I ended up getting in 47 miles last week, and 3 quality runs- my 16 miler (which sucked b/c of weather but was overall a decent run), a 10-miler in the wonderful air-conditioned gym on Friday during which I played around with the pace a lot and averaged 8:29 minute miles for the run, and a pretty hardcore tempo run on Saturday. I warmed up for half a mile at about 8:41 pace, then ran 1 mile @ 8:00, 1.5 miles @ 7:41, 0.5 miles @ 7:30 (!!) and 0.8 miles @ 8:00 with a half mile cool down at 8:34 pace. OK so my true tempo pace is 8:00...but it felt a little too easy so I decided to push it. My quads were sore on Sunday but it was a big confidence boost, especially after the slower runs last week.
I started the new week with a 7 miler in the park yesterday. Today I woke up bright and early at 6:42 on the dot...after turning my alarm off TWICE because I was so tired. I was also very hungry! I've been doing really well not eating late at night, which means I wake up hungrier! I am aiming to shed about 5-10 pounds before my next marathon in October, and cutting out the night eating is the easiest way to do it while still fueling properly for my training. Anyway, I grudgingly got out of bed and ate a banana with peanut butter before feeding the pup and cats. Please note the fuzzy cutie in the background. She does not "wake up" until around 7:30 and I was surprised she even got out of bed so early!
After the pets were happy, I had my usual pre-LR Clif Bar.
I reeealllly didn't feel like running yet, so I took Cirrus for a 20 minute walk during which she nearly got stepped on and definitely got kicked by some self-important worker-bee who was in such a rush to get to work that she couldn't walk around my pup, who was busy making friends with a little shitzu. I may or may not have called her the b-word...in front of a mother and her toddler. Oops. When someone messes with my furballs I kind of lose it! Cirrus is fine though!
When I got home I still didn't want to run, at all. Yes, I run 5-6 days a week. Yes, I've been doing this for 9 years now. You'd think it'd just be a routine at this point- get up, fuel up, get out and run! And it usually is. I love long runs and typically look forward to them. But I still have a day every now & then that it's really difficult to find the motivation to get out the door. It usually happens when I've been training too hard, though, and I'm actually not officially training at all yet. Plus I just took a rest day on Sunday. So I procrastinated by vacuuming and mopping, after which I needed a light snack of a slice of spelt bread, half plain and half with almond butter & jam...
I STILL didn't want to run, but usually just getting out the door is the hardest part, and I feel great once I'm out there. So out I went! Unfortunately it just wasn't a good run. I was fine until around mile 3, when I started to feel like I had a cold and was just super tired. Then I remembered that yesterday at work I felt like I was coming down with something and was coughing all day. I'm definitely feeling pretty run down lately, no pun intended.
By mile 8 I was just dead tired and my legs felt like I was wearing 20 lb. ankle weights on each leg. So I decided to just do one loop around the Bridle Path and cut the run short at 10 miles. That's the nice part about not officially being in training yet- I can do that if I want! I'm usually too stubborn to shorten or alter my runs when I'm following a training plan!
It seemed to be the right decision since I could barely get myself up to the 5th floor and into the shower afterwards. I wanted to nap, but I had too much to do today, so I attempted to energize myself with some swamp slush (aka a green smoothie).
My smoothie had coconut milk, a banana, frozen mango & blueberries and spinach and it was delicious! Ok, so it may have been more purple than green, but it wasn't due to lack of spinach. I can't get enough of that stuff lately!
I also had a spelt bagel with about 2/3 of an avocado mushed up and spread on top. This is still one of my favorite meals ever, and it's so simple. My co-worker thought I was a weirdo for eating this at work the other day and proclaiming avocado to be "nature's cream cheese." But it totally is!
Unfortunately while I was walking to the subway after lunch I started feeling really sick. When I got to Union Square I wasn't sure I was going to make it through my errands. I just felt like I was going to drop at any second, and my stomach was acting up. I managed to get through Whole Foods & Trader Joe's as quickly as possible, then high-tailed it back uptown. I was too wiped for a grocery trip photo shoot, but highlights included cherries, organic strawberries that the cashier put in as conventional (boo ya!), and more So Delicious coconut milk yogurts! Pretty much the usual besides that.
After another quickie dog walk and sitting down for a bit, I was feeling much better. I snacked on a bowl full of cherries- sooo good! Looks like Rosie & Reese thought so, too.
I had a grandma-style dinner at 5:00. I am always ready for dinner around this time. I guess I'm just destined to live in an old folks' home. I was going to make a salad, but I was really craving veggies & hummus. Honor thy cravings, people! So I dug in.
An entire bag of baby carrots and half a bag of cauliflower later, dinner was done. But I needed a little something sweet to counteract that spicy hummus. Enter 1/3 of a slice of spelt bread (yes, 1/3!) with a little pb&j.
Totally hit the spot and I'm super full now!
I'm still wiped out, so I'm planning on hitting the hay at 9:00. Early bird dinners, 9:00 PM bedtimes...perhaps I should also soak my dentures and finish that scarf I've been knitting for little Timmy. Since I'm going to bed so early, I may not want a snack, but if I do I have this beauty waiting for me!
I'm hoping to wake up feeling refreshed and back to normal tomorrow!
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