Wordless Wednesday: Reminders & On This Day

 

 

 

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5 Day Roller Coaster

When I jump-started this blog at the beginning of this year, I swore I would blog no matter how I feel. Well, I felt awful one day which led to a missed blog post. And then another. And another. I'm not going to back track and write a separate blog entry for each day missed, so I'm just going to unroll on today's blog, the days leading to my crash. Yes, crash.

FRIDAY

After a flu-like feeling last Thursday, I finally got to the Doc today for a physical exam. Blood work ended up being normal. BP med dose reduced to 5mg (half). Any feeling of lightheadedness during marathon training I have to report. Thyroid seems enlarged, so I have to get that looked at. Could it be why I've been SO INCREDIBLY tired????

I napped the day away. It was awful. Completely useless. Could it be the flu shot the Doc gave me??

I did manage to squeeze in my #plankaday and #wallsit challenges. Not stellar, and definitely not as far as I can go on this day, but I did it.

 

Thoughts meandered towards my long run tomorrow, Saturday. 16 miles. I would definitely need an alarm like the one below, preferably the screaming kind, to get me out the door. Yes. I am determined to still make my long run. I'm going to go to bed early, get a ton of rest, and be refreshed the next day. Yes.

 

SATURDAY

Yes, Saturday, the promise of a new day for this sickly runner. Well, not really. I got up, gave my alarm clock a good pounding, and went back to sleep. Not feeling good still, in fact, the not-so-great feeling spilled over into my family. My poor, poor boys, especially, The Hubs, who gets the brunt of all my crabbiness. I was feeling so tired all the time, yet I have a ton of stuff to do, now that I've decided not to run today.

Definitely feeling un-balanced, struggling with the demands of motherhood, wifehood, daughterhood and personhood. My one and only therapy, running, I couldn't even do because I felt like crap.

If this is my struggle and they say that to struggle is to grow, then I'm sure as heck that I must grow like a weed soon. I just can't get myself to celebrate the struggle right now. Not yet.

It became apparent to me how much a part of me running is. How everything seems better after a run.

 

From Run The Edge on Facebook

 

Struggles aside, The Hubs has been great about getting me to do my #plankaday and #wallsit challenges. They were definite challenges today because our boys walked between us and shoved Pillow Pet Sharkie (Little Man's beloved stuffed sidekick) at our faces while we planked.

 

 

I think I took all my frustrations onto my plankaday. One of few times I broke 3 minutes! Definitely a sure sign my inner warrior is lurking in the depths of my pathetic shell of a runner.

SUNDAY, RUN DAY? (The Crash)

So The Hubs and I decided that he would run his 15 miles first and then I would run my 16.

I actually woke up Sunday feeling better. It must be my meds. I'm on the right dose. I made chocolate chip pancakes for the boys and even found something to laugh about with the boys....

Caught Our Foam Roller Romancing Jenga!

 

Next thing I knew, The Hubs was back from his run and I was off to do mine.

It was chilly, but once I got moving, I felt good. What I determined to be my MCL tendon, was feeling a bit sore since Friday, so on this long run, I made the extra effort to be mindful of it and did the most stupidest thing ever.....consciously changed my gait DURING a long run. I'm so, so, very, very smart. My thinking was since my right foot splays out as I push off, it pulls my MCL tendon. So if I consciously keep my foot straight as I pushed off, it wouldn't pull. If my MCL tendon doesn't pull, then no pain.

Wrong.

My right quad felt sore. So sore that I had to stop my run at Mile 6.5 and walk the 1.5 miles home. In the cold. Normally I would've pushed myself if it was just sore, but it did not feel good all around. MCL tendon was starting to twitch along with my ITB. I felt SO discouraged. Tears. More tears as other runners passed me.

More tears at home as I sat on the floor feeling like I don't want to run anymore, feeling tired of injury after injury. I started to question why I want to run another marathon when clearly I can't even balance my life at home. What is wrong with me? What am I doing? What am I trying to prove?

I will always be forever grateful for The Hubs. He listened, he hugged, he offered kind, sensitive words. He just knows me so well to let me wallow in my sadness for the rest of the day. To let me purge every negative cell in my body, knowing full well that I will come around stronger.

He tried to get me out of my huge slump for my #plankaday and #wallsit challenges, but I just didn't have it in me. I squeezed out just the #plankaday challenge early the next day to make up for the missed plank with The Hubs.

I can only hope that this feeling of being dragged could only mean that tomorrow will be better.

 

 

MONDAY - Resurrection

I started my day with this:

I pushed away the dark clouds to let the sun shine through. After a day of darkness I just wanted to get back and move on. I really like the quote above, about embracing the flow of life....to see life as an adventure, not a hardship.

So I got back on the bike trainer for just 15 minutes, not too long, but enough to loosen up my legs. I then started working on strengthening my ITB, my MCL, hip abductors, then rolled the heck out of my legs and upper back, and finally iced a lot. ]

Starting to feel more myself. Determined and hopeful.

 

TUESDAY - Today!

I almost didn't, but I did. And i'm glad I did. I ran today. 5 miles. Very easy pace. I was a bit creaky, a tiny bit sore from yesterday's workout, so I was happy about the easy pace.

The 43 deg F temp felt like a heat wave! The sun was out and I knew this may be the only Run Day for me this week. So at the very last minute, met up with my friend, "J," and since we had a lot to talk about, we didn't care about pace and took it very easy. It was definitely a therapy run.

Halfway through our run, my friend "S" catches up to us and the three of us ran the rest of the hilly route home. For a moment I felt this surge of my old self again. I didn't care about my gait, let my legs and feet land however they want to land. Surprise, surprise, no pain! I just felt sluggish. (It's gotta be the flu shot).

I'm still looking for my old self, that happy runner girl who lives for every run. Hopeful my running mojo will be back. Well, it better, because in less than 7 weeks.....

EEEK! How is that to break you out of the slump and get back to busy?!!! I'm excited to run it with The Hubs. It will be his first full marathon! I just want to get there in one piece and finish in one piece.

I finished off the day with my ITB Rehab Routine, a short Myrtl Routine, some Foam Roller Moves, and of course, my #plankaday and #wallsit challenges.

 

A couple of things about the roller coaster last couple of days - it's ok to have bad days and to let yourself feel bad for a little bit. The next day, forgive yourself and pick yourself back up again. Let go of things that keep you from being strong. Listen to your body. Be kind to your body. Be patient. Embrace the flow of life.

I'm going to do everything I can to get to Shamrock Marathon. I won't let fear keep me from it. I will go with the flow, with what The Universe gives me. And know that everything will be ok.

 

Janathon Day 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

Moon Joggers Mileage To Date: 89.82

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Cross-Training On A Budget

A couple of weeks ago, I almost signed up for a gym membership.  For $50/month plus more for childcare for my 3 boys, it felt too much like another car payment.  This stay-at-home momma is on a budget, so thanks to very generous moms and the internet, I was able to find a variety of cross training workouts that work best for my schedule, best with my kids, to supplement my running, all for free.  Yes, FREE.

Free Is Really Nice.  I feel blessed and grateful every week for two amazing moms who offer free workout classes every week at their church just because they love sharing their passion.  Yes, FREE classes - yoga and a cardio/abs/plyometric class.  The best part?  I can bring my kids with me too!  We bring out toys from their church nursery room and set them out on the far corner of their gym while we work out on the other side of the gym.  The only catch is that kids roam around the gym freely, and when we do sprints, some days we have to run around and between toys.  I'm not complaining, since it is free, and I get a pretty good work out.  


How To Get It Free.  Don't know someone who offers free classes?  Perhaps you can bring a group of friends together - at a park, or someone's house - and either follow an online workout video or make up your own.  You can take turns leading the class and watching the kids.  One nice day we took our workout outside.  We pushed the kids in joggers and did a power walk, then we jogged, and finally we ended our workout at a playground park doing lunges along the perimeter of the playground, planks, push ups, dips, you name it - while our kids happily played.  It was a nice change to be outside.

Pool Time For Free.  Of course if you have a neighborhood pool, you can do a couple of laps for cross training.  I don't swim.  I can't swim.  I want to know how to swim but that's next year's goal.  Obviously with kids in tow to the pool, it's not a good idea.  My first 2 boys can swim, but are not strong swimmers, and my youngest can't swim at all, so I always keep my eye on all 3 of them even though there are lifeguards there.  You just never know.  This cross training is best when your husband/significant other is with you and you can take turns swimming laps while the other watches the kids.

Free Online Videos are nice when the only time you can get a work out in is at home at 10:30pm or 5am and you have to be home with the kids.  You can find many workouts - yoga, abs, strength, cardio, etc.. on YouTube that it is almost impossible to get bored.  I am currently loving these three videos:

1)  Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown, Level 1 - 30 minutes.  I have the entire DVD too and one of these days I will actually follow it all the way to Level 3.  What I love about this is that you don't go into the poses right away and hold then hold it.  This is dynamic yoga where you warm up muscles before sinking into the yoga pose and holding that pose.  This could just be my body, but the traditional static yoga hurt me more, or maybe I'm just not doing them correctly.  I'm not very flexible.  Anyways, I've grown to love dynamic yoga thanks to Jillian.  Check it out and see for yourself!

2)  Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1 - 25 minutes.  I usually follow up the yoga meltdown with this video.  I also have the DVD for this and will try and bring this all the way to level 3 also.  This is a great combination of cardio, strength (weights), and abs.  

3)  Yoga For Runners:  Injury Prevention With Fiji McAlpine - 20 minutes.  On my other cross-training day, I double up on the yoga.  I do Jillian Michael's Yoga Meldown and follow it up with this more traditional static yoga.  I'm not very flexible at all, but I find that if I do the dynamic yoga (Jillian Michaels' yoga) first and end with the static yoga poses, the poses gets easier and I am more flexible in the end.  

4)  Yoga for Runners:  Post-Run with Fiji McAlpine - 15+ minutes.  I do this video if I can/have time after my long runs.  It's a nice way to stretch out any sore muscles and it's not too long either.

So my summer training schedule for Marine Corps Marathon looks like this:

Mondays:  6am - 5 mile run
                  9am - Yoga (free class) for 1 hour


Tuesdays:  Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meldown
                  Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred


Wednesdays:  11am - Cardio/Abs/Plyometrics (free class)
                         7am - Track Workout plus miles I need to do to get to 5 miles total.


Thursdays:  Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown
                     Yoga for Runners:  Injury Prevention with Fiji McAlpine


Fridays:  Total Rest Day


Saturdays:  Long Run
                    Yoga for Runners:  Post-Run With Fiji McAlpine


Sundays:  Total Rest Day 
                   
This seems to work for me right now.  I am hoping to get a bike trainer to add to my cross training schedule to keep from getting bored. I have an old bike that I could take out for a spin, but I don't have a lot of time to get outside on my own, so a bike trainer would work out well.

The marathon training plan I am following is a cross between Hal Higdon's Novice 2 plan and Jeff Galloway's plan.  More on that on another post.

Your turn.  What do you do for cross training and what are your favorites?

Dusting off the old bike

Going stir crazy over here since I can't run for a week!!!  I dusted off my old bike today to get some cardio in.  Boy has it been a looooong time since I last got on that bike.  I was afraid for my boys who were riding around me.  Yelling "get out of mommy's way or you'll get hurt!" just scared my boys away from me.  (Note to self:  find another way to get some cardio in)

I did manage to ride 2 miles.  Not much when you're going around and around the culdesac and dodging the kids on their bikes, but it was better than nothing!