October 2017: Did I pass?

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

boct17grade

Did I pass in October? I suppose any month that starts off with a half marathon PR (read about Wineglass here) can’t be a bad month. With the half “monkey” off my back, though, there have been a wee bit of slacking going on. You decide.

Getting in scheduled runs
While there are still runs on the schedule, still races on the schedule, the time has come for an off season. Still out there running, but pretty much just easy runs and long runs with the occasional races and strides. And skipping a run every now and again (hiking, recovering).

Last week I traded a hike for a run, though.

Grade Earned:  A-

Recording my runs
Ugh! I have been completely ignoring my written journal, and I know I will hate that next year. I’ve got some information here, obviously, and some on the calendar that Rachel @ Runningonhappy uses to schedule my runs. But I go into far more detail in my written journal — when I use it.

I’m not going to fail myself, but I hope never to see this low a grade again.

Grade Earned: D (for disappointed)

Dynamic Warmup
I have actually kept up pretty well with my dynamic warmups. I just know it’s so important.

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
I didn’t bring my worm to Wineglass or my parents this month (that seems to be a bad habit forming when I go to my parents — we have to lug so much stuff).

Other than that I’ve been fairly faithful to foam rolling, even using the stick sometimes before riding my stationary bike to warm up for strength training.

Grade Earned: B

Respecting my body
I’ve really come a long way when it comes to listening to my body. I didn’t feel all that great before Wineglass even before my Dad got sick; I skipped one run. Of course, that was in September. But I really took it nice and easy when I got back, too; I’d been teetering on the edge of burnout/overtraining for a while.

Grade Earned: A

Nutrition
Last time I visited my parents we had five people tackling the double brownie fudge sundae. I swear that thing is magic; I always seem to do well with my weigh ins when we have it! No, I didn’t lose weight, but I stayed the same that week, while starting the heavier clothes WIs.

In general, though, I’ve been eating well (as long as you don’t count Wineglass weekend!) and my clothes continue to feel good. There is still definitely some room for improvement, because yes, as always I’d like to lose a little weight.

Grade Earned: A-

Support
I finally got my hair cut. But I’ve been procrastinating about booking a massage. I mean, I love my massages, you’d think it would be easy to book one, right?

Grade Earned: B

Cross Training
Still doing some yoga most days, I got to the pool once, I’ve started to use my stationary bike again, and I sweet talked Running Buddy J into a hike with me and the dogs.

It’s a lot easier to crosstrain when you’re not actually training!

Grade Earned: A

October 2017 gets  . . . 
. . . an B+. I know I am so going to miss having a filled out journal. Yes, I can go back and fill in stuff — but it’s just not the same a month (or two) after the fact.

Which leads me to:

Goals for October:

  • Enjoy my half — finishing = winning A big fat Y!!!
  • Get right back to clean eating when I get back home Y (once I finished that Garret’s I runfessed about — read all about that here)
  • Epsom salt soak — shoot for every week; every week even better N — not even after I wrote this & realized I hadn’t done it . . . 
  • Swim every other week; every week even better I got there once . . .
  • Continue to research ID halfs N
  • Trail race (if the weather’s decent — yes, I’m a fair weather trail runner, except for my only trail half!) Ugh N! I already proved I can do a trail race in a cold rain; but this was supposed to be for fun, and I just wasn’t feeling it with more cold rain all day

Goals for November:

  • Do a short yoga sesh when I wake up early (always feel better afterwards)
  • Try for 80/20 with clean eating — don’t go nuts baking for Thanksgiving!
  • Epsom salt soak — let’s try for one, shall we?
  • See how a swim feels now that it’s getting colder
  • Continue to research 2018 halfs
  • Although I don’t see a trail race in my future any time soon, continue to run on trails occasionally. It’s good for the body. And soon no doubt they won’t be runnable.

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.

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This week I am also joining up with Running on Happy, Suzlyfe, Crazy Running Girl, and Coach Debbie Runs each week for the Coaches’ Corner linkup

coachescorner

24 thoughts on “October 2017: Did I pass?”

  1. Looks like a solid month! It’s tough to keep all of it going. I can’t remember the last time I had an epsom salt soak or a massage. I’m sure it was hot the last time I did. They both sound very enticing right now that it’s freezing here. I’m sad the trails here will be an unrunnable frozen mess very soon. I feel like we got gypped on fall weather and color.

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    1. I’m with you on the trails no doubt being an unrunnable frozen mess soon. 😦 Unless we get lucky like last year, when we really didn’t get much snow til Feb. I got lucky; I was actually able to train for that trail half!

      I am kicking myself about the journal though. An entire month missing. 😦

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  4. You did very well! The trick with the holidays is that 80/20. I was actually good and didn’t taste test too much of the Halloween candy, and it’ll be out of my house after tomorrow. Then Thanksgiving will be here, and I normally still eat healthy in November, and just splurge on that one day. It’s December that’ll be tempting.

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  6. I’ve been so bad about foam rolling and I haven’t been going to yoga. But I’ve been doing yoga at home, so there’s that. I had shin splints this week WTH? and so I did foam roll those shins like crazy. No need to show up to a race with that!

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    1. Well, I don’t take yoga classes but I do it at home most days. When I belonged to a gym there was an instructor I really liked, but it wasn’t enough for me to reup the next year.

      That’s too bad about the shin splints, but obviously they didn’t interfere with your race!

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  9. I’m going to attempt 10 minutes of yoga every morning (or at least everyday). Granted 10 minutes isn’t much, but it’s 10 minutes more than I do on most days. I just got my hair cut recently, too…ahhh, it feels so good!

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    1. I don’t do morning yoga every morning — but I do try to include some in most days. I really do believe it’s better to have a regular practice than just attend one weekly class (or class occasionally).

      Although anything is always better than nothing!

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    1. I really do like when I start the day with yoga, but it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes I end it with yoga; other times it doesn’t happen because I’m just too tired by the end of day — especially as the days get shorter.

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    1. Thanks, Erika! I’ve definitely been getting in some more cross training, but even my off season is slightly higher mileage than in past years at the moment.

      Of course, I skip a run to hike here, shorten one there . . .

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  14. You did a great job with your goals for the month! I dread to give myself a report card…I know it is NOT going to look good!

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