Week 4: So Much Rain!

 After feeling so awful last week, I really wasn’t sure what would happen this week, but I was really pleasantly surprised. I changed my Tuesday from 3 miles to 2, and a run to a walk, but after that pretty much stuck to my plan. Granted, my heart rate shot up to the 160s every time I ran, so I had to do a lot more walking breaks, but I’m just realized I didn’t get hit with coughing fits. Now, on Sunday, I’m definitely feeling closer to recovered. 

The other change I made was to make Thursday a rest day (just did a mile walk) so I could do my long run of 5 miles when it wouldn’t be raining. We have been getting a ton of it this week, so the trails are soaked. 

A highlight was going on a hike Sunday - my first time up to Lake ilsanjo since August! We had a wild creek crossing - water was halfway up my calves and very powerful. There were waterfalls everywhere! 

Next week looks pretty similar to this one - adding one mile to the midweek runs to make all of them 3 miles, and going from 5 to 6 miles for my long run. It’ll be a challenge keeping up my energy with work, but I’m excited to have that outlet for my stress. I’m planning on making Thursday a hike as well to keep the mileage growth sustainable. 

4 weeks into training, my fitness is growing. I’m proud of myself for working my way back from the flu and not getting to derailed (while also being respectful of my health). My fitness has gone from 22-27 in the last week, up from 12 at my lowest earlier this fall. 

194 days to go!

Week 3: The Flu

I should have expected that things were going to well. As is typical, my body had to throw me a curveball. This one was in the shape of a fever, cough, and generally feeling miserable. I’m glad this was planning to be a recovery week, so at least my muscles had time to recover from the added mileage. But this was definitely not what I had in mind. 

I often see or hear people talking about getting bored of running, or burned out, and in a funny way, I wildly wish I could relate to that feeling. Because the truth of it is, running always feels like something I hold tight to that is always slipping through my grasp. I never have even a whole year of running without something disrupting my efforts. 

With that said, I’m committed to rolling with these mishaps better in the future. Having patience with myself, doing what I can, and, honestly, wearing a mask more at work when kids are being germy or were approaching school breaks. 

Here’s this week’s training:

Even though it was a pretty atrocious week, coming home to bluebird skies and gorgeous green everywhere was a definite highlight. 

Next week’s plan is somewhat up in the air, as my lungs are still congested and I’m still very much recovering. But I’m hoping by Tuesday I’ll be doing better. It all looks pretty manageable (and walking friendly if needed) until I get to Saturday.

29 weeks and 201 days to go!

Week 2: Wrapping Up C25k

 I’ve made it to the final week of my couch to 5k, program, well, at least my version of it. I did weeks 1-3, then got sick for a month, then jumped back in to do weeks 4-6ish. But once I hit that, it was an easy transition 3-4 mile runs, so that’s that! Hoping I didn’t rush the build back, but I’m excited to transition to my 8 week base building plan, which will take me from a long run of 4 miles to a long run of 10 miles in 8 weeks. 

Here’s this week’s training for the last 3 weeks::

Does it possibly feel like a steep jump? Yes. But a lot of it was walking heavy, and I’m really hoping that my body DOES remember how to do this, after all. 

Here’s some highlights:

I’m finishing the week sore in a great way, and having also fit in some strength training and yoga. 

The plan going forward is to use next week as a recovery week, doing less mileage but changing from 4 to 5 days a week of activity, and then see what I want to do from there. My biggest concern is trying to do too much too soon, since I’m just so happy to be back running again so I’m trying to be cautious. 

Check out that fitness progression! 

I’ve got a big hole to climb out of, but plenty of time to do it. 

Week 1: Road to 100k

 With the fact that I've been able to run and walk successfully all of two days, it might seem a be preposterous that I've just signed up for a 100k. More so, when I reflect that I only was really able to run maybe 4 solid months last year between injuries and illness. And even more so knowing I have an unreliable body that likes to fail periodically and sometimes loses the ability to eat. 

But, nonetheless, last night I signed up for the Tahoe Rim Trail 100k race. My very first 50k back in 2008 was the Tahoe Rim Trail 50k, and the highs I felt in that race have never faded. Last year, I backpacked in the mountains for the first time in Tahoe and ran Broken Arrow, and again felt the magic of that place. And so I've decided to be brave. Maybe a little foolish, or foolhardy as well, but life is short. There is no guarantee that I'll have another summer after this one for running adventures. To be honest, it's a leap of faith to think my body can hold it together the next 8 months to put together a solid training block. But, I'm ready to jump.

24 hours later, I can't stop smiling about having a loud, audacious goal on the calendar. The race has a 24 hour time limit, but technically I could count as an unofficial finisher as long as I finish by the end of the 100 miler race, in 36 hours. All I've got to do is keep moving. 

So, technically, my race training started yesterday. Right now I'm run/walking 2 miles in 3 minute intervals. And I'm going to build this base, brick by brick. The positive of starting over so many times is I've gotten better and better at it. I know I can't rush it, and I need to actually include strength training and yoga, and take care of my body on all the levels. Good fuel, good rest, good relaxation. 

I'm planning on a summer of adventure and am going to do everything I can to get myself there. Only 221 days to go!

6 Years at a Glance

 It's been ages since I've used this blog, another 6 years, and this writing style has fallen by the wayside. Nowadays everything seems focused on clickbait titles and selling a story, versus a place to share a journal about your life. On the plus side, I can start using this without thinking too much about an audience. 

The last 6 years have been bumpy, to say the least. I ended up getting very sick, getting a feeding tube, and then almost dying when that stopped working. And while I had a surgery that is offering a temporary fix, odds are that my issues will return in the next 4-5 years, 10 if I'm lucky. My two years of illness has also meant that I still struggle with multiple chronic health issues that add a lot of complexity to trying to be a runner, de-railing me, it feels like, every time I get started again. 

Yet, I haven't given up yet. I ran my first race post sickness in 2022, Rodeo Beach 1/2 marathon, and my first ultra, Quicksilver 50k in May 2024, followed by the Golden Gate 50k in November. Then, a freak slip at home led to a broken kneecap and 4 months off running (and on crutches for 2 of them). I recovered, rebuilt, and ran Broken Arrow 23k in July, felt on top of the world, only to be hit by a crippling Fibromyalgia flare, and subsequent gastroparesis flare, that sidelined me for 3 months. And then after 2 weeks of recovery, bronchitis and asthma flare. 

It short, I have been a mess. A less stubborn person would take it as a sign and just stop trying to be a runner. But I'm wildly stubborn. And I love getting to feel like a strong person, increasingly so when I have so many stretches where my body isn't my own. where I'm stuck in bed and can barely move and the easiest things are hard. The drive to feel that strength keeps me going. 

Running and Motherhood

For what feels like the umpteenth time, I'm dusting off this running blog to share that I've started running again. This time, though, I'm really hoping that it won't go by the wayside like it has so many times before. What I think is different is that while running was just a part of regular life before, and so seemed to belong on my other blog as well, now it's my special "me" time, and something a bit separate from our family life. So, we'll try out the two blog format for a while and see how it goes. 

Enjoying one of the many fun events we did when we moved - "Cork to Cactus" wine festival at the Desert Botanical Gardens.

It's funny - since we moved to Arizona two and a half years ago, I really lost all my motivation to run. I'd had no idea how dependent I was on the beauty of my surroundings for my running motivation until I lost it. And, to be honest, blistering temperatures half the year certainly didn't help. The trails here are brutal, full of rocks and "threatening" plants and were very unforgiving, which made it easy to take a break, pour myself a glass of wine, and decided to give up my runner identity for a while. It was enough to support Ed and cheer him at his trail runs.

Last big hike (and I was big!) at around 37 weeks pregnant

But, something funny happened when I got pregnant. I had this vision of our family with a little one, and knew without a doubt it included me being active. Of course, that meant facing this state and finding out what it had to offer! To my surprise, I discovered that while trail running here isn't for me, there are many beautiful hikes well within my abilities.

Hiking with my sweet boy

Once I recovered from giving birth (and the blur of those first months of new motherhood), I knew that I wanted to start running. With the clock ticking down to our move back to California, I knew I wanted to be in good shape. And, more than that, I wanted Evan to know a mom that was active, that loved being outdoors, and that was adventurous, things I sort of lost when I moved here. 

Running in Cambria over Winter Break

So, I started running. Well, run/walking at first. I spent about 3 months building up from nothing to my first 5k, the Dana Point Turkey Trot, in November. It went fantastic. I earned a very impressive (for me) 32:41, which was a 10:32 pace. In addition to running, I was (and still am) doing a baby workout class twice a week, getting in some much needed strength training that has somehow helped me become fast!

Finishing the Sedona 10k (you can barely see me as the back runner in this picture

Of course, once I did my 5k, I immediately set my sights on a 10k, and picked out a race in our favorite Arizona town, Sedona. The beautiful red rocks immediately calm your mind and body and put you in a very happy place. I don't necessarily buy into the "vortexes" but I can't deny that there is something truly special about this location. I'd like to do a full race report later, so I'll just share for now that it went even better than I expected, considering I didn't look at the elevation chart beforehand, so I didn't realize it was a very hilly course. Despite the hills, I finished in 1:07, for a 10:49 pace (and, if I go by my garmin, which credited me with an extra tenth of a mile, I had a 10:40 pace!). My last mile, even with some uphill, was a 9:50. 

Hiking off of Highway One north of Cambria

I'm definitely a runner again, and it feels great. Next up is maintaining this fitness for a few months.  I almost always like to go from zero to marathon when I start running again, which is exciting but ultimately less sustainable I think. So, I'm just going to hold steady for now, doing 6-7 mile long runs on the weekend, and 3-4 mile runs a few times during the week. I want to keep hiking at least once a week, and do my baby workout group a couple times a week. I know that this privilege of time will evaporate when I start working in the fall, so I need to make sure I take full advantage of it! 

Adding some running at the end of a hike

For now, I've set my sight on the "Water to Wine Half Marathon" in Santa Rosa in August. It'll be a celebration of moving to our new home, and a last hurrah before I re-enter the workforce. And hopefully in the meantime, I'll have some fun adventures to share.