9/12 to 9/20 Bad Week to Good Week

 Last week was a wash.  I ran Tuesday & Wednesday which was actually quite good.  By Thursday I was very exhausted as well as Friday.  I decided to not exercise the rest of the week.  Don't get me wrong.  I like having a lot on my plate.  I would take this over spring 2020. I like seeing the kids involved in things and I like having more to do.  I don't really miss the long days working at home figuring out what I am supposed to be doing with so little direction.  But my motivation is not where I want it right now.  Sometimes I still feel like it's fighting tooth and nail to exercise.

So here's a new week.

Monday = Ran 3.61 miles with an average pace of 10:33 (slower because of traffic lights).  I really didn't want to run.  I didn't sleep well & I was pretty stressed out.  But I am so glad I got myself out of bed and ran.  I did feel better once I got home.  I listened to old school CCM music and I think that made a difference.

Tuesday = Swam with my tri friends.  About 1400 yards.

Wednesday = Ran 5.07 miles with an average pace of 10:17 (probably slower again because of traffic lights)

Thursday = Rest

Friday = Weights plus 1000 yards of swimming that included speed drills

Saturday = Biked 16.05 miles.  Nice to ride outside on a fall day!

Sunday = Intervals at Wendy Kroger.  4 x outside loop 2 x smaller loop

9/6 to 9/12 We're back into the fall routine

 We actually had a very smooth first week of school/work--more so than I expected.  It feels amazing to be in a fall routine.

9/6 (Labor Day) = Ran 4.07 miles with a pace of 10:52

9/7 (First Day of School) = Swam approximately 1300 yards alone.  My friends weren't there.  :(

9/8 = Did 1/2 hour of weights and 1/2 hour on the stationary bike in the afternoon after work

9/9 = R30 after work

9/10 = Intervals at the park.  2 x 1 lap and 1 x 2 laps with recovery and stretching

9/11 = Sublimity Harvest 5k.  Derek beat me and did amazing.  We did around 26 minutes.

9/12 = Rest but I did go for a slow 1.88 mile slow walk

8/30 to 9/5 We don't like letting go of summer

 I need to start documenting my workouts again.  I don't really have any major goals right now.  Just simply to continue to exercise and maybe look at races in the spring.  

Monday (8/30) = Ran 4 miles with an average pace of 10:14/mi.  

Tuesday (8/31) = Swam approximately 1300 yards with triathlon friends.  I have not swam with them especially in the early morning hours in SO long.

Wednesday (9/1) = Ran 3.07 miles with an average pace of 10:01/mi

Thursday (9/2) = About 20 minutes of weights and 25 minutes of stationary bike.  Why doesn't the gym offer early morning power anymore!?

Friday (9/3) = About a 1 mile hike from Horsetail Falls to Ponytail Falls and back

Saturday (9/4) = Rest

Sunday (9/5) = Intervals at Wendy Kroger Park.  4 x 1 lap with recovery in between.  I am tight and slow right now!

No one is ready for school to start.  I do see the anxiety subsiding and more of a readiness of what lies ahead.

Week #16 - #18 of 24

 I've not been keeping up with recording my workouts.  I have been pretty good about keeping my workouts.  I still have not missed a single workout.  My twenty mile run was really challenging.  It was a very busy weekend with the youth group fundraiser.  My plan was to run early Sunday morning.  I even was up at 4:40 AM.  Due to some female issues I only made one mile and had to turn around come home.  I was so mad.  But I was able to run later that afternoon...and I literally ran all afternoon.  From 2:30 to just before 6.  It was tough around Mile #15.  I need to keep hydrating and taking in nutrition...I can tell when I'm starting to bonk.

My knee and ankle are doing fine.  I did register for the marathon so I am committed!!  

Week #14 and #15 of 24

 Monday (15):  Ran 9 miles in the late afternoon.  Beautiful day!

Tuesday (16):  Stationary bike for 50 minutes & stretching at the gym in the late afternoon while Kara was at theatre practice

Wednesday (17):  Rest.  Kind of a busy day getting ready for ETM at night and transporting kids.

Thursday (18):  18 miles!!  The first few miles were miserable.  Cold. wet, rain.  I was absolutely drenched.  The rain let up about halfway through.  There were so many traffic lights too and I had issues with my phone and headset at one point.  It made the run much longer than anticipated.  I had very little knee or ankle pain.  It help up pretty well.

Friday (19):  Rest

Saturday (20):  Walked the beach with friends in the late morning as I stayed on the coast Friday night.  Was a good cross training workout.

Sunday (21):  I did a five mile pacing run and it was frustrating because I felt tired the whole run.  Like it took much effort to keep going and I had to walk three times.  I felt thirsty and depleted.  I spent most of the evening on the couch and went to bed really early.  It honestly felt like the after affects of COVID even though it's been two months.  I heard it can linger.

Monday (22):  6.14 miles.  Much better run.  I could maintain about a 9 1/2 minute mile pace.  I felt much stronger.  Amazing what another day brings.

Tuesday (23): Stationary bike 50 minutes & weights

Wednesday (24): 6 mile run with Emily at Minto Brown.  We had a great run.

Thursday (25): 13.1 mile run in the morning before Kara and I left for Virginia.  It was a really good run...not much pain.  Did not struggle that much.

Friday (26): 1.5 mile walk along the beach with my mom and Kara.

Saturday (27): Rest

Sunday (28) Rest

Week #13 of 24

 Monday (8):  My birthday!  I did an 8 mile run in the morning while listening to music from the 1970's!

Tuesday (9):  Stationary bike for 45 minutes and weights for about 15 minutes.  I was in a crummy mood due to some issues at work.  I needed to process through it.  It got better as the day went on.  I had a good talk with my teacher coach.

Wednesday (10): 17 miles!  I was so excited I completed this!  My knee held up as well.  It was probably on a pain level of about 3.  It did not get progressively worse during the run but kind of stayed the same.

Thursday (11): Rest

Friday (12):  About 40 minutes of weights/stretches and fifteen minutes of the rowing machine at the gym.

Saturday (13):  Completed the Dirty Leprechaun 5K with Derek!  We had such a great race.

Week #12 and Repeating Week #12

 Monday (22):  I did some stretching, weights, and riding the stationary bike at the gym.  Trying to strengthen my glutes to see if it will help with this lateral knee pain.

Tuesday (23):  Ran 6 miles to Bryan Johnson Park and back.  Some pain but not nearly as bad as I expected.  First time running with the wireless head phones.

Wednesday (24):  Pretty busy day getting ready to leave for Michigan so I did not make it to the gym.

Thursday (25) - Sunday (28):  I was in Michigan/Chicago.  While we were pretty active walking, I decided to not exercise and see if that would help my knee heal.  

The marathon I wanted to do on the Oregon Coast went virtual and I really don't want to do a virtual marathon.  The other one I was looking at that same weekend is on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington which would be absolutely beautiful.  It is like a five hour drive and I don't think I could get that Monday off work.  The one I want to do is in North Bend, Washington.  It has not been cancelled yet and they will make a decision on March 24th.  I am hoping it does happen.  If it doesn't I don't have a lot of options.  I am ahead of schedule training wise so I decided to repeat Week #12.  I figured it can't do any harm--it might actually do some good.

Monday (1):  Lots of walking in Chicago

Tuesday (2):  Rest.  Very exhausted from travel.

Wednesday (3):  Ran 6 miles.  Some knee pain again.  It's like with the rest nothing really changes and in some ways it gets worse because the muscles are being worked.  The dynamic stretching before I run and the stretching afterwards helps.  It makes a pretty big difference.  On a pain scale with 1 being I don't feel any pain to 10 I can hardly run, I would rank it at a 5.

Thursday (4):  Ran 6 miles.  It was  good run and there is knee pain again.  It's not any worse but not better.  It is not throughout the whole run.  Running downhill triggers it.  I would still rank it at a 5.  I am slower and and struggling on the uphill but I think that is due to taking time off.  I also had not drank enough.  I was so thirsty after running I could hardly get enough water.  I felt thirsty the rest of the day.  I have done awesome staying away from soda but I have not been drinking enough water.  I am wondering if I stay on top of it with the PT exercises everyday like when I trained for Arizona, I can keep the knee pain manageable.  I think the next few weeks will determine that.

Friday (5):  Biked 45 minutes and weights at the gym

Saturday (6):  Ran 6 miles and 4 1/2 of that was with a friend.  My knee pain was a 2 today.  I think all the stretching yesterday helped significantly.  I am also seriously thinking of doing the Willamette Valley Marathon here in Salem on May 23.  It would put me right on schedule.  I would not need to miss work or mess with travel.  I could sleep in my own bed.  Rob could watch me start and maybe watch me finish if church let out in time.  If my knee gets worse, I can easily switch to the half or even 10K.

Sunday (7):  Rest