Tattooed Kicks

I'm Steph, and I'm a runner & fitness geek in training. I live the city life in Boston, work in a stressful industry, and am learning how to be the best tattooed version of myself. Here's the scoop.

[tattooedkicks]

Here We Go Again!

I’m back... again. Let me be the first to tell you that blogging as a grown up is more of an undertaking than you might think. Phew! Making time to type can be exhausting.

Since December, I’ve seen a lot of change in my life. I’ve taken a leap into the unknown with my career, quitting my job without the next one lined up to identify and chase what I really want. I’ve seen a relationship come and go. And, I’ve learned a lot (a lot) about myself. 

Oh, and I completed my very first half marathon in Phoenix! Life was moving especially fast back in January, so I didn’t even think to recap it. Let’s just say I never thought I’d be a half marathon finisher, and I feel like completing that race and struggling through the tough parts has mentally prepared me for the challenges 2016 has also brought. 

I have 3 races on the horizon in the next 2 months, all ones I’ve completed before. I’m trying to decide how I’ll proceed after the hot and heavy summer arrives. Will I go for another half marathon this year? I’d certainly like to, now that I know what goes into it.

As I look to the week ahead, an especially tough one with a lot of emotions to overcome, I’m thinking about getting my ladyballs on and showing up to my first November Project workout. That scares me because I’m not in my best shape, and I don’t want to be the last one in the pack. I know my fears are completely against NP’s philosophy, but I think it’d be a really decent thing to do for myself... both to get fully back on the horse, and to conquer a fear. 

We’ll see what the days ahead have to bring! No way to know until we get there.

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I’m still here (and training for my first half marathon)! It’s been a crazy end to 2015. More updates on the way :)

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I’ve incorporated a few stair runs into my training, today’s being the first. I could only make it about 20 minutes (and my legs are already feeling like jelly) but man, was it sweaty. No glamour shot after that one, but hey - that’s what training looks like.

I’ve also lost 7 pounds in the last month, which is really pretty awesome. And, I start a new job that I couldn’t be more excited about on Monday. I think it takes about 2 years to find your way when you move to a new place, but Boston is starting to feel really, really good. 

That’s all for now, folks.

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I spent all weekend doing grownup stuff, like putting together (matching!) bedroom furniture & rearranging everything. (I did get in a ride yesterday, though.) Now, my bedroom has a cute, functional gym corner. Which is great, because half marathon training officially begins tomorrow! Bring on the insanity. Also, yes. I have a corgi pillow because I'm an adult.

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I went downtown today, and smelled all of the things I wanted to eat: Five Guys burgers, hot dogs, street cart meat, you name it. However, I high-tailed it to my favorite local juicery (word?) and bought a raw key lime tart, and a cold-pressed organic juice. Because who am I even. 

I’ve been doing a lot of half marathon training research, and the two plans I’ve been waffling between start either tomorrow (Under Armour) or in two weeks (Hal Higdon). Hal never leads me astray, so I might end up doing that one... but that means I’m using these next two weeks to build a really strong base.

Let’s hope this cooler summer keeps going, so that I’m not running at 4am to avoid melting. 

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I finally, FINALLY have race photos I want to order! All it took was massive rainfall and wearing a garbage bag with strangers. My legs look unusually stumpy because I’m ducking, but whatever. It’s amazing. 

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B.A.A. 10K Recap

Date: June 21, 2015 Distance: 10K (6.2 miles) Official Time: 1:22:00 Location: Boston, MA

When Mother Nature decides to be a bitch on race day, you finish that race.

I want to start off with a disclaimer to end all disclaimers: forecast aside, I had a head cold and forgot my knee band. 

There, better. 

My goal for this race all along was to net out somewhere between last year’s time, and last year’s Philly 10K time (which was the most brutal I’ve run, and my shittiest performance to date). I did that, even despite everything and my very first race bathroom break. Let me just tell you that soaking wet compression shorts don’t maneuver easily. At all. 

I woke up not wanting to do this, but as a Distance Medley participant, I forfeit my standing in the program if I miss a race. I sucked it up and got out there. I ended up joking around with strangers. That’s what I love most about the running community; we’re all in this together. And to the hundreds who skipped out this morning, I hear you. But you missed a good time. A time where you feel a little bit better about humanity because everyone is on a level playing field, going through the same conditions you are, smiling and supportive. 

Running communities are amazing everywhere, I’m sure. Boston’s is the best by a mile. The volunteers were in great spirits and made the morning a lot easier. And The November Project, which started here, was out in full force. I had a guy sing a bar of Smash Mouth to me. Even if I was soaked, it was fine. 

Now, I look ahead to the B.A.A. Half in October, the conclusion of the medley, and my farthest distance attempt yet. I’m scared shitless, I’ll be honest. These races are full of elites, the cut-off time is intense, and I’ve really struggled to get into the groove of training this year. I have no other choice but to finish it. 

I’m going to start a Couch-to-Half program so that I can build a proper base. But first, foam rolling.

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Coconut chia breakfast bowls all day. This one has white peaches, raw cacao, and walnuts. And it was baller.

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Day 7. And done.

Ah, shit. My body sent out some pretty clear injury warning signals today that I just can’t ignore. I think I tipped the scales from muscle soreness to overtraining, and even though there are still 33 days to go in this thing, I can’t risk it. I have a race in a few weeks, and a body to take care of. My pride is totally hurt, but that injury is much easier (and less serious) to heal. Damn. Back to a more normal training plan. This was still a good experience, albeit only a week. Time to slip on the compression sleeves, stretch out, and plan on only doing yoga tomorrow. 

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Day 6.

Still at it. Didn’t set my alarm, and woke up at 5:45 anyway. Sigh. My calves and shins are sore, though not in an injured sort of way. Teaching myself to get into the habit of running with proper form is using muscles I clearly haven’t. 

Have 3.5 miles to knock out tomorrow, and the forecast calls for rain. Yay.

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Day 5.

Once again, didn’t want to do this. Did it anyway. Felt better in the end. Paying careful attention to how my shins feel. I bought a compression sleeve, but didn’t realize the pack was not a pair... because I’m excellent at reading product descriptions. So, calf compression sleeves are forthcoming. Going to run/walk for tomorrow so I can kick it on my “long” run Sunday. We’ll see how getting this done on the weekends goes. Also, how pretty is my ‘hood?

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Day 4.

Received photos from my race on Sunday and with them, a video of me crossing the finish line. Good grief, my form is awful (and the race photos are, too). Improving form can take time, and with this challenge, I’ve got nothing but... so you can probably see where I’m going with this. I did a bunch of reading about form drills and techniques, and started practices today. What amazes me most is how, by changing my strike and posture, many of the symptoms from my flat feet and shin splints dissipated. 

I felt awful yesterday, and my race photos made me feel worse. This is proof that there are bad days (like yesterday) and good days (like today). It’s the effort and the commitment that count.

I can only imagine once I get into the habit of running properly, I’ll see even more improvement with speed work.

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Day 3, done. 

I wanted no part of this today. I foolishly thought sleeping with the windows open last night would be cool, but it wasn’t, and I woke up feeling rather unpleasant. I also felt a little pain in my calves, and taped my shins. Ordered some compression sleeves which will arrive tomorrow, so we’ll see how they help. Felt better overall after getting it done, but... yuck. So sloooooooow.

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Day 2, Down! 

Decided to modify my training plan so that I don’t exceed 2 miles on any day, except for Sundays when I do my long runs. I’m injury prone, so I want to be careful about how much stress I place on my body. All in all, though, this morning was beautiful for a run and I’m glad I got it done before the work day zaps my energy.

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Joined the RW Run Streak. According to the “rules” of the challenge, I have to log at least one mile per day through July 4th. I’m ready. I’ll be posting a photo every day, and am going to collage these suckers together at the end to see the progress I made along the way. 

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Boston’s Run To Remember 2015 Recap

Date: May 24, 2015 Distance: 5 Miles Official Time: 1:02:34 Location: Boston, MA

Another beautiful day for a race. I feel like I'm tempting fate, because in the two years I've been at this, I haven't seen a single rainy day. Hot? Absolutely. Humid? Without question. Rainy? Knock on wood, never. 

I didn't PR this as I'd originally hoped signing up. Last year, I was a bit lighter and faster. All things considered, though, I'm not too far off. I could feel the difference the strength training I've become diligent about doing made. And, where I could barely move after the race last year, this year I'm pretty fine. I think that's something. I am really happy I didn't attempt the half, though. I wasn't ready for Broad Street; two races without proper training in a row is bad news. The shorter distance was the way to go.

There are some issues with the timing from the race this year, so I’m still awaiting my official time. They chose to start the race in pulses for the first time, and I suspect many chip times are being reported as net. When I got my preliminary results, it said I had run this race in 1:20, which would be impossible given when my pace pulse started. (It’s also about a 16:20 pace, which I didn’t even slow down to at Broad Street.) After reading through the Facebook page and noticing many other runners with the same issues, I’m going to trust my watch. It makes sense, given where I’m at this year and when I started. We’ll see what happens!

Timing aside, this race is one of my very favorites. The course is beautiful, the size is just right (about 12K, which I’ve come to like a lot), and the starting area is right near my office. Free gear check? Yes, please. The thing I do want to mention is that this race was short a ton of volunteers this year, and some first-timers were frustrated with deserted water stations, etc. I know I need to get better about this, but the best way for us to support our fellow runners is to volunteer at races we don’t run. And that’s that.

I’m now looking ahead to my final race of the summer on June 21, and then I’ll be doing nothing but training for my very first half in October. Right now, I feel pretty great about both. 

PS: Those Sriracha chips they handed out post-race? Need. Every day of my life. 

UPDATE: It looks like they did, in fact, use chip times as net times in their preliminary reporting. Official results, which were circulated a few days after the race, reported a time that takes into account the pulsed start. Yay!

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Tonight's dinner: curried cauliflower soup with avocado toast, dressed with a garlic cashew crema. Not a single thing on the plate to feel guilty about! One more cup of tea, and I'm off to bed. Running 4 miles tomorrow, and then running my 5 mile race next weekend!