Carmel Week 8: Unstoppable to Unsure

Unstoppable to Unsure

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James' buddy had a Mario Brothers/Poop Emoji birthday party.

After a rough week last week, I entered this week feeling a little more fresh. The snow wouldn't stop, so I got a lot of use out of my new YakTrax. The poor road conditions and cold temps also forced me to slow down the pace. It was probably the best thing for my legs this week. The YakTrax gave me fearlessness that allowed me to glide over the poor road conditions without feeling like I was going to fall on my butt. After a couple of easy snow runs, my legs killed my speed workout. I came out of it feeling great and wishing I had run faster. After two more easy runs, I had to conquer another long run. It wasn't that great and left me questioning my ability to meet my goal.

Silly fun.

• 1/15: 6.28 miles, 9:35/mile; Shoulder workout, 30 minutes. This was an interesting run. So much freaking snow on the ground. Sarah and I could only hope we'd make it out alive. I used my yak trax for the second time. Boy do those things work! Since it was hill surge day, I was a little nervous about doing them with the weather conditions. We found a hill at the end of a road that was fairly clear and decent enough to get the job done. Despite the difficulty running through the snow, this was actually a pleasant run.
  

  

  A bit frosty.

• 1/16: 8.52 miles, 8:13/mile. Workout: 10 minute warm up, 20 minutes steady, 15 minutes faster, 10 minutes faster, 5 minutes fastest, 10 minute cool down. This is the same workout I had three weeks ago. My goal was to attempt to run it just a tad faster than the first time. I ran it on the treadmill last time as well. That made it easy to determine my pace goals. The entire run felt to smooth! I couldn't believe it. When I finished, I almost wished I had pushed it a little more. Either way, I'm very happy with how I did.
  

  

  

  Practicing towards my goal of doing a handstand this year.

• 1/17: 9.5 miles, 9:23/mile; Chest/Back workout, 30 minutes. What a chaotic day! My planned group run was cancelled due to the pre-wind chill temps predicted to be in the negatives. It was actually 9 degrees which is totally doable. UGH. I decided I would just hit up the treadmill after work to get my 60-85 minutes. We are currently house hunting and have been heart broken 4 times already due to homes already being in contract. We FINALLY got a call to actually look at a house! I could not pass up the opportunity. Therefore, I had to cancel my running plans AGAIN. After drama and chaos I could have done without, Sarah told me she could join me for some post-work miles! No treadmill AND a partner...yes please! I completely failed to wear my night gear. It didn't cross my mind that the sun was setting and that we'd be ending our run in the dark. Our neighborhoods are still full of snow which made the run a little more difficult. We got the miles and felt like rock stars when we finished.
  

  

  YakTrax are amazing!

• 1/18: Yoga, 1 hour. After killing myself during the yoga workout last week, I opted for something a little more low key. I did a 10 minute core yoga workout followed by 35 minutes of restorative yoga. I then practiced some arm balances and inversions for another 15 minutes.
  

  

  Improving my wheel pose.

• 1/19: 6.04 miles, 9:06/mile. Easy miles with strides...although, my strides were more like "move your legs the best you can in this freaking cold weather." I didn't have any work, so I was able to meet Britt just after Jimmy left with the kids. We did the first 4 miles together before we split off so she could get some faster ones. I'm so happy to be finished with coffee in hand!
  

  

  Post run coffee in a mug is my favorite.

• 1/20: 18 miles, 9:18/mile. Meh. It was better than last week, but still not as great as I typically feel on my long runs. Slightly discouraging. I'm not sure if it's the weather or something else. Oh well. I met my lady, Lisa B, for the first 8.5 miles. I then joined CRC for their group run in Westerville. The group run was on the Alum Creek Trail which was still pretty messed up from the snow. There were some clear areas, but a lot of slick spots as well. I didn't wear my yak trax today thinking I wouldn't need them. I was supposed to run my last three miles faster with my personal goal being my marathon pace. The first was 8:17, but I kept slipping and sliding on the ice. The snow also made it tough to keep pace. I decided it wasn't worth a fall and slowed down for the last two. I still ran them under 9 minutes, but not even close to race pace.
  

  

  Also improving my eight angle pose.

• 1/21: 3.38 miles, 18:07/mile. After skipping my walk last weekend for a rest day, I was finally able to connect with Meg again. We met in New Albany for an hour stroll. The weather was finally appropriate enough for Sophie to join us.
  

  

  Completely pooped after her walk.

  
  

  

  Send up a prayer that this girl has her baby before February 17th! [ME, Meg]

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As the week ended, I just kept thinking about how happy I was that I still have 10 weeks to train for this race. For whatever reason, I'm not feeling super confident about achieving my goal. I think I'm getting the winter blues.

Our home starting February 27th.