14 in 2014 Challenge Halfway Update

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2014 Challenge, Biking, Exercise, Mental Health, Pilates, Planks, Race, Relationships, Running, Walking

Happy July! Are we seriously half way through the year already? This has been such a strange year of my life, and so different than the last few years, so it’s been hard to judge the passage of time the same way. Since we’re now halfway through the year, I thought I’d do an update on my 14 Challenges in 2014.

I challenge myself to run 200 miles. Running has gone much better this year than last year, and I’m not fully sure why that is, but I’m not complaining. So far I’m at 147 miles for the year.

I challenge myself to walk 275 miles. Last year I had to stop walking quite so much due to my tendinitis and IT band syndrome, but this year has felt ok. I try to hold back on pace and distance just so I don’t put extra strain on everything, since I don’t want to have to stop running. So far I’m at 177 miles.

I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. I’m right at 516 miles for the year. Many of those miles have been done on my bike trainer, and most of the first 3 months of miles for the year were spent studying for my big test I took in mid-March. Since then I’ve had some great outdoor rides too!

I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. 75 hours may have been a little too high, and I refuse to push myself to do it just because I “HAVE to”, and then get burnt out on it. Either way I’ll end up pretty close. Right now I’m at 38.25 hours for the year, which definitely has me on track. We’ll see. I’m still really enjoying pilates though, and really appreciate all that it gives to my body.

I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. This one has been pretty easy so far, although less so now that it’s warm. In cold weather (October-March) I seem to have no problem doing planks, but the summer months I definitely cut down. No idea why? So far I’ve clocked a total of 152 minutes for the year.

I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person! So far I’ve done 4 races in person and 5 virtual races, so I’m doing well! I have a few more races set for the rest for the rest of the year too!

I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. This one has been so fun, and now that summer, it’s been REALLY easy. So far I’ve read 13 books this year, and have really gotten into crime books that have me on the edge of my seat (like John Grisham novels!). I’ve also read a few inspiring books like The Hiding Place and Notes From A Blue Bike. 

I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. This one I finished at the end of January when I got rid of 54 or 56 (I forget which) items of clothing. I just did another haul at the beginning of June, getting rid of another 75ish items. I think that just shows how much I’ve really held on to over the years that’s been ridiculous! This podcast (Freedom From Stuff) has been inspiring!

I challenge myself to continue to be present. Am I present every single moment of every day- no, but I don’t think that’s fully possible for most of us! But being present has really changed my life, and I’m continuing to enjoy this challenge!

I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). Yes! I’ve written it down twice a week, and am really enjoying it. I even started a gratitude journal outside of this blog, and it’s great to have a hard copy I can flip through.

I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I found a plan online (it’s this one if you’re interested) and have been following that. I don’t necessarily exactly read what is outlined on the day, as sometimes I get ahead or behind (and then have to catch up). I’m just a few days behind on the reading plan, so I’m close to being on track!

I challenge myself to publish an article this year. I haven’t published it yet but I’ve written it and it’s gone through a few rounds of revisions now! We’re close to submitting it to the review board now!

I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. YES! This one has been so much fun, and I’m loving the relationships that I’ve either strengthened or built over the last three months. I’ve even made some new blogging friends, like Melissa and Meg.

I challenge myself to be brave. Oh yes! I wish I could write blog posts about this, but at this point I can’t so much. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, overall, I’m pretty much on point with where I “need” to be for the year in each of these goals, although slightly behind with one. It really hasn’t felt like too much effort, but knowing these goals are out there helps keep me motivated. So, we’ll see how this next quarter goes–

Now it’s your turn to share! How are you going on your goals/challenges/resolutions etc… for the year? Is there anything that you hope to accomplish in the next three months?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 8 Recap

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Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

Alright- this is it. Actually, I might do one more recap to show what my recovery looks like, but after doing training recaps almost every week of this year, I finally have about a 2 month break before I hit training again. I have great plans for the summer in terms of my running and physical fitness, and I’ll share that along the way. Here’s how my final week of training (and taper) looked:

• Friday (5/30): 30 minutes barre (while teaching), 1 mile walk, 25 minutes strength training (arms)
• Saturday: 3.1 mile walk (with a friend from high school who came to visit!)
• Sunday: 2.15 mile run
• Monday: 30 minutes barre (while teaching), 25 minutes strength training (arms)
• Tuesday: 40 minutes gentle pilates, .75 mile slow walk
• Wednesday: 20 minutes strength training, 20 minutes pilates (while teaching), 1.25 mile run (last run of training cycle)
• Thursday: 1 mile slow walk
• Friday: REST
• Saturday: 13.1 mile half marathon race, 1.8 mile recovery walk

The time I spent working out the week leading up to the race was about 1/3 of the time I normally spend, and I could really feel it. My runs were gentle, my walks were at a slower pace, and pilates was gentle as well. I wanted to keep moving and keep my muscles loose, but wanted to let them fully recover too! Thanks for following along with my training!

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Indianapolis Women’s Half Marathon 2014 Race Recap

Tags

2014 Challenge, Exercise, Friends, Half Marathon, POTS, Race, Racing, Running

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”- Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon Co-founder

On Saturday afternoon, Melissa and I were at the pool, and she (I think it was her anyways and not me- haha) mentioned that she had no idea how to really recap this race, and I immediately agreed. This was by far the most strange half marathon I’ve ever run, and it seriously can’t be compared to any other half marathon that I’ve run so far (this was half marathon #6). This was a totally different game, and one that I said on Wednesday last week might be totally different due to weather.

My alarm went off at 5, and I checked the weather (humidity at 94%-ugh), and ate my traditional pre-race meal: 12 ounces orange juice, 1 luna bar, and 1 medium sized banana. I got ready quickly and warmed up. Melissa accidently turned her alarm off, so I finally woke her up at 5:45 (we were planning to leave right around 6). She had gotten sick in the middle of the night- a great sign of the day to come. We hit the road and got to the corrals about 15 minutes before the start. We warmed up quickly and jumped in the corrals ready to go. Race start temperature was about 60 degrees with 92% humidity, but we knew the temperature was going to shoot up quickly. I took a salt packet about 30 minutes before the race, hoping that would help any cramping issues.

I need to mention again here that, because I have POTS, exercising in the heat is pretty difficult. I can’t cool myself appropriately, so anything over about 50-55 degrees is really warm for me. Going in I knew this was going to be the case, and Melissa and I decided that it was better to be safe than to put ourselves in a dangerous situation (she also doesn’t do well in the heat). Safety was the name of our game.

At the starting line

The first 5 miles flew by pretty quickly, and the temperature felt ok for us too. We started off doing a 2:1 run:walk ratio, and we decided to keep our pace equivalent to training runs until we felt like it wasn’t safe anymore. The first 5 miles we hit in the 11-11:25 range, and that felt awesome. At that point the sun had really come out strong and the temperature was rising. Melissa wasn’t feeling great, and somewhere in the 5-6 mile range my heart rate got out of control fast. We both walked for a good chunk of that mile- remember our motto? Safety first.

We hit the half way point and I was hurting from walking so quickly. When we walked, we were keeping about a 14:40 pace, which is far faster pace than I normally walk at. My right arch was hurting and my left piriformis was unhappy. I remember taking inventory of myself, looking at Melissa, and wondering how we were going to make it through the rest of the race. Running felt better than walking at this point, even though running wasn’t good for me.

At mile 7 we hit a water station and there was no line at the port-a-potty. SCORE! I hopped in and went quickly- a first for me at any race. It was worth it though (one thing I will say is that I feel like I was hydrating well throughout the race. I drank water and powerade at every station the first half, and also carried gatorade in my handheld water bottle). Melissa told me to run ahead and she’d catch up, so I grabbed the powerade at the station and walked along, eating my race fuel (cran-razz shot bloks. I also had margarita shot bloks at mile 3.8 and 10ish). I also took half a salt packet at mile 7, not because I was cramping, but because I was sweating and losing so much salt, and didn’t want to cramp at the end.

Right after mile 7 was a huge hill, and I definitely walked up it. Melissa caught up at the top, and told me that she threw up again. I felt so bad for her, and even though she told me to run ahead, I refused. We signed up together, and we were going to run it together! And honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the 2nd half without her next to me anyways.

Honestly, those last miles went by in a blur, and I felt like they went by pretty quickly too. We walked a lot, and ran as we could. Neither of us felt fantastic. The second half of the course I only took powerade at the stations because the water was too warm to be refreshing at all, and I couldn’t stomach the thought of it. Right around mile 9 I looked as far ahead of me and behind me as I could, and every single person I saw was walking. That’s when I realized how tough this weather really was.

Somewhere around mile 9 we set a goal for ourselves- we would come in before my slowest half marathon time (set at my first half marathon at the Indy mini), and that pushed us to run just a bit more. Right about mile 12 I suddenly started to shiver a bit, and said “Oh my gosh Melissa, I’m getting goose bumps.” At this point it was still high humidity about almost 77 degrees, and I shouldn’t have been shivering at all, so this was clearly a sign that my body wasn’t doing well. Honestly, if I had more than a mile left I would’ve been pretty concerned, but I felt ok continuing on, knowing that it would all be over in about 10 minutes.

Right around mile 12.5 we ran past some of Melissa’s co-workers who brought out ice cold water bottles for us. I handed off my hand held, and it felt absolutely amazing to hold something that was so cold. Once we saw the finish line Melissa told me to run ahead so I could make sure that I was under my slowest time. I ended up crossing the finish line about 20 seconds before her, but both of us ended with a time of 2:55. It’s certainly a far cry from my half marathon PR, but as I said, this race can’t even be compared to my other races.

I felt more emotional crossing that finish line than in any finish except for first half marathon- I guess because my body felt pretty off at that point. Men who were in the military were passing out the medals, and we also got roses (along with the standard banana, nuts, water, etc…).

Melissa and I took a few pictures, and then headed back to stretch.

Honestly- I wasn’t at all disappointed in our time. This race was really tough for both of us, and in many ways I had to push myself much more than in other races. I ran a relatively safe race with POTS (minus when my body started to hit heat exhaustion), and was able to finish strong in that last mile. I had fun for a good portion of the race, and this race was another example of proving that I am stronger than I thought I was, and my diagnosis doesn’t have to hold me back completely. I think that long distance summer races are just something that I can’t really do because of POTS, and that’s ok. Honestly, looking at the big picture, the time doesn’t matter to me. Me pushing myself, being safe, growing, learning, and just being able to run is what’s most important. I’m so thankful that I can run, even in the tough, hot, and disgusting races. I’m thankful for this race, safety in running, and for the lessons learned through it.

Overall the race was organized well. The course was fine- nothing special. There were plenty of aid stations with water and powerade. I wish the water had been kept cooler, as it was just gross and not refreshing the 2nd half of the race. The volunteers were really encouraging, but there was minimal spectators cheering on the side of the road.

I’m interested to see how I view this race in a few months, but right now I’m not disappointed at all. Despite having to drop our pace, we didn’t quit, and that was huge for us. More on the expo and post race fun later this week!

Check out Melissa’s recap of the race too!

For more information on POTS, click here. For other race recaps, click here. To see how this race compares to the Monumental Half Marathon, the Indianapolis Mini Marathon, and the Carmel Half Marathon, click here. For more information on my Bioskin calf sleeves, click here. 

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Group Riding

Tags

Biking, Exercise, Training

In the fall of 2013 I was invited to join a group ride through a cycling shop in town. I’m not the fastest rider, and biking scares me a little bit (especially in large groups), so I held off on going all fall. Then I went into the bike shop to get my back tire changed (since the tread was rubbed off due to the constant rubbing on the trainer), and the guy invited me to join the ride. I told him my average pace, and he said they had a slower group that I’d be fine riding with.

I got there on Tuesday (this was May 20th), and was the only female there. Everyone else looked like they were solid riders, and I was sitting there in my running shoes and my white and pink helmet. I felt ridiculous, but also couldn’t help but laugh at how silly I was in the middle of this group of solid male riders. Luckily right before the ride started another female came in, and she stuck with me. She said her average pace was in the 15 mile range, and I said that right now most of my rides are about 14 but I wanted to get faster.

Within a few miles we were dropped by the male riders (see- I’m so glad she showed up or I would’ve been stranded out in the country on roads I don’t know!), but we had a great time riding together. Around mile 10 I stopped to get some sports beans. At this point I really realized my mistake. When I’m on my trainer in the winter, I usually went through about 16 ounces of water and no fuel for a 20 mile ride. However, the bike trainer doesn’t have wind resistance or hills, so it wasn’t as intense. I had grabbed about 20 ounces of water and a half a packet of sports beans before I headed out the door, and that was clearly not enough.

By mile 15 I was almost completely out of water and felt really depleted. The woman that I was with had forgotten fuel as well, so we were stuck. I kept trying to power through as best as I could. The last 4 miles I rode with another guy in the group who had also hit a wall due to a lack of fuel (clearly it’s the start of the season and we’re all trying to remember what we need to bring), so it was a struggle-fest for us as we got back to the shop.

These rides intimidate me. They are FAST, but I also know that, as I stick with the woman who is faster than I am, I can also get faster. When I got back to my car, I realized that perhaps my pace had something to due with why I sort of hit the wall during my ride: I was hitting 14.5-15.5 mph while on hills, with wind. While this is great to push myself, 20 miles at this pace when I’m not used to it at all, and only my 2nd ride on the road for the year, was a little rough. I’ll be back, but it’ll have to wait a few weeks because of my upcoming half marathon.

At least the next 20 miler I did brought a little redemption…

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 7 Recap

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

First of all- Happy June! Seriously- how are we in the 6th month of the year already? I feel like this year has flown so quickly- yikes! I wish it would slow down a bit!

Well, this training cycle has been a short(er) one, but I can’t believe that it’s almost over! The next time I post a training recap, my race will be over. EEK! This week was pretty solid on the fitness front, but tapering didn’t quite happen the way that I wanted it to. I cut down on running but increased walking mileage, which I will force myself to decrease next week too. I seriously need to buckle down a bit more to let my legs rest up! Here’s how the week looked:

• Friday (5/23): .5 mile walk, 30 minute strength training (arms)
• Saturday: 4.5 mile walk
• Sunday: 3.6 mile run (5k Memorial Day Race plus an extra .5 cooldown), .75 mi walk
• Monday: 3.5 mile walk, 20 minutes core/abs
• Tuesday: 21.5 mile bike, 2.25 mile walk
• Wednesday: 20 minutes pilates (while teaching), strength training (arms)
• Thursday: REST

So, there you have it! I got in an extra lifting session this week, which was nice! Now that my brother isn’t here anymore, I’m left to lifting on my own. I’m trying to keep up the intensity I lifted at with him, and am trying not to take a break from it. I know if I stop I won’t pick it back up in the same way since he isn’t here.

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you lift? If so- do you do it by yourself, with others, or by following a pre-written plan?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 6 Recap

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

This is my final hard workout week, as next week starts taper time. Oh boy. I’m still hoping that race day is nice and cool so I can run fast (for me) and not run one of my slowest half times. We’ll see- that’s definitely not something I can control 🙂 Here’s how the week looked:

• Friday (5/16): 30 minutes pilates
• Saturday: 9.8 mile run
• Sunday: 40 minutes pilates, 13.75 mile bike (first on the road for the season), 1.75 mile walk
• Monday:40 minute strength training (arms & abs with my brother!), 4 mile walk
• Tuesday: 23 mile bike ride (my first group ride!)
• Wednesday: REST (active rest) 1 mile walk (needed to rest but needed to try to move my legs a bit after my ride the day before)
• Thursday: Active REST- 1.8 mile walk (nice and slow with a co-worker at lunch- awesome way to enjoy the sunshine!)

So there’s the week. Not only did I hit my peak running mileage, but this is pretty much the highest number of miles biked in any given week since sometime in late summer/early fall. I’m trying to keep my legs moving (nice, slow walks) to avoid them getting stiff, and adding pilates in there to keep myself stretched out! I’m definitely looking forward to some more light pilates during taper to keep me nice and loose! Good thing I made homemade peanut butter cups to keep me fueled this week 🙂

Now it’s your turn to share! What was your favorite exercise for the week?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 5 Recap

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

Week 5 down! BAM. Only one more actual week of training before taper begins for my next half marathon! This week felt pretty solid. Allergies have been a bit more sleepy than normal (but I’m sleeping worse than normal too due to them), so I know that’s made work outs feel just a bit more difficult (this got much better later in the week when the rainy came…). Here’s how the week looked:

• Friday (5/9): REST
• Saturday: 8.85 mi run, 1.5 mi walk
• Sunday: 1 hour pilates, 1.75 mi walk
• Monday: 45 mins strength training (arms & core), 1.25 mi walk
• Tuesday: taught barre class, 1.1 mi walk, 12 mi bike ride
• Wednesday: 9.5 mi bike ride
• Thursday: 15 mins pilates (while teaching class)- mostly REST day- just wanted to get in a few good stretches

Pretty good week overall, with lots of good cross training. I’m stretching almost every day to try to keep myself from getting too tight in any places. My left hamstring has been a little tighter than normal the last few weeks, but I stretch it out daily and that’s been that. I hope it stays that way 🙂

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 4 Recap

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

Another week of training complete. This week was absolutely beautiful, and I ended up going outside quite a bit. Sometimes my clients want to go outside for the hour, so we might walk, but of course it’s at a slow pace (really it’s activity more than exercise). Either way, I’ve been excited to get outside a bit more in the 80 degree sunshine! Here’s how the week looked:

• Friday (5/2): REST
• Saturday: 7.25 mile run
• Sunday: 45 minutes pilates, 1.5 mi walk
• Monday: 45 minutes strength training (arms w/a bit of abs at the end)
• Tuesday: taught barre class, .85 mi walk (lunch stroll), 9.5 mi bike
• Wednesday: 3.2 mile walk
• Thursday:9.5 mile bike, 2.9 mile walk

My run on Saturday was really great, but the last mile or so I had some IT band pain (such that I had to stop twice to stretch it out a bit). I haven’t had IT band pain like that since the fall, so it had me a bit worried. I used my stick quite a bit this week 🙂 I called a friend on Wednesday and headed out for a walk after work- it was great to be able to catch up and get some time in the sunshine!

Overall the week felt really great, and I enjoyed the schedule that I had throughout the week. Pilates and regularly stretching my calf muscles has been critical 🙂 I’m a month out from race day now- what a short time in between these races!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one thing you’re doing that you really like in training right now? Any mother’s day plans?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 3 Recap

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

First of all, happy star wars day, and may the fourth be with you! Last year I ran the Indy Mini on May 4th, and they had some star wars characters at one point on the course, which was fun 🙂

After two weeks of recovery from my fifth half marathon, this week jumped back into full on training! My body feels totally unlike it normally does after half marathons, and I feel like it’s recovered much faster than normal. That being said, my piriformis has flared up a bit, which is annoying. At this point I’m not concerned. The last two times this happened (October and January) it was fine in a week or two. I’m stretching it out and hoping for the best. Here’s what the week looked like:

• Friday (4/25): 6.3 mile run
• Saturday: 29 mile bike
• Sunday: 45 minutes pilates, 1.75 mi walk
• Monday: REST
• Tuesday: 30 minutes barre, 1.35 mi walk
• Wednesday: 45 minute strength training (arms), .8 mi walk
• Thursday: 45 minutes pilates

Overall the week felt pretty solid, and I had a great time working out! I’ve been icing, foam rolling, and stretching almost daily, and I’m hoping that’ll help keep me loose and uninjured!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one thing you’re focusing on with your health this week?

Training Changes I’m Making

Tags

Exercise, Health, Training

There are a few changes in training that I’ve made since late 2013/early 2014 that I think are making a huge difference in my training and races. Because they’ve become a big part of my training, I thought I’d write about them:

• Regularly taking fish oil. I take a fish oil capsule (I’m not sure I could stomach it in liquid form) 3-4 times a week in the morning.
• Magnesium supplement. I take this probably two mornings a week just to bump up my magnesium intake just a bit. You want to be careful about this and talk to your doctor first, as too much magnesium can cause kidney problems.
• Specific calf stretches. I thought that this was playing into my cramping issues on longer training runs and in races, so I specifically did a few stretches for my calf muscles every single day (probably 5-7 minutes worth). I can tell a difference even when I walk around because of this.
• Salt packets before the race and in the middle of training runs. Salt is the name of my game! I took a salt packet before any longer training runs and in the middle of each training run. On race day I took a salt packet before and had six margarita flavored shot bloks during the race (this flavor has extra sodium!). This also leads to more drinking, which is excellent for hydration (and just to clarify- more drinking means water or gatorade 😀 )
• Wrapping my ankle with an ace bandage after each long run and after barre workouts. I did this some in the fall, but I was really dedicated to this during this past training cycle. I definitely didn’t want that tendinitis to flare back up again.

Other things I stayed committed to that I started doing last year:

• Ice baths and regular icing each week
• Foam rolling and using the stick
• Stretching after every single workout
• Planks and weight lifting- we need strong muscles all over to run well!
• Compression during and after long runs

And of course, these are helpful too- How I Stay Proactive in Trying To Avoid Injuries

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s something different that you’re doing in training right now?

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Disclaimer: As always, I am simply sharing what I am personally doing in my training. This post shouldn’t be taken as professional advice. Talk to your doctor and/or a trainer before starting any exercise program, or if you are struggling with injury.