stress, recover, rinse, repeat

2ish hour core in the afternoon... and a fair about of hilly biking.

 stressseddd...(life)

core workout today

Sometimes I can't stand how the body works. Basically, stress manifests itself physically in my body (unfortunately) and literally I gat “injuries” when I am extremely stressed. It’s been a rough few days for various personal reasons involving job search, roommate search, apartment and rent situations, etc etc.. Aside from constant shaking anxiety, my left ankle and Achilles began to hurt yesterday afternoon, not exercise induced. It became more and more painful as my anxiety increased and by night, I was limping around. Today I didn’t run (GASP) or exercise at all (GAAASP) and it was the first day in god knows how long. Anxiety skyrockets. But I’m determined not to injure this silly ankle thing, whatever it is... working on deep breathing and trying to let go of things that are out of my hands. Maybe it'll go away overnight – most of my finicky injuries do…I really wanted to do a speed workout today (I woke up at 6:30, put shoes on, ran to the door, was in pain, and went back into bed) so hopefully I can do it tomorrow since I want to race this weekend.

Day started good, I was able to do a workout – 5 x 1 mile with 2 minutes rest. The weather had been very fall-like for the past few days: DRY for a change, and cooler. But today it changed and the humidity is back.  I did the mile repeats much slower than I hoped:  6:08, 6:14, 6:27, 6:30, 6:30

I did take a full 400m recovery before the final one though. Stopping for just 2 short minutes is almost worse than not stopping, especially since it takes me 2 or 3 laps to even get into the rhythm, and then I’m before I know it I’m stopping to catch my breath and re-start. I guess it’s good practice though.

Ab / core workout later.

I had a complete freak out (job I thought I had – I don’t) and might move to Boston suddenly...it will be a pain because I'm not familiar with all the different Boston regions and places to live, and this whole apartment / job searching, pressure to sign a lease, stupid Providence bill that raises property tax 70% (higher rent), blah blah blah, makes me nauseous. Right now my life is ridiculously in flux. And this is supposed to be a running blog.

Ankle felt funny again...keeping a careful eye out...

Lifted / worked upper body in the afternoon. Still soooo stressed. Spent way too many hours researching Boston / running stores I can apply to / thinking about so many things it's overwhelming, especially with such a time crunch! Only a few weeks to get my life in line (leases start Sept 1 so I want to have a living situation and a job before then.)

Racing a 5k this Sunday. Chose it over a 5miler which was probably a bad idea because a 5 miler would be better prep for the 7 miler next week...oh well.

Tried to do a core workout but was so unmotivated and sleepy. I really just half napped on the mat for a half hour then did a few abs for another half hour... sad

4 easy - race tomorrow in Johnston RI.  5k.

Raced today - ran a horrible race for which there is no excuse. 19:57. I thought I was improving after the 19:02 5k last weekend but now I think that it might have just been a fluke. Maybe it was mis-measured…

I made the mistake of letting a girl pass me early (about 1 mile in)and I didn’t stick into her which I should have and could have but for some reason, I didn’t! Mistake. The entire first half of the course was all uphill (gradual at first and then steeper) which could have factored in and slowed me a bit, but the even still , there were downhills at the end so I should’ve been able to make up some of the time. Finished third female.

Ran 5ish miles in the evening.

Also did a core workout in the PM

I decided to do the same speed workout as last week (5 x 1 mile) but instead of 2 minutes rest, I took 400 meters (about 3.5 minutes rest). It wasn’t horrible but defiantly not as good as I wanted (shocker…)

6:08, 6:11, 6:14, 6:20, 6:30

I did an extra 400 at the end for kicks (hah, pun) in 1:30. That's it for this weekend (Falmouth Road Race - 7 miles). Trying to visualize myself doing well - lots of 'daydreaming.' 

Life update: moving to Boston! Hoping to work at a running store (interviewing with Marathon Sports) and maybe another odd job. Hopefully finding an apartment will work out and things will be ok...I'll be looking for good running routes, training partners (track club?), and races. Dreading the apartment search though.

Tried to do a core workout but was exhausted...it will probably be about a week before I will be able to do another! Eek.

7.85 Regular.

Came home last night for the Falmouth Road Race weekend: my favorite time of the year! Ran an easy 3.5 miles in the morning. Went to the running expo with my dad to pick up our numbers and load up with freebies! Lots of Cliff Bars, sports drinks, sunscreen, and other random stuff ranging from floss and protein shakes to socks and first aid kits.

Today I tried to eat more carbs than normal but I’m not that used to eating many carbs, so my stomach is taking it ‘differently.’ I’m also really anxious already…had a rough day – stressed, still anxious about the job/living situation and being home exacerbated it all. Tried to eat fewer veggies and fiber than usual for dinner (I normally load up!) I stress-ate though – lots of sweet stuff (cookies, cinnamon raisin bagels, peanut butter, milk, ugh…)

Race Day. Didn’t meet my goal – fell 25 seconds short (or long rather). I think it came down to the fact that I didn’t push myself and had no one to pace off of. After I finished I found out that 2 people actually paced off of me the entire time and did better than they hoped! Shucks. It was neat starting with the elites. I love watching all the Kenyans and Ethiopians warm up. They are so beautiful then they run; I can’t get over it. I was pretty self-conscious about my low number (42) and felt like I should do better than I knew I would.

When I was warming up I ran a bit out of the chaotic starting area and turned a corner and there was Bill Rogers standing with a few guys eating a bar. He stopped me as if he knew me and was like “you’re….you’re…” I was thinking “Nope, I'm definitely not her.” Turns out he thought I was someone he knew from Yale but I said no, I went to Brown though, and then he proceeds to tell me a story about a meet he once ran at Brown, about the gravel track, and so on. He certainly is a friendly guy – kept shaking my hand. I told him I’m moving to Boston to find work at a running store and he said I should work at his Running Center and to talk to his brother Charlie who runs it. (I’m already interviewing with Marathon Sports but this is another option in case that doesn’t pan out). Bill told me (a few times) “not to go out too fast, hang in there” and then I got back to my warm up. It was pretty exciting to be stopped by Bill Rogers! 

I ran 45:25 but my watch had 45:19. I think the discrepancy is due to there being 2 'timing' mats 10 feet apart at the starting line, and I thought that the second one activated the chips we wear, so I started my watch at the second one, but I guess it must have been the first? It was so crowded/ congested that I couldn’t start running until shortly after the second mat, which added some seconds on. My goal was 45 minutes even. Last year I ran 45:18 so I added about 7 seconds on. (6:24 pace – same as last year because of the 7.1 mile distance) I really missed my opportunity to get a great time because the weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a summer race at 10am: dry, hot but not nearly as hot as it’s been every other year I’ve run because there was a thin cloud cover pretty much the whole time which really helped, especially since some of the course is along the beach in the sun. I guess I shouldn’t be too upset but of course I am. Overall race stats:

Place (female): 31

Place (overall): 214

Total Runners:  9637

After the race is the best part – a huge expo-type of party/event at a big baseball field that all the runners go to immediately after finishing. All the race sponsors set up tents and give away free goodies. It’s a freebee free-for-all and my dad and I go to town! (We bring lots of bags). Kashi, Cliff Bar, Poland Springs, Gatorade, Ocean Spray, Bear Naked Granola, Dunkin Donuts, New Balance, etc… there’s also a ton of other food like hot dogs, chicken salad, yogurt, frozen fruit bars, etc.

Went home and ran another 4 miles in the afternoon. Then went to the annual race party that our friends have – I think I ate my body weight! They always have the most delicious natural/organic foods. Frank Shorter was there – he’s looking so old now. Last year he looked 10 years younger! His posture and gait have aged.

No run! Not because I was tired: actually, I didn’t feel a thing from the race yesterday: proof that I didn’t push myself! No run because I went to Boston early to interview for a job and apartment search.

Got a job at Marathon Sports (a running store – shoes, gear, apparel)! Should be good. I’m really looking forward to working in athletics, and especially focusing so much on running. I/ the staff will be trained in biomechanics, how to analyze foot structure and gait, etc. I am eager to meet other people (on a daily basis) who love running too. Apartment searching was awful. I didn’t like the places I saw in Cambridge – I want a quieter, more residential area not right by a major road - I must have walked about 10 miles all day throughout the city. I decided to narrow the search to Brookline…really feeling the time crunch, yikes! Stressss. Just want a place asap so I can be at ease. Long day…

Usual 7.85 thing. Core in the afternoon – it’s been a while since the last core exercise but it was pretty easy. Now it’s setting in that I will be leaving the comfort of Providence L Have to find a new running route and maybe a gym – likely not because of $...ugh. Change can be a pain.

Looks like I won’t do speed work this week. Life is kind of devoted to going to Boston to find a place to live. Traipsed around Brookline in search of an apartment. After many Craig’s List creeps and many terrible apartments in bad areas, I liked the last one of the day – a nice 4 bedroom with 3 guys around my age. They’re all nice, funny, and have it together. I’m so glad it’s done and I have a place where I feel comfortable! Maybe stress level will decrease?

Did a lot of lifting and packing today to prepare for the big move in about a week. Should have done core work but didn’t! Argh! I’m slacking on the core and upper body lifting but hopefully the packing I’ve been doing will help a bit.

Went for a run in the evening (4ish miles). It looks like there will be a lot of good races in Boston which I’m excited about! There are so many all close by that I can get to with the T and bus system, so I won’t be limited like I have been in Providence with no car.

Apparently the stress is getting to me – I’ve been really dreading my runs pretty much all week! I’m just tired of the same thing (normal route) and my motivation is low. Also feel like I am going very slow. Last night I only slept for1.5 hours (2am-3:40ish) Then I ate a ton (need to break the night eating – it’s terrible!) Packed for a while and went for my run by 6am. Such a weird hour that I'm not used to. Saw a beautiful sunrise though! Slept for a couple hours after. Core in the afternoon.

Packed and moved boxes and furniture all day again. Really need to do more upper body work but didn’t! My eating patterns are terrible. For example, today: big meal at 2am (woke up, ate, and went back to sleep), no breakfast before run. Didn’t eat again until 4ish but ate so much I thought I’d puke. Ate sporadically for the rest of the evening and felt bloaty and sick. This can’t be good for my running (or body). Goal: eat more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day and avoid these 1 or 2am meals!

I was real tired in the morning because everything’s catching up with me but I planned to do a long run with Diana and Alan. We went to the Blackstone River State Park which was nice, and ran along the bike path there. Pouring rain – felt like shoes were blocks of cement! This was actually the first time all summer that I’ve had to run in the rain! I guess it was a dry summer, and when it did rain it seemed to come in the evenings or nights and clear up by the morning when I run. It certainly makes up for last summer when it rained every day in June alone (except for 3 days)!

We ran 13 miles in the downpour (total time 1:37 or 1:38?), talking the whole time. It was nice to catch up with Diana and Alan after the summer. Diana did an intense amount of racing – at one point she ran 4 races in 8 days! She cleans up though – she made more than $1000 profit, not including loads of free merchandise and gift certificates. Ah, must be nice! Alan got a job as the Brown Men’s XC interim coach since the current coach left at the last minute before the season begins. I’m really glad for him – he’ll put in 110%.

Rained again today but I still ran. I miss the sun and warmth already! I dread the colder weather. It’s always much harder for me to run in the cold. My body gets stiff and just doesn’t seem to want to move fast. I do much better in heat when I’m more limber.

Did core work in the afternoon. I'm not doing it as much as I should be. I am not getting much out of it though. I work out my core for about 2 hours and never feel any strain whatsoever. I guess I should be going faster, without taking long rest periods between every exercise but I don’t seem to do that very well. Maybe I need to mix up the workouts and try something else?

Rained again but thankfully only a drizzle when I went out in the morning for my usual Lloyd to Blackstone and back to Benefit loop. Ran another 7 miles in the evening after some upper body lifting. I hardly would consider it a “run” though. I ran with a friend at her pace (about 9:30) and we stopped several times. I hope this doesn’t actually slow my speed, but I’m concerned it does more hurt than help. It was nice to talk while jogging but I’m afraid these are what you’d call “junk miles” because I never really increased my heart rate at all?

My fitness is such that I never fully exert myself but have the endurance of a machine and can go and go and go and never stop. I need to reverse this and get more speed power but I’m not sure how. It’s tough to make myself “push it.”

Ughh, rain was hard this morning so no morning run!! I was pretty tired though, so I really needed the extra hour of sleep. Anxiety is a bit lower so I’m able to sleep a bit more now. Missing my run affects me so much. The rest of the day I’m anxious, tense, and shaky. After an entire summer of beautiful weather now we have a mere 3 days of rain and I can really see how much I am affected by the weather. My mood absolutely plummets when it rains or even if the sun disappears for a while! I have S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) to the extreme. Motivation disappears and I just want to sit and be a grouch when the weather is poor.

By the afternoon the rain stopped and it was just cloudy so I was itching to get in my run! I’m surprised how fast I ran (at least I felt like I was going fast!) Most of the time I’m sluggish in the afternoon but I went at a good pace. Might have been the few sips of coffee I had (I have absolutely NO tolerance for even the smallest amount of caffeine). Went to the gym after running and used the elliptical for 40 minutes (resistance 7, aimed for at least 150 paces/minute). I could’ve kept going with the workout (once I get in the rhythm, I can go foreverrr) but it was getting late.

Made a very poor effort at a core workout…really unmotivated with so much else to think about. I started but then got into talking with people in the gym and felt even more un-motivated after! Left and went to work on other tasks (wall and door spackling and painting.)

Hectic day – did a ton of errands, packing, etc!

Ran about 8.8 miles in the AM pretty ‘fast’, though I didn’t time it. Was back on the home turf, the route I ran so many hundreds of times in the past but now only do a few times a year. Packed all day then got really frustrated and went for another run (4 miles) on the bike path in Falmouth. Really slacking on the speedwork and the racing with all this moving business, eek!! Next weekend there look to be no feasible races so I might have to wait 2 weeks to race L

Was pretty exhausted and dragged myself through a mere 5.75 miles. Must be stress plus a lot of packing, lifting, moving, and running on top of it. Spent the rest of the day moving to Brookline! Then back to Prov in the evening.

Last day of work doing art conservation at the RISD Museum, and last core workout for a while L I don’t think I’ll be able to join a gym in Boston and I know I won’t get myself to do any core or lifting without a gym (I need to be in a ‘workout environment’ to get motivated to do it and can’t get myself to workout at home.)

The campus gym is packed – the track (XC) team is doing their workouts and core routines…I feel a little glad that I’m leaving now with all these students back because I’d love to be a student again and live in that little bubble, but I know I’m done!

Got my first ever massage today (graduation present from sister) but it wasn’t really ‘deep tissue’ like it was supposed to be. She said I was unbelievably tight and I think she didn’t want to 'mess me up' by going too deep because my muscles were probably like stones…I think it relaxed me a bit though.

Biked around a ton today, doing lots of errands and such. Big packing day for 'The Move' tomorrow.