Initially, I felt tired but figured I would get into my groove and feel fine once my legs were out and running. I was wrong. As mile 2 approached my legs didn’t shake it off and were not going to soon either. I felt serious fatigue and overall pain when luckily a light went off in my head questioning the point of this run. Was I going to gain fitness or an injury? My fear of injury this early in the game luckily snapped some sense into me. I stopped running almost immediately and planned to make up the remaining miles in DC after my long run was out of the way. That was a good idea. I'll fill you in on how well it played out later.
After my midweek legs meltdown I took off Thursday to be fresh for Friday morning. My plan was to run 15 miles before boarding the bus to DC on Friday at lunchtime. I am really good at planning as you can see but at times I get slightly distracted.
I met one of my best girlfriends for happy hour on Thursday night down on Wall Street. We needed to finish catching up from our last night out and since it technically was my Friday, I was ready to celebrate the start of an exciting weekend.
In retrospect, a slightly too happy hour and late night out are not a good combination for the night before a long run. I woke up Friday and got out the door by 6:30am to sweat out Thursday night's escapades. I was supposed to meet M uptown to start the run in Central Park but a snoozed alarm meant that I was a party of 1 for this long run.
The 15 miles were not as painful as I anticipated and somehow got done. I felt nauseous when I returned home but it was just a friendly reminder to take a look at all of the components of my training. I need to prepare better in the hours before and perhaps find out what fueling strategy works best for me. Water is simply not going to cut it anymore so I am heading to google after this.
By noon I was showered and miraculously my duffel bag was packed. I was out the door to brave the sudden downpour and meet A at the bus. We didn't get lucky with train fares so this meant lots of time for chit chat on the bus. She arrived with Hill Country lunch in hand which was the perfect reward for Friday morning's run. She's a good friend and even better dining and travel companion. I was ready to have a fry (or two) and kick start the weekend adventures.
Finally, after only an hour delay we arrived in the District. The occasion was to pay a visit to two of my cousins, one of which is newly engaged. We had lots to celebrate and plenty to catch up on. We ended up just enjoying Trader Joe's finger foods Friday night while never making it out to the food truck festival. Truckeroo, we'll be back next time!
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| We're here! |
Saturday morning we felt quite adventurous and traveled to the Arlington County Fair. This was a rest day for me although it wasn't for some others at the fair. The main event (other than the funnel cake) was the RACING PIGLETS. Yep, there were 4 heats of pigs that raced with crowd support and an overbearing race master. It was an experience. A and I quickly realized that we were not in NYC anymore.
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| Southern hospitality? |
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| RACING PIGLETS |
A great crew came over to join in the Americana fun. We watched Ryan Lochte videos (brilliant) and evaluated what it feels like to be Usain Bolt (pure bad a**). The night was a ton of fun filled with lots of laughs and repeats of "Party in the USA". Success!
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| AMERICA. DISTRICT. AWESOME. |
We planned to be tourists on Sunday and visit some sights so that we would return to NYC with our fill of American history. However, we were easily distracted by brunch plans and shopping. A needed a killer dress and L's birthday was on the horizon. We spent the rest of our Sunday soaking up our last hours of family and friend time in the District. A and I really didn't want to leave. That is not an understatement.
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| Add caption |
My trip to the District was a true vacation. I missed a run in the end but my weekend was not shy of family and friend time. The plan was to do my last 4 or 6 miles on Sunday. That didn't happen but my long run did so yet again let's look at this glass as half full.
As training becomes more demanding, I'm feeling the challenges of balancing marathon life and L.A. life. As you can see, I am constantly changing around my perfectly crafted TFK training schedule to accommodate travel plans and training accessibility. Luckily, an end is in sight as I am officially staying in NYC for a consecutive 17 days! This means no trains, planes, buses or glitches in the training plan. I will wake up well rested in the comforts of my own apartment in the super quiet and cozy city of Manhattan. A girl can dream!
My long runs and increasing mileage are going really well. I am actually quite proud of myself that I did the full 15 miles in less than favorable physical conditions on Friday before leaving town. However, if I want to make the most of this rigorous training I realize that there is one missing link.
Nutrition.
The past few weeks have been a lot of fun. Fun has meant dinners to catch up with friends and various late night escapades. I decided this week that I am getting back on track and returning to The Clean Program. I never mentioned it on the blog but I did the program for 21 days before July 4th. I felt like I needed a healthy lifestyle reboot. Again, after weeks of travel and celebrations my body is craving a return to clean. If I want to accomplish this level of physical fitness, I need to provide my body with the proper fueling. There are things this time around that I am going to modify, such as coffee. The program is more focused on what you eat rather than how much. I will still be able to provide my body with optimal foods for running nutrition but perhaps cutting out the junk. I mean I never eat junk but IF I did this would be a good idea.
I also made some serious fundraising progress last week. I had a mid-week blitz of some very generous family and friends. The fundraising anxiety is getting better and don't worry there are still 52 days left to DONATE!
Have you checked out all of the stunning running pictures on my site? I don't mid race photos but you bet I post some post game ones!
Thank you SO much to everyone that has supported me thus far. Every dollar and word of encouragement has really meant the world to me. The race is 82 days away and I feel like I am counting down the days to Christmas. The marathon feels more and more real every day and I can't wait to jump on a TFK bus to Staten Island early in the morning on November 4th.
LAST WEEK
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
Sunday
|
TOTAL
|
TOTAL ( flex)
| |
TFK Plan
|
6
|
REST
|
6
|
6
|
REST
|
15
|
5
|
33
|
38
|
L.A.
|
6
|
6
|
2
|
REST
|
15
|
REST
|
REST
|
29
|
THIS WEEK
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
Sunday (flex)
|
TOTAL
|
TOTAL ( flex)
| |
TFK Plan
|
7
|
REST
|
7
|
6
|
REST
|
11
|
5
|
31
|
36
|
L.A. Plan
|
7
|
YOGA
|
7
|
6
|
REST
|
11
|
5
|
31
|
36
|
Next up, I am a true NYC resident for the next two weeks and very much looking forward to a return to stability. I'm even planning on checking out Summer Streets with the TFK crew on Saturday morning. This means an early bedtime on Friday. Someone, please remind me!
Lots of love and laughs.
XOXO
L.A.
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