base training – Masher Runs

This week my body turned against me. Traveling finally caught up with me and I was sick as a dog Sunday evening through Tuesday afternoon. Knowing that I’d be traveling all week, I headed into the office Monday and tried to get a few things done. By the afternoon I felt miserable, stopped at the Minute Clinic and spent the rest of the day on the couch. I missed my Body Fusion class, but I knew I had to stay home if I wanted any chance of getting better.

I lucked out with the cold weather, my first flight was canceled on Tuesday, and I was rescheduled for the 5:50 flight to Toronto. A small delay in travel plans, but I was able to sleep for 11 straight hours and felt so much better when I woke up. It was still negative degrees when I got up and I knew I wouldn’t be heading to the gym, or outside to run. So I invented my own workout and ran the basement for 20 minutes straight, about 2 miles. It wasn’t your typical workout, but when you’re sick and need to get something in, you do what you can.

I finally made it to Toronto and spent a lot of time on my feet, working the show and walking the city. I only took advantage of the hotel workout room once, and I’m pretty sure that’s all I could handle on the treadmill. It was a small workout room and got hot quickly, but I got three miles in before I headed out for dinner. I wish I had gotten a chance to run the city again, but it was just far too cold and dark.

The 80’s called…they want their treadmill back.

Monday: Sick

Tuesday: 2 Miles

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: 3 Miles

Friday: Off

Saturday: 3 Miles

Sunday: 6 Miles

Total Miles: 14 Miles

Saturday I had originally planned on running the Blizzard Busters 5k in Ashland, but after being sick all week and not running that much, I opted out of the 90 minute round trip drive and ran my own 5k around town. I headed out on the country roads and took advantage of the warm weather. I even had a few rain drops fall on me, something I’m typically not excited about in winter. I felt good and even though I passed on the race, I was glad I got a few miles in to test the waters.

Rainy, Saturday bliss

Sunday was one of those days where your feet decide the run. It had snowed and rained overnight so the roads and sidewalks were covered with snow on top of ice on top of slush on top of snow. Footing was touch and go at times, and my Yak Trax kept getting weighed down with slush, but I was able to get into a decent pace once in a while. I had originally hoped for 3-4, thinking that I had fully recovered from being sick. After about a mile and a half in, I decided to run down town and see how many miles I could get in. I ran to the square and then headed back, dodging puddles and slush almost the entire way. I got back towards home and ended up at 5 miles, still feeling pretty good, I decided for one more before I headed back in for some lunch. Sunday’s run was the longest I’ve run by myself since last fall and I felt great. I probably could have run a few more miles, but I was starving, and well, food always wins.

One of my favorite views

This week definitely wasn’t what I had in mind, but when your body needs a break you listen. I’m hoping that I won’t get sick again for a while so I can focus on my mileage again. This week is another week of traveling, so I’ll be trying to run between shows and customer dinners. Also, if someone could send some warm weather down to Texas this week, I’d appreciate it!

Do you exercise when your sick, or sit it out? Rain or snow, which do you prefer?

I’m only a few weeks out from my next training cycle so it’s time to start getting my body into a regular schedule. These next 5 weeks I’ll be ramping up my running and figuring out the best way to cross train to stay injury free this year. Most importantly, I’ll be using DailyMile and this blog to help me me accountable and on track. I’m almost certain that this time frame will be harder than the actual training cycle because I’ll be traveling the entire time. Between five different states and three different time zones, working out will be a challenge, but if I want to run sub 2:00 this year, I’ve got to stick to my plan and not back down.

The first full week of January was a great starting point. New classes were starting at the gym and with other people making resolutions, you can’t help but have a little extra motivation. This quarter I’ll be taking two classes, I was hoping for more, but classes are limited in the evening. Body Fusion is a new class at the rec this year, and I was excited to try it. It starts with a half hour of lifting, ab work and squats and the second half of the class is 30 minutes of yoga. This class couldn’t be more perfect for me because lifting was something I desperately needed help with. Following it up with a half hour of yoga was great to unwind and let me body relax again. The second class I’ll be taking will be Yoga again. Unfortunately because of the water issues this week, the rec center was closed Thursday, so that meant the only way to get some yoga in was a DVD that I had at home.

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

Tuesday: 3 Miles

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: Yoga – 30 Minutes at home

Friday: Off

Saturday: 3 Miles

Sunday: 7 Miles

Total Miles: 15 Miles

This week I completely fell in love with running again. It’s taken a long time, but I finally reached the point where I look forward to every run again. I’m no longer looking for excuses, but rather keep pushing myself further. There have been points where I thought I was ready to come back, but now I’m ready to get out there and run as much as I can. I even made the decision on my fall race, but more on that later.

Tuesday was my first run on back on the track in a long time. I also started going straight from work, which helps combat the couch keeping me captive all night. Most of the machines were taken and the track was pretty busy, but I will gladly choose the track over the treadmill any day. I was a little tight still from Monday’s class, but nothing a few stretches couldn’t get rid of. I followed Tuesday’s run with a short run on Wednesday. My legs were extremely tight, so I kept it short, but gave it all I had, finishing in 16:29. I’m no where near what I used to be able to run, but I’m hoping these runs over the next couple weeks are the slowest I run all year.

Saturday I had to take advantage of the perfect weather, so I made sure to get a few miles in. I already had plans to get a long run in on Sunday, so I kept it short and managed to get in a little over three miles. The sidewalks were mostly clear, with a few exceptions, and I was able to explore some new streets in a nearby neighborhood. I’ve been fortunate enough to move to a location that allows me to run from neighborhood to neighborhood so the amount of routes I can take just keeps growing.

I finished up the weekend with my first long run of the year. I ran with Crystal, a fellow MCRR member and we headed out on a nearby trail. Footing wasn’t the best, as part of the trail still had some ice on it, but it was so nice to explore a new path and not have to run alone. With the trail and part of my neighborhood we ended up covering seven miles. I felt great and it was the perfect confidence booster to keep me on the right track. I’m thrilled with how much I was able to accomplish this week and hope that it continues to get better from here on out!

Did you start fresh in the beginning of January? Would you rather run on the treadmill or indoor track?