Tag: fitness

30 Days Out

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” ~ H. G. Wells

Today was day 214 of marathon training and it looked a lot different than day 214 of my training plan. Getting sick and the recovery required weren’t on the schedule. My runs the past two week have been hard and not even close to enjoyable. I was feeling not so great about this marathon. All the motivation I had left was because this is most likely my one chance at a marathon and I really want to finish. Thankfully, today’s run felt better. Maybe lowering the volume and intensity will pay off.

I do have some doubts. Volume and intensity have taken a big hit. I have accepted that they are what they are, but have some concern around how prepared I will be on the day. I think I hit my highest volume 3 weeks ago and that feels like it is way too early to peak. My current goal is to maintain. I know that 3 weeks ago I was able to do 16 miles, but I currently don’t know what my final long run will be. I’m hoping for 18 miles, but I don’t want to get to taper so beat up that I end up exhausted on the day.

The mental battle of this marathon is unquestionably the hardest thing I have chosen to do in a long time, maybe ever. Most of the time I feel like it’s a very solitary struggle. I run alone. I come up with my plan alone – with the help of google and Hal Higdon, oh and also Chat GPT. I do confer with my medical team. I share my struggles with family and friends and I make it accessible for anyone who has access to the internet. But when I walk out my front door for whatever run I aim to do that day it is just me. And it is hard.

This will be my last push for my fundraiser. I have met my goal, but I’m okay with going above and beyond.

Weeks 25-28, and 29

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

I was at the point in my training where almost every run felt like it was a mental effort just to get it started. I was spending much more time trying to figure out when I was going to run and then convincing myself to get started than I was actually spending running. So mentally taxing. And then I got sick. Which has taken the mental aspect of training to a whole other level.

A little over a week ago I finished a 16 mile long run. My longest run to date. I felt like it went better than the 15 mile run I had done the week before – I felt better when the run ended and my recovery felt better, too. That was a Saturday. The next day, Sunday, I did a little strength training and an easy walk. Monday was a rest day and then Tuesday I had a 4 mile run. The 4 miles didn’t feel as easy as I thought they should, but they weren’t awful. I assumed I had reached the point of training where I was feeling the compounding fatigue. I went to bed Tuesday night with a bit of a sore throat and woke up Wednesday morning not well. I had a few symptoms, headache, sore throat, low grade fever, and the exhaustion – it was real. I slept. I tried to rally on Thursday, but that wasn’t happening. I managed to move from the bed to the recliner on Thursday afternoon where I slept some more. After about 40 hours of sleep and many more hours of rest I started to feel a little better, but I had a sneaky suspicion that my symptoms did not warrant the level of fatigue I experienced. I know the training fatigue is real and it contributed and I was sick so that would contribute, too, but this is where the constant low level fatigue I’ve adjusted to because of my heart failure really impacts things. It doesn’t add to, it sort of multiplies things. I just don’t tolerate all of this as well as I would like.

So I’ve tinkered with my training plan. I did use ChatGPT. I am well aware that I would be better served by finding a running coach, but I can’t afford it and I feel like this is my one shot at a marathon so it is what it is. I have a small amount of knowledge and I have checked in with my doctor. I’ve got 6 weeks until the marathon. This Saturday was supposed to be an 18 mile run, but I do not think that is smart. ChatGPT says this week should be a gentle re-entry week for me and that between Sat & Sun I should aim for 8 miles. Next week is a Return to Structure with my longest run being 7 miles. The longest run currently scheduled is 16 miles in a few weeks. I feel like the gap between 16 miles and 26 miles is huge and that scares me. But I feel like if I continue with the load from my original training plan I’ll be crushed which is probably more worrisome. Current state is a mix of fear and determination. I had reached the point where I already knew the toll that training for this distance isn’t worth it for a repeat, but it is definitely worth it for this goal. So not finishing feels like it isn’t an option. I want to be smart about it and I want to be successful.

Week 17 – Powered by Mucinex

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

We run to undo the damage we’ve done to body and spirit. We run to find some part of ourselves yet undiscovered.” ~ John Bingham

As I’m starting this blog post I’ve completed the first two runs of this week and they did not feel good, but they did feel doable. I googled if I should run while sick – google is uncertain. Have I been to the doctor? Sort of. I gave teladoc a try – they very helpfully said, ‘Oh you don’t sound good, but we can’t help you. Try urgent care.’ Will I do that? We’ll see. I’m not anti-doctor or anti-medicine, but I am pro be sure you need an antibiotic before you take one. So for now I’ll continue to manage symptoms and if there is no improvement in the next few days I’ll head to urgent care. Oh, I did try to get into my doctor, but with my symptoms they said I needed a virtual appt and the first one available is a week out. If I’m not improving by then I’ll give urgent care a try.

And now I’ve finished all the runs for this week. I did have some improvement going into the weekend – I would say I was at 50% for my long run. Thankfully, my long run was only 3.5 miles – so not so long.

I am a little nervous going into week 18. I officially start my marathon block and it feels like that comes with a bit of an escalation. Up until this point I have been running 3 days a week, strength training 2 days a week, and resting 2 days a week. I will be adding another day of running and a day of cross training. I’ll also be adding strength training to my running days. It feels like a lot and I had gotten a bit in my head about it. But when I really think about it, it’s not really an increase in mileage since I have been walking on my rest days. I just need to increase intensity so one of those walks becomes a run, but I think I can do that slowly. My upcoming long run is 6 miles – almost twice what I did this week, but I did a 10k earlier this month so I know I can do it. I’ve convinced myself I can do this, and I think that is half the battle.

Not feeling great, but doing it anyway.

Down With the Sickness

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

You can’t get much done in life if you only work on days when you feel good.” ~ Jerry West

Woke up Wednesday morning feeling ick. Super ick. I had a 2 mile run programmed and I had a little internal debate about getting up and doing it or turning back over and going back to sleep. I opted for sleep – telling myself I’d do it on Thursday. Thursday morning came around and it was a repeat of Wednesday. Back to sleep I went. Friday is currently strength day so I got that done and added in a walk just to get some miles in. Today was a comfortable 5k. I got up and did it. Still not feeling great, but feeling somewhat better. I was super slow and that was okay.

I find that I have to keep reminding myself of my goal – finishing a marathon. I’ve got no goals around time. I’m not worried about my pace. I just want to cross that finish line. Do I think I’ll have improvements between now and run day? I sure hope so, but I can’t let that distract me. My only focus over the next few months is building mileage and the mental strength to get it done.

Didn’t want to, but did it anyway.

Week 15 – In the Books

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It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ~ Confuscius

Wrapped up this week by running the Freedom Fest 2025 10k. My goal was to run it – not race it. How’d I do? Sorta okay, but also, it was a 10k PR for me. My Garmin reported I PRd my 1K, 1 Mile, 5K and 10k. I did know I was pushing it, but I was also feeling okay so I went with it. And when I was done my Garmin told me I needed 50 hours to recover.

For this run I gave SaltStick FastChews Electrolyte Tablets a go. I was a fan of these. I also tried a Krono Nutrition Maple & Raspberry Energy Gel and it was a definite nope. I had a package opening malfunction and ended up wearing most of it so I only got to try a little bit of it, but it coated my tongue for a long while. It was also super sweet.

This run also proved to me I can run a marathon. I have read several times that when you train for a marathon you are really training for the first 20 miles and the last 6.2 are no man’s land. So I have now decided that the 6.2 I ran today proves I can do the last 6.2 – and I just need to train the first 20 miles now. That makes sense, right? Of course it does.

There are a few other things I’ve read recently that I put into practice today. One of them is that wearing sunglasses can reduce your Rate of Perceived Exertion. Sunglasses are challenging because I can’t just pick up a cute pair. I need them to be prescription. I have a pair for everyday wear, but they are not great for running. There is a lot of pushing them up my nose. So I ordered myself a pair of Zunnies. I’m a fan. The other thing I read is that smiling while you run improves your run. And the article specified a real smile.

Maybe I need to work on the real smile, but not bad for mile 6.

14 Weeks Done and Dusted

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet. It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.” – Charles Schulz

I struggled a little with last week’s long run. It just felt hard. This week’s long run was longer than last week’s so I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I knew I had to get it done. I’ve been trying to figure out the nutrition stuff – I know that is part of my problem. I’ve always found exercising on a full stomach a bit nauseating, but I also don’t care for the idea of getting up earlier than I already do. So it’s a struggle – what to do? what to do?

This week I opted to try out a Vanilla Honey Stinger Energy Waffle (super yummy). I had it waiting in the bathroom so I could wash my face, brush my teeth and then eat something before I did anything else. I’m a slow getter readier so it was another hour or so before I’d done all the things I needed to do (get dressed, stretch, do the dishes, the normal running prep stuff) and was out the door for my run. I then topped up with a gel at the half way mark. The gel was Glukos Lemon-Lime. I was not a fan of this. Texture wise it was good. Flavor wise it gave serious colonoscopy prep vibes. It is sold out on their website, so someone must like it. I did notice a difference in how I felt though, in a good way. It definitely was encouraging.

I’ve also found my way to #runnertok. I love the tips people give – sharing their running challenges and strategies. I’m a little terrified by those that honestly share their need-a-bathroom-but-there-isn’t-one-near stories – so far I’ve been able to plan routes where I know in advance the location of porta-potties and public restrooms. Maybe I’ll do all my training on these routes.

Where am I in my training plan? I’ve got a 10k scheduled this weekend. I figure if I’m gonna run the distance I might as well get the medal. Next week I officially start my marathon block. I have registered for a 1/2 marathon this fall. There just happens to be a half marathon in the Springs the weekend I am scheduled to do 14 miles. So why not?

Porta Potties at the 3 mile mark

Running the Runway

~ Monica ~ 1 Comment

Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off.” ~ Amelia Earhart

Today’s programmed run was a 5k. So I signed up for a 5k – The Centennial Airport Runway 5k. Other than an early morning wake up I had no idea what to expect.

The FBI & the DEA both had a booth. The police and their drug dog were there along with the bomb squad. The fire department was present. There were all kinds of planes on display. Blue Bell was giving out Ice Cream – I peeped Cookie Cake, but the line was so long. I now regret not waiting. Nothing Bundt Cakes was giving out legit personal size cakes. There was a brewery giving out beer. I did the age check so I could get one, but the line convinced me 9:45a was sorta early for beer. No regrets there.

But how was the race itself? We for real ran on a runway. A real live runway. It was pretty close to flat. There was a lot of asphalt. There was no shade. My time wasn’t impressive, but I did set a post heart-failure diagnosis PB. Which has me wondering how do we measure PBs? (PB = Personal Best)

I have most definitely been faster. But that was at a lower altitude, a younger age, and a healthier heart. I feel like the heart thing is a metric I should consider. Like it’s outside the norm of aging and location. And maybe it’s not an actual PB. It’s some kind of different category than PB. It’s an improvement for sure, but it doesn’t compare with what I was able to do “back in the day”. And is it a measurement I should even be worried about?

What really matters?

Those are working propellers.
On the runway!!

Never Ending Journey

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering.” ~ Santosh Kalwar

I started my fitness journey the year I turned 40. I was ready for a change, but not because I was worried about what I looked like or what people thought of me. I was focused on my health. Motivation is huge when it comes to big changes and my motivation was I wanted to be as strong as I needed to be at 40 and also for the rest of my life. And I ended up with a result that was never the goal. I lost 100 lbs.

I 100% know I did that work. I started with a couch to 5k. I discovered CrossFit. I counted calories and then I moved to Paleo and eventually settled into just eating how I ate, mostly making good choices, but with some wiggle room for splurges. I found people who believed in me and encouraged me. I found community. And I discovered that when you have a community of like minded people who are invested in you as much as you are invested in them the work isn’t so hard. It really didn’t even feel like work. And for many years that was the norm.

But things changed. We moved back to America and I realized how unique that community was. It wasn’t something that could be duplicated. Even though I tried. I tried several gyms – Globo gyms, CrossFit gyms, and online programs. I tried to get friends to be that community, but that’s not how it works (or at least not how I could get it to work). I was going to have to do this on my own.

Doing it on my own is hard. It’s been full of fits and starts. I have had some periods of success, but there have also been some pretty big fall backs. There have been medical things and life things that have derailed me and I’ve allowed them to become excuses. I’ve gained some weight and lost some weight. I’ve lost some strength and gained some strength. Currently I’m in a place of gained some weight and lost some strength. I’ve been further off the rails, but I don’t want to get there. I want to get back on track or rather I want to be back on track, but I’m having a really hard time actually wanting to do the work to get there. For the most part I’m talking nutrition. I have been able to maintain the fitness side of things.

Marathon training will most likely contribute to some strength loss. I do not have the capacity to do both and I’m okay with that. But marathon training and weight gain are not expected. So I’m trying to dial in my nutrition. Clean it up some. Find what works for me at this stage of my life and I’m finding that challenging. But I can do challenging. I know I can.

Breakfast Salad

Adap-toe-ble

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

If I do have a strength, it probably is adaptability. ~ Monty Williams

Accidentally kicked a door and now I’m negotiating my first unplanned training adaptation. Wasn’t going to go to the Dr because what do they do for an injured toe? But the limp I have started causing discomfort up my leg and I thought it best to know what I was dealing with – a break, a jam, a sprain, just some swelling – and how best to recover without causing other issues.

I managed to get a same day appt and then a quick trip to radiology for an X-ray. All to end up with a very unsatisfactory answer. They don’t see a break, but the doctor doesn’t have confidence that the X-ray is reliable due to swelling. So I’m in a boot for 10 days. Then we’ll reassess. Best case scenario that will be enough time to allow it to heal or at least give evidence that it’s healing. We’re not gonna talk about any other scenario.

So no running for now. Thankfully I have other options for continuing to train – janky bike and c2 rower to the rescue – and I’m still a ways out from actual marathon training.

working out with myself 🤣

A Clecision

~ Monica ~ 3 Comments

“It is difficult to train for a marathon, but it is even more difficult to not be able to train for a marathon.” ~ Aaron Douglas Trimble

Once upon a time I ran a half marathon. I did not love it or even like it. I actually sort of hated it. So makes total sense that a marathon – a whole one – would make it on my bucket list.

I’ve signed up for my first (only?) marathon. The Texas Double – Day one. I had to find a marathon with no time limit. I run a super slow mile now and I don’t think that time will get faster doing 26.2 of them. My only goal is to finish. My plan is to run/walk and I have no expectations of a time. The website for the run even says “Enjoy the luxury of no cutoff times!” It’s gonna be luxurious. It is gonna be hard. Luxuriously hard. Oh, wait, #luxuriouslyhard

I have talked to my cardiologist about working out and limitations and he seems super unbothered by it, but I haven’t specifically asked about running a marathon or run/walking a marathon. I have an appt on Friday. I’ll ask about it. We’ll see. I guess that is my first hurdle.

I’m assuming I’ll get the all clear there. So breaking down the rest of it – at least my understanding of it right now –

The pros?

  • There is a gun start. How wild west is that?
  • The run is not until December. I have plenty of time to train.
  • I have a training schedule and enough time to build my mileage up before the marathon training begins.
  • The course is at about 500 feet above sea level; most of my training will be done at about 6800 feet above sea level.
  • It’s a flat, fast course. I feel like flat is a promise the organizers can keep, but fast is in the feet of the runner.
  • Learning to fuel for a marathon.
  • Committing to this run probably means Christmas in Texas.

The cons?

  • There is a gun start. Don’t get shot.
  • My heart. Well, my heart is not a con, but it could be a reason I can’t complete this.
  • The time commitment training for a marathon requires.
  • Other possible injuries.
  • Learning to fuel for a marathon.

Currently the pros outweigh the cons. I expect this will shift back and forth through out this season, but I can do hard things. I can.