The More I Run...

My goal this week was to get over 11 miles done.  If I was able to do that, great.  If I was able to do more, even better!  If I was able to get to 18-20 miles, perfect!

So I might not have gotten to the 18-20 mile mark, but I did run more than 11.  I was able to get in 13.18 miles... just over the half marathon mark.  The best part, it felt better for longer.  Almost to mile 9 I was feeling pretty good with only a few small annoyances.  That's what I've decided most of my aches and pains are... annoyances.

The picture above came to mind during my run.  I was so impressed with how good I felt and how strong I was feeling.  I was so proud of myself, partially because the night before I was so tired and sick of running I wasn't even sure if I was going to get out there and do any of these longer runs.  The night before my run I was at one of my lowest lows about my feelings toward running... kind of like a runner's depression, but I got outside and I was able to run 13 miles!  So, so proud of myself.

I've realized my biggest issue is the lack of true strength training.  It's going to be on my focuses, I think, for next year and my next (shall I really say it?) marathon.  If anyone has any favorite circuits or routines for strength training for runners, I would love to hear them!

In other news, another reason I had to run yesterday... Christmas party!  I hosted my work's cookie exchange and white elephant.  The hard part was that I was on my feet for a majority of the day AFTER my run, but I did get to eat all these yummy cookies.  My red velvet cookies were a big hit and considering how addicting they are, I'm stopping by work today just to get them out of my house!

Running Down Memory Lane

For this last week, I've returned to California to visit friends and family and to attend a friend's wedding.  While I did have a lot planned, I can tell you I did probably only a fraction of what I wanted to do.  Yet I did get to my workouts.  Not only did I get a few runs in, but I got a circuit in and I walked every morning with my parents and our dog.

It was nice to get in some of my old loops, but I did realize how constricting my old routes were.  Yes, I have a few good 3-4, maybe even 5 mile loops, but after that I'm stretching it out.  I just feel like I'm not running all over town in Florida when I get my long runs in, but in California I feel like if I get in decent mileage I would run all through my town.  Still, I got to run past my old middle school and some of the familiar neighborhoods around where I grew up.  It was definitely interesting seeing what was changing and what wasn't.

Overall, it was a nice vacation because I didn't worry about what I was eating and how much I was working out.  Yes, I was logging most of what I ate, but still I was on vacation so I was giving myself an excuse.  The best news is that I really haven't gained a lot considering how much I was letting slip.  Not stressing about about many calories I've burned/need vs how many I'm eating has been a nice change and something I'm trying to continue to bring into my real life when I get back to Florida.  Less stress = easier balanced life.

I know I'll never be a size 0 and I'm happy with where I am and how I look.  Yes I can definitely point out areas I want to work on, but I'm also about to dive right into a marathon training plan and I'm always working on strength training so who knows what will happen in the future.

Enjoying Working Out

Last week I posted about knowing when to keep going and when to stop.  Today, I want to build on that. No, I did not have another long run where I stopped before I collapsed.  Instead, I've come across an article on LiveStrong.com that really hit home with me.

In the article you can find here, the author talks about how the right type of workout is the one that you want to do.  They're the workouts you enjoy doing and aren't forcing yourself to begin and finish.

Thinking back to where I am and where I have been, I've been lucky enough to enjoy sports and workouts that I've enjoyed.  Yes, I've had coaches and workouts I might not have agreed with, but I enjoyed the sports overall.  I could tell the difference between those days I was forcing myself through practice and those days I was thoroughly enjoying it.  The pattern continues today, except with running on my own instead of swimming with a team.  The feelings are all still the same.

Of course I've also always done sports I enjoy and I have no plans on trying various sports and workouts I have absolutely no interest in ever doing.  I'm not going to waste my time nor my money on them.

Balancing Work and Working Out

I don't know about you guys, but work is tiring.  I have a job that's very active and by the time I get off, I'm usually ready to collapse, eat, and then go to bed.  Yet I still have to figure out a time to workout.

I have been doing 15-30 minute workouts consisting of different hand weight exercises and calisthenics.  I usually give myself about 30 minutes to get home and decompress before convincing myself to get off the couch or bed and start working out (usually the hardest part).  I've been pretty good about doing something each night, although it's been really, really hard.

The one thing I figured out in the last few months is that I have to take advantage of my weekends.  That's when I'm able to get my long runs in because I don't have to worry about being late to work or being sore then.  I also usually able to get my brick workouts in then as well.  Plus, when I do all of my hard workouts on the weekend, then I have plenty of time to recover and rest in the afternoon.  For me, that usually means a good breakfast or brunch after I clean up and a nap at some point in the afternoon.

So pretty much, I've learned that to balance my professional and athletic aspects of life, I work on strength and maintenance during the week and then get the hard and long workouts in on the weekends...