Cross Training

Stronger Every Day: January 2020

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 20 Comments

bstronger

Looking through songs with Strong as a theme (or in the Title) was surprising. Many seem to be about breakups, including this month’s song, for which I’m going old school with Chicago’s “Stronger Every Day” — the refrain spoke to me. Of course I love the song, and maybe break up songs are kind of appropriate, as I’m learning to let my father go to a better place — I wrote that last before my Dad had even passed away. It’s a great anthem, anyway!

Feeling stronger every day
(You know I’m alright now)

Running where & when I could

Getting in scheduled runs
Last week was understandably low on mileage, but movement is ingrained with me. Although I only got in 2 runs, I continued my step goal streak. My Garmin has my daily step goal low, about 7500. I averaged about 9700 steps a day last week, and some of them included walks inside the senior living community because it was so cold (or raining) outside.

Grade Earned:  A

Recording my runs
My new planner (Clever Fox, Amazon Affiliate link here) has definitely kept me more organized and more focused. It can still be a struggle to take the time to record my runs when I’m busy, but I’ve started out the year right. Well, until last week, when I completed stopped using the planner. I’m giving myself a pass on that for obvious reasons.

Grade Earned: A

Dynamic Warmup
There’s always some dynamic warmup. The duration varies, but something is always better than nothing!

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
I actually brought my foam roller to my mom’s — and used it! There’s not a lot of space there, but my body thanks me when I use it.

Grade Earned: A

Tried to make healthy choices most of the time

Nutrition
Nutrition got better, but last week was a bit of a struggle. There were quite a few days with few healthy choices. As I said to Mr. Judy, I’m okay with the occasional not so healthy meal, but I don’t like a steady diet of it. I did bring food with me, which was very helpful, but there were days we were at my sister’s house, and I had to make the best choices I could.

Grade Earned: A-

Support

  • Massage? No.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? Still no.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? No, but I do need to book the next one.

Grade Earned: B-

Cross Training
I was getting back to more strength training, until last week, when there was none. I could definitely have done bodyweight exercises, or used the gym at my mom’s, but I walked and I did yoga and I called it a day. Most days were just busy, or emotionally taxing.

Grade Earned: B

January 2020  gets  . . . 
. . . a B+. I’m definitely not beating myself up. I did what I could, I was there for my family, and I tried not to push myself too hard. I rested when I didn’t feel well, and so far, knock on wood, I’m still feeling okay. Apparently I haven’t made any monthly goals since November, so I’m overdue.

Which leads me to February Goals:

  • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Definitely time to get back into strength training! Hopefully it can become more of a habit now that life is *hopefully* settling down.
  • Continue running 3 x week and maintaining my base. If I’m motivated, maybe I’ll add in a fourth day. My guess is that won’t happen anytime soon. I need some recovery time!
  • Start practicing at the Yoga Studio that’s close to me. I am hoping that now that life is a bit more normal, maybe I’ll either finally do some subbing or get at least one class of my own.
  • Foam roll when I’m able. Would love to foam roll at least occasionally on days that I don’t run.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Although I’d love to drop just a little weight, I’m still maintaining fairly well.
  • Meal plan on the weekends! I was just getting back into it (back into a lot of things) when life took a turn again. Pretty sure I’ll get back at it with the help of my new planner and more time at home.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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

Love Hurts: December 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 20 Comments

blovehurts

I got to racing so much in November that apparently I was too busy writing up race recaps and never recapped November! It’s my favorite time of year to race, which is why I have so many long sleeve tech shirts (which I like to sleep in).

Running has been going well on just three days a week. No goal races in the near future, just keepin’ on keepin’ on. Running didn’t hurt me, but life? It’s been tough. Love can definitely hurt sometimes.

Love hurts, love scars
Love wounds and mars

Don’t get me wrong: I’m believe that it’s better to have loved & lost than to never love at all. Endings, though; endings can hurt. If we didn’t open our hearts, it wouldn’t hurt — but then we’d close our hearts to so much love. The hurt lets us know that we’ve love and been loved. In the case of love, no pain, no gain.

gwy runner digestion final
Loosen up those tight runner muscles!

By the way, there’s a new video on my Youtube Channel. Once the hustle and bustle of your holiday is over — especially if maybe you’ve eaten a bit more than you planned to! — check out my Yin Yoga Runner Stretch & Digestion video here. This one is a longer one, so make sure you can carve out a little me time for yourself.

I’ll be making more me time a goal for January! Will I be able to meet that goal? Stay tuned!

Around ice or on the mill, I got it done

Getting in scheduled runs
Still no schedule, no racing, no big races on the horizon . . . but still running. And I definitely deserve an A for some of the cold temps I’ve been running in lately!

Grade Earned:  A

Recording my runs
I was doing well, but all the video editing I’ve been doing eats up way too much of my time. I know it’ll get easier as I learn the software, but still, things have gotten a little spotty again.

Grade Earned: B-

Dynamic Warmup
Still skimping on the warmups — but yes, I’m at least doing a few things before I start to tun. Even on the days when it feels like single digits.

Grade Earned: B+

Foam Rolling
I have been doing well with foam rolling before my runs. Not at any other time, but you do what you can. I moved the stick upstairs with the thought of occasionally using it . . . it remains untouched so far.

Grade Earned: B

img_7094
Trying alternative pastas

Nutrition
Nutrition has been a struggle as it always is in the shorter days, but for the most part, so far, I seem to be winning that struggle. A little indulgence here and there, which of course is fine — trying to make sure I don’t use the holidays as an excuse to indulge all the time — that’s the trick: pick your indulgences, enjoy them, but don’t make it an every day occurrence.

Grade Earned: A

Support

  • Massage? Not this month.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? Still need to schedule it. Been too busy with other appointments.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? Made it after reading this, LOL — I had been thinking about it, so this got me to do it!

Grade Earned: B

Lots of yoga

Cross Training
There’s been a lot of yoga, for obvious reasons. I’ve been able to do a bit more strength training, but with more travel to my parents on the horizon, that will probably drop back down. I’ve started to incorporate Soul Strolls on the treadmill since often the roads are too iffy or the days are just too short.

Grade Earned: A-

November/December 2019  gets  . . . 
. . . an B. I know, lots of As, lots of good stuff, but the goals . . . I met 4 out of 7 goals. Not so great. Life has been busy. I may not have been staying with my mom as much, but I was still going to see my parents. Obviously that’s going to ramp up again and I will be away a lot again.

November Goals: (yes, never made goals for December)

  • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Y. Slowly began to do a bit more, but it will be a struggle with more travel for the forseeable future.
  • See if I can at least sometimes get back to a 4 x week running schedule. N. Nope, too much going on in my life right now. I’m happy with where my running’s at, though..
  • Approach another studio about getting on their substitute list. N. I kind of put my eggs in one basket with the first studio. I recently discover my eye doctor is a sub there. You can’t make this stuff up!
  • Foam roll when I’m able. Y. Before runs.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. Still not tracking, still mostly maintaining (which means I bounce around a few pounds, but it’s not an upward creep). Being home more did help. Hopefully I’ll find the right balance going into 2020.
  • Meal plan on the weekends! N. Still struggling with it. I still need to keep reminding myself that this is a goal. 
  • A race? At some point?. Y. Three of them, in fact: two in November and one in December.

Which leads me to January Goals:

  • Strength train 2 – 3x week. There will be a lot of back and forth, with no ending date. I’ll do what I can, when I can — as always..
  • Maintain running 3 x week. I’m doing well on that schedule and with nothing big on the horizon see no need to ramp it up.
  • Study chair/slow yoga. Another to-do on my long list of to-dos to get off the ground teaching is to target some of the senior centers around me. I need to get comfortable with chair yoga. Not saying you can’t do regular yoga if you’re a “senior”, of course!
  • Foam roll when I’m able. Keep foam rolling before runs. Try to grab the stick occasionally.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Winter is always my tough season when it comes to eating. I stopped tracking 8 months ago, and have continued to maintain my weight — a huge win for me!
  • Meal plan on the weekends! I’ll keep putting this in until I get back to it. Which I haven’t managed yet. 
  • Carve out more me time. Between YTT, my parents, teaching yoga (which requires a lot of prep work for me — someday it’ll be more muscle memory, but that day is in the future), the dogs, trying to learn video editing! — let’s just say I’ve got away from some of the self care routines I know are important to keep me healthy.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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

Reunited & It Feels So Good: October 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 33 Comments

breunited

I got a small break in October (see last month’s “grade” herefor what’s been going on), but it ramped up at the end of the month with my Dad’s discharge from rehab and scrambling to try to find a suitable aide for him. They don’t give you much notice.

Even with a break, there was a lot of time at my mom’s

Running continued pretty strong, and since I was home most weekends, I also got to do some of my favorite Fall races, with varying degrees of success.

There`s one perfect fit
And sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited
Cause we`re reunited

Getting in scheduled runs
Even though I continued to play it by ear, from necessity, I also ramped up my running miles just in case I run a 15k in November. If the weather is good, I’ll do it (despite mostly likely little friend support) — although if a Nor’Easter or Blizzard comes through, no thanks!

Grade Earned:  A

One of my favorite things to do in fall — race!

Recording my runs
The scramble at the end of the month to get my parents settled caused some run recording to be spotty, but for the most part, it’s been better than it has been. Still lots of holes sometimes, though.

Grade Earned: B-

Dynamic Warmup
Still skimping on the warmups, but at least most days I’m going through some high knees, some butt kicks, and some leg swings. It’s something.

Grade Earned: B

Foam Rolling
I’d dearly like to get back to daily rolling, but for now mostly I’m rolling before my runs.

Grade Earned: B

There may have been a few too many treats in October

Nutrition
Nutrition has been okay. Most of the time fairly good, but occasional eating stuff I know is not really helping my body. I’m human, like everyone else — mostly I’ve been able to maintain my weight with the normal fall to winter creep. Time to cook has often been an issue.

Grade Earned: A-

Support

  • Massage? Not this month.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? I need to schedule an appointment soon. Probably after the 15k.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? No! The hair got downright scary, but it’s been trimmed and shaped. Even one of my mom’s friends commented on how nice it looked (of course that was after being washed, but before running).

Grade Earned: A

Cross Training
Yoga continued strong. There’s still some light strength training (some days a bit heavier) or some bodyweight exercising. Not quite as much walking as the days got shorter, colder, and busier, but there’s been more running miles.

Grade Earned: B

October 2019  gets  . . . 
. . . an B+. Still hanging in there at running three times a week, lots of yoga, a little bit of weight training. A few races: a slow trail 5k (read about it here), including a surprising 10k PR (read about it here) and a 5k that still didn’t break me out of my 5k rut (read about it here).

September Goals:

  • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Y. Not as heavy/intense as I usually do, but I did what I could.
  • Do my best to remain in running maintenance goal. Y. Actually, I got up to double digits in prep for the 15k. I’ll drop back down into running maintenance afterwards. Maybe . . . stay tuned.
  • Develop at least one vinyasa class. Y. Actually, developed two (the memorization is a different story). Taught private Yin Yoga classes. Got on the sub list at one local studio.
  • Foam roll when I’m able. Y. I’ve done better with it.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. Still not tracking, still mostly maintaining (which means I bounce around a few pounds, but it’s not an upward creep). Although I need to keep a close eye on it going into winter — hopefully being home more often will help.
  • Meal plan on the weekends! N. Still struggling with it. After the beginning of the month I was just exhausted from everything going on, at the end of the month there was the mad scramble to get my parents settled. 
  • A race? At some point?. Y. Three of them, in fact.

Which leads me to November Goals:

  • Strength train 2 – 3x week. This will always be a goal. Hopefully November will be an easier month (if my parents stay healthy). I won’t be hosting Thanksgiving because my Dad can’t make the trip. Both relieved and a bit wistful at the same time.
  • See if I can at least sometimes get back to a 4 x week running schedule. I’ve done okay on 3 x week. It’s not the first time I’ve only run 3 x week, either. 4 x per week is my sweet spot, though.
  • Approach another studio about getting on their substitute list. It’s scary, but I know that I still need a lot of experience, and there’s only one way to get it.
  • Foam roll when I’m able. Would love to foam roll at least occasionally on days that I don’t run.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. It’s been back and forth. Not up enough that I feel the need to track, but I really hope that being home more will mean it settles down some.
  • Meal plan on the weekends! I’ll keep putting this in until I get back to it. Which I haven’t managed yet. But maybe with only the occasional day trip to my parents.
  • A race? At some point? I still want to tackle another 5k if the weather is favorable, and the weather is looking good for the 15k, too.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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

Missing you: September 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 24 Comments

bsep19

September was the month it all fell apart. In case you hadn’t heard, we went to visit my parents on Labor Day, and my Dad ended up in the hospital that night. He spent almost a week in the hospital and is still in a rehabilitation center — except then he ended up back in the hospital, and is presently back in rehab.

My mom doesn’t drive. The transportation where she lives rarely goes out there. So I have spent the better part of September driving my mom to the hospital, to rehab, sleeping over there sometimes, spending literally hours in the car going back and forth.

So I’m taking a little deviation of my Love theme for 2019. I remember when this John Waite song was at its height in the mid 80s; I totally loved this song, and at the time, Mr. Judy lived in VT, and I lived in MD (we were not yet married). This song really spoke to me. It’s still does. Take from it what you will (missing running? my home? my parents when they were still vital? all of the above?).

I hear your name in certain circles
And it always makes me smile
I spend my time
Thinking about you
And it’s almost driving me wild

And there’s a heart that’s breaking
Down this long distance line tonight

Getting in scheduled runs
I have a feeling it will indeed be a one half a year year. Which hasn’t happened since I started running halfs eight years ago. I’m not sure if I’m upset or relieved about it, considering how rough this year has been. So still just running when I can.

Grade Earned:  B

Recording my runs
September is mostly a complete blank when it comes to recorded runs. I hate that! It was just too darn busy and tiring.

Grade Earned: B

img_6390
Thanks for taking so long to get a signal

Dynamic Warmup
As I wrote about in this month’s runfessions, which you can read about here, the only reason I even attempted to warm up most days was because I was waiting for my Garmin to get a signal. 

Grade Earned: B

Foam Rolling
I definitely miss it when I don’t do it, and let’s just say there was a whole lot of missing it in September. Like barely any foam rolling at all. I am still busy going back and forth to my parents for a few weeks, but things are a little calmer (we’ll see what happens when my Dad is released from rehab). Well, they were calmer until he ended up in the hospital again. It does look like maybe I’ll actually have a whole week at home.

Grade Earned: D

Nutrition
It wasn’t perfect, but in general I’m not a stress eater. I was often so busy I simply didn’t have time to eat. Every time we go through one of these periods with my family that’s the case and I usually lose a little weight. Mostly, though, I continued eating fairly well.

I had planned to do a little eating reset while Mr. Judy was out of town, but alas, I was only home a few days that week so there was no time and it didn’t happen.

Grade Earned: A-

Support

  • Massage? Yes! Just squeaked in with this almost the last day of September and it was glorious.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? Does teaching yoga to the chiropractor count? Seriously, though, I’m not due for a bit.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? I’ve made the appointment, but unfortunately I have to wait a couple of weeks..

Grade Earned: A

Cross Training
Yoga continued strong. There was at least an attempt at some light strength training or some bodyweight exercising. There was also a lot of walking to fill in the gaps in running and other movement. Most days I’d go for Soul Strolls either in the morning or the evening at my parents — sometimes both.

Grade Earned: B+

img_6434
September was definitely a best of times/worst of times month

September 2019  gets  . . . 
. . . a B. Doing what I could, when I could. Lots and lots of walking. Some running. Maintaining my weight. No injuries. One 5k with a 3rd place AG award. Passing my YTT and beginning to teach Yoga a little.

September Goals:

    • Look at Fall halfs!. N. Really don’t think it’s gonna happen.
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Y. I’m gonna say yes. I think I did enough light weights or bodyweight to qualify for 2 x week.
    • Work up to 8 miles. Maybe 9?. Y. I have a feeling I won’t be doing the 15k this year. So I did get up to 8 miles but not sure I want to go further right now. Most of my running friends are either doing long races right before, not running longer distances, or injured. Don’t really think I want to do it alone with no longer race I’m training for.
    • Working on practice teaching — and finding a studio to teach/sub at. Y/N. Studio teaching is on hold right now. My schedule is just too topsy-turvy. I am doing a private class to one student right now, and perhaps will do another class at a location that is top secret for the moment.
    • Foam roll almost daily. N. I’m definitely not beating myself up about this, it is what it is, but my body is crying out for it!
    • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. Still pretty much maintaining my weight. So for now it’s working.
    • Meal plan on the weekends! N. I tried, again, but I never got around to actually writing where the recipes I wanted to try were from. Need to get back to that!
    • A race? At some point?. Y. The Running Gods gave us some more awesome weather and you can read about it here.

Which leads me to October Goals:

  • Strength train 2 – 3x week. This will always be a goal. As we age, we naturally lose muscle. Bodyweight exercises count.
  • Do my best to remain in running maintenance goal. I have a pretty good feeling October will be super challenging in the running department, but I also don’t want to have to rebuild from scratch if I don’t have to. Will continue to listen closely to my body and try to make wise decisions.
  • Develop at least one vinyasa class. I may not be able to commit to a class right now, but if I can have a couple of classes all set to go, maybe I can get on some substitute lists.
  • Foam roll when I’m able. That might mean bringing my foam roller with me to my parents. Or just making sure I do it when I run at home.
  • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Winter is coming. It’s a time I — and most people — tend to put on weight if not mindful.
  • Meal plan on the weekends! I’ll keep putting this in until I get back to it. I actually wrote down a few recipes I wanted to make in my journal. Because I often know what I want to make but not where it is (Pinterest, which cookbook, etc).
  • A race? At some point? Big maybe. I wanted to do a 10k, but it depends on what’s going on in my life. There are plenty of October races to choose from, though, even if I don’t do a longer distance.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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

We can learn to love again: August 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 16 Comments

bgrade819

So sue me: I basically picked Pink’s song because I like it and it’s my blog. So there. I haven’t fallen out of love with running, although maybe I’ve fallen out of love with training hard? I don’t know. The nice fall-like weather at the end of the month did make it easier to fall back in love with running. It can be nice to race here and there where you want to, and concentrate on other things.

Just give me a reason,
Just a little bit’s enough,
Just a second we’re not broken, just bent,
And we can learn to love again

August was intense with developing my 20 minute yoga routine to film (I know, just 20 minutes — how hard could it be? Hard, turns out!), keeping up with the course work and beginning to try to review for the final test for my YTT.

The harder you work for something the sweeter the reward, right?

A mix of trails and road this summer, with friends & solo

Getting in scheduled runs
I keep thinking I really need to research Fall halfs, but there just hasn’t been time. It may be a one half only year. So no need to follow a schedule.

Grade Earned:  B

Recording my runs
I was doing great with this right up until the very end of August. Then I completely fell off the recording runs (and anything else, like my normal gratitude list). That’s life!

Grade Earned: B

Dynamic Warmup
A mixed bag. Sometimes. Sometimes not. Before I know it it’ll be so cold I’ll have to do those warm ups inside.

Grade Earned: B

Foam Rolling
I didn’t foam roll as often as I did in July, but we’re still good here. I always miss it if I don’t do it!

Grade Earned: A

Nutrition
My ultimate goal is to get to a point where I maintain my weight without having to monitor it so much, or track what I eat so much. I haven’t been tracking a few months now and the weight is holding steady. Nutrition has been mostly good, but it does seem as though we ate out this Summer more than normal. On the other hand, we haven’t traveled in a long time, which might also explain why maintaining my weight has been easier.

Grade Earned: B+

Support

  • Massage? Still in a holding pattern.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? Yes and apparently good thing I did.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? Even though I know those layers really need a trim, at the same time I’m totally digging my longer braid.

Grade Earned: B+

Lots of yoga practice trying to figure out how to film my practicum

Cross Training
Just like last month, I’ve done well with yoga — don’t laugh, it’s easy to skip it while you’re trying to learn about it! — and strength training has been pretty good, too. Not as much Pilates, which I actually really enjoy, too. What will I do when I start actually teaching yoga classes???? Stay tuned!

Grade Earned: A

August 2019  gets  . . . 
. . . a B+. 1 trail race. A little hiking. Maintaining my weight. No injuries.

August Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. Y. A little less often, but the foot still feels pretty good.
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Y. Nailed this in July. Slipping a little lately, but I’ll get back to it when I’ve finished my test/video.
    • Keep long runs about 6-7 miles. Y. I considered doing 8 miles yesterday, but since the last few weeks have only been three times a week and this week I did four times, I quickly ditched that idea.
    • Lots of Yoga & Studying. Y. Totally nailed that one. Will it be enough?
    • Foam roll almost daily. Y. Slipping a little here, too, but still foam rolling a lot — but it only takes 10-15 mintues!
    • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. Still mostly working. Will be interesting to see if it still works as the days get shorter, which is usually a time I struggle more with my weight.
    • Meal plan on the weekends! N. I tried, but I didn’t succeed.
    • Trail race at the end of the month. Y. The Running Gods gave us some awesome weather and you can read about it here.

Which leads me to September Goals:

    • Look at Fall halfs! I took out prehab. I’m still doing it, sometimes, but so far, knock on wood, things feel pretty good most days so time to move onto another goal. This may be a year of only one half . . . or maybe I will decide on a race to run. Maybe that’s what I’ll turn my focus to when I graduate as a break.
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. This will always be a goal. As we age, we naturally lose muscle. Not a good thing.
    • Work up to 8 miles. Maybe 9? There’s a 15k I usually do in November. Sure, I could do it even with just 7 mile long runs, but that wouldn’t be prepping my body. My body likes to be prepped.
    • Working on practice teaching — and finding a studio to teach/sub at. I have a lot of things I want to work on yoga-related. I definitely need a lot more practice teaching — although I need a little downtime, too, after I take my test and graduate.
    • Foam roll almost daily. Continue using my Lauren Roxburgh foam rolling and regular pre-run foam rolling.
    • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Winter is coming. It’s a time I — and most people — tend to put on weight if not mindful.
    • Meal plan on the weekends! I’ll keep putting this in until I get back to it. I sorta started to do it, looking at what recipes I wanted to try, but then not write them down and not be able to find what I wanted to make.
    • A race? At some point? Races are still abundant at this time of year. Just need to look around and see what appeals to me.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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

Sunshine of Your Love: July 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 16 Comments

bjulygrade19
I have to admit I didn’t realize what song this was from the title, but when I clicked on the link, yup, I knew it. Who here hasn’t done an early morning run in the sunshine — maybe a bit too much sunshine?

I’m with you my love
The light’s shinin’ through on you
Yes, I’m with you my love
It’s the morning and just we two

July held a race, lots of fun stuff off the road, and yes, plenty of sunshine and early morning runs.

Annual Fourth of July race tradition

Getting in scheduled runs
Slowly beginning to think about running goals for later in 2019, but still nothing big on the horizon, so still maintaining my base with occasional hills and speed work. You’ll notice there are no tempos!

Grade Earned:  A

Recording my runs
I’ve been pretty good with recording runs. I like having that to look back at! Those Thursday night trail runs — they keep me up until almost my bedtime! Most of them are at least a half hour drive from my home, some further. Sometimes I just gotta go to sleep not long after I get back home, so yeah, I get to those when I get to those.

Grade Earned: A-

Dynamic Warmup
I’ve been a bit better at getting out there earlier, but it’s still not always easy. It’s not the greatest idea to just run, even in the warm summer, but hey, I’m as human as the next gal. Sometimes that’s exactly what happens.

Grade Earned: B

Foam Rolling
I’m still in “love” (see what I did there?) with foam rolling. Well, love might be a strong word. Any time I skip it, I feel it, and that’s what keeps me rolling.

Grade Earned: A

Nutrition was decent in July, with occasional treats (yup, I still consider sushi a treat!)

 

Nutrition
As I mentioned last month, I took a break from actively trying to lose weight to simply maintain where I am. I am definitely maintaining. That isn’t a bad thing.

Grade Earned: B+

Support

  • Massage? I had plans to make an appointment, I truly did, but July ended up with a few unexpected expenses. Hopefully it will work into the budget in August.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? I do every other month unless something’s wrong, so there was no need in July.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? I think I tipped over on that one — it’s time!

Grade Earned: B+

Bruise on shoulder courtesy of my fall on the trails, but that was about the only thing hurt. Lots of Yoga, naturally.

 

Cross Training
Yoga (for obvious reasons) and strength training are going pretty strong. Pilates has been harder to fit in. At the beginning of the month I realized that strength training had been a bit lacking, so I’ve been doing a lot of Pahla Bower’s shorter workouts on Youtube here, with one or two of the slightly longer ones. The body feels pretty good in general.

Grade Earned: A+

Yup, this was after the fall — still smiling (mainly because I was out of the woods and away from the darn bugs!)

 

July 2019  gets  . . . 
. . . an A. 1 race. More fun with friends. A concert. Short hike. Maintaining my weight. No injuries.

July Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. Y. A little less often, but the foot still feels pretty good.
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Y. Nailed this in July.
    • Start extending my weekend runs. Y. I maintained at 6 miles for my long runs, with one 7 miler. Pretty good in a hot, humid summer (most of the time).
    • Continue practicing Yoga. Y. Obviously YTT requires some Yoga practice.
    • Foam roll almost daily. Y. Towards the end of the month it actually did get to daily; I bought a deal from Lauren Roxburgh (her Website is here, but you can find some free videos on Youtube) which includes 3 foam rolling routines that are only 10 minutes or less. They’re quite different so I’ve been doing them daily — in addition to my usual pre-run foam rolling.
    • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. It definitely feels freeing to not be tracking what I put in my mouth, and so far I’m still maintaining my weight without tracking. Always a work in progress.
    • Meal plan on the weekends! Y/N. It’s been harder with the classes/videos I have to watch, the live calls, working on my practicum (already!). Does thinking about what I’ll eat in the coming week count? Well, I guess it does. I know that I’ll get back to it.
    • Annual Fourth of July race. Y. Indeed, and you can read about it here.

Which leads me to August Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. My feet have been doing pretty good. Sometimes I only do my PT exercises a couple of times a week. As long as my feet aren’t bothering me it’s working for me.
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. You may not have noticed, but I’ve actually begun to strength train more frequently — but often for just a little bit. I shoot for two longer sessions (about 30 min) 2 times a week, and short (often just 10 min) about 3 times a week. I like the results I’m getting from that. I might bail on a busy day if I’m looking at 30 minutes or more, but you can always squeeze in 10 minutes.
    • Keep long runs about 6-7 miles. I could be ready for a half in a month with my base, but the reality would be I’d prefer a couple of months to feel well trained and safe.
    • Lots of yoga & studying. I have my written test and my practicum for my YTT in September. I’ve learned a lot, but I haven’t been able to actually study as much as I’d like to because just the course itself is so time consuming!
    • Foam roll almost daily. Continue using my Lauren Roxburgh foam rolling and regular pre-run foam rolling.
    • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. I had planned another short detox this month, or as I prefer to call it, a reset. I decided to push that off until September. I’ve been maintaining my weight at a good place (which doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to lose a few pounds, but then most of us would).
    • Meal plan on the weekends! I’ll keep putting this in until I get back to it. I at least have a plan in my mind, but having written down is much more helpful.
    • Trail race at the end of the month. Depends on the weather.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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

I Will Always Love You: June 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 32 Comments

bjune19
Now who doesn’t love this Whitney Houston song? Such a wonderful voice, such a sad ending to her life. My June was not sad, though; in fact, there were lots of fun times! June was about coming back to running — on my terms. Running how and when I want, something we all need to do sometimes to remind ourselves about why we fell in love with running in the first place.

There was fun with friends volunteering at a race
There was a Women’s 5k with friends and a solo Trail 5k

Getting in scheduled runs
Still no big goals in sight, still listening to my body and running when, how, and for how long I want to.

Grade Earned:  A

Recording my runs
I haven’t gotten back to writing down pre and post run stuff, which is helpful, but I’m still recording my runs. I think that it helps that my planner, journal, and running journal are all one and the same.

Grade Earned: A-

Dynamic Warmup
Running almost completely outside, so in general I’ve gotten back to doing dynamic warmups. Things do get a little tricky as it warms up — you don’t want to warm up in the Winter because it’s too cold (and you need it the most!), and then in the Summer you procrastinate too long, it’s too hot, and you just want to get out there (yup, that happened just yesterday and there was zero warmup).

Grade Earned: B

Foam Rolling
Still rolling, rolling, rolling. Sliding just a tiny bit on PT exercises for my foot (it’s been almost a year!), but it let’s me know when I’ve ignored it for too long.

Grade Earned: A-

Summer treats are in full swing but so far not too far out of hand

Nutrition
I started out the month really strong, seeing a number on the scale I haven’t seen in a few years — and then I got just a little bit off course towards the middle of the month. Next month I plan to give my body a break and just maintain my weight, but I’d like to be maintaining a little lower than where I am right now.

It’s really easy to get loosey goosey with eating when the scale is giving you good reports — I’m still motivated, though, so I’ll tighten things up just a bit. Well, maybe!

Grade Earned: B+

Support

  • Massage? I actually had a really good (free!) massage after Freihofers.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? Why yes I did.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? We are definitely approaching the tipping point there.

Grade Earned: B+

First hike in a long time!

Cross Training
Pilates, Yoga, and strength training, oh my — once I was feeling better! More time on the stationary bike. Unfortunately my shoulder started to complain towards the end of the month, so I wasn’t able to progress my strength training as much as I wanted to. Shoulder is fine now, but ST is still a bit lacking. We even got in one short hike in between all the rain!

And all the waterfalls

Grade Earned: A+

June 2019  gets  . . . 
. . . a A-. 2 races. Fun with friends. Short hike. Maintaining my weight. No injuries.

June Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. Y. A little side tracked but mostly doing good.
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Y. Definitely more like twice a week, and usually not too long, but you gotta start somewhere.
    • Start extending my weekend runs. Y. Hanging around 5-6 miles. It’s been a little hard balancing life lately!
    • Continue practicing Yoga. Y. Still enjoying my studio classes & home practice.
    • Foam roll almost daily. I’d really like to say daily, but I just know that won’t happen. 
    • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. Weight is maintaining fairly well, but definitely need to tighten up my eating just a smidge.
    • Meal plan on the weekends! Y/N. I’ve been busy, and while I haven’t completely let it go, the weeks I wing it more generally don’t turn out as well with healthy eating. On the other hand, I even prepped some Mason Jar salads towards the end of the month & that was a life saver!
    • A short race? Y. In addition to Freihofers 5k, which kicked off the month, I also ran a trail 5k.

Which leads me to July Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. Whenever I start skipping it, my feet remind me they still  need it.
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Muscles atrophy as we age if we don’t use them, folks.
    • Start extending my weekend runs. Maintain about a 6 mile long run once a week. Ok to go a little longer if I’m feeling it — ok not to if I’m not feeling it.
    • Continue practicing Yoga. Yoga just makes me feel good.
    • Foam roll almost daily. I’d really like to say daily, but I just know that won’t happen. 
    • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. So far, for the first time in my life, this is working for me. I spent so many years carefully tracking all my food — I’m okay with doing it again,too, if I get off track — but all those years of tracking have given me a pretty good idea of what healthy eating looks like — that’s really the point of tracking!
    • Meal plan on the weekends! Much easier to shop and eat well when I have a plan. 
    • Annual Fourth of July race. Looks like it will be just me and one friend (actually, 2 other friends are signed up) this year. It also looks to be the hottest day of the year so far, but the tradition will (most likely) go on (and we’ll end on a little Celine Dion).

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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

“I Can’t”: What Does it Mean?

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 20 Comments

bcan't

“I Can’t” has many meanings. Can’t simply means can not. According to Merriam Webster, can is defined as:

be physically or mentally able to

That is just one of the many definitions of the verb can; so can’t means that you are not physically or mentally able to. We say can’t all the time. We often believe that we are physically unable to, but usually there’s a deeper meaning there – a mental reason we believe we cannot.

I’m looking at a couple of translations of can’t.

Fairytales and Fitness

I don’t want to
How many times have you heard from people that they can’t run? Either they tried, and it’s too hard, or they can’t because they’re too old, too heavy, too busy, and so on.

What they really mean is they don’t want to look foolish, they don’t want to give up something to invest the time in learning to run, they don’t want other people to be laughing at them.

Turn can’t into can: if you want something badly enough, you will prioritize it. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of you — besides, most people are far too busy worrying about how you are thinking about them to pay you much mind. Don’t ever say can’t until you’ve actually tried something — if you truly can’t, or you find out you truly don’t want to — there’s no shame in that. The shame is in the not trying.

judy_1812_f_43565190654_o
Was I afraid to tackle something longer than 13.1? Especially with a time limit? In summer? A really hot & humid summer? Of course I was. But I never thought I can’t — and guess what — I could!

I’m afraid to
It’s so easy to ignore that fearful voice inside by simply saying you can’t. What are you truly afraid of? Hurting yourself? Join a beginner runner group or hire yourself a trainer/coach. Being last? It’s possible, of course, but chances are pretty good you won’t be (spoiler alert: in most races the walkers are the last people, and they’re usually having a pretty good time). Looking foolish? Read a few blogs, books, and magazines about running. You might still look foolish, but at least you’re unlikely to make as many rookie mistakes.

Turn can’t into can: as Nike says so wisely: Just do it. Feel the fear, and just do it anyway. I guarantee you you will feel so empowered by conquering your fears.

Can’t crops up in all areas of life
Of course this advice applies to all life, not just running. Changing careers. Moving. Starting a family. Losing weight. If you believe you can’t? Guess what: you probably won’t. But what if you stopped listening to the stories you tell yourself and believe you can?

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.
— Walt Disney

When in your life have you used “I can’t”?

How did that work out for you? Do you regret it?

What will you start telling yourself you can do?

I found love in the broken places: May 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 24 Comments

bmay19

I just modified the song slightly (I, instead of we) to fit my love songs for 2019 theme. No, I am not broken, I’m well, although over the last few months it kind of felt like I was a little broken. It’s sort of going to be a theme this week, I think.

Normally I’d share my race recap from the weekend, but I like having my monthly recaps to look back on, so I’ll share my recap from Freihofers Run for Women for that next week.

Getting in scheduled runs
Nope, no scheduled runs. Just listening to my body and running when it says it’s the right time — with the exception of my commitment to mentoring, which ended the week before Memorial Day (the race was last Saturday). I definitely ran on days I wouldn’t have chosen to! Easing back in with running 3 x week.

Grade Earned:  A

Recording my runs
Still going strong with recording runs, although previously I had recorded what I did before/after runs — what I ate, if I foam rolled, etc. I’ve been getting away from that. It’s really useful to try to determine what worked well for my run . . . and what didn’t.

Grade Earned: A-

Dynamic Warmup
Doing better on dynamic warmups in May. Maybe because it slowly got warmer. We still had some pretty darn cool days, and way too much rain, but I didn’t have to worry as much about freezing my butt off while warming up; again, mostly (there were some really cold mornings for mentoring this month)! There were a few where I didn’t do my full warmup, choosing to warm up on the stationary bike but skipping things like lunges, etc.

Grade Earned: B

Foam Rolling
Going strong with foam rolling. What can I say — it helps me.

Grade Earned: A

Fresh Freggies makes it easier to eat a little healthier

Nutrition
Of course nutrtion was all over the place in May. For 10 days I could barely eat (including the one day when I ate nothing). Then it was mostly bone broth and white rice. Yes, I lost some weight.

Then one day the appetite came back, but somehow I was able to reign myself in and hold onto that weight loss. Not only that, I managed to lose a few more. I’m back to a much happier weight for me, one I haven’t seen in almost three years.

Now I’m back to normal eating. It’s healthy most of the time, but obviously I enjoy an indulgence here and there — even without a long run.

Grade Earned: B+

Support

  • Massage? Nope.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? I really do need one, I just keep procrastinating about booking it.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? Got a haircut before Mother’s Day so I wouldn’t scare people. So can stretch that out a bit more.

Grade Earned: B-

Lots of Bandit supervised Yoga

Cross Training
Pilates, Yoga, and strength training, oh my — once I was feeling better! More time on the stationary bike. Unfortunately my shoulder started to complain towards the end of the month, so I wasn’t able to progress my strength training as much as I wanted to.

Grade Earned: A+

May 2019  gets  . . . 
. . . a A-. Recreational running. Yoga, Pilates, and some strength training. Better nutrition, trying to discover the foods that really work for me, a slight weight loss. Some spring like weather — finally! Of course we can’t control the weather, but I can’t tell you how desperately I needed some sunshine (too bad it went away again at the end of the month).

May Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. Y. As long as my foot is happy, I’m happy to do my PT exercises. I don’t do them every day, although I strive for that. I can now wear a lot of shoes that used to cause me foot pain, which makes me happy!
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Y/N. As I felt better I started strength training again just a little at a time. Then my shoulder started to bother me.
    • Continue practicing yoga.Y. I found several yoga routines for shoulder pain that helped a lot. The shoulder would hurt again after just using resistance bands. There’s always core and legs . . . I also found that doing some routines for recovering from illness helpful after I was sick.
    • Plan out meals the day before. N. See “Start Lifestyle Phase” below.
    • Foam roll almost daily.Y. Like PT, it makes me feel better, so I do it. 
    • Start the Lifestyle Phase of the ELT Diet. N. Obviously that was a bust due to my illness. I had one last food (corn) to test when I started eating again, and I needed to take a few days to eliminate the toast & rice again — for testing purposes (see my review of Eat Live Thrive Diet for a little more info here). So I tested corn, and haven’t quite gotten around to the Lifestyle Phase, although I am also not presently tracking my food. Intuitive eating is a big buzzword, and something I’ve always wanted to strive for — at the moment I’m doing well without tracking, so I’ll just see where that goes. After June it’s time to give my body a rest from trying to lose weight & just maintain for a while.
    • Meal plan on the weekends! Y. I may not be tracking, but meal planning is still important. Too easy to make bad choices if you don’t have a plan. 
    • A short race? N. I was never able to find a race that either: called to me or didn’t interfere with mentoring, plus I really just did not feel the need to push myself this month — for obvious reasons.

Which leads me to June Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. Let’s keep the feet happy (and me happy with my cute shoes).
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. Would definitely like to get a little toning in there again. Despite a “happy weight”, I’m also a little fluffy due to not much strength training. Nothing crazy.
    • Start extending my weekend runs. I finally got back to a couple of 4 mile runs at the end of May (although those weren’t on the weekend). I’d like to work back up to 6 miles. Or 7, maybe.
    • Continue practicing Yoga. Yoga just makes me feel good. And there are so many different ways to practice yoga! It actually has helped in my last two illnesses.
    • Foam roll almost daily. I’d really like to say daily, but I just know that won’t happen. 
    • Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Not tracking has never been a hard goal for me. If I have to track the rest of my life to maintain my weight, I’m cool with it. Life is definitely simpler if you don’t have to track every meal, though.
    • Meal plan on the weekends! Much easier to shop and eat well when I have a plan. 
    • A short race? There are a few short trail races in June. OTOH, because of all the rain, it’s also incredibly buggy. Stay tuned.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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

Love Will Keep Us Together: April 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 21 Comments

bgradeapril19

Yup, had this post *almost* ready to go last week, but not quite ready. So I’m wrapping up April today. Technically I only missed running those last couple of days in April.

No real plans for any big goal races any time soon. Heck, at this rate the 5k the beginning of June will be my big goal race! It’s been a tough couple of months. So why do I keep returning to running?

Because most days I still love the way I feel after a run. I’m a much happier person. And yes, I was a huge Captain & Tenille fan back in the day.

Getting in scheduled runs
Still no scheduled runs. Thankfully no longer any snow, unlike March. I am still running without a real goal. I had just pretty much gotten a good base back — until last week. May will be another month of rebuilding that base slowly.

Grade Earned:  A

Recording my runs
It must be easier when I’m not actually training for something and the mileage is low, because I’ve been good about recording my runs..

Grade Earned: A

Hey, it takes time to braid your hair!

Dynamic Warmup
Still skimping on this one. I can’t blame it too much on cold. Time and/or procrastination . . . that’s a different story.

Grade Earned: B

Foam Rolling
Every once in a while I get too busy to foam roll. My body tells me the next day I’ve been a bad girl.

Grade Earned: B+

It’s not just the matcha that makes this smoothie green!

Nutrition
Nutrition has definitely been tightened up. Still going through the discovery phase from Eat Live Thrive — read about it here, and at some point you can expect a follow up post. Of course the last week I’ve mostly been eating eggs, white rice, and drinking bone broth (but hey, that’s May, not April, anyway).

Grade Earned: B+

Support

  • Massage? A short massage after the Delmar Dash.
  • Chiropractor Appointment? Still not much going on, but it’s probably time for a maintenance appointment.
  • Do I need a hair appointment? I had already made one for tomorrow. Gotta look decent for Mother’s Day.

Grade Earned: B+

A little yoga fun on the deck (when it was still spring-like)

Cross Training
There has been a lot of yoga, a lot of Pilates, and strength training is slowly being reintroduced. I get my best results as far as how I look if I’m lifting some — not to mention it’s really important as we age to keep those muscles strong! I get on the stationary bike as a warm up for workouts frequently. Well, that was all before I got sick, of course.

Grade Earned: A+

April 2019  gets  . . . 
. . . a A-. One race. Recreational running. Yoga, Pilates, and some strength training. Better nutrition, trying to discover the foods that really work for me, a slight weight loss. Some spring like weather — finally! Of course we can’t control the weather, but I can’t tell you how desperately I need some sunshine (too bad it went away again at the end of the month).

April Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. Y. The foot is feeling better. Coincidence? Nope!
    • Continue practicing yoga.Y. 
    • Restart PITT28 Modified. N. Decided to just stick with Yoga + Pilates for now.
    • Plan out meals the day before. Y. Most of the time. It helps.
    • Foam roll almost daily.Y. Most of the time — although I will admit I’ve fallen back to foam rolling only when I run, and I do personally see a benefit from it on non-running days too. 
    • Start an Elimination Diet. Y. To me it’s been fascinating (see my review of Eat Live Thrive Diet for a little more info here).
    • Meal plan on the weekends! Y. Most of the time. It’s always a fluid practice, as it should be — but having some kind of plan helps you to stay on track. 
    • A short race? I went into the Delmar Dash undertrained (read about it here) and unsure of whether or not it was really the best idea. Glad I ultimately decided to do it.

Which leads me to May Goals:

    • Continue to Prehab. As always, something is always better than nothing.
    • Strength train 2 – 3x week. I did start a little strength training again in April. I don’t want to go crazy with it — I have a tendency to think I must always squeeze it in and push when I probably shouldn’t — but I would like to push just a little bit more. Stronger person = stronger runner. Except of course I need to ease back into it again.
    • Continue practicing Yoga. Yoga just makes me feel good. And there are so many different ways to practice yoga! It actually has helped in my last two illnesses.
    • Foam roll almost daily. I’d really like to say daily, but I just know that won’t happen. 
    • Start the Lifestyle Phase of the ELT Diet. As I write this I am almost done with the Discovery Phase. I only had 2 foods left to test! I should still be able to start Discovery this month. It’s time to move on to figure out just how many carbs my body really needs.
    • Meal plan on the weekends! Much easier to shop and eat well when I have a plan. 
    • Plan out meals the day before. I have definitely found that doing my planning in an afternoon break works well, but I still do have days where I don’t have that afternoon break. Progress, not perfection, and consistency are the keys.
    • A short race? Hmm, do I want to do a 5k that isn’t far from my house this Thursday evening? Maybe. Again, stay tuned! Yeah, well, obviously that didn’t happen. It wasn’t meant to be.

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

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