Friday, May 31, 2013

Fitness Friday - Keeping it Going!

Another post comes late again tonight. I need to get on a new schedule of moving my running posts to Thursday and reserve Friday for Fitness Friday. Better time management - there are always ways to improve there. :)

Nonetheless, I got a great response from last week's Fitness Friday post as part of the Talk Less, Say More community that I'm going to keep it going! I like it because it keeps me accountable and I can learn from other bloggers in the Fitness Friday community.


Saturday - My week started off pretty intense as I ran my first 5K in almost 6 months Saturday at the KTC Expo! It was surprisingly 50ish degrees (chilly for May here in TN). It was TOUGH trying to run faster again after the slower, longer half-marathon training. I ran my first mile in under 10 minutes and it almost completely exhausted every ounce of energy I had! Then I had to run two more, the last mile being mostly uphill! I obviously ran slower in the next two miles.
Nonetheless, I felt pushed to my limit at the end. My lungs felt like they were going to explode, and I felt tired and weak. I wanted to throw my watch when I saw my time was 33:08 (not a PR). It was better than the 35 minutes I ran the Expo last year, but not a PR by a longshot! My PR to date is 31:20. While I can run much longer than I used to, these short fast runs are much harder than they used to be.

6/2 Edit: It's important to me that I am candid and honest about how I feel during both the challenges and enjoyment of running and my other pursuits. I do this because I want you to know that we all have ups and downs. You're not alone if you have a rough day, or you don't finish at a time you were hoping. At the end of the Expo, I really did feel disappointed, and that's why I shared how I feel. Upon re-reading what I wrote, I didn't mean to sound self-deprecating, nor didn't imply that 33:08 is a "bad" time (for anyone), or that we should expect ourselves to PR everytime. I don't think there is such thing as a "bad" time, and our goal times are purely individual. If you're out there trying, you're making a positive difference for yourself regardless of how you feel about your time. We should always celebrate that. I believe it is all part of a bigger process and the rough days fuel our inspiration to work harder and get closer to our goals.
The positive out of this experience is that it inspired me towards a new goal, which I call "30by30"(it makes a cool hash tag). I want to run a 30 minute 5K by my 30th birthday (later this year). Another positive was that B acheived a new PR of 24:29. :)
Sunday - Family time, day off. :)
Monday - Memorial Day, which I took off work. I ran one mile in our neighborhood. Since I was only doing one mile, I decided to make it as fast as I could. I ran it in 9:53, and again felt like my lungs were about to explode. Then we ran all kinds of errands, and we set up our tomato garden.

Tuesday - RunKNOX workout. We did the dreaded hills. Run up, run down, repeat. It was 80+ degrees. It was steep and tiring. I'd get to the bottom of the hill, get some water, stare at the hill to psych myself up, and force myself to run uphill again. Remember to stay hydrated in this heat! I thought I had had enough water that day, but I felt lightheaded and exhausted afterwards. I crashed on the couch with a giant bottle of water!
Wednesday - I was supposed to run, but I was dealing with some heel pain. Over the last few weeks (oddly during the down time after my half marathon and before my 5K training), I've been dealing with a lot of pain in my arch and heel in my left foot. It has been so bad that on Saturdays it hurts to put weight on my heel after our runs. I have to wear high heels all day as to not put weight on my heel. Applying ice after running helps a little, but it was getting to the unmanageable level!

I'm not sure what the problem is (possibly a tendon?), but I have reason to believe my shoes are to blame. I've had the same pair since before I trained for my half marathon in December...
Thursday - I got up early and ran two miles near my home. I pushed myself to a slightly faster pace (11:30/mi) than my usual easy pace (12+ minutes). Then we did a circuit core workout with RunKNOX that evening.
Today - Heel hurting again, so I went to an early yoga class. After work, I went to a specialty running shoe store and got new shoes! I got the same pair I'd had before, since they had been great until last month. I think I waited too long to switch. What a difference! They feel like I'm walking on magical clouds! Fingers crossed this will solve my problems!
And that's it! What did you do this week?
-Amy

4 comments :

  1. Awesome week of workouts! It's amazing how much a new pair of running shoes can do! I'm due for some new ones soon-ish...ish. ;)
    I've been surprised how hard some of my shorter runs have been after my 1/2 marathon. I think we take the distance for granted and assume that since we can run 13+ miles, then we can run 3 without the blink of an eye when that's not actually the case - it's still WORK. Good for you for getting out there and improving your score from the last time. And remember, every race doesn't have to be a PR! :)

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    1. Thanks Katie!

      Yes, the same brand/model of shoes old vs. new feel COMPLETELY different!

      That's so funny - that's EXACTLY the way I feel about running 3 mi now! I thought it would be so easy after my half. It's never easy, though! Sounds like you're back out there, too, and doing awesome! :)

      Yeah, every race isn't going to be a PR. It's hard to see how much my speed has decreased during my half training, but that's fuel to keep training faster! :)

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  2. Great week! (And yay for magic cloud shoes)!

    Learning that its okay and totally normal to not PR at every race is such, such such a hard lesson to learn! I'm glad you added that edit in, because it further solidified to yourself that you don't have to PR to succeed. Getting out there is winning in the first place :) I bet you'll hit your 30by30 goal sooner than you think (and you're right, it's a really good hash tag)!

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    1. Thanks, Alicia!

      Yes, shoes make a huge difference!

      Yes, it is hard to not expect to PR every time. I try to remind myself that I'm still trying my best and pushing myself, and that's teh most important thing.

      I'm really impressed with your series of monthly 5Ks and how you're staying so consistent in your training!

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