ORRRC Week 3: Lesson Learned

Leaving work on Tuesday

Happy Monday! I'm back with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin to for their Weekly Review linkup. I'm training for about a dozen races, but concentrating on a half on April 9. You can read about my schedule here. 

Week of November 28-December 4
Monday: walk to work
Tuesday: #5Weeks2TTC 3 miles + walk to work
Wednesday: 2 miles + walk to work
Thursday:  #5Weeks2TTC 3.5 miles + walk to work
Friday: rest
Saturday: unintended rest :/
Sunday: 6.5 miles

Total (running) miles: 15 miles
Elevation gain: 144 ft
2016 total: 906.2 miles

This week started on Tuesday and it was a bit weird. Alex and I went to the local track after work but it was under construction. One of our favorite Taco Tuesday deals is a few blocks away so we went to get tacos... and drinks. Directly afterwards we went to another track and did our workout: 4 x (400 on / 200 off / 200 on / 400 off) As expected, my speeds were not great, but I finished. Maybe I was unintentionally training for a beer mile.

Alex took my picture: Tuesday and Thursday at the track

Wednesday was a normal 2 miler after work and we returned to the track on Thursday for 6 x 800. Alex did 5 and didn't seem to enjoy it very much. I'm not sure if he's ever done a track workout, and here he had two in one week. Where Tuesday was warm, but hindered by poor taco planning, Thursday was very cold and a tough workout. I was thankful we only had 6 repeats. I jogged a lap between repeats 1 and 2, but decided to stop and rest between the others. By the end, my paces were better than normal, so I was pleased. (3:55, 3:53, 3:54, 3:49, 3:41, 3:45)

Alysia Montaño's #5Weeks2TTC playlist 

Note: I got this week's track workouts from Alysia Montaño's Turkey Trot plan. Week 1's coach was Kara Goucher and while the workouts were tough, I appreciated the shorter distances. When I found myself struggling I'd repeat a mantra of sorts ("Kara Goucher, Kara Goucher, ....)" and try to run faster. Kind of worked. Alex and I are going to follow it for our January 1st 5k. I've labeled them #5Weeks2TTC above. See the workouts here (they're in reverse order, so start from the bottom).

Alex enjoyed the tiki drink presentation

Friday and Saturday were a bust. Had I known how my weekend would play out I would have been more intentional about scheduling a workout. We had another weekend guest (this time Alex's cousin) and proceeded to take him everywhere. Showing off Columbus is fun, but we went to 6 or more places on Friday night - eating 2 dinners, meeting up with Alex's sister, drinking a giant, sugary and sharable tiki cocktail, and staying up way later than normal. We repeated the process on Saturday, but with a decadent breakfast, two wine tastings (Alex's cousin is a winemaker and was in town scouting out wine stores), and a heavy dinner.

Sunday's coffee fest took place at a local historical village (very cool)

On Sunday we went to a coffee fest and while it was lovely, by the time we were finished we were all craving vegetables and water. It was a weekend of excess. None of us ever drank too much, but the sheer amount of wine, rich food, sugary snacks, and coffee took it's toll. I had terrible stomach pain Sunday night and wasn't sure I'd make it to work Monday (thankfully it went away after eating some crackers and moaning).

One of my best runs in a while

Before the pain began on Sunday (a few hours hours after the coffee fest), I got out for a 6.5 mile run. I wasn't sure how far I'd go, but as soon as I hit a mile I could tell it would be a great run. It felt amazing and along the way I spotted items for #RunChatHunt. Two miles from the end it began to rain. Because it was so cold, it turned into freezing rain and the hard chucks hurt. Luckily, I had on a jacket and hat, so my body stayed protected.

This weekend reminded me of the importance of finding time for the things you love. I had a great time touring Columbus and felt like a jerk any time I considered sneaking off for a run, but by the end of the weekend I felt absolutely terrible. I think a well-timed Saturday run could have made all of the difference. Every day I look forward to my run, but inevitably something comes up to challenge my plans (especially around the holidays). I daydream about having a treadmill so I can sneak off for a run at any time – regardless of sunset or weather – but bottom line: I need to make time for running. Last year's runstreak gave me permission to get out everyday. In an ideal situation I'd have time for at least 6 miles a day (minus rest days or during times of burnout). Maybe one of my 2017 goals could be finding even more time for my favorite hobby.

How do you make time for running? 
Have you ever had a week of excess that makes you miss and appreciate vegetables?