Days 184 - 190: Training vs Turkey (and pie...)

I tried really hard to rest my bum knee this week. I figured yoga would be good to stretch it out, so Monday I grabbed my Groupon and headed to the studio I'll be using until I go back to Cleveland for Christmas. It's a hot yoga studio, but it's not all Bikram... they have a lot of "Power" classes that are vinyasa-based. The Monday class I did was a "Power hour," and it was pretty hard. I haven't done hot yoga in awhile, and I had forgotten how much more tired it makes you feel at the end.

Since my knee held up Monday and we weren't running on Tuesday (both due to my injury and because we needed to recover in general from 21 miles before trying to race on Thursday), I decided to go to another yoga class. I wanted to adjust to going to bed early and getting up early so that I would be able to fall asleep Wednesday night and wake up bright and early Thursday morning ready to race, so I decided to go to the 6 a.m. power class. It was actually a great way to start my day, and nice to have my afternoon off for mad Thanksgiving cleaning and baking, so I did the same thing Wednesday.

Thursday: race day! The Atlanta Thanksgiving half marathon, my 2nd anniversary. My trick for slightly readjusting my body clock worked, so I was up on time and ready to go. Chris and I met where he was house sitting and walked the mile to the starting line at Turner Field. It was so foggy... we couldn't see the tops of the buildings... very creepy. The course was different from last year, and it was HARD. Terrible. We were constantly running hills, which I know are unavoidable in Atlanta, but it is possible to plan routes with flat parts or fewer steep hills. The good thing was, although my knee was a little stiff and achy, it held up until mile 12. But our time was pretty awful... 2:37:19. My worst time ever. The only thing that eased the pain was that there were somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 runners, and only 8,866 finished. So in the end, I'm just glad we finished, and that I didn't destroy my knee. I celebrated with way too much food and 3 pieces of pie (what's the point of running so much if I can't eat pie?).

Friday was a day off to spend time with my mom and sister who were visiting for the holiday. Saturday I went to a walk in and work out belly dancing class to make up for the canceled classes Wednesday (don't want my belly dancing muscles to deteriorate!), followed immediately by an hour and a half of hot yoga. My abs were sufficiently sore.

Since our "long" run was Thursday, Chris and I did 7 miles this morning. My knee is still achy, but it's not a sharp pain anymore, so I can still run on it, and least for these shorter distances. I'm just hoping it will hold up for our 22 miler Sunday...

Days 177 - 183

Ok, weekly recap:

Monday went to yoga. Last one at Active Sol for awhile again. I have a Groupon for another studio that's mostly hot yoga classes; I'll probably start using that this week. But Active Sol has definitely been my favorite studio so far, so I think once I'm done with my Groupons I'll go back. They're starting to offer some pretty good membership deals, so hopefully it will be affordable.

Tuesday, due to inclement weather, I ran in the evening on the treadmill. Did all 8 miles, but used it as a chance to do some speed work--tempo runs starting at 10 min/mile and increasing my speed a little at a time. I didn't time like you're supposed to... I just used the songs on my iPod as the indication for when I should increase or decrease the speed. Finished the whole thing in 1:22, so even with my walking recoveries, I came out just over a 10 min/mile average. Definitely a tough run though.

Wednesday I did two belly dancing classes again. The theme for the walk in and workout class was "Bollywood"... so fun! In the choreography class we started working on some of the moves we'll need for the dance. My abs were so sore by the end of the night! I guess that means it's working, right? I'm completely addicted. Belly dancing is such a fun and different workout, and my abs are getting awesome again, and it makes me feel pretty. :-p I'm definitely going to keep it up.

Thursday I was sick. As in stuffy, sore throat, headache, ear ache, jaw ache, face ache, eyes so swollen I had to ice my face sick (yes, ice my face). So there was no work and no working out. I got my second 8 miler in Friday afternoon; however, I learned that lunch at the Indian buffet plus a head cold is not conducive to a good run. Slow and painful. But I got it done, which is what matters, I guess.

Saturday I did not technically do a workout. However, I ran errands and cleaned my apartment and didn't sit down from noon until 6, so I feel all that work must count for something. Gotta love getting ready for the holidays. I did go to Big Peach with my birthday gift certificate so generously given to me by my mom and sister, and got an ADORABLE new cold weather running outfit (baggy track pants and long sleeve t-shirts from high school just aren't cutting it for long runs and winter races anymore). It's seriously awesome. Cute little black running pants with green stitching and a matching green coat. It was really hard to decide... there were like 1,000 things I wanted. But I'm happy with my selection, and I'm going to be so stylish for the half marathon Thursday!

Speaking of the half marathon... I guess I should say IF I run the half on Thursday. Chris and I did a 21 miler today. About half-way through, I felt my right knee start to ache, but it wasn't unbearable... it just felt like I had a tight or sore muscle. So I kept going, but by about mile 17 the pain was getting sharp. We basically had to walk the last three miles because I was hurting so much. I've been stretching and icing all afternoon, but it still hurts to even walk. I'm just going to try to use it as little as possible this week, and keep stretching and icing. I really want to be able to run Thursday. But more than that, I don't want to be hurt so long that I lose all the hard work I've done, or that I can't run the marathon. When Chris hurt his knee, he was out for 3 months. I'm nervous. But I guess I'll give it a few days and see how it goes.

Days 170 - 176: Rest?

I think we should just accept that updating is going to be a weekly thing now.

While the actual 20 mile run wasn't as bad as we expected, the following days were less fun. So, since originally, before our rearranging because of my traveling, this was scheduled as a "rest" week, we decided to stick to that schedule. In fact, since most training plans only ever get to 20 miles, everything after this is just bonus, so we decided that instead of 2 weeks increasing distance followed by one step back week, we're going to do one week increasing, one week step back. I think it's a good plan. Every extra mile we do will help, but not pushing it too hard will help prevent us from getting injured, over-trained, or over-tired so close to the big day.

I was pretty tough on myself for a rest week, though. Monday I did my usual yoga class; my back was killing me after our run, but felt much better afterward. Tuesday morning Chris and I ran a slow, heavy, somewhat painful 7 miles... we were definitely not recovered yet. Since it was a slow beginning of the week at work, I left a little early and did a double yoga class Tuesday. The classes were slightly different styles and philosophies, but both were slow and purposeful, and we were really encouraged to focus on each pose and the strengthening and/or releasing the pose allowed. It was just what I needed.

Wednesday I started my new belly dance course: Upgrade U by Beyonce. I actually made it to the studio early enough for the walk in and work out class the hour before... it's like a step aerobics class or a zumba class but with belly dancing moves. It was a good chance to practice some of the things I learned last class, and it definitely got my heart going. My actual class wasn't too tough this week... just a lot of preliminary stuff. Should be fun though.

Thursday morning Chris and I ran a much better 7 miles. I was finally free of my aches and pains and soreness. Friday was supposed to be a rest day, but for my birthday Randy took me salsa dancing, which totally counts as an extra workout! So, given the double yoga classes Tuesday, the double belly dancing classes Wednesday, and the dancing Friday, I decided I could just take Saturday off (at least from working out).

Today Chris and I ran 13.1 as a last practice for our Thanksgiving Day half marathon. The weather was perfect: sunny, 60s, nice breeze. We finished in 2:30, which is definitely acceptable for a training run. I was actually really excited about the run for some reason, and I felt great afterward. We celebrated with a delicious (and quite large...) lunch at Highland Bakery.

All in all, a good week, I feel. Recovered from 20 miles, took a little rest from running so much, and got in a lot of cross training. Hopefully I'm all prepared for this week!

Days 166 - 169: Runner's karma?

Thursday I didn't get my run in. I spent 3 hours arguing with my apartment office and UPS about a lost package, which took up my whole evening. Lame.

Friday I was going to wake up early to run, but that didn't happen either. Not to worry, however, because I left work a little early and got in my 8 miles. It was chilly and I was feeling very unmotivated, so I did something quite unorthodox: I took my iPod. I almost never run with an iPod. It adds more equipment and hassle to worry about, I worry that I won't hear cars or other people behind me, and I feel that when I'm out running I should enjoy the sounds of birds and my feet hitting the pavement and just be able to think and clear my head. But I was desperate. It actually seemed to work; the first part of my run went really well--about 11:00 pace, didn't tire too quickly, got out some of my frustrations from Thursday. When I started, the sky was beautiful and blue and sunny. With 2.5 miles left, however, the sky suddenly turned black and there was a massive downpour. After about half a mile I was soaked so badly I had to turn off the iPod and hide it away in my pocket. Then, I thought either it was raining much harder than I had realized, or that I must have been running really fast, because the rain started to seriously sting. That's when I saw the ice balls bouncing off my cheeks and nose. Hail. Seriously, hail? That was a new one. It subsided back to rain eventually, and my last 3/4 of a mile was clear, although I was already wet and cold, so it really wouldn't have mattered if it kept raining. I imagine it was punishment for skipping my run Thursday when the weather was beautiful, and for being so weak I needed to take the iPod. At least I got some practice running in the rain, I guess... who knows what the weather will be like on marathon day.

Saturday I didn't really do too much cross training. My dad was in town, and we went shopping and stuff. I did a LOT of walking and trying on clothes, and I was really tired by the end of the day, so I figure I must have accomplished a little. I mean, so many hours of shopping helps build endurance, right? And do you have any idea how much of a challenge it is for me to pick out clothes? I think it counts.

Today was the dreaded run. 20 miles. The run everyone swore would kill us. I had massive amounts of anxiety all morning; it didn't make it better that we started much later than usual because I went to brunch with dad first (but it was totally worth the carb-tastic pancakes of deliciousness I ate at brunch in preparation for the run!). We took it easy and the first 7 miles went by faster than we'd thought. I felt great and our time stayed right around 12:00 min/mile until just after the 13 mile mark... I think at that point my body is so used to half marathons that it's just like, "Why are you still running? We should be done now!" And it gets a little ornery. I got runner's high around mile 15; Chris didn't get his until 17 or 18. It didn't last either of us too long though, so by mile 19 I was getting pretty nervous for mile 20. But it was uneventful. Totally anticlimactic. After all those warnings and worry and dread... it was pretty much just like 19. Maybe a reward for not giving up despite the hail Friday. Maybe it's just that after a certain point, all the mileage is the same. Either way, we finished, and in 4:13:47, which included 4 or 5 5-minute walking/hydrating breaks--so we're still on track to finish around 5:30 - 6 hours. So I feel good about our run. My back hurts, my legs hurt, my shoulders hurt... but we broke through the 20 mile wall... in way better shape than I could have hoped. :-)

Days 160 - 165

Well, I was extra Faily McFail last week. Friday was a rest day. As was Saturday, apparently... although I did do a lot of walking around Charleston. Like... a lot. So maybe not a total loss. Sunday was supposed to be a "shorter" long run... I was planning 13 miles. But... I just didn't run at all. I was so tired by the time we got back. I slept for two hours, got dinner, watched a little football, and then went to bed. That's almost a work out, right? Ha. I feel tremendously guilty. Only 1 yoga class and no long run. Pretty pathetic week.

This week I have resolved to be better. Monday I went to yoga. Tuesday morning Chris and I did an 8 miler, and our time was a little better... 1:31, average pace 11:25. I'll take it over the 12:00 I've been doing. Also attended one tough belly dancing class... we worked on moving hip shimmies... my quads were exhausted and my abs were still sore this morning. Last class for that series; next week on to something new and different: choreography to Beyonce! Should be interesting...

Yoga again tonight... made it on time and everything. There are not words for how much I love this Wednesday class. The instructor is definitely my favorite, and I like the slower pace because I can really focus on correct posture in the pose, and I have the time to work on challenging myself and trying the more advanced modifications. It's usually pretty small too, 4 - 6 people, so it feels a little less hectic. I'm just so much calmer and happier afterward. I think I need this class every day...

So far so good. Hopefully I'll continue to behave myself through the end of the week.