Making the Impossible Possible

I am NOT a morning person. My parents registered me for afternoon kindergarten when I was a kid because they knew there was no way I'd be up for the morning session. That has not changed. I can force myself to get up for work, travel, an appointment but it's exactly that -- forcing myself. This wasn't a problem for me when I was funemployed because I'd get my workout in whenever I felt like it -- usually around 11. Now, however, I am seeing the need to make some serious lifestyle adjustments if this training is going to happen.

Starting last week I was able to get up for strength workouts. Somehow that doesn't seem as challenging to do early in the morning because it's a slower pace. My strength workouts are intense and I like to lift heavy but it's not as relentless as running.

This past weekend I surprised myself and moved my runs up earlier than normal. It's good that it's summer and the sun comes up earlier. It's also good that I'm on a normal sleep schedule and not staying up as late. But even those "early" runs on the weekend weren't as early as they need to be to get them in before work on a weekday.

Today was the big test -- getting up at 6:30 to get my run in before work. I can't count on getting it in at lunch like I was hoping, not with my schedule so unpredictable. I hate doing it after work because I'm tired and, again, my schedule isn't predictable. So moving my runs to before work has become critical.

I had set my alarm for 6:45 but my sweet husband gently woke me at 6:30. He knows how important this training is to me and he's been really helpful about trying to get me up. Of course, he goes back to sleep but I am very grateful that he's so supportive and Lord knows he is painfully aware of my aversion to mornings. So I got up, got dressed, and drank some water. I know that's going to be an issue that I'm not as hydrated first thing in the morning but I'll adapt.

I was on the treadmill by 6:38 and I made a deal that today didn't have to be a great run, just a run. I was able to get in 5.31 miles in 60 minutes so I was definitely slower but for my first early morning workout I'm pretty satisfied with that. Miles are miles!

Getting my run in by 7:30ish really gave me a sense of accomplishment! By the time I got to work I already felt like I had a good day. I hope I can make this a repeat thing!

Jared is running NYC!

My mom told me today that Jared the Subway guy is running NYC and sure enough, he is. He said he plans to be at the back of the pack which is where I'll be too. Maybe I'll say "hi." ;) Usually some celeb does NYC, Katie Holmes did it 2 years ago, last year David Blaine was supposed to do it but pulled out. I hope he does it this year because I will find that man in a crowd of 40,000 and pester him for 26.2 miles to do some card tricks for me. Edward Norton and Ryan Phillips both ran it last year. Not that I'd be anywhere near a celeb but it's kind of cool to think you're covering the same miles they are. It's got to be annoying to be them though, it's just as hard for them to run a marathon as anyone else and they probably have a bunch of idiots bothering them the whole time. I wonder if anyone big will do it this year.

It ended up being a good week for running despite only getting 3 runs in. I covered my mileage for the week plus a little extra. Yesterday's 10-miler went really well but I still expected to be sore this morning. Amazingly, I woke up at 6:30 (yeah, I know, so not me) and was on the treadmill by 7:30. I ran for 56 minutes (plus 2 minutes warmup and 2 minutes cooldown) and got in 5.39 miles. I went slower in the beginning thinking I'd be fatigued from yesterday but when I got to around 35 minutes I realized I still had a lot in me so I tried to pick up the pace. I always love when I can throw a sprint in at the end and I felt really good today for the last 8 minutes going up from 6 mph to 6.5 mph. This is all good stuff! Afterwards we went to the campground and I got in a nice swim.

My plan is to run Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. I *plan* to do one as an interval run, one on the hilly course from hell, a long run and then a run like today. Best laid plans though...to be honest, I'll just be happy to get my mileage in. You can get real nutty with a training program but I'm trying not to let that happen. Other than the long run, which is a necessity, I've got to be flexible with my weekday runs because my life isn't predictable with my new job. I think that's good though because I tend to be an all-or-nothing person with my workouts. In the past if I couldn't do exactly what I planned for when I planned it I'd tend not to do it at all. That's really not an option so I'm trying to get my head around the idea that the most important thing is to get the runs in, the timing/day of the week is secondary.

Learning to roll with it

I admit it, this week was challenging. I never really got a honeymoon period with my new job and this week -- my SECOND -- was even more insane than the first. I worked late, worked through lunch, stress, stress, stress. I've got to learn how to compartmentalize work because I can't let it take over what personal time I have if I'm going to be successful in this training.

Even so, I got in a 4 mile run on Tuesday in Old Saybrook. I think I'm going to park my car near the water next time and start from there because I didn't really like running through the center of town and it doesn't get scenic until after the 2 mile mark where I turn around. It was hot, I was tired and stressed, but I got it in. I had big plans to do that on Wednesday but that was the day everything went nutso at work and I put in a 12-hour day. So it didn't happen. Thursday I was in Stamford so that was another 12-hour day. On Friday I did have the time to run but I made the decision not to squeeze it in just for the sake of having a 2nd weekday run if it meant not being as strong today for my long run. I made the right decision.

I got in 10.02 miles today -- 2 more than I had planned but as soon as I started out I felt good and I had done 8 miles 2 weeks in a row so I thought it would be good to shake it up. I'm still way ahead of where I should be for long runs, I don't think I hit 9 miles on the official schedule until the end of July. So as long as I can keep this up the stronger I'll be when the long runs really take off.

I messed up my GPS so it actually registered as 2 runs but here's the deets:

My splits are pretty consistent which is good. My pace was nice for a long run on the trail. It's come down by over a minute from a few months ago. My marathon goal pace is 11 minutes/mile overall so I'm headed in the right direction. Tomorrow I'll go for 4 or 5, depending on how I feel and it will still end up being a solid week of training.

As far as next week goes, I just have to put work in a little box and make my time my own. Wish me luck on that one!

If only every week could go this well

First week of my new job -- 5 of those days being on the road -- and I got all my runs in plus a strength workout. I can't be unhappy with that. I had great mileage for this week -- 23.6. The first month of official training has me coming in around 18 a week so I'm really happy with how I did this week. Yesterday's long run was tough, it was hot and I was a little slower than last week because of it. But...today was an unexpected victory! I did the Branford Road Race (5 miles) and I was hoping to *maybe* come in at 55 minutes and I came in at 52-something! I can't wait to get the official time. I just got caught up in the spirit of the race and it pushed me along at a much better clip than I thought possible. I hit the first mile marker at 9:40 and while I was super psyched I also knew I had to slow down a little or I'd never finish. I definitely struggled with controlling my pace today, I was either slowing down or speeding up, I don't feel like I was ever in a steady stride but I'm definitely not unhappy with the results.

The race was really fun, I've always wanted to do the Branford Road Race but it never worked out. The course was beautiful and there were so many nice people who had their sprinklers and hoses going. At the end of the race the fire department had a huge sprinkler going and between that and the cold watermelon, I was a happy camper.

I got to meet my aunt and uncle's Cross Fit friends. They are all in INSANE shape -- so inspiring! Someone from their group did the race in 27 minutes, that's CRAZY! It was a lot of fun to do the race with my aunt and uncle (we all ran on our own though). That's not a real tattoo on my uncle, they all airbrushed themselves before the race. They're so hardcore into Cross Fit and it pays off. If it were closer I'd start going too. Afterwards we went in their hot tub and pool and I can't think of a nicer end to a great week of running. If only the rest of the training goes as well! ;)

Hey, don't forget to train!

I got my first weekly email from NYC as we're officially in training now! Very exciting! I'm also happy to say that even though this week has been CRAZY with starting my new job, I've gotten in my 2 weekday runs. Both times I did I was so happy to be doing it -- like it was a treat! Having to schedule it in with long days and travel made me appreciate the chance I had to do my workout compared with just last week when I had all damned day to get motivated to run. What a great feeling to have! I can't say I'll always be so excited to run when I have a million things going on but at least I'm starting out on the right foot (no pun intended) and keeping focused.

Officially in training. I love the sound of that!

Balance

I started my new job this week. I am hoping this is not a typical week in my new life. I started my week by getting up at 2:30 am on Sunday to catch a 6 am flight to Chicago. I got there (exhausted) and had to sit through a slide review and a meeting. Then my flight home was delayed so I didn't get home until 12:30. So that was a nice 22-hour day. Then I had to go to Stamford on Monday morning. I gave the HR lady a heads up last week that if I was doing an in-and-out on Sunday I wasn't going to get to Stamford until 10:30 or so. I was so freaking tired but I dragged myself down to Stamford and began day 2. It's so tiring to be "on" all day and to learn everyone's names, where the bathroom is, etc. It's like I went from zero to 100 in no time at all.

The reason I'm even going into this is because my new work life CANNOT disrupt my training. I will not fail and give up on NYC, not with everyone I know to see me do it. I have wanted this for a long time and I am just going to have to find a way to make it work.

I tried to get up this morning to run, I really did. But I'm still wiped out. So as soon as I got back to the hotel I changed my clothes and found the gym. I really hate hotel workouts, I always feel out of my element, the treadmills are always different than mine, and I don't like being in such close proximity with other sweaty people (not that I smell like a dainty flower when I run). But I did it. I didn't start until well after 6 pm but I did an hour -- 5.55 miles. I felt strong and I knew about 10 minutes into it that it was going to be a really good run for me because I had wanted to do it all day and was actually following through.

My goal is to get up tomorrow and do a shorter run. I have a meeting in New Jersey on Thursday (they seriously are killing me this week) so I won't be able to run then. If I have to miss a workout this week it's going to be a strength one. I did my 100 pushups (straight-leg, man-style, baby!) after my run and that's about the most efficient and effective upper body exercise that I've found so even if I miss one this week, I shouldn't lose any strength gains.

Hopefully next week will be more normal. I'll settle into my new routine in Old Saybrook. Even if I still do my runs after work the point is that I'll be getting them in. Miles are miles, no matter what time they're logged. I have to keep remembering that.

For today, I'm happy I made the commitment to myself and got the thing done.

No more lazy Saturday mornings

Saturday is my long run day. It's the most important run of the week for endurance training. Even though "official" training hasn't started yet I've been getting in a long run every week to prepare me for what's to come. Today was a good one -- 8.14 miles. I did the Airline Trail which I like because it's a gradual uphill for the first 4 miles but that means a nice gradual downhill for the last 4. Also, trails are a little kinder on the joints than asphalt. Trails are a little slower though because you don't rebound off the dirt like you would the pavement but it's good training. My marathon goal pace is around 11 min/mile. I could really push and try to get that down to 10 but this is my first marathon. Finishing is the most important thing, my pace is secondary. My pace today was 11:24/mile which isn't bad considering it takes me at least a minute to start the GPS app on my iphone and then squeeze it into my arm cuff. Also, I took a phone call halfway through (someone please tell me how to turn off the phone while I'm running) to verbally decapitate a car salesman. LSS, my car will be on Monday even though I'll be out of town until Thursday. That blue spike on the readout isn't my speed, I think it was measuring my rage.

All and all, a solid run, car salesman and all.