Tag Archives: gift of running

Week #17 NYC Marathon Training: Peak Week

I’ve been looking forward to this week for quite some time, knowing that once I knock it out, it will be smooth sailing to the starting line on Staten Island. I’d repeat, Just keep it together, stay positive, focused, and relentless with recovery, and you will get this done like a boss.

For the most part that has been the case, but I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that marathon training feels ridiculously insignificant right now compared to what is going on in the world. It’s hard not to carry a heavy weight of sadness after the terrorist attacks on Israel and the horrific collateral damage that continues to unfold. I don’t usually share these kinds of thoughts here on this blog because I know readers are much more interested in being wrapped in inspiration and celebrating all the goodness health and fitness gives us, but I’ve decided to share it today because I know I’m not alone.

So what do you do when the world has gone mad?

The only thing you can: just keep going.

You compartmentalize as much as you can. You get your work done. You use your training to sift though your anger, sadness, and frustration, then you spread love and compassion wherever and however you can. You do your small (or large) part in making the world a better place. You help others. You lift people up. You tell others that it’s okay not to be okay right now. Because what happened is not okay. You listen. And you listen some more. You look for the good in others, even if you don’t agree with everything they believe. You remind yourself that we share our common humanity. You acknowledge that we may have different skin tones, religions, and languages, but we are one in the same. You lean into the notion that only love will win, and you do your part to make that lofty goal a reality.

So while I celebrate getting through peak week like a boss (with a few bumps and niggles along the way), I also want to stop and take a breath, and acknowledge that while running is life to many of us, life has a way of putting things into perspective. Let us never forget our history nor our humanity.

I will repeat one of my quotes once again:

“The most important muscles we ever use in life are those we use to lift others up.”

Now circling back to our regularly scheduled programming … here’s a peek at Week #16 training schedule (Oct 9-15):

  • Mon 10/9: Run 5 miles with hills
  • Tues 10/10: Spin class 50 min medium EZ (18 miles), leg weights
  • Wed 10/11: Run 55 minutes on the ElliptiGo
  • Thur 10/12: Run 7.5 miles
  • Fri 10/13: Core and mobility 30 min
  • Sat 10/14: Run 18 miles
  • Sun 10/15: Rest & recovery day

Monday: Whoa, doggy, it took a lot of digging to get my creaky and melancholy body out the door, but somehow when you make yourself go through the motions, (ie-“Don’t think, just go”) and simply put one foot in front of the other, it somehow always comes together. After about 10 minutes, I was in a completely different frame of mind and happily cranking out the miles up and down hills.

Trying to talk myself into this workout before I finally got my body moving. I tested out my Hoka Mach Xs again, messing with the lacing configuration to see if I could get these shoes to settle into my grumpy feet. They felt good for about 4 miles, then I had to switch back to my Rincon 3s for the last mile. This shoe/foot situation is making me slightly insane, but soon enough I’ll just have to put my faith in one and hope for the best.

Tuesday and Wednesday: It was another spin class on Tuesday to flush out my legs, followed by a weight sesh to keep working on strength. Wednesday it took all day to knock out my workout. I finally opted for the elliptical in my garage so I could avoid further pounding on my foot/ankle/shin which currently has a grumpy tendon. It had been also a busy day that pulled me in a lot of directions so this option felt doable.

Just keep moving forward even when things feel dark.

Thursday: My morning run got pushed to late afternoon (gotta bend like a willow so you don’t break like an oak). It was just a 7.5-miler along the waterfront with a little jaunt out to the breakwater, but it felt more like a 10-miler. Some days are harder than others, but all add value. The only thing that matters is that I got it done, and my tender ankle held up mostly well. One step closer to NY.

Friday: Did a short core and mobility sesh in preparation for Saturday’s long run.

Saturday: It was my last long run before tapering for New York!! Woot!! I had originally planned to run 20 miles, then heeded the advice of multiple coaches/sources who said running longer than 3:15 often does more damage than good. In the end I ran 18 miles in 3:30. I coined this run “Beauty & the Beast” as all went well until about mile 13 when the tendon in my ankle went south again. Let’s just say the last 5 miles provided ample opportunity to work on my grit. I was especially grateful for the fun and beautiful 10 miles I ran with my friend Becca at the beginning. The solo miles at the end were there to remind me once again that I can do hard things. Got ‘er done. Soaked my legs in the ocean afterward to quickly knock down inflammation, then did the full-court press on recovery with compression, ice, foam rolling calves and quads, lots of protein, hydration, rest, a soak in the tub, more protein. And oh, there might have been some pizza too. :-).

So happy to have this one in the books, and a share some laughs with Becca as we work on our tall running posture. 🙂

As I sign off this week, gratitude floods me once again for the gift that running is in my life, especially during weeks like this. From the time and space in which to process life’s complexities to the friends who bring so much joy, to the never-ending reminder that we can do hard things. It’s all there in every breath, step, and mile, delivering a meditation of sorts, along with a profound sense of satisfaction, knowing we are able to complete what we set our minds to, even when the going gets tough.

Here’s to keeping on, celebrating all that is good in life, and lifting others up whenever we can. It’s a new week ahead. Let’s go get it!

xo Becky

PS: If you’ve missed any of my previous NYC Marathon training posts, you can click here to check them out:

Kicking off 20 Weeks until the NYC Marathon

Week #2 NYC Marathon Training: Patience & Grace

Week #3 NYC Marathon Training: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Week #4-11 NYC Marathon Training: The Good, the Bad & the Evolving

Week #12 NYC Marathon Training: Showing Up

Week #13 NYC Marathon Training: Staying the Course

Week #14 NYC Marathon Training: Honing the Details

Week #15 NYC Marathon Training: Upping our Game

Week #16 NYC Marathon: Counting Down, Visualizing, and Keeping It Moving Forward

Weeks #4-11 NYC Marathon Training: The Good, the Bad & the Evolving

It has been eons since I’ve posted, and for that I can only sigh. It seems that when my training started ramping up, so did “life,” which means that writing and sharing my journey back to NYC became a luxury I didn’t have time to indulge in besides a quick Instagram story here or there. I’m back now though, and even though the weeks have already started to blur together like a Polaroid dipped in water, I’ll try to bring you up to speed with a quick recap of the past eights weeks.

In a nutshell, training has been filled with high highs, a few low lows, and a whole lot of regular training days thrown in all along the way. It’s been a sweet dance of savoring the journey and reveling in the effort of pressing personal fitness boundaries again, while also managing the frustration of trudging through several weeks of healing injury setbacks–the price paid for pushing too hard too soon.

Here’s a look back at my training schedule (July 10-Sept 3). I share all the minutia here because I also consider my blog a digital diary, which I enjoy circling back to at times. If you aren’t interested in the daily details you can scroll down to Things I’ve Learned.

Week # 4: Healing hip/glute/SI injury, but still trying to keep moving forward
Mon 7/10-XT (swim 525 y, spin 25 min, elliptical 1.25 miles, strength 15 min)
Tues 7/11-Rest day and retail therapy buying new fuel and Hoka Clifton running shoes [ !! 🙂 ]
Wed 7/12-Strength 40 min
Thur 7/13-Spin class (60 min, 25 miles), strength 20 min
Fri 7/14-Elliptical 1.5 miles, walk 1.25 miles
Sat 7/15-Elliptical 1.65 miles, tested running on treadmill .25 mile (no bueno), strength 10 min
Sun 7/16-Walk 1 mile

Week #4 You know you’re an optimist when you’re buying new fuel and shoes while you’re injured.

Week #5: Still healing
Mon 7/17-Elliptical 3 miles
Tues 7/18-Pool running 50 min
Wed 7/19-Walk 1 mile
Thurs 7/20-Spin class 40 min (12 miles), walk 1 mile
Fri 7/21-Jog 1 mile on treadmill, pool running 30 min
Sat 7/22-Core
Sun 7/23-Run 3 miles

Week #5 still healing–pool running and an emphasis on going especially easy, gently stretching, and good nutrition helped me turn the corner. Love all the apricots from our tree this time of year!

Week #6: Slowly getting back at it
Mon 7/24-Elliptical 3 miles
Tues 7/25-Spin class (60 min, 21 miles), strength 40 min
Wed 7/26-Run 4 miles EZ at Lake Los Carneros, walk 1.5 miles, core 25 min
Thur 7/27-Swim 1025 y, pool running 15 min, strength 10 min
Fri 7/28-Run 3 miles EZ at Ellwood Bluffs trail
Sat 7/29-Run 8 miles w/ 1-minute walk breaks Goleta Beach bike path
Sun 7/30-Rest

Week #6 slowly getting back at it–just trying to stay consistent

Week #7: Trying to build back up
Mon 7/31-Run 4 miles (Nite Moves course)
Tues 8/1-Spin class (45 min, 12 miles), strength 35 min
Wed 8/2-Run 5.75 miles w/Becca at East Beach (Go Team B & B!)
Thur 8/3-Yoga 35 min
Fri 8/4-Run 3 miles at Ellwood Bluffs trail run
Sat 8/5-Run 10 miles w/ 1-minute walk breaks (UCSB Campus Point, More Mesa, Goleta bike path–took a spill and injured my elbow–argh! are you kidding me?)
Sun 8/6-Rest

Week #7 trying to build back up and not lose my mind when I added an elbow injury to the mix. WTF?

Week #8: A busy week calls for consistency with flexibility
Mon 8/7-Run 4 miles on Patterson bike path, strength 15 min
Tues 8/8-Rest day, Core 10 min (Taylor Swift concert in LA!)
Wed 8/9-Run 4 miles at Lake Los Carneros after getting home at 3am from TayTay, Elliptical 2 mile
Thur 8/10-Spin solo 48 min, strength
Fri 8/11-Run 3.2 miles w/Becca at Goleta Beach bike bath
Sat 8/12-Run 10 miles in the evening w/ 1 min walk breaks along the waterfront and at SBCC track
Sun 8/13-Rest, Walk 1 mile, (helped friends move)

Week #8 A busy week calls for consistency with flexibility. I don’t usually like to run in the evening, but had to squeeze my 10 miles in late. It ended up being one of my favorite runs. #dontthinkjustgo

Week #9: After a storm comes a rainbow
Mon 8/14-Run 4 mile trail recovery run at Ellwood Bluffs, core 30 min
Tues 8/15-Spin class ez (50 min 11.5 miles)
Wed 8/16-Run 5.71 miles w/Becca on the She.Is.Beautiful 10k course
Thurs 8/17-Spin class (45 min), strength 35 min (elbow still healing), walk 1 mile
Fri 8/18-Drive up to San Francisco to take my daughter back to college (epic)
Sat 8/19-Drive back from SF before the storm hit. (doubly epic)
Sun 8/20-Run 12 miles w/ 1-min walk breaks from Leadbetter Beach up around Douglas Preserve and back down to East Beach and back

Week #9 A fair amount of stress wrapped itself around this week with taking my daughter back to school in San Francisco, a C_r_a_Z_y drive both ways up and back on the 101 (an overturned celery truck may give you a glimpse into it for starters), and a hurricane heading our way for the first time in a century. But, of course, it all worked out, and as Katy Perry tells us, “after a storm comes a rainbow.”

Week #10: Steady as we go
Mon 8/21-Core/strength 35 min, walk 1.5 miles, PM stretch
Tues 8/22-Elliptical 3 miles, run .50 miles on treadmill
Wed 8/23-Run 5.5 miles (SBCC track and hill repeats at Leadbetter, strength 35 min
Thurs 8/24-Spin class 45 min, strength 45 min
Fri 8/25-Run 3 miles (UCSB Campus Point trail run), strength 30 min, walk 1 mile
Sat 8/26-Run 7 miles w/ Becca (UCSB Campus Point and Goleta bike path)
Sun 8/27-Rest, walk 1 mile in nature

Week #10 steady as we go-enjoying the journey, especially running with my friend Becca, who always adds a dollop of light and levity to our miles.

Week #11: Finally feeling strong again!
Mon 8/28-Run 4.75 miles w/ rolling hills on Mt. Drive, strength 35 min
Tues 8/29-Spin class 50 min, strength 40 min
Wed 8/30-Run 6 miles at SBCC track w/ some 800s and 400s
Thur 8/31-Spin class 55 min, strength 30 min
Fri 9/1-Run 4 miles Goleta Beach bike path and UCSB (testing more new shoes)
Sat 9/2-Run 14 miles w/ 1-min walk breaks (Hendry’s Beach, Modoc bike path, Cliff Drive, Douglas Preserve, Shoreline Park, back down to Hendry’s)
Sun 9/3-Rest, walk 1.5 mile

Week #11 feeling strong again-stoked to be up to 14 miles, and loving a hint of fall in the air

Things I’ve learned

The older you get, the more closely you need to listen to your body. Ignoring niggles and telling yourself “It’s not that bad” when you feel an ache or a twinge doesn’t often pay off. Twenty-five years ago, when I ran my first marathon, I know for certain I got away with a lot more if I over-trained, under-slept, or over-indulged. At 57, there’s much less room for error. Rest and recovery are as important as reaching new distances or pace numbers. Mobility, mindfulness, and quality nutrition are as important as day after day of quality training.

Instead of pushing back against a body that has had the privilege of enjoying so many fun fitness adventures over the decades, and now may carry a few creaks and scars from those indelible moments, it’s time to lean in and embrace this it for what it can still do and celebrate every step, no matter what speed it cares to move. It’s truly a gift to be able to keep running and challenging ourselves, and a gift that many, many people in this world never get a chance to experience. Can I get a “Hell yeah sister” from anybody else who knows exactly what I’m talking about? 🙂

Rest and recovery are as important as reaching new distances and pace numbers.
Mobility, mindfulness, and quality nutrition are as important as day after day of quality training.

~The evolving athlete (me)

Highlights

With the help and generosity of so many of you, I’ve not only reached my $2,620 fundraising goal for Team for Kids, but surpassed it!! I’m so appreciative of all your good wishes and your help in paying it forward to the next generation of runners. Thank you!!!

Congratulations to Anna Stump for winning a new pair of Hoka running shoes during my fundraising giveaway for Team for Kids. I hope they make your feet happy and your heart full as you log your miles, knowing you have supported a great cause and are helping make a difference in the lives of kids.

Even though I’ve reached my personal fundraising goal, there is no finish line when it comes to raising funds to help kids continue to live an active and healthy lifestyle. If you’d still like to contribute to Team for Kids, you can do so HERE. I’d be thrilled to raise just $200 more to reach an even $3,000 by October. Who is in?

Things I’m loving right now

I’ve been struggling to settle into running shoes this training season because my feet are getting a little more sassy. The latest pair I’m trying is Saucony Kinvara 14s. They are light, breathable neutral shoes for short-medium distances. So far, so good! Bonus–they were super discounted. The color might be a little too bright for some, but not for me! Bring on all that sunshine on my feet. 🙂

Lately I’ve been setting aside my beloved music and opting for an audio book during my long runs to mix things up. I’m really enjoying Liz Robbins’ A Race Like No Other: 26 Miles Through the Streets of New York. It takes me right back, reminding me why I’m working so hard to get to the starting line again. It’s all about the unique energy, diversity, and quirky details of the city…and then of course, the running.

Even though I’ve been lifting weights on and off since high school and am familiar with all kinds of strength exercises, I realized I was haphazardly throwing together my core and strength work, or spending way too much time overthinking it. Instagram has a way of “reading our minds” [#eyeroll] and Kim Miller Fitness’ strength training for runners kept popping up in my feed. I liked her approach so I finally decided to give her app a whirl. It has been great, saving me time, introducing me to new exercises (videos included), and taking the brain strain out of this important component of training. Link to check it out: Kim Miller Fitness Insta: kimrunsthemitten

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little catch-up session. Thanks for coming along on this long and winding journey with me! I love sharing it with you!

I’m heading back out the door for a run now, but drop me a comment if you can spare some of your precious time, and tell me one thing that has made you smile over the summer with your fitness, or life in general. Positive energy is contagious. Let’s spread it far and wide!

xo Becky

PS: If you’ve missed any of my previous NYC Marathon posts, you can click here to check them out:

Kicking off 20 Weeks until the NYC Marathon

Week #2 of NYC Marathon Training: Patience & Grace

Week #3 of NYC Marathon Training: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

The Simple Gift of Running

Gliding along, an hour away from

sniffles, laundry and an endless To Do List.

MtDriveRunFeet stepping in perfect rhythm to music

inspiring them to move faster and lighter.

December air surging through my lungs,

a view so mesmerizing, it’s pulled right back out.

Endorphins buzzing, bouncing, richocheting,

reminding me once again why I run.

I am whole again and ready to return home and be

all the things I’m meant to be in this amazing life I’ve been given.

A life I wouldn’t trade for anything…because I run.