First week of training is in the books and I’m happy to say it was my final week of traveling! I couldn’t be more excited to get back to a regular schedule because this week threw me for a loop! The hardest part about running and traveling is time management. Even though we had a quick 25 hour trip in St. Louis, time was tight and there was no room for exercise. I knew this week I wouldn’t be able to follow my plan as well as I hoped, but I wanted to try. Instead I took each day as it’s own and focused on that workout alone.

Body Fusion was great this week, there were only two of us in class, but I felt that we were able to do more than we usually could. I also went up in my weights, it’s nice to see that the class is paying off and I can finally lift more without feeling too exhausted. I can’t wait to see how well this class helps me out this year.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was in St. Louis with no time to exercise. By the time I got home from the airport on Wednesday night I knew I wouldn’t make it to the gym, so I ran in the basement, getting a measly two miles in. Not much, but it was better than waiting until another day to run.

Luckily Thursday I was able to get to the gym. I decided that instead of trying to make up for lost miles on the week, I would just stick to whatever the schedule had planned. I had 4 on the schedule and wanted to keep them at a similar pace if I could, as a way to prepare for Sunday’s 5k. I kept the pace just under 9:00 and made sure to check my 1.5 mile time and 2.5 mile time for reference. It seemed easy enough then, so hopefully I could do the same on Sunday.

Monday: Body Fusion Class – 30 minutes of lifting/abs/squats & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: 4 Miles

Friday: Off

Saturday: 3 Miles

Sunday: Frosty 5k + 4 Miles

Total Miles: 16 Miles

Saturday was supposed to be my long run of 7 miles, but I woke up with tight calves that just wouldn’t relax. I ran three and even then I struggled to keep my legs going. With all the snow and cold we’ve been getting it’s been hard for neighbors to keep up with shoveling their sidewalks, so only half of them seem to be clear. I attempted to run sidewalks when I could, but ended up on the street after almost twisting my ankle on some ice. After 3 miles and almost a dozen falls, I decided to head in and run my long run Sunday. With the 5k, I’d only have to do an extra 4 miles, which seemed like an easy plan.

Sunday I woke up early, tried to get rid of my nerves and headed to the rec center. They were hosting the Frosty 5k, which I’ll recap on Wednesday. After my three miles were completed, I opted to head home instead of run on the track. I like to take advantage of running outdoors when I can, even when it’s cold and snowy. The snow started to pick up, so I headed through developments where traffic wouldn’t be as busy. My pace was pretty much on spot at 9:30 except for about a half mile where I ended up in the 8:30 range somehow. I was able to explore parts of a new development, but was stuck on the street due to the foot of snow that was on the sidewalks. Most cars were being stand up citizens and driving on the other side of the road to avoid me. All except for a lovely lady in a white mini van, who decided to yell and swerve towards me to show her anger of runners on the road. I pulled into a driveway to collect myself, feeling glad I was ok, but pretty angry. While I understand that winter isn’t the best time for runners and drivers to share the road, there’s no reason to display anger like that. When sidewalks aren’t clear or aren’t available, sometimes the road is the only place to run. I saw a few other runners running the road, in the same development, so I’m sure she was having a wonderful day scaring runners.

After this I headed back towards home, my legs starting to loose traction on the road from the snow. They were also pretty tight from the slight uphill and the random spots of ice that I found. I finished up with 7 for the day, just as my plan showed. Even though I didn’t get all the miles I was supposed to run this week, I still had some good runs. I’m so excited to have a normal week again, so I can ramp up the mileage and work on my speed!

How are battling the elements this winter? Do you prefer sidewalks or road to run on?

 

Weekly Fact about Type 1 Diabetes:

What is Type 1 Diabetes? Sure you’ve heard of it, but do you really know what it means? Type 1 Diabetes happens when the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin. Insulin helps to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy that is needed every day. Without natural insulin, you have to find another way to get insulin into your body, such as using daily injections or an insulin pump. Type 1 Diabetes is diagnosed in children and young adults and is a lifelong challenge.