Training fumbles

This weeks training has been...interesting to say the least.

I want to start by putting this onto the Internet so she can't get out of this. My friend Angie and I have entered a competition against each other- a weight loss competition. We have decided that whoever loses 5 pounds by July 29th wins! If I win Angie will be making me lunch for a week and take me out for a pedicure! If she wins I will clean her room (which is really just fun for me if we're being honest) and I take her for a pedicure. So bring it on Angie! (And yes, I will let you all know who won!). I went so far as purchasing a fitness tracker, the Jaw Bone UP Move. It's so simple to use, tracks my steps and syncs up with My Fitness Pal, which I'm using to track my food. I will let you know if I have any issues with it, but so far I do recommend it to anyone looking for a fitness tracker!  

So this week has been interesting. I've changed trainers at the gym for a little bit and Monday was a treat. My legs were shaking like never before- but amazingly I wasn't sore. That lactic acid is doing well. No sore muscles= more working out. 

Wednesday I went on a tempo run with the running room. Which, for some reason, I was unbelievably excited about. So off I went- I took off, much faster than my group, and felt great. Until I got lost. I wish I was joking. I was so disoriented on the streets around high park. I've read so many posts about running that says "it's ok to get lost running- you get to learn new neighbourhood!"...as someone who got lost, it's really just embarrassing. Like really embarrassing. Luckily I found a group behind me and they were so sweet and guided me home- couldn't find my group after but oh well! 

Thursday's training was an interesting one. We ran a route my coaches call "the tough love route"...and tough love is probably the ONLY way to describe it! My quads are so sore from Wednesday's run, so the run was even more difficult. The lactic acid is real- and it's intense. We also had our discussion on Thursday, where the coaches impart so much wisdom on us! We talked running shoes and basically what I took from it is I need another pair- which, sounds worse than it is. So I bought another pair of very light New Balance shoes and hoping they will make hill training and tempo runs a little bit easier! Check them out below! I'm still looking at getting another pair of runners because, well, why not?! Brooks Glycerine 13- I'm coming for you!!!!!

While running those silly hills on tough love I was reminded of THIS saying! One day, I will be able to talk while running those damn hills- One. Damn. Day. 

My Sunday morning run was a real treat. Saturday night was my friend's mini Bachelorette party. We went out for a wonderful, butter filled French dinner for Summerlicious (Biff's Bistro- was delicious but so not diet friendly) and then for drinks at a pub. I knew I had to watch what I was drinking and how much I was drinking because of my Sunday morning run. Other than getting home late and wearing shoes that gave me blood blisters, I was totally fine for running (luckily for me). The night was a good time and we're getting ready for her Bachelorette part 2 in August! 

The mental game

This week has been a game of mental sorts. 

You know that feeling when everything around you is really heavy and feels like a tone of bricks on your head? That's how I felt at work- everything was coming down on me. Many things had nothing to do with work, but it all came crashing down. 

So, before I go any further I need to thank 3 people who were there to help me through in the tough moments- Kristen, Angie and Tracy, you 3 made the difference through all of it. Just listening to me rant about whatever I was feeling made me feel so much better. Thank you. 

The other part that got me through was thinking about my runs- specially my Thursday night run. I knew it was a steady 4k run and I was fully capable of that- easily. It was a part of the day I was looking forward to. I could fully remove myself from the stress of everything else. My Thursday afternoon luckily turned around with a bit of booster juice and a nice walk through liberty village (there may have been a few tears shed as well). 

My day ended, I got changed for my run and off I went! I felt this sense of belonging the moment I walked into the running room. I don't really know why since I've only been to the high park store a hand full of times. There's something about being around other runners that brings a sense of calm to me. We proceeded with the regular chat and got into the run. These people know nothing about me or what happened during my day. It makes it easy to put it aside. 

When I started running, I was pretty pumped for my first real run through High Park. And the idea of a steady run made me even more excited. All I wanted was to move my legs and put all the stress of the day onto them and have it push me forward. I didn't wear my watch or worry about tracking- I just wanted to run off the days worries. 

What I realized during that run is that running takes my mind off of everything else happening. For that short time I'm running, I'm disconnected from the world, I'm focusing entirely on moving my legs and body forward and not thinking about anything else. I was totally removed from everything bothering me all day and just ran. I also ran mostly on my own, which I normally do, but was strange since I was in a group. It was also exactly what I needed in that moment. I was disconnected from technology and the world around me. I pushed myself up and over hills and just kept going. 

At the end of it all, I also realized it was time to move to a faster pace group! Yikes!!! This is both a positive and negative in my books. I'm getting faster which is awesome, but I'm getting faster which is terrifying. Either way, now I'm training to run a half marathon in 2 hours and 20 minutes...which would be a total miracle considering my 15k time! 

As a side note and somewhat unrelated, I came across this photo today and realized it's basically my life these days! I've realized I don't particularly have time to date these days and I'm committing to my training. My Wednesday's, Thursday's and Sunday mornings are totally gone and not one bit of me is disaappointed. Yes it means my summer is a bit less fun, with less alcohol and maybe a bit less time spent with friends but on October 18th when I've got a half marathon medal around my neck I really won't remember that. I'm sure all I'll be thinking about is what the next half marathon is I want to run...so gentleman take note, wanna date me? I hope you like running half marathons! 😉