Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A Not-So Awesome Run

So, it's pretty normal to have bad runs every now and then. I know that, and I don't beat myself up too much over it. But I'm getting really frustrated because it seems like every Monday, I have a bad run. And I think I know why. During the week, I have a pretty set schedule - I go to work about the same time, eat oatmeal, an apple, and a banana, and then just work at my desk for most of the day. So I'm in a pretty good routine. And then the weekend hits, and I get off early on Friday, and then I exercise at a different time, and I sleep later or do a race or a class at the gym or go somewhere fun on Saturday morning, and my schedule is all thrown off. Then I can't get back to a routine, plus I generally eat a little more (or different foods) than usual, and by the time Sunday night hits, my stomach is a mess.

So then when I try to get up and run Monday morning (which pretty much never happens) my stomach is still all messed up, and I have to wait until after work to run. And this past Monday, it was still feeling super weird so I could only run 3.5, and the last mile felt like 10. So I have tried everything I can think of - eating oatmeal for breakfast on Saturdays, fiber supplements, drinking more water, and nothing is helping. But I also don't want to get so stuck in a routine that I can never do anything other than sit at my house on Saturday mornings.

Ah, first world problems.

This week, I also started trying to cut back a little on Diet Coke. I'm not trying to give it up, but realized I was starting to rely on it a little too much.

Thinking about signing up with my friend for the Haunted Half in October! Looking at the training plan makes me a little nervous....but also excited because having a race on the calendar is the only thing that keeps me motivated to do long runs.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Yogurtland...step one.

So, on Friday night, I decided I needed Yogurtland. Since I have a voucher that lets me get all sorts of deals on my yogurt addiction, it usually doesn't take too much convincing to get Chris to come with me. Plus, I was running a 5K the next morning, and what better way to fuel than 2 pounds of yogurt and toppings + The Cosby Show? Answer: no better way.



So the 5K was okay, it was actually the ending to a USANA (read: multi-level marketing vitamin and supplement company) conference that lasted all week long in SLC. So it makes more sense now why they never sent out a single email with info about where to pick up packets....pretty much every other person running the race had been at the conference and was fully informed. Whoops! I picked this race because my friend and husband decided they both wanted to run a 5K with me, and August 17 was the exact end date of the Couch to 5K program, so we all signed up. It was $25 which is kind of ridiculous for a 5K, but I was being a supportive runner friend, so I shelled out the $50 (!!) for mine and Chris's registrations.

Fast forward to 8 weeks later....both of them bailed, and I ended up running it with my parents. They ran out of shirts so we all got giant sizes, and the course was kind of lame - just an out and back route on a sort of sketchy, very industrial street. But there were probably a few thousand people running it, so it reinstated some of my confidence since I didn't get lost or come in last.

So, after that race, I went to Seven Peaks with my friend (a local water park) and got super sunburned, and also went on this super awesome water slide. It has about 8 slides all lined up, and you race the other people going down at the same time. It was fun until the very end, when a gallon of water shot up my nose. After that, we called it a day and went home. I spent the afternoon napping, putting aloe on my sunburned self, and then babysitting for a church event.



We had about 40+ kids at the event, so it was a little wild! I was pretty tired by the time I got home, but the whole time I was thinking about how I was going to trick Chris into going with me to Yogurtland for the second time in two days. And here's how I know we are MFEO:

Me: "Chris, I want something sweet."
Chris: "How about Yogurtland?"

Sunday was uneventful, but I did eat many chocolate chip cookies!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Intervals and Million Dollar Bars

Now that my house is finally back to its previous state, (minus the giant puddle on the floor that I stepped in this morning....my cat can't resist playing in his water bowl) I am hoping life will go back to normal! Husband starts school again in a week and a half, but he only got about three weeks off because he went to summer semester. But it'll be a pretty big change because he's taking four classes (so far, the most he's taken since we've been married is two at a time) and one of them is at night on Tue/Thurs. And since I'm gone every Wednesday night to my church youth group, I might forget what he looks like in between.

But it will all be worth it when he's graduated and designing awesome new roads.

Since about May, I've been trying to get up on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings to go running. It's too hot to run during the day, and I'm trying to not run so much on the treadmill, since I don't think it really trains me for races. I've put the incline on 0.5, but then I feel like I'm going to die and that doesn't make me feel very good about myself. But....since May, I think I've run in the morning a total of....four times? Maybe three. So that plan isn't really working out so well. I keep trying though, and setting my alarm for 5:30, and trying to go to bed earlier.

But I've tried to stay diligent about getting a workout in, even if it's on the treadmill at 0 incline. I've also been working on my speed because I'm really slow. Which is funny because in every other aspect of my life, I move really fast. I type 100+ WPM, I have a really hard time sitting still, and I'm always thinking ahead and planning out what is coming up next. My mom one time told me, "you do everything really fast" and I said "well, except for running." And that's true. So I did some research on speed training and am currently doing Hal Higdon's intermediate half marathon training, and it's totally working! Yesterday I did my first interval workout, and boy was I sweaty. I think I was grossing out the people on the treadmills next to me. But I loved it! 1/4 mile at fast pace, then 1/10 mile at regular pace, repeat 8 times for a total of 3.5 miles with warmup and cooldown.
Now that's a sweaty face. 
But I do love the shirt I'm wearing- the only good thing about that 10K I did a couple weeks ago.

Then I made chicken broccoli casserole for dinner, along with making a million freezer breakfast burritos for husband, and veggie dip for dinner tonight! And then I cleaned my house because it was disgusting and still had sheet rock dust and scraps all over the floor (even though the guy finished on Sunday!). And then I was really tired so I sat on the couch and watched Jeopardy while savoring my post-run treat, which I had been saving since lunch.

Million Dollar Bar from Zupa's. Yes. Giant chocolate chips, coconut, and all kinds of yum on a cookie crust.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Double 10K Recap!

Oh, what a crazy few weeks it's been at my house. About a month ago, our condo ceiling collapsed in the utility room with the furnace and water heater. Mind you, this is the third flood we've had in the condo since May. So we are beyond fed up with it all. Finally getting around to trying to get it fixed (now that husband is done with finals) and no one is calling me back!

Aside from that, some of my family was in town the week before last, which was super fab. My sister and I ran the Deseret Classic (her: half marathon, me: 10K) which is supposed to be a PR course since it's all downhill. It was pretty fun, but it runs on the parade route (24th of July is a big holiday in Utah, with a GIANT parade that people camp out on the streets of downtown SLC to see) so it was interesting to run a race among spectators who are asleep, eating breakfast, smoking, or otherwise ignoring the runners :)

Me:



My sister:



Spent some time in Park City that weekend with Chris's family, then went camping last weekend for one night and rafted the Snake River. Came back for the SheRuns 10K in Midway, which is a fun little Swiss-themed town about 45 minutes north of SLC. Drove up with my running friend, and realized that this is a VERY small race. Maybe about 40 people running the 10K, and about 60 running the 5K. So I was a little worried about being at the back, but they assured us that the course was very well marked, and there would be people at every turn to help guide. Which there were...for the 8 minute mile runners. Those of us bringing up the rear had no signs and no people, so I ended up running about a 7K because I had no idea which way to go. It was really frustrating, because I felt like I was unintentionally cheating. So, until I run 8 minute miles, I guess I'm sticking to bigger races that have longer distances along with them.