First WOD; Some judgement of fellow runners

Remember that time I did 30 dead lifts with a 35 pound bar and I was desperately sore for the next two days? Yeah, 3 weeks ago? This morning I did 65 dead lifts with a 75 pound bar. So...I'm thinking tomorrow is going to be misery. It was disheartening to see that the prescribed workout had women dead lifting 135 pounds, and I was the only person there lifting in the double digits (including a portly gentleman in his late 60's). Still, I survived my first WOD, which also included 5 rounds of 400 meter runs, and 5 rounds of GHD sit ups (I think that's what they were called. You sat on the edge of a MASSIVE tire, hooked your feet inside the middle of the tire and leaned all the way back so that you were bending your backbone toward the ground and then did a sit up. Everyone else had to do 30). I'm confident I'll get there eventually, but my goodness...it was a rough morning.

Now, let me go back to Saturday: my 6 mile run. Robert was out of town, so I did it by myself again. I ran at a park right next to a high school. I like to run there because there is a dirt trail that I can run on, but I can also run on pavement to switch it up. Normally I can also mix in the high school track, but they had some event going on at the time and they wouldn't let me in. Due to all the rain we've had here lately, the trail was even more of an adventure than usual; there was a new stream that cut through the path, about 3 feet wide. Someone before me had placed a rock strategically in the middle, so that path frequenters could get to the other side with relatively dry feet. It was much better than last week's run. Including the time I spent traversing the new river, I ran a 10:10 average, and I felt good the whole time.

Even on a cloudy, chilly Saturday morning, there were a good number of runners out with me. Here is my observation with runners, in general: they all take themselves WAY too seriously. One of my favorite things about hiking/backpacking is the camaraderie that automatically exists between those of us out on the trail. It is rare to pass a hiker that won't give you a head-nod, at the very least. More often, you'll get a cheerful "Hello!" and "How are you??" or "Beautiful day for a hike, isn't it?" and so on. All I want from a fellow runner is some sign of recognition that we are all out there voluntarily doing the same stupid thing for hours at a time. I feel this is especially necessary if you see the same runner more than one time during the same run, which often happens when you're both running in circles and moving in opposite directions (I mean, come on). Only one runner deigned to give me a head-nod, and that poor fellow looked like this was maybe his first run...ever. I'm sure he will soon learn to be smug and superior and will no longer return my smiles, head-nods or, when I get really over zealous, waves. And that, my friends, will be a sad sad day for me. I live in ALABAMA for goodness sake...what has the world come to if down-home southern folk won't say hello to a neighbor?

This particular [non]social experience got even better toward the end of my run, when I saw a man jogging in a Phillies shirt. I said (okay, really I yelled), "Nice shirt!" as we passed each other...nothing. I got NOTHING in return. Not even a smile. Not even eye contact. It's really not possible that he didn't hear me...we were inches from one another, and I, um... shouted at him. I then wanted to say (yell) all kinds of things that I would likely regret instantly, so I refrained (with some difficulty).

Another note about strange runners: I also saw a girl who was jogging in full make up. We're talking fake eyelashes, heavy eyeliner, blush, the whole bit. Even if it's cool enough that you won't sweat off your make-up, you look ridiculous.

Speak of looking ridiculous: Wedding dress fitting #4 was on Saturday, and it finally fits. Thank. Goodness.

Barking

Hello!

It's Wednesday, so [like every other day of the week] I have been done with my work since 8:30. I have been reading my book (Game of Thrones. Yes I am an ultra-nerd.) under my desk for the past hour, but I'm starting to get nervous that my boss or manager will come in, and it's a lot harder to hide a book than a blog post. Can you believe they pay me for this?

Tomorrow is my last day of CrossFit Foundations, which means that next week I jump right into the WODs...I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous about it. They want me to do it FIVE DAYS A WEEK, and Sean is kind of a scary guy. He's always berating me for laughing at myself ("giggling" as he says) when I do something ridiculously wrong. I'm kind of dreading the moment when I tell him that what I'd like to do is what I'm doing now: three days of CrossFit, two days of running (one short interval session and one long run.) Or at the very least four days of CrossFit and a long run on the weekends. But hey, it's my money so I can do whatever I want, right? Right??

On Monday we learned the push-press-jerk, which involves a lot of movements, and my lack of coordination and tendency to overthink things made it pretty challenging for me just to do it with a PVC pipe. Below is a lovely video that shows you all three versions of the shoulder press.

I got the push-press-jerk eventually though, and I think and I lifted more weight than I probably should have. I am so sore that it hurt to sleep. Seriously. Not that I would have been sleeping anyway, because my neighbor's charming dog has found it necessary to bark and bark and bark. All. Night. Long. Rob called the police on Sunday night, but they said there was nothing they could do about it. I think in the past three nights I have gotten five hours of sleep per night, give or take. I keep telling myself in a fit of rage in the middle of the night that I'm going to go give the owner a piece of my mind the following day, but then I always wimp out when the time comes.

Rob and I did our long runs separately last Saturday because he wanted to play Frisbee in the morning and I had another dress fitting at noon. My five miles wasn't particularly enjoyable, but I finished it in 49:33 which has got to be a personal best. Rob did his later in 49:45, and that was the longest distance he has run thus far. I am so proud of him!

Our wedding is coming up fast. My dress doesn't fit yet, and I had my first bridal moment last weekend when I cried after trying it on again. I felt stupid, but it LOOKED stupid. So...we're going to give it another try this weekend. This time I'm going to make a friend of mine go with me so she can tell me that it doesn't look that bad :)

Week 3

Happy Valentine's Day [this really is a stupid holiday]! Rob went wild this year and got me TWO bouquets of flowers-- 2-dozen roses and some pretty purple tulips for my office. He said this was the last time he'd have to make an effort for Valentine's Day, because by next year I'll really be stuck with him :) Gosh, I'm such a lucky lady! Tonight I'm going to make him some lobster ravioli and some brownie-strawberry-cupcake things.

Back to the exercise routine: Rob and I ran our 4 miles on Saturday, which happened to be the ONLY non-dreary day of the week. We ran somewhere I hadn't been to yet and really enjoyed. If you live in Birmingham, you probably know about the Lakeshore Parkway trail, but if you haven't run it yet I would definitely recommend it. The memo seemed to have gotten out though, as runners were crowding in from every side.

During that run I was noticeably faster without putting in noticeably more effort. We ran a 9:33 average and only the first mile was over 10 minutes, which I think was because we had a hard time finding the trail. I'm not entirely sure why I did so well. Probably a combination of running with a buddy (two buddies, actually--our friend Drew joined us as well, and he used to run an sub-20 minute 5k.), running less, and doing interval training on Tuesdays.

My third week of CrossFit foundations was pretty tough. We learned to do push-presses on Monday and I could barely get my 3 rounds of 10 reps done with a 35 pound bar. The trainer had to help me with the last 15 or so! My shoulders have been killing me ever since, so I don't think I wasn't pushing myself hard enough...I'm just a delicate little thing. Yesterday we learned the back squat, front squat and kettlebell swing, and this morning we learned to do dumbbell snatches. We did sumo squats as a part of our mini work-out and my butt is already hurting...so I can only imagine what it will feel like tomorrow.

This weekend Rob and I will be doing 5 miles, but we may or may not do it together. He wants to go play Ultimate Frisbee on Saturday morning (not really my thing) and I have a feeling he won't want to run after that...but I know that I will want to run since I'm taking a rest day tomorrow. I will report back next week!

CrossFit

[Insert sincere apologies for not having posted in...forever.]

I started doing Crossfit 2 weeks ago. I have been questioning the running wisdom that says that you must put in 40-50 miles per week in order to successfully complete a marathon. It just doesn't make sense to me. I am by no means an expert, but I would think that as long as I have the cardiovascular capability to keep my heart-rate at a 160-180 pace for an extended period of time (which can be attained in ways other than running 4 days per week) and more importantly the muscle strength to carry me through 26.2 miles (which can also be attained in ways other than running) I should be able to finish the race, right? And frankly, the constant repetition of running wreaks havoc on my joints, as shown by my bout of injuries over the last few months. If I want to be active for the rest of my life AND complete marathons, something has to change.

Such questions led me to talk to the friendly people at CrossFit Riverchase. I told them my intentions: I am an injury-prone runner who wants to complete a marathon this year. I want CrossFit to make me strong so I could run longer and more safely. They assured me that they could do that, and by lucky chance there was a marathoner at the "box" at that time, so I had a chance to speak with her. She told me that she ran several marathons before joining CrossFit, one following the CrossFit program. She told me that both her performance and recovery were significantly better after the CrossFit training plan. Even more interestingly, she told me that she tried another marathon on her own AFTER the CrossFit plan and that she broke her foot during the marathon. Needless to say, I was sold.

Rob hates CrossFit, because he feels like you're paying a lot of money for something that you could do at home. But, I respectfully disagree. Even if I got the workouts from a friend who actually pays for CrossFit, I couldn't do them nearly the same as I do at CrossFit. Mostly because there is a coach there, at all times, watching my form, making sure that I'm doing the exercises right and not slacking off. There is also the added bonus of competition: with others and myself. I was incredibly pleased with myself Wednesday morning when I beat one of the boys in our mini workout :)

If you know anything about CrossFit, you know that they require that you go through a "Foundations" course in which they basically just teach you to do the moves that they want you to do during the actual workouts and then give you a mini workout to do using those moves. The Foundations course is 12 sessions, 3 per week. My CrossFit box only has these sessions at 6:15 AM and 6:00 PM. Since the box is right next to my office (literally, I could throw a rock from one building to the next) I have been going in the morning and showering up before starting my work day. It was hard the first day, but as long as I get enough sleep I really enjoy working out that early--it's a good start to the day! Even the "mini" workouts have been making me sore--I'm sure my first real workout will be a total disaster!

On non-CF days they give us a cardio assignment, which I have been extending to match what I would have done if I had been following the conventional marathon training plan (which is what Rob is doing.) So today, for example, I should have done 3 miles on the old plan, but CF had assigned me to do:

5 min jog (10:40 mm)

10 foot bear crawl (any experienced CrossFitters out there: don't scoff)

5 min jog (10:40 mm)

2 min hard run (7:47 mm)

20 ft bear crawl

2 min hard run (7:47 mm)

20 ft bear crawl

2 min hard run (7:52 mm)

20 ft bear crawl

2 min hard run (7:52 mm)

20 ft bear crawl

2 min hard run (8:00 mm)

20 foot bear crawl

That took me to about 2 miles, so I finished the CF assignment off with a 10 minute mile, even though it wasn't prescribed. 

I hardly need to say that I am REALLY loving CrossFit so far. My coaches are knowledgable and encouraging, and I love not having to think about my workouts too much--just show up and give it my all! I plan to double up like this until I start doing the actual WODs (workouts of the day) when I finish up the beginner's course here in a couple of weeks. Even then, I'm still going to do Saturday long runs with Rob. Tomorrow will be 4 miles :)

Bachelorette

I have to work today, which is terribly unfortunate as I haven't slept more than 5 hours in the last 4 nights, and I could REALLY use a nap-coma today. What makes it even worse is that I don't actually have anymore work to do...

This past weekend was my bachelorette party/bridal shower weekend in Fernandina Beach. I took Friday off of work and went for a beautiful 6 mile run before my 1:25 flight to Florida. The temperature was just below freezing while I was running, so I got to try out my fancy new compression pants that my sister got me for Christmas. AND, miracle of miracles, the sun was shining! I had almost forgotten what it looked like! My body seemed to hold up decently, but my right knee and left foot were still achy. I think I have decided to defer my half marathon registration until next year. I had been thinking that if I could run 10 miles with minimal pain two weeks before the half is supposed to happen I would do it, but if it hurt after a 6 mile run on a lot of running rest, I probably shouldn't do it. I might do it anyway if I weren't hoping to do the full marathon in June--but for now, I concede defeat. Especially because I did 3 miles on a treadmill during my lunch break today and now my foot is hurting again.

I loved having my friends in one place to celebrate my upcoming marriage, and am especially grateful because all of them had to drive/travel at least 3 hours to do so. My MOH did a spectacular job with the decorations and organization, and I was just so happy to be with my friends and family. I really took it for granted when we were all in the same place, and I really treasure the few days a year that I get to see them now.

I was short two bridesmaids; Caitlin couldn't manage the trip from Germany and Kathryn wanted to be with her mom because the terminal cancer she had been fighting for so long was...winning, for lack of a better word. We got the news late Saturday night that the beautiful Kate had left this world and gotten her wings. It seemed appropriate, somehow, that the rest of us girls were together... we all understood how the others felt because we ALL love Kathryn and Elizabeth deeply. We cried together and prayed together, and I pray still for Kathryn and Elizabeth and all those who loved Kate. The contrast between the silliness of the night with too much champagne and my giant flashing "engagement ring" and the somber news that came soon after we got back to the hotel was so stark and unsettling--I couldn't help but cry my eyes out for all the broken hearts she left behind.

Of course I didn't get much sleep either of the nights we were there. I was just too excited to sleep in, and we stayed up to the wee hours of the morning just chatting and laughing (or crying... or both). I wouldn't trade those girls for anything in the world--I carry their hearts in my heart, and I am so glad I got to celebrate with them this weekend.

Slacker

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I wrote. I could make a lot of excuses (holidays, travel, work, etc.) but the truth is that I was just uninterested. I started this blog to record my efforts to train for a marathon and I haven't been doing that. I've hardly been doing any running at all, to be honest. Between foot pains and knee pains, I just haven't been able to do much without putting myself in danger of serious damage.

Mac and I at Teotihuacan in Mexico

I have been exercising, nevertheless. Lately I've been focusing a lot more on strength and flexibility than endurance training. I'm still doing something active 5-6 days a week, and now that the wedding is creeping up, I really want to focus on my arms and shoulders. When I was rock climbing regularly a couple of years ago, my back and arms were so strong--they weren't big and manly, but they were definitely more sculpted than they currently are. So I've been doing 3 days of upper body work, plus 20-30 minutes of biking or the elliptical or some running, and then 2 days of lower body work and 1 day of just longer cardio (45 minutes or an hour). I also try to do some light yoga a few days a week.

I ran last week outside in the rain. It was really fun, but my achilles tendon was so tight that it was painful and I had to stop at 1.75 miles. I know the achilles is a dangerous tendon to mess with (hence the phrase "achilles heel" that is used to allude to weakness in a person's character), but I don't see how it could possibly be in danger of tearing since I feel like I haven't REALLY been pushing myself at all for what feels like forever. I miss running, and I am hoping to start training for the Rock 'n' Roll marathon in a month or so.

I have a lot of things to look forward to here in the next few weeks. Shannon is throwing me a bridal shower here in Birmingham on Sunday, and I am going to have my hair trial done that day too. I am also having my second meeting with the Sonnet House so I can finally figure out what else I need to do for this shindig. The following weekend will be my bridal shower/bachelorette party weekend in Fernandina with my bridal party and other college friends. I am SO excited about that and I can't believe how close it is! I am such a lucky girl--I have wonderful friends, a wonderful family, and a wonderful boy to marry :)

I Have the Monday's

Hi everyone,

It's about time for my weekly update, but I am running short on time here at the office, so I shall keep it very brief.

I went back to the PT on Tuesday for further gait-analysis. I only ran 0.7 miles total while there, and when I got back to the office my foot was in serious pain again. So I called her on Wednesday to see what she thought, and she told me to stay off of it for a few days--no running in either form, and when I started back again to only do 1 mile in my old form. So instead of running, on Wednesday  I did a series of jumping jacks mixed with crunches, triceps dips, squats, lunges, Russian twists, calf raises, push ups, and planks. It was a workout, but I did it at home, which is always less satisfying than the gym.

Thursday I did a 35 minute bike ride, unenthusiastically.

Saturday my foot seemed okay, so I set out for a 6 mile run (yeah, so I didn't listen to the PT) and I had to stop at 5.56 miles because the pain was so bad. The weird thing is that as soon as I give it any rest--even if it's just 15 minutes-- it feels loads better. I don't understand it! So! I  have decided, after discussing it with my PT (who called me this morning to check in--how awesome is she??) to not run for the next 2 weeks. I can bike, because it doesn't bother my foot, but absolutely no running.

It would be a shame for me to update this blog without mentioning the CT shooting. My heart breaks for those sweet babies and their families and for the teachers and administrators who died bravely protecting the kids that they loved. Violent acts like this have been becoming increasingly more "normal" over the past 100 years. Read Ben Stein's thoughts on what has contributed to this change here and see if you agree. I hope everyone is keeping those affected by this horror in their thoughts and prayers :(