Holy crap, single digit weeks left til CIM. It feels equal parts forever away and like tomorrow. This whole full-length training cycle is really messing with my head.

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CIM Training – Week #7

Su – Rest day in San Diego. Long walk + cardiac therapy watching our Brownies come almostthisclose to winning/looking like a proper football team (against the *other* worst team in the league) ((minor, insignificant detail))

M – 6 easy

T – 7mi w off-track speedwork (6×800) – 3:08-:13. This was meant to be 8 sets a little slower, but I was on a bike path next to a new-to-me laundromat, which I failed to realize was not in the best part of town. So instead of exposing myself to dirty catcalls, dodging packs of Spanish-screaming kids on scooters, and leaving my laundry unattended after its spin cycle, I made it shorter and faster.

And then I ran two more miles during dry time just so I didn’t have to hang around and get peddled for quarters.

(I’ll stick to our reg laundry spot from now on)

W – Rest – Girls Night Out went a little later than I expected, and the 6-7E I planned to run fueled on cupcakes and champagne didn’t happen. Dangit.

orig from Sheila

Th – 11mi total – first Double in a while. 4 easy AM (yes really I got up on my own) and a two-lap trek on my “big hill” loop after work for 7mi. I wanted a good ass-kicking (literally, buns were BURNING) and made it my mission to negative split the second lap. 25flat, 24:09, BOOYAH.

btw, the Distance shorts? pocket heaven. even my giant clunky keys fit and stayed put – no bothers.

F – Rest. Thought about some shakeout miles (greedily bc I wanted 50 for the week, not bc I “needed” them) but opted out.

Sa – 21 miler, solo, music-free. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I’m still here to talk about it.

Since I’ve been doing most of my long runs with friends, I felt like I needed to get through one on my own since race day isn’t going to be filled with distracting chit-chat.

My weekday runs have been going really well and I always sit down afterwards feeling GOOD and STRONG, confident about CIM. But never fail that weekend long run comes and my brain is suddenly full of nerves and polluted self-doubt. I need to sort out this dang mental game to avoid yet another late-miles meltdown on race day.

While I still battled some of those “let’s just slow down, it’s fine” (running slower doesn’t feel any easier), “ugh isn’t it over yet?” (look how many you’ve already run, not how many are left), and “this hurts and is stupid. why are we doing this?” (it’s supposed to hurt! be ok with it. think of the finish Dec 2nd!) thoughts, I can happily say that I finished this run feeling strong physically AND mentally.

I started conservatively, checked in with Garmin occasionally but didn’t obsess, stayed hydrated and fueled (3 refill stops), and had enough at the end to kick the last 3 miles.

Ok really the promise of champagne brunch at SR’s is what got me through. Thanks for feeding the hungry long runners, friend.

= 45 miles

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With the start of the new month, a race on the horizon (hello LB half in 7 days) I’m really excited to dive into my new Believe I Am training journal to start recording some of these running thoughts completely un-censored. My spreadsheet log is great and a TypeA dream for analyzing quantitative data, but I think writing honestly about the emotional side of running is going to improve my game big time.

Embracing visual cues, addressing mental barriers, and building a path towards my goals – could this be the missing piece to take my training to the next level?

Along with BIA’s other “Sisters in Sport” I’ll be sharing bits from the journal periodically – like raw, un-edited, terribly handwritten feelings and things.

Be ready.

  * Do you log your training? Is it numbers-heavy? Diary-like? Has anyone else’s handwriting deteriorated a billion points since school?

Sarah OUaL

Hmm.

Yeah, you have a point, Joanna. And when I thought about it, like, “Yeah, S, why aren’t you talking about anything but running running running?” I had a bit of a wake up.

Probably the same reason when someone asks “so what’s new?” or my coworkers ask “how was your weekend?” I find myself struggling to talk about anything but running.

And that’s not what OUaL is about. I pride myself on balance and having a life outside of running/healthiness/blogging. Remember? “It’s the life between the miles that counts”. It says so right on the top of the screen. But I’ve been doing a pretty shit job of owning up to that, I guess.

EXCUSE ME WHILE I PUBLICLY GO THROUGH A QUARTER LIFE CRISIS AND BRING MY BLOG WITH ME.

[/dramatics]

So this is less of a, “I’m going to tell you all about my life outside of running again!” promise, and more of a, “I’m going to start having a life outside of running again!” promise.

Hopefully. Any ideas for non-running things to do?

(don’t say beer. that’s covered.)

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CIM Training – Week #6

Su – Off day/cardio smorgasbord : elliptical, stairmaster (hello where has this been all my life??), “tennis”…

M – Rest, unplanned. Long day at office quickly turned into ass-on-the-couch, “woops there goes my running window”. So the planned 4-6 easy miler got scrapped. It’s fine. IT’S FINE I TOLD MYSELF. Fine. Relax.

T - Track : 2mi time trial (13:03). Gross, vomit-inducing, maniac brain games, too-long-to-be-a-sprint but too-short-to-be-distance torture. Good news is I ran 37 sec faster than last time (Feb) and didn’t expel any bodily fluids onto the track. Bad news…

W – Easy 6, 3x10pin cardio/8lb strength training…

oh did you know? oiselle – go fast take chances beat your husband in bowling

Th – Tempo/hill/easy/fartlek… a 7mile mutt, essentially.

F – Rest, planned

Sa – 18 mi LR with K & SR, aka the ProCompression Bobbsey Twins Triplets

Good pace and no “accidentally-tripped-and-hurtled-myself-into-the-bay” issues, thanks to good company and the fact K & SR blabbed most of the time and I didn’t have to try and talk/run at the same time. Just the creepy tagalong grunting about gross gel flavors and spewing sweat droplets every now and then.

SR, me, K. Pro on Pro on Pro

Speaking of gross gel I think I’ve finally got a decent grip on my in-run fueling. I’ve embraced stopping to refill my handheld – stashing a Nuun tab or two in a plastic baggie makes the warm nasty fountain water more bearable – and have been much better about watching the time and taking in calories before I feel I need them (because by then it’s too late)

= 36 miles

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And that’s that. Commence non-running talk next. Er, soon. Well at least maybe less of it.

A little.

Sarah OUaL

I’m typically a Taper and Rest Day Queen, but coming off an awesome peak last week I found myself craving miles and itching to run. This was honestly the first time in a while (ever?) I struggled with accepting the stepback.

Blarch. I’m becoming one of THEM. One of those people that LOVE TO RUN.

(uhh except Tuesday and under the influence of candy corn and hormones)

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CIM Training – Week #5

Su – 30min easy bike

M – 5 miles easy – beautiful late night run

T - 3.5 teary, whiney, tempo-fail miles

W – 9.18 fast head-clearing, soul-cleansing, sweatfest accidentally fast miles

60min hatha yoga (mostly just me in child’s pose)

Th – Track Party (the return of the bunny!) 12x400m

F – 20min easy bike

Sa – 12 slightly hungover, #heatpocalypse, uneventful miles with Kristina on the beach path. Apparently we’re at that “it’s JUST 12 miles” disordered distance mentality

dear future stepback week sarah, IT’S STILL A LONG RUN. eat something and drink more than beer. the legs-on-the-couch-to-reduce-swelling move can stay though.

= 34.68 miles – … ok I might need to go out tonight for .32 miles

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Kristina, Margot, and Rebecca and I were talking Friday at “book club” (nobody read the book) about training, and how to stay sane through such a long and tedious process.

Sure you see some tangible gains along the way, but it can be maddening to work and work and work towards such a far-away goal that’s easy to lose sight of. To think that at week five I’m only 31.25% of the way there.

Looking at the whole picture – staring at 16 weeks of blueprinted long runs and track sessions and splits – gets majorly overwhelming. So this cycle I’ve really focused on each run, and each week, and I think it’s greatly improved my mindset.

Instead of thinking of tackling a big scary singular goal (26.2, PR, BQ, etc), I tackle the tempo, tackle the track, tackle the week’s mileage, knowing each mini goal is getting me closer.

mini goals = more check marks

(guilty – this is not actually a running-related checklist)

For example, weekend runs used to be about survival, and I was constantly discouraged by my inability to get through distances shorter than the race at paces slower than goal without feeling like death.

“I have to do this again, even further, next week? And the week after that? And after that? How am I ever going to make it to race day, let alone run faster and farther than ever before?? All my friends are sleeping or drinking right now. This is stupid.”

But now, when things get rough and I want to quit, I remind myself that this pain is what’s building me to get there. I’m getting stronger, faster, more mentally tough with each mile.

“It’s supposed to be hard – that’s the only way you’re going to get better. Make it hurt now, it’ll pay off on race day.”

And I’m trusting the process that all of these miles will equal something bigger than the sum of their parts on December 2nd.

Bring on Week Six.

Sarah OUaL