Saturday, March 25, 2017

Taking Things Easy....


With last Saturday's 10-miler behind me, and an "easy" 5K shakeout run the following day.....my body was craving some down time. So, I did my best to listen to its plea(s) and take things easy. Sort of....


Monday was a day of slow movement. I had run the 10-miler great...not a sprint (ha! not by any means LOL),but I ran it well and came close to PR'ing. My legs felt great for the 5K shakeout run on Sunday morning. But, come Monday? OUCH.

Maybe it was a delayed case of the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)....delayed in that the DOMS usually show up within 24 hours after a long run or race (if they show up at all), so to have some achy muscles lingering on Monday morning took me by surprise. I decided to postpone my #nevermissaMonday run until after work instead of the usual right-out-of-bed routine. After hobbling around all day, I arrived home and the hubby asked if he could go with me on my run. Well, of course! We ran approximately 1.5 miles, and my body was ready for rest when we finished.

It's always great to run with the hubby
Tuesday, can you say, "fatigue?" Typically, I have been doing stair workouts on Tuesdays, but elected to give myself almost a complete rest day. I did some leg exercises and ab work before bed (and of course, the usual planking), but that was it.

Also, I came home from work and found a nice little mess....courtesy of our cute, little dog, Max. We usually have our garbage under the sink, inside the cabinet. On occasion, we pull it out, but he's never bothered it or ever shown any interest in it. Well, we accidentally left it out...and let's just say we will NOT be doing that again.

naughty Max!
Wednesday, my achy hammies and wonky hips felt much better.  I know better than to rock the boat, so I kept it inside and did some stair work. I did 100 flights of "double steps" and called it good. My goal was 100 flights or 20 minutes...and I finished in just under 22 minutes, including at least four hydration breaks.  Mission accomplished.

Whew! 100 flights (up AND down) left me a sweaty mess
Come Thursday, things were feeling much better. My friend, Barb, and I ran our #5at5  and I was back home, post-run selfie done, and shoes off before 6:00AM. Not a bad a way to start the day.

5 miles at 5:00AM
Friday was a day spent stalking the weather. With our scheduled departure (destination:Pennsylvania) happening over the weekend, I needed to plan out a pseudo training strategy. Rain was in the weekend's forecast for Iowa, as well as for Pennsylvania. My body was feeling better, but still not 100% recovered. I really wanted to get a long run done before our road trip, but I also rationalized that it still was pretty early in this 26.2 training cycle....in other words, a missed long run would not be deal-breaker in my training (afterall, my marathon isn't until mid-June). If I couldn't swing a long run on Saturday, I could possibly do it a few days later in Pennsylvania. Sound good?

As forecasted, Saturday was a day full of rain. The temps were in the mid-50's, which are not miserable in dry conditions, but with rain? Sorry, not happening. I love to run, but not enough to risk getting sick right before embarking on a week of travel. I decided to dust off 'Milly (my "old" friend, the treadmill). Apparently, she's overheard me talk smack about her. One mile into our 5-mile gig, she abruptly shut down. No lights. No movement. No nothing. WHAT?????  Not sure what to do, I decided to grab my rain gear and just head outside. It wasn't freezing cold, but the rain certainly was not pleasant.  

Spontaneous...heading out into the rain when the 'mill dies on you
As luck (or fate?) would have it, my phone beeped with a notification from Instagram....my gal pal, Gina (from Running Around the Boyz ) tagged me in a photo, and that prompted me to laugh at 'Milly (for what she'd just done) and face Momma N (for what she was currently doing with the wind and rain). I decided to just run three more miles and call it good. Those three miles sort of morphed into a short tempo drill....and I was a sopping wet mess when I returned home...but a satisfied runner.
Take that, Momma N and 'Milly!
And, Sunday? Well, it was a long day spent in a vehicle. This post is going live as we make our 15-hour trek across the country, en route to visit our daughter in Pennsylvania for Spring Break. And to think, some choose to head to the beach. Ha!

So, how was my week? Over all, I spent the bulk of the week feeling a bit achy. The hip flexors have been a bit argumentative lately, and this week they were pretty vocal. It might be time for new running shoes. I may have over-done things with the 5K shakeout run the morning after the 10-miler in Chicago (last weekend). None the less, I could feel my body revolting, so I kept my workouts on the down-low. It's not always easy following my own advice, but I have nothing to prove to anyone (including myself), and it would have been ever so foolish to risk further injury by "being a hero." My weekly mileage (Monday-Sunday) came in at a very conservative 11 miles (due to the shortened "long run" on Saturday and all of Sunday spent in the car). And I'm quite alright with that.

Last week's blog posts (in case you missed them):



In other news:

My #fashionFriday post (on my Instagram and my Twitter) reflected my love of all things cheetah (and, of course, bright colors). All of our snow is gone, and I don't think we'll be seeing any more of it until next winter. 
I love a bright tunic with leggings...and a little bit of cheetah never hurts
Several of my blogger gal pals have been chatting and scheming.....there may be some adventures and meet-ups happening later in 2017. Stay tuned.....
#busted #guiltyascharged #anotherreasontosmile
Did you know Thursday was National Puppy Day? Although our little Max is past the puppy age, he certainly has all the energy and craziness (and occasional mischief) of a young pup. We're so glad we rescued him two years ago! 
Doesn't he look like the sweetest, most well-mannered little dude?
Enough about me...how was your week? Have you ever scaled back your training, to allow for more recovery time? Do you strictly follow a training plan, or do you modify it while on vacation? Is all of your snow gone for good?

As usual, I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap

and Ilka and Angela for the Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup

43 comments:

  1. It's definitely smart to listen to your body and give yourself the time to recover that you need! I think sometimes we underestimate how much a race can impact us, even if we don't run it super hard. I haven't followed a training plan in awhile- I have a loose plan in my head that involved running 3-4 days a week with a few days of strength training and/or yoga.

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    1. I agree.....an "easy" run can zap us out more than we realize.

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  2. I'm all about listening to my body when it tells me I need to take it easy.
    I cannot believe that you treadmill died on you! I cannot imagine how frustrating that was, but kudos to you for still completing your run outside in the rain!

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    1. The run outside was a bit miserable, but manageable. First world probs, right? ;-)

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  3. Awww, PA is not that bad! Enjoy your time here!

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    1. I think PA is beautiful! I'm looking forward to finally exploring it in my running shoes !!

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  4. I bet you were so sore because you had that long ride home on Sunday! It's amazing what sitting still will do to you.

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    1. I had not thought of that.... things that make you go hmmmm

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  5. Max has been quite mischievous I see! But how can you be mad at that cutie? I had a low running week myself. No shame in taking it easy. I hope your long car ride goes much better than my last one. Thanks for linking, Kim!

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    1. Those long car rides are more painful than high-mileage weeks

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  6. You are so awesome for going out in the rain after you already started on Milly! :) Good for you! Hey- with all of your stairs - did your quads initially feel pretty sore? That silly Max - he was probably bored and showing you "hey - I'm home and you're not!" :)

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    1. My quads never felt anything, but my calves & shins did

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  7. Good for you for rescuing your pup! I didn't know it, but National Puppy Day was actually created to bring visibility to the horrors of puppy farms and promote adoption. I thought it was just to look at puppies (ha), but love the message! I rescued my guy too. :-) So, your post gave me a great idea: run the stairs at my house! I live in an old house with very high ceilings and long staircases, so it would be a great back-up workout. Thanks! And good for you for listening to your body and taking it easy.

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    1. I do stair fork all the time.... just did a blog post (3/17) with s bunch of stair workouts ;-)

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  8. I hope you have a good time in PA. Did Milly ever come back around? I had to get my old 'mill repaired a few years ago, and that seemed to work although I don't use it as much as I used to.

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    1. The hubby got Milly revived....not sure why she putted out on me (?)

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  9. I have come to realize that I need more rest than I used to and I am trying to listen to my body. Look forward to hearing about your racecation plans! One of these days we will have meet up :)

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    1. Yes! A meet-up is in order someday ;-) I am being careful with rest/recovery these days.... it never interferes with my training (and usually enhances it).

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  10. To be honest (in my humble opinion of course and what do I know...???) I'm not surprised your body was asking for a break! great that you listened! Yet still sounds like you had a fruitful and still active week!

    my training IS currently scaled back because of my back issues. not going to the gym either. not super happy about it but I'm kind of a wreck, so ... (that's from not listening to my body the last couple of years). I do modify my training plan if needed - sometimes it's just not possible (for example, doing a long run of 20KM in the heat in Greece in July simply is NOT happening... best to be happy with whatever distance you can manage in those conditions), I do always bring my running gear with me wherever I go and use hotel gyms or map out the area where I'm staying so that I can do a quick run :)

    no more snow here!! SO HAPPY!!!!

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    1. It's only in recent years that I've started taking my running shoes along with me on trips. I'm also doing a lot more "hotel room" workouts, too (lunges, squats, planking, pushups, etc.). Doesn't it feel good to kiss that snow goodbye?!

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  11. Luckily no snow for me as we are just coming out of summer and heading into winter now (and even then we will have no snow!). I need to start reading more of your posts because I can guarantee you that had my treadmill stopped mid-workout I would have said "Oh well, I tried" and never thought of going out for a run. LOL! Well done, very motivational x

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    1. If you do read more of my posts, you'll see that me and 'Milly go way back (and it's NOT been a pleasant relationship)LOL. It took a lot of mojo to crank her up for 5 potential miles on Saturday...then to have her STOP on me was like a slap in the face, ha!

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  12. From what I can see in photos, our snow is not completely gone. 2 ft takes a while!

    I was supposed to do a 2 mile shakeout run this week before my race; nixed that & since the race went well, I'm glad I did!

    I do try to listen to my body . . . it's hard, sometimes!

    Our pet sitter said Lola grabbed a package of hot dog rolls & brought it to her bed. :)

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    1. It's great to have the white stuff gone, although we didn't have much this year in comparison to what we usually have.

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  13. My tri brick workout kicked me in the pants very similar to what you describe. Oh well it means we worked hard and our bodies are going to step up as soon as we give them what they need to recover. Cutting back is wise and definitely part of the program. Enjoy your trip!

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    1. Although cutting back (somewhat unexpectedly) is never ideal, I never feel guilty doing it. I'd rather ease up than over-do it and get side-lined indefinitely.

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  14. Sometimes you just need a down week. I would say, just from reading, your 10 miler definitely was a hard effort race even if it wasn't 100% or a PR. Then again, a 5K shakeout run can be good after a hard effort day. Either way, good call on taking it easy this week.

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    1. I agree....I was probably running those 10 miles harder than I was aware because they felt so good....then the 4.5 hour drive home probably played a significant part in the achiness. Oh well, onward!!

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  15. Always a wise choice to listen to your body. Have fun visiting your daughter!

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    1. Listening to my body is sometimes tough....I just have to respect what it's telling me LOL

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  16. Love your cheetah print! I hop eyou have a fun Spring Break.

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  17. I seriously can't get over your 5am running club, that's dedication!

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  18. DOMS is the beast! I've been suffering through that as well.

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    1. DOMS wouldn't be half the beast if I knew exactly if it was gonna show up or not LOL Usually when I'm anticipating the DOMS, it's a no-show...and when I think I'm home free, BAM!

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  20. I'm sorry you have been so off and achy this week. DOMS is a huge buzzkill. You still had a great week! You should be proud!

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  21. Sorry your hips were giving you trouble this past week. Good job listening to your body...I used to feel guilty taking days off but I don't regret it anymore. My cats have been pretty mischievous lately now that they've discovered that can jump high! We have to hide everything now.

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  22. I always need to have a little down time after a big race, so sounds like you played it smart! Where is your daughter in PA? I grew up there central PA. I loved following your photos on IG this past week too :-) Thanks so much for linking up at Sunday Fitness & Food!!

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  23. I'm sure your body is in need for a little break after all that racing. 2 races in a row are no joke! Sorry about your hip pain - running related hip pain hurts so much and you might be right, it could also be the shoes. I also experience hip pain when I sit too long on the computer, especially after a run. Stretching is super helpful. Hope you had a fun Spring Break with your daughter!!

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  24. I agree, sometimes you just need a little rest. Sometimes lots of sitting like riding in a car or plane the next day will really make me stiff too- especially in the hips. I hope spring break is a blast- enjoy the mother/daughter time!

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  25. Hope you enjoy the mother/daughter time this week. And I did see some pics of you on IG today in DC?!? Hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather here!

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