Coffee Milk Week 5: Down with the Sickness

The best part about being stubborn is that you look at limiters and laugh.  You think, well, that doesn't really apply to be because of x, y or z.  Lack of sleep?  Whatever, I'll run.  13 hour work day?  I totally can squeeze that run in at 4am, or at SUNY Albany's running path at o dark thirty.  Kids up all night throwing up?   Snuggles, bath time, bleach myself, laundry - then it's here's your garbage can, TV show, blanket, mom's on the treadmill.  Done.

But when the mom that never gets sick spends all night in the bathroom a la post frat party circa 2003 and can't keep down crackers, decisions need to be made.  Hard ones.  The week started off with a trade off of a sick kid - from Rob to Biz - then Monday night my wonderful kids put their schooling to use and showed me they have learned how to share.  Thanks guys.  The next 24 hours were admittedly a blur of sleeping, trying to eat unsuccessfully, and putting into practice the "how to lose 5 pounds prior to your Caribbean vacation in 24 hours flat" diet.  Which, by the way, I would not recommend.

I ditched my run on Tuesday, obviously.  I stupidly did an easy 6 miler on Wednesday, when Biz got sick again and I was living off crackers.  My employee called in sick Thursday - somehow he caught my bug via osmosis....so I had to cover for him while dealing with my backlog and a pissed off funder...so I threw in speed work when I was still dangerously low on nutrients and steam.  I'm an idiot.  And I fully admit it. 

Source

Friday brought a twist of bullshit at work, a nice screaming match, an email from the teacher that included a behavioral referral recommendation, and notice of a late bill with a ridiculous interest charge (which I never, ever, do.)  All before 9am.  I did what any self respecting woman would do.  I hammered out a 6 miler at a 7:45 pace and fought the world with my own little sneakered feet.  Then I dealt with it.

Just as I thought the week would pass....Greg got sick.  Then we got a snow storm which didn't mean much except an excuse to call for a travel advisory and 2 inches of snow on the unplowed roads.  Lame, Rochester, lame.  Thankfully we have some pretty sweet neighbors we can drink alcohol with hang out with and let the kids blow off cabin fever, so it wasn't a total bust.

But it was  a week.  Between the germs in my house, work, the issues at school, and the damn weather, I am counting down the hours (108) until I am in the air on a plane to Jamaica, sans kids, with a drink in my hand and sand in my toes.  Ahhhhhh.

With that being said, the only bold leap that happened this week was I opened my mouth quite a bit when I shouldn't have.  Which should make for an interesting Director's management retreat tomorrow.....but hey, I'm not sorry.  Sometimes things need to be said, and I suppose I'd rather be the person that doesn't spew bullshit and tells it like it is.  I think.  Get back to me on that one.

Workout wise, I'm pleased.  I skipped two rides (not enough in me for 2 a days this week) and one swim due to crappy weather, but got in all my runs, and the three sessions that mattered - speed work,tempo run, and long run (which I swapped next weeks 8 miler with the planned 12 miler) all clocked in at the right pace or even faster.  To me, that's a win. 

Mileage:
Running: 40 miles
Biking: 18 miles
Swimming: 1.2 miles

On tap for week 6 is five days of Rochester running then a transition to beach runs on the sand.  And yes.  I have room in my carry on for you :)  This is the first vacation Greg and I have taken sans kids since 2012 - to say I'm excited is a huge under statement.  Yippee!!

Coffee Milk Week 4: Right Down the Line

Some weeks, the unintentional act of bravery is simply in survival.  After the crazy high of last weeks 14 miler, I understandably started the week off a bit slow - Monday was a recovery day, and the week, while fully hitting all target goals until Sunday, seemed to be a bit of a struggle.

Perhaps I bit off more than I can chew.  Perhaps trying to get back on the bike 3 days a week, while training to PR a marathon, swim twice a week, and do all those crazy life requirements like being a mom, wife, boss, co-worker, friend and juggling all that boring adult bullshit was a bit of a stretch.

Perhaps.

It was time to revisit the ole "why".  When setting frightful goals, your "why am I doing this" is really the be all end all of everything.  No matter what you set out to do - pay down debt, lose 10 pounds, run a 5k, or get over your childish fear of a bike you've raced for 15 years (I'm just randomly picking goals, people) there are gonna be days.  Or weeks.  Where its easy to buy the latte.  To eat the cake.  Or to convince yourself off your second workout of the day or that it's really no big deal if you do your 7 mile tempo run.  

Oddly enough, or perhaps not, in the context of most of my chosen blog titles lately, it was music that saved me.  2019 has been a weird music year for me - I would never consider myself any type of genre girl, or any type of expert on anything that constitutes decent music.  To be fair, most music connoisseurs would shudder at my playlist.  Portugal the Man.  Followed by Def Leppard.  Followed by Meghan Trainor.  Followed by Imagine Dragons.  Then a little Meatloaf to round things out. Clearly I not only have bad taste, but its diversified bad taste.  And a horrible habit of singing loudly during my runs in a voice that could kindly be called a shower voice.  

I change up my playlist every few months with whatever strikes my fancy, and its not abnormal that my kids dictate at least part of my play list (as in, this song is on my play list.  For real.  Thank my son, the budding Astronomer who is apparently bilingual.  OMG.  You do have to admit , though, Jupiter is pretty gangsta).  

This week, it seemed a one song in particular followed me wherever I went.  My husband testing out our new speakers for the entertainment center.  As I drove into the office.  On a spotify playlist.  Background music to a video someone sent me.  I've never cared much one way or the other about Gerry Rafferty, but this somehow became the theme song for the week.  So I stuck it on my playlist.  And found myself starting every run with the song.  And singing.  Even during my weekly swim, the song came on as part of the cool down and I sang (sorry to my fellow Y members).  And it made me smile.  Every. Time.  

Everything is wrong with the song.  It's not fast.  The BPM (beats per minute) at 128 were much better suited for walking.  Yet I found myself, ponytail bouncing, smiling and running an 8 minute mile easily while singing along....

"I know how much I lean on you
Only you can see
The changes that I've been through
Have left a mark on me
You've been as constant as a Northern Star
The brightest light that shines"

And I could just feel the love for the run, the swim, or even the bike (Oh my god I said it).  The lyrics spoke to me, and probably not in the way Rafferty wrong the song for - I felt a presence of my why - my journey as a runner and a triathlete and the joy it's brought me and why the 6am runs, lunchtime spins, and Friday "happy hour" swims were totally worth it.

Which is a damn good thing.  Because my long run day, at a high of 12 outside - tested me.  I have Reynaud's, which means frozen fingers and toes are a real thing for me.  Usually, I would bail out and do a treadmill run.  With the love of facebook and Gerry, I headed out and killed the run.

Or when my 5 year old came home with god knows what disease from school and spent 24 hours projectile vomiting Saturday night until this morning, while I simultaneously swallowed a filling at 3am on a Sunday morning when not a dentist was open for another 29 hours.  

Breathe.  I did what any good mother would do - I got him resting comfortably on the couch Sunday morning with ginger ale, The Emoji movie and a garbage can, tossed in the 3rd load of throw up clothes (yuck), and turned my PM bike into an AM spin, and my AM swim into a 4 mile run at tempo pace on a run rest day once reinforcements got home. (oops).  

Survival.  Sanity in key places.  And a makeup swim on Tuesday this week makes it all good.  Thankfully, after 24 hours of very colorful ejections, Rob is better, no one else got the bug, and my tooth is set to be fixed Wednesday (thank god its a back molar).  We'll fix it one step at a time....it'll be all good.....right down the line :)

And with that, ends athe first 4 week block of training.  

Mileage:

Running: 45 miles
Swimming: 2400 m (1.5 miles)
Biking: 37 miles


Bring it, Coffee Milk.  Bring it, Barrelman.  I'm Hungry Like the Wolf.  OMG, Rae... STAHHHP.  

Coffee Milk Week 3: It's a Good Day to PR

Well, here we are in the full swing of things in 2019....all the leftovers are gone, back to work and school, and it seems we are finally getting some bonafide NY winter weather (yuck).  We are now in the season of diametrically opposing sides - we are broke and want to save money, we are over sugared from the season and want to get in shape....all during the crappiest, coldest and unmotivating month of the year where all we want to do is watch netflix and spend money on a beach vacation.  (Fair confession - Greg and I did the latter and will be going on an all inclusive to Jamaica at the end of the month...our first actual vacation since 2012.  You can stop sending me hate mail now).

I'm always impressed with those that start the month out with a bang (that's what she said?) and go forth with the intent to be the best version of themselves.  This year, for me, its to go outside the box (really, knock it off.  Come on).  To do something every day that scares me.  To go beyond my comfort level and go after those crazy big reach goals that I know I can do.  Today, it was all about work - I had a meeting with our state funders and instead of passively taking notes and interjecting, I made my thoughts and observations known throughout the whole call.  I'm not quite sure how they feel about me now, but I was polite, direct, and I feel pretty accomplished and think together we have some pretty great plans on tap for my program for the year.

Yesterday's big reach was all about the run.  As you recall on my last update, I've decided to get social with some of my runs this year for a few reasons  - there are quite a few cool Roc runners I don't ever get to chat with, it's a nice recovery to run with people that pace themselves slower than I, a great reach for me to run with the speedy folks to get even faster, and there are some mighty fine men in the area that look really lot in lycra  I am trying to expand my social network.  I didn't say that.  Who put that there??

This week was a little nuts, even by my standards.  It started out with a simple text to one of my speedy friends for a relaxed-run-for-him and a tempo run for me proposal.  That turned into a long run of 12 miles at an 8:30 pace which is about 25 seconds faster than my goal long run pace.  Which then turned into an invite to run with the Irondequoit Bay Runners who run around Irondequoit bay (they have such a deep, thought provoking name) each Sunday at 7am for fun.  Challenge issued.  Never mind that some of these dudes run a sub 3 marathon.  It was a good day to die.

I secured mommy break permission from Greg (he got to sleep in till 10am Saturday, do not feel bad for him), and was out the door by 6:15 Sunday, in the wind and the rain.  Oh perfect. The trick was...I never gave myself a back out.  Packed my clothes.  My breakfast.  Set up the coffee maker the night before.  And just did it.  I met up with seven other people at o dark thirty, and we were off.

I was way out of my league.  As we headed up a 150 foot ascent in the first half mile at an 8 minute mile and proceeded to clock off 4 sub 8 miles in the first 6 miles of the run....it was like falling off a cliff in slow motion.  I had the option to turn back at mile 4 with the sole woman of the group (who is running Boston, lest you think she was any slower) and decided...screw it.  It was windy.  It was hilly.  And god love my buddy Ken who stayed with me at a slower than normal pace for him but a faster than promised pace for me the whole time.  When we hit mile 12 at 1:38 I realized, and laughingly told him, that my half marathon PR was a 1:49:30.  And even at mile 13.1, halfway up a hill, we hit it at 1:48:11.  A PR.  On a random Sunday with a course that had close to 1000 ft elevation gain, no training, no taper, nothing but ego and 6 other guys on a mission.  The victory was sweet.  The downhill to finish the 14 miles in 1:55 was even sweeter.  I felt like a million bucks.

And then I went off to swim, my second workout of the morning.  I'm not that bright.  But even though it was not the swim dreams were made of, it helped flush out the crap in my legs so I can walk today.  I even ran.  So success #2.

And I feel good.  My buddy texted me last night that if i ran like that in April, the BQ was in the bag.  I'm not ready to take it that far, but holding an 8:15 pace for 14 hilly miles was a giant boon to my 2019 goals.  Game on baby.  And it all started as something that terrified me.  As Mark Twain said "(Twenty Years from now) you'll be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the sails".  Carpe diem, baby. I'm on a mission.

Week 3 (December 31-January 6)
Running Mileage:  49 miles
Bike Mileage:  43 miles
Swim Mileage:  2.5 miles

Observations:  Terrifying things can be fun.  Swimming after a tough workout seems foolish, but can actually help.  Eat more post run or you might die (my lonely larabar post 14 miles did not cut it.  I need more snacks.  Bike shorts are smart on the bike (I'll leave that one there and move on).  2019 is gonna be the year!

2019: A Fresh Perspective

Such a beautiful thing - the start of a New Year.  It reminds me of back to school for adults - the promise and start of something new, full of good intentions and energy.  Here I am world, ready to be a "better person".  Bring it.

But what does that actually mean?  Does it mean you weren't a decent person to begin with?  That you need fixing?  That you weren't good enough as you were?  It's a slippery slope.  Over the past week, I've been off from work and have had the opportunity to connect with several family members and friends that I don't usually see - whether it be distance or time the factor.  It's been amazing to catch up with people that I don't get to interact with every day - to learn what's happening in their lives since I've seen them last - to hear all about their hopes, dreams, and what they wish for in 2019.

It's mostly the normal stuff:  save money, lose weight, be a better parent, friend, fill in the blank.  All laudable goals.  I've had three requests for training plans - ranging from a 10k plan to a half marathon plan - and two more requests for a financial and/or couponing 101 ways to save money and pay down debt.

I'm flattered.  But I also walk away from these conversations with the feeling that my friends and family don't see themselves the way I do - as the funny, amazing, fantastic people that they are.  That they don't need to "fix" themselves.  That they are pretty great just the way they are.

But we are all about self improvement.  And I think that's pretty great - as long as we recognize that there is nothing lacking with who we went into 2019 as.  We just want to keep growing and realizing different ways we can reach above and beyond every day.  If we have a day that we don't do quite as well, there is always a new day to start fresh.

Source

I think the real truth to these "resolutions" boils down to one thing - your comfort zone.  I'll admit it - I am a pretty boring person.  I live off of a schedule of sleep, workouts, meals, family time, friends time, work time and me time with pretty decent regularity. I hate when things disrupt my routine.  I like doing what I'm good at, and will generally find any excuse to avoid doing what I suck at or don't like doing.

Then I watch the people that I look up to.  And they are constantly going outside their "routines" and doing scary things - things that they might not excel at.  Things that they don't do as part of a routine.  Things they might fail at.  And I'm in awe.  I want to be those people.  But...I also know that there's a pretty decent me under all that that I have no intention of losing sight of.

So, for 2019, it's all about a fresh perspective.  About first finding the good in who you are and who those around you are.  About not looking for where we are "lacking", but embracing the pretty awesome person that you are and the people you surround yourself with.

And when you're drinking your morning coffee and staring at the sunrise - dreaming of your big, scary goals that you want to accomplish - realizing that these goals are an extension of the fabulous person that you are - and taking a leap.  Of doing things that scare you.  Of doing things you might fail at.  And just going for it.

And so is my intent for 2019.  To recognize all of the wonderful people in my life and how they enrich it every day.  Of appreciating the good parts and letting go of the bad.  And to always come back to myself and ask - what are my goals to make my life even more amazing?  Have I done something today to make that happen?  Oddly enough, my friends and family have already helped me with their requests for my help, as I've defined one big scary goal for 2019 - but more on that one later.

I've always been a bit leery of January 1 resolutions.  To be fair and honest, I think that setting goals requires definition and detail that after a night of bad food, little sleep and drinking, I'm not quite ready for.  So, as history goes, I pretty much soak in the New Year, recover, take deep breaths, and go after it with gusto on January 2.  (Holy cow,  I just reread my inaugural post.  How has so much changed in 8 years??)

2019.  It's the year for big things.  And starting with the right frame of mind is half the battle.  Let's do this!