Marathon Training - Week 8

Long run last week, and so far the week following a long run have been more tri training weeks than anything else.

Karma arrived on Tuesday so I spent a LOT of time in the saddle this past week.  Heaven--this bike rides like heaven.  I was riding an aluminum frame trek with bottom of the line components for two years.  Between the frame and the components on this bike, I feel like I could ride FOREVER.  Its so smooth and effortless, I would never have imagined that they would make such a difference.  

Monday - Basic Yoga
Tuesday - 3 mi run (including the Rickenbacker) + .9 mile swim (AM), Yoga (PM)
Wednesday - 20 mile "shake out" ride on the new bike.

Thursday - Solo 15 mile bike
Friday - 1.25 mile run on the treadmill + Body Pump
Saturday - 31 mile ride
Sunday - 22 mile ride (AM), 5 mi run (or wog, it could be called a wog) (PM).
I was seriously considering trying to squeeze in next weekend's scheduled "long" run since we will be up to other things next weekend.  I left at 3pm to allot for enough time to finish 14 miles before it got dark.  BIG mistake.  The heat index was at least 101.  It was brutal out.  Plus I haven't been in the saddle much since the end of June, so I think my body was tired.  I settled for 5 and was totally okay with that.

The best part of the week was that I got THREE rides with my better half.   We rarely get to ride together, because of the kids, so it was a wonderful treat.

In all, broke 100 miles swimming, biking, and running this week.  And I said the words "half iron" out loud this weekend.  

On facelifts . . . and things that change your life forever

I've been meaning to update my blog header for awhile.  When all things blogging fell by the way-side back in February, I got terribly behind on keeping things current.  As you can see, I finally found the time to do it.  Yay.  But I have to say, I'm a little floored.  You know that old saying "Its hard to see the forest for the trees"?   Well, yeah, the same can be said about life.

We (and when I say we, I really mean me, but I am pretty darn sure you can relate.  Because if there is one thing I've learned in the past few years, its that more of us feel this way than we realize.  THAT is an important thing for all of us to understand. Oops I digress).  Anyway, we tend to get bogged down in the day to day--making dinner, finishing our work, getting in our workouts, the number on the scale, how we could have eaten better.  Sometimes it is so easy to fall into the mindset of what you didn't do, that you forget about the things you did do.

As I look at the pictures I stuck in the header above, I can't help but feel overwhelmed.  The memories in each one of those pictures are overwhelming.  And then I look back at the first race report I wrote on this blog, in June 2012.  A mere 26 months ago.  That person, she really didn't know how strong she was.  I hadn't discovered cycling yet--I was still riding a hybrid.  The weight room was still a foreign place that scared me to no end. I had one triathlon and one half marathon, along with a couple of 5ks under my belt.

 It's strange, I found a picture of me in 2008 (on the left) and 2010 (on the right), and I think I still felt like I was trapped in my old body for a long time.  Sometimes I feel like I am still trapped in it.  Physcially, there isn't a huge difference between the picture from 2010 and where I am now. I may even weigh more.  But I FEEL stronger. More capable.

Anyway, I digress.  About a month ago a dear friend's 7 year old son underwent brain surgery.  Twice.  Once was decompression surgery to relieve symptoms of his chiari. The second surgery was because he contracted meningitis.  To date they have spent 20 days in the hospital.  She has two other children at home, and I can't imagine the pull she must feel to be in two places at once.  Her entire ordeal and her son's struggle is one of those things that puts life in perspective. That make you see the forest. And the trees. And the small beautiful bits of every day.  You can read more about Gabriel's journey here.   A crowd funding site for his medical care and incidental family costs have been set up here.   It's been hard NOT to think about this family as we go on living our every day lives around here.  As my hubby and I  whine about silly little unimportant things like our jobs and the kids fighting and missing a workout, this kid has been fighting for his life. Its one of those humbling things that really makes you want to re-evaluate life.

So, don't miss the forest for the trees.  See the beauty in your life.  In YOURSELF.  In every little accomplishment, every little victory.  Give yourself the grace to feel the way you do, and just . . . live.

Sorry for the esoteric rambling.  Its just going to get worse as we get closer to m daughter's birthday!

Marathon Training - Weeks 6 & 7

I am LOVE LOVE LOVING using the Galloway method for marathon training.  I've always had issues with my mental game . . . I really haven't been able to be strong/consistent on the back half of races/runs.  Galloway is really fixing that for me.

The intervals work well training in the yucky summer South Florida humidity.  The recovery week continues to work well for my schedule. 

Week 6:

I squeezed in my long run from week 5 (10.5 miles) on Monday.  We had a huge summer storm move through, and while I love running in the rain, running in thunderstorms is just flat out reckless.  So I hit the dreadmill in the afternoon.  I was on a clock, since my neighbor was watching my kids and needed to leave soon.  I busted out 10.5 miles in just over 2 hours which for me, on a training run, is pretty good.  

Then life played its card and I got slammed with work.  SLAMMED.  As in, barely had time to sleep, yet alone work out.  I didn't work out again until Saturday morning, when I took a spin class.  And then proceeded to get a serious migraine and spend the weekend in my bed.  So basically, after my long run, week 6 was a BUST. 

Week 7:

Back on track (again). . . 

Monday - 800m in the pool, body pump (AM); Yoga (PM)

Tuesday - 3.33 miles, 400ish m in the pool (lost count) (AM); Yoga (PM)

Wednesday - 100 minutes spin (AM); Body Pump (PM)

Thursday - Kids wanted to go for a run, so we did a 1.5mi wog, 2 miles later in the afternoon alone, spin.

Friday - 1600m in the pool

Saturday - Rest

Sunday - 12 mile long run. 

I got a late start--didn't leave the house until nearly 9:30am.  But it was an overcast day, which here makes a big difference.  I felt like I really found my stride and stuck to 4/1 intervals most of the run.  I usually do 3/1.  As the miles ticked off, I couldn't help but think about how training for 26.2 is changing my outlook on the long run.  Because 12 miles used to be a LONG run.  But this is just the beginning of the build.  14 miles, 17 miles, 20 miles, 23 miles, and 26 miles are yet to come before we toe the start line in 122 days. I was pleased with the splits and the pacing on this 12 miler--probably one of my better training runs.  (This doesn't include stoppage time for water refills).  

I was horribly sore after, but nothing an ice bath, a good stretch, and some gentle adjustments from the hubs wouldn't fix.  Its quite nice that Brad, who does not really care for yoga, will use all my yoga **stuff** and quietly adjust me in ways similar to how my guru does. :)

So, if you are facing down a daunting task, or have something you've been thinking about facing for awhile but just don't want to, remember that the only thing truly stopping you is yourself.  Write your own story, and go for it. 

Run on,

Ang

Opening to Grace

One of the reasons I am such a HUGE proponent of Anusara-inspired yoga is because the basic principals of that particular genre of yoga have so many practical applications in life OFF the yoga mat.  I have plenty of workouts in my weekly routine--when I step on to the yoga mat, I'm looking for more than just flying through some poses.  I'm looking to relieve the stress I've put on my body . . . and also on my mind.

I mean really . . . work, kids, life, school, training . . . blah blah blah.  LIFE gets completely overwhelming sometimes.

Okay, let's be honest here.  Life gets completely overwhelming ALL OF THE TIME.

Open to grace is the first principle of Anusara-inspired yoga.

"Open to grace is the first principle of Anusara Yoga. How I understand it, this stems from the belief that we are more than just our physical body and mind. That everything is made out of the same energy, the whole of existence: you, me, nature and the streets. That everything is one thing. Opening to grace doing yoga is connecting and aligning ourself to this energy, that is bigger than us. That energy that intrinsically is us, the space in which everything appears and that what appears in it. All one thing." (Source)

Opening to grace is accepting that things will be hard, and embracing the challenge.  Opening to grace is seeing the benefit of the challenge.  I use the "open to grace" concept a lot. Not just during my yoga practice.  In running. In life.  Take a breath, accept the challenge, and stretch for a goal.

My bike was stolen out of my garage in mid-July. It followed on the heels of the theft of some other items out of my car the week before.  I was devastated, I loved my bike (it was a gift from my mom), and it gave me a feeling of freedom I don't get from anything else.

Cycling has always been a "thing" for me, even when I was an out of shape, unhealthy child.  My cousin Kirk would come and take me for these long bike rides--out to my Grandparents farm or just in the country.  I looked forward to those trips so much.

Anyway, it was a rough thing.  But . . . Open to grace.  Accept the challenge.  Inhale the positive, exhale the negative.  Think of a solution.  So I wrote a letter.  And two short weeks later, that letter has panned out not only into a sponsorship for me, but also for all the ladies on Team Tough Chik.

So its with great pleasure that I announce Diamondback Bicycles as my bike sponsor.

I am still more than a little in awe of the beautiful little bike sitting downstairs right now.   I'm not one for naming bikes, but this one is getting a name because of the very unusual circumstances by which she came to me.  I am not a pro athlete--I will never be the fastest, especially not on the run.  So going for a bike sponsor was something I would not have dreamed about even a few short weeks ago.  But here we are.  So meet Karma.  She's a Diamondback Airen 4. More bike than I would have dreamed of for myself for a long, long while.  I expected to be riding my aluminum Trek for years to come. 

I can't wait to get this baby out on the road.  And honestly, I'm considering doing something in November that I've only thought about in the most abstract of terms, previously.  

Inhale, exhale.

Open to grace.

Accept the challenge. 

Reach for more.

Namaste