A change will do you good... PFTW

Whine whine whine whine whine.

Last week:
Monday: Yoga for runners
Tuesday: Progression Run *
Wednesday: Arms/Shoulders
Thursday: 8 miles strides **
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 5 easy ***
Sunday: 20 easy ***

Total miles: 40.

* Tuesday's progression run wasn't good. It wasn't BAD - it took a bunch of time for me to feel like I was warmed up and not running like a 3 legged goat, but once I did it was okay-ish. But the paces I was supposed to be running, they SHOULD have felt pretty easy, and they DID NOT. 2 @ 11, 2 @ 10:30, 2 @ 10, 1 @ 9:30. Actual: 10:58, 10:54, 10:31, 10:21, 10:01, 10:00, 9:17. Obviously I hit them, but it felt way harder than I thought it should.

** This sucked. Actually, that's exactly what I wrote in my DailyMile entry.

*** I was really excited to run with The H again Saturday. After last weekend's glorious run, I thought it was my one chance for running redemption in a shitty week. And then it sucked, and I was meeeaaaaan. Poor H. The 20 wasn't much better - I ran the first 10 outside, but then it got HOT, so I took it to the treadmill for the rest, and they got progressively suckier, while my pace got worse and worse.

I just don't know what's wrong with me. Last training cycle, I was total BFF's with my long runs. I looked forward to them every week, I loved the feeling of finishing, they were great.

And every week, this (abbreviated) cycle, I think MAYBE, this will be the one that redeems all of the others. And then it's not. Ugh.

I tried some different things this week, too, figuring if what I'm doing isn't working, might as well change it up. No dice. I started REALLY conservative, considering the paces I've been running, and I still ended up totally blowing up. LAME.

Thankfully, this is a cut back week, and my "long run" this weekend is a trail half marathon with Rose. THANK GOD.

Anyway.


This week:
Monday: Cross training
Tuesday: Yasso 800's grossssssss
Wednesday: Cross Training
Thursday: 8 miles easy, Yoga
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Chino Hills Trail Half
Sunday: 6 easy, cross training

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This week, I'm starting a 2 Week Challenge with Bob Harper Live and Mamavation. So, my plan might shift around a little bit depending on how I'm feeling (I think I'm probably moving my Yasso's to Thursday anyway....), but overall, I think some cross training sure can't hurt. I've been cross training, more than I normally do, but it's still kind of half-assed. So...

Anyway. Participants in the previous challenges have lost over 940 pounds and 677 inches. Not too shabby, eh?
I'm not 100% sure what the challenge schedule is, but for 2 weeks, I'm willing to give it a shot.

Want to join? Check out the post at Mamavation HERE, and sign up - the challenge starts today!

Three Things Thursday

1. The H has been following some super intense 90 day workout stuff, like a P90X type program. I originally bought it AGES ago, when I thought it would be a nice compliment to the 10-15 miles a week I was running. Turns out, running 30-40 mile weeks, it's way less interesting. Also, it looked really hard and unfun. Anyway, he's about 70 days in, and... man. It works.

And, since yesterday was cross training day, and he was doing arms/chest, I decided to join him!

I've been pretty regularly doing some arm program I have on an app on my phone (so it MUST be legit...), and thought it was okay.

And last night, doing the DVD stuff, I was like, eh. This is a little hard, but not terrible.
But this morning? Hello, triceps. Ouch.

Verrrrrrrry tricky, DVD. Very tricky.


2. Our weather has been glorious and cool for a few days. Today? High around 80. By Saturday and Sunday (when I'm supposed to run 5 and 20 miles, respectively)? High 90. WHAT IS THAT, SO CAL?? Stop being so rude.

I had grand cooking plans, involving empenada dough and beef stew this weekend. Out the window, I guess. Rude.


3. Tuesday night, after an arduous day at the office (not really), a hard run (really), then having to go to the store, and FINALLY getting home around 8, I step out of my car, and almost right on top of a damn giant vicious BUG.


I told the girls, and #2 and #3 wanted to go laugh at me check it out. After some net wrangling....
The H captured it so we could all glare look at it...

VICIOUS

...before releasing it back into the wild. RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY CAR. I'm telling you, getting to my car the next morning, in the dark, was terrifying. Something that looks like that surely holds a grudge.

The Jerk Shin, part 47,000.

Back in September, after Disneyland Half, I took a few weeks off to rest the Jerk Shin, and get an MRI to rule out (again) a stress fracture.

My doctor's favorite habit seems to be telling me not to run. It's her answer for everything (and by everything, I mean the pain in my shin). After the MRI came back clean, she advised that she could refer me back to PT, but really the best thing was going to be to just stop running.

A few testy phone calls back and forth, and she reluctantly gave me a referral to an orthopedist. She was SUPER uninterested in doing this, but I guess I badgered her assistant enough, that after a FEW WEEKS, she sent it over.

And I haven't done anything with it, because I work and it's our busy season, and it's hard to get out of the office. Also, I don't really want to hear the words "Stop Running" one single more time.

I mean, CIM is kind of soon. I think I for SURE need to run before then.

Anyway, one thing that I've been playing around with, is self-diagnosing (it's probably a bone tumor) and analyzing my form.

It's hard to do this alone (I try, in the gym sometimes, but I feel like I look weird and creepy staring at myself in the mirror).

Lucky for me, during the runDisney meet up in September, we had our own personal photographer, who captured a billion (mostly unflattering) pictures of our 2.5 mile run-walk-run through the happiest place on earth.

Here's what I found.

My left leg - which has some shin pain, off and on, but minimal, really - tends to supinate and land mid-foot...

But my RIGHT leg... I heel strike. A LOT.

First of all. WHAT is THAT about?? Why does one leg play nicely and the other not?? Isn't that WEIRD? Or is it totally normal, and I've never ever ever noticed it on anyone else before?

Second, I mean. It cannot be a coincidence that I heel strike on one side, and that's the side with pain, right?

Also, it's entirely possible that I'm overthinking this, but I was contemplating running last weekend on our drive back from the Sequoia's, and thinking, damn. Remember that time when I wasn't running, and I didn't have pain in my right shin? That was kind of cool.

I'm just tired of being concerned about Jerk Shin. It's annoying.

Someday, I'll go check out this orthopedist dude, but probably sometime after December 2nd. I've got some stuff to do that day.

Anyway.

My other runDisney photographer discovery was... apparently, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I've always wondered why #2 is doing stuff like this....

I don't know. Can't imagine where she gets it.

"I don't exaggerate - I just remember big." PFTW

Last week:
Monday: 30 minutes strength
Tuesday: 7 miles with 14x400*
Wednesday: Refueling with cheese and chocolate with OC runner friends
Thursday: 7 miles easy
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: 5 miles easy**
Sunday: 18 miles easy***

Total: 37 miles

So, not quite the 3 days of cross training that I envisioned. Oh well.

This week:
Monday: cross training - I'd like to do some yoga, maybe strength a little. I don't know.
Tuesday: 7 miles progressive
Wednesday: cross training (for real)
Thursday: 8 miles strides, .9 easy, .1 stupid fast
Friday: rest
Saturday: 5 miles easy, cross training
Sunday: 20 miles (ugh)

*I love 400's. They're over so fast, it doesn't have a lot of time to suck. Goal pace 2:03 (8:15 pace). Actual: 2:04, 2:01, 2:01, 2:01, 1:59, 2:00, 2:01, 1:59, 2:01, 2:02, 2:02, 1:59, 2:00, 1:57. <--fastest 400's I've ever done ever. And I didn't want to die.

**The H ran with me! And I might have been better than him at the end. That gives me some hope for our December 10k, that I stand a fighting chance in beating him. Maybe. (We can ignore that he hasn't run more than 3 miles in a long time).

***TONS better than my previous few long runs, which have all felt like death chasing me down and beating me with a stick. Miles 1-5, 11:04 avg pace, 6-10 10:51, 11-15 10:45, 15-18 10:44.

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Saturday morning was gloriously cool and overcast, and maybe a little drizzly - aka, perfect running weather. The forecast promised more of the same on Sunday, so I spent AGES on mapmyrun plotting out an 18 mile route with access to water fountains and bathrooms, but without crossing too many busy roads (AGES).

And then I woke up Sunday and it was bright and sunny. WTF. That's not what I signed up for.

How DARE SoCal be bright and sunny. So rude.

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Random things that happened this weekend....

Gabby threw a party for us at her BFF's house....

I dressed very fancy, in my orange ProCompression socks and skinny jeans that are too big for me so they look very, very weird.


Pumpkin cheesecake at Mimi's. Go eat it.

Sequoia National Park - Trip Recap

I ran last night, and I didn't die. I sure didn't LOVE it, but I survived. It'll do....

The camping trip that wasn't.....

We originally intended to drive up Friday, stay overnight about an hour outside the park, while my friend Snork came up Friday and snagged a campsite, meeting her there Saturday. Some crazy cold weather forecast changed our plans a bit, the Snork's decided to pass on the trip, and we booked another hotel for Saturday night as well. Kind of a bummer, the girls (and me!) were looking forward to a fun weekend in the park with them, but what are you gonna do.

Lucky for us, it turned out to be super PERFECT weather - high's around mid-50's in the mountains, and not unreasonably cold in the mornings. Beautiful hiking weather.

#1 gets out of school pretty late - around 4 - which was the catalyst for our decision to stay outside the park the first night. We ended up leaving OC around 7, hoping that LA traffic died down a little bit. We made pretty good time, and made it to our hotel around 11:30 (and man, we were really glad we weren't driving another 2 hours up the mountain to set up a tent).

Hotel camping?

Saturday morning, we stopped at Target to pick up picnic supplies, then headed out to Sequoia!

The drive up? SUPER foggy. When we arrived, we asked a ranger at the Foothills Visitor Center for some good options for one day, with a 6 year old. She gave us a couple of excellent suggestions, and told us the forecast was clear and sunny. Really? Huh.

When giving a kid directions on photo ops... be specific. Like, Hey, take a picture of us WITH THE ROCK we climbed up...

Imagine the above picture, on this.

There's some construction on the 198 into the park, delaying traffic for about 20 minutes - the road becomes one lane, and they stop inbound traffic for 20 minutes to let outbound traffic run, then alternate. We happened to hit the light both directions RIGHT when it turned red, so we had heaps of time to enjoy the scenery...

FALL!! 

After driving up the 198 a bit, we were REALLY glad we didn't attempt it at night. It's not bad in the daylight, but I can't imagine having to drive it at night, after driving 5 hours to get there.

We hit the Giant Forest, and it was still super, SUPER foggy. It was so, so pretty - giant trees, everything green, like a fairy land. Kind of magic.

We broke through the clouds, and hit up the first area that the ranger suggested - Lodgepole campground, where we originally planned to camp.

After picnicking and storing our food in the bear lockers....

Really? Will you REALLY?

we headed down to the river to try some fishing.

It was not super successful, but it was super duper fun.

Gabby requested to caption this "Log Walking for a Child"

After Lodgepole, we drove back down to the Giant Forest to see the General Sherman tree, Crescent Meadow, and Tharp's Log.

No headless dancing?

General Sherman tree trail is only about half a mile long, but it's down hill to view the tree, then uphill on the way back.

Did you know it's hard to hike uphill at 7,000' altitude?

Crescent Meadow Loop (to Tharp's Log) was about a 2 mile loop, through forest and, duh, meadows.

Unclear what that rock did to earn The Look...

We didn't want to drive back down that road in the dark, so we headed out of the park, and got to our next hotel in about 30 minutes - not nearly as far a drive as I expected.

On the way out of the park, ALL of the cars on the road were stopped. People were just out of their cars, standing in the road taking pictures, of 5 bear cubs on a hillside next to the road - one in a tree, 4 roaming around just a few feet from the cars.

Now I want to have a pet bear, because they were the cutest EVER.

We ate delicious, delicious greasy pizza at Pizza Factory.

Sunday morning, we hiked out to the river behind the hotel (maybe 1/4 mile out back), and tried some more fishing (still no luck).

We hit We Three Bakery before heading out of Three Rivers.

We took some random back roads home, took hours and hours, found fresh produce stands selling the cheapest, most delicious fruits that we ate during the drive, and made it home in time for dinner.

Weekend, success.

We'll definitely be coming back - the park was a bit closer than Yosemite, making it way more manageable for a long weekend - if we could take off earlier on a Friday (obviously on a day #1 is not in school), it would be ideal. We barely scratched the surface of what the park had to offer - I was DYING to do Mineral King, and Kings Canyon, but it didn't make sense in the time we had - so we'll be planning another trip in the late spring.

I tried to convince The H briefly that we should make a trip up for this....

but so far no luck. 

My brain quits. PFTW

Last week:
Monday: 7 miles - 1 warm up, 5 tempo, 1 cool down.*
Wednesday: 16 miles. This sucked, hard. **

I know. I ran twice. I didn't cross train. I'm the worst at training.

I'm not sure what's wrong with my brain, but I was thinking pretty ugly things on our drive back from Sequioa's. Like... that maybe I don't even LIKE running. Maybe, I'll just STOP running. Maybe I'm just not made to be a runner.

I'm just not one of those people who OMGLOVE being sweaty. I do like that it keeps me from being a fat blobby mess. But if the option were there to sit on my ass, watch tv, eat whatever, AND not exercise, I'd be all over it. It's a necessary evil. Yeah, I like running, a lot of the time. I just... kind of don't feel like it. I don't know.

*Tempo run was fantastic {words I never, ever imagined saying}. Goal pace 9:45, I ended at 9:30, and feeling great. I don't know where those happy running legs were Saturday for that 5k, but they sure would have come in handy.

**The first 14 miles were fine. Nothing amazing, but easy enough. But those last two?? Awful. I walked, a LOT. I still ended up with a 10:49 overall pace, which is a little fast for me for a long run, so maybe that was the problem. I don't know. It's like my body has never, ever run distance before, eevry week, it melts down when I reach the distance I hit on the last long run.

So maybe it's in my brain.

Bah.

This week:
Monday: UGH Cross training UGH
Tuesday: 7 miles, 400's {I feel like I should be excited about this}
Wednesday: Dinner with friends = rest day!
Thursday: 7 miles easy, weights?
Friday: Yoga
Saturday: 5 miles easy, weights?
Sunday: 18 miles easy

Zoinks.
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In less sucky news, our weekend trip to the Sequoia's was fantastic. Our plans changed a little bit due to some sneaky cold weather, and we ended up at a tiny road-side motel on our own instead of camping with friends, but it was still great. There were bears. And foggy forests. And beautiful mountains. And giant, giant trees. Pictures to come.