Monday:
10 miles done today. That's all I know. I didn't write anything down.
Tuesday:
9 miles done and my average pace is coming down. I am able to run under 8 min mile and feel like that is easy pace. I ran a couple miles at race pace. I wish that felt easier than it does. But over all I am happy with they way my body is responding to training. I will finish the week with 70 miles and I don't recommend that you go from zero to 70 miles in 5 weeks. But so far, so good here. The goal is to continue to ramp it up and finish with at least one 100 mile week before I taper for Desert Solstice.
Wednesday:
I was dragging during this run. (Later I would start to have symptoms of this terrible cold that Ava has had for a few days.) I got my ten miles done. Zach Bitter went flying past me 3 different times. The first time I saw him he was with Nicole, but I never saw here again so not sure what he did with her body. (Just a joke, I am sure she is fine.)
I started to really go downhill during the afternoon. My poor students I tutor in the evening had to listen to me blow my nose for 2 hours. I came home, ate, took cold medicine and went to bed at 7:45. I am really frustrated to be getting sick. Just yesterday I was finally feeling like my old self when it came to running and today I felt like a sloth. And I can't lose any days to being sick. Desert Solstice is only getting closer.
We didn't hand out candy because we all are so sick and we don't usually get many kids. But I was mildly worried that my house would get egged. It wouldn't be the first time.
Thursday:
I slept eleven and a half hours after taking cold medicine with a side of wine. I know, not a great idea, but a guarantee that I will get some solid sleep. I heard nothing!
In my cold medicine haze (that would happen with or without the wine) I finally got myself out the door to get some miles done. Eight miles was the plan but I left just hoping to get 4 miles done. I was surprised that I was able to drag myself to 6 miles.
Friday:
Up at 5am for yoga. Because candle lighting is so early now I have to go at 5am if I want to go to yoga. The good news is that this cold seems to have passed really quickly for me, while everyone else in my house is still struggling with it. Thank G-d because I was super stressed about being sick and losing days from training. I came back, ate breakfast (a mix of peanuts. Cocoa dusted almonds and raisins that I make myself, graded some scholarship applications for the community college and went for an 8-mile run. I was running well until I got a side cramp I could not get rid of. So after 5 miles I had to slow it down so I could make it home. Back home to shower, shop for Shabbat dinner and head to work. At the last minute I remembered I had not sent my newsletter for the week for kindergarten so I hurriedly got that done while having lunch (left over roasted potatoes and half an avocado).
My 20-mile run is looming large tomorrow. Although somehow I forgot to buy any nutrition to take on the run with me so I hid a mini snickers bar in the freezer.
Here is a sample of the kind of conversations I am forced to have at my house.
Enzo: Can I have this bread?
Me: No the challa is for Shabbat dinner.
Enzo: I’m Shabbat to starve to death!
I just sigh and tell him to go away.
Shul was packed full tonight. I was able to follow along a little better. And I saw someone I knew and she gave me a big hug. Back home for dinner. Every week we make the same joke. After you wash for bread you can't talk until you eat bread. But Ava can't eat bread because she can't have gluten. So every week after Norm makes the bracha and we eat some Challa someone always says “and Ava can never talk again.” Poor Ava.
For dinner we did make your own pizza. It was yummy!
Saturday:
It’s been a long time since I have run anything close to 20 miles so I was a little concerned about how this was going to go. Of course I forgot about my candy bar in the freezer. And I also forgot that my daughter had given me a small bag of peanut m&m’s. So I took a bag of Skratch chews that may or may not have been expired. The print was really small and couldn't read it. I decided not to look at my watch at all and just run comfortable. Since I still haven't bought a new watchstrap from when Hank it my watch this is easy to do. I just put my watch in my water bottle pouch.
I also did not think about the fact that my body isn't as adapted to being a long distance runner as it used to be. I had got myself to a place where I could run a lot of miles on very few calories because that works well for my stomach. By 9 miles I was starving. I ate half of the possibly expired chews and threw the rest in the trash so I wouldn’t have to keep carrying them. I would really regret this later.
Other than being hungry, the run went really well. My pace was pretty consistent. I ended at 19 miles because I was tired of trying to run in circles to get to 20 miles and at 19 miles I happen to be right in front of my house. Ava had never seen The Shining so we drank coke and ate popcorn and watched the movie.
In theory it’s Shabbat and I shouldn't be doing any thing of these things. I have read about the running thing and if I am running for pleasure only than I can run, but I am not allowed to carry so that would mean no watch, no water bottle, no food. I am kind of making my own rules for what works for me on Shabbos. I don't work so it’s a great day for a long run and lying around after. I do use my phone, but no emails. I stick to games and some texting. Obviously I am watching tv. But I am the only one observing Shabbat in any form (even if it isn't complete) so the tv is going to be on anyways. For us it just works to use it as a time to hang out and be with each other. No grocery shopping, no cleaning. Just one day to hang and chill.
Sunday:
I have been sleeping so well, but I am really stressed about money so I woke up at 2 am and couldn't fall back asleep. At 6am I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep. I woke up at 7am and debated running in the afternoon. In the end I got out the door for my 7 mile run. I started out feeling like my legs were made of lead, but after a few miles I felt better. I was short on mileage and needed to run past my house and up the street. Right when I went by he house Norm came out the door with the dogs. As soon as Pasta saw me she sprinted after me. I ended my run to walk her back to the house. I end the week with 69.3 miles, just short of my 70-mile goal.
I finished the morning with my favorite yoga class. Come join me sometime at hip hop yoga with harmony (she likes it spelled lower case). It’s a hard class, but so much fun and lots of good energy.
The next three weeks are going to be really tough training so no one is allowed to stress me out. It will be these weeks that tell me where my fitness is and what the plan for Desert Solstice will be, will it be Goal A or Goal B?
10 miles done today. That's all I know. I didn't write anything down.
Tuesday:
9 miles done and my average pace is coming down. I am able to run under 8 min mile and feel like that is easy pace. I ran a couple miles at race pace. I wish that felt easier than it does. But over all I am happy with they way my body is responding to training. I will finish the week with 70 miles and I don't recommend that you go from zero to 70 miles in 5 weeks. But so far, so good here. The goal is to continue to ramp it up and finish with at least one 100 mile week before I taper for Desert Solstice.
Wednesday:
I was dragging during this run. (Later I would start to have symptoms of this terrible cold that Ava has had for a few days.) I got my ten miles done. Zach Bitter went flying past me 3 different times. The first time I saw him he was with Nicole, but I never saw here again so not sure what he did with her body. (Just a joke, I am sure she is fine.)
I started to really go downhill during the afternoon. My poor students I tutor in the evening had to listen to me blow my nose for 2 hours. I came home, ate, took cold medicine and went to bed at 7:45. I am really frustrated to be getting sick. Just yesterday I was finally feeling like my old self when it came to running and today I felt like a sloth. And I can't lose any days to being sick. Desert Solstice is only getting closer.
We didn't hand out candy because we all are so sick and we don't usually get many kids. But I was mildly worried that my house would get egged. It wouldn't be the first time.
Thursday:
I slept eleven and a half hours after taking cold medicine with a side of wine. I know, not a great idea, but a guarantee that I will get some solid sleep. I heard nothing!
In my cold medicine haze (that would happen with or without the wine) I finally got myself out the door to get some miles done. Eight miles was the plan but I left just hoping to get 4 miles done. I was surprised that I was able to drag myself to 6 miles.
Friday:
Up at 5am for yoga. Because candle lighting is so early now I have to go at 5am if I want to go to yoga. The good news is that this cold seems to have passed really quickly for me, while everyone else in my house is still struggling with it. Thank G-d because I was super stressed about being sick and losing days from training. I came back, ate breakfast (a mix of peanuts. Cocoa dusted almonds and raisins that I make myself, graded some scholarship applications for the community college and went for an 8-mile run. I was running well until I got a side cramp I could not get rid of. So after 5 miles I had to slow it down so I could make it home. Back home to shower, shop for Shabbat dinner and head to work. At the last minute I remembered I had not sent my newsletter for the week for kindergarten so I hurriedly got that done while having lunch (left over roasted potatoes and half an avocado).
My 20-mile run is looming large tomorrow. Although somehow I forgot to buy any nutrition to take on the run with me so I hid a mini snickers bar in the freezer.
Here is a sample of the kind of conversations I am forced to have at my house.
Enzo: Can I have this bread?
Me: No the challa is for Shabbat dinner.
Enzo: I’m Shabbat to starve to death!
I just sigh and tell him to go away.
Shul was packed full tonight. I was able to follow along a little better. And I saw someone I knew and she gave me a big hug. Back home for dinner. Every week we make the same joke. After you wash for bread you can't talk until you eat bread. But Ava can't eat bread because she can't have gluten. So every week after Norm makes the bracha and we eat some Challa someone always says “and Ava can never talk again.” Poor Ava.
For dinner we did make your own pizza. It was yummy!
Saturday:
It’s been a long time since I have run anything close to 20 miles so I was a little concerned about how this was going to go. Of course I forgot about my candy bar in the freezer. And I also forgot that my daughter had given me a small bag of peanut m&m’s. So I took a bag of Skratch chews that may or may not have been expired. The print was really small and couldn't read it. I decided not to look at my watch at all and just run comfortable. Since I still haven't bought a new watchstrap from when Hank it my watch this is easy to do. I just put my watch in my water bottle pouch.
I also did not think about the fact that my body isn't as adapted to being a long distance runner as it used to be. I had got myself to a place where I could run a lot of miles on very few calories because that works well for my stomach. By 9 miles I was starving. I ate half of the possibly expired chews and threw the rest in the trash so I wouldn’t have to keep carrying them. I would really regret this later.
Other than being hungry, the run went really well. My pace was pretty consistent. I ended at 19 miles because I was tired of trying to run in circles to get to 20 miles and at 19 miles I happen to be right in front of my house. Ava had never seen The Shining so we drank coke and ate popcorn and watched the movie.
In theory it’s Shabbat and I shouldn't be doing any thing of these things. I have read about the running thing and if I am running for pleasure only than I can run, but I am not allowed to carry so that would mean no watch, no water bottle, no food. I am kind of making my own rules for what works for me on Shabbos. I don't work so it’s a great day for a long run and lying around after. I do use my phone, but no emails. I stick to games and some texting. Obviously I am watching tv. But I am the only one observing Shabbat in any form (even if it isn't complete) so the tv is going to be on anyways. For us it just works to use it as a time to hang out and be with each other. No grocery shopping, no cleaning. Just one day to hang and chill.
Sunday:
I have been sleeping so well, but I am really stressed about money so I woke up at 2 am and couldn't fall back asleep. At 6am I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep. I woke up at 7am and debated running in the afternoon. In the end I got out the door for my 7 mile run. I started out feeling like my legs were made of lead, but after a few miles I felt better. I was short on mileage and needed to run past my house and up the street. Right when I went by he house Norm came out the door with the dogs. As soon as Pasta saw me she sprinted after me. I ended my run to walk her back to the house. I end the week with 69.3 miles, just short of my 70-mile goal.
I finished the morning with my favorite yoga class. Come join me sometime at hip hop yoga with harmony (she likes it spelled lower case). It’s a hard class, but so much fun and lots of good energy.
The next three weeks are going to be really tough training so no one is allowed to stress me out. It will be these weeks that tell me where my fitness is and what the plan for Desert Solstice will be, will it be Goal A or Goal B?
