Ooops...

If you didn't notice, I missed a weekly check in and am late to post this one. I'll dig into why that is after my miles and times

2/12/18-2/18/18
Miles: 19
Average Pace: 9:12
Notes: Should have been an easy week and some how ran 5 days in a row. Rough long run.

2/19/18-2/25/18
Miles: 7.08
Average Pace: 9:08
Notes: no long run, pain in neck/arms/shoulders, pain in toe/arch of foot.

The short story of these two rough weeks is exhaustion--both physical and mental. If I'm being honest with myself, the overworking probably began around the 10th after I ran an 8K race and followed it up with a 10 mile run the next day. I had planned on using the 12th-18th as a recovery week, but I some how ended up running 5 days in a row with the culmination being a really crappy 6 mile long run. On the six mile run, I felt my body tensing up and fighting me most of the way. I was feeling mentally worn out from my long day of work/class (Wednesdays) and preparing for a group meeting presentation. The weather on the 20th and 21st was close to 75˚F, so I made sure to log some miles in outside. Unfortunately, I think I pushed myself too hard on those runs because it felt like I hit a wall on Thursday...and then I kept running into it until today. Not literally running though--today is the first day I've felt okay enough to finish a run since last Wednesday. I would rather have a rough two weeks now and have to take a couple of days off than get injured and miss one of my up coming races. Here is to keeping well-hydrated, rested and injury free through March!

Race 2 of 12: February Race Review

For my second run of the year, I decided to stick with a DCRR race--the Langley 8K. Again, they put on a nice, low key race. They had volunteers directing people on the course and some post race snacks. The course was a mix of residential roads and a running path and was mostly rolling hills. It has been a while since I've had a run with continuous climbs and descents so the race was a nice challenge. I honestly wasn't quite sure how I was going to pace an 8K. I've run a ton of 5K and half marathons but not many, if any, distances between the two (well, besides one 6.6K about 5 years ago). I initially thought a 9 min/mile pace would be doable and moderately challenging.

As the race started, I managed to keep my pace in check but I was feeling pretty comfortable at an 8:30 pace. Even with the rolling hills, I was able to push myself and maintain my pace. The only things I struggled with and want to continue working on was the decrease in my pace going up the last hill and my lack of "kick."

Weekly Check-In

2/5/18-2/11/18

Miles: 24.97
Average Pace: 9:04
Notes: No speed work, race and a solid long run on tired legs.

The Washington Monument through the fog.

Definitely a little late on the update this week--life has been a little busy recently. I ran my February race and will have a separate recap post for it soon. I felt really good about the runs and workouts I got in this week. Thursday morning, I woke up groggy and sort of achy and my biggest concern was that I had caught the nasty flu that is making it's rounds. Luckily, some matzo ball soup and a night of rest helped to recharge me. I wasn't sure how far my long run would be or if I would be motivated enough to complete it this morning between the rain and possibly sore legs. I was able to finish the full 10 miles even with some occasional downpours and the last mile being an uphill battle. I also got some great pictures of some of the monuments in the fog.

Fog sits over the Tidal Basin with the Jefferson Memorial in the distance.

This week I am giving a gold star to my parents--specifically my mom. Both of them came down to visit this weekend and my mom bleached and cut my hair. It looks really great--not that it doesn't normally look good. I definitely needed a couple of inches cut off and my mom blended it really well with the hair I really damaged last summer. We went out for dinner on Saturday to Raku and it was a pleasant experience. Sometimes (really most of the time) my family has a hard time picking a place to eat which makes the entire experience...challenging. So anytime we can have a relatively stress/conflict free dinner, its a plus.

There will be another post coming soon recapping the Langley 8K!

Weekly Check-In and Monthly Recap

Better late than never, so lets quickly recap January and then move on to the week's check in.

January miles: 78.31

Average pace: 9:03

Number of long runs: 2

Longest run: 8 miles

Overall, this month was very mediocre. I managed to stay consistent with getting my runs in but missed at least one long run and had to cut any speed work for a week. I'm not sure why I missed the first long run and was out of town/dealing with some back pain when I missed the second one. In the middle of the month, my energy level plummeted and I took two days off of work to really get myself back up to speed and feeling healthy. Also, the last thing I wanted to do was potentially pass anything flu-like to my lab mates. I do realize that I'm still over 12 weeks out from the Frederick half marathon (and 8 from the Cherry Blossom 10 miler) so I would much rather have an easier week occasionally than force myself to go hard and injure myself.

How I feel when my alarm goes off at 5am.

Weekly Check-In for 1/30/18-2/4/18

Miles: 22

Average pace: 9:05

Notes: Still dealing with a little bit of back/hip tightness so no speed work, long run went okay.

Garlic parmesan and honey sriracha lime wings so I can eat like I'm watching the super bowl.  

Anytime I miss even one long run, I question my ability to do the next one--even if the milage is less. It usually doesn't prevent me from running, but I will procrastinate getting out the door. While this morning's run wasn't as breezy as I would have liked, I was able to quickly get in a groove and squash the negative self talk. And that ties into my happiness demerit for this week. I let a lot of stress wear me down and made my mood worse by talking to myself in a demeaning way. Luckily, I got out of the funk I was in. And I made some tasty wings today.