Category: Weekly Recap

Weekly Run Down: August and a Peloton Bike

Weekly Mileage-20.jpgHello August!  I am excited for it because it means Fall will be here soon.  It is my favorite season.  August also means back to school.  I have 3 weeks left of summer break.  I have a few meetings/PD this coming week and then will have a chance to set up my classroom.  I checked the roster and so far I have 17 students.  It is a good number but I know it will change in the next couple of weeks.

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I ended July with 58.72 miles.  It is my 2nd lowest mileage month after February with 21.52 miles.

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Still not running as much before and that is OK with me.  I did run Monday through Wednesday with 7.31 miles for the week.  It cooled down this week and my runs felt pretty good.  I just realized that my next half marathon is in 11 weeks.  I’ve been checking out various 12 weeks training plans and there are so many.  Do you have a good one I could use?

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This was Lola waiting for me on one of my runs.  I guess she does miss me when I’m gone.  🙂

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On Wednesday my mom and I went to The Great American Bagel.  We both enjoyed our bagel with jalapeño cream cheese.  I remember there used to be one at Midway Airport and I would get one before boarding the plane.  

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Now the exciting news is that I finally ordered a Peloton bike!  Earlier I received an email to schedule the delivery.  It will be delivered Tuesday, August 13.  I’ve been wanting one for months!  Kim gave me her referral code and I was able to get $100 off my purchase towards accessories (she will also get $100 towards her accessories purchase.)  I bought the bike mat and a heart rate monitor.

Happy So Excited GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

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My week might not have been THAT exciting but to me it was perfect.  🙂

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

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Weekly Run Down: Not motivated to run and some new running gear

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I don’t know what is going on but this week I had no motivation to run.  I also felt more tired than usual.  I ran 2 days this week (my coach has me running 5 days a week).  I have been massaging my left foot every single day.  It only hurts a little when I get up in the morning but then it feels fine. 

Even Lola felt tired too.  🙂

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I decided not to run the three half marathons (WY, SD, and ND) next month.  No way will I be ready.  The race in New Mexico is still up in the air because my mother’s birthday is September 9th and we have a birthday party for her.  Her party will not be the 7th so most likely it will be the 14th.  

We are still dealing with some issues with my mother’s medical card.  I am so frustrated.  She has County Care which is a managed care organization through Medicaid.   I don’t understand why her coverage changed and why she doesn’t have medical coverage.  County Care only offers long term care.  She was assigned a PCP located downtown and I tried switching her to her current one but couldn’t do it because she has Medicare and that covers her medical  doctor appointments.  At this point, why would she switch her PCP?  Ugh!  Rant over..for now.  Thanks for listening.

On Tuesday I went to see “The Lion King”.  Have you seen it?  I loved it!  I want to see it again, and again, and again.

I may have been banned from ordering from the Brooks website, but that didn’t stop me from ordering these from Zappos.  These are the Ghost 12.  Aren’t they lovely?  I have the Ghost 11 and love them.

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I ordered some new Oiselle gear.  I love the new colors.

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The new tops have a watch window.  Not sure If I like it but we’ll see once I start wearing them.

I emailed my coach and she suggested I take some time off from structured running but definitely go for a run if I feel like it.  She also said not to put any pressure/expectations on me nor worry about pace.  Maybe now the new shoes and gear will motivate me to go out for a run.  🙂

How do you stay motivated?  Is it new shoes?  New gear?  Or simply take some time off?

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

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Weekly Run Down: A few days with mom and some running injuries

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What is the weather like where you live?  For us in the Chicago area it was another hot week.  It cooled down a bit on Thursday because it rained but then midday it was hot again.  Then Friday and Saturday were just brutal HOT.  It is summer after all.  🙂

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My mom came home with me on Sunday because she had a doctor appointment on Monday and an eye doctor appointment on Tuesday.  Both doctors are close to where I live so it made sense to have her stay with me.

Monday morning I ran 4 miles.  I accidentally stopped and saved my run at .39 of a mile and didn’t realize it will about 1/2 mile later.  I am not sure how that happened.  I did keep running to complete my run.

At the doctor’s office we found out there were some changes to her medical benefits and therefore could not see her doctor.  Somehow her current doctor is not in the network and she was assigned to a different one located downtown.  Anyway, since it was early and we were still hungry, we went to eat breakfast.

I was told to call County Care and have them switch her back to her current doctor.  I didn’t call and instead went back and forth via email and some phone calls to another clinic where I was told that her doctor is in the network.  I also found out that County Care does not pay for medical appointments.  Medicare pays for those appointments.  Finally I was on the phone with someone from the clinic and County Care and I think we got it straightened out.  She has an appointment on Wednesday.  Cross your fingers we are not turned away again.

On Tuesday we went to the eye doctor.  My mother had cataract surgery 5 years ago.  She has some trouble seeing clearly with her right eye.  The doctor said there is a wrinkle (?) in her right lens and a minor laser procedure can fix it.  We scheduled an appointment for next Friday.  Later that evening my cousin invited us to his house for enchiladas. 

Wednesday morning I ran 5 miles.  It was warm but not too bad.  It helped that it was cloudy.  Later on I took Lola to the vet for her yearly checkup.  She is healthy but has lost some weight compared to last year.  It was just a few ounces and was told to take her back in 6 months.  Not sure how she lost weight since my sister and I always make sure she is fed.  I hope it isn’t anything serious.  Obviously she does not like going to the vet and as soon as we got home, she hid under the bed and was there for the rest of the day..until dinner time.  🙂

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Oh, and my mother made enchiladas again.  🙂  That evening I took her home.  I am glad she stayed with me.  It was a change for her and it gave my sister a break too.

It rained all morning on Thursday.  I must have been really tired because I slept in a bit and felt really good.  No running for me because I met a coworker for breakfast.  Her mom had been in the hospital and nursing facility since February and came home about a week ago.  

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It cleared up in the afternoon and it was hot again.  I knew I still had to run and waited till after 8 to go outside.  It was like an oven.  I managed 1.5 miles.  I wore my Koala Clip and was very happy with it.  I did notice that my phone did get a little wet.  Perhaps I didn’t close it correctly?  Who knows but I still liked it and best of all there was no bouncing and  it did not move.

I also went to the doctor to have him check out my left knee and foot.  The bottom of my left foot started bothering me during the Missoula Half Marathon.  Then again last weekend when I tried to run 10 miles.  I suspected it was plantar fasciitis (thanks Google) but still wanted to be sure.  The doctor did say it was plantar fasciitis, along with knee bursitis and patellar maltracking (my kneecap moves a bit and makes a clicking and scraping sound when I bend my knee).  My knee does not hurt..just my foot.  He gave me some exercises to do and a prescription for physical therapy (along with a recommendation for a gait analysis).  He also told me to wear a knee support brace, but only when I run, and reminded me to stretch and foam roll.  I thought for sure he was going to tell me to stop running.  🙂

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When I suspected that I had plantar fasciitis, I bought these massage rollers from Amazon.  Wow, they’re amazing!!!

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On Friday I meet a few BibRave Pros at the RnR Chicago.  I got excited when I saw Kathrine Switzer and one of my favorite Brooks shoes.

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Then I meet the Pros for dinner at City Winery West Loop.

Saturday evening I decided not to run the half marathon.  I went back and forth with my coach about my knee and foot.  She advised me to take a few days off from running and instead to focus on cross training activities.  I am to let her know Monday afternoon how my foot feels.  Let’s hope I can get back to running soon.

Have you ever had plantar fasciitis?  Suggestions on how to treat it?

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

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ZOOMA Half Marathon Training Recap, Week 10

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I am excited to be training for the ZOOMA Half Marathon on September 15.  I am also excited to share that I will train using the Hansons Half Marathon Method.  In a nutshell, this training is based on the concept of cumulative fatigue.  You train your body to run often so that you are frequently running on tired legs.  The idea is to run this way so that during the last miles of a race you are prepared to push through the final miles. 

Week #10, July 30-August 5

M Did not run
T OFF
W Ran 4.00 miles
TH Ran 5.00 miles
Ran 5.00 miles
Ran 2.00 miles
S Did not run

Tuesday was the last day in July and I ended it with running 102.44 miles.

Total July 2018

I almost skipped my run on Wednesday but then realized that I didn’t run Monday nor Tuesday.   Decent weather and got some negative splits.  I ran in a new pair of shoes – Brooks Launch Levitate.  

I set out again early in the morning for 5 miles on Thursday and Friday.  Felt pretty good on both days.

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Then Saturday it was awful.  I wanted to do 6 miles but only managed 2.  I went out too late and got too hot.  I was also very tired and just could not keep going.  Total time running was 27:24 for an average pace of 13:41.  Sunday morning I woke up late and didn’t have time to do my run.  I did some errands, went to do laundry, and then picked up my mom to meet my nephews for a late lunch.

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Oh man, I am in trouble with these long runs.  I thought for sure it would be a better week since we had some cool weather.  

Another week training for the ZOOMA Great Lakes Half Marathon.  It wasn’t that great but it wasn’t that horrible.  On Thursday I am going to San Antonio with my mom to visit my sister and nephew.  It is supposed to be even HOTTER over there.  Not sure how I am going to get my runs done.  Not sure if I even want to run.  🙂

Total mileage for the week: 16.00 miles
Total mileage for this training cycle:  231.11 miles
Total mileage for the year: 682.46 miles 

Here’s how training has gone so far:
Week 1 and 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9

ZOOMA Half Marathon Training Recap, Week 9

ZOOMA Half Marathon-1

I am excited to be training for the ZOOMA Half Marathon on September 15.  I am also excited to share that I will train using the Hansons Half Marathon Method.  In a nutshell, this training is based on the concept of cumulative fatigue.  You train your body to run often so that you are frequently running on tired legs.  The idea is to run this way so that during the last miles of a race you are prepared to push through the final miles. 

Week #9, July 23-29

M Ran 5.00 miles
T OFF
W Ran 7.10 miles
TH Ran 4.00 miles
Ran 6.00 miles
Ran 4.00 miles
S Ran 6.50 miles

Monday was another early wake up call to run.  Felt great and was able to get negative splits!

Wednesday’s workout was 5×1000 with 400s recovery and 1.5 miles warmup and cooldown.  I was disappointed because I did not hit the pace I was supposed to.  

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Thursday, Friday, and Saturday runs were 4, 6, and 4 miles again.  The weather was decent which made the runs enjoyable.  Some days you can do negative splits and some days you don’t.  🙂

Sunday’s run was 3×2 miles with 800m recovery and 1.5 miles warmup and cooldown for a total of 10 miles.  I went out early to enjoy the cooler temperature.  I was planning to do this by the lake by decided to do this close to home.  This run did not go well and I stopped at 6.5 miles.  I was frustrated.  I wasn’t hitting the paces I was supposed to and instead just decided to run whatever pace I could.  Then I got too hot and tired.  Then my left foot began to bother me.  I stopped and just walked home. 

Some days you have good runs and some days you don’t.  Oh well.  I can’t be too hard on myself since I am still doing pretty good with training for the ZOOMA Great Lakes Half Marathon.

Total mileage for the week: 32.60 miles
Total mileage for this training cycle:  215.11 miles
Total mileage for the year: 666.46 miles 

Here’s how training has gone so far:
Week 1 and 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8