Training Rundown

I WISH I could say that last week’s training went as planned, but it certainly did not and that’s OK. I started out the week with an awesome 60 minute tempo at 8:34 pace. It’s definitely hard to not want to round-up to that 7.00 miles, but 60 minutes running is 60 minutes running! Also got in 20 minutes of strength & 10 minutes of yoga.

I worked Monday night and got in 4.6 miles easy on Tuesday before another night shift. Also being diligent about getting in my PT exercises. What I wouldn’t give for an accurate treadmill running watch. I do the treadmill between night shifts so I can sleep as late as possible (normally only get in 6ish hours of sleep though just because my body wakes me up naturally) and I’m staying in a busier area where I don’t feel as comfortable running in the dark. I’m sure I would be fine, but better to be safe!

I got home Wednesday morning, took a 2 hour nap, and managed to sneak in my 45 minute workout on our treadmill (so I wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of traffic with speedwork). I did a 10 minute warmup, 3 x 6 minutes hard-ish (7:30/ 7:13/7:00 paces), 10 minute cool down. I love to run hard on our treadmill at home- I can crank our music on it and feel totally badass.

Thursday was filled with meal-prepping and cleaning/packing for the upcoming work stretch, but I got in my PT exercises and a 40 minute easy run.

Friday was my planned long run day, but I slept in SO LATE (9:30 😱) and my Psoas was absolutely killing me. I did manage to get in my strength, PT, 10 minutes of spinning, and yoga, but decided it was best to relax rather than push for a run. Love our little home gym .

Saturday was a rest day since I left home at 3:45am, worked from 6:30-7:30pm, and got maybe 5 hours of sleep. I got in an easy 60 minute run on the hotel treadmill early Sunday morning before another day shift, along with PT exercises and 10 minutes of yoga.

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How did your week go? Did it look like you wanted or did you have to shift your expectations a bit?

7 Things

Happy Monday! I’m coming off working two Day shifts at the hospital and have two Night shifts on-tap tonight and tomorrow night. Things like decaf coffee this morning & a long afternoon nap help me switch my sleep schedule.

I missed watching the race live, but I cannot even imagine missing your goal BY 11 SECONDS in something as long as a 100k. 🤯That’s like one short hiking section or just a slight pick-up on a downhill section. Can’t wait to watch him try again and completely crush his goal.

Tested out my new Lululemon Down For It All running coat and so glad I finally splurged on it. It was 50% and I 100% recommend it (I also sized-up since I know I’ll be wearing a layer underneath).

Very much living for the Bernie Memes lately. This one is one of my favorites (huge fan of The Sound Of Music)

Planning my next trip to Trader Joe’s to pick up some of these. Pretty obsessed with their Everything But The. I love to sprinkle it on Avocado toast, Eggs, Bagel with Cream Cheese… What are your favorites?

Getting my second Moderna COVID vaccine on Thursday & trying to plan my runs/workouts around that! Isn’t it funny how you plan your running around life events and still make it all work? I know the side-effects might be a bit worse, so hoping to get in my longer run either later on Friday or Saturday. I normally like to get my long run in earlier in the week, but I’m making it work.

I’m still loving the Peloton App for all things Yoga/Strength Training/Meditation. Planning on doing Kristin McGee’s Wicked Yoga this morning before my run. Also researching how to become a certified Yoga Instructor- not so much because I’d like to teach, but because I want to learn more about it. It’s always been one of my favorite ways to de-stress and connect with my body. Throwback to Summer Days with Stella and yoga in the grass.

-What were you up to this weekend?

-What could you get done in 11 seconds?
-Favorite way of movement besides running?

Feature Friday: Why I Took A Social Media Break

Happy Friday! Look at me blogging THREE TIMES THIS WEEK. It’s a new record for the year I believe. I’m setting my standards high this year apparently. At least I have these two cute faces to snuggle with for one more day today before I’m back at work (4 shifts in a row before I’m home again).

I took a break from social media from Thanksgiving through the New Year and it was one of the best things I’ve done for myself in a while. I started feeling a lot of pressure from others on social media to ‘run x amount of miles’ or just constantly comparing my situation to others. I also found that I wanted more things when I was on social media ( thanks influencers). I also just generally felt tired of it- wasting time scrolling meaninglessly through photos or posts from people or devices that I may or may not know personally.

I wanted to get back to feeling free on the run and wanting to do things on my own terms- something that I felt like I lost when I would feel ‘influenced’ to go run big miles or big adventures, when that just wasn’t within my schedule or needs at the time. I also felt like I really struggled with missing Stella (our pup that we lost in August) and social media time hops reminded me of her often. So, I decided to take a week off social media in November after Thanksgiving and then, when December 1st rolled around- I really enjoyed the break so I decided to stay off until January.

It was honestly the best time away. I ran when I wanted to, didn’t compare my miles to my ‘past self miles’, took a break from fitness when I wanted to, and just enjoyed the time at home. I felt myself engaging more with others IRL and spending less ‘wasted time’ on social media. I did really miss connecting with some people/accounts on Instagram, but for the most part- I didn’t miss it. I honestly still struggle with the balance of not wanting to be on social media at all and wanting that feeling of connection that I get from it.

I’ve thought about only logging in on certain days of the week (currently I limit my time on it to an hour a day), but I’m still not sure where I stand with social media. I’d love to find a balance between it all and still enjoy not feeling like I ‘need it’ (which I definitely don’t). It was also super helpful to be off of it when I was still on orientation and starting a new career. Talk about a lot of stress- especially steeping into a healthcare role as a ‘newbie’.

I’m curious to know if you’ve taken a break from social media and what your thoughts were? How have you been able to find a happy-medium balance on it? Are there things you miss when off of it? I love the connections that I make on it, but also love the feeling of reminding myself to make more IRL connections! I also love the idea that I’m not mindlessly scrolling and ‘getting sucked in’ like I can when on social media.

-What are your thoughts? Have you taken (or want to take) a social media break? What do you love/hate about social media?

Training Rundown

Humpday! Has anyone felt like this week has felt like an eternity and it’s only Wednesday?!? I’m choosing to change my mindset and tell myself that it’s ALREADY Wednesday! Sometimes a quick mindset shift is all we need. I wanted to bring back my weekly training rundowns mainly because it helps me reflect on the last week and set intentions for the week ahead. I definitely had some treadmill miles last week.

I also addendum some Christmas lights in our home gym and it really gets me excited to do anything in there now.

Monday, 1/11- 3.37 mile run & 30 minutes of yoga before my second night shift. I can’t wait for the days to continue to get longer so I can run in the daylight before work. Also did 10 minutes of Pilates.

Tuesday, 1/12- 5 mile Progression run on the Peloton App and on the treadmill. I love using the App when I’m not feeling super motivated to run and also when I want some casual speedwork. This was before my third night shift in a row.

Wednesday, 1/13- Rest day

Thursday, 1/14- 4.6 mile easy run on the treadmill & 20 minutes of strength on the Peloton App (where I’m getting all my strength/stretching ideas lately ) & 10 minutes of yoga

Friday, 1/15- 5.3 mile run outside! Love getting some fresh air.

Saturday, 1/16- 10.8 mile run on the treadmill (love that I can run the Boston Marathon course via the iFit feature on my treadmill) and 10 minutes of Pilates/ yoga and 20 minutes of strength.

Sunday, 1/17- 30 minutes on the bike trainer, 1.45 mile snowshoe, 5 mile run, & 15 minutes of PT exercises/ mobility work.

Total mileage: 34.05 miles

Positive takeaway: I managed to fit in 6 days of running! Also got in multiple sessions of yoga and strength training.

Something to improve upon this next week: I’d like to work on taking in nutrition on my long run this week.

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—How’s your training going right now? Anyone else excited for more sunlight?

7 Things

Happy Monday! I had the weekend off, which was SO nice, but also- time went by way too quickly. Can I please have a few more days off? I would also really love being woken up every morning by Alex saying that blueberry waffles are waiting for me downstairs.

We got our date night in our home gym Saturday night. I got in some strength and yoga, while Alex got in some hiking 🥾

I got in my long run Saturday too before my Physical Therapy Appointment (Hilary McCloy is amazing if you’re in the area and looking fir a PT) and all 10.8 miles were on the treadmill. I love our Nordictrack and think that there will be many more long runs together in our future. I also followed the iFit Boston Marathon course, which is so inspiring and makes me miss racing so much!

I saw this on Instagram the other day and I feel seen. This is 100% me after working a few night shifts in a row and trying to adjust back to normal sleep hours.

Brady is also really enjoying our home gym (….or well- the plant in our home gym really)

We’ve started playing bird noises from Alexa during the day for our cats and Maple loves it.

30 minutes of cycling, 1.5 mile snowshoe, PT exercises, and an easy 5 mile run to round out the weekend (also currently eating Brownie Sundaes for dessert as I type this out).

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-How was your weekend?

-Tips for keeping cats off of plants?!?
-Brownie Sundaes- yay or nay?