Week 8 - Oh My Mileage

Monday
Distance: 5 miles, with strides
Pace: Hot mess, Part Deux

I just cannot find my schedule.  Too few options, too many options.  Long arse commute makes it so that if I run the weekday distance, I do absolutely nothing else except run and work.  I guess I don't have to sustain for longer than a few months, so I will suck it up. But rough, man!

K & M are running Mondays, 6:30 AM up in Alpha.  That's the one scenario that no longer works for me.  :/  To start at 6:30, I need to be down past a good bit of the commute, or I don't get into work until bed time. lol.

The oval-beltline is the most appealing in the evening, but now that In-Training for Peachtree is over, that's alone.  Alone Monday, alone Tuesday AND alone Wednesday evenings sounds like a receipt for disaster.  So I must keeping trying to shuffle this. For now, alone, hot and a mess.  But 5 miles, done!

Pretty much #nope all the way.  But I could have skipped it, so there's that.

Tuesday - Friday
Nope, nope and nope.  Work essentially blew up.  Run buds disappeared. My pink gym bag basically was along for a scenic ride of the downtown area each day.

Nice change of pace on the personal / home front though.  Friendships and relationships stabilizing. I have a bit of support again in this crazy world, and am starting not sounding like a cynical cat lady (among other things, I don't even like cats, so that path was going to present serious issues, lmao).

Saturday 
Distance: Decatur 4 miler
Time: 42:24, 10:29 avg pace.

Last year, I finished this race in 35:36, 8:54 avg. pace.  I for sure was absolutely tickled; that time was definitely representative of a "make it suck" effort. This year, I just had fun.  I can't even figure out if this is my new kinda-make-it-suck pace, or if I am both off pace and off on mental game.  For today, we'll blame it on the fact that I stayed out REALLY late Friday night (NKOTB concert .. woo!).

But .. no more whining about last year.  I am where I am, and I need to get better.  That is all.

Sunday
Distance: 14 miles
Pace: ~11:20

Hallelujah!  Felt great on this run!! A few things that were different from last week's run: no hills, overcast, and flat. I love Cochran Shoals!  Also, and a big win, I didn't chase anyone out of the gate, or make early-on pacing mistakes.  I knew I'd need run/walk eventually, so I started 3-1 right from the beginning, even when I didn't need it.  K was doing similar, so I had a person anchor for all two plus hours.  Big group all out there on the out and back loops, too. My favorite perk.

If I use this as an indicator, I think that I can realistically train for under 5 hours, maybe 4:45. Not where I'd like to end up, and its going to be REALLY hard to keep the mental game up for months, and to keep the enthusiasm up during the race itself, if a PR of 4:26 is not even possible.  But not ready to admit defeat on that front. Lets just keep doing what we're doing for a while longer, shall we? That said, right now, sub-5 for sure seems like a hit I'd have to be proud of, given the circumstances being where they are right now.

Hard not to mention last year here specifically, too.  A Facebook memory reminds me that this weekend, Michele and I hit 17 miles for the first time, and ran it at a 10:30 avg pace.  That said, its only 3 miles from what we did, and I for sure did not feel like I tempo-ed any part of this run in absolutely any way, so very hopeful there is still a bit of wiggle room if I really, really get ambitious with training.

Of course, my favorite part of any run is cutting it up with friends, and .. WAFFLES! :) 

I hydrated well, slept well, pre-ate well, and the only thing that tuckered out were the bottom of my feet.  Quads and calves only a tiny bit miffed.  No soreness Monday.  So, I am thankful!

Chicago - Week 7 - Finding Mojo

Wednesday

Scheduled:

1 WU
4 X 1,200 m with 400 jog, 1 CD
2 WU, 2 CD

Did: 1 mile WU, 4 x 1200 with 400m recovery walk, .5 CD (walk)

As with last year, for the most part, I will run long at Level 3, and midweek at mainly level 2, until (if) I build up my base distance and speed.

Garmin (or I) dropped the ball on the last interval.  It marked .86 rather than .75.  Def my fastest split, recorded or un.

I did not want to do this work out.  I HAD been wanting to run from the walk back to Marta on 7/4.  (If I recall correctly, I did do a little tipsy running up one hill. bahaha), right up until about 4 pm 7/5.  As soon as I got home, I had children to shuttle, late lunches to eat, and my quads/calves were talking to me from PTRR.  So basically, as soon as I could run today, I didn't want to.

But ...

I have now made one too many friends who will ask me if I've run today.  lol.

There aren't many things these days that I can control.  Whether I show up and do a work out IS up to me, though. 

I am so glad I dragged myself out there .. at EIGHT PM. Accidental night speed work at Fowler track is THE. ISH.  Just me, in my head, running in circles.  The night starting to cool things down... loud music .. the flat track perfect for pushing the envelope a bit.  Felt damn badass.  I think some night running is going to have to be incorporated into the weekly schedule.

Have I had the thought that if I hit sub 9:10 avg pace for all four intervals, after a 1 mi WU at sub 9:30, that maybe I could have left more on the Peachtree course, like for real?  .. yes, yes I have.  LOL.

Thursday

Scheduled: Rest or XT

Some of me wanted to swim.  Thursday is XT swim.  Where are all my friends that like to swim Thursday night??  ..

Crickets.  I tried to motivate to just go do it anyway solo, like last week.  But most of me said rested.  So I rested.  Which was well deserved, and much needed.

Friday
30 minute XT
5 miles easy
Did: 4 miles, pace unknown, but faster than easy.

I forgot my watch.  I forgot to put my hair up.  I forgot to glide.  But I woke up, and I ran.  Friyay!

I probably did not stay easy enough. The pace was for sure a little push.  Hard to stay easy with this zippy group, at flat, cool Riverside.  I heard my legs talking before my cardio even made a peep, though, so I know that I am feeling the extra miles now that I am actually doing them all.  Something tells me I am going to be crying by the end of my long run tomorrow!

Our Friday Riverside group keeps getting bigger and bigger. <3 accountability buds!!  

Saturday
Schedule:
13 miles

Did: thirteen friggin point f'in one miles.
Pace: hot mess

Fall kick off!  Oh boy.  Two years in a row, one of my toughest runs of the season.  Those Brookhaven hills Enrique loves are brutal.  And since its always in my brain that it's "only four miles to start" with the official group run, I always overdo.  Last year, "fast" was 9:15-9:30ish.  This year, that was NOT the pace, but it was still too fast for the long run I am capable of.

Luckily, I had friends to run with.  That made the rest of this hillacious and hot ugh of a run almost tolerable.

Unfortunately, the heat and the hills just ate me all up.  I held it together for the first 4 miles.  The break in between that and the next 2.5 helped a lot.  After the 10K mark, though, I was out of hydration and out of spirit. (Note to self: remember breakfast, dork).  Having M & D out in front & K to run with was a god-sent.  I probably would have called it way earlier otherwise.  Run/walk jumped in to save the day, too.  I rallied with the insert of breaks, and finished 10.5 ugly ass miles.

But wait .. there's more. I knew I had not one step left out on Peachtree, but after I got in the car.. and A/C, I figured it'd be a waste to call it without the full 13.1 under belt.  After all, its not like I ended up doing much more than junk miles.  If/until you can't put in solid runs, more junk miles!!  So I popped into LA F and belted out 3.  Flat and in AC, a very tired Wonder Woman (but WW none-the-less) finally stopped in to say hello.  I ran the first mile sub-10:30, run/walked the second, and then finished the last full run sub-10:30 again.

Sunday

Rest days are torture right now.  I don't feel as whipped or accomplished as I used to after my long run, so I am constantly just physically and mentally looking to keep doing stuff. 

The choices were: 2 hr salsa class, Jillian video, swim or Cyclebar.  I chose Cyclebar, and lordy was that not the right choice!! I should have done less to my legs, not more.  But of course, the instructor made me work more than I wanted to, which is never a bad thing.  And there is nothing that helps the mental game like Cyclebar church.  Music is god!

After that, I was still pumped, and toyed with the idea of showering and heading to Salsa class, too, (the addiction to "stuff" is real), but I stopped by the house and *shock* found BOTH of my beautiful daughters home .. and plan-less.  So a little swimming instead. 

My new fave hang out at Lake Lanier.  I can only go to the first booie and back, but watching Michele swim all over the beach is kinda like exercise.  LOL.

Up next: 

Still holding 2nd in Age Group for Grand Prix.  (as we discussed last year, because stubbornness out performs speed for this contest, lol).  SOOOoooOOO .. I guess I am doing a 4 miler this week. Course is rolling hills.  Stretch-ish Goal: 9:40 avg pace.  And then the first mileage above 1/2 marathon for Chicago on Sunday. Eeeeep.

Other Random Judy Stuff:

Race Report: Peachtree Road Race

Distance - 6.2
Official Time - 1:03:26
Pace - 10:13 min/mi

July 4th, 2017 was ALL. OF. THE. THINGS.

Highlight .. my brain was still off in the clouds on topics non-running.  Perk of that is that I wasn't spending brain time sweating the race itself.  Shocking that this could be Judy on race morning, but ta da.  Only minimal panic mode.

There is a little less pressure when PRs are of the table in general.  I'm not the hardcore type A I was last year about prep.  Am I using a belt or a hand held tomorrow?  Lets see how I feel in the morning.  What am I going to do about that built in Athleta bra that doesn't have enough support?  Ah, I'll pick something out to wear under it in the morning.  And so on.

There aren't even any shorts in this attempt at Flat Judy. bahaha.

To say that I wasn't feeling this 2 mi shake out run in 90+ degrees solo is the understatement of the century.  But Jerry does shake out runs, and he's my barometer, so non-negotiable.  :)

I did also manage to keep hydrating, and get to bed early.  Unfortunately, I told my daughter to wake me up when she got in so she could braid my hair.  She says she tried at 11:30; supposedly I told her, 'nah, its okay, I'll run in a pony tail.'  At 12:30, I woke up and thought she still hadn't made it home, so .. at 12:30 I got my hair done.  And then back to bed until.. 4:15 am. Ooof.

The Peachtree experience begins with Marta.  On 7/4, its smarta.

Pam, Mike, Michele and I got to the race at the same time as Kyle.  We took a million selfies with 800 of our closest friends .. left Pam & Mike to their corrals, and then entered the illustrious A-E security area.  (Still one of the perks of getting faster that I most adore. ;) ) "A-E only, A-E only past this point."  Yea, .. that's me. Make way. LOL.   

Lost Michele to D Wave, and then it was just K & I.  Insert mini-panic now.  But before we know it, off.. we.. go...

Miles 1-3

Illusions of grandeur.  I kicked off and 9:00 came easy. I had no business running 8 anything, or leaving Kyle behind me.  But was able to course correct in mile two.  No flying like last year in mile 2 - 2.8, and behind Kyle soon enough again.  My goal was to keep 9:40 for as long as I could hold it, and I did through 3.1.  Yea for people anchors. Win.  

Miles 3.1 - 5.5

Enter the portion of Peachtree that runs the show.  I had held sub-60 to this point, but that was to be expected.  The fact that I hadn't cushioned 9:40 any up to 3.1, though, made it easy to say good bye to a stretch possibility of sub-60. I knew my time in these miles would be closer to 10:30 - 11.  In the back of my mind, I have an inkling that I sand bagged a little. Which is what it is. Setting the bar at: 'don't walk any of Peachtree' was a manageable goal, and I needed manageable.  If the weather had been better or I had been running with someone that had made me want to fight, I think I could have hit this a little harder, but ce la vie.

Cool thing that happened at mile 4.  All three of us .. M, K and I ... ended up at the same spot at the same time.  It always seems so wild when that happens.  What are the odds? 60000 people. Michele didn't even start at the same spot in C.  We def. have triplet magic. 

Two other things that surprised me: both the distance and the hills still seemed "short."  Time flew, and I never had a doubt that I'd throw in the towel before cresting a hill.  That's the long distance training mind set for ya; nothing compares to Enrique hills or 26.2 miles every again.  Just slow the role and keep going.

10th street was a disappointment.  I wanted to fly.  But I was hot, my legs were spent, and the cardio said no thanks.  So it was a kick to the finish.  But not a Judy kick to the finish.  

All in all, I did well in pre-gauging what I am currently capable of.  The 50% goal was to hit my time from 2015 (2nd best Peachtree).  I did that with a few seconds to spare.  

This was almost exactly what I thought my splits would look like.  Pace planning for the win.  Except the kick. I thought I'd have been able to get it back in the 8s for the end of the race, but not so much.

All in all, the habit is back, the addiction is real again, and I am finding reasons to push a little harder, and get to work.  As a good friend mentioned, 'I think you are more back than you know."  <3  Win.

Party on Piedmont
The after race time spent with friends and tribe are absolutely some of the best moments I get to spend living life!

Happy Judy. <3

This has become one of my fave Peachtree traditions.  Beeramid!

Up Next
Home, shower, nap .. and I wanted to go for a run again by 4 pm.  Haha.  Which is fortunate, because .. CHICAGO.  Now that Peachtree is over, its work time!!

Unfortunately, speaking of work time, its also work time.  And this is me 7/5:

Top 20% of F 35-39 among 60,000 is super hero in my book. LOL.

Goals for Week 7.  Don't skip a work out.  30 miles.  Blog all week. One strength training video or class.  One hour of salsa (non-run goal of 'have fun.').  One swim.

Knock, knock. Who's There? CHIIIIIICAGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, hello there stranger(s)! Boy is this over due!!

I am in Week 5 of Chicago Marathon training.. AGAIN!!  EEEEP.  And things are FINALLY looking up on the run front.  I am SO behind where I was last year in June, but it is what it is.  My mental game is firing on all cylinders now, and that is the most important thing I could ask for.



Before we get to the running, though ..
After months of being on the fence about my new job, I think I've turned a corner, and I am really enjoying what I am doing again.  The commute makes it tough, but I think I'm going to hang in there and not make any crazy ripples in the calm waters for now. (again)

On the home front, my life is as upside down, topsy turvy as ever.  The teens are on auto-pilot at this point, but other factors are keeping me in serious uncharted waters.  Changes over the last few months are keep my brain "ON" all. the. time.  Great for running ..  pretty sure I could think myself right through a one-hundred miler at this point just pondering and daydreaming on topics of personal interest!  Of course, I digress, and I don't want to blah, blah, blah about none-run related topics..  I just mention it so that my 'story to myself' is complete.  Suffice it to say that while you train, there will be "other stuff," and "OTHER stuff."  No pause-for-marathon button on the life controller.

But without further a-do:

Sunday
Distance: 6.22 Peachtree course run, followed by 3.1 on the belt line and to Marta.
Pace: 10:37

4:45 AM on a Sunday selfie.  (aka: Before) Mergh!

Nothing helps with a run more than a pod of friends. <3

Happy Judy again at the finish of Peachtree course run. (aka: After) 

This went better than expected.   Another confidence-building run.  Not only is the distance coming back to me without run-walking, but I am seeing signs of life in the pace, too.  I was certain I'd have to run/walk, but I didn't find myself needing any recoveries until after our post course run pause.  The final 5K felt a little less important, so I kept it super easy.  Nothing that would lead me to think I could sub-60 minutes for Peachtree, let alone PR it.  But I see that I don't have to fun run PTRR.  I can find a purpose in trying for sub-1:05, or a 10:08 pace, or something like that.  The cards are stacked differently this year, but that doesn't mean I can't catch up.  Time is still in my favor re: CHI.

A lot of this is always mental. And you can't really have a rough run mentally with a pod of friends cracking you up the entire time.  Running with faster friends and friends who will push you is key.

Monday

Distance: 4 miles

Pace: 11:30

Its always tricky to decide what to do when I move my long run to Sunday.  But Kyle hadn't gotten in Sunday, so I had a willing partner in crime, so might as well.  Of course, as soon as we got there, it started rumbling.  And by mile 1 .. 

Wet cat Judy! LOL.

The legs were for sure tired.  But I might have picked it back up if it weren't for: 1. the distraction that was the fact that if my phone got soaping wet, this would be a $200.00 run.  (pro tip .. dog poop baggie dispensers on the Greenway!); 2. that I lost Kyle (later we figured out that he'd gone to the bathroom right as I passed  .. thank god I didn't wait at 2 mile mark TOO long); 3. that the wire in my bra was trying to kill me, glide or no glide!

Tuesday
Rest/Challenge

4 days in a row of running is enough, even if I don't "feel" as spent as I used to be able to get myself. Saving the legs for speedwork tomorrow anyways.

I am trying to tone other areas the bod besides the legs this go around.  I am officially on Day 7 of this challenge. (After a re-boot from Day 11, though).  Me and squats get along real well.  I don't have a massive badonk, so just a little work and I am impressing myself. ;) Similar with the arms.  I already see signs of life in pictures and such.  The abs .. well .. I think I need a 300 day crunch challenge before I take that after picture.  Hahaha.  I kid, though, because I think I actually see itty bitty improvements there too.  Overall, I am 5 lbs down since early May, when last I started looking again.  ~8 lbs heavier than lowest at end of CHI training.  The goal is to drop another 15-20 lbs before Chicago in October.

Wednesday - End of June

Oops!  I really did mean to start up with blog to self again, but my brain is just on another cloud at the end of this month!!

Things ended on a really solid note.  I checked off most of the training runs for Week 6 and Week 7, I'm down another couple of lbs, and life is amazing. :)

Yey, green.  Green = running! :)

Goal for July .. 100!

 

Race Report: Chattahoochee Road Race

Distance: 5K + 10 miles
Time: 29:30 and 14:20+ (pacer practice)

Best of times.  Worst of times.  I absolutely LOVED this course.  So fun to go weeeeeeeeeEEEEeeeeee from 2.4 to the finish.  This is also the first time I have run a continuous 5K with no walk break in practically FOREVER.  To do it sub-9:40 pace was friggin AMAZING.  The second mile was the toughest, as always, and although I really wanted to stop, I talked myself into just slowing to a pace that felt maintainable until I got to 2.5.  Mental strength coming back to me for the win!

Little dampers to the moment: Still need to shave of FOUR MINUTES to get back to where I was, and on a harder course.  I WILL NEVER take a run break ever again.  And as soon as my kids are done needing me financially, I am buying a tiny house so that I can work part-time or work at a Starbucks or something. I need more running time! Lol.
 

Getting ready to roam the desert? Lol.

Yasss!  Elite #.  I took one look at this and thought:  well, sucka, tough news .. sub-30 has to happen again today because .. number 1, beotch! LOL

And after that, the idea was to get in 7 extra miles at the 6:30 marathon pace.  News for us: it was not a party.  The thoroughly spent legs, heat of the late morning, and hillacious course meant 30 second run, 1 minute walk at 14+ avg pace was *just* this side of doable.  Lord!  But I had fun; it was me and Stephanie alone against the world.  I like runs like that, where it just feels like you're disconnected from all the every day going-ons of life for what appears to be ages, fighting for survival. ha. I could have done without the surprise news at the end: oh, we followed the 10 mile course, not the 7 mile course?  So we're going to be at 16ish by the time all is said and done with warm ups and cool downs for 5K, 5K, and then all of this? Dandy.  

Sunday

Con: I had to miss Cycle bar church, and I had to work on a Sunday.  Pro: I got to host a 5K walk/run!  As my job.  So fun.  

February Part II: Good Girls Don't Go All the Way ;)

Saturday
Distance - 11.78
Avg Pace - 12:59 (Goal was 12:35, maintained for a whole lot longer .. 18-22 miles)

This run was great for the purpose at hand.  I got time on my feet, a good bit of it running at serious elevation, and I got a clear cut answer on pacing at Publix.  That answer is NO GO.  First and foremost, I was hacking up a lung; a second February cold was not in the cards on an already really stretch goal. This was also just my second week of being truly consistent, and my legs were TIRED.  To pace, I should have the distance, elevation and pace completely under belt, so that the focus is on consistency, and helping others achieve their goals.  That was not this run, this distance, this pace, this course.  Could I still possibly run Publix in 5:30 .. 5-10% possible.  But to pace, I should be at 95%+.  Just not easy enough.

I ran ~8 miles at about 12 with Kyle, and then peetered out from there.  My heart and energy just weren't in it the last 4, I was alone, and I walked a lot.

The game plan, then, is TBD.  If the organizers need something different from me, I'll do something else.  If they don't, I'll still do 26.2, but more likely than not by running a 1/2 marathon, and then fun running a completely different half marathon.  (involving friends, selfies, maybe alcohol, and LOTS and LOTS of walking ;) )

Sunday
Sunday morning Cyclebar church continues!  I hit my Avg Watt PR (80).  The instructor was ON FIRE, and I feel like its getting easier to hit better results without dying.  I love the music. Techno Lion King? "Explicit rap" themed class?  How can you not get pumped!!??  lol.

There's a little bit of arm work embedded in this class, and that is currently all I need.

I had hoped to do a bit more after this by way of either a core video, or a baby (2 mile) shake out run, but instead I had a lovely self-care Sunday, which will undoubtedly keep me organized, well-nutrition-ed, and adequately rested for the coming week.  Winning.

I also lifted the ban on race registration.  Two weeks of training meets my requirement that I be running more consistently before I was allowed to sign up for ANYTHING ELSE. Yey! :) I wanted to find either:  a 5K to re sub-30 soon, or a late Spring half that I can use as pre-training for Chicago. I want a solid 13 mile base by May, and ideally at a return to about the 2:14 that I hit at Flying Pig.  I might have stacked the odds in my favor with the race I finally settled on.  It's called Tear Drop, and it features basically a run down a mountain.  (Compared to FP ***up*** a mountain, lol).  That said, I am no where near 2:14, so we're still going to train and train like a CHAMP hard in March and April.  I'll feel A LOT better if I feel like by May, I am at about where I was last year in May.  That will give me a good shot of at least finishing Chicago happy.  Its a lot of time, but I have a further way to go now.  So we'll see.

All in all, a lot less racing this Spring.  All I have on the calendar now is Publix, and Tear Drop. Still looking for the 5K.

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
Distance - six point Twosday
My personal run lead slash amazing friend needs 13 stars on his Run Lead visor for all the help he's been to me this month!  Solid run for me; more pacer practice for him.  Weather was awesome.

Wednesday
Lightening = Rest

Thursday
Distance: 4 miles
Avg Pace: 10:33

Still feeling a bit of a cough in my chest, but persisted, and had one of my more solid runs to date.  Mainly, because I was running with the other person that is being the MOSTEST in terms of getting me back out on the road, Michele.  There were moments where I for sure would have taken my walk break, or felt like I was working more at tempo than at easy, but it was speed work day, and we were having a good gab sesh, soo yea.

I guess that's why running with people (and faster people) is most recommended!

Friday
Rest


Coming Up

Random racing!  I added the Chattahoochee 5K for tomorrow.  Goal: sub that dang 30 again!

February: Love the Run You're With

Love the run you're with!

February is the month of love.  And I am learning to love running again!  The formula that I am re-discovering is the same as it was back in 2014:  find great friends, set a goal, and be patient.

I had forgotten just about all of these things.  I was trying to get back into running in private, hoping that I could "fix it" before I actually ran again with friends. But that's like cleaning for the cleaning lady, or avoiding the gym because you're fat.  Solo treadmill runs get skipped, and they were not sticking AT ALL.  I was signing up for races left and right willynilly, too.  In fact, the less I trained, the more I signed up for out of desperation.  And MOST importantly, on less than 5-10 miles a month, up almost 10 lbs, I was expecting that when I did hit the pavement, I'd miraculously run the 9:30 pace that was getting pretty easy in 2016, and would end up totally depressed when that instant return on investment wasn't there.  In short, I realize now that I was very depressed post-marathon, stressed about work, family life, and other things.  That happens, but I found out that my friends will never let me feel alone for long, whether they are running with me, or just chatting while we stretch ... so in short, I'm ready to love the run I'm with!

January

Coming off of a terrible run at Galloway, January brought more of the same.  The perception that my schedule was crazy, that I couldn't balance the new job, commute, and training, plus cancellations due to weather of training runs and races, knee pain and travel, all culminated in a terrible month of less than 25 miles.  (same as November and December). 

NOLA

New Orleans began to show me signs of life.  The "warm up" pre-race run with Kyle and Michele.. which was actually my first run in FOREVER, but yea "easy short pe-race shake out," uh-huh .. well, it really reminded me of how much of a high running brings to my life.  Not gonna lie...  It was HARD after all that time off.  And I was mad the whole way that 11-12 is now hard af.  But I was also having too much fun with my pals to dwell there.  And I committed to be patient the next day.  What's worse: 13.1 miles at 12-13 run/walk or one mile at 9-10, and then not doing the rest because you're just not getting anywhere?  How am I ever going to get anywhere if I don't do at least as much as I can?

The race leaned on these principals, and I was DANG PROUD of my sub 2:30 finish!  I ran 3-1 walk intervals, another copping strategy from my beginnings, and just enjoyed how fun this city is! The splits were super consistent.  No balls to the wall racing, just conquering of the mental demons, and doing my thang .. whatever that "thang" now looks like ...  with head held high!  

*** Airbnb with pals is the BEST! For sure going back!***

IN-TRAINING

While it hasn't gone as planned pace-wise, once it got up and going, this also went a long way toward saving me from myself.  Note to self: next year, I'll stay a participant in Spring; I'm too dramatic for Leading in the cold! LOL. But the other leads have really helped me put in the miles.  

We ran a 5K as part of training, and I didn't hit even my re-goal of sub-30, but I did get to feel STRONG, thanks mainly to another lead who's goal miss felt a lot more real to me than even my own.  Helps not to be alone in this! We'll cross all finish lines .. real and imagined .. together.  <3  

11 miles .. longest not-race run in February .. with this badass! Major sense of accomplishment!

BUDS

For the last two weeks, I have also been trying to see my #solemates more often.  #sixpointTuesday (or #sixpointTwosday .. lol) is back at Publix on Tuesday evenings.  Not sure how long we'll keep Kyle, but I am so thankful that he's getting me back out there for right now, and that thanks to his own goals, he's needing to run intervals slow some times too. (more on that in a second).  If I could say that one thing has helped more than anything else, its these two.  

CYCLEBAR

At a friend's birthday event, I purchased 10 rides, and have been going faithfully each Sunday morning for a few weeks now.  I try to keep it easy, but it for sure rips up my muscles, and the trainers do a good job about pulling you along a little harder than you intended to go every time!  I'm hoping that a little cross training will go a long way toward gearing back up for a great Fall.

 

Publix Full Marathon

Not everything is peachy keen .. because come on .. I wouldn't be your lovable crazy Judy if I weren't always a little nuts!! ;)

In an insanely delusional moment, I got carried away and one night randomly decided to run the Publix Full Marathon for the inaugural "Ultimate Peach!"  I didn't sign up to just survive the hill-a-cious Publix Full Marathon, though.  (I.E. run the first 1/2, and walk the rest, Party in the Back fun-run approach ... which now I know I can do)  I signed up to PACE.  OFFICIALLY.  OTHER PEOPLE.  To a 5:30 FINISH.  In January, this sounded TOTES-doable: 1 hour slower than Chicago, at a pace 1 minute per mile slower than even my post-crisis halves, with at least 2.5 months to train up to the Full distance.  Today, on Feb 23rd, those pros bring NO comfort.  Selfishly, the act did FINALLY serve as a motivator.  (hard not to start training when you put a MARAAATHOOOOON on the schedule).  And for the last 2-3 weeks, everything points to possible.  The pace is where it needs to be.  But the real test will be this Saturday, because its the distance that I absolutely don't know that I still have. This weekend, we are schedule for 22, which is a HUGE jump for me.  Lucky since Kyle is signed up for pacing too, we're going to go out at 4-1 12 min avg pace intervals together.  The course is HILLACIOUS.  More elevation than the actual marathon, which is brutal enough.  By 12 pm, I should be VERY informed as to whether or not I can finish in 5:30 in 3 weeks.  If Saturday is a fail, then I'll bow out and hope they invite me back to try this again in a couple of years, when I am not so recently post-run-life-crisis.  I won't hurt myself.  If it doesn't feel do able, I'll abort.  But the challenge appeals, and like my sub-4:30 1st marathon goal, seems like just this side of possible.  (5% goal?)  So tune in Sunday, and we'll see how I did! :)