A Trainer's Advice

I talked to my trainer after tonight's run. I'm still struggling. It may not look like it--my times are still pretty good. But I can feel something is off. I'm always tired during and after a run but there's usually also a sense of feeling strong, of enjoying pushing my body to its limits. Not so much these days. I feel like I never really warm-up and everything is staying stiff with legs like lead.

Marisa said it could simply be that the body is tired. She suggested being sure to hydrate throughout the day and also to eat protein after a run and more protein in general. She also suggested backing off on miles, but keeping up intensity. I'm racing a half-marathon this weekend. I ran tonight and am running tomorrow morning, but have decided to take Thursday and Friday off, with just a long walk one of those days. I can't remember the last time I had two days off in a row. Kind of excited.

Marisa also suggested rest. Not a problem. Blair looked at me this morning and said, "It's almost 7. Are you getting up?"

So, rest, water, protein, race. C'mon legs, don't fail me now.

Da Funk is Shook - Day 1 Success

Happy to report that mission "Lose Da Funk" is a go. I had a busy, productive day that has left me eager to dig back into work tomorrow. I had a great writing day and on top of that, managed to prepare a kick-a** spicy red pepper lasagna AND a spinach paneer Indian dish over basmati rice. The morning was wonderfully relaxing with no stop and jerk checking of blogs and e-mails. I got the headlines, organized my work for the day, took a few phone calls, and made it to yoga.

I went into GSO to work, but when I got back the mojo kept flowing. Instead of vegging with 40 minutes of Oprah (which always turns into closer to 2 hours), I watered the plants, ran to the grocery store, entered receipts in my expense account, and spent an hour going through the hall and linen closets, as well as my jewelry, shoe, and purse collection, weeding out items for this Saturday's yard sale. 

I did ab work while the rice simmered and shot out some e-mails while I waited for the red peppers to cool. Instead of sitting down at 7 pm in front of the TV, I finally got around to responding to today's e-mails. 

I'm tired, but in a good way. Got a lot of good writing done and all the other minor details make me feel like I've accomplished something today. None of this is surprising, however, I am always a model student on Day 1. And I'll have enough of a buzz left over from today to carry me through tomorrow.  The real test will come later this week when I just want to bonk in front of mindless TV or eat cereal for dinner instead of making something healthy.

The great news is I started a new chapter - a Myers Briggs Type profile for felines-- and I'm cracking myself up as a I write it, always a good sign.

On a different note... a woman in my running group who has trained like a warrior all summer for her first marathon found out that she has a pulled ligament she has to stay off of for a minimum of 6 weeks. That means no marathon for her. If you're not a runner, it may be hard to understand the heartbreak associated with this. You all have seen how much time and focus I devote to my running and trust me when I say I take it easy on you--I could write about running 24/7. Pumping yourself up for a marathon is like planning all year for the vacation of a lifetime--you've got the star hotel, you've made lists of everything you want to see, you've got new clothes, and your whole being is focused on the number of days left until you escape to your paradise--only your boss pops up and demands you work that week and the whole vacation is trashed in an instant. Amy will be back next year for sure, but it's cruel to have an injury like that this late in the training. 

That's all for tonight. One last check of e-mail and then I'm signing off for the night.

Ready to Shake Off Da Funk

It's a new week and I'm a new woman. Did some thinking about the "the funk" this past week and decided a few changes are in order.

#1 - Better Diet. I ate like crap for most of this week and saw it reflected in my runs. My times were okay, but my legs felt heavy and I really had to push myself--mentally and physically--to just DO the runs. The marathon is in just over 30 days so it's time to man up--whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lots of water, moderate eating habits. I suspect the poor diet affected my mood last week as well, so hopefully "good in, good out."

#2 - No e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and checking other people's blogs before 11 am. I know. As Blair said upon hearing my declaration, "The 15th time is the charm." I've sworn off e-mail in the mornings before, but the awfulness of trying to focus last week has convinced me it's a necessity. My mind gets way too fragmented when I start my day off with short, unfocused blasts of activity. Mornings are for book writing. Period. (**Just so no one thinks I'm cheating, I will allow morning blog posts. I often find it helps to use my blog writing as a "warm-up" to the "real" writing of the day. So if you see a 9:40 am post, do not send me "You're a cheater" e-mails...)

#3 - Less TV. Again, it's the mindless crap I fill my mind with that I'm convinced makes me unmotivated and lethargic. I have plenty to fill my time--running, stretching, reading, we're finally painting the guest bedrooom, I have plants dying to be repotted, pet the cats, clean/laundry, take a walk, prepare a healthy meal, call friends, website updates, volunteer work, speech preparation, get ready for this weekend's yardsale,...

#4 - Less Politics. It's no secret I'm a lifelong Democrat (although... pretty sure I'll be voting for a Republican for Governor). I am SO uptight/angry/hopeful/worried/optimistic/pessimistic/scared on a daily basis that it's draining the life out of me. I'm cutting way back on reading/watching/discussing national politics. 

It's like New Year's in October. None of the changes are all that major though. It's just doing more of the good part of what I'm already doing, and easing up on the less productive aspects.

Wish me luck on that e-mail thing though... =)

Perhaps Caffeine Would Help?

I am exhausted--for no reason. I got my 8 hours last night. But it's all I can do to stay upright and not fall face first into the tomato soup in front of me. I have the ability to sleep anywhere, anytime. Give me a pillow and stick me in the middle of a busy highway and if I'm tired enough, I'll doze off. Helpful on plane rides, not so much when I'm trying to coax myself into staying awake and working on an article draft due tomorrow.

When I got up this morning, I did 30 minutes of yoga. My yoga instructor is on holiday in Florida for 2 weeks and I've been remiss in keeping up my practice. I did a forward bend today and kind of waved my hands in the direction of the floor--not good. I'm desperate for her to come back and limber me up from all these long runs. 

Speaking of which, I was kind of hoping this week would be a fallback week in terms of mileage. It is, from the standpoint that we're only running 18 miles on Sunday instead of 19 or 20. You either have to laugh or cry.

I might be tired due to my crappy diet. Blair is working late all this week (and worked late all last week) and the upshot is I'm not into preparing a big meal if I'm the only one around to eat it. So for dinner last night I had... a beer and microwave popcorn. And that's after the mid-afternoon ice-cream (Skinny Cow) sandwich and bowl of cereal for lunch. If I keel over on tonight's run, I have no one to blame but myself. Hence the tomato soup for lunch... I'm trying to make amends.

I'm going to attempt to pound out a solid hour (whew!) of work before my haircut this afternoon. And drink gallons of water to flush the beer, butter, and salt out of my system. Party on! =)