August 2018 Goals

August 5, 2018 by 42 Comments

With no training plan in sight, most of the past week was about spending some quality time with the physical therapist (who introduced dry needling into the mix), grinding out the PT exercises on my own, with a couple of HIIT workouts thrown in for good measure.

There was a lot of time spent stretching and rolling, and I even made it to the massage table. I ran just once and the great news is there was no knee pain! While my hip didn’t feel great, it didn’t feel awful either  – so we’ll take that as a win. It’s all about progress.

So now that August is already off and rolling, it’s time to lay out my monthly goals.

  • Continue daily PT exercises along with weekly visits with the physical therapist
  • Return to running 3 days a week
  • Continue cross-training twice a week (kickboxing and the Arc Trainer)
  • Complete the “Summer Blowout” challenge – designed by the kickboxing trainers – think a crazy mix of sit-ups, push-ups, squats, burpees, etc.
  • Feel ready to start half marathon training by September

What’s your big goal for August?

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

signature
Filed Under: goals, Weekly Wrap

Wrapping up July

July 30, 2018 by 32 Comments

I swear if I were running at a pace equal to how fast these days are clipping by I’d have a PR or two!

Instead, as I predicted, in my July goals, the month was very low-key on the running front. And, honestly could stay that way for the rest of the summer. But before I look ahead to August, Iet’s quickly wrap-up July.

Running – July was my lowest monthly mileage of the year, and if it hadn’t been for the RnR Chicago Remix I might have run even fewer miles. Both the hip and knee made it clear that time off and extra self-care were needed. I even finished the month with a week of non-running – though I did make an exception to log a little road time with my youngest son!

Strength Work – I made daily PT exercises a goal and for the most part, this was a win, as the only days I missed were during the Chicago weekend. I also logged 7 hours working with the physical therapist, leaving most sessions with jelly legs as Abby has really pushed me with a lot of single leg work. My plank streak also grew to 211 days, and thanks to the 5-minute Plank Challenge, I upped the ante on the length of planks.

Cross-Training – My July goal was to get to kickboxing class twice a week. Unfortunately, work and camp pick-ups made this a challenge so I had to settle for a weekly class and supplemented with time spent on the Arc Trainer.

Macro Plan & Weight Loss – I started following a macro plan in July and did hit my goal of doing a better job with meal planning and prep. I spent the month trying to figure out how to scale back on the carbs a bit while increasing my protein. As a result, I saw just a half pound off the scale but did lose a half inch in my waist.

I’m still noodling over August goals, so, for now, that’s a wrap!

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

And, with Erika, Marcia, and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run.

How was your July? Have you set any goals for August?

signature
Filed Under: month in review, Tuesdays on the Run, Weekly Wrap

Chicago Race Week

July 22, 2018 by 36 Comments

Happy Sunday!

I’m just off the plane from such a fun weekend in Chicago hanging with some of my favorite runner/blogger friends! I can’t stop smiling! More on those shenanigans coming in a separate post along with a recap of RnR Chicago.

But first, let’s quickly catch up on the week that was. Since this was “race week”, I was super tentative about my knee – there was lots of heat and ice treatment, and very little running.

Monday – Physical Therapy and gait analysis. The appointment was a long one with lots of single leg squats, glute bridges, and band work. Abby the PT also filmed me running and I will get the analysis from her team at my next appointment.

Tuesday – Yoga. I’ve not been hitting my yoga mat nearly enough! My body so needed this stretch.

Wednesday – 3-mile run. When my alarm went off in the morning I was so tentative about my hip and knee that I spun myself in knots and never got out the door. It bothered me all day that I had let fear get the better of me so I headed to the gym after work to hit the mill. It was a surprisingly solid run – a win and a reminder to never give up!

Thursday – PT exercises and time with my massage therapist

Friday – Travel to Chicago! I still managed to get 5.5 miles walking in (according to my Garmin)

Saturday  & Sunday – Remix Challenge – RnR Chicago 5K on Saturday and 10K on Sunday. Given how my knee and hip have been feeling, being able to get through both races was a huge win!

My flat runner for Saturday’s 5K

Daily planking also happened – my streak is still going at Day 203. Kim and I even planked together in Chicago for Rachel’s Plank Challenge.

And that’s a wrap! The plan for this week is to take a rest from running. I’ll focus instead on kickboxing, strength training, and yoga to give my hip a much-needed break.

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap – I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting both of these great ladies this weekend. Stay tuned for my Chicago recap!

Tell me something about your week

signature
Filed Under: Weekly Wrap

A quick wrap up

July 15, 2018 by 32 Comments

I swear I every time I blink a whole week or more goes by! Somehow we’re already halfway through the month – yikes!

I’m knee-deep in prepping and packing for my oldest to head off to overnight camp so I’m just quickly sharing some highlights from the past week and linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

All by myself
On Tuesday I made a last minute decision to head over to the studio for a midday kickboxing class – let’s just say work was really pushing my buttons and the chance to hit something was very appealing 😉 Well I arrived to discover I was the only one there – yep I got a private class – just me and two instructors. It was an awesome workout with lots of attention on my form.

When you get to class and realize you’re the only one!

Time with the PT
I got in two sessions with the PT last week – and man oh man was I sore after each appointment. The work is tedious but necessary. Someone, please send me some patience!

The Ice Pack as my BFF
I feel like I spent a good bit of the week with an ice pack attached to my leg. I’m not sure what I did but coming off of last weekend’s run my left knee has been super sore. Seriously, some days I feel like I just need to wrap myself in buddle wrap! Oddly, the knee doesn’t hurt during kickboxing, but running was a whole different story.

Only one run
Yep, there was only one run this week – just a 5K on Saturday. It was a slow run/walk but it was miles nonetheless. On the bright side, I got to wear my fave new visor 😉

 

This week should be fairly low-keyed as I keep my fingers crossed that I won’t need to power walk Chicago!

How was your week? Have you ever had a solo class?

signature
Filed Under: Weekly Wrap

Some Goals for July

July 8, 2018 by 37 Comments

For the first time in a long time, I never got around to setting any goals for June. I like having monthly goals to keep myself on track, so before we get too deep into this month I’m sharing some goals for July.

But first here’s a quick recap of the past week:
Monday – Rest
Tuesday – Kickboxing
Wednesday – 3 miles to kick off the 4th
Thursday – Yoga
Friday – Crazy thunderstorms put a dent in my run plans but I had my first PT appointment
Saturday – 5 miles and more hours working on the patio project
Sunday – Cross training in the form of patio work 🙂

Getting a little post-run planking done after Saturday’s run

Notes from the PT

I had forgotten how sore you can be after a PT appointment! My therapist Abby and I clicked right away. I like that she’s worked with a lot of runners, and after a thorough assessment and conversation about my running/racing goals for the fall and beyond, she’s already starting to flesh out a solid plan. We’ll be doing a gait analysis during an upcoming appointment, which should really help to spotlight the probable imbalances going on. While she wasn’t 100% thrilled with the idea of my running the remix at Chicago, she does support continuing to run as long as I keep the miles easy and “don’t push it” (better than being told no running, right?).

  • Daily PT exercises
  • Get to kickboxing class twice a week
  • Follow my macro life plan which will force me to get back to more thoughtful meal planning
  • Drop a couple of pounds (see above)
  • Complete Rachel’s plank challenge – the goal is a 5-minute plank. I’m currently on day 189 of my plank streak and up to now, I think my longest plank has been 2:30. This challenge will definitely help me up my core work.

Running wise I’m going to enjoy that I’m not formally training for anything at the moment. I have no goal except to listen to my body and try to keep moving as much as possible. RnR Chicago will be a shuffle at best, but I’m ok with that – I’m in it strictly for the fun!

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

Do you set monthly goals? Are you training for anything at the moment?

signature
Filed Under: goals, Physical Therapy, Weekly Wrap

Trying to Embrace the Heat

July 2, 2018 by 27 Comments

Coming off of last weekend’s 10K, I felt like I needed to back off just a bit to give my cranky hip & hammy a break, and Mother Nature quickly obliged by sending the temps and humidity sky high. Nonetheless, I did get some decent workouts in!

Monday –  Kickboxing class
Tuesday –  Still feeling the effects of Monday’s class I took a pass on my morning run but enjoyed a great 4-mile walk with my friend E. I also got a much-needed massage!
Wednesday – 3 miles on a somewhat cool-ish morning


Thursday – Rest day
Friday – Yoga
Saturday – 5.5-mile slog-fest followed by 4 hours or so working on our new patio project
Sunday – More hours baking in the heat working on the patio – Yeah starting a landscaping project given the weather forecast may not have been our smartest move, but when I’m enjoying a cocktail on it one evening soon it will be worth it!

I have learned to master the front loader!

This week also wrapped up the strong Abs & Arms Challenge hosted by Rachel. I really liked the timed vs. set number of reps approach and definitely felt like my arms especially benefitted.

It looks like the heatwave we’re in will continue until at least Friday, so there doesn’t seem to be much choice except to get out as early in the morning as possible and embrace it. As I was slogging through my run on Saturday, I started playing this mental game of trying to list off things I was grateful for instead of listening to the whining in my head. As I made a list in my head the one I kept coming back to was “I’m grateful I can choose to do this.” Yes it was miserable out and yes I was moving ridiculously slow, but given the alternative of not being able to run at all, I’d take it every time. I’m going to try to hold on to that thought this week!

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

How are you holding up in this heat?

signature
Filed Under: Summer running, weather, Weekly Wrap

Trying new things and big changes

June 24, 2018 by 39 Comments

There are some big changes going on in the RWA household! But, before I dive into that, here’s a brief recap of this past week’s workouts.

Monday – Rest day
Tuesday – Strength day including W4D1 and D2 of the Abs & Arms Challenge along with a PT series for hips and glutes.

Kai decided he needed to supervise!

Wednesday – 3 miles in a rare break in the temps.
Thursday – D3 and 4 of the Abs & Arms Challenge then a trip to see my massage therapist for some work on my hammy.
Friday – 1st kickboxing class!
Saturday – D5 and 6 of the Challenge and some yoga
Sunday – BAA 10K (re-cap to come)

Trying new things!

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been feeling the need to shake-up my cross training and wanted to try some new things. Trying kickboxing has been on my list for a while and I’m so glad I finally signed up for a class. This class kicked my butt and I had a blast! I’ll be heading back to the studio again this week!

Also in the new things category – my husband J and I just signed on to macro diet program. Friends of ours have had some great results with the program and we’ve decided to give it a try to help re-set our eating. I’ll be sharing more about this as time goes on.

Ch ch ch changes!

My apologies to the late, great David Bowie…

I mentioned before that my oldest had a really tough school year. I’ve intentionally not gotten into details but suffice it to say it was a long, stressful year for everyone. But the good news is there’s light at the end of this tunnel – he’s off to a great new school in fall that he’s really excited about! And, while I’m struggling to get used to the idea that he’ll be a boarding student I’m really excited for him and know this will be a good fit.

All good stuff – there’s just one small glitch. The school calendar just came out and the big fall parents weekend is the same weekend as MCM. Nooooo! Ah but yes…

There’s just no way I cannot be there for the first big weekend at his new school. How could I possibly enjoy MCM knowing I wasn’t there? I can’t – As much as I was looking forward to MCM the choice is easy. Family first! I’m not giving up on my dream to run MCM either, I’ll just be deferring until 2019. (And, given my ongoing hammy issues, this may be a blessing in disguise).

So now without MCM on the horizon, I find myself with a wide open fall as I had no other races on the calendar. Time to get planning!

Tell me something about your week? Have you tried any new workouts?

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap.

 

signature
Filed Under: keeping it interesting, Updates, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Summer mode

June 18, 2018 by 34 Comments

It’s been almost 2 weeks since my last post and somehow a full month since I last linked up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. How did that happen?!

Well, the truth is life happened and I haven’t really been in training mode. Once the cranky hammy/glute thing crushed my plans for the Run to Remember Half at the end of May, I kinda threw the training plan out the window.  I have been keeping busy and tailoring my workouts to how the body is feeling on any given day.

So, how did this week shake out?

Monday – 400-meter repeats. I haven’t done speed work in what feels like forever, so I decided to try some repeats on the mill. I also did W3D1 of Rachel’s Abs & Arms Challenge.

Tuesday – I was on the road for work again this time for a trip to the state house, but I did get in the plank jacks and bicycle intervals for the Abs & Arms Challenge.

Wednesday – Rest Day.

Thursday – Strength day on my deck included D3 and D4 from the challenge along with hip/glute work.

Friday — It was an early start to the day for event set up for work, but I was pretty pleased to squeeze in a 3-mile run and W3D5 of the challenge.

Saturday — I was up and out before 4 a.m. to get to the event site and finish prepping before registration opened at 6:45. The event went smoothly and I managed to log 5.4 miles along with the challenge workout.

Sunday — Oh my gosh I was just so dang tired! My whole body screamed stay in bed. I went out in hopes of getting 5, but everything felt sore and it was already ridiculously hot (despite being just 8 a.m.). It started to feel counter-productive to just keep pushing, so I called it at 3 miles and headed home to enjoy the day celebrating Father’s Day with my family.

We’re supposed to be facing record heat this week so sunrise runs will be in the plans. I’m also looking forward to my first kickboxing class (more on that later)… and oh yeah, I’ll be running the BAA 10K with my brother and husband on Sunday.

Tell me how was your week? Are you training for anything at the moment?

signature
Filed Under: summer mode, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Catching up

May 20, 2018 by 36 Comments

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. This a great link up to find support and motivation, so be sure to stop by to share a weekly training recap and show these great co-hosts some love!

When I last checked in on my “training” a couple of weeks ago, the piriformis/hammy issue was in full rage. The plan was to back off – run easy, cross-train, and focus on rehab.

And that’s just what I’ve been doing for the past two weeks. Progress has been slow and steady, but I’m happy to say there’s progress. Run/walk intervals are a must right now, and while hills and any attempt at speed are a big no-no,  I was super encouraged by yesterday’s “long” run of 6.5 miles. The first 4 miles of that run felt better than I have in weeks.

I’ve been doing my best to focus on every positive I can while also trying to come to terms with facing my second DNS of the spring thanks to this nagging injury. I do have the option of dropping down to the 5-mile distance, but I haven’t decided what to do yet. I was so looking forward to running this half – it’s one of my favorite races and was going to be my “goal race” for the spring. While I’ve run the 5-mile option before, it just doesn’t have the same feel. Perhaps it’s better to just draw the curtain on the spring race season and move on.

I recently shared this on Instagram as it has become my mantra. I still have so much running and racing to look forward to this year, so I need to put this nagging pain in the arse (literally) behind me once and for all.

Have you ever had to put racing on hold? Tell me something about your week? Have you checked out my Stride Box giveaway (see here)?

signature
Filed Under: focusing on goals, injuries, Weekly Wrap

Can one be allergic to training?

May 7, 2018 by 34 Comments

So let me cut right to the chase – my piriformis/hamstring issue came roaring back this week, and with just 3 weeks to go until Run to Remember I’m starting to wonder if I’ve developed an allergic reaction to training?! Seriously, just a month ago things were going along swimmingly – I had been diligently doing everything to calm a cranky piriformis, including changing my shoes, and declared that I was raring to go with my training plan.

Now with a tempo run gone wrong and a 10-miler that quickly became a 7 miler, I feel like I clearly spoke too soon and jinxed myself.

Here’s how the week went down:

Monday: Rest day – Spent all day in heels for work presentations. No bueno.

Tuesday: Just too many hours in a car. I rolled like it was my job and called it a day, pushing my run to Wednesday.

Wednesday: 3.25 miles on a gorgeous morning

Thursday: On the plan, 6 miles with 4 at tempo pace. What happened was 5.25 miles with 3 at tempo – and “tempo” is a generous descriptor! I poked the bear with this run – by just 2 miles into it, my piriformis let it be known it was not interested in participating in the run and it was downhill from there. Add in the sudden humidity and temp spike for what would turn out to be a 90-degree day, and I had a front-row seat on the struggle bus. The more I tried to push the more gimpy my stride became so I packed it in early.

Friday: Lots of babying and bargaining with my right side in hopes to get through a double-digit long run on Saturday.

Saturday: Once again by 2 miles into the run I knew I was in trouble. It then became this debate with myself as to whether to keep going or to pack it in – when do you know if you’re doing more harm then good? I was so glad to be sharing this run with my husband J, who kept me positive and also was the more rational of the two of us to get me to stop at 7 when it was clear I was hobbled.

Sunday: Rest day with a small pity party on the side.

While I try to keep it positive and tell myself that 7 miles is still a good run, the truth is I’m worried. Once again I find myself wishing for more days on the calendar as my race date looms (remember I already missed the Black Cat 10 miler back in March because I lost time on the road thanks to the piriformis).

I’m going to plan on a mix of cross-training, easy miles, and the rehab exercises this week and keep my fingers crossed. Wish me luck!

I’m joining Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. If you share a weekly training recap be sure to join them!

signature
Filed Under: injuries, Weekly Wrap