A Midsummer Night's Run - Training Plan

So with the commitment made to participate in the longest run I've attempted to date, a training plan is a necessity.


I've thought a lot about this in the past few weeks. All of my prior training has been pretty standard - 3 - 4 runs of between 5 - 11 kms plus one long weekend run that progressively increased until just before race day.  For my last race I also tried to include some tempo runs as well.  Also, 95% of my training is done alone. That all worked fine and I've seen my pace & endurance increase but this time I'm going with a different approach.


Heart rate based training.  

Cheer or Boo at your leisure!

Why HR based training?
A couple of reasons:

1. The challenge.  
2. Added variety from my previous training plans.

HR based training is tough.  At least it is for me.  After my first 5 months of running I attempted HR based training and it was hard.  But it did help me & I really had to focus.  Focus on running.  Focus on breathing.  Focus on pace.  I moved away from that when I got back into running after my last pregnancy.


The plan I've decided to use is based on a Garmin Marathon training schedule. (You could search on-line & probably come up with the same plan.) It's only been slightly modified.  The scary part is I'm jumping in mid-plan (week 6) so my long run days are really long run days very quickly!  I may have to tweak this a bit further for those long runs if that ramp is too fast.  But my Half Marathon was only 3 weeks ago so really it shouldn't be a problem.  I have a tendency to talk myself out of continuing those long runs sometimes though so we'll see how it goes!

The one downfall to all this training in the summer is vacation.  See all those highlighted days up there?  Yep, that's my vacation.  3 whole weeks of it.  Training can't stop or I won't make my goal.  The good thing is that our summer vacation is camping, so I'll be in an area where running is possible and there are even some decent trails.


So let's dive in!  This is Week #1!!  Hopefully this all works out and I won't need to be placed in that padded cell I spoke of previously!

Commitment - an act of insanity or a pledge?

According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary the word commitment can be defined as:

Definition of COMMITMENT

1

a : an act of committing to a charge or trust: as (1) : a consignment to a penal or mental institution (2) : an act of referring a matter to a legislative committeeb : mittimus

2

a : an agreement or pledge to do something in the future;especially : an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future dateb : something pledgedc : the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionallyimpelled <a commitment to a cause>

As far as I know I haven't committed any acts that would involve a stay at a penal or mental institution.  Well definitely not the penal, but there are days that some may say a nicely padded solitary cell is required!

Photo courtesy of www.123rf.com

No, I'm talking about commitment because I've just made one.  A personal one.  A BIG one. Obligated myself to participate in a future event.  

Take a guess what it is.

It involves wearing brightly coloured clothing, mostly skin tight clothing, and not particularly a lot of it.  NOOO!  Minds out of the gutter please, this is a family show!

It also involves a lot of sweat (okay, really, I already told you not to go there) as well as determination.

Ever heard of A Midsummer Night's Run? No.  Well it's a summer time endurance event.  There are 2 options for distance - 15k or 30k.  Last summer I ran the 15k and that was the hardest physical event I've completed to date.  I didn't have enough training, was 40lbs too heavy and it was HOT!

Photo courtesy of fotosearch.com

The 2 Half Marathons I did next were way easier than that race.

But because I'm a sucker for punishment or something (remember that padded cell from up above?) this year I'm going all out.  THIRTY K BABY!!! In. The. Middle. Of. August.

I've signed on the dotted line.  Paid my fees.  Made the schedule.  It's a done deal.

Photo courtesy of http://icondoit.wordpress.com

The commitment is made.  My schedule is posted on the fridge for all to see.  There can't be any excuses.  There will be a lot of running going on over the next 11 weeks.  I will need help.  I might need to beg, plead, whine, promise lovely gifts to enlist the help of my family. (I think I see some shopping trips & daddy play dates in my future!!)  It's all about teamwork right?

This is my next big step.  A trip down the path to my end goal of that full marathon run. More to follow in the weeks to come as I get going with the training.

Once again I'm hanging out at YeahWrite - a great blogging community.  Read & be read!!  Enjoy.

On the Injured Reserve List

Lately I've been out.
Out of the game.
Sidelined by a work related injury.  Yes, that's right a work related injury.

Take me away.  I'm OUT!

Work.  That's my injury.

At least that's what I've been telling myself.  I have been consumed by the megabytes of files that have been delivered to my overflowing inbox and have embedded themselves directly into my brain. I'm working ALL THE TIME.  My body is hovered over my laptop for 8 hours at the office.  My only breaks have been to refuel with the wonder of caffeine.  Occasionally my brain yells at my "Get up and go pee...it's time you moron, remember all that caffeine you've absorbed?!".
After I leave the office my evening is cluttered with domestic duties plus the evening shift to attend to all that work. I rush to the daycare, scoop up the wee girlie and head home.  Dinner is a hurried affair, there's a little kitchen clean up, a bit of toddler play as well as the occasional nod of recognition to my husband.  Between the hours of 6 and 9 I'm running between my home office & the rest of the house.  A little bit of domesticity here, a little bit of spreadsheet mastery there.  By 9:30 the wee one is settled, I've effectively said good night to hubby and I'm once again hunkered down in front of that glaring 17 inch screen for another consecutive FOUR HOURS.
At 6:30am the cycle starts again.

Sleeping?  No.  Just trying to make sense of the futility of it all.

Sidelined.  That's how I feel.  On the injured reserve list.

There has been little to no activity outside of my scurrying between different rooms in my house. For TWO WEEKS.  For someone who calls themselves a runner and is supposed to be training for the next big event, this SUCKS!  I could use stronger words, but let's just leave it at that. This workload is wearing me thin. Sucking up all my time like a monstrous vacuum. There is nothing left for me.  Like I said, sidelined.

Help!

So in the midst of all this work, I'm very angry that I have no ME time.  I don't have time to go for a walk let alone a 5k or longer run.  Somewhere though while thinking of all this work, doing all this work and being angry about all this work (well not really angry about the work, but how it's affecting other aspects of my life) I had a different kind of thought.

Is it really the work that's the problem?  Is my injury really work?

Squeezing out the lunacy!

No. It. Is. Not.  My injury is me.  I am my own injury.  I've let myself be consumed and driven by the work. I've made the choice to work these insane hours. I've made excuses, to myself.  I haven't let myself be active, and the more days that pass the harder it is.

One of my new favorite blogs is Shut Up + Run. Beth is a no nonsense, tell it like it is kind of gal. Her tagline is "It really is mind over matter. No excuses. Just do it!".  I couldn't agree more, and somewhere along the way I've forgotten this.
There's an inspirational running quote I found on FitSugar.com that I really like.

fitsugar - healthy happy you

On Sunday I took that first step.  And then another.  And another.  Until I had taken enough steps to log a 6k run.  While those first steps were hard, and the kilometers didn't exactly fly by, it felt great. Exactly what I needed to renew my spirit and re-energize my body.  It's a whole different lift from a caffeine high let me tell you!

So I've taken myself off the injured reserve list. I can no longer injure myself. I'm back in the game and determined to stay there. I may not always win, but as long as I give it a try I'll be content and satisfied that I'm working towards my personal goals.

Miss Independent (x 2)

"I wanna do it!"
"I can do it!"
"Let me do it!"


A small sampling of the phrases we hear from wee L. every day, all day! At almost 2 she is becoming an independent force to reckon with!! No longer will she sit quietly (well rarely) while I dress her. She must try to do it. Every. Time. Have you ever watched a little one try to put on socks? It's a fruitless endeavour for the most part. Neither the toes nor the socks seem to cooperate!  Let Mama help?  No way. It can be a struggle to let her let me help get the clothes on.  When I ask her to find shoes, L. typically goes for her rain boots because those she can get on all by herself!


This new found independence that L. is embracing so whole heartedly is hurting my heart a little. Where did my baby go? Those days where she totally depends on Mama are fluttering in the wind, ready to be blown away by the approaching storm of childhood. Well, I'll hope it's not an actual storm. Maybe a light rain shower mixed in with mostly sunny skies! While I am so totally amazed by the new things she does, says & learns every single day I find myself wishing I could slow down the process. Just a little. Not forever. A little more time to hold her close (minus the wriggling away so she can move on to the next fascination).


But I can't. And I know it. Her independence will grow & I will continue to be amazed at the wonder that is L. Before I know it, we'll be picking courses for university, choosing residences, shopping for household items to outfit her new place.  Wait, WHAT?  Slow down!!


The truth of the matter is these things I described above; they are actually happening.  Now. Talk about chaotic emotions.


Meet Miss Independent #1, or the Original MI if you will!  The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity with her as well. Come August my baby will no longer live under my roof. Seriously. I blinked and 19 years have gone by. Talk about a hurting heart! I can't believe it's time for this already. We might need to revisit my earlier thought about slowing down the process. For real. Could I have a bit more time? I'm not ready! A few more snuggles, nights spent under covers watching rom-com movies, trips taken just the 2 of us.  Please, can we do it all again?


We can't. 
M. no longer says "I wanna do it!" (well actually sometimes her requests actually do sound a bit like L's!!) she can do it. By herself. All the time! She is ready to take her next step just like L.


I better get ready because this isn't stopping.  And in all reality I do not want it to. Yes, it would be lovely to keep them tiny forever but they will always remain that way in my heart.  And as for that, it may be aching a bit right now but that will soon be replaced by that amazement that comes as I watch them learn & grow, the love I feel for them that only increases over time and my overall pleasure with having been blessed by these two unique girls.


But right now, I'm going to watch L. serve up "breakfast" in her playhouse while sipping my coffee that M. so graciously delivered!!  Independence isn't all that bad!

A mom by any other name...

Nineteen years ago I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.  

In the beginning as she was discovering how to navigate her tongue through her first sounds she would call me "ma" or "ma-ma".  That didn't last very long.  As soon as she could, those 2 little letters morphed into the full-blown word "Mommy".  

I have heard many variations of this name over the years.  From the sweet innocent whispers of "mommy" as we cuddled close at night to the cries of "MOMMMMMYYY" choked out with her tears when she was hurt or scared.  Let's not forget the sarcastic, roll her eyes "MUUuuuMM" when I'm apparently doing something totally wrong or embarrassing.  And even now when she thanks me in her text messages for something I've done (or given in to is probably more the case) I usually get a "thank you mommy".  Just the other day as she was leaving the house to go out with friends she was halfway out the door, came back over to me, kissed me on the cheek and said "I love you Mommy". I had to pick my jaw back up off the floor after that I was so shocked. We have always been very outwardly affectionate but even so she can still surprise me at times!

I am Mommy!  For the better part of 19 years that has been the most frequently used titled associated with me!  I LOVE being MOMMY!  Even if my first born is getting ready to leave the nest.

Almost two years ago now I gave birth to another beautiful, healthy baby girl.  

To her I am "MAMA".  At first I wasn't sure how I felt about this.  I mean after all before she blessed us with her wonderful spirit I had been Mommy for 17 years!  Even my husband, who always refers to me as "Mommy" with my older daughter now calls me "Mama".  I hear "Mama, where are you?" and "Help please Mama".  And just recently for the first time I heard "I wuv you Mama!". Sigh!!


I am Mama!  I LOVE being MAMA!


Even though I wasn't sure about the name change at first, I told myself "It's just a word, just a name".  But the more I've thought about it the more this feels right.  I was 19 years younger with my older daughter.  I raised her when I was in a completely different stage of my life.  A young 20-something single parent trying to find her way in the world.  Now with my wee girlie I bring a lot more life experience to the table.  I've navigated parenthood, the dating game, the business world. I've been successful in most things I've done and when I haven't I'm at least proud & satisfied that I've tried.


I am different.  My daughters are different.  It's completely okay that I have two different but very similar titles.  It doesn't matter the word; it is the feeling, the sentiment & the meaning behind it.  The protector.  The teacher. The storyteller. The healer.  The comforter. The cheerleader.

I am Mommy!  I am Mama!  And I love it!

Hangin' out at YeahWrite again!!  Take a look at all the great posts!