After finishing a program that got me to work out 13 and then 17 days in a row, my motivation muscle got a little more toned, so I didn't work out for three days and come Monday...
... I ran, everyday, for a week.
Technically, I ran five days in a row, but at least that's every"week"day. I skipped Saturday and gave up Sunday after less than half a mile because it was already mid-day, and I haven't re-mastered the mid-day thing yet. Still, considering I barely ran at all after September when I got burned out, I feel pretty good about my week of running, though my legs were admittedly not the happiest.
I ran about 18 miles in total over those five days (18.5 if you count the weekend), which is not much, but it's a post-partum mileage peak. Of course, most of those miles were run in the cold of the morning, which is kind of cheating to me, since that's a heck of a lot easier than logging on the treadmill, which is my only viable option on some days.
Of course, I got sore. Who wouldn't? My stomping grounds are hilly, and this was a lot of sudden impact even though I do a lot of interval training. My runs were 3-4 miles, which is about as far as I can go right now before a joint starts bothering me, which started happening often post-partum. My shoes are new, so I either need to stretch more or take glucosamine again. Pace-wise, it wasn't pretty. I run with an app but haven't been pausing it when needed, so I'd hover between 9:30-10:30 on the road and 9:05-9:30 on the treadmill. I'm not particularly interested in running faster, except that I am trying to maximize the 30-40 minutes I have to work out.
As for "the itch," well, I would LOVE to finally run half-marathon #30 or even a 10K, but I've yet to find anything specific yet, nor am I really anticipating getting into half-marathon form anytime soon. I *think* Baby Tuesday is finally starting to sleep more reliably at night, which has helped me make progress in the insomnia spells I've developed on top of that, but who knows? I will say, though, that the relatively decent sleep lately is definitely playing into my ability to do any kind of running streak, and it really has made a difference in my outlook on things.
Next month, "The Ukrainian" is running two of my favorite/sentimental races -- Surf City Half-Marathon and LA Marathon -- and even the itch for those is pretty tame. I know I'm in a different chapter of my life right now, and I can enjoy running short distances for its own sake for the time being. That's actually a very good place to be, for me.
Happily, after this week of pounding, I ran again today (Monday). If things continue to go well, I might average a mile a day this month -- I'm at 21.5 and have six days to do the last 9.5. That would be a nice, doable goal for the remainder of the year... tougher when you started for the month on the 18th.
... I ran, everyday, for a week.
Technically, I ran five days in a row, but at least that's every"week"day. I skipped Saturday and gave up Sunday after less than half a mile because it was already mid-day, and I haven't re-mastered the mid-day thing yet. Still, considering I barely ran at all after September when I got burned out, I feel pretty good about my week of running, though my legs were admittedly not the happiest.
I ran about 18 miles in total over those five days (18.5 if you count the weekend), which is not much, but it's a post-partum mileage peak. Of course, most of those miles were run in the cold of the morning, which is kind of cheating to me, since that's a heck of a lot easier than logging on the treadmill, which is my only viable option on some days.
Of course, I got sore. Who wouldn't? My stomping grounds are hilly, and this was a lot of sudden impact even though I do a lot of interval training. My runs were 3-4 miles, which is about as far as I can go right now before a joint starts bothering me, which started happening often post-partum. My shoes are new, so I either need to stretch more or take glucosamine again. Pace-wise, it wasn't pretty. I run with an app but haven't been pausing it when needed, so I'd hover between 9:30-10:30 on the road and 9:05-9:30 on the treadmill. I'm not particularly interested in running faster, except that I am trying to maximize the 30-40 minutes I have to work out.
As for "the itch," well, I would LOVE to finally run half-marathon #30 or even a 10K, but I've yet to find anything specific yet, nor am I really anticipating getting into half-marathon form anytime soon. I *think* Baby Tuesday is finally starting to sleep more reliably at night, which has helped me make progress in the insomnia spells I've developed on top of that, but who knows? I will say, though, that the relatively decent sleep lately is definitely playing into my ability to do any kind of running streak, and it really has made a difference in my outlook on things.
Next month, "The Ukrainian" is running two of my favorite/sentimental races -- Surf City Half-Marathon and LA Marathon -- and even the itch for those is pretty tame. I know I'm in a different chapter of my life right now, and I can enjoy running short distances for its own sake for the time being. That's actually a very good place to be, for me.
Happily, after this week of pounding, I ran again today (Monday). If things continue to go well, I might average a mile a day this month -- I'm at 21.5 and have six days to do the last 9.5. That would be a nice, doable goal for the remainder of the year... tougher when you started for the month on the 18th.
I personally really enjoy racing short distances. I think after my next marathon PR I may go back to more "bite-sized" goals/training cycles for a while & just enjoy it. :)
ReplyDeleteHey, nice work :) Oh wait! You better be signed up for the annual Lunar New Year run!! You've got to collect that monkey medal!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how you run faster on the treadmill, I'm much slower on it and struggle.
ReplyDeleteBut way to go, you should be proud. Keep it up!! Come run Canyon City in November. :)