saturday 02/08/19: 2 mile run | Rest
We traveled down to my parents’ for an overnight, and I opted to take a rest day with the option to run on Sunday instead.

Sunday 02/10/19: Rest | Rest
Oops. Yeah. After a huge Sunday breakfast of pancakes and mimosas, then the drive home, I didn’t feel like running.

Weekly Mileage: 4.5 miles

Total 2019 Mileage: 53.25

Not a bad start to my 5k training plan. I didn’t get to my “long run” on the weekend, but I’m not too upset about it. I know that distances of up to 2.5 miles feel pretty good right now, and seeing my parents was a good excuse to miss a run.

Did you run long this weekend? How did it go?

January Recap and February Goals

I can’t believe we’re already a week into February. It feels like I just barely sat down to make some January goals. I swear, every passing year seems to go by faster, especially  now that I have a kiddo. Yikes!

Anywho, a new month is time to look back at the previous month to see how far we’ve come, and make plans for the future. As a refresher, my goals for the month of January are below.

I am proud to say that I kept up with pretty much all of these goals to my own satisfaction. There was only one week I didn’t do an actual yoga workout, but I did plenty of stretching on my own. I ran at least one mile every day for the entire month of January. I did strength training every week thanks to Barre3 workouts with my friend Penelope. Ben and I planned our meals out every week, and I did things like make overnight oats and wash and chop lettuce to make healthy eating easier. I’ve published several new blog posts, and I’ve been a lot better about commenting on the blogs I follow instead of just lurking.

So what’s next for February? Well, you already know my run streak is over, and I will be trying to work up to more distance and speed instead of trying to run every day. With that in mind, here’s what’s up for February:

• Run 4 times/week
• Strength train once/week
• Yoga once/week

So, in other words, “Follow my 5k training plan.” Nothing too crazy. Rehearsals for my Disney show will be ramping up in the coming weeks, so I want to set myself up for success. I do plan to keep up with meal planning and prep as much as possible, but I don’t think I need to make it a goal for the month. It’s pretty much habit at this point.

Are you training for anything in particular at the moment?

Goodbye Streaking, Hello Training!

When I started my run streak at the beginning of the year, I mostly wanted to just make running part of my life again post-baby. I was having a hard time finding motivation, and needed a fitness goal. In the back of my mind, I hoped that I would be able to make it the entire month of January, but wasn’t making a big deal out of it. I just wanted to see how far I could get.

When I reached the end of January, streak intact, I started seeing starry-eyed visions of streaking for the entire year of 2019. It was exciting and a bit scary and I so wanted to keep going. But this past Friday and Saturday, I started feeling some worrying niggles in my right knee. I hemmed and hawed and hoped it would go away. But I when I woke up at 2:30 on Sunday morning to feed Vera and felt that twinge, I decided immediately and unequivocally that it was time to practice what I preach and quit before a niggle became a full-blown injury.

I have to say, I absolutely loved my run streak. I loved the consistency of knowing each day that I had to get down to my treadmill and get it done. I loved pushing through hard paces. I loved cruising through easy miles. This run streak helped me feel like a runner again. It helped me reconnect with a body that had started to feel foreign and uncomfortable. It made me feel like me again.

I’m proud that I made it through 33 straight days of running; I am equally proud that I listened to my body and quit before I hurt myself.

To be completely honest, part of me is scared that without the streak to keep me going, I’ll stop running again. It’s cold. It’s dark. I have a 7 month old baby. Motivation is low this time of year. I need something else to keep me inspired now that the streak is done. Therefore, I’ll be loosely following a Hal Higdon 5k training plan. I say “loosely” because I always mix up the days a bit, but generally follow the recommended mileage for the week.

It’s an eight week “beginner” training plan, which has nice, low mileage. I probably won’t actually run a 5k race at the end of this plan, purely because there aren’t many races available during Vermont winters, but I’m looking at it as prep for the races I hope to run this spring and summer.

 

I’m excited to build up my mileage again. The longest I’ve run since Vera was born is 3.5 miles, and that was months ago now. I don’t necessarily want to do a lot of distance running this year, but I’d like to get to the point where a distance of five miles feels comfy and doable, cause right now that feels almost impossible. When I complete the plan, I’ll have to reevaluate and see what’s next, but I’m hopeful that by then, running will be back in my life for good.

What running/fitness goal are you working toward right now?