Week 12 of 18: Training for the Flint Hills 50

Monday meant the beginning of another wonderful season of Girls on the Run!!!!  I was SO excited to see all of my returning girls and so many new faces!!!  The weather was perfect, we did close to a mile in our 10 minute run period, and we played some fun getting to know you games.  Afterwards Robin and I headed out to finish our run.  We have hopped over to a couch to 50K plan I found that is mostly only 4 days a week running, since my more than likely goal race this training period is the 50 K we have in a few weeks.  If I can drag my sorry injured butt 50 miles post this 50K, I will attempt it as I have all spring/summer and most of fall to recover from my stupidity.  Solid plan right?  I do feel much more "normal" but still a bit sore and places I don't feel like I should be sore in.  

I am alternating dogs on my runs now instead of trying to do both at the same time.  Monday's run was Stella's run and Wednesday's run was Boom's run.  I did weights on Tuesday since that is my new day off from running.  I tried a set of front squats, dead lifts, ab work, adductor work, and glute work.  I like alternating all kinds of exercises in including planks, glute bridges, single leg glute bridges, dead bug, and other so I don't get bored.  

Thursday's run began with the girls and ended with my girl.  We are both still huffing and puffing thanks to this sudden heat wave.  To go from -35 to 70 has been quite an adjustment.  I just hope we heat acclimate quickly so we don't huff and puff our entire 50K!!!!!  Let me just say, I have missed the girls SOOOOO much and I just love this group so much already.   We are going to have SO much fun with this year's group.  Thank you so much West for allowing me to coach this session and for letting us have a team!  I will say after having a couple of pain free runs, I did have some soreness, BUT I had been to the chiro earlier and she had worked quite a bit on my adductor including some painful massage gun time and fascia blasting with that medieval torture device that chiros use now.  

This is not me but I hope that it could be me some day. I wish I could be a strong person and not be so emotional about crap I can't control, like others and their actions/emotions.  This whole week has been tough for me dealing with others and I wish I could just let it roll off my back like others can.  I take everything so personally and I would love to not care so much that it affects my sleeping/eating.  Twice this week I was so upset I couldn't even eat.  I also come home on those days and drink a beer which then increases the inflammation I battle in my body.  Friday a lot came to a head and I just had to come home, have a beer, and a good old cry sesh.  I am really trying to not second guess what everyone is thinking and or feeling and to not take things so freaking personal, but it's hard.  

I was trying to figure out a compromise on my long run. I needed to get out and get something done but not too much that I set myself back.  I talked to my chiro and we decided 10-12 miles would be okay.  I technically was suppose to do 21 miles, so I settled on 11 for the day.  It was beautiful out, no wind, and it warmed up quickly. I totally regretted my choice of a vest, but since it's a vest, had no way to take it off and travel with it.  Lesson learned.  I just love my vest so much, not ready to hang it up yet, but the time has come.  I took both dogs, big mistake, I know, but as soon as I got to the gravel I let Stella go and boom stopped pulling quite so bad.  I had a ditch dive thanks to the wonky tummy, something I have not had in a long time, but I am sure the 2 beers Friday night had something to do with it.  

After running we headed over to Topeka to the track to have some fun with our track family.  We only have one car ready to go, so that is all we brought and practiced.  We need more hours in the day to get the 120 ready to go, but hoping with nicer weather, we will have the motivation to get it done no matter how long it takes.  Everyone was making plans for traveling and I am excited to maybe hit an out of town race this year if Covid settles down.  

I was pretty nervous to run Sunday after my long run, but my plan called for 4 so I wanted to get it done. I know, I know, too much type A, rest if you need to, but I wanted to try it.  I was okay during the run, maybe a little sore, but nothing horrible.  I did decide to wait till later to get my lifting done which was a big fat mistake because surprise, I didn't get it done.  I have found a program for lifting for runners and I am intrigued to start using some of what I have learned.  I didn't pay the full 300 bucks for the whole shebang, but may at some point as I like what I am seeing. Probably going to be the same price as hiring a private instructor anyway, and I could do it from the comfort of my new home.

 

We spent most of Sunday working on the new car, organizing car parts, jamming out to 90s alt rock, and doing homework.  Kansas blessed us with 40 mph wind gusts later in the day, so 70s and windy made for a perfect day to open the shop up, clean up, and work hard inside.  Tony worked till almost 7:30, so post eating we were all spent and went to bed, thus the no lifting.  

This is the extent of my help when it comes to car builds!  I can organize like things like no one else.

Have a great week y'all!  5 runs in this week, not the mileage I needed to do but I will take what I can get.