Eats Lifts & Runs

Newbie runner. Hiker and adventurer. Crossfit enthusiast. Women's health advocate. Cartwheeler. Smiler.

[eatsliftsandruns]

Race recap: Across the Bay 10k

Or, how everything fell apart but I didn’t mind so much…

I love the Across the Bay 10k. It was my first-ever race, and takes runners across about 4 miles of Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It’s a race that very much fits in my overall theory of running, which is if you’re going to do something hard and painful, you might as well do it somewhere scenic.

This was my third year doing the race but my first year actually training for it, and I went into the training cycle with big hopes. I like this distance, and I thought that with some solid training, I could snag a big PR.

My gem of a mother booked us all in a hotel room about as close to the race as you can get, so we made a weekend of it, and headed up Friday after work. The weather was a bit all over the place: lovely on Friday, COOOOLD on saturday, and rain forecasted for the race start on Sunday morning. I generally avoid running in shorts whenever possible, but the temperature and rain combo convinced me to go with shorts and a long sleeved top.

A couple of notes on this race. First: it’s huge. It bills itself as the 5th largest 10k in the USA, and that doesn’t surprise me – thousands and thousands of people come out. It’s very well run: the shuttles are efficient, there are plenty of portopotties, etc…but there’s just SO many people. The race was recently purchased by Ironman, and I found the general coordination to be slightly worse this year (information was way harder to come by – for example, I couldn’t find any suggestions about how early before your wave to board a shuttle).  That said, for a massive race, it’s all remarkably easy.

However: there’s some crowd issues for this race. It’s extremely walker friendly, and the start waves are theoretically determined by your projected pace, but all three years I’ve done the race I’ve found that you spend the first mile or so weaving through huge clusters of walkers. That can be really frustrating. This year, I ended up missing my start wave because it took way longer to get to the start line than anticipated, and, after starting in wave 8 of 15, I found myself surrounded by walkers from start to finish.

By race day, I knew this wasn’t going to be a great triumph for me. After a stressful summer and fall, I’d found it hard to prioritize training. My training runs were slow and often halfhearted. I’ve spent the last several months eating my feelings, which generally looks something like “do reeses pieces count as protein? Is the tomato sauce in pizza a vegetable?” All in all, I went into the race with pretty low expectations.

Unfortunately, I failed to meet even most of my lowered goals. I ran my first mile WAY too fast, as I tried to get around walkers during the narrow bottleneck onto the bridge. I hit a big wall in mile 2 (the first three miles of the race are all uphill, as you head over the bridge) and ran something like a 14 minute mile (which is slow even for me). My legs felt like lead, my shins hurt, and…sometime during that mile…my stomach hurt as well.  By the end of mile 2, I was in a portopotty. 

And that wasn’t my last porto stop. That was sort of the beginning of the end for me…after a couple of stops, it was clear that I wasn’t going to get my PR, and, surrounded by walkers, I gave up a bit. It was really hard to motivate myself to push my super tired legs forward for the last three miles. Even though my last three miles were actually slightly faster than my first three, I’m way happier with the way I pushed forward through the upset stomach and discomfort during the first half and disappointed with the way I gave up toward the end. 

I made it across the finish line, but it was my slowest time out of the three years I’ve done this race: a minute slower than my first time and about 5 minutes over my time last year. I’m a bit bummed by this – I’m sad I couldn’t make it come together for this race. That said, I can’t be that unhappy with myself: life has been challenging in recent months, and I’m not going to get too down on myself for falling short in this race. 

As they say, some days you win, some days you lose, some days it rains.

All in all, I’d still recommend this race as a fun, well-run 10k. I think I wouldn’t go in to it hoping to PR again – not only is it a bridge course (so 3 miles up and then 3 miles down) but I’ve found the crowds increasingly difficult to manage each year. This wasn’t a good race for me this year, but I expect I’ll be back next year!

[eatsliftsandruns]

How I spent my summer vacation...

O hey running world, it’s been awhile.  I let the blog lapse I bit, and then it had been lapsed for awhile and it was hard to restart it...fitness took a bit of a backseat, and blogging about fitness took even more of a backseat, and pretty soon I found myself in October with a blog that hadn’t been updated for months.

So it goes. Like all aspects of my fitness/running journey, this is imperfect, but I enjoy the process of trying to be better -- so I’m attempting to recommit to some training goals, to blogging, and to prioritizing the process of getting healthier, fitter, and happier!

This feels a little bit like the first day of school -- like being around people you haven’t seen in months, so here’s my “how I spent my summer” post.  

First, I did some more Spartan races!

Over the summer, I ran the Virginia Super, the Nationals Park Stadium Sprint, and the DC Sprint, and had a blast at all three. The Super was around 10 miles, and kicked my ass in the most profound way...but I managed a respectable finish in my age group in the Stadium race.  

The hubs and I ran the DC Sprint together, and it was a great experience (he also ran an approximately 15 mile Spartan Beast race in West Virginia, but I just played cheerleader for that).  

Overall, the Spartan races were a fun way to test my fitness over the summer without committing to training for a running race.  I like obstacle course races because they play way more to my strengths than road races do...I’m not very fast, but I’m good at lifting and climbing stuff, and I’m not half bad at burpees, so that makes up for my slow foot pace.  I love that I can place in the top 10 in my age group in Spartan, a feat that feels unachievable at any distance on the road.  

I thought long and hard (okay, I angsted a lot) about signing up for a fall half marathon.  I want to do another half.  I want to do one that isn’t as hilly as the Blue Ridge Half Marathon (I mean, pretty much anything is less hilly than that...) because I’d love to set a time on a relatively flat course so I can better judge progress going forward.  And I love the fall, and the idea of running in the fall sounded appealing. 

But when it came down to it, I just couldn’t commit.  I couldn’t commit to another cycle of training, to working toward a firm running goal.  And, even more, I couldn’t commit to opening myself up to the possibility of failure -- it felt like such a risk, like falling short in a second half marathon would tarnish the one that I did finish.  I just couldn’t bring myself to sign up for something.

And my training suffered.  The thing is: it’s hard to train when you don’t have a goal.  It threw into sharp focus for me why, exactly, we pay so much money for the chance to run with a ton of people we don’t know.  Without the incentive (or threat, depending on how you look at it) of a race, my training sputtered. I skipped workouts, I turned 40 minute runs into 20 minute runs, I went to crossfit on days I was supposed to run, and I consistently demonstrated my utter lack of commitment.

But before I get too hard on myself, here we are in the fall, and I’m still running.  I’ve discovered I like track workouts.  I like intervals and recently did my first fartlek (what a weird word).  I’ve finally found shoes (Saucony Kinvara 8s) that I adore.  I went to Oiselle’s Bird Camp and was inspired by the women I met there to keep running and to feel good about myself as a runner.  I think I’m finding my groove again.

So coming soon: I’m signing up for spring races!  Next up is the Spook Hill 4-miler on October 21st, and then the Across the Bay 10K (my FAVORITE race!) on November 5th.  Making plans for 2 half marathons in the spring -- stay tuned!

[eatsliftsandruns]

The Stuff Review

As a newbie runner, I accumulated a lot of STUFF in a hurry.  I never shook the feeling that if I just bought a little bit more gear, running would get just a little bit easier.  While that didn’t end up being true, I definitely found that some of the successories I purchased were worth their weight in gold, and that I could have done without others.  

This post is a rundown of 10 pieces of gear that I purchased, and a bit of a brain dump about what I found to be worth and what I could have passed on.  None of these are sponsored reviews -- just my thoughts on some of the stuff I’ve accumulated in about 6 months of training.

1) Orange Mud hydraquiver

I’ll start with my favorite.  I did ALL the research on hydration packs.  I knew I didn’t want a backpack.  I tried on a few vests at the store, but I hate the hoses.  After a lot of reading, I bought the Orange Mud pack, and I love it.  It really is as easy as they promised to get the bottle in and out.  The pack is comfortable and stays put, and putting the bottle between your shoulder blades makes it feel weightless.  I wore this pack for my half marathon, and it was absolutely worth the money I paid for it.

I will say: this hydration pack doesn’t work for Spartan Races or other mud run type events.  For my Spartan Super, I carried a handheld Nathan Quickshot, but I wasn’t very sad when I lost it in a mud pit because it didn’t really hold enough to be useful.  

2) ProCompression Socks: 

I have a bit of a love/hate with these socks: mostly love, with just a little side of hate.  I love love love their cheery colors and fun designs, and they’re very comfortable.  I found that wearing compression socks all the time when I run has helped to cut way down on the shin splints problem, and ProCompression is ALWAYS running deals and promotions so I was able to get a bunch of these socks for not too much money.  They’re very supportive, and I think they’ve held up well in the wash.

They do give me blisters on longer runs, though.  I wish the feet had a little more padding -- I like the support at the ankles so I don’t want to switch to compression sleeves, but I wish the feet of the ProCompression socks were just a bit comfier.  

I will say: I had a problem with one of my pairs, and the customer service was great -- they quickly sent me a replacement pair without making me return my defective ones.  LOVE that!

3) Body Gilde:

Everyone I talk to swears by this stuff, but I don’t get it.  It makes my thighs feel like they’re sticking together even more.  I keep thinking I must be using it wrong, but there don’t seem to be that many options for how to use it...I’m still running in 3/4 tights and it’s over 90, so I think I need to figure something else out!

4) Rocktape:

Let’s be real: I have no idea what this stuff does. My chiropractor uses it, plus some guy at a race showed me how to tape my shins, and I SWEAR it makes a difference even though I honestly have no idea if I’m doing it right.  Maybe it’s the illusion of taking action, but taping the outsides of my shins and my achilles/inside of calf has also really helped cut down on shin pain.  I feel like maybe if I don’t think too much about it, it’ll keep helping!

5) Balega hidden comfort socks: 

I freaking love these socks.  I don’t wear them much for running now (see above post on compression socks) but they’re the most comfortable socks I own by a long shot.  I wish all things in life could be as comfortable as these socks!

6) Garmin Forerunner 220: 

This watch is an older model, and it didn’t quite cut it. I used if for my training and for my half marathon, which seems to have finally done it in.  The GPS didn’t work very well during my training, and it only recorded about 6 miles of my half marathon.  I’m considering saving up for a nicer watch with a heart rate monitor, so would love suggestions of what people like and use!  

7) Lululemon Swiftly Arm Warmers:

Okay real life problem: as a crossfit girl, I don’t fit into all running clothes.  This was an actual problem when it comes to arm warmers -- I have big girl arms, and I tried a couple of pairs at the sports store and was a bit afraid that arm warmers might not be an option for me.  However, I found these at Lulu -- they use the same stretchy material as Lululemon’s swiftly shirts, and they fit my sizeable arms and stayed up for ten miles without a problem.

That said, I’m not sure that I needed arm warmers.  I hate being cold, and I have a tendency to overdress for runs.  I wore them with a tank on a 55 degree day, and I think I’d have warmed up just fine without them (and if it had been any colder, I’d have wanted actual sleeves).  I only wore them the one time, and it’s hard for me to image they’re going to get a lot of wear.

8) Nike sunglasses

These were my last pre-half marathon purchase; I didn’t end up wearing them on the half (it rained) but I’ve gotten a ton of use out of them.  One of the most frustrating things on my failed attempt at the Cherry Blossom 10-miler was that my cheapo target sunglasses kept fogging -- it was muggy out (it’s DC, after all!) and I could not keep them clear.  I hustled out and bought some actual sports sunglasses after that, and I’m glad I did.  I bought mine at Nordstrom Rack for about $50, and it was $50 well spent -- they’re WAAAY better than what I got at Target!  They don’t fog up, and they’re pretty comfy.  They even ran a Spartan Super with me, and survived the mud!  

9) Momentum Jewelry Motivate Wrap: I’m not going to lie, I got a little sucked into the running social media on this one -- and I can’t say I’m sad I did!  I got a “Nevertheless She Persisted” motivate wrap, and I wore it for my half marathon.  This definitely doesn’t fall into the category of crucial gear, but it was a fun little confidence boost for a tough race.  I keep forgetting to wear it when I go out running, and since I’m not using a GPS watch right now I’m not sure how much I’d see it when I was running anyway, but it’s a fun little motivator.  The bracelet is of good quality -- I’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking for little ways to keep themselves going!

10) Flipbelt: I didn’t hate the Flipbelt.  I’m religious about running with my ID, credit card, and my phone, and the Flipbelt was an okay-enough way of carrying all these things (and more) with me.  I don’t love it -- it’s not very comfortable, and depending on what bottoms I have on it sometimes rides up.  However, I found it way more comfortable than other belts/vests/pocket options.  As long as I’m wearing the Orange Mud vest I don’t need it, and in the winter my running jacket has a great back pocket for all my stuff, but on some of my shorter runs the flipbelt still gets worn.  It’s really not a bad option...I just wish I didn’t need it!

So there it is: a list of some of the multitude of STUFF I bought as a beginner runner!  I must say, running companies have done a magnificent job of marketing through social media -- a lot of the runners I follow on Instagram are “Ambassadors” for various companies, and I sure did buy a lot of stuff thinking it would make running less hard.  None of this stuff did that, though I’d definitely suggest to other beginning runners that they take the time to find a hydration option they like, as well as socks and sunglasses.  

Next up: a rundown of the shoe experience.  It took me 6 tries to find a pair of shoes I liked, but I LOVE the ones I ended up with!

[eatsliftsandruns]

Race Recap: Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Half Marathon

Apparently, finally crossing a finish line makes me TERRIBLE at blogging.  I started a race recap within a day or so of finishing the Blue Ridge Half Marathon…and then I absolutely dragged my feet about finishing it.  In an effort to get this in before the one month anniversary of completing the race…here is my race recap!

On Saturday, April 22, I completed the Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Half Marathon.  It was my first half marathon, and the longest run I’ve completed to date.  A lot of friends told me I was absolutely crazy to choose a race that bills itself as “America’s toughest road half marathon” for my first time, but I was tempted by the promise of Blue Ridge vistas and a visit to Roanoke, and I decided to go for it.

As anyone following my blog knows, my training did not go as planned. Minor injuries and work travel proved more detrimental than I anticipated, and I made the super questionable decision of prioritizing competing in the 2017 Crossfit Open when I probably should have put more emphasis on completing my training runs.  However, I made it to the starting line, and, after DNFing the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler a few weeks before the race, I was completely committed to finishing, no matter how long it took!

We drove down to Roanoke on Friday before the race – it’s about a 3.5 hour drive from where I live, so we got in with tons of time to spare.  I started with the expo, which was small but lively and easily accessible in downtown Roanoke.  The packet pick-up was extremely expeditious and I was quickly funneled to pick up my shirt (one of the nicest race shirt’s I’ve ever gotten) and my free Farm to Feet socks (awesome race swag!).  There was a vendor area where a representative from RockTape taped my shins for the race, and it looked like they had some good stuff for sale but I was a bit scared off by the crowd and didn’t spend too much time looking around.  I’d been told to do a shakeout run on Friday, but the day got away from me a bit, and by evening I didn’t really want to do any extra miles so I got a pre-race beer instead (whoops).

A major perk of this race is that it starts and ends right in downtown Roanoke.  I stayed in a hotel about 2 blocks from the start and finish lines, which made race morning a breeze.  I slept until about 6:30am, tried to throw some breakfast into my nervous stomach, and was at the start line with about 20 minutes to spare.

It started to rain as I was waiting for the starting cannon (note: real cannon.  Pretty crazy).  I’d known the weather was going to be wet, and I was nervous about that because I didn’t do any outdoor training in the rain.  However, it wasn’t cold, so the rain actually felt rather nice.  It rained on and off throughout the day.

The first few couple of miles felt predictably bad.  I quickly learned that “flat” is a relative term in Roanoke, and the flattest sections of the course closely resembled the “hills” on which I trained.  After about a mile of “flat,” the first climb starts – up Mill Mountain, to the Roanoke star.  This is where the walking started – pretty soon, everyone around me was walking.   I tried to make myself run whenever the grade evened out slightly, but I was already walking way more than anticipated.

Since I’d set an arbitrary goal of finishing in under 3 hours, I tried to stay ahead of the 3 hour pacer, but I couldn’t resist stopping for photos at the Star.  Despite the weather, I had amazing views of the city and the mountains in the distance.

After the Star, the course heads downhill for about 2 miles.  At this point in the race, it was hard to keep from flying down the hills – my legs felt good though, and I was able to hold a comfortable pace down the descent.  At the bottom, the course runs through a park…and here’s where things got a little less good for me.  My stomach wasn’t feeling so great at this point, and I decided to wait in line and visit a port-o-potty.  Unfortunately, the person ahead of me opted for a rather lengthy stay in the porto, and I lost a lot of time and momentum in the park.

After the flat section, you head toward Peakwood.  I’d heard a lot about the Peakwood climb, and it was every bit as hard as promised.  It just goes on and on and on.  And on.  And every time you think you’ve finished the worst of it, there’s more climb.  It was pouring at this point, but the residents of the totally beautiful Peakwood neighborhood were out in force, cheering on runners, offering water/snacks/booze/coffee and lots of encouragement.  It was easy to keep having fun, even while slogging up the hills.  One aid station even had a puppy sound asleep under a table.  But seriously – the climb never ends. I was pretty much exclusively walking the uphills at this point, and, even with that, my legs were feeling pretty shredded.

What goes up must come down, though, and the downhill felt soooooo good…for about a minute.  Pretty soon, entirely different parts of my legs started screaming at me.  After Peakwood, the course heads downhill for about two miles, and MAN did I feel every step of that – I’ve never had knee pain while running before, but I kept finding new parts of my body that hurt during the descent.  The rain picked up again, and, at about 11 miles, I was pretty ready to be done.

The final chunk of the course sends you back over a bridge and into downtown.  I was really tired by this point, but I was able to run the last mile or so into the finish line.  Again, despite the rain, there were tons of supporters cheering finishers home.  I ran across the finish line in 3 hours in 17 minutes, which is slower than I was hoping but I’ll take it!  I heard from others to expect to be about 45 minutes slower on this course than other half marathons, because of the mountains, and I’d trained about a 2:30 half marathon pace, so that’s pretty much right on target for me.

Overall, I’m incredibly stoked to have finished the race.  It definitely lived up to its reputation – the 1897 ft of elevation gain/3790 ft of total elevation change really added up!  Due to weather, the race organizers made the tough call to cancel the race and pull runners from the course just after 4 hours – I’m sure that was a hard decision to make, but I’m really glad I got in before the cut off.  Start to finish, the race was really well run, and the Roanoke neighborhoods I traveled through were incredibly welcoming to runners fast and slow.

I loved that this was a slower race.  As generally fit person but a slow runner, I’m self-conscious about my pace, and I have a tendency to go out too fast in races to try to keep up with people around me.  I didn’t mind being slow in this race because everyone was slow, and there was so much to enjoy about being out in Roanoke and in the Blue Ridge in the spring, even in the rain.  I remember thinking at mile 3 or so how much fun I was having, and how surprised I was to be enjoying the experience as much as I was.  

On a practical level, the race seemed to mostly go very smoothly.  The water stations were well-spaced and well-stocked, even for slower runners.  I carried my own water with Tailwind powder, which is what I trained with, but there was Skratch hydration available on the course (I tried it and it tasted amazing!).  The biggest hiccup was definitely the weather, but hey, it’s spring in Virginia – what can you do (I got married in April a few years ago, and it hailed.  So it goes).

The race swag for this race is GREAT -- love the shirt, and the Farm to Feet socks are so comfy I’m seriously considering buying more!  I also like that they provided free race photos, which were available a few days after the event.  I didn’t see many photographers on the course (maybe in part because of the rain?) but I’d rather have a couple of free photos than lots of photos I have to pay to get.

All in all – I had a great time running the Blue Ridge, and I’ll definitely be back!  I’d highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a fun and challenging race.

Disclaimer: I was chosen as an official blogger for this year’s race, which means I received a free entry.  All views are my own, however.

[eatsliftsandruns]

Race Weather Roulette

3 days out, and I’ve reached the point where it’s basically all out of my hands now, so I’m obsessing over all the things I can’t control.

There’s no more fitness to be gained, no more new mobility tricks to learn.  I can’t switch my shoes (AGAIN!) in an attempt to fend off shins splints.  I can’t boost my confidence by finishing any more long-ish runs, and I can’t change any of the training decisions I made along the way.  Besides choosing my food options carefully, getting solid nights of sleep, and doing my best to keep loose during the drive down to Roanoke tomorrow, there’s really not much I can do at this point to ensure a positive outcome.

Well, not quite.  I still have to pick a race day outfit.  And here’s where the obsessively checking the weather comes in...

It’s probably going to rain on Saturday.  It’s going to be cool but not cold, and raining.  Maybe lightning.  

And unfortunately, in my very limited running experience, I’ve actually never run in the rain.  During this training cycle, on the few days when it was wet outside, I took my runs to the treadmill, or swapped them with a strength training day, or did something to ensure that I didn’t get rained on.  Further, I haven’t really run in temperatures in the 60s...I did most of my training in the winter cold, with a couple of runs in balmy 70 degree Florida.  So not only do I not have a good sense of what I want to wear for 66 and raining...I’m not sure I actually own the right clothes (my running wardrobe is mostly tights and jackets, and short on tanks and capris/shorts).  

Since this is one of the only factors I can still control, I’ve become a little wardrobe obsessed. 

It doesn’t help that I’m already dreading race photos (and I hate that I’m dreading race photos!).  As mentioned in a previous post, I’ve gained a fair bit of weight during this training cycle. It’s partly come through adding running to my training and literally always being hungry.  It’s partly what I’ve heard referred to as a “Trump Ten,” and the fact that I’ve been eating my feelings since January.  And it’s partly just the fact that my self control has not been great over the past few months, and I’ve failed to make good diet a priority.  So, at 15 pounds heavier than I was this time last year, I can’t say I’m SUPER excited to see how my body looks in skimpy running clothes in photos, and I’m kind of wishing I could wear my tights and jackets.  After spending all winter excited about racing in my new Oiselle Volee singlet this spring...I was a little crushed to try it on only to find that I’d grown right out of it!

So, all this is to say -- I want to know exactly what the weather is going to be on Saturday, so that I can choose exactly the perfect outfit that is going to ensure I have an amazing race, feel strong and beautiful, look amazing in all my pictures, and repel any water that falls from the sky.  This is possible, right??

Anyone else completely obsess over weather in the lead up to a race, to the point of downloading multiple weather apps and checking them every half an hour?  Just me?

[eatsliftsandruns]

Spartan Race Recap/1 week until Blue Ridge Half!

I feel like I’ve usually got a pretty good mental game.  I’m pretty good at setting goals and working toward them, not bad at being realistic about my abilities and limitations, and I’m okay at staying positive when things aren’t going my way.  But when it falls apart, it falls apart hard, and not finishing the Cherry Blossom 10-miler threatened to send my teetering mental game into a bit of a spiral.

Against some good advice, I decided to run a Spartan Race I’d previously signed up for last weekend, despite the ongoing shin problems.  Let’s be real: I knew that, physically, running a 5 mile race over unknown terrain, two weeks before my goal race, was not the most amazing idea.  Most of the recommendations I got were to take time away from running completely, and let the shins rest.  And I mostly did that, taking to the stair mill at the gym instead of hitting the streets.

But I still really wanted to do the Spartan Race.  I knew it would be a slower paced run, that there would be plenty of opportunities to walk, and that running on trails/fields/mud pits would be way easier on my shins than running on the road.  I knew I could finish it, and that crossing the finish line a week after DNFing might help resent my mental game.  And I knew that it’d be a fun time, and a chance to be out in the woods for a few hours, so I decided to go for it.

I ran the Charlotte Spartan Sprint, which was in Concord, NC on April 8th.  It was my 2nd Spartan Sprint, but my first time running in a competitive heat.  I got an 8am start time, which put me in the same start heat as my rockstar husband, who has been training for obstacle course racing (OCR) all winter and is working toward qualifying for the OCR World Championships this fall.  

It was COLD the morning of the race.  Dressing for a mud run is a big challenge for me, because I hate being cold when I’m running but the more clothes you have on, the more you have to run in when they all get wet.  I’d massively overdressed for the Cherry Blossom race, and had overheated within the first couple miles.  With temperatures in the upper 30s at my Spartan start time, I did my best to dress in layers.

The course started with a long jog into the first couple of obstacles, which were fairly simple: climbing over various things.  My shins screamed during these early parts of the course, and I got that sinking “I’m not going to be able to do this” feeling.  However, the obstacles really checked my pace, and somewhere along the line the shins started feeling a bit better and I was able to stop worrying about them.

Perhaps not surprisingly for a crossfitter who’s quite new to running, I did WAY better at the Spartan race than I’ve ever done in a road race.  I did best on the strength obstacles – I was able to pass a bunch of girls on the atlas stone carry, the hoist, and the sled pull.  I missed a couple of obstacles that I know I’m capable of – both the rope climb and the monkey bars were easy for me in my previous Spartan race, but the mud did me in in Charlotte, and I failed both.  I surprised myself by coming fairly close to getting the spear throw, but of course it went just wide and I had to do burpees.  I did better than I would have expected on the trail run – with the exception of picking my way through some treacherous terrain and squelching through major mud pits (and almost losing my shoes!), I was able to run almost all of the race.

I’d been DREADING water obstacles, because of the cold.  The course featured a dunk wall about 3 miles into the race, and I DID NOT want to do it.  The water was freezing, and finishing the race in wet clothes felt terrible.

Crossing the finish line was awesome.  I know it’s not the same as running a road race, and plays way more to my strengths than something like the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, but it felt SO good to cross that finish line, and to cross it feeling strong.  

When I looked at the results, I was incredibly excited to see that I finished 8th in my age group – literally the first time I’ve ever finished in the top half of finishers in my age group in a race! That was really exciting as well. When I run, I know that I’m going to be a back-of-the-packer, and I’m okay with that, but finishing in the top half felt amazing!

At the end of the day, I won’t ever know if running the Spartan was a good idea or a bad idea.  If my shins are a wreck next weekend, I’ll have no way of knowing if the extra rest would have made a difference.  All I know is that after the Cherry Blossom, I was leaning toward dropping out of the half marathon.  I felt like I had no business racing 13 miles if I couldn’t even finish 10.  Finishing the Spartan gave me a badly needed boost of confidence: I may be slow, I may have to walk large chunks; my training may not have gone flawlessly and I may not be as fit as I wish I was, but I’m going to cross that finish line in Roanoke on Saturday, and I’m going to enjoy the view along the way!

The hubs and I have another Spartan race on the calendar for the first week in June. It’s the only other race I currently have scheduled, and I’m a bit on the fence about whether I actually want to do it or whether I just want to go and cheer for him.  For anyone considering a Spartan Race, you should definitely go for it -- they’re really well run events.  The Sprint distance should be totally do-able for most runners, and the obstacles are a challenge but are not insurmountable.   It’s a great time!

[eatsliftsandruns]

Cherry Blossom 10-Miler Recap (Halfcap?)

It’s been a handful of days since I started, but did not finish, the Cherry Blossom 10-miler, and I’m going to have a go at writing about the experience. 

To start, I entered the Cherry Blossom 10-miler lottery knowing that the race would fall on one of my last long run days during my training for the Blue Ridge Half Marathon.  I thought it’d be a good way to get in a long run under race conditions, and would give me an idea of what to expect on half marathon race day.

As mentioned in my last blog, my training has somewhat fallen apart over the last few weeks.  Shin splints have emerged as a major problem, compounded by work travel and the Crossfit Open.  I entered Sunday’s race knowing that shin pain was a major problem, and knowing that my training was not where I’d hoped it would be.

A couple of thoughts about the race itself.  Obviously, my experience is colored by the race that I ran and how I feel about dropping out before the finish line, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.  That said, I didn’t love this race. On the plus side, running under the cherry blossoms, even this late in their annual bloom, was lovely.  The course runs a fantastic route along the river in DC, and it’s a really really lovely spot for a race!

On the negative side, this race is really crowded.  As a back-of-the-pack runner, I found the crowds overwhelming.  For the 5 plus miles I completed, the bottlenecks never let up.  Someone in front of me was always abruptly stopping to walk.  The times I stopped to walk, I tripped up people behind me.  It was hard to get out of people’s way, and hard to get around other racers.  The ground by the water stops were absolutely littered with cups by the time I reached them; I carried my own water and planned to run through, but I had to stop and walk just to avoid slipping.  It’s a double edged sword -- I’m glad they open the race to so many casual runners and it’s easy to see why so many people love to run this race, but, for me, I didn’t love the on-course experience.  Between this and the GW Parkway 10-miler, which I ran last year and is also in April, I’d pick that race.  Again, I had a terrible running day, so that is a huge component of how I see this race in retrospect, and I know a lot of people who absolutely love this race, so I’m not sure I’m a reliable voice on this.  

I braved the expo on Saturday morning and picked up my bib -- it was very crowded but quite well run, with friendly and helpful volunteers.  I wasn’t super tempted by any of the vendors, so was in and out in about 30 minutes.

On Sunday, I caught a ride to the start line (to add to the frustrations around this race, the DC metro was not running early enough to take public transportation to the start).  I got there with only about 20 minutes to spare, which was good because it was COLD!  I waited in a pretty long port-a-potty line, and then found my (slow) start corral and edged my way to the start.

Within about 400m of starting, my shins felt terrible.  I kept running at a good pace, hoping they’d loosen up and the pain would let up in a mile or so.  The first couple miles of this course are great -- they take you past cheering spectators and monuments, and then over the Memorial Bridge and back.  I tried to ignore the shins and focus on the views.

Somewhere around mile 2, my shoelace came untied, and, when I crouched to tie it, I completely toppled over.  I’d completely lost control over the muscles in the front of my shins.  That hadn’t happened before, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do.  I walked for a bit, tried to stretch and loosen them up, and then started running again.  Still terrible.  For next next couple of miles, I tried alternating walking and running, trying everything I could think of to get the shin pain to let up a bit.  

At this point, I was also WAY overheated.  In a total rookie mistake, I wore the Lululemon jacket I’ve been training in all weekend for the race.  It was cold in the morning, but by the time I was a couple miles into the course it had warmed up a lot, and, perhaps not surprisingly, the jacket I was comfortable in at 30 degrees was NOT comfortable at 60 degrees.  

As I approached 5 miles, I knew I wasn’t going to cross the finish line.  I was so upset and angry with myself, and also trying to calculate my bail-out point.  Looking at a map, I hopped out at just after 5 miles.  My depression mounted as I walked myself back to the metro, past already-finished runners with their medals and crowds cheering for still-competing runners.  It sucked.

A few days later, I’m not sure if I made the right decision.  I think I could have gutted it out and finished.  I now have the half marathon in 2 more weeks, and my mental game is totally wrecked -- I’m super doubtful of my ability to complete that race.  I’m still doing everything I can to let the shins heal up a bit -- PT, lots of rolling, and very little running between now and the race (well, except for maybe doing a Spartan Race this weekend...).  Stopping may have helped me in terms of physical damage, but definitely sucks in terms of mental effects!

I’ve never DNFed a race before.  Crossing a start line but not a finish line is a terrible feeling.  I’m really worried I’m going to have the same problem at the Blue Ridge Half, but, if I do, I’m planning to just run/walk...or just walk...as much of it as it takes to cross that finish line.  I don’t want to have this feeling after that race!

Final thought: through this process, I’m gaining a huge appreciation for what it takes to be a runner.  Last year, I ran the GW Parkway 10-miler without training, and I finished in roughly 2 hours.  This year, I’m way fitter and a much better runner, but I couldn’t get myself through 10 miles.  I have a long way to go in terms of building endurance and consistency in my running -- I know that I can do it, but I want to get to the point where I can do it on any given day, not just a day where everything goes well.  Next time I stand on a start line, I want to have complete confidence that I’m going to cross the finish, not limp to the metro after completing only half the race.

We’ll chalk this one up to a learning experience...

[eatsliftsandruns]

Buying my Way out of Shin Splints...

Just a few weeks out of the Blue Ridge Half Marathon, and I wish I was feeling more positive about this process and confident about my ability to achieve a good outcome.

The past few weeks have been one big setback.  I spent 2 weeks traveling in New York for work, and that dinged my training a bit – I was able to do some running and workouts, but I couldn’t make it a priority. I ended up skipping one long run, and turning two others into much shorter efforts.  Frigid temperatures (and not packing warm enough running clothes) forced me inside to the treadmill (more on the effects of this later on…the treadmill is not my friend). 

[Treadmill sidenote: for anyone living/traveling in NYC -- definitely check out Mile High Run Club.  Amazing interval workout on treadmills -- much like spin class, just without bikes.  Shin pain aside, I had a great time at this class -- wayyyyyy more fun (and beneficial) than just slogging out miles on the treadmill.  Highly recommend.]

Somewhere in the midst of trying to shoehorn runs in around other commitments, the shin splints returned with a vengeance.  As I’ve mentioned on the blog before, shin splints have always been a problem for me, even before I was a runner.  I got them from springboard diving when I was a kid.  I get them from various crossfit movements, particularly double unders and other things that involve jumping.  But running has brought them back in a big way.  Earlier in my training cycle, a couple days of rest between runs was enough to keep manageable.  As I ramped up mileage, particularly treadmill mileage, however, they became a major problem.

I started cutting runs short, taking big breaks mid-run to stretch everything out.  I bought my 4th pair of new running shoes since November 2016 – Altra Escalantes, after an extensive session of gait analysis and shoe-fitting.  I spent a particularly painful afternoon with glass cups suctioned to my lower legs, in hopes of alleviating the shin pain.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t buy my way out of shin splints.  I’m going to have to do some serious training re-analysis after this half marathon…if running is something that I want to continue to do (and it is, I think), I need to figure out a better way to manage this problem.  

So that’s the plan now…just try to get through this month, and then re-evaluate.  Anyone out there have amazing tips for rallying through shin splints?

[eatsliftsandruns]

Setting Goals

I’ve never been great at setting goals.  When I was younger, my goals were always huge: based wholly on ambition and little on reality.  Then I veered wildly in the other direction, and for years only set goals that I knew I could reach – it got to a point where it was almost the goal-setting equivalent of putting already completed tasks on your to-do list so you can check them off.  

As a newbie runner, I have a hard time evaluating what is a realistic but still meaningful goal for me. The Blue Ridge Parkway half marathon will be the first time I attempt to complete 13 miles, and, when you throw in nearly 2000 feet of elevation gain, I have really no idea what a truly stellar performance for me would be.

I hate the thought that I’m going to put out a time goal, and end up coming nowhere close.  However, while my training has been a bit up and down and I don’t feel as prepared as I would like, the truth is that I’ve worked hard for this half marathon, and it doesn’t feel good enough to just go in and hope to live through the damn thing.

So here are my goals for the Blue Ridge Parkway Half Marathon, 2017:

Goal A: Finish under 3 hours.  I thought a lot about a pace goal.  I’ve been aiming for 11:30 pace in most of my training runs, and I’ve been really inconsistent with it: sometimes, a much faster pace is easy, and sometimes I’m completely incapable of staying under 12 minutes.  However, with the addition of mountains, that pace just isn’t realistic. Last year, a time of 3 hours flat would have been good enough for 48th out of 65 in my age group, and I’d be over the moon to finish that high up.

Goal B: Enjoy the view. People keep telling me that I’m crazy to pick a half marathon in the mountains for my first major race, and I keep responding that I figure if I’m going to have to spend hours running somewhere, it might as well be somewhere with a view.  As I get more and more nervous about the race and gain a greater understanding of exactly how terrible my legs will feel on those mountains, I’m determined to stick with that mantra.

Goal C: Finish.  At the end of the day, if I cross the finish line, I will feel like I accomplished something major.

So those are the goals.  With just over a month to go, I’m feeling nervous and intimidated -- but I’m committed to putting in a few more weeks of work so that I can feel successful at the end of the race!

[eatsliftsandruns]

Blue Ridge Half Marathon, 2 Months Out

Holy macaroni, I looked at a calendar the other day and I’m less than 2 months out from the Blue Ridge Parkway Half Marathon.  For anyone keeping score at home, this will be my first half marathon; it’s also my first time training for a race of any distance.  For my first rodeo, I apparently selected a notoriously difficult course with 1897 feet of elevation gain -- at the time, this felt a bit like a “go big or go home” sort of moment (with the added benefit of the gorgeous scenery -- I figured that any half marathon is going to take me somewhere in the vicinity of 3 hours, so I might as well have something pretty to look at for three hours!

At two months out, it’s a good moment to take stock of my training and overall mental state.  On the former, most days it seems like the most accurate statement for my training is “well, I’m doing it.”  On the latter, well, I’m currently careening between doubt, denial, and fear!

In terms of training, I’ve been following a training program developed for me by the running coach I’m working with.  It includes about 3 days a week running, plus 3 days a week Crossfit -- it’s aimed at slowly building up my running endurance while not losing too much by way of cross-training fitness.  

My training has been interrupted by not one but two winter colds, and I’ve definitely been struggling to get in all my runs.  I think my longest run, to date, has been 7 miles (my satellite kicked out mid-run so I don’t have a good count).  This weekend, I’m staring down a 1 hour and 45 min training run -- that should be, by far, my longest yet.  I’m hoping that gives me a sense of what kind of distance my body is currently capable of, so that I know how far I still have to go (I’m betting it’s pretty far).  

Over the next two months, I’m hoping to achieve a couple of things (beyond the obvious of continuing to build mileage).  First, I’d like to become a little more consistent -- right now my runs are a total crapshoot between “I fly like an eagle” and “I need to roll over and die right here.”  I haven’t been able to figure out any predictors of “good run” or “bad run.”  I’d love to have some “just okay” runs here and there!  

I’d also need to figure out the first two miles.  Most training runs, I find myself walking several times in the first two miles.  Once I get to mile three, I can maintain a run much easier.  However, I ran a neighborhood 5k a couple of weeks ago, and without doing anything differently, I ran the entire thing at around a 9:40 pace, so I know I have the capability to do it.  Part of it has to be figuring out some sort of warm-up routine that I’ll actually do (rather than just trotting out my door and figuring that I’ll count those two crappy first miles as warm up) but part of it is also upping my mental game and working through early discomfort, pain, and general fatigue!

Finally, I’m hoping to get a bit more confident with hills.  I’ve been adding time on the stair-mill into my workout schedule right now...and it SUCKS.  But it turns out that the Blue Ridge mountains are, well, mountainy -- this week, I looked at the street view of some sections of the race on google maps, and sent myself into a deep well of terror.  I’m going to try to remember that fear next time I find myself choosing a training run route that avoids the neighborhood hills...

So that’s me, 2 months out.  I’m nervous -- nervous that I won’t finish, nervous that I’ll feel I wasted my training time, nervous that it’ll hurt and I won’t be tough enough.  I’m nervous I’ll embarrass myself after putting this blog out there.  I’m nervous that it will take me 10 hours to finish.  

But I’m plugging along -- because in 52 days, I’m running the Blue Ridge, and I’m going to be as ready as I can possibly be!

[eatsliftsandruns]

Beginner’s Luck

Week six of training for my first half marathon, and I feel like I’m starting to find my groove.

Let’s be real: I’m still a terrible runner. Every single run is a struggle – I’m constantly questioning what exactly an “easy run” might be, because the act of propelling myself forward at even the most restrained of trots still feels mighty hard.

But it’s also not hard to find improvement. I missed a couple of days of running this week when I was struck down with (yet another) cold, and when I laced up my shoes and headed back out there this weekend, I was able to run two miles without feeling like I might just keel and over and die. Last weekend, I ran a neighborhood 5k and, while I didn’t get a PR (my PR was set on a seriously downhill course, so it’ll take some serious speed improvement for me to beat it) but, for the first time, I ran the whole 5k. I didn’t stop to walk a single time. That was a HUGE boost of confidence for me. Even more, I averaged a 9:41 pace, and I ran the back half faster than the first half. I wasn’t fast, but I felt like a real runner out there.

When you’re a bigger, improvements are easy to find. My runs are almost all time driven and not distance driven, so it’s pretty common to find myself getting a little farther in 45 minutes than I did in the same amount of time last week. Each time I go on a long run, there’s a good chance it’ll be my longest-ever training run. I find myself running farther before I have to walk, and in 6 weeks I’ve dropped my training pace by almost a minute per mile.

Soon, these gains will slow down. After 6 years of Crossfit, my PRs in the gym are rare and hard won. It’s not unusual now that months of training will be visible in only a couple of pounds added to a barbell, or a few seconds shaved off a benchmark workout. And these small improvements are still greatly celebrated, because they show that I’m consistently inching toward better health and fitness.

But in running, it’s a rare day that I don’t see some sort of improvement, and that’s really motivating right now. On days when I really don’t want to head out into the cold after work, I can remind myself how amazing it’s going to be to feel noticeably stronger on next weekend’s long run. When I’m embarrassed by how many people pass me on my weekend trail run, it soothes my ruffled feathers when Strava tells my I’ve set some sort of new personal best. I don’t mind my feet hurting and muscles aching when I watch my mileage build up and, week after week, run more than I’ve previously run.

This is the blessing of being a beginner. Once you get past the initial onslaught of terribleness that is throwing yourself into something new, you get to enjoy visible improvement. I’m trying to enjoy this little moment of beginner’s luck, because I know that, before I know it, the PRs will become harder, I’ll have to fight to shave off seconds rather than seeing minutes fall away, and I’ll have to find different motivation to help get me out the door on cold mornings!

[eatsliftsandruns]

Race Recap: Love the Run You’re With 5k

On a whim, this past weekend I decided to run the Pacers Running Love the Run You’re with 5k. It took place on my mom’s birthday, and when I found out she was planning on doing it, I decided to run it with her. That turned out to be a great decision!

To do the race, I switched my plan for the weekend – I did my planned-for-Sunday long run on Saturday, and then used my 30 minute “easy run” planned for Saturday to do the race on Sunday morning. That meant that the long run came directly on the back of 4 hard training days (Tuesday Crossfit, Wednesday Crossfit, Thursday run, Friday Crossfit), and MAN did I feel it. I struggle-bussed my way through an hour and a half of trail run – Strava told me that I made it through my target 8 miles, but by my calculations I’m skeptical I even made it through 7. My shins and hips totally rebelled; my legs cramped and my feet hurt. Nothing felt good. I woke up sore on Sunday, and felt skeptical that I’d be able to complete 5k.

Since I had an easy run planned, I decided to run without looking at my Garmin, and to choose a pace that I could maintain for as much of the run as possible. I did not expect a fast time, and I felt okay with that.

The race ended up being a huge success for me. I soared by my low expectations! For the first time ever, I completed an entire race without having to walk a single time. It was a fairly hilly course, but my legs started to get tired I was able to slow my pace down but maintain a run. I felt great the entire way, and was very excited to see that, when I stopped my Strava app at 3.3 miles, I’d been running for 32:05, with splits of 9:47, 9:58, and 9:32. I ran the last 0.3 miles at a 8:56 pace, which also makes this the first race ever that I was able to pick up my pace when I saw the finish line. HUGE success!

Like all Pacers events, the Love the Run You’re With 5k was both well-run and fairly well attended. The Valentine’s Day theme gives it a fun twist, and the course has some rolling hills that present a challenge without seeming insurmountable. The start and finish are in the same place, and there were plenty of porto-potties, which is always my number one (or number 2…) race-day concern. Parking and transportation were a breeze. I’m obviously influenced by how strong my race felt, but I had a great race experience.

[eatsliftsandruns]

I Swear I'm an Athlete

This past Thursday, I had a really rough day at work. I mostly love my job, but the current political environment in the U.S. has brought a world of new professional challenges, frustrations, and long hours. I had a run on my calendar on Thursday, but I looked at the programming at my Crossfit gym (snatches and toes to bar!), and decided to do that instead. I did it pretty much solely because I wanted to do something I'm good at. And let's be frank, I'm not really GOOD at Crossfit. But I know what I'm doing there; I can generally do the workouts without scaling, and sometimes I even make my gym's leaderboard. I'm competent, and I feel like an athlete at the gym. Out on the road -- not so much. I never have confidence that I'm going to be able to spend more of my run actually running, as opposed to walking. Some days I'm comfortable knowing that people are going to drive by and see me have to stop, and some days I find that demoralizing. When I was a kid, I was a junior olympic (JO) level springboard and platform diver. I was never great, but I was good. I'm 32 now, and, aside from a year spent on my university's dive team, I haven't done ANY diving since I was 18. The other day, my husband asked why I don't ever hop up on the diving board when we're at the pool swimming. The truth is -- I spent a lot of time becoming good at something as a kid, and now I'm not good at it, so I don't want to do it. I don't love that about myself, and it's part of what made me start running in the first place. It's good to try new things, but, even more so, I think it's good to suck at things. I think it's good to get comfortable with sometimes being at the back of the pack (literally as well as figuratively!). Let's be real -- I'm never going to be great at any athletic endeavor I do now. As I slide into my mid-thirties, things that used to be easy are becoming more difficult. Demands on my time are becoming more numerous and more pressing. Fear -- of injury, of failure, of the unknown -- becomes more real. But that doesn't mean I can't be an athlete -- or that I'm any less of an athlete when I'm running than I am when I'm lifting. It doesn't mean I still couldn't have fun jumping off a diving board -- even if I can't make my body do the things it used to do effortlessly. So a promise to myself -- next time I have a bad day at work, I'm going to skip the gym and go out for a run. Instead of worrying about how slow I am and how much I walk, I'm going to enjoy being outside after a stressful day, celebrate the fact that my body is getting stronger, and embrace the knowledge that I'm getting better at something. Happy Sunday!

[eatsliftsandruns]

Three weeks into my training program, and today it started to click a bit for me. My plan called for a 45 minute run today, and, as always, the first mile was torture. But I ran through the second mile, and then something amazing happened: the third mile felt amazing. For the first time, I felt a bit like an actual runner. I got a little glimpse into how (and why) people get themselves out of bed everyday to run. I almost lost my mind with excitement...and then mile 4 hit, and the struggle returned. But I'll take that little glimpse... 4 miles (11:13, 11:35, 11:23, 11:39). Mix of trails and roads in my neighborhood. 45:35.

[eatsliftsandruns]

BRM Half Marathon Training, Week 1

Over a week into half marathon training, and MAN am I on the struggle bus. I’m working with a running coach who developed a training plan for me – adding running while trying not to lose too much ground on the Crossfit front. To start with, I’m around 2-3 runs a week, and 3ish days Crossfit, and one day of rest.

The first week was rough. Day one of my training plan called for Crossfit, and my gym programmed Fran (for the non-Crossfitters amongst us, Fran is a notorious suckfest of a workout: 21 thrusters at 65lbs, 21 pullups, 15 thrusters, 15 pull-ups, 9 thrusters, 9 pull-ups). I’ve never done Fran un-scaled before, but my pull-ups have gotten a lot better and I felt it was time I gave it a go. Unfortunately, I’m still TERRIBLE at thrusters, and it took me 9 minutes and 27 seconds of total pain to finish the workout.

It was even worse the next day. I waddled my way through the weekend on very sore legs. And unfortunately, the next two days had my first two training runs (30 minutes and 1 hour, respectively) and I felt pretty committed to at least giving them a go. The weather didn’t cooperate and threw in an ice storm for good measure, so I took to the treadmill. My 30 minute Saturday run was a complete disaster – my legs were so destroyed that I kept tripping and having to get off the treadmill completely. Sunday was a little better, but after an hour on the treadmill my shins felt ready to explode.

To be honest, the week didn’t really get better. After a rest day and a couple days of Crossfit (deadlift PR of 205lbs!!), my next running day was 30 minutes on Thursday, and I went back to the treadmill (I don’t have any reflective gear yet, so even though it was warm outside, I chickened out of a post-work outside adventure). I made it through, though the shins were still feeling rough.

My final run of the week was completed in Florida, on vacation – one hour, outside in 75 degree weather, with a LOT of active support and encouragement from my amazing husband. The hubs is a much stronger runner than me, and he’s trying to train for a bunch of his own goals, so it was motivating to have him running alongside me because I didn’t want to let him down. And I sure needed it: after a few days of eating like crap, plus a lot of leg and hip tightness, our 4.27 miles felt endless.

All in all, my first week was rather demoralizing. Running 13.1 miles feels unattainable right now. Spending the next several weeks slogging through training runs sounds very unpleasant. It’s incredibly humbling to feel so fit (Crossfit PRs left and right) but be so terribly bad at running.

In light of this negativity, I’ve decided to end each training post with some positive take-aways/moments of gratitude/generally upbeat thoughts. Here are mine today: 1) My aches and pains aren’t injuries. I know enough about my body to know when I need to stop and when I need to push through, and I’m mature enough as an athlete to know the difference between discomfort and catastrophe. 2) I’m strong enough to suck at this and not get demoralized. I get embarrassed when I have to walk on a busy street, or when the time on my Garmin seems too slow to post to Instagram. But I’m excited to start to see progress, even if it isn’t in the form of faster times – I’m excited for runs to suck a little less, hurt a little less, and leave a little more space for enjoyment and freedom. 3) My Topo Athletic shoes are by far my favorite running shoes I’ve ever owned. And my new Oiselle “Head Up, Wings Out” hat makes me feel connected to a community of amazing women, all of whom were once beginners. 4) I saw an alligator on my run today. Running is hard, but running in 70 degree weather is definitely better.

[eatsliftsandruns]

New Year, new beginnings, same stuff.

All of a sudden it’s 2017.  How did that happen?  The final months of last year passed in a haze of confusion, disappointment, and work chaos for me.  I’m not looking to talk politics here, but let’s just say the US Presidential election sent me for a personal and professional tailspin, and I’m still slightly reeling.

That said, seeing the 2017 on my calendar is a reminder that I need to keep sight of what I need to do to be as fit and healthy as I can be, and seeing a frighteningly high number of the scale is a nudge that I can’t keep eating my feelings indefinitely (I’m 100% a believer in the number not being the story, but let’s be real -- I’ve been eating like total crap for at least two months, and right now it shows).  

I’ve been dragging myself to the gym more or less regularly over the past couple of months, but without focus and commitment.  It’s time to get back on track.

On Friday, I start my half marathon training plan.  As I’ve mentioned, I’m running my first half in April, and I’m 100% committed to actually training for this race and not relying on overall fitness to wing it.  I’m working with a running coach, and I’ll be adding running about 3 days a week to my existing (predominately) crossfit routine.  Excited to see where that takes me and how that changes me.

As for goals, I have a few.  I want to complete that half -- I want to run the whole thing, and I want to feel like I was well-prepared.  I want to finally be able to back squat my bodyweight.  I want to get a handle on some of the movements that, after Crossfitting for almost 6 years, still escape me, like handstand pushups.  And not to be a cliche, but I want to lose some weight -- I’ve put on about 10 pounds in the past few months, and I’d love to lose that and a bit more.  

Tonight, I’m going to try to PR my deadlift.  I HATE HATE HATE deadlifting and I’m always afraid to go heavy -- tonight I’m going to try to be brave in the spirit of a new year.  What is everyone else working toward?

[eatsliftsandruns]

My FitBit has been missing since June, and today it finally reappeared.  Those zeros make me so sad...