Just 3 more sleeps to the big day!

Last weekend we embarked on our last training run. It was not a good one. I definitely found my limit regarding my body-chemistry issues. We headed out to Allen Bill pond to run towards West Bragg Creek. As soon as we started running, I felt the exhaustion and tiredness; and the moment I got about 10 steps up the first hill, my legs were on fire, stiff, and lacking mobility. I managed to barely muscle through it (we cut it short); the dip in the river afterwards was numbing but great.

Since Saturday, I have focused on recovery and fueling. I’m now focused on eating enough, and wrapping up chores/errands/etc in preparation for 8 days away from home!

Here are some pics from Saturday’s run:

I know my eyes are closed, but we don’t get many shots of the 2 of us!

Lots of “bog” terrain on Saturday

Look at my jump over the giant crevice

well friends, family, acquaintances, random searchers on the web… to sum it up: a lot.

i have not posted in 4 months. At first, this was due to work & the stress related to work; work has since calmed down. However, in the last couple months it has actually been a hesitation to tell anyone how my training is going. I was worried training “wasn’t going”!

I have struggled off and on with training over the past few years – the gist is that my performance has become progressively worse over time. It felt like no matter what I tried, I could not run faster; in fact, I was running slower. My first 10k in 2009 was 00:60:46; my 10k time in 2012 was ~00:70:00.

My newest training adventure at Stenia Health and High Performance to help me get to Tough Mudder feels a little bit like my last ditch effort to see if I can ever be a stronger, faster runner. I am now ready to come out of my cave – “kinda” – and share my journey. So, here goes – the quickest update of 2013 ever!

During the winter, Jamie and I ventured out snowshoeing a few times.

In March, we went to Disneyland.

And all throughout last fall, winter, and now this spring – I have been training. I have been following a very strict, personalized program with my Coaches, Katherine and Kelsey. I have been lifting heavy weights, working on my chin-ups, and, of course, I have been running. The running was tough – at the beginning; I didn’t know why it was so tough – so I reported my symptoms (low energy, inability to perform a decent run for the week following my long run) to my coach. I learned that apparently it isn’t normal to be so exhausted after an easy 10k run; I also learned it isn’t normal to not be able to do a decent run for the rest of the week. I’ve been running for almost 4 years – I figured this was how everyone felt. That’s right – after every single one of those long runs during my Honolulu training I could not get off the couch for the rest of the day. Each Tuesday or Thursday run, I felt myself lag behind my fellow runners just a little more each week – there was just nothing left in my muscles for me to push any harder. I kept feeling more and more tired; I just thought it was normal.

Long story short – we took out the long run, and “ta-da!” – I feel like a friggin machine! I’ve been conquering pace runs, intervals, hill sprints, and hills. The suspicion is that I’m lacking some vitamin, mineral, or some other important thing in the body… So blood tests are out and I await their results. In the meantime, I just feel awesome.  I am enjoying every minute of training.

These next few weeks of training leading up to the big day (June 22) are going to be intense. I will be attempting longer runs and much more intense workouts (with my coach AND self-directed). I am exceptionally stoked.