It wasn’t that long ago that I wrote a post about the ABCs of running (you can read it here), mostly to remind myself of things I would need to remember when I toe the start line of a race again. Except I still haven’t and right now I have zero plans to do so.
When it comes to the ABCs of running, though, I think C is the most important letter — especially when you pair it with consistency!
The key to keeping your body used to running is running consistently | Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom on Pexels.com
By consistency I mean just keep running Although I do advise you to mix it up — explore different locations, run on different surfaces, run easy most of the time but hard occasionally. All those things will keep running interesting.
Variety may be the spice of life, but if you’re not running at least three times a week you’re going to struggle because it’s almost as though you’re learning to run over and over and over again.
In fact, I have friend that will pretty much take the Winter off
You know what? They complain about how hard running is when they start again! That’s because it only takes a few days to start “detraining”.
You don’t have to have aspirations of running faster, or be chasing a PR — but by running consistently you are far less likely to be injured, because you body will remain adapted to running.
Be consistent with rest days, too A friend recently realized that she hadn’t taken a true rest day in almost 2 months. No wonder she was feeling burned out — and achy.
I have to admit that lately I am getting far fewer true rest days than I’d like, as often my rest days are spent going to my mom. There isn’t a lot I can do about that, though, other than recognize that I’m not getting as much rest as I probably need to pay attention to the feedback from my body.
You should have at least one true rest day a week. That might mean some easy walking or soothing Yoga, but it doesn’t mean a power walk or power Yoga (or hot Yoga, or Ashtanga).
Sleeping in once in a while is no big deal. If you want to become a early morning riser, though, you have to be consistent about getting up early! | Photo by Elvira Gibadullina on Pexels.com
Consistency is the key to almost anything in life I always say I’d rather you do 10 minutes of Yoga several days a week, rather than an hour long class once a week. When I was playing my flute all through out my school years, that meant practicing — every single day.
Want to get up earlier in the morning? Guess what: getting up early one day a week and late the other six isn’t going to help you make getting up early a habit!
Final Thoughts Have you ever watched your dog or cat get up after sleeping? They stretch, right? They stretch a lot! Every.Single.Time. It’s part of how they stay limber. They don’t just stretch every once in a while, they stretch after getting up all the time. It’s just their nature.
Run consistently and running will just be your nature, too
What do you think the most important letter for running is?
What did you wish you did more consistently?
What have you learned you need to do consistently to keep running?
It was coming down to the wire to complete my RRCA Coaching test this week — it was hard, but I got it done! Now just need to do the First Aid/CPR courses and I’ll be a certified running coach (or maybe just certifiable).
I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and running easy while reflecting back on the past year (since it was Yom Kippur, and the Jewish New Year was 10 days ago) while looking forward to the new year — and yes, that included a fast on Thursday. And lots of reading, Yoga, and meditation on that day, too!
Friday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk AM/PM, PB ST (25 min)
Saturday: Yoga (30 min), Dogwalk AM, Walking with friends
Sunday: Yoga (50 min), 4 miles easy, hopefully more ST
Running Mileage: 11.5 (+2.5)
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Not usually a little waterfall but we’ve had SO much rain
Monday Intention: go long-er Another long-er run was on tap because I wasn’t sure how this week would play out. Except somehow it turned into sort of mile repeats and negative splits. Most likely because I knew Mr. Judy was waiting on me. It wasn’t exactly fast, still, but fast-er paces than I’ve seen in a while.
Oh, and I’d slept poorly the night before. We’d had some rain, and there was one of the leaf bins under the roof. It sounded like a drumbeat. Mr. Judy didn’t even hear it. I had to get up and go sleep on the couch (which is where I sleep when I visit my mom). Good thing I don’t have a bad back!
Taken while walking Bandit but I run past here all the time!
Tuesday Intention: recover I don’t know why I ended up doing speedwork yesterday, my body just seemed to want to do it, so I made sure that I took this recovery run nice & easy. It may have helped that due to errands in the morning, I ended up running around midday, which I usually try to avoid.
Wednesday Intention: treadmill test I am probably going to start my treadmill search soon. Any recommendations? How did you get rid of the old treadmill? Mine is too heavy for us to get into a car! Mr. Judy, however, isn’t ready to throw in the towel yet.
I had no desire to run three days in a row, and was quite tired actually, but he had done some tweaks so I did a second recovery run. Oddly it went much longer before it started to slow down — about 19 minutes. Still it is not keeping pace and not going to do me much good if the weather is bad.
Catching leaves before they’re gone!
Sunday Intention: easy & enjoy cooler weather The weather was gorgeous and the run was slow. I did run 4 times this week, and two of those were 4 miles — which is what is passing for a long run for me at the moment — plus the RRCA test stressed me out! The top of my back was completely covered by mosquitoe bites from yesterday’s chat with friends, but I have an essential oil blend for that that helps a lot! It also helped that I got to a park I haven’t been to since last year.
We got a couple of new (free) lounge chairs lately. Ever the guard dog.
Favorites of the week I completed and passed my RRCA Level 1 Run Coach test. I’d signed up for it back in May, before the drama with my mom. I took this course really to expand my own information; I’d actually wanted to do it for many years.
The test wasn’t easy. It’s 100 multiple choice questions, and while many weren’t hard, some were very hard (to me, anyway). Plus you need an 85 to pass. I definitely don’t think I could go from there to coaching someone, but I learned some new things, and you know I’ll be passing along some tips!
I was supposed to have gone back to my mom to take her to the doctor on Friday, but something happened that moved up the appointment (she’s okay, kina anyway) so my sister ended up taking her. I needed a little rest after the last few weeks!
They literally (some of them) pop up over night
Mushrooms aren’t a favorite, especially since I have to pick them so Bandit doesn’t eat them. Bandit has never really shown interest in them, but there are so many of them after the wet Summer we’ve had. I often wonder what’s in our soil that makes bright yellow mushrooms! Now we have a new kind of wrinkled mushroom I haven’t seen before, too.
ICYMI: Fall is coming quickly. I have a 15 minute meditation that will relax you, get you grounded, and also have you thinking about what you need to let go of — like the trees let go of their leaves. I also have a shorter discussion on the changing of Summer into Fall, with a few tips of what you might need to change up as you move into Fall.
Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: Yes, we’re done with colonoscopies! On Tuesday it’s why C is the most important letter. Friday I think it’s time for Runfessions — that’s what I’ve written, anyway!
1: Phone a friend You have to have an adult come sign you out and pick you up — it can’t be a taxi driver. This kind of seems absurd (that you just can’t take a taxi, what if you live alone?), but there it is.
2: When can I eat? Your doctor will give you instructions on when and what you can eat, but usually it’s anything you want.
I wasn’t hungry, although some people claim to be starving. It’s a good idea to continue to eat lightly, slowly reintroducing higher fiber foods that first day. Maybe for a couple of days. Your digestive system has gone through a lot. I had Mr. Judy bring me some tea that I prepared before I left, and I had scrambled eggs & yogurt for my first meal.
3: How will I feel? How you feel is individual, and may depend on whether or not you had any polyps removed (I didn’t). You may feel gassy. In fact, before and after you may sound as if an alien wants to break out of your stomach — I certainly did. They put air in your colon to see better, so that’s part of it. It’s all normal. So is minimal bleeding, especially if you had polyps removed — I didn’t and there was no bleeding.
4: When can you expect to actually “go”? As I started to write this it’s two days after and still nada, which is normal, apparently. I’m usually a very regular person, but I’ve just completely emptied and didn’t eat much for the 3 days around the procedure. I’m slowly introducing more normal food, but still eating my carrot soup and still taking my fruit in the form of smoothies.
By the third day there was movement. It wasn’t much, and the color wasn’t normal, but that is all normal. Once there’s movement I quickly get back to normal.
5: Have Probiotics on hand I’ve tried probiotics over the years, but I never found they really did anything for me. However I just completely wiped out that microbiome I’ve been so carefully building for almost 60 years, so I decided probiotics sounded like a good thing.
I chose Ancient Nutrition Gut Restore Probiotics (Amazon Affiliate link here). Yeah, it’s pricey but it just so happens it was on sale at Whole Foods at the time. I’ve continued to take it for a while, not sure if I will continue to take it forever. Did it make a difference? Well, how can you tell?
In general you do want to choose probiotics that are refrigerated, because otherwise the probiotics may not survive. Always hard to tell if something like that is doing any good!
Bonus Tip: Insurance is Tricky Mr. Judy had done the ColoGuard test for a few years, and this year it showed there might be a problem, which is why we both had our first colonoscopies this year. That meant that we actually had to pay for his, while mine was preventative, so it was covered by insurance. I’m sure insurance varies in what it covers, but always good to know that you could be on the hook for a rather large bill if a problem prompts your colonoscopy — Mr. Judy is fine, by the way.
Final Thoughts One thing I didn’t mention is you will get color pictures of your colon. No joke! You will get a very detailed report of how well you prepped and what the doctor found. If they find a suspicious polyp it may have to be biopsied.
I have a cousin who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer not that long ago. He is fine, but he did have to go through chemo. According to cancer.org:
A polyp can take as many as 10 to 15 years to develop into cancer. With screening, doctors can find and remove polyps before they have the chance to turn into cancer
A colonoscopy may just save your life, and prevent you from needing surgery or chemotherapy. It’s worth it.
Think you’re ready for that first Colonoscopy now?
I wrote another post about my top tips for the week before and the prep for my first colonoscopy here. As I mentioned in that post, I’m trying to take some of the stigma out of the prep. Seriously it’s not as bad as we are led to believe, although of course it’s not fun and everyone’s experience is different.
Dealing with the low fiber diet Every doctor has different requirements for the prep, and you should absolutely follow your doctor’s instructions. Mine had me start a low fiber diet a week before. You could easily go wild with things like bread and pasta, pancakes and french toast, but I was on a mission to eat as healthy as I could.
Mostly chicken, cod, asparagus, carrots, spinach, bananas, melon, sourdough bread, rice, pasta, and tofu. I did indulge in some vanilla pudding and vanilla frozen yogurt. It was bland and boring, but not too bad. I also indulged in some frozen belgian waffles on my long run day — although in the end they were just meh.
The Prep: what to eat Ah, the dreaded prep. I know a lot of people find the day before the procedure to be hard — and not just because of the prep, because they’re starving!
I shared in my tip post about having jello for breakfast. I had bone broth for lunch and a late afternoon snack. You’re also supposed to drink 8 ounces of liquids every hour — I alternated Nuun (lemon lime) with tea.
I was never hungry. I did feel kind of bloated from all that liquid, even though I’m normally a well hydrated person, and of course there were frequent bathroom trips for the same reason.
I will also say I am used to a 24 hour fast once a year for religious reasons, and quite frankly colonoscopy prep was so much easier — the religious fast is no solid food at all; just water and tea for 24 hours. On the other hand, you can also eat well before you start that fast! I was never hungry during the prep at all.
Jello was very helpful in my prep!
Mixing up the Prep Again I wrote about this briefly in my tips post here. The tip about the apple juice I shared there worked really well; I didn’t mind drinking the mixture at all. I also used a straw, which always makes liquids go down easier.
I had made jello a couple of days before: mix 2 Tbsp gelatin with 1/2 cup chilled white grape juice (that was the flavor I chose, anyway). Let it thicken.
Pour the remainder of the 32 ounce bottle of juice into my large (8 cup) glass measuring cup. Heat the 32 oz of juice in the microwave until warm (this is so the gelatin and honey will mix evenly with the juice), then pour in the jelled juice mixture and mix well so any clumps break up and it’s a smooth mixture.
Lastly pour in half a cup of honey and mix until dissolved. Honey loses its health benefits if heated so never heat your honey! Pour into smaller containers, refrigerate overnight, and voila! Jello.
I used that same large measuring cup to mix up the prep. I’d already chilled my apple juice, so I measured out 32 ounces, added half the prep mix, mixed well, and then divided it between some mason jars. Repeat for the second half.
The Real Prep There are apparently different types of preps, but again, stick to your doctor’s guidelines. I was doing a split prep, which meant I took some laxatives (pills) in the afternoon, then chased that two hours later with half of the above prep mix.
You drink that over the course of about 2 hours, and I found I started to go right about the time I finished. I continued to go over the next couple of hours, but it was never as though I didn’t have enough time to make it to the bathroom.
I was also able to go to bed after that and sleep a few hours, although it was somewhat restless. I woke up about an hour before I needed to drink the second half, and realized I had time to practice some Yoga Nidra (a deep relaxation technique), which helped much more than just laying there trying to sleep. I have a similar video here.
Then it was time to repeat the same procedure of drinking the prep, in my case starting around 4:30 am — I am often up that time anyway, but of course I’d only had around 5 hours sleep plus, well, you know.
Another tip that didn’t make it into my tip post: get some diaper wipes and coconut oil (or diaper rash cream). I used the coconut oil, since I already had it, and the wipes. I think you can figure out what both were for.
They had me stop all liquids two hours before the procedure. Again I wasn’t at all hungry, even though this was my longest fast ever. TMI alert: You know you’ve done your prep correctly if you’re basically peeing from your butt, and you’ll know it when that happens.
The drive to the doctors office was no problem, the 30 minute+ wait at the doctor’s office was no problem, and they offered me a bathroom right before the procedure, which I used.
Was I Aware During? Not at all, and that’s exactly what I wanted. In fact, I know that I got dressed, went down the elevator, and met Mr. Judy afterward but I actually have little memory of that. Which jives with the time I was knocked out to have my wisdom teeth out — they read me instructions afterwards, Mr. Judy said I was nodding my head, but I have no memory of it. Come to think of it, the wisdom teeth extraction was actually a lot harder than this! The recuperation, anyway.
I have read of some people who wake up briefly during, but personally I’m glad I slept through the whole thing.
Final Thoughts I think the worst part of the whole thing for me was actually getting the IV put in! I am a hard stick in the best of times, but of course there’s really no way to avoid being somewhat dehydrated. The nurse failed on the first one, and it was somewhat painful; she brought in a pinch hitter, who was successful, but even that was a bit painful. I had a lovely bruise afterwards.
Colonoscopies save lives. They are not fun, but they are not that bad either. It’s a relief to know that at the moment I am cancer free there, given my family’s history: my Dad had polyps, so even though I didn’t, I still have to have another colonoscopy in five years.
Everyone’s experience is different, but don’t let the horror stories of the prep stop you from getting this life saving test!
I know that this post really doesn’t have anything to do with running, but most of us fold in running to a healthy lifestyle. Getting the tests we need to stay healthy helps to keep us running!
I think we all know what we’re remembering this week. Let me tell you, it was a week. There was mom stress, there was car stress, there was the run coach test stress (which I’m still working on!).
Tuesday: Yoga (20 min), 3 miles easy (2.25 on the road, .75 on the Mill), PB ST (25 min), Yoga (20 min)
Wednesday: Yoga (20 min), 2ish TM recovery miles
Thursday: Yoga, (40 minutes), AM Walk
Friday: Yoga (40 min), AM Walk
Saturday: Yoga (20 min), 4 miles easy, Yoga (20 min)
Sunday: Yoga, Walk with friends, hopefully more ST
Running Mileage: 9ish (-3) <== deliberately taking it easy
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Tuesday Intention: pain free After resting my feet for 3 days (sort of, there was still plenty of walking), it was time to see what happened when I ran. I also wanted to test out the mill. I was going to do 2 miles outside, and 1 inside, but I was afraid if the mill was the same I wouldn’t get in that final mile. It seemed a shame, too, because the weather was just beautiful this morning!
The mill — still not sure. I made it through .75 mile on it, more or less, but it did get very noisy towards the end again. The foot — while definitely much better, there’s still some sensation there. Nothing that causes me to limp, I can jump on it (but I don’t) or press on it without pain. After tomorrow’s short run (fingers crossed) I’ll have another 2 days off running while I’m at my mom again.
Wednesday Intention: recover & test treadmill Sadly so far nothing Mr. Judy has tried has really fixed the treadmill. I did one mile, which was fine. Stopped, walked around a bit to let the mill relax. Not long after I started the second mile it started to slow down.
Oddly if I lean on the control panel it keeps the right pace, but that gets old quickly (and my Garmin can no longer track anything). So probably close to 2 miles, but not quite there. I had mentally prepared myself for one or one and a half, so I wasn’t too frustrated.
Peace, contemplation, running & journaling by the water
Saturday Intention: go long-er & remember I wasn’t about to make the same mistake two weeks in a row, plus the week was exhausting, so I ditched a long run in favor of just a long-er run. Still some sensation there, but fairly quickly goes away. Thoughts of 9/11 before, during, and after this run.
We also celebrated Rose Hashanah this week with a non traditional grazing board & the more traditional apples & honey
Favorites of the week Despite the stress, there was plenty of good this week, too. Mom has healed well and this was her last visit to the orthopedist.
Mazel Tov!
One of my nephews got married this week. It was a not-so-live YouTube ceremony; still, I was able to set my mom up so she could watch on my Ipad while I watched on my phone.
As if the stress at my mom’s wasn’t enough, when I started to leave the car lit up like a Christmas Tree. I knew Mr. Judy had a doctor’s appointment, but luckily I was able to get ahold of him. We determined that *hopefully* the car was driveable, as I was two hours away from home, and quite frankly I was out of clean clothes and food!
I made it home just fine, but we can’t get an appointment for three weeks. I’m supposed to take my mom to the cardiologist next week.
ICYMI: I’ve got not one, not two, but three short (5 minutes or less) videos to help you keep your feet happy this week (and every week). These are all techniques I use myself at least several times a week, with the exception of the foot compression (because my feet aren’t bothering me as much anymore — but I did use it for quite some time when they did bother me). I also get a little fancy with some video in video this week! Try them all, pick the exercises that work for you — and get ready to feel a whole lot better when you run.
Foot compression click here * Quick Calf Rolling click here * Feet Exercises click here
Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: I’ve got a lot more to say about colonoscopies. Once I’m done with you, you’ll be feeling a whole lot better about that first colonoscopy!
Soups allowed me to eat some veggies & feel fuller
1: Soups are your friend Liquids tend to take up more room in our stomach, making us feel fuller, and like smoothies, the blending of the soup makes it easier to digest. I made some simple carrot soup — a bag of baby carrots, 32 oz of veggie broth, 2 tbsp of ghee or butter (I used ghee), and some spices (ginger, ).
I often had this carrot soup before a meal. It helped a lot! I happen to enjoy it too.
It wouldn’t work for me on a cold day but it hit the spot after a long run in the summer!
2: What about a post run snack? I often like to time a run before a meal, but that’s harder to do in Summer. If I drive to run, I really do like to have a small snack right after my run. I couldn’t eat any of the protein bars I usually do — instead I made a smoothie and used one of my pack it bags (Amazon Affiliate link here) to keep it cold — it was a cooler day, but still Summer — although I wasn’t running that long.
This worked perfectly! I made a really simple smoothie using frozen banana, spinach, cottage cheese, and a little water and honey. Blending helps to begin the break down of the fiber in the fruit and veggies.
Cottage cheese tends to be higher in sodium, so I don’t usually eat that much of it, but a little extra sodium after a warm/hot long run is a good thing. I had gotten away from recovery smoothies, for various reasons, but the truth is they’re so much healthier than protein bars.
I suppose jello would have worked well too, actually, but I hadn’t made any yet.
3: Hydrate well all week Just consider it a long distance race, LOL! You know it’s not the day before that you have to hydrate well, what really matters is the entire week, right? You do not want to be dehydrated on procedure day, although you will be consuming a lot of liquids the day before. Like, a lot. You’ll also be losing a lot of liquids, hence hydrating well all week long.
4: Jello is a clear liquid Well obviously jello isn’t a liquid, but apparently it’s okay to have on clear liquid day. Or any time during the week before. I had jello for breakfast clear liquid day morning. I was never hungry — it served me well. That was the only thing “solid” I ate that day. Popsicles are okay, too, but I’m not a popsicle person. You can also have hard candies, and I like these honey drops — all the flavors, actually (Amazon Affiliate link here), so I did have a few of those on clear liquid day too.
5: Try to eat lighter the week before The less you have in your digestive system, the less you have to get rid, and the easier the prep will be. It’s not easy though. I admit to being somewhat hungry because of the low fiber diet. Not all doctors require you to be on the low fiber diet as long as I was (starting a week before your procedure) — but that’s what my doctor had me do.
Especially try to eat lighter the day before clear liquid day, again to make the prep go easily, so to speak.
Now this doesn’t look scary, now does it?
Bonus Tip: You don’t have to use Gatorade with the prep One tip I’d read was to mix the prep mixture, which so many people complain about, with cold apple juice instead of the suggested Gatorade. This worked great for me — truly, I just felt like I was drinking cold apple juice and I had no trouble drinking it at all (thank goodness it was summer, but I still felt cold because you’re drinking a lot of it!).
Mr. Judy used powdered lemonade mix, and he didn’t have problems with it either. You can, of course, use the Gatorade if you want to. It’s a really good idea to have some electrolytes because you’re basically not eating for 24+ hours. You can also use Nuun — I did drink a lot of Nuun on clear liquid day (lemon lime, if you’re curious, which you can buy at this Amazon Affiliate link here — no reds, oranges, or blues).
I did end up buying way too much Nuun, because I got worried I wouldn’t have enough. It’s not my favorite flavor, but it’ll get used, don’t worry. I think 2 tubes for clear liquid day would be more than enough!
I chose the apple juice rather than the Nuun for the prep mix because I don’t like Nuun really cold.
Final Thoughts Of course this is my experience, and not everyone has the same experience. I can tell you for sure that while the prep wasn’t fun, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it’s made out to be, at least not for me or Mr. Judy.
I debated on whether or not to write about the experience, but I read a lot of blog posts on it prior and found useful tips in them, so I thought someone might get some use out of these tips too.
I actually do plan to write a separate post about the experience, again not overly graphic — but people often just don’t really talk about it and that makes it scarier than it has to be. I had a cousin who had colon cancer, thankfully caught early, but he did have to do chemo. No one wants to do that!
I’ve got 8 Tips to get you started running — and enjoying it!
Running is often seen as a simple sport, and on the surface, it is: Put on some clothes, lace up your shoes, and just run.
Speaking of shoes, that leads me to my first tip . . .
Get fitted for shoes at a running store Here’s a cautionary tale for you: my sister decided, no doubt after years of hearing about my running, that she would start running, too. She didn’t get running-specific shoes (or ask me for any advice). She injured herself badly and that was the end of her running.
A good running store will at the very least watch you walk to see if you pronate or supinate. If you’re lucky, they’ll have you run a bit. If you’re really lucky, they’ll video you running and do a gait analysis. Although I’ve had different opinions about my foot mechanics at the same store.
Run in those shoes before you buy them In pre-Pandemic days, running stores allowed you to run a little bit in the shoe. I don’t know if they still do that. You can’t really tell if a shoe is right for you — especially if you’re a beginning runner — but you will at least be able to tell whether or not the shoes feel good out of the box.
I like to say that I have to run at least 6 miles in a shoe before I can tell if it’s really the right fit. As a beginning runner, you won’t be running 6 miles at a time! If there’s a problem with the shoe, the store should accept a return (like the time the sole came off my trail shoes).
In the future, once you know your foot mechanics and the type of shoe recommended for you, you can try buying your running shoes online. Some brick and mortar stores have loyalty programs — make sure to ask about that.
If running feels terrible . . . . . . you are probably running too fast. You should be able to talk. Your runs should feel easy. Don’t worry about pace, that will come with time. Even if running feels good, you should still run easy! It takes time for your cardiovascular system — and more importantly, your body — to get used to the effort of running.
It’s okay to walk New — and experienced runners — get very hung up about not walking while running. You are still a runner even if you walk. Especially when you start, walk breaks will help running feel easier. Even experienced runners can hold off fatigue by taking walking breaks. Jeff Galloway is a famous Olympic medaler who promotes run/walk.
What about the famous runner’s high? It definitely exists, but many runners will tell you they don’t feel it until they stop running. Some never experience it at all. Thankfully I have, and it’s a wonderful feeling — usually one I get after a race.
Cotton is Rotten Unless you enjoy chafing, I highly suggest there should be no cotton in your running gear (yes, that includes your socks). Cotton blends can be okay — often race shirts are a blend of polyester and cotton. Cotton doesn’t wick away moisture, which is part of why you are much more likely to chafe if you’re wearing cotton anything.
You Earned Your Callouses I suggest you keep them! They are usually places on your feet that take a beating, and hard skin builds up in that area. They are there to protect that area from damage. Whatever you do, don’t try to get rid of them before a race!
2 Tips for Your First Race, No Matter the Distance Almost every first time racer obsesses over their finish time. Don’t! Enjoy the experience. Soak in the atmosphere. Chat with some of the runners: before, during, after.
My number one racing tip, and this one applies to both seasoned and novice runners: don’t go out too fast! Just trust me on that — it pretty much never ends well.
Final Thoughts Running is sneaky. You may start it thinking I’m only doing this to lose weight, or because my doctor told me it would be good for me, but it has a sneaky way of getting under your skin. Some people love running from that first run, and others can take months or even years to fall in run with running.
Follow some (or all) of these tips and I promise that your love affair with running will start sooner rather than later.
Running Mileage: 12 (+7) <== notice the big jump in miles
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Love the colors in this fall planting
Tuesday Intention: easy It had basically been a week since I’d run. The road by my friends’ house had no shoulder, and the paths I could drive to were mostly concrete. Not to mention the heat wave . . . I was still plenty active, but it had been a while since I ran! I was also still tired. Which showed in the pace. Forward is a pace. 🙂
More fall falling. Strange pine needle circle still on the driveway.
Wednesday Intention: recover Another cool morning — Fall is definitely on its way! It wasn’t hard to keep the pace slow enough to count as a recovery run and that was just fine by me. Mr. Judy was heading out on a walk with Bandit just before I got back to the house, so I joined them for my cool down.
I’d noticed the apple trees on this path on my last run. This apple wasn’t there as I ran out. Brought to mind Eve . . . at least there was no snake!
Friday Intention: go long-er Cooler weather. Good running weather. Some relaxing mornings. Nothing terribly exciting going on & that’s okay! Unfortunately, the top of my right foot hurt after this run. It was still sore on Saturday. Maybe I should have kept this run shorter since I didn’t run long the previous week. Hoping the soreness leaves soon!
Favorites of the week This week was both busy and quiet. I did meet up with some running friends I haven’t seen in a very long time yesterday. I’m also really digging the Fall-like weather — it’s perfect for running!
ICYMI: If you’re traveling I have a great 20 minute Yin Yoga practice here. I also talk a little bit about what clothing you can wear to practice Yoga here. Hint: pretty sure the ancient Yogis didn’t wear tights and I love practicing in my pjs (which I didn’t mention in the vlog).
Coming up on Tuesday: Tips for new runners. On Friday I’ve got 5 tips for colonoscopy first timers. Yup, I went there. Nothing gross, I promise!
Thanks, Cocoand Deborah, I’m sitting here with my hot chocolate (whether it’s cold or hot outside!) and I am musing on just how much hair actually weighs, and whether or not I’ve found the perfect exercise to make my Achilles happy.
Good thing Mr. Judy got a few good pics in the beginning, but he wants more!
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you Albie seems to have gotten camera shy. He still comes to visit some days, but every time Mr. Judy has tried to take photos, he quickly runs away. Some of the birds in ME, though — they were posing for us!
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you a while back I went on the hunt for a decaf peppermint green tea. I’d managed to buy enough of the Trader Joes version — or so I thought, but eventually I knew I wouldn’t quite make it until they were back in the store (it’s a seasonal item). I finally found what seemed like a similar tea here (Amazon Affiliate link).
When I finally decided to try it, I realized it wasn’t just similar, it was the same tea in different packaging.
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you when I created my 3 poses to activate your glutes video (here, ICYMI), I did monster walks for the first time in a very long time — along with two other exercises. The next day I did my 6 mile long run. While my ankle has been pretty good, it often aches randomly — and not so randomly at the start of a run. No ache. Coincidence?
On the other hand, with a week off running while we were in ME (but lots of walking and some hiking), my Achilles seemed completely happy. I don’t plan to give up running though!
There were many more after this photo. . . we gave some to a neighbor but I’m eating them now!
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you the universe was taunting me before my Colonscopy. My tomatoes started to ripen just when I couldn’t eat them. Those Mezcla protein bars I reviewed here? I’d ordered more after the first two I tried. They also arrived just as I couldn’t eat them!
You know, this photo is so much better than my HS graduation photo! Thanks to Mr. Judy & my iPhone
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you I wonder just how much hair weighs. Yes, I finally got my hair cut in July, in case you missed that! I don’t always track my weight, but I was on the pre-Colonscopy diet and wondered about it. One day I’d suddenly lost a couple of pounds. It stayed that way the whole week, too.
Suddenly it occurred to me that that 2 pound loss followed my hair cut. My hair was very long, but seriously, I don’t believe that it weighed 2 pounds. If only losing weight was that easy maybe I’d shave my head (just joking)!
Do you feel lighter after a hair cut?
Are you surprised that two different places sell the same tea, with different packaging?
Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. — John Muir
I know that it’s a privilege to be able to go away on vacation, and I very grateful that it was my privilege to finally break clear away. The previous few weeks had definitely been intense — heck, the previous few months! Also very grateful to our friends for inviting us & driving us all over northern Maine.
Getting in scheduled runs August was another crazy month. More trips back and forth, my first colonoscopy, bringing my mom back home, a vacation (yay!) — it was another month where I just juggled everything the best I could, which sometimes meant running 4 days in a row and other times not at all, some weeks a long-er run instead of a long-ish run.
Grade Earned:A for Effort
Recording my runs I have veered off course here again . . . seriously, I need to start using my planner again because it helps me to keep focused. It’s a broken record, folks! But hey, I did finally got a haircut, LOL!
Grade Earned: C
Dynamic Warmup I’m still consistently doing my warmup (and morning yoga, and foam rolling before I run). Although morning Yoga took a hit during our vacation — I did give one of our hosts a private lesson one day. Talk about hot Yoga!
Grade Earned: A
Foam Rolling
I haven’t had time to do as full a foam rolling routine as I’d like to a lot of morning, but at the very least I always do my calves and a quick lower leg foam roll before I run. Except on vacation . . .
Grade Earned: A
Just one or two pieces a day . . . I actually did pick these up while out walking on our last morning in ME.
Nutrition I had a couple of weeks at home when I wasn’t able to visit my mom, so nutrition was slightly better. Not too many sweets on vacation, either, despite the chocolate — but not as much freggies as I’d like, either! Plus meal times were very different from normal. Again I did the best I could.
Grade Earned: B+ (for trying)
Plenty of movement in ME & I gave our host a private yoga class, too
Cross Training
Yoga, some hiking, walking around rehab & hospital, lots of Pahla B (see her YouTube Channel here — my savior!), a bit of swimming when I can.
Grade Earned: A+ again for effort
August 2021 gets . . .
. . . an A. It was an intense month, but I did what I could when I could & didn’t beat myself up for not always being able to sneak in a workout. Heck, I may even be at my eye doctor appointment when you read this — still a few more doctor’s appointments to be scheduled. Also some doctor appointments I need to take my mom too.
August Goals:
Shorter/Recovery runs after harder runs. Y/N. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It just depends what’s going on with my week. Or sometimes if my treadmill is running . . .
ST 2 x week. Y.I’ve been trying to make strength a priority — as much as possible. Most weeks it was 3 x week.
A project with a friend. N. Totally had to be put on hold.
A no guilt getaway. Y. I called my mom every day, except when day when we were out from 9 am (too early for my mom) til about 8:30 pm (too late for my mom). I knew I needed to recharge my batteries, although not completely sure that’s what happened, LOL!
Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.. Y. A Colonoscopy prep to vacation — talk about extremes!
Which leads me to September Goals:
Run 3 x week. I am hoping that life can settle down. Just a little bit. Pretty please?
ST 3 x week. Running is a little bit on the back burner, which should make time for more strength.
A project with a friend. Hopefully we can get back to this in September!
At least one hike. Local, day trip . . . I actually hope for more than one but we’ll see if the weather cooperates! Some may enjoy wet hikes, but Mr. Judy & Bandit aren’t fans.
Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.It’s always a goal, of course. I’ve just been at a plateau at a higher weight than I’d like. I want to continue to try to limit frozen foods (when possible) and maybe it’s time to downsize some portions, too, while I’m not running as much.
