JammieKomadina

PUMP up the JAMmie! – Week 3/16

Heyyy!!!! This week was awesome! Great weather, good variety in the runs and cross-training, and lots of short but sweet functional strength sessions! Still feeling really happy about how the Tenacious Ten panned out and I’m stoked that there’s already another race NEXT WEEKEND!!! Woooo!!! BMO Vancouver Half Marathon, here I come. I ran it in 2014 and have been wanting to go back for that course ever since. Here’s what went down with Lifelong Endurance this week.

Monday, April 23rd – hard day

Sleep in! Still so tired from Seattle weekend! Body felt totally fine but sleep was way behind. I got in a quick twenty-five minutes of functional strength on my break, then after work..TREADMILL HILL WORKOUT!…that I really didn’t feel like doing.

3k easy
8 x 2:00 flat to hill (10K pace – 1:00 flat, 1:00 6% incline), 2 min jog between
3k easy

That was HARD but I got it done and felt proud. Worked with 4:44/km pace and felt strong with that. The last two-minute break I got off the machine for a shoe change, but other than that, bang on!

Tuesday, April 24th – easy day

8k easy + drills before work! CHECK OUT THE JACKET! look familiar? It’s the Des Linden jacket!! Bailey and I found it at the Brooks headquarters in Seattle! A happy run but still feeling very tired!

After dinner I fit in a 30:00 glider workout from Kristen 😀 I feel like it’s important to remind ourselves how doable the strength training is that supports running. It doesn’t have to be a trip to the gym for an hour or more working out. Do what you can, when you can. That’s what I’ve been doing and it’s making a big difference in how I remain committed to injury-prevention and becoming a better, stronger runner!

Wednesday, April 25th – recovery day

No running today, but swimming! Too lazy to count laps today and my Fenix is still in the shop (lol) but I was in the pool for 45:00

Then I had to go to the dentist. The only reason I’m telling you this is because I’ve been taking every opportunity to visualize racing, including while I got a filling! Must be good news if I can focus on racing during a dental procedure! Pumpin’ up the Jammie 24/7.

In the afternoon I did a stability ball workout sequence that I tore out of a Women’s Running Magazine a while back. Thirty minutes, low-intensity, but solid workout, AND I did it outside on the deck because it was so nice out! Everything adds up.

Thursday, April 26th – hard day

the description today said “intervals, tap into the fast stuff” !! Weeoooo!

3k easy
10 x [1:00 5k pace, 1:00 easy jog]
3k easy

I definitely ran faster than 5k pace, but I was running by feel and felt SO GOOD this morning. Awesome workout! I extended the last easy part to 4k for a wicked 11k morning!

After work it was sooooo nice out and since it was hard day I said sure to another run. 6k aerobic working on form, followed by drills. Total of 17k for the day.

Friday, April 27th – easy day

10k aerobic in the fog, nice and relaxed.

I tried so hard to get the alpacas to come closer to the fence for a selfie but no luck today. Pretty sure this has become my life mission along with qualifying for Boston. I will get the selfie, all in good time. Mark my words. (I’ll also get the BQ)

Later in the afternoon I got to go to CBC to talk about the upcoming Crest Glory Days race! They want to help promote our event while playing songs that are good for running on their morning program Daybreak North. Picking out the best running songs of all time is like impossible, plus for me that would be just putting on Dance Mix ’93..LOL. But the songs I provided them with (they asked for five or six) were:

Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Whatever it Takes – Imagine Dragons

Ground Shake – Dirty Radio

Something Just Like This – The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

Move This – Technotronic (LOL)

Light it Up – Major Lazor

We talked about how music can influence a run, and a little bit about what’s to like about each song, relating to running. Fun! Should be on CBC all next week in the morning just before eight.

Saturday, April 28th – recovery day

So, I finally got a real tire pump (thanks, Chucky!!) instead of effing around with my mini-pump and that meant it was time to ride to work! I think I’m going to write a whole post about fears. I was scared to ride my bike to work. I don’t really know why…mostly because I’d never done it before, plus highway plus riding through town in what isn’t the most cyclist-friendly little place..but I did it! Yaaaaaas cross-training and commute in one. Took just under forty-nine minutes.

Sunday, April 29th – long(ish) run day

The actual long stuff is going to come into play after the half next weekend, and I look forward to it, but this mini-long-run today was fantastic.

15k as 9k easy, 6k working at 5k-10k race effort

I am so stoked on how this went!! I really thought it was going to unfold like two kilometers shredding and the rest hanging on for dear life, but I felt strong the entire 6k and can’t even believe I somehow ran a 5K PR after a 9k warm-up! WIN!

It is SO nice out!!! So I brought running stuff to work and I’m gonna go for five easy kilometers at 6pm. Meet me at my truck if you want 😉

SUMMARY

WEEKLY MILEAGE: 68km (counting the 5k after work, cause I’m going!)

INJURIES/PRE-HAB?

left iliac crest a bit sore; feels bruised. This has happened to me various times in the past on both sides and I haven’t had it diagnosed, but I know there are many insertion points in that area, particularly the TFL (top of the IT band)… Treating with ice and 10% diclofenac gel plus working on paying more attention to my whole left hip and leg during strength work, stretching and rolling.

SLEEP? almost back to normal 🙂 girls’ weekend away will get ya

NUTRITION BRAGS?

hitting the fish oil, greens powder and vitamin D consistently.

CURRENTLY READING:

Let Your Mind Run – A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory – Deena Kastor and Michelle Hamilton (I’m absolutely in LOVE!!!!! with this book so far)

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER(S)

Ummm wtf 5k PR in the fast finish this morning 🎉🎉🎉

NEXT RACE: BMO Vancouver 1/2 Marathon NEXT SUNDAY!! Will you be there??? Come meet up! I’m co-hosting the WRS meetup!

And that’s it! Week 3/16 done! Talk to you soon with a race plan for the half, a book review probably within a week or so, and whatever else comes up on this adventure!!!

The 2018 Tenacious Ten!

Wooo!!! You probably know that I love being part of the Oiselle Volée. If you don’t know what that is…

“The Volée is a global community made up of women with diverse running backgrounds and competitive goals. We work hard to raise the bar in terms of how women support other women, fostering strength and leadership – not just through healthy competition, but in daily actions big and small. Our mission is to continue to build our sisterhood: one that is strong, supportive, passionate, and all in on a woman-up world.”

The Tenacious Ten is the like the biggest sisterhood gathering ever, and that’s one of the reasons I love this race! Of course you don’t have to be a member of the Volée to run the race, but a TON of the birds show up for this plus many other amazing women and men. Other reasons I love it are the beautiful and fast course, including the start and finish in the breathtaking Gas Works Park, and that it’s in Seattle. I friggin LOVE Seattle! I felt so ready for this race, thanks to Lifelong Endurance, and I was ready to run well and restore the faith after that gut bomb of a half marathon two weeks ago.

Packet pick-up was both Thursday and Friday from 11am-7pm. Bailey, Crystal and I hit the Watertown Hotel on the way into Seattle before going to our AirBnB. It was easy, fast and not busy. This year they had a Momentum Jewelry table, too. The race shirts are a red version of the Flyte tank, which is a top I already own and love. The hat for this year’s race is also sweet; it’s the same as my Oiselle baseball cap and I like it far more than the trucker version from last year. We got Picky Bars (yum, first time trying them) and the girls bought some Momentum stuff, and then we got going! Thursday night: Mexican food and chill. Friday morning: November Project. We spent the rest of Friday going to Pike Place and eating lots of food, before more food at a little Volee Canada dinner!

On Saturday morning Bailey and I were drinking our coffee (black for me, no risks) by just after five. The others started to wake up and everyone started getting pumped, eating our preferred race-day breakfasts and suiting up. My final decision was black Volée crop, big blue new Portman shorts, Gibbler PROs, New Balance FuelCore Rush runners and Goodr sunglasses. This time around, I stuck to my quick oats with raisins and NOTHING else for breakfast.

I wore a warm jacket on top of my throw away shirt, plus some $1 gloves and planned to check them in my gear bag once it was time to warm up. It was surprisingly cold. Cold wind was blowing plus it was only 6:30 am when we left the apartment.

The event site opened at 6:30am and we were there by 6:45 for the eight o’clock start of both the 10k and 10 mile races. It was sweet because the porto-potties (or HONEY BUCKETS, as they call them there…gross!) had been locked overnight with zap straps and they were just clipping them off when we arrived so we got fresh toilets ahahah. Win!

The music started up and our lady crew met up with the rest of the Canada Volee, some of whom we’d also met up with the previous evening at JOEY University Village for dinner.

Gas Works Park is so cool! So happy we all found one another easily in the morning! This race isn’t tiny like our local races at home, but it’s definitely not big. I think there were less than two thousand runners and it wasn’t difficult to find familiar faces.

Just like last year, it was quick to check a gear bag early, but later on the line-up was long, so ditch your bag early! I checked my bag with my jacket and toque. My mitts I kept, and I’m glad because it was cold warming up and I ended up wearing them for three-quarters of the race.

I did five minutes of easy jogging and came back to the main area where we all joined in the warm-up led by Kinetic Sports Rehab. Then we had a short dance party to stay warm. Sally, the CEO of Oiselle, wanted in on the action with the Canadians.

I went for another five-minute jog (AND SAW KARA GOUCHER AND GOT A HUG) and then hit the grassy area between the start and finish chutes to do strides and stretches. By start time, I was warm and ready to run. Really, really glad I took the time to get my strides in! I ditched the long-sleeve up on some random old piece of gas plant equipment and was pretty sure it would still be there after the race (it was), but didn’t care as I brought it for a throw away.

This race doesn’t have corrals, but it does have a few pacers with signs based on pace/mile, not finish time. After the national anthem, Erin and I shuffled up towards the 8min/mile sign and it was almost time to go! I found my GPS signal with the new Garmin Forerunner 35 that I’m using as a back-up (no problems, great watch), and it was time to race!

Lifelong Endurance gave me a fairly specific race plan as I requested and I was determined to stick with it. Here is the course we were working with; basically flat with a couple minor hills, mostly at the beginning.

The plan, as I mentioned in my training recap of last week, was:

First 5k: controlled (~5:04/km)
Second 5k: apply a little pressure (~4:58-5:00/km)
kms 11, 12, 13: tighten the screws (stay under 5:00/km)
the rest: progress to slay-mode (werk)

Never in my life have a stuck to a plan the way I stuck to this one! I am so fking proud of myself for being patient and mature from start to finish. I ran the first few hills super easy and made up for it during the rest of whatever kilometer I was in. I held back and stayed present. So good. Here’s how the splits went:

I felt good the entire race. When it started to get more difficult to hold pace after about 10k, I stayed present and even said a few funny inside jokes from our girls’ weekend under my breath and it made me smile and remember how much I love this shit. Every once in a while I felt a bit hot so I unflapped the gloves I was wearing to let my hands get some air, but other than that my crop, shorts and compression socks turned out to be the perfect gear for the temperature and weather. Sunglasses were smart and helped me keep my face relaxed. I took water at all stations (I think I remember three or four?) and took a mocha HumaGel around 11km for a caffeine boost and it sat well. There is an out-and-back portion of the 10 mile course. Many people, including me, aren’t fans of out-and-backs, but just like in the BMO 1/2, this one is pretty short and it’s flat. I enjoyed seeing the leaders, including Kara Goucher, fly by in the opposite direction, and I also got to see most of my friends on course at one point or another! High fives and energy boosts.

right around the 9 mile marker! One mile left!

Once I’d run 13k it was time to turn it up, and then when I was on the Fremont Bridge with just one mile to go I really stepped on the gas. My patience was paying off. There were so many volunteers from November Project on course, and one lady who we met on Friday morning was at the final turn back into the park and she was just screaming and it was SO awesome ahah!! I passed a ton of people and literally flew across the finish line. Fuck yeah!

As soon as I finished I got to see Whitney! She crushed her first sub-1hr 10k! Nola also destroyed her 10k and was already done. Then in came the rest of the crew! Everyone met or surpassed their goals for the day! We all got our COWBELL medals (so sick), took pics and hugged the shit out of everyone!

YEAHHH!!! My watch showed me a time of 01:19:01, which I was overjoyed about, but I was also hoping that the official chip time might be just under, and it was ahahah!

So happy with this!!!!! And can’t believe I ran kilometer sixteen in 4:25 yahooo! Back in the area where we warmed up with Kinetic, there were donuts, apples, water and tunes. I met up with more friends from home who were down for the race, plus various Instagram buddies, including Jess (@forminfocus) who I’m hosting the We Run Social meetup with at BMO Vancouver in two weeks!

Once I got my gear bag (the line wasn’t too long, I waited about five minutes in line) and got my warm clothes on (plus my throwaway shirt that I retrieved), I had lost my crew. My phone died too, so I just took my time walking back to our AirBnB in the sun with the cowbell jingling around my neck and feeling happy with my new 10 mile PR. LOL.

The Tenacious Ten is fantastic and I highly recommend this event. Oiselle creates a very energetic, fun and inclusive vibe. The location is unreal, with a scenic course and perfect start/finish location. The swag was great, with a new colour of a tank top I already liked enough to buy in the past, and a hat that I will definitely wear. The logistics were easy, the value was worth it, and Seattle is such a great city. I will be back next year, already planning to drive down from Kelowna where I’ll be for school at that time!

Relating back to Operation: Pump up the JAMmie, this race is good news. My goal marathon pace, come Jack & Jill, will be 5:00/km, so I’m working on holding paces around or faster than that for longer and longer. Ten miler: in the bag; next up is another shot at the half marathon. Then the workouts are going to get longer, faster, and two-a-days are coming my way as well. Lifelong Endurance and I are doing this. Stay tuned.

Talk soon from Week 3!

PUMP up the JAMmie – Week 2/16

Week two!! There was a time in my life where I wasn’t active, then there was a time where I was, but going out of town would de-rail any routine I’d been keeping with. NOW I look forward to taking my running addiction to new places. It was hard waiting for Thursday because I was so pumped to go to Seattle! Having Lifelong Endurance to keep me accountable is invaluable and I love it. Also, running around is a good way to explore.

Monday, April 16th – easy day

Marathon Monday!! I was at my parents by 6:15am since we don’t have cable and I was just in my glory, having my coffee, stretching and watching this fantastic dream day on TV. When Chesir overtook Daska I started to really get excited, and then I basically had a heart attack when Desi passed Chesir for the lead, once and for all! GAHHHHHHHHHH! And cherry on top, Krista DuChene hammering in on third place! Go Canada! What a seriously amazing day for North American women’s distance running!

After Desi’s win and post-race mini-interview, I went for a celebratory 7km. Very relaxed but felt super strong from all that inspiration.

Then I had a session with Kristen at the gym. As I’ve mentioned, I normally wouldn’t include a workout like this on “easy day” but I take what I can get since we’re pretty limited as to when we can coordinate. Holy shit. She kicked my ass, as usual! Today was all body weight stuff, lots of plyometrics and core! This may have been the most spent I’ve been from working with her, so far. Such a valuable addition to Pump up the JAMmie!

Later, two more chill kilometers to check the mail (nothing :|)

Tuesday, April 17th – hard day

HILLS!

5k easy
10 x 45 sec hills, 1:15 jogs down
3k easy

The new Garmin arrived that afternoon!!! Good to go for the Tenacious Ten! I wanted to test it out but I was so sore from the gym on Monday and those hills were hard enough, so I called it a day. How responsible of me.

Wednesday, April 18th – recovery day

1800m swim (warm-up, 3x500m, cool-down)

60:00 nice and easy on the recumbent bike watching Gun Runners (thanks for the recommendation, Jess)

Thursday, April 19th – hard day

7k as: 3 easy, 4 tempo

I was on the treadmill for this because it was too dark, early and monsoony to go running alone on the highway. I was SO tired and the voice in my head tried many times to convince me to quit in the warm-up and do it later. I told myself this is the kind of thing I need to be able to get through. Kept at it and by the time the warm up ended I was ready for the 4k and I finished feeling strong and fired up!

AND THEN IT WAS TIME FOR SEATTLE WEEKEND! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

picked up Crystal & Bailey at 7:30 for our first mini-roadie to Terrace to catch our flight. Once in Vancouver, we collected our rental car and headed out to Seattle!

Friday, April 20th – easy day

NOVEMBER PROJECT!!!!!! MY FAVOURITE THING AFTER RUNNING! And this counts as a functional strength workout for the week! yessssss

The Seattle NP tribe meets in Gasworks Park (the same place at the start/finish of the Tenacious Ten) on Wednesdays, but on Fridays they switch up their location around the city. Today the location was on the north side of the Montlake Bridge. This is pretty much right where I started the Rock’n’Roll Seattle Marathon last June.

We jogged the less than 4km to the location from our AirBnB in Fremont and had the best workout on the most beautiful morning.

Saturday, April 21st – hard day

Race day! My race plan was to run four chunks progressively; these were the actual instructions from Lifelong Endurance 😂😂😂

First 5k: controlled
Second 5k: apply some pressure
kms 11, 12, 13: tighten the screws
the rest: progress to slay-mode

My only real time goal was to push the overall pace under 5min/km as I work towards that as goal marathon pace, and if that was happening work for sub 1:20. Woohoooooo! I’ll recap the race tomorrow.

I executed the plan better than any race plan ever before and I can’t wait to tell you about it! (And the whole weekend!)

Sunday, April 22nd – recovery day

7k recovery run with Bailey ❤

SUMMARY

WEEKLY MILEAGE: 56km

INJURIES/PRE-HAB? None 😊

SLEEP? Mediocre..

NUTRITION BRAGS? Epic fail over girls weekend away…

CURRENTLY READING: The Resilient Runner (re-reading)

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER(S)

Pushing through my body and mind’s hard resistance to that early morning up-tempo run on Thursday before vaca weekend
Tenacious Ten execution (recap coming tomorrow)
final kilometer of the Tenacious Ten!!! 4:25!!!

NEXT RACE? BMO Vancouver Half Marathon! May 6th!
Talk to you tomorrow! Week three!!!!

Book Review! Meb For Mortals

Hi!

I just finished Meb For Mortals and I liked it a lot! To be honest, I bought this book because I’m obsessed with Meb, not because I heard fantastic reviews. I’ve actually only read one real review (it was good), but I probably would have bought it regardless.

This book is what I expected: very straight forward and nothing fancy nor exciting. It’s Meb describing, in detail, the how’s and why’s of how he trains and races as a professional runner. He relates it specifically to the fact that he is a relatively older runner, and about how keeping the body healthy and high-functioning is top priority. I like the way he tells it; he comes across as very honest, genuine and humble. He touches on everything! The chapters cover his approach to and reasoning behind:

mindset and goal setting
the importance of running form, including all the drills
training principles, like consistency, variety and patience
race day stuff, like warming up, visualization, nutrition and having many goals
day-to-day diet
funtional strength training
stretching
cross-training
recovery practices

The detail on each topic is great. I wouldn’t say this book contains a single thing that I haven’t heard about before, BUT he has an excellent way of explaining WHY he does things the way does. Everything gets broken down in ways that make so much sense. Obviously it helps to read things coming from such a successfuly athlete, but I really believe that what I read was a valuable review, and not just because it came from Meb.

A few of the takeaways that come to mind right away, even though they are more reminders of things I already know:

the way he explains the importance of good running form, and therefore improved efficiency. I know this is important, but he has a way of making me finally accept HOW important. He breaks it down well in the book, and gives good examples.

“Simply put, with more efficient form, you’ll go farther with each step while using the same amount of energy you’d use running with less efficient form. That will get you to the finish line faster.”

the idea that we should finish a workout being able to do more. Again, I know this, but he has a wise, chill way of describing the principle so that it really hits home.

“You should be pleasantly tired and eager for a recovery day after hard workouts, but you shouldn’t be exhausted. Save the racing for race day.”

specifics of a race-day warm-up. I forget sometimes that I always warm-up for at least 3k before hard intervals or a tempo run. I’m not sure I’ll do a full 3k warm-up jog before a race, necessarily, but it helps me bear in mind that it truly does take 15-20 minutes to be ready to work hard.

“Think about how much better you usually feel 3 miles into a run or on the second or third repeat of an interval workout. Aim to start races with that same feeling of all cylinders firing.”

the value of having a SET of goals for a race, and not necessarily time-related. He gives good examples.

“Each one should be something that will give you focus and determination if it becomes obvious your higher goals aren’t possible that day.”

“be flexible in deciding what your goal is, given how the day is playing out.”

the theory that pretty much any non-hard-workout run is essentially a recovery run, and how to approach these runs. He points out how great the range is in the paces that elites run across their training schedules.

“Many recreational runners don’t have this great a range in the paces they regularly run. You might have some pace per mile you think is too slow, no matter how tired you are. This approach can hold you back…”

_________

I am an extreme runNERD and I loved reading this. I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about improving their running in any/all ways, approaching a new goal seriously, or obsessed with running as a whole, like me.

It’s a must that I acknowledge how many times Meb mentions his sponsors..a lot. But, think about it. How many sponsorship offers do you think this guy gets? I’m sure he has the luxury of picking stuff he actually loves to endorse, and building relationships with great companies. Personally, I’ve tried both CEP compression gear and Krave beef jerky, and both are legit, ahaha. And that Elliptigo bike is fuckin sick. I haven’t owned a pair of Sketchers, but it’s good to know that a brand we used to make fun of back in the day now makes running shoes that elites wear! LOL.

If you’re looking for an inspirational read, this isn’t the one. If you’re looking to be impressed by facts and the details of running studies or research, this isn’t the one for you either. Meb For Mortals is just Meb, who won the Boston Marathon a few weeks before his 39th birthday (“old” in the running world”) giving us a very honest and explicit look into the way he does things and what he believes in with respect to his career as a professional runner. I will reference it often and probably fully re-read it at times, too.

I think you should read it! If you’re near me, you can borrow. Contact me here 🙂

Pump up the JAMmie: day 8 – I want MORE, Coach!

Hi!

During the most recent Skype sesh with my coach, Andrew from Lifelong Endurance, I asked him a question that I’ve been thinking about in different ways since the beginning of the year.

What ELSE can I do throughout the day, at any given time, to support my goal?

I am constantly asking myself, “what can I do RIGHT NOW to increase my chances of succeeding?” Sometimes I’ll eat a green vegetable, take a vitamin or foam roll, again…but this isn’t working. hahahaha

What I mean, is that after the running, cross-training, strength training, stretching and rolling, baths, naps, blogging, and conscious nutrition choices, WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?? (yes, I want more). I do not mean GIVE ME MORE MILES TO RUN. I’m not going to be an idiot and believe the idea that MORE = BETTER. But, when I ask myself that question above, sometimes I’ve already done so much that day that doing more is not smart.

Andrew’s answer? Continue to educate yourself.

Why didn’t I think of that? I guess I was already doing it, actually, but I hadn’t consciously decided that “educating myself” specifically, would be how I satisfy the urge to train harder. I already love reading, listening to and watching anything to do with running. Books, magazines, podcasts, guided meditations and good old YouTube are all a big part of how I continue to live and breathe the pursuit of my goal.

So, I decided to invest in a few new books that I’ve heard about from other runners, or that I’ve seen recommended in some of my running magazines. Bonus: New books will also help because reading before bed instead of scrolling INSTAGRAM is one of the changes I’ve implemented in the last few months to help with sleep.

The first book of Operation: Pump up the JAMmie is Meb For Mortals, which I mentioned in the Week 1/16 recap of Pump up the JAMmie. I just finished it on the weekend and will write a short review in the next day or two.

All week, whenever my mind went extra buck-wild getting fired up about this mission, I grabbed the book. I will not push my body to a place where it’s more susceptible to injury. I will not exhaust myself physically, or mentally. Overzealous: something I could so easily be, and if you know me you will definitely agree with that. But I won’t. When everything on the day’s training schedule is completed and I’m still hungry for more, I’ll read a book instead.

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you had to actively be careful not to over-do it?

PUMP up the JAMmie – Week 1/16

OMG you guys. Tomorrow is the 122nd running of the Boston fkn Marathon!!!! I get goosebumps following along with all the action. And yesterday I almost cried (okay I cried a little ahahah) because my special friend Karmen, who is running Boston tomorrow, got me a SIGNED WATER BOTTLE from my ultimate favourite pro runner, Jordan Hasay!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Karmen and her husband, Adam, both BQ’d for 2018 at the Eugene Marathon last year, on their first wedding anniversary. Isn’t that the best thing you’ve ever heard? I know. I am so excited for them!

I am pumped writing this, but I was not stoked during the first few days of the week. After that GI-related-near-death experience last Sunday, I was tired, bummed and still feeling less than 100% well into Wednesday. Add on the Garmin death, job-hatred, a bird flying into my grill on the highway 😥 and a windstorm blowing part of our deck off, and I was not in the best place mentally. But that’s the thing with both training and LIFE. It’s up and down. Am I going to let my fitness, drive and excitement slip away because a few days were kind of lame? F no. Looking ahead on Training Peaks at some of the workouts coming up from Lifelong Endurance was one of the things that helped me get my head back in the game. We are doing this. This was week one!

Monday, April 9th – easy day

8k easy + drills

I’ve committed to doing drills three times per week during this BQ operation. A-skip, B-skip, high-knees, two variations of butt kicks, carioca and high-knee carioca. Standing and seated arm-swings I will do at work where I need less room and am getting paid.

In the afternoon I squeezed in a round of Dirty Dozen.

Tuesday, April 10th – easy day?

This was the morning of the Garmin death. I was so pissed off I can’t even explain. But, still went for 11 of the 12k scheduled fartlek. I cut it short because I headed out much later than planned after dicking around with the watch for so long, unsuccessfully.

That was it for today. Extremely tired, cranky and mopey. (Sorry, husband). It was the best decision to just go to bed.

Wednesday, April 11th – recovery day

Non-running day. Still felt mopey and unmotivated when I got up today, but I decided that enough is enough! Started at the pool, and since I don’t have a watch I decided to keep it simple:

warm up
2 x 750m
cool down

I didn’t want to just swim aimlessly, but I also didn’t want a whole bunch of clock-checking and math-doing. Two longer sets was perfect, and it felt good knowing I swam the triathlon distance in just two pieces. Feeling like myself again! 1750m total.

Next I headed upstairs to meet Kristen. She gym’d me so hard today. After some glider layouts to compare progress from two weeks ago, she put me through a full-body sequence. Biceps, pecs, triceps, squats, an awesome split-squat/deadlift combo, pull-ups (I can’t even do ONE yet without assistance…) and core. I officially like going to the gym.

Later, I was itching to go for a run but convinced myself not to. Instead I settled for 45 minutes of yoga at home. I will run tomorrow! Sticking to Coach Andrews plans like a good athlete 😉

Thursday, April 12th – easy day

Started with swimming again. I wanted to be able to say that, at this point, I can swim a whole kilometer without stopping, so after a warm-up I got to it. One thousand meters in exactly 24 minutes. Woooo! Then I did a 500m set and called it a day. 1700m total.

Next was 10k easy + drills

No watch to check on, so I monitored my form to the best of my ability with all the research and YouTube’ing I’ve been doing on that. Such a great run.

Friday, April 13th – hard day

Have I told you how much I fking love intervals? Well I do. When I see workouts like this on the plan, I get really excited and intimidated at the same time.

3k warm-up
6 x 1k with 2:00 jog recoveries (4:35-4:15/km range)
3k cool-down

You guys. I nailed this workout. It felt so good that I messaged Coach Andrew to humble brag. Cranked out those reps at 4:33, 4:31, 4:27, 4:25, 4:21 and 4:15. And covered my basement in sweat.

After work: 5k easy for 19k daily total

Saturday, April 14th – recovery day

50:00 on the recumbent bike at home with my black coffee and Meb for Mortals (review coming)

Next, one round of Dirty Dozen plus all the stuff from the Strengthen Like Meb chapter, excluding the swiss ball stuff, since I don’t have one. A solid forty minutes of functional strength at work.

After work I went to the pool. Earlier, I had a random urge to swim the full triathlon distance, 1500m, and see where I’m at. I warmed up for 200m (this is NOT a long enough warm up! Why would I think 5 or 6 minutes was long enough?) and then got started. It was tiring, but I did it! 36:44. Considering last summer it took me 19:15 to swim half that distance in the sprint tri, I am very happy about this! Still three months to get stronger!

Sunday, April 15th – easy day

13k easy + 7x100m strides + drills

Gorgeous but foggy morning. Run felt good and I admit it was refreshing again to not have a watch on. The strides felt really great today and I got in my third of three drill sessions for the week. Winning!

SUMMARY

WEEKLY MILEAGE: 62km

INJURIES/PRE-HAB?

nothing specific besides religious rolling of the gargantuan calves

SLEEP? good, but more naps are always good.

NUTRITION BRAGS?

went for sushi on Wednesday, got BROWN half-rice on my rolls and didn’t get any of the usual deep fried or tempura flakey choices.

CURRENTLY READING: Meb for Mortals

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER(S) OF THE WEEK:

I can swim a kilometer in 24 minutes.
shit kicked my km reps & ran them progressively, down to the last one at 4:15/km
I can swim 1500m and will surive the triathlon!

NEXT RACE?

Tenacious Ten presented by Oiselle! 10 miler (16.1 km) – next Saturday in Seattle!

And that’s it, week one is already done! Next week, a sick lady crew takes on Seattle. Tourist Olympics coming at you.

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