So we are about two weeks away from beginning our first ever Zults War Challenge. This program through the gym I attend has always intrigued me. It is an add on price and above my budget like many of the extra programs. When it comes to my membership, I can only afford the bare minimum. However one of my former clients formed a team with some of my friends from the kid's school. Rob and I thought we would try it.
I am not sure exactly what we signed up for. I think it is either going to be eye opening to the fact we are not eating as healthy as we think we are or worse it is going to show how much I snack. I think many of my added calories are not from meals but from unhealthy snacks.
Those who are on our team have concerns such as when to exercise. We all have different schedules and commitments. Right now early mornings are working well for me. I know some will not sacrifice sleep and others think it is just plain crazy to get up at 4:45 AM. But I cannot imagine trying to do it any other way. If I had to rely on afternoons or evenings, I would probably only exercise once or twice a week.
I have not blogged about my exercise all winter so this a quick recap. As for races I did the Turkey Dash 5K with Derek on Thanksgiving morning and we did the Be My Muddy Valentine Obstacle Course 5K in February. The obstacle course race was quite challenging and Derek amazed me. He was one tough little mud runner.
My plan was to possibly train for the Eugene Marathon which is the first weekend of May. I was running 9 or 10 mile runs on the weekends in the frigid cold weather. On two occasions, my phone froze and completely stopped working. It took longer than normal to regulate my body temperature when I returned home. Part of me loved the winter solace as it reminded me of my early running days on the snow paths of Michigan.
I also did some track runs on the South Salem track in the cold. It was wonderful being back on the track again.
On a particular long run, my IT band started hurting. I wanted to complete the workout and continued. It was not excruciating, but uncomfortable. I felt discouraged. I am almost 40 (now am 40 as I am writing this) and my body is not the same as it was in my 20's.
A few days later I tried to do a simple four mile run on a somewhat dark morning. I had all my reflective gear on including my head lamp. Yet I was almost hit a truck. I really was. I hit my fist on truck coming right at me and yelled, "Stop!" I still don't know if the driver was doing a right turn and not paying attention to the cross walk or running a red light. It sent my anxiety in a tailspin. Not long after that my IT band started throbbing and I had to walk most of the way home. I felt discouraged and somewhat traumatized.
I had not been stretching much or rolling my IT band. Plus I put on the miles rather quickly. This might have been the cause of the side knee pain. I backed off on my running and only ran one or two times a week and did swimming, spin, and power. Sometimes I felt a dull pain on the side of my knee by the fourth mile especially coming off a hill.
Now I am at the point where I am running without pain, but I have not done more than five miles since December. I am diligent about stretching and rolling most nights and doing some simple yoga as well. I think it helps.
I am considering another triathlon this summer and possibly a longer run in the fall, winter, or even next spring. I may need to see my doctor or get a referral to physical therapist if the pain continues. For now I am using what I know (and is recommended by my friends and Runner's World) and seeing if that alleviates the issues.
So 2 weeks before Zults here is what I have done:
Monday = Swim 1800 yards (1 mile) at the Courthouse in the afternoon by myself. Pretty decent workout. My breaststroke is still messy but improved. My 50 yards are faster by about five seconds.
Tuesday = Ran 4.76 miles with a 9:38 minute/mile pace with Tracy. It was cooler out but thankfully not raining. I also took the kids swimming in the afternoon at the gym and played in the water with them.
Wednesday = Swim 1300 yards (about 3/4 mile) at the Courthouse at 5 AM with triathlon friends. Got a later start and I think they ended earlier than normal. So I got a smaller amount of yards in than normal. One of our friends is doing her first triathlon this weekend. She is a pretty intense athlete and does ultras. She swims faster than me. So I don't think she will have any problems doing a sprint tri especially on a mostly flat course. She was asking me questions all about triathlons and I got pretty excited for her. I almost wished I was doing it too! Our other friend said I should a half ironman. So of course I spent some time today searching Ironman 70.3 races. But not yet.
Thursday = Group Ride I got to go to ride with my friend from the kid's school and Hailey went too! I told Hailey she did have to stay for the whole workout but she did! She pushed herself hard and loved it. It was a good workout and I am enjoying Ride much more so.
Friday = Rest Day. No planned workout. Although I did walk to the park with the baby I care for and do a few loops around the park. I also did some big cleaning projects in the playroom. I skated with the girls tonight at the skating rink. So that is some calories burned. I also bought some protein pancake mix and tried one for lunch. Surprisingly it was really good. And it helped me not be hungry all afternoon.
Saturday = Street Hockey. I was going to go to the gym in the morning because Rob was not back yet. I sensed I needed to be at home with the girls. It's not like I don't trust them alone, but they have had some struggles getting along lately. They were a little clingy when Rob was gone. I did play hockey in the afternoon and I played the whole time. Normally I only last 45 minutes to an hour...and I know it sounds terrible...but truth be told I get bored. This time I enjoyed it.
Sunday = Ran 5.46 miles with a 9:44 pace. It was one of those Sunday afternoons where I had zero desire to run, but I knew I had to do it. I knew I would not regret it. I even tackled the Boone hills and did not have to walk. It was a pretty good run. I also had no IT band pain!
