Week In Review

Phewy - I made it though after a busy arse week.

Monday - (AM) 8 easy (PM) 4 easy
Tuesday - 2 W/U, 2 @ 6:50, 12X400, 2 @ 7:00, 1 C/D
Wednesday - 6 Recovery
Thursday - (AM) 10 Easy & (PM) 4 easy
Friday - 2 W/U, 7 Mile Progression, 1 C/D
Saturday - (AM) 6 easy & (PM) 4 easy
Sunday - 16 easy

Total Miles = 78 miles

Glad to close the books on this week. Too busy for my taste..Ah next week is a cutback week which I think is much needed to rest and restock my energy stores both physically & mentally.

Treadmill Friend or Foe

Let me just start that I use to be a hater. Until this past year, I rarely had my butt on a treadmill. The thought of treadmill running was enough to make me what to quit running altogether. I have a girlfriend that would tell me of doing most her miles on her at home treadmill while kids were sleeping or watching TV. I understood where she was coming from but I could never get myself to do it. How a year changes things!! I have become a treadmill convert out of necessarity not preference.

We in the Southeast have had a very HOT spring. Temps & humidity that you don't usually have to deal with until July/August which has put me on the treadmill more than I would like but I am becoming okay with it. Almost like it takes some stress out of logistics such as water drops and driving to/from trails.

Today is very HOT and I am will be on the treadmill for both runs today as I need to recover quickly for my long run tomorrow and over heating on a easy run on pushes recovery out so I am becoming good friends with treadmill this summer with an old foe.

Yesterday I had to my progression run on the treadmill run and it started out a bit rocky as I had done my warm-up outdoor on the road. It was 82 and 77% humidity @9AM so when I came indoors for the workout my body was already overheated and depleted. Luckily I was able to get my body going by mile 2 into the progression run.

Here is the workout

2 mile w/u, strides, 7 mile Progression, 1 mile c/d

7:40, 7:30, 7:19, 7:08, 7:03, 6:53, 6:40

Those last 2 miles were tough. Phewy - felt good to be done with this workout. Hips held up great so I think I can say goodbye to fretting over them for the time being.

Coach did tell me that if I catch a cool day at my next race..he expects I will have a great breakthrough race :-) The heat is hiding lots of my fitness gains.

Nick and I spent a good deal of time discussing a relo back to the Pacific Northwest which is exciting to me. His career just can't grow as it could if we were back in Seattle. He is not being challenged as Charlotte is not a technical hub that Nick thrives in. Me, oh my, to have year-around great running weather and many places & people to run with. In fact, the town we use to live in had a rails to trails (soft surface)that went endlessly into the mountains. I use to run it all the time but at the time didn't realize the value of this trail. Plus within driving distance, there are several other trail & greenways systems. Seattle and the burbs are very active and I am sure I could find more supportive and cohesive running community. This probably won't happen this year but maybe this time next year but it something to look forward too and to know I only have to make it through one more summer will go a long way to gut it out.

I won't give up!!!

I am inspired a lot by lyrics of songs. I love the feeling of connection you feel with a song when it strikes a chord with your heart.

I have been listening to the Jason Mraz song - I won't give up. Even though it is a love song, I feel it can also be about the commitment to any love you may have. Like my love of running. Even when you love something there are struggles and decisions to stay in it when you are struggling. This week has been a struggle and is testing my will to move forward. This song really touched me this week.

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No, I won't give up

I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not
And who I am

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
Still looking up.

I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)
God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)
God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

Midweek Meltdown Prevented

I think this picture pretty much sums how I have felt since Tuesday. The big weekend of demands, big running and last week of school had me on the verge yesterday.

I woke up with my hips feeling totally off and my right groin & left glute sore & achy. Frick! Just when things were moving along nicely. Tried not to freak out as I had an appt with my PT and I was hoping he could sort it out before my run. He worked on me pretty good as my left hip was rotated and causing the glute and right leg to not function correctly. Whatever the cause he went to work and found my left Itband was not track properly. Oh dear! I felt like a hot mess. I felt like I had done everything I in the past weeks to keep my body running great. Yes, I will admit to not doing much on the cruise and the stairs walking several times a day probably caused the ITband tracking issue.

Anyway he worked to get me fixed up but told I must come back today after my runs to see how things were functioning. I felt awkward and slow during my 6 easy miles. Glute was sore and inner groin was achy. I was on high alert which didn't make the run that enjoyable but I was happy to done with it withour further aggravating the issue. Emotionally it tooks it toll on me though by late afternoon I had Jeff on the line talking me down from my freak out epidsode. Lately I have been hearing about everyone and their mother with in injury. Maybe it is the spring time that has more people putting in miles but this awareness did get to me. I let fear in a bit too much yesterday. I think hitting 78 miles this week which will be a mileage PR and the 5th week hitting 70s had me nervous. I can't say why but it was freaking me out. Jeff assured me that my body handles all these miles better than most so while he can't offer any promises he did say with my diglence and care he is not worried at all. Phewy...all he sees that the glute,hip, groin thing as something I just have to work through just like I would had I been running 60 miles.

I happy to report that this AMs 10 easy was noticeable better. While the glute still felt a bit weird, mostly tight feeling, the groin pain was gone and ITband seems to back were it suppose to be. I went back my PT for some more patch work before the next few days of runs. He did some more work and I feel worlds better. Like my hips are back to were they are suppose to be and groin pain gone with minor lingering glute pain. Ice, Ice, Ice baby :-) Right...

Deep breathe and exhale - everything is going to be okay. I have 4 easy miles this easy miles this evening and good post run AIS routine. Sleep and Tempo in the AM.

When nothing is going right ...Go LEFT

I woke up this morning quite discombulated and beyond tired. I think this issue was taking a Tylneol PM (sleeping pill) the night before. I hadn't slept well at all in the last few days due to having a full schedule. The end of the school demands have left me a bit frazzled and I needed a good nights sleep. Little did I know that cost a solid nights sleep would be a morning of epic fogginess. I tried to get myself out of this fog by drinking as much coffee as I could prior to my workout which equaled to 3 cups - 1 more cup than my required 2 cups.

The fogginess lead to forgetfuliness as well scattered thinking and doing. It wasn't so bad until I started getting ready for my workout. All my running clothes that I like to wear were dirty. I couldn't figure out why as just done a load on Friday. Than it came to me later, I had run 5 times in the last 3 days which would account for my favorites being dirty. I had to settle on some older running gear - c'est la vie. Than went to get Garmin and it was dead on the charger - awesome. Finally get out the door and I realzie I left my written out workout on the counter so I head back to -get it and couldn't find my cars keys I spent 20 minute looking for car keys that I had left in the door. UGH!! I just needed to start running and everything would be okay so I thought..I started my warm- up and felt off. Blah was all I could think..I chugged along managing something like 9:30 pace and was like thinking of how bad I felt and I would have to message Jeff that I had to run easy and not do the workout cause I was just OFF. Than I started my strides and first couple were awkward and slow but the 3rd & 4th were very smooth and fast. WOW - I decided to give this workout a shot.

2 W/U, 2@6:50, 12 X 400 @ 1:30-1:40 w/60 second rest, 2@ 7:00, 2 mile C/D

First 2 miles at 6:50 - I felt surprisely smooth and did not go anaerobic. Than the 12 400s were almost easy after the 2 miles - what was more awesome was how easy 7 minute pace felt after the 400s. I sent Coach Jeff a note on the workout and guess what those last 2 miles were suppose to be a struggle and simulate late race fatigue.

I think what is happening is all the miles are finally starting to kick in after 2 months of high mileage. I think the speed & strength have been there for a while the aerobic capacity to handle the speed was lacking for some time. Now I feel like they have come together...I am pleasantly surprised on how my morning of everything going wrong turned into a most awesome workout.

Running more and more miles in the 6 minute range no longer freaks me out.

I like Ice

If you hang out with me like my trusty running pal and race travel companion, Kim, you know that I like ICE. I bring ice with us or stop for ice on the way home. If you are a neighbor or family member, you have also witnessed my obsession with ice. I am always icing something somewhere and in random places. I maybe sitting on my porch enjoying watching my kids play but I will be icing something. My neighbors have gotten past the "oh what is wrong?" - they know it is just crazy Jamie icing a minor ache and nothing to worry about. To my husbands dismay, our freeze is almost always empty of ice and I always looking for ways to make more ice. I like Ice Baths, I like Ice packs and I like Ice Cups for ice massages. Really it is crazy I am sure but it has been a growing obession that has allowed me to recover quickly from workouts and ache & pains so that I can keep running. Once my husband did buy me a $200 Ice machine for a Mothers Day present but I insisted it was too much and he return it. I am thinking I was crazy cause in the past 2 years I have probably spent that much on ice at the gas station. hehe Anyway that is all for the day is I like Ice.

Its coming along, maybe?

I feel like the weeks and weeks of grinding out the miles without expectations are starting to pay off. I am feeling really strong and killed my long run today which makes me so happy and relieved.

This is what I told myself to get though this weekend :-) I had a hectic weekend on tap with Dance Recitals and Baseball Touraments games coupled with a good amount of running. I was trying not to worry that it would all get in and I won't miss a beat. Phewy! I made it though and even managed to enjoy myself without "losing my shit". Again most of this is due to the patience of my husband who made the weekend flow smoothly and even managed not to "lose his shit" with me when I become a flazzed a couple of times. Last night after a day of running, dance rehearsal, 2 baseball games, and Recital #1, I was starting to become a bit unglued as we had NOTHING in the house for dinner. I was going to make a pasta meal that was pre-made & frozen. I took it out and it was freezer burned. I needed thoses carbs and I was fearing that I would being eating toast for dinner. For the kids just made them a cheese quesadilla but I couldn't possbily be enough for my next day of running. My husband quickly offered a drive to Red Bowl to pick us up some dinner. He is a saint because it was already well past 8PM and his day was just as hectic as mine minus to early wake-up for some miles but still he had been running around all day too. I quickly too him up on his offer order my favorite Hibachi Steak with 2 servings of fried rice. We arrived back with food in hand and he and I enjoyed a great meal and I could be sure that I was well-fueled for todays 16 miler. Much Gracias to my husband because I had an amazing 16 miler. Schedule read - 16 miles with miles 12-15 (7:25 or faster) This is how it went down miles 1-12 @ 8:45 and than miles 12-15 - 7:22, 7:14, 6:55 It really must have been the lower humidity that we had this AM cause I felt super strong and legs felt like they could go forever. I was super surprised that in that last mile I was running sub-7 with relative ease. This was mile 15 of a long run in a 76 mile week. Hello its coming along.... Btw - still haven't figured out this new format stuff on the posting side. I am thinking that I may switch my blog to another provider as this is not user-friendly.

AIS/AIF

I wanted to write a quick note on AIS/AIF that I learned a few weeks back while in NYC. I have been incorporating it in pretty regularly into my running in the past 3 weeks. I am very excited about how healthly and balanced my body feels. My calf are the healthiest they have ever been. I use to have to get massage pretty regularly but haven't had them worked on in 4 weeks and they feel great. Very exciting to see my body benefiting from this modality. Now is it the end all be all tool? Not sure yet..it is too soon to tell but I have elimnated yoga and static stretching from my post run practice and my body feels great. The Whartons are heavy against both yoga & static stretching for lost of reasons. So I figure I need to trust it as it has keep many of athletes healthy. I use to have to practice yoga 2-3 days a week and static stretch post run to get loose now I spend maybe 10-15 minutes a day with AIS/AIF stuff. I have taught my husband how to release my hip flexors and a few other assisted moves that need an extra set of hands and body weight. Before bed I am like sweetie - will you release my hip flexors :-)?? Oh that feels really nice :-) hehehe He doesn't get much of it but a nice view of my butt. HA!! Well see - time will tell how it works for my body but I like how it has carried me through several 70+ mile weeks.

I wanted to write about my last workout before I went on vacation last week. It left such an imprint on soul that I am still thinking about it and replaying it in my head. I blogged about my anxiety I had about doing the workout and getting myself prepared mentally for it. I had lots on my mind that morning trying get a huge workout in and packing up everything for a 7 day cruise. Plus that week was high mileage in the midst a very HOT heat wave that hit the Carolinas. We were experiencing July/August type heat/humidity. Running in that heat was wearing me down both phyiscally and mentally. On Friday AM, I think the temp was somewhere in the high 70s with 100% humidity and ridicolous dew point. I went to the Y as I was going to attempt the run outside but wanted to have Y treadmill handy if things were going well. I set out for my 3 mile warm-up and immediately I felt like I was suffocating in the heat & humidity. Manage to slog through the 3 mile warm-up and get inside for the 3X3 miles. I was sopping wet for just the 3 mile warm-up and I am sure my heart rate was ridilcoulsly high already when I jumped on the treadmill. I wasn't in the most positive spirits after the warm-up and the first 3 mile Interval was okay but I was really struggling to keep my mind positive. My legs felt fine but my tummy was upset in a big way and chest heavy from breathing in the humidity. The paces felt acheveable from a leg turnover prescpective but really tummy and chest pain were not helping matters. I jogged the half mile in between the first and second interval. I felt fine in the first mile of the second interval but really started to struggle mentally and phyiscally in that second mile - I wanted to quit like never before, I was hurting and literally started crying and started conplating calling it a day. Than a thought appears in my head - "Don't cry to quit, cry to keep going, you are already in pain get something from it". I finished that 3 mile interval out somehow. Than the 3rd one came and again I was tired and really had to fight through and pray. I prayed several prayers during this workout but I didn't get any sign - no notes of faith appear, no angels came to whisper words of encouragement, no red cardinals appeared at the window to let me know God was giving me the strength. Nope not this time..I thought of this quote I once read that during the test the examiner is often quiet. Than it hit me that God has already given me all the experiences in life and running to keep me strong during this test and it was on me to muster the strength to get it done. I need to tap into all that gifts that God has already given me. This gave Digging Deep a whole new meaning to me that morning. I had to dig into that deep well where emotions fueled my beliefs where I knew I would never give up and that with God by my side anything is possible. I finished this workout depleted emotionally & phyiscally. I coughed for atleast an hour afterwards and cried on and off for a couple hours. I remember the first hour of our drive crying silently in the passager seat. Nick would ask me what was wrong and I wasn' sure why I had felt so emotional but I think I had tapped in a very deep place to finish that workout and the high mileage week that I was just feeling very raw and exposed. I think I had found that place where I need to go when the going gets tough and feel almost thankful that God lead me there. I learned that there in a deep well of strength within me that I had never tapped in to before. 16 miles done - 3x3 mile @ 7:15-7:20 average pace sandwiched between 3 w/u & 3 c/d and half mile jog/rest intervals between - Caution do not try this workout in extreme temps :-)

Happy Mothers Day

I am often asked from other runners, family/friends or inquiring minds - "what am I training for?" or What race am I preparing for?" Depending on the asking party, I may give a quick & easy answer - I have XYZ in a few months. Or you may get one of these hug smiles on my face as I ponder my answer and it may just be a long, deep, spiritual and philosophical answer. My training focus for a specicifc race has shift to a very long term approach to training where no one race defines my training cycle and this freedom has brought lots joy to my training and life. I have learn to "see the forest through the trees". This is truly a gift and has brought an element to my training and life where I can value progress and not the perfection of the all elusive perfect race and HUGE PR that all runnerss dream of. Chasing PR's can be somewhat defeating process. The shift to focus on progress and sometimes progress of immearusable things such as overcoming a rough patch in a training run or race or conquering a fear or doubt is where my focus is centered and when I am able to do these things I feel like I am moving closer and closer to where my heart seeks to be. By truly being the best me and developing not only my running abilities but my personal growth I feel like I can pass on a beautiful legacy to my children. Happy Mothers Day to you and hope you all are striving to be best you!!!

Big Workout

I have a HUGE workout this AM before we leave for our cruise. It has my nerves going crazing this AM more so than a race would. It is one of those key workouts that really set you up for success down the road. I have done a similar workout several times but this workout is a bit different as the paces are aggressive and the volume is much higher than before. I have always done well in this workout but I think with the lack of appetite this week, training in the heat and my mind being everywhere and less focused specifically on training so I think this is why I am left feeling anxious this AM. I am praying I have enough energy in the tank for this workout. I need to remember to enjoy the workout, relax and stay calm when I start to feel uncomfortable. This note is more of a pep talk to myself to get my mind in the right mindset to do well and shake the nerves off. I read once that you can't be fearful (anxious) at the same time as being grateful. So I will focus on my blessings while doing my warm-up which should help me keep the right mindset going to the workout. Here is the workout - 3 Mile W/U 3 X 3 @ 7:15-7:30 with half mile recovery 3 Mile C/D Jamie - GO GET AFTER IT!!!

Getting After it

I have a few doubles this week and it has been hard to get them in the evenings especially with the temp here reaching 90 around 5-6PM and only coming down maybe a few degrees by 7PM. Additionally we in the Dodge household have short timers syndrome with the cruise in a couple of days so I am not as geeked to lace up my shoes to run that second run in the heat. So last night after dinner was prepared and kids were eating, I set off to go for my run but just couldn't push myself out the door into the inferno that awaited me. I would chat a bit with Nick and he would say aren't you going? Go already, I got things here...Ugh! I told him to tell me "Go Get After it". Out of frustration with me procrasting, he willingly obliged and told me to Get After it. The kids thought it was funny so they started yelling "Mommy - Go Get After it". How could I not go now that the kids were cheering me out the door. I blew them kisses and yelled Mommy is going to get after it as I opened the front door. I left the house smiling big and it totally changed my attitude about running in the heat. Got it done! Came home to them being proud of me :-) In a way this training thing is truly a family effort!!

It's a strange struggle

As I lay awake awoken from hunger at 3AM last night, I was thinking about this strange struggle that I seem to have that I can't find many distance runners have and trying to think of a solution. Hunger!! That is my frustration as a distance runner. Yet it is not the constant hunger that many runners have but the lack thereof of hunger especially when I have high training volume. Food becomes the last night on my mind and I have no hunger yet I know I need to be fueling constantly to keep up my energy, protect my immune system and help my body adapt to the stress of training and recovery properly. When I was awoken last night, I went scrogging for some good carbs and a little protein that I could sleep on :-) I managed a cheese stick, banana and some animal cracker cookies with milk. I was not about to cook up some spagetti although I did lay awake thinking how good that spagetti would make my runs today feel. The thing is this type of hunger is rare for me to feel. I have a hard time consuming 3000 calories a day + depending on the demands of my runs. I feel like most of the time I am force feeding myself sort of like in the first trimester of your pregnancy when food is the last night you think you can ingest but yet you have too. Not a fun relationship..My solution thus far has been to drink my calories but they don't make a Gatorade PLUS version so you can get lots of extra carbs/calories. Too bad that would be great for me :-) I drink lots of Gatorade, cherry juice, other juices, whey protein drinks & smoothies. It seems like I am only runner with this problem and the reason I stress about it is cause I want to be improving and not get sick because my immune system is disfunctional cause I am not taking in enough carbohydratyes. I know it is just part of the training process and I will learn to manage my nutrition better so that I getting in enough to fuel runs, recover and support a healthly immune system. Until then I will contiune drinking my gatorade. I have a feeling next week the liquid calories of will be coming from Pina Coldas!!! I keep thinking next week I will not be having a problem getting in the calories. I will be sailing... Any good tips?