Hi All,

It’s 8pm on Thursday evening here in my neck of the woods and i’m tired. I’m always tired at this time of night.

I set my alarm for 5:30am this morning with the big idea that I’d take care of the pup and then getting out the door for a run at 6:30am to beat the heat and give myself enough time to leisurely get ready for my busy day.

So 5:30am the alarm went off and I snoozed it for a solid hour! That’s all it allows, so then I just lay in bed procrastinating the inevitable. Next thing you know it was 7am. I took the dog for a walk and beat myself up for a bit while having my coffee and finally got out the door for my run at 8:30.

Good news is the Garmin resurrected itself and I ran a few seconds faster than snails pace. I’m getting my groove back!

6miles7-10

While running I realized that my “Hours of Operation” these days seems to be 8am to 8pm. I am just so groggy each morning and turn into a pumpkin somewhere between 8pm and 9pm. Is this what being 40 is all about? Or maybe it’s my diet that contains more carbs, sugar and caffeine than it should? Whatever it is I’m kinda bummed that I don’t have the stamina to stay up late like I used to. So I’ll try and keep my daily living wild and crazy between the hours of 8am and 8pm LOL! (well, with the exception of early rise for races and running group runs).

After my run, I showered and had a quick bite and then it was off to our local dog park. I used to take Duncan all the time but after he was attacked by another dog and left with a wound that required a big staple to close it I have frequented much less. But today was an exciting day. The National Geographic Channel had a film crew filming the dogs for a show. (not sure exactly but I think they said for a show called Crowd Control).

photo: Wolfe's Pond Dog Run's Facebook Group page

photo: Wolfe’s Pond Dog Run’s Facebook Group page

I entered the park and went all the way to the fence and plopped down on a bench with the doodle by my side. I was a nervous wreck.

That's me in the far right in the purple shirt. And I'm sure you recognize Duncan =)

photo: Wolfe’s Pond Dog Run’s Facebook Group page

That’s me in the far right in the purple shirt. And I’m sure you recognize Duncan =)

There were SO many dogs and all I could do was remember Duncan’s cries when he was attacked right at my feet. Yep, I think I’ll always have PTSD over that. We stayed out of the way of the main action and eventually Duncan went to the gate and gave me a look. So we left. As soon as we did he found a private area and pooped! How funny! My boy didn’t want to poop on camera. =)

Next up was physical therapy. I was put in a different room today. New posters to look at on the wall.

photo 2 and my favorite heat and electrotherapy combo…

photo 1Turns out I only get one more treatment before I’m on my own. The timing seems right as I really have come a long way. And with $50 copays each visit I’m sort of happy that I’m only going one more time =)

After physical therapy I took Duncan in the woods. This was actually more for me than him. I was off today but bombarded with work emails….each one worse than the next. Errors and unhappy clients and miscommunications and just a bunch of Debbie Downer crap. New rule: NEVER read work emails on days off because it just ruins me. I was so cranky and anxiety was creeping in. I just needed to go somewhere peaceful where the cell reception is spotty so no emails would interrupt me. HA!

photo 4 Duncan appreciated my need for tranquility. He LOVES the woods. He has such a great life. I’m a tad jealous (save for having to poop outdoors).

Then I saw this on the ground….photo 3

Is this a sign that I should be questioning life? liberty? the pursuit of happiness? Or maybe it wasn’t meant for me. I’m not the only one who’s pooped by 8pm…

like mother like furrkid

like mother like furrkid

Well, no fighting it…I’m off to bed…

Do you find yourself more fatigued than you used to be in the evenings? Are you a morning person or a night owl? what are your “hours of operation?” 

 

Happy Monday!

As I was winding down last night and preparing myself for the work week, I made a big decision. I was feeling really tired and have been for quite some time. I’m sure it’s a combination of post Center of the Nation and just jumping right back into my NYC Marathon training when I returned home.

65.5 miles plus a whole lotta jumping = FATIGUE

65.5 miles plus a whole lotta jumping = FATIGUE

After reviewing my training log, it looks like I have been overtraining. Shocker! It’s not that I have been running that many more miles per week than I’m scheduled to. But I have had many extra long runs, and I’ve been bailing on plenty of short, recovery runs. Not to mention my cross training has been non-existent (unless you consider walking the dog cross training). In other words, don’t ever take my advice on this blog =) There was a 16 miler back in June when I didn’t even officially kick off my training until July. And then of course five 13.1s in a row doesn’t make for smart training. But I knew that going into it. So this week I’ve decided to replace my 2 weekday runs with easier 30 min cross training sessions at the gym. That will allow me to catch up a a few extra winks of sleep (I can squeeze the gym in at lunch) and give my running leg muscles a little mini-taper. I have the Rock ‘n’ Roll Brooklyn 10k on Saturday and the Staten Island half marathon (with 7 extra miles before) on Sunday, totaling 26 miles for the weekend!

This decision comes with the comfort knowing I’m not a newbie anymore.

3rdI’ve got 3 marathons under my belt and I know that I won’t sacrifice my entire training by replacing 2 workouts. Also, I’ve thought long and hard about my expectations and goals for the NYC Marathon. While I wish I could say I’m shooting for a PR, that is just totally unrealistic. The course isn’t an easy one. There are 5 bridges and lots of elevation.

allbridgesMy first NYC Marathon was 5:28. It was my first marathon and I walked A LOT of the second half. I was SOOO happy just to finish.

Thumbs up! I didn't die!

Thumbs up! I didn’t die!

My PR is a 4:48 on a very flat course (with perfect weather). That’s a HUGE finish time range. I think I will just keep my expectations set to try and come in under the 5:28 time. While I’d love to break 5 hours again, I just don’t feel confident I have it in me. So my “A” goal would be 5:15 and “B” goal would be 5:25. But regardless of my finish time I am looking forward to enjoying the afternoon with close to 50,000 others.

I hadn’t planned on participating in any other races for the year but at the last minute I  just signed up for one more half marathon just 6 days after the NYC Marathon. It’s probably not a smart idea, but i’ll chalk 2013 up to the year of running too many races and make a promise that next year I’ll scale back a bit. My wallet and my non-running friends will be happy. So, I’ll be running the Trenton Half Marathon on 11/9.

trentoncourse

I love bridges and this course has 2! photo courtesy of trentonhalf.com

I learned about this race from a girl I met while training for the NJ Marathon at the very beginning of this year. Her name is Jane and she is an ambassador for this event. We had such great training runs together I just knew I needed to run with her one more time this year (although I’ll probably only see her the first half a mile as I’m sure she’ll be blazing ahead while my tired legs will probably just chug along). And the swag/bling looks pretty awesome too:

photo courtesy of trentonhalf.com

photo courtesy of trentonhalf.com

So there you have it! My plan to fight the training fatigue and complete 2 really strong runs next weekend, my goals verbalized for the NYC Marathon, and my “lapse-in-judgement-just-for-the-bling” registration in what will be my 11th half marathon of the year and 17th event overall!

WOW: Listen to your body! You’ll know when to scale back and when to go for the gusto! You are your own best training tool. 

Question: Tell me all about your fall race calendar.