This past week was week number one of six weeks of base training. It’s always exciting for me to start a new training regime. I feel like it brings some purpose back to my running. Here’s a recap of this past week’s workouts, as past of the Weekly Wrap link up hosted by HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin’.

I decided to try a new approach this week by working out in the mornings during the work week. I have been struggling with motivation ever since daylight savings time ended, since it is dark when I get home from work now. It’s dark in the morning when I exercise before work, but so far I’m really happy with getting things done in the morning.

Monday – 3 mile easy run on the treadmill before work

Tuesday – Strength training (10 minutes of abs, then a sequence of lunges, squats, and calf raises)

Wednesday – 4 mile “hill” run on the treadmill before work

Thursday – Cross training (Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD, level 1) before work

Friday – 5 mile trail run at Claytor Lake State Park. This was my long run for the week. I moved it to Friday since we had a full day scheduled for Saturday.

I was busy all morning and didn’t get out for my run until 2:00 PM or so. I had a great run and felt awesome, which was a little surprising since I really hadn’t eaten much or drunk any water. Apparently that’s the key for a successful long run! (kidding ). I think it was just one of those runs that goes great for unknown reasons. But it was also one of those runs that makes me feel like the goals I’m chasing are attainable. They’ll take work, but they are not impossible.

There were two other crazy/random things about this run. One, I realized I forgot my Garmin shortly after leaving the house. I didn’t feel like going back for it, so I just guessed on the mileage (based on posted mileage for the various trails at the state park). At the end of the run I didn’t know exactly how far I had run or how long it took me, and it didn’t bother me in the least.

The second thing was that part way through my run I realized I had a hitch hiker on my shoulder. He startled me right at first, but then I just kind of laughed about it and attempted to take a selfie 🙂

Saturday – 3 mile easy run with Kim and my college buddy Jackie (who was in town for Friendsgiving and the football game) at a nearby park. It was a very cold morning, with temperatures around 25 degrees at the start of our run, but the wind wasn’t blowing so it didn’t feel too bad. I felt good and had a lot of fun running with Kim and Jackie.

Right after our run Jackie and I had to rush back to my house to grab showers and get up to Blacksburg with Barry for some tailgating before the football game. Barry and I bought tickets from Debbie last month from this game. At the time neither of us knew it would be head coach Frank Beamer’s final home game at Virginia Tech, as he will be retiring at the end of the season.

Emotions were definitely high for the game, but in the end we couldn’t pull off the win in an overtime thriller. I sure wish we could have sent coach out with a win for his final game in Lane Stadium, but it was still an amazing day to be in Blacksburg.

Barry and I headed home after the game (to take care of the dogs) and then went back to up Blacksburg later that evening for Friendsgiving. We had about 20 people attend, many of whom I went to college with and others who became new friends by the end of the night. It was a lot of fun to have everyone together and Barry and I stayed up entirely too late, until 1:30 AM!

Sunday – Rest day. I was much in need of this rest day after a busy first week of training and a long day on Saturday. I spent most of the day cleaning the house (we are hosting Thanksgiving, per usual) and then baked banana bread in the evening.

Total Miles: 15 (ish)

This week I hope to stick to my morning workout routine, for the most part. It will get a little funky with Thanksgiving coming up, but I have plans in place to make sure I still get all of my workouts in!

Who else is having a cold snap? I don’t mind so much. This is what November is supposed to feel like
Does anyone else ever have a “friendsgiving” in addition to their regular Thanksgiving?
How would you feel about doing your long run sans Garmin/watch?

We have hosted Thanksgiving at our house every year for the past three years and it’s something I really enjoy. With this year being our fourth year, it really feels like a tradition now. I love bringing everyone together for a big meal and to give thanks for all of our blessings.

One thing I have always struggled with is the cooking. It’s hard to cook so many things for between 6 and 8 adults in just a single oven, especially when one of those things is a 20 lb. bird. This year I decided to try something new.

I spotted a roster oven in a sales ad and thought that sounded like a pretty good idea. I read several articles and recipes on cooking a turkey in a roasting oven. The main message was if you do it right, the turkey will cook up nice and juicy and just right! Furthermore, this will free up my oven for all of the other cooking/baking that goes on. It seems like I have finally found the solution to my Thanksgiving dilemma!

Have you ever hosted Thanksgiving?
Who else struggles with the one oven challenge?

Every Wednesday, Debbie from DebRuns provides a word prompt for us to write about. The Wednesday Word link up has been going strong for a few months now, and I always look forward to it each week. I feel like each word really gets me thinking, and I end up writing about things I probably wouldn’t otherwise. It’s also really neat to see the different perspectives and different takes others have on the word. Click the button below to see who else is linking up today.

Today’s word is cherish.

The first thing I thought about when I think of the word ‘cherish’ is being grateful for the things we have, and realizing they are precious. Health, happiness, family, a roof over our heads. It’s important we don’t take these things for granted. Another thing you don’t want to take for granted in life is the ability to run and participate in races.

Sometimes everything goes perfect on race day, and it’s all sunshine and rainbows and you get to have this celebration of all of your training. But we all know that is seldom the case. More often than not, things don’t go as planned. But that doesn’t mean you weren’t successful. You may not hit your A goal, but that’s the point of having B goals, C goals, and so on. If things went wrong, use it as a learning experience for next time. Otherwise you’ll just go out there and make the same mistakes over and over again.

No matter how poorly or wonderfully a race goes, we need to remember how lucky we are to be out there. It’s truly a gift and it’s important not to take it for granted. And at the end of the day, don’t forget to appreciate the miles. One at a time.

What do you cherish?

This past week was my last ‘free’ week before I start following a six week base training plan. My focus is going to shift primarily to running now, and I guess I kind of subconsciously took advantage of that fact this past week. I ended the week with three running days and three cross training days. Here’s a recap of last week’s workouts, as part of the Weekly Wrap linkup hosted by HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin’.

Monday – Rest

Tuesday – Cross training: core work sequence

Wednesday – Afternoon 35 minute trail run at the state park. I was happily surprised to find I didn’t have to pay the $4 fee to get into the park, because of the Veterans Day holiday.

I’ve talked about how all of the leaves on the ground can make the trails hard to follow this time of year. But while I was out on my run I also thought of a good thing about the leaves – you naturally make more noise on them. The noise helps scare off wild animals, or at least make them aware of you, so that you don’t startle them. I’ve had an encounter with a black bear while out on a solo run before, and I don’t care to do so again.

Thursday – Cross training: core work sequence. Then Barry and I watched the Hokies beat Georgia Tech. It was exciting to see them pull off a win, especially since our head coach, Frank Beamer, recently announced he will be retiring at the end of the season. He has been the head coach of Virginia Tech’s football team for 29 years (longer than I’ve been alive).

Friday – I had planned to run, but decided to cross train instead since we were having wind gusts of 55 mph all day. So I did a 30 Day Shred level 1 workout. My usual cross training shoes still have insulation stuck to the bottoms, so I used an older pair of shoes. Black shoes make me feel kind of hard core 🙂

Usually I use our TV while cross training along with a DVD workout. But this time I used my laptop so I could keep the news on the TV to follow the attacks in Paris. Just awful, and my thoughts and prayers go out to them.

Saturday – Evening 45 minute trail run. I spent the majority of the day making plans/lists for Thanksgiving and then running several errands. I got out to the trails at Pandapas Pond a little later than planned, and was worried I would have to cut my 45 minute run short. I started with a 30 minute out and back.

When I got back to the parking lot I decided I could probably sneak in the last 15 minutes before sunset and headed down another trail towards the pond. I watched the sun start to sink behind the ridgeline as I ran.

I was focused on making it to the pond before sunset, and I succeeded. Then I got the treat of watching the sunset, which was pretty spectacular (I didn’t capture it very well, though).

All of a sudden I realized the fact that the sun had just dipped behind the mountains meant it was going to be dark soon and I needed to get back to the parking lot (about 6 to 7 minutes away).

As I made my way back, I encountered two men who asked if I had seen a stray horse. A what? I told them no I had not, and they further explained that one had gotten away from their group in the parking lot. I made it back to the parking lot just as nightfall was moving in. The rest of the group which had lost a horse was there, and I asked if they needed anything. They said they did not and I wished them well on finding their horse. I suggested contacting the park ranger (Pandapas is part of the Jefferson National Forest) and they said they had just gotten off of the phone with the state police, who were going to notify the rangers. I sure hope they found their horse!

Sunday – Afternoon 4 mile run. I decided to do some exploring and headed down to the Austinville/Lead Mines area to check out a different section of the New River Trail State Park (a 57 mile long rail trail).

I ran 4 miles and got to run past a cave and through an old railroad tunnel along the river.

Just before the tunnel, hanging on that apparatus, are yellow plastic chains. They represent the old telltales, from when the New River Trail was a railroad. Telltales were used to let railmen on top of the roof know that the train was approaching a tunnel, bridge, or other low structure. The telltales, often made of leather strips or rope, would hang down lower than the lowest point in the tunnel or bridge and act as a warning to let railmen know to duck or get off of the top.

It was a gorgeous fall day outside, with temperatures in the upper 50’s, and I’m glad I decided to go explore a new part of my usual trail.

Today begins a six week stretch of base training. It’s time to lay a good base of miles to build upon through this winter and leading into the spring for upcoming spring races!

Have you ever heard of railroad telltales?
What are your workout plans for the winter?
What would you do if you encountered a stray/loose horse while out in the woods?

I came to a realization on Sunday about running – when it feels like something I get to do versus something I feel like I have to do. What’s the difference between running feeling like a treat and just another item on my to do list?

 

If I get up one day knowing I plan to run, but with no specific plans on when, it hangs over my head all day. I know it needs to get done and I often let it become another item on my to do list, right between the laundry and the dishes. But if I make a specific plan on when I will run it becomes something I get to do. For example, this past Sunday I got up in the morning knowing I would go for a run around 4:00 PM. It’s like once I make that decision then I don’t need to consider it, I just follow through with it.

Obviously if I just get up and go for a run in the morning, that takes care of the whole conundrum. But sometimes it’s nice to have a relaxing morning on the weekend where you can just sip coffee, read the newspaper or watch some TV, and chill.

The crazy thing is this issue of running being a fun activity versus a chore only exists for me on the weekend. During the week I primarily run in the evening after work, but it never bothers me. Some days I come home from work excited for my run. Other days I come home from work tired, but knowing I need to get that run in before my day is complete. Either way, it’s totally different from the weekend. Maybe that’s because my work days are more structured? Or maybe it’s that whole decision thing again. It’s already been planned so there’s no debate about it.

And then there are the times when running becomes both fun and a chore all at the same time. This is something I typically experience when I’m following a training plan. I enjoy the process of training, and the challenge that it presents. And I also love the structure of it, even if that sometimes makes running feel like another task on the list. I’ve been enjoying a pretty loose training routine, sans schedule, since the Hokie Half. But starting Monday I’m planning on beginning a structured 6 week base training plan.  Time to start racking up the miles and building a strong base for the spring!

What makes running/working out a fun activity versus a chore for you? Who else will be doing some base training this winter?