Well, another week, gone. Poof! They go by so fast sometimes. I hope you have had a great week.
Do you ever get great ideas or thoughts while you are out running? Do you solve the world's problems and then forget it all when you get home? That's what happens to me. I have all kinds of great ideas, thoughts, solutions to problems when I am out for my run and by the time I get home I have forgotten all the greatness!
Yesterday I did remember a few things I was thinking about, besides how excited I am to be going to Harry Potter World!! I can't wait!! My dad and I are on book three.
Anyway, I was thinking yesterday while running, why is it that when I am at races I see so many people that "look" (notice I said look, and yes I realize how shallow that is of me) like they are not as fit as me but they seem to be easily running a better race than me? Does this happen to you?
One race (San Diego marathon) Chris and I followed this one girl who met this description for the whole race. We started calling her "our white whale." (No, she was not so big we thought of her as whale size, it was from Seinfeld when the cop has been trying to get Newman for parking tickets forever and can't ever seem to catch him.) This is how we were with this girl. No matter what, she stayed ahead of us despite not "looking" like she was even close to as fit as we were. How does this keep happening?? As a side note, when we were at the Marine Corp Marathon later that year, or the next year, I can't remember, we were again behind someone that looked exactly like this girl. Well, we really knew her calves after staring at them for so many miles in San Diego, and I said, I think that is her but she has lost quite a bit of weight. Chris ran up to her and asked her if she had been at San Diego and she had!! It was her! Turns out her name is Rachel, we introduced ourselves. We ran ahead and never saw her again so we are thinking that this time we beat her. But, isn't that crazy??
Well, I figured it out on my run yesterday. Ok, so it is not that hard to figure out but I was thinking about it yesterday. She clearly trained for the race and did all the workouts and was taking it seriously whereas Chris and I did not do all of those things.
I decided that beginner runners (most of them), or people trying running to lose weight, do not care how slow they are going, they are just trying to keep going. By continuing training this way, they get tougher and better than someone like me who was always looking at my watch to be sure I was doing a certain pace. The runners who didn't care just ended up running most of their runs at easy paces and simply got better and stronger.
As you know I have been trying to stick to my guns about running my easy runs easy. I am still struggling with it because if I look down at my pace I immediately think, "this is so slow, I need to get moving." Fortunately, yesterday my legs were so worn out from my workouts this week it was all I could do to go slow. In fact, I don't think I had much choice. I don't think I could have gone fast if I my life depended on it. (Ok, maybe.) Anyway, I think taking a page out of a beginner's book or someone who is just happy to be out there continuing to move is how I will help myself get better. It is amazing how hard it is to convince your brain that it is ok to go slow.
Here were my workouts for the week:
cycling 20 miles; power yoga; Yasso 800's (6 miles total with warm up and cool down); strengthening after the Yasso's; cycling 18 miles; Boot camp workout and hill repeats after; leg strengthening; fast finish 5 mile run; easy 9 mile run. So, I guess it is ok that my legs were tired.
I was also thinking about running buddies. I used to really like running with other people but I have gotten used to running alone so much that I have started to like it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good friend run to catch up or being able to exercise with my husband.
The problem with running, cycling, swimming, you name it, with my husband is that it is always like a competition. It is always "balls to the wall" with him. I try to tell myself I don't need to keep up, and let's be honest, I can't anyway, but there is always that little spark inside that tells me to try. I end up ruining my workout and sometimes my workout for the next day because I am so tired and sore.
I don't know why my brain thinks I have a chance of keeping up with him. He is a Marine, he is 8 years younger than me and has almost never done all the workouts I have done for the week so he is always on fresh legs and I am on dead ones. It is still infuriating at times!!! Why do I even care? I don't know, I am an idiot I suppose.
Anyway, onto my last thought I had yesterday while out running. Stick Snakes. When my uncle was here I told him it was amazing how many sticks look like snakes when I am out running. Of course, he actually almost stepped on a real snake one day at the lake. Luckily some guy pointed it out to him right before he stepped on it. Anyway, he started calling them stick snakes and I liked that, so I will call them that now too. I see so many stick snakes it is crazy!! Yesterday I saw my first real snake and it looked like a stick!!!! What?? Thank goodness it was dead. I was like, "that's a stick, that's a stick, they are always sticks." Well, it wasn't a stick. (And I didn't say Fudge, for all you Christmas Story fans).
Oh, remember the llamas I pass on my runs a lot and the cute baby one? Well, yesterday when I went by they were all talking to me! I have never heard a llama talk and it was hilarious to hear them all at once!! Anyway, here are a few pictures from my week. We had a fun time having to wash dishes in the bathroom or outside on the deck because of a clogged/blocked pipe. It was disgusting!
Well, I better wrap it up for today!! Have a great rest of your Sunday! We are getting 90 minute massages! Thank goodness, I really need one!
Happy Running!
Kristi