Every Wish That We Put Into Motion.... (comments welcome!)

[Herding_Cats]

To be fair though, this past weekend we managed to register him for the 5k and 10k, and me for dopey all under my account. So it would just be one more screen of frantic clicking, right?

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Love the journal title change.

FWIW I did 3 events for PW this year— yoga, 5k, and challenge and got them. So it is possible.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Week "3" wrap-up.

I redid my schedule to accommodate my missed week 1, and pretty much just chopped out a few days (maybe a week, the details are fuzzy at this point) at the end of the month. I figure at that point, the strength training will be good enough I can "skip" a week ahead, and the running is still in a very gradual buildup, so I'm not worried about that either.

Sunday: Total Body Core workout (~60min.) Going very easy with the weights, which is so terrible for my ego because I know what I've been capable of in the past, but I'm very much not there right now. Avoided the horrible soreness.

Monday: A Little Obsessed, Booty (~30min) + 30min EA I don't remember exactly what all went down, but between early pick-up to get boys to basketball practice and a few other things, I didn't get these done.

Tuesday: REST A Little Obsessed, Booty (~30min) + 30min EA Massive connectivity issues (both wi-fi and LTE) meant that this 30min workout took just over 45min to complete, and at that point it was time to help get dinner on, so the running didn't happen. Again. *sigh*

Wednesday: 30min EA + the core round from Cardio Core (and then 3hrs of bleacher sitting for basketball) It felt good to run FINALLY. This was my first run since the marathon. Yeah, almost an entire month off from running. Used the treadmill (because I don't run outside in the winter, and also we were in the midst of a polar vortex.) The hardest part of the core round is actually how long we are in plank, since almost all of the moves are done with your feet on sliders. But I was more able to do the moves than I was expecting.

Thursday: AAA (which is Arms, Abs, and you can guess the 3rd A) ~60min. Hello glutes. Definitely tried to not over do this day because of what is coming...

Friday: Legs ~60min. Holy cats. Time to keep swinging at the ego. I know for a fact that I had DH buy me heavier weights during lockdown when I did this program. So I know that I was doing them with 15s as my "medium" weight in the past. Today though? 8s. And I dropped to 5s at the end because my form was going to be awful if I didn't. And when I was done I laid on the floor for like 10min, questioning my life choices. And then we went and sat in bleachers at basketball for 4.5 hours. Was a little sore at the end of the day, but not bad.

Saturday: 40min EA. I was a bit sore when I woke up, but I was expecting that. Took DS3 to his basketball games (yet another 2.5hrs in bleachers....UGH, my back wasn't happy!) and then we started working on our taxes. I am more sore by lunchtime, and climbing in and out of our vehicle is becoming laborious. Our nephew plays hockey and is in district playoffs, so we went and watched his game late afternoon. I was thankful for handrails in the stands at the hockey arena, because what the heck is going on with my legs?! When we got home I requested that this be DH's night to put DD to bed because stairs were baaaaad. By bedtime I am in post-first-marathon leg feelings, where I could barely walk up and down the stairs for 3 days.

Sunday: I'm supposed to do Total Body Core today, and I was going to try to run as well. But I'm still hobbling around this morning, so one of those things is going to have to go.


*As a note, when SIL and I did this program the first time, around 5 years ago, we both experienced similar soreness, and it went away sometime during the 2nd week when our bodies adjusted to what we were asking them to do. So while I'm uncomfortable, I was expecting this to a certain degree and I'm not too worried that I'm teetering on the brink of injury from going too hard too soon.

 

[The Expert]

I just read an article in Runners World about balancing strength training and running, and it had some interesting points. I have often wondered if I should be running the same day as my strength workouts, and if so, before or after and what kinds of run workouts are okay. Here are a few snippets (b/c I think it's behind a pay wall, but here's the link in case it's not):

The first step in solidifying your schedule is knowing that your run performance can take a nosedive when you don’t smartly pair the two forms of exercise. According to lead author Kenji Doma, Ph.D., your running performance is impaired in between resistance training sessions due to the stress that resistance training places on your muscles—known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)—which can continue for up to 72 hours. Plus, a hard leg day can take as much as a day or two more to recover from than a high-intensity run.

“Resistance training-induced stress can hamper the muscle’s ability to contract optimally, which is vital for any type of movement, including running,” he tells Runner’s World. “Therefore, undertaking any form of endurance training during periods of resistance training-induced stress can prevent endurance athletes from reaching their session goals, such as covering a particular distance or maintaining pace.”

...

1. If you’re running and strength training on the same day and the day before a rest day...​

• Run after you lift if you’re doing both on the same day in the off season. (If your race is around the corner, however, run first.)
• If your strength session includes fast concentric contractions (when the muscle shortens—like the “up” motion of a squat) and slow eccentric contractions (when the muscle lengthens—like the “down” motion of a squat), it’s best to wait six hours before going for a run. Your run should be at low-to-moderate intensity.
• If you’re doing strength exercises at a normal tempo, it’s best to wait nine hours before going for a run. Your run should be at low-to-moderate intensity.
• Avoid running at a high intensity if you’re lifting on the same day.

---

2. If you’re running and strength training on the same day and the day before a run workout...​

• Run prior to lifting with at least nine hours of recovery in between your run and your strength workout.
• Avoid high-intensity runs the day after same-day lifting and running—make it low-to-moderate intensity instead.

---

3. If you need to schedule a high-intensity run in the days following leg day...​

• Avoid a high-intensity run the day after a strength workout. Instead, run at a low- or moderate-intensity pace the next day.
• Allow at least 48 hours of recovery after leg day (with fast concentric contractions and slow eccentric moves) before a high-intensity speed run.
• Allow at least 72 hours of recovery after a moderate-to-high intensity lower-body workout or high-volume lower-body workout (with normal-speed concentric and eccentric moves) before a high-intensity speed run.

---

The bottom line on running before or after a workout​

While the optimal amount of time to spread out workout types is different for everyone, the general rule of thumb, according to Doma, is this: The higher your resistance training volume (more reps and sets), the more recovery is needed before higher-intensity runs. But you can opt for lower-intensity runs the day after resistance training. Pairing high-intensity strength and high-intensity runs on back-to-back days is what you want to avoid.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

That was really helpful, @The Expert !

 

[The Expert]

It was a huge eye-opener for me, too! Happy to share.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Wooo. Yay. Another week and I didn't run once.
I'm legitimately considering doing *only* weight training for the next month or so because I just cannot focus on this many things at one time, and there should be a little bit of a lull during the month of March when basketball is done but baseball and track haven't started yet. Last week I managed all of the lifting workouts, and this week.....well not so much.

Sunday: Total Body Core. Except it didn't happen. I think we grocery shopped? And there was something else, but I don't remember what it was. And now I have to shift the rest of my days.

Monday: ALO: Booty+30min EA. Total Body Core. Getting easier. Upping the weights. Finally feeling good about lifting again.

Tuesday: Rest. Snow day for the kids, which meant that practice schedules got moved, but DS2's basketball game was still on. Missed whatever workout I was supposed to do with the shuffling around.

Wednesday: 1miWU+4x400m@5k+1miCD and core workout More basketball...3 games in a row, so around 5 hours in bleachers solo with the toddler-tornado. And WOW was she in rare form. DH was reffing 40min away, but made it back for the 2nd half of the last game, where I immediately put him on-duty because I was d.o.n.e. chasing her around.

Thursday: AAA. Did it. Finally. And I really needed a workout because I am so squirrely this time of year. I can make it through one more month and then it'll be spring, and sunshine, and decent enough outside to do stuff. Right?!

Friday: Legs. And, oh look. Another snow day. Hurray. I'm still a bit wobbly on some of the lunging moves, especially when it relies on my left leg/ankle to stabilize things, but I'm feeling better about the weights I'm able to use. Not having the massive, hobbling soreness that I did the first 2 weeks. And more basketball. *sigh*

Saturday: Run 40min EA. Guess what? MORE BASKETBALL. DS3's team won their tournament today, and he's done with that team for this year, but we are probably going to sign him up for a YMCA team. DH and I had dinner for our 19th date-aversary (I'm not sure how he's managed to tolerate me for this many years!) and then we went to....


I'm sure you can't guess.


It'll be a huge surprise.


ANOTHER BASKETBALL GAME. I know. Shocking. This sports season is 5 months long and I'm over it. So, so, so ready for it to be done for a multitude of reasons. 3. More. Weeks.


I'm re-evaluating my idea of a mid-May 10k, simply because I have run...once? twice? in the last month. It's becoming obvious that for any running I do on weekdays (once the snow is gone) DD is going to have to go back into the jogging stroller. Maybe Charlevoix 10k? That's an out-and-back course, but it's in mid-June. Might be an issue with work scheduling, since they like me to work M/W/F/Sat (and I'll likely start in June.) Possibly less of an issue since it's before July when we have to make eleventy-hundred pies.


But also, my originally-planned race is still 14 weeks away. So maybe I just stick with that? IDK. I would have to chop out some of the lifting in favor of running, and IDK if I want to do that. But also, I don't really know what it is I want to do. So that's fun.

 

[azrivest]

I'd want to do both and for your post. It's amazing what you and your husband do for your boys with an active toddler.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I'd want to do both

That sounds like a terrible idea.



But I mean.....if DS1 or 2 decided they wanted to go up and run the 5k in Charlevoix, I would HAVE to go and run the 10k there. Right?

It's amazing what you and your husband do for your boys with an active toddler.

Thanks for this. She's too cute for her own good, and most of the other families there just love her and let her climb all over them, eat their popcorn/candy, and color pictures with her, which on one hand is great, and OTOH is awful because she has willing participants in all of her shenanigans everywhere we go.

 

[azrivest]

That sounds like a terrible idea.

I meant I wanted to both emojis on your post

And for the Charlevoix race, why not combine it? You'll have to go there anyway might as well get in some Me Time as well!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Weekly update.
It's gonna be a short one.
I did my workout on last Sunday and that was it for the week. I am incredibly unmotivated to actually do the work, even though I want the results/outcomes that are associated with doing said work. So that's great. Gonna lose most of the fitness I worked for all summer and fall because I can't seem to drag myself off the couch.



In other news, DH said today that he thinks we should take DD with us to MW (assuming we get registered.) She's at that perfect age (she would be 4 in Jan.) where the princesses will be real, everything would seem magical, and she would be big enough to go on most of the rides. But also, if we take her that would mean park days, and I was mentally prepping myself for Dopey and NO park days. I would also mean DH and I not getting to run any races together since one of us would have to stay with her in the mornings (obviously.) And dealing with a 4yo in a studio when I want to go to bed at 7pm before a half or full marathon. And it feels really selfish to say it, but I don't want to take her now that I know what a kid-free race weekend can feel like. Would it make the house-sitting situation WAY easier? Yes. But this is absolutely something we have to figure out in the next 2 months. I am lobbying for a weekend trip in the fall near her birthday instead.

 

[superchime]

I totally agree, and you can spin it as she deserves her own dedicated weekend trip that's just about her experiencing the parks, with two parents who aren't exhausted because they got up to run at 2am.

 

[Naomeri]

I think you should definitely give DD her very own trip, rather than bringing her on a race trip.

 

[nancipants]

Agreed with the others. My son is 3 and I cannot imagine bringing him along for a race weekend, especially something as intensive as Dopey. Also, I’m not sure if you’ve traveled with her before or not, but it’s a PITA to travel with toddlers, which would only add to the stress.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Agreed with the others. My son is 3 and I cannot imagine bringing him along for a race weekend, especially something as intensive as Dopey. Also, I’m not sure if you’ve traveled with her before or not, but it’s a PITA to travel with toddlers, which would only add to the stress.

We took her with us for our first rD weekend, where DH ran the 5k and 10k, and I ran Goofy. Now, that was also right after covid restrictions lifted, and we rented DVC points for like $13/ea and got a 1br at OKW, so our room was HUGE, and it was basically perfect for having a 2 year old along with us. It really worked out well. But now that we've ALSO gone with out her, and gotten to run races together....it was so much easier to do literally everything.
Now to get DH on-board with that idea since we have also booked a cruise for next spring break as our oldest's "senior trip." That's a lot of flights to book: possible weekend for the toddler (3 people), week in January for MW (2 people), week in the spring for a cruise (6 people. And we used up most of our CC points paying for the cruise (basically the entire thing!), and that's what we usually use for flights. Might need to lurk around the churning board for a little bit again for a good MSR:Reward card.

 

[HangWithMerida]

But now that we've ALSO gone with out her, and gotten to run races together....it was so much easier to do literally everything.

Yep. Having now done a couple of Rundisney trips that weren’t also family trips, I heavily prefer it. Like you said, everything is just easier. A family trip has a different vibe and a different set of goals that just don’t mesh well with the super early mornings and weird schedule that a race weekend has. Maybe 10 years ago when there were actually low crowd times for the parks and you could walk in partway through the day and not hit a wall of people it would have been different. But that just doesn’t seem to exist now.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Catching up again, not that there's anything to actually catch up on.

February was awful from a workout standpoint, and also from a seasonal mood standpoint. Pretty sure there's a correlation there since I usually manage to knock out one of the BBOD programs from Jan-March, but haven't managed to do much of anything this year. Exercise keeps me sane in the dark, gray months, and I feel like I had so much post-Dopey let down that it really exacerbated everything. Maybe I need to also register for Princess next year. (Kidding, sort of.) We've had a few sunny days in a row, the temperatures are starting to creep up into the upper 30s, which is a normal trend for this year. DH can really tell that everything is affecting my mood and has started reminding me that soon the snow will be gone and I can get outside to run.

I also think I was way to optimistic about the training plan I put together since it way fewer rest days, and too many days where I was doing a workout AND a run. And once I started missing stuff it all snowballed.

So where does that put me now? Regrouping again.

I've still not registered for any races, and I don't know that I will sign up for anything that happens before June. LIIFT More is now available for BOD subscribers without an extra "vip access" fee. More lifting, less HIIT, which sounds great since I despise HIIT. There's a lady that is a BB "coach" (and has a pretty thorough website) that does a lot of running and shares her schedules for how she modifies the workout plans to also include running, and she has one for this program that looks doable. There's no mileage in any of the runs, just "easy, tempo/speed, long, and recovery" labels. It looks like a much better balance/volume of what I am trying to accomplish. It also stretches the 8 week lifting program to 13.5 weeks, and I would finish up in early June. Which is also so good timing.


We're just over a month out from registration for MW. That's kind of freaky.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

February was awful from a workout standpoint, and also from a seasonal mood standpoint. Pretty sure there's a correlation there since I usually manage to knock out one of the BBOD programs from Jan-March, but haven't managed to do much of anything this year. Exercise keeps me sane in the dark, gray months, and I feel like I had so much post-Dopey let down that it really exacerbated everything. Maybe I need to also register for Princess next year. (Kidding, sort of.) We've had a few sunny days in a row, the temperatures are starting to creep up into the upper 30s, which is a normal trend for this year. DH can really tell that everything is affecting my mood and has started reminding me that soon the snow will be gone and I can get outside to run.

I get this! I feel like there's always a day at the end of winter when it's finally warm and sunny and I think to myself, "oh right, this is what it feels like to be happy" because I haven't felt that in months I also find it much harder to run or exercise at all when it's miserable outside. (And that's why I've been spending winters with my parents in Florida now that I can work remotely!) I bet as the weather improves your motivation will too. Sounds like you have a good plan ahead of you as well!

 

[Herding_Cats]

I get this! I feel like there's always a day at the end of winter when it's finally warm and sunny and I think to myself, "oh right, this is what it feels like to be happy" because I haven't felt that in months

I think a big problem for me this year is that we had 2 or 3 consecutive days of that in mid-January. And then again in early February. False spring. The "Spring of Deception" is coming this month though. I'm just hoping that whatever late-season snow storm we end up with isn't too bad.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

I think a big problem for me this year is that we had 2 or 3 consecutive days of that in mid-January. And then again in early February. False spring. The "Spring of Deception" is coming this month though. I'm just hoping that whatever late-season snow storm we end up with isn't too bad.

Oh for sure, it is extra tough to go back to crappy weather once you've had a glimpse of spring.