Week 5: Back to Work

 

After such a solid week last week, I started week 5 both feeling strong but also a little anxious. Running while otherwise resting on a break is one thing. Running the first eeek back teaching after break is something completely different. It would also be my biggest mileage week and longest run (6 miles) since the summer, before I got hit with all my health issues in the fall. 

It started out on Tuesday, needing a lot of willpower to run after the first teaching day back AND after a staff meeting. But I tried out a new route from work and really enjoyed seeing a new part of the town. 

On Wednesday I joined some friends for a run. It was so nice to see them and catch up, but I’m definitely not ready for that pace group yet. Back to my slow pace next week. 

Thursday was the perfect balm for a beat up body from the previous day’s speed work- I took a friend hiking in Annadel. It was a gorgeous afternoon up to the lake and very fun to introduce someone new to this special place. 

After a much needed rest day Friday,  I tackled my longest in a very long time on Saturday - 6 miles! I let Strava set the route and it took me around Spring Lake and to Lake Ralphine, but using lots of new to me side trails. 

I ended up chatting on the phone with my mom for most of it, and the run really flew by. Almost to the point where I wished I had been able to take it in longer! 

I capped off the week with lots of fun - 3 miles with a friend, followed up by rock climbing for the first time and then a sunset walk to end the day.

I’m especially proud of myself for giving this a try. I have negligible upper body strength and this was definitely out of my comfort zone, so I was shocked that I enjoyed it so much. I couldn’t help but laugh when I got down every belay - it was SO hard for me to trust the rope and harness and I felt giddy every time it worked and I slowly fell to the ground, 

All told, and exhausting but very fun week. While I wish I had fit in cross training and strength training, I also gave myself a bit of a pass since I knew just fitting in consistent running on top of work would be a stretch. My fibro symptoms definitely started to show up towards the end of the week but I really think staying active helped. 

Here are the grand totals:

Next week is a fallback week, though the only real difference is I’m doing only 3 miles instead of a long run. That said, the following weekend is camping, so I might do one more heavy week instead? It’ll be a surprise for everyone, haha. I am definitely going to commit to fitting in more extras this week, though. 

Plan;

Monday- Cross training (gym - elliptical and stairs) + strength

Tuesday- 3 miles

Wednesday- 4 miles

Thursday- 3 miles (treadmill) + strength 

Friday - rest

Saturday- 3 miles (or 7)

Sunday - 2 miles + strength + XT

How will it go? We’ll see!

See you next week! 

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.