Regrouping

I’ve been feeling just exhausted this week.  I don’t think I made it much past 9:30 ever, at all, once.  When I think back, I think I’ve been crashing out earlier since I started my whole step challenge.  It’s true that working out and being more active sure helps in the sack, because I’ve been crashing out and staying out for most of the night (and that has not been the case for me since motherhood became a crown I wear).  But this week that bit of exhaustion started leaking into my daytime.  I wanted to fall asleep, and did fall asleep, around 8:30 twice last week and this weekend I could barley get past 9:00 before my eyes started sliding down.  I couldn’t figure out what was up with that!  Then I took a good, hard at what I did this week and it turns out that I ran about 30 miles this week.  Thirty miles.  Granted, there’s a Zumba workout in there that added up to three miles of that, but even still: I out and out ran 27 miles at the least and 30 miles at the most.  No wonder I have been so tired!  

  

This is so me.  I get all jazzed up about ‘hitting it hard’ and taking off some weight or adding on some muscle or training for an event and in my enthusiasm I stop listening to my body and just push Push PUSH myself!  I’ve been good about doing Zumba twice a week and running 2-3 times a week, but those runs have been between 4-6 miles, usually, sometimes shorter when I don’t have the patience.  My intention was to add a long run of around nine miles into my routine, today’s run, but I think I pushed it too hard this week.  Not only am I tired, cranky and edging on anxiety/depression, I’ve also been feeling the strain in my legs and hips.  My calves have been tight like a rubber band, my thighs swollen and heavy feeling and that stress fracture or bursa sac swelling in my left hip, the one that gets irritated when I push too hard, started acting up again.  

Today I was supposed to take my long run of nine miles.  It’s hard for me not to follow through and push myself to do it, but I think I’ll be much happier all week if I give myself a little bit of recovery time.  Instead I walked the dog and played some laser tag with the family. So this week’s goals:

• Monday: kitchen miles, whatever feels good
• Tuesday: Zumba
• Wednesday: 4-6 miles depending on weather and how my hip feels
• Thursday: kitchen miles (keep it easy) unless I feel better, then I might hit the streets.  Or hula hoop.
• Friday: Zumba
• Saturday: 9 miles
• Sunday: 3 mile virtual leap day race with kids (Greenlake)

I bought some medals for a virtual race for my kids that they are going to earn next Sunday.  I always run but I think they might like a little extra motivation in the way of virtual race medals to spur on their interest in running.  It gives them a sense of accomplishment and it’s fun to run for bling sometimes!  I figure whatever motivates…  I think I earned the Race to Oz medal this week with my 30 miles!  I’m not usually one for medals, but to commemorate my most miles ran in a training week is worthwhile, I think.  😉

Side note: because I’m a big dork I have to go on just a little more about Macklemore and the game I play when I listen to him.  Right now I’m obsessed with the song Downtown.  I looooove it.  No- I mean I luuuuurve it.  It’s just so much and the pure excess is like witnessing a flash mob or something.  But anyways…  When I’m doing my kitchen laps with Macklemore I choose a part or two of his song to change up my steps to.  For example: in Downtown, whenever there’s cowbell I do a double-timed step or I get my knees up high.  I call them knee-highs but I’m not sure what they really are called.  When he has his posse rapping with him I do lunges while I walk and whenever the Downtowwwwwn! Part is being sung I have to have my arms in the air.  Plus I have to lip-synch and dance all sassy style as much as possible because the song just calls for it.  Anyhow, that’s just one more way I mix it up while I’m cruising along.  People always ask me how do I run that circle for so long, but I like it.  It has a lot to do with wanting to dance and listen to my music loudly and having access to headphones.  Fortunately my family, both as a child and now, is completely used to my antics and it’s not at all unusual to see me strutting around the house lip-synching and dancing to my heart’s content.  I think they’re all just glad I don’t belt it out loud anymore!

(I always remember this one night when I was about ten years old, sitting on the stationary cycle, listening to Neil Diamond on some headphones and I just couldn’t keep the song in my heart any longer.  My family had to let me know that I would get booted off the bike if I couldn’t keep quiet about Sweet Caroline.  I didn’t last on the bike much longer.  Who could?😋)