the walk, the run, the todder ride, and the yoga that was a bust

I can't go on my ride with my friend today, so even though it was later in the morning and I had just pounded my two bowls of honey nut cheerios I decided I'd hit the roads.

I had really only planned on walking since the boy wanted to ride his balance bike.  he didn't last the whole time, though, so as soon as the bike and the boy went in the stroller (I love my chariot cougar 2--have I ever mentioned that before?  love.) I started to run.  it was only a little hot.  and my hamstring felt pretty good!

all in all that was only about 2 miles.

so I decided I'd go home and put on that yoga for inflexible people dvd.  I only got through about three poses before I had to turn it off.  for one thing I think I was too distracted by a toddler who was trying to "play" with his baby sister.  and for another thing I kinda get bored with yoga easily.  but I think I'm going to try again later today if nap time works out.  I also found out that we have a pilates dvd.  win!

back at it

after nearly two weeks off, I'm finally back in the game.  and I can feel it.  oy.

I didn't really mean to take almost two weeks off necessarily.  the week after the 10K I started to get sick and I was just drained of all energy.  plus my hamstring has really been bugging me.  so I hoped just taking the time to rest would help me out on all accounts.

nope, the hamstring still bugs me all the time.

but I'm back at it.

I feel very off-track in my training for the half and full marathons I've got planned.  part of me doesn't even want to do them anymore.  I just want to build up a really solid base, get the hamstring under control, and not have to have the pressure of scheduled long runs where I must build up this many miles in this amount of time, etc etc.  I just want to run and not feel bad if I don't get a workout in because I'm too tired to get out of bed in the morning.

but I'm going to stick it out.  because the marathon at the end of the year is something that I really do want to do, so hopefully the body cooperates.


so this past weekend I got back on the long run bandwagon.  well, it was only 4 miles, so not that long of a long run.  (I think I had 10 on the schedule.  eek.)  but with my hamstring the way it is I didn't want to overdo it as I'm coming off a two week hiatus.  and I was tight and felt slow, but at least I was out there.

this morning I made sure I got out there again.  it was only about 3 miles.  again, I felt tight and slow.  oh well.  I stretched and iced, but I think I might want to add foam rolling into the routine?  any thoughts on foam rolling for nagging things like hamstrings??

monday morning blues

my run this morning wasn't that great.  it wasn't bad, per se.  just not great.  I woke up later than usual, but still went out anyway.  it wasn't too hot, but not as cool as the early morning.  I was tired.  I am tight.  I just needed to get out there to move and stretch the legs a bit.  it was a short + slow run. 

I have been surprisingly sore since my 10K.  my quads, other than my right hamstring, are feeling it the most.  my hamstring is really tight/sore.  I can't even stretch it as far as I usually can.  so I definitely iced after my run today.  I need to get this hamstring under control so I can start increasing my mileage for my half marathon in october* and my full in december.  I'm thinking about doing this yoga for inflexible people dvd that I have lying around.  maybe I need to do it daily.  seriously, my inflexibility is that bad.  especially the hamstrings. 

2 miles



*the half I was originally wanting to do in september is full, I just found out.  totally bummed.  but now I'm going to be running the pink series half in october with some friends.  it still fits in nicely with my training plan for my marathon, so all is not lost.  I'm actually looking forward to this run in park city, though it's no down-canyon run in the fall like I was really excited about.  next year. 

she runs, we run, I run

the she runs run like a girl 10K race recap and sparkle skirt debut

first things first, the rest of my week:

m:  my right hamstring has been hurting, so I took the day off.

t:  an hour ride with tori on the legacy parkway trail.  at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  in 100 degree heat.  we were a little hot and dehydrated by the end.  but we did take full advantage of that splash park on our way back.  

w:  again, I didn't do anything.  the hamstring was still bugging me.  though I did walk both kids over to a local park in the running stroller, so that counts for something, right?

h:  my first run of the week.  I just tried to take it easy.  it was probably around 3 miles.

f:  I did the cotton bottom ride and I think it took about an hour.  I didn't want to kill my legs since I had a race the next morning.

s:  the run like a girl 10K!

I don't usually do 10Ks (as you can see by my lack of knowing what my 10K PR is) but I couldn't pass up doing a race with my two friends, natalie and tori.  natalie and I just had our second babies only days apart, so it was fun to get back into the swing of things with her.  and tori is just awesome and inspirational and I want to be just like her someday (aka super fast).  so yes, I paid to run 6.2 miles.

and it was a blast.

did I mention this was an all girl 10K put on by she runs?  and that it was in midway, utah so super pretty??  and that I had a pretty pink sparkly team sparkle running skirt on???

yeah, it was awesome.

within the first mile you start a mile-long climb up memorial hill.  then you turn around and make a loop back into the city park.  there was just one more baby hill in there, so it wasn't too bad.  natalie and I ran the whole thing together.  tori was too fast for us.  we did have to stop twice to stretch.  I was getting tight and just really needed it.  with about a quarter mile left I asked nat if we could kick up the pace just a bit to bring it home.  as we crossed the finish line the announcer asked us if we ran faster because of our sparkly skirts.  we did.  it was awesome. 

I came in at 1:00:09 or something like that.  natalie was right behind me.  it was about a 9:40 average pace, which I'll take at the moment.  both tori and natalie placed in their age group, which was awesome.  go girls, go!

me + the girls with the hardware

oh!  and my awesome little sister ran the 5K!  it was fun seeing her out on the course (we high-fived) and at the finish line.  she is a rock star!!  

last week's recap

monday:  run.  around 3 miles. 

tuesday:  ride.  I did the legacy parkway ride again.  I went out for thirty minutes and then turned around and came back.  still windy. 

wednesday:  I was planning on swimming, but never did.  my body was really tired so I just used it as a rest day.

thursday:  run.  around 3 miles. 

friday:  ride.  I went with my friend, tori, up emigration canyon.  this is the first time I have ever gone all the way to the top.  so high fives all around!  I have always been scared of the last section because it gets steeper.  yeah, totally not bad at all!  so glad I did it.

saturday:  long run.  six miles.  for the first half I just felt really tight.  the second half my hamstring was what was bugging me.  I need to get my hamstrings under control! 


I wish I remembered more of the specifics of my runs, etc.  I guess I should try harder to post the day of as opposed to recapping a week later.  I feel pretty good about last week, though, since I got out there almost every day. 

my hamstring has really been bugging me yesterday and today so I purposely didn't go running this morning.  I guess it needs a little break. 

pioneer day run

I went running on tuesday.  the park.  on the inside road.  in the recent past I wasn't able to run around the whole thing, I'd always walk up the hills.  but now I'm able to do it.  I'm slowly getting more endurance, though I still feel pretty slow.  all in due time.

I haven't gotten a workout in the rest of the week, though.  I am such a slacker and it's not good.  it is too hard to get out of my bed in the morning!  someone!  please!  help!!  I can't let this pattern continue.  I can't let the sleepiness rule my life.  I just have to get over myself and get out the door.

I have an 8 mile long run scheduled for tomorrow, but my friend wants to go on a 3 hour ride...  tempted.

epic long run and the rest of the weekend

I actually mapped out my route, mileage and all, for last saturday's long run.  y'all should be proud of me.  I'm actually starting to get my act together again.  so I planned out a nice little six miler, no biggie. I even ran in the opposite direction I usually take, so it was quite exciting!  (though it was on a route I often go biking--hey, I knew it was pretty nice and shaded!)

so I'm not going to go into all the reasons it was epic.  or really any of them for that matter.  I will spare you all the details. but let me just say that I feel like a true runner now.  it's only taken ten years.

by the end of the run it was getting hot and my legs were getting tired.  I'm glad it was only six miles.


we also went up to lava hot springs, idaho this weekend and peter and I got a nice ride in.  I'm pretty much out of bike shape, so it kinda wiped me out a lot more than it did peter.  any hills kill me!  I bailed on riding up this one canyon pretty quickly, but I really don't feel too bad about it.  pete said that right after we turned around it starts getting really steep and you have to grind it in your granny gear.  I told him I was already grinding it in my granny gear!

I think our ride was about an hour long, and I have no idea how much distance we covered.  my bike computer is out of batteries, and pete hasn't been biking with one lately.  I'm just glad we got out there at all!

and today?  well, I let myself sleep in.  I really wanted to get to the pool this morning, but when morning came it didn't really sound like a fun idea anymore.  kate was up like three times last night/early morning so I was pretty tired.  as an athlete mama of two little ones, I've learned to be very flexible about my workouts.  if it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world.  I just can't let days and days of missed workouts go by.  it's a fine balance my energy levels ride.

anna jo and the crinks

yesterday was just one of those days.  I had a horrible night's sleep.  spent the day in an exhausted stupor.  obviously didn't go running since I didn't want to get out of bed.  I debated going on a ride first when I went out to my mom's so she could watch the kids (didn't even end up going out to my mom's) and then later with a friend (though she couldn't go until her husband got home from his flag football, which wasn't until about 8:30p which to me is just too late to be starting a ride), so needless to say that never happened either.

so it was a rest day.  good enough.

this morning I knew I had to get out there again.  and luckily the baby agreed and woke up at 6:30a to eat.  I must have slept weird because I have a huge crinked neck this morning.  I stuck it out anyway and went on my run.  it was good to be out there, at least.  about 3'ish miles.

but my neck is still crinked.  boo.

the journey

thank you, baby, for waking up at 6a to eat.  I really do appreciate it.

headed out in the cool early morning.  it felt good.  I couldn't help but think of my running journey.  of where I started and how far I've come.  and then again, my journey post babies and drop foot.  I thought of those runs that helped define me as a runner.  the struggles, the accomplishments, the people along the way.  it's been a good journey so far, and I know the second phase of the journey is just beginning.

I tacked on a little bit extra to this route.  I just mapped it out and it was 3.68 miles.

the normal aches and pains.  my right hamstring bugged me a little bit.  et cetera, et cetera.  I'd like to think I would be the fastest runner out there if not for these random nagging injuries.  oh well, it keeps me humble.

last week

m - h:  nadda

f:  a 3'ish mile run?  it was the big loop around the local park.  I really need to figure out the distance on that bad boy.

s:  a 5'ish mile long run.  I should double check on mapmyrun.com.  just one moment, please.  okay, it was just 4.8 miles.  not quite what I was hoping for.  oh well.  next time I should actually map out the milage/route.

let's not even talk about this week.  yesterday I didn't work out.  and I didn't work out this morning, so it's a safe bet I won't be working out at all today.  I can get out the door if the baby wakes up around 5:30a - 6:30a to eat, but if she doesn't and I get to sleep in a little later--forgettaboutit.  and then it's just too bloody hot.

maybe I should just start setting an alarm?

run + spin

yesterday I went running with the boy in the stroller. I don't have the front wheel locked so it's harder on the upper body since I have to work to keep it going straight. but the trade off is I feel I can maneuver it better. so I take the trade as an extra arm workout. I ran the same park as monday except I did the interior road, which has a lot more hills involved. I was able to run mostly up the hills. and I ran the rest. I feel good about that.

today I woke up for the early AM spin class. I'm always glad I wake up for spin. it gets my day going and I am so much more productive. the workout was good today. long climbs. I can already feel I've gained so much more endurence in spin since I started going more regularly this past month or so. we'll see how that translates to the bike. which I should be getting back from the shop tonight. so look out, road, here I come!

the memorial day run

I ran the long loop at the local park. though not the extended long loop, because I didn't want to overdo it. I can't even remember how many miles it is. I'll have to figure that out. I do have to say that I feel my endurance is already improving. slightly. that's a good sign.

my calves were tight, but the hamstrings held up reasonably well.

it was good to be out there. slight rain. brisk.

embrace the suck: I can do hard things.

{image via}

so many people in my life have been inspiring me lately. today I read this post and this post, by my friend, jen, and just couldn't help but adopt her mantra, embrace the suck. I want to do things that make me hurt. that make me feel alive. that suck. it's sounds a little crazy, to want to hurt, but if you are an endurance athlete you know what I mean.

yesterday I went running with my friend tori. she's on the journey to ironman and I couldn't be more thrilled (plus slightly jealous) for her. she has pushed through injuries and setbacks and is planning on racing ironman cozumel this fall. she has gotten me so excited for a little triathlon we'll be doing together in june. I'm just doing the sprint distance, though in my heart of hearts I wish I was doing the olympic with her. but I have to be realistic and I have to take things slow. and let's be honest, the sprint is probably all I can handle right now. it's weird to say this, but the 5K run is what is freaking me out the most! did I just say that?

I'm also planning on doing a bike relay this summer. maybe this summer will be about the bike and swim. not so much the run. though if I could swing it, and my familia is serious, I would love to run the hobblecreek half marathon. (who's started training??!)

and that leaves us to the swim portion of my summer. I'm committing myself to a 5K marathon swim. yes, that's swimming 3.1 miles in open water. it might sound crazy, but when I initially heard about this event I secretly wanted to do the 10 mile swim! crazy much?!

so see, I've been craving the suck. I need to push myself and test my limits again. I want to remind myself that I can push past the pain + negative thoughts. that I can do hard things.

2010 race season: the tentative commitment.

here is what I'm looking forward to next season. am hoping the foot cooperates!

salt lake city marathon 5K - this time with the little pj man on the outside of me, in the running stroller. we will have come full circle, one year later, my little training partner and I.
saturday, april 17, 2010

camp pendleton mud run - we didn't end up doing this last year because of pregnancy and injury and it was really sad. so I vow to do it this year. it's my favorite race ever and it's a great excuse to play in the sand + surf in SoCal.
saturday, june 5 (or 12), 2010

hobble creek half marathon - I'm trying to talk my mother into walking this. she's pretty hardcore, even though she doesn't believe she is. she does at least half this distance on a daily basis, so training for the full 13.1 wouldn't really be that big of a stretch. everyone who knows her should tell her to do it.
saturday, august 22, 2010

atlanta marathon - if we can swing it, I really want to do this with my sister + brother inlaw. what better excuse to eat your heart out on thanksgiving than having run 26.2 that morning? free pass for sure! plus I just want to go out and see them and their cute kids in georgia. it would be a win, win, win.
thursday, november 25, 2010

I know I want to do at least one triathlon somewhere in there, but not really sure which one(s). at this point I'm not even sure if it would be sprint or olympic (probably olympic). may and july don't have anything, so that might be something to look at. decisions, decisions! oh how I love planning out the future races. it does my heart good.

right now

right now the only exercise I can really do is walking. and swimming, but only with the pull buoy. oh, and all my PT exercises. PT exercises, you say? what happened to your kenyan?? nerve damage. foot drop. no postpartum bounce back for anna jo.

oh how I yearn for running. lacing up those shoes on a chilly autumn day. heading out in a long sleeve tee and shorts. or even tights. to just feel that freedom of movement; my legs moving, my lungs and heart pumping. I miss the motion.

sometimes when I'm out walking with the little man I pretend I'm running. I try to feel that motion inside of me. sometimes it almost works.

right now I have to be positive. I have to be hopeful. I have to be patient.

eventually the nerves should regenerate. my foot will remember how to hold itself up. I won't have to wear a brace just to walk normally. it will just take time.

so right now I'm looking forward to the future. planning a tentative race schedule for next season. we'll see what time brings. hopefully it brings my foot back.

luna-tics

I went and worked out with the salt lake luna chix team for the first time today. it was there season kick-off. why oh why did I not workout with them last summer?

I've been on there mailing list since last year. I could have gone to a lot of their workouts, but I found excuses not to. I guess joining a new group is hard, especially by yourself. but one thing I've learned in my life is if you really want to do something, you just have to go out and do it. you can't count on anybody else doing it with you. so today I went. by myself. and met a bunch of really nice, friendly women who all have a passion for being active through swimming, biking and running.

I'll admit, a few things made it easier for me. it was their first workout of the season, so there would be a lot of new women to the group. and I'm pregnant, so there's no pressure on me {if you're competitive at all, the thought of training with a bunch of uber athletic women who will most likely kick your trash is slightly intimidating. though it really shouldn't be.} and let's be honest, the siren song of free stuff was really what got me there. I even won a prize in the raffle. water bottles, luna bars, sweet arm warmers. yeah, I'll do just about anything for the chance at free stuff.

the workout was a run around liberty park. people just split up into different groups depending on how far you wanted to go/pace, etc. the weather was great and I made some new friends. we ended up doing three loops around which is something around three miles'ish. it felt great! {my left tendon near my ankle was bugging, and so was my left IT band... I think it's from running on cambered streets all the time}

if any of you women in the salt lake area are interested in joining the team, you should totally do it! it's free to join and it gives you a great group of ladies to workout with. all abilities are welcome. I'm excited to have a support group, especially through the pregnancy and as I get back into training next season after the baby comes. hopefully I can fit the workouts into my new mommy schedule.

the five-k

me and my new training partner ran our first race yesterday. I love training with this person. I mean, we run and swim the exact same splits. we are perfectly on pace with each other. how often does that happen? I must admit, though, that training with this person has definitely slowed me down quite a bit. and--especially in the beginning there--has sucked the life out of me. but we're getting back on track now.

we're in training for the long course right now. so we'll have to pace each other. september 26th is the big race. and I cannot wait.

but back to our first race together. . . the salt lake marathon 5K. we paced ourselves and made sure we weren't running too hard. it's important to keep that conversational pace, or so they say. I actually felt pretty good. especially since I hadn't gone on a run at all last week. {work sucked the life out of me. every day felt like a workout anyway, so I think I'm okay} there's that stretch of road while you're on state street, heading up to the turn at south temple that felt like it took forever. the long, slight incline is deceiving, that's for sure. but the finish at the gateway is always fun.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least slightly bummed to not be running the marathon or the half. there will be time for that in the future. I mean, I had a blast with the 5K and our first race together as training partners. {and with my other running buddies, marta and heidi, of course!}

I'm pretty sure fetus took first place in the unborn division.

chip time: 30:41
pace: 9:53

again, a weekly recap

monday: the standard four mile route + core

tuesday: 45 minutes on the elliptical

wednesday: I ran around the park because for some reason I thought that might be a good idea. see, when I run around the park I don't just run around the road inside the park, I actually run around the park. the perimeter. which right now is covered in snow, if you do recall. but it was a sunny day and the snow was turning more to slush and I was kind of slipping around. not so good for the ankle or the hamstring. I iced when I got home in leu of doing my core workout.

thursday: I walked around town doing some errands. and by that I mean I walked a. long. time. it was probably a few miles all in all.

friday: the day kind of slipped away from me without a workout. we'll just count it as a rest day.

saturday: twelve mile long run. and yes, it was outside. thank goodness! my left arch felt a little weird for the first few miles again, but then it felt normal. my right hamstring is bugging me a little bit. the legs were getting pretty tight by the end. to be honest, I didn't take an ice bath or even ice at all afterward. I ate and then jumped into a warm shower. my legs are a little tight today.

new year

I swear I've been running.  at least somewhat, anyway.

the weekend after the worst long run in my life, I didn't run.  I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I needed a break.  

the next week I ran a couple four mile runs, I think.  

that weekend I pulled out a twelve miler.

the following week was christmas, I think, and I did a few four mile runs again.

last weekend I only did an eight mile long run.

monday I went on a baby snowshoe hike

tuesday I went cross country skiing

wednesday I really only went ice skating

yesterday I ran a four miler

today I will hopefully make it to the gym to do the elliptical...  

I need to buy some new running shoes sometime before salt lake running co. closes tonight.  let's be honest, I should've gotten new shoes a long time ago.  I am in serious need. 

tomorrow I hope to get a ten miler in, wish me luck.

yeah, so...

here is another update:

friday -- I'm pretty sure I took this as a rest day. I was going to try and at least get my core workout in, but didn't really remember that until I was drifting off to sleep that night. whoops!

saturday -- the worst long run of my life. or, the one in which anna falls. okay, so seriously I think everything was starting to catch up with me last saturday. I. was. tight. and tired. and fourteen miles? seemed like forever. by the end my little legs were just shuffling along. and within the last 1.5 miles of being done with the whole sordid affair, I tripped. I'm not even sure if I tripped over anything! there's a huge possibility I just didn't pick one of my feet up off the ground! I took a tumble right there on the sidewalk and scuffed up my hands and my right knee. and my shoulder and hip were sore afterwards too. the fall seemed to happen in slow motion, but my muscles were so tight I had no control, of them, of the situation. it definitely humbled me.

monday -- four miles + core

tuesday -- five miles

wednesday -- swimteam
500 warmup
6 X 50 drill
3 X 100 {slow, medium, fast}
200
3 X 100 build
300
3 X 100 {slow, medium, fast}
cooldown

thursday -- three miles + core