Rested the Negativity, but not the M

 Rest day! COMMUTE 7 miles. 

Didn't go to the gym, I stayed home to get stuff done. I managed to finish a letter to mama in Russia and a W&P chapter to the kids. And I found that the gfree muffins were 2x the servings I thought, and M took them from me. I can't read? 

I've been trying to reintroduced rice and gfree bread stuffs. If I don't overdo it, my stomach handles it OK. Too much = gas and cramps. Just enough = a little gas and lotsa 'bulk' each morning! I'm beginning to wonder, if it's not always food that throws my gut off course? I dunno, I just keep trying to figure it out. 

M today got the muffins. Good for him. Bad for me. Last night I tried buckwhead, so did he. But he didn't get much at all. 

M comes back, or tries to. And things need to change.

Monday ELLIPTICAL 30 mins
              STRENGTH 25 mins all upper

             COMMUTE 7 miles

Tuesday ELLIPTICAL 60 mins!

              STRENGTH 25 mins core

             COMMUTE 7 miles

Wednesday TREADMILL RUN 3 out of 4.2 miles, as 4x 0.75mile(0.25) at 4.5 mph

             COMMUTE 7 miles

My feets were still hurting from Saturday's 'long run', not an injury pain but rather a re-adapting fatigue pain, the soreness attributed to having worked a bit too hard. So I reworked the schedule to get an extra day of running rest, and instead of on Tuesday I ran on Wednesday. Then I didn't come into the Weds run with any more of a plan than "keep it easy, only 2 miles". Naturally, when I got there it all felt too good, I was listening to Tool's Fear Inoculum, and decided on running a mile then walking a quarter mile. Then I changed it to 3/4 mile run. Because it's rest week. But I didn't change the pace -- 4.5 mph.  Hold it there awhile. I like this, it feels good and energizing and I'm seriously considering running to work here soon. 

The strength training is paying off too, I notice it on the bike and in how I move throughout the day. I'm stronger, and the workouts don't leave me weak and sore for days. I've bumped up to a 30 minute session (from 20) and since I do it as 60s (20s), it's really a ... 22-23 minutes of actual work. OK maybe 20 minutes of actual work since I skip some of the less-than-fun 60s intervals. I like it, I like how it feels and how it's changing me. 

What I don't like is how after 160 days M keeps popping up, like a mole that needs to be Whacked. Except I don't whack him, I entertain him and feed him. Welcome him and give him space. This needs to change. NOW. 

What also needs to change is the negative dialoging, as it spills over on to LA. I hear criticism in my head of me and of more me and more more me and I redirect it, I think that's what I do, and instead of pointing at me I point at somebody else and it's not going to work that way. Nothing will work that way. Why the critique of me in my head? Why the critique of him? Why critique? 

Set your house in order. 

There are trails right near my house!!

Friday REST
Saturday RUN 4.5 miles out of 5.3, in about 65 mins
Sunday BIKE 10 miles on Liberty with LA

I didn't mean to run 4.5 miles, but I did. I stuck to 0.5 or 1.0 increment intervals, but really meant only 3 miles running and 2 miles walking. But it felt good and I did it and I found some great trail so close to the house in Greenview Park. You didn't even know you were in an urban area, just tall trees with yellow leaves and a soft dirt trail.

I mildly turned the right ankle around mile 3, slight twinge, but it didn't hurt for that. Afterwards both feet had pained tendons and soft tissues, and the medial incision area on the right ankle hurt the most. Here on Monday it still hurts, but it's not an injury. So far so good.

This coming week is a rest week, and instead of running Tues/Thurs I might wait until Weds/Fri to really let this heal and adapt. 

The ride was with LA on his new mountain bike, fresh out of a tune up at REI. What a joy to be able to ride with him, something I've been doing alone for the past few years. 

It was an unseasonably warm weekend, might be our last. And we made the best of it.  

Wasting time at work looking for running routes

Wednesday BIKE 18? miles in 60 mins, indoors
     COMMUTE 7 miles
Thursday RUN 2.7 miles out of 4, as 3 min (1 min) at 4.5mph
     STRENGTH 20 mins up all upper
     COMMUTE 7 miles

I'm feeling good about running again - I'm searching for local races and looking for routes around the house. I'm happy to find a few nature trail type things, not as happy to know they are *only* half a mile from the house. 

Today's treadmill run felt better than Tuesday's, the same interval pattern. My HR didn't drift up in the late intervals, it stayed steady at 133-136. The spm was great in the low 170s. So running at 4.5 mph is great for now, as much as I'd like to speed up, that's not the goal yet. 

I found an April marathon in Toledo, it's penciled in to the calendar. I found a trail race but it might be on the same weekend, and the course is "tough", meaning maybe not favorable to a new ankle. Things might change my then, and the new ankle is just my ankle. 

I modified my upper body strength time to 30 minutes, then skipped a few of the exercises. So it was maybe a 25 minute session? With 20 mins of actual work. Give or take. My arms were weak afterwards! Yes!

LA biked to work to day, and I might get to bike home with him!! I'm looking forward to it, even if we don't get to ride together, I at least got to look forward to the possibility all day :) 

Did not skip core today

TREADMILL 4.0 total, 2.7 miles run as 3 mins @ 4.5 with 1 min rest
STRENGTH 20 mins core
COMMUTE 7 miles

It's getting cold out. 38F this morning on the way to the gym! And the sun doesn't appear until 8:10am, it goes away at 6:27pm. Thought that was bad? Next week it still doesn't come up until 7:10am but then disappears and 5:27pm. UGH.

My goal this week is a total of 13-14 miles of run/walk/jog/etc. I'm still doing indoors because of the dark and because it keeps me going slower. I'd speed up otherwise. I'm eager to get to 5.0 mph. But right now it feels good at 4.5 and my spm rate is super great at 168-174! My HR seems too high though for the effort, another reason to keep it easy?

And while running today the fears of getting a stress fracture or other did-it-too-fast injury came back in my head. It all feels so good right now, but when that niggle appears it's crushing. 

The run felt great, and the ankle was a little stiff/sore later. But not in an injured sort of way. The core workout was something I almost talked myself out of. I'd showed up 'late' to the gym, 15 mins off my schedule, but I'd built in extra time so I kept to it. Geez, that woulda been two days in a row that I avoided something. And then when I'm done, I realize that my "20 min" workout is really 15 minutes, because 1 min (20s) means 15 1-minute intervals and 14 20-second rests. While I'm happy to say "only 20 minutes" because it's so doable, I either need to up the energy in these sessions or lengthen them. Happily, I don't get so sore as I did the first two weeks. But am I not sore because I'm adapting or because I'm not working?!

I did the math - 30 minutes would be 22.5 sets. Fixing....a 30 second rest would give 20 full sets. And that would be my "20 minute session"!

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I set up 9 goals yesterday to help highlight some spots that need fixing in the day. I love checking boxes, this is just another way to do it. So far today - nailing it. 

November goals

ELLIPTICAL 30 mins 2.2 miles
STRENGTH upper body, 20 minutes
ROWING because I avoided the pool, 20 mins
COMMUTE 7 miles in my new red coat

I woke up with goals and immediately failed them. That's not to say November is shot, but more that just saying I want to do something doesn't always mean it will happen. Sucks.

"Treat yourself like someone you were responsible for helping"

I got stuff done this morning before leaving for the gym but it included nom'ing the fig/almond cake (that will certainly upset my stomach later) and then nom'ing egg whites 'because the book said to eat some protein' and then at the gym my stomach was still growling. 

I skipped the pool, I'm now twice rejecting a swim, and rowed instead. I came home cold and hungry and instead of a shower I nom'ed M1 standing at the counter. Then nom'd something else, then a late shower, then a cold walk, then more nom'ing. Didn't go good. I'm too full now, and do I really need lunch? I'm craving salt and I'm thirsty. And I was avoiding going back out into the cold - 37F this morning! 

So here I am looking at November goals and I see yet another need for check lists and boxes? Yup. I came up with 8 goals for each day - 8 check point goals to keep me from doing this morning all over again. Will it work? I dunno. 

I'm also committing to getting back to what I call HA-Era Bee. I know what that means, it means 8. Only 8!! 90 Days. Go!!!

LA has new bikes! End of October: mileage goals met

Friday rained out and too busy of a day
Saturday busy day and missed a ride opportunity
Sunday: RUN 4 miles on treadmill, extended to 3 minute intervals. Run was 2.4 miles
BIKE 5 miles with LA on his new MTB bike

WEEK NUMERICS 4:43 hours (excludes commute time)
SWIM 0
BIKE 5.03 miles
RUN 12 miles, as walk 5.1 and run 6.9
COMMUTE 21 miles
STRENGTH 40 minutes
ELLIPTICAL 30 mins

I finally recovered by the end of the week, feeling back to normal energy-wise. But my gut is still hair-sensitive and I'm not happy with how it feels. I'm also not happy with the emotional wreck it makes me into. Grocery shopping makes me anxious, meals out are avoided, and I feel a sense of being left out lately. So at WholeFoods Saturday I bought some GF bread, mixes, etc to add those into my routine. I'm wondering if I'm in the so-called mid-lands of carb amounts: Not low enough to be keto yet not high enough for fueling. So I'm adding in more fruit and some of these foods if they work. 

I tried a few things (too much, I admit, the mixes are a shit headed M idea) and ended up with gut cramps by the end of the day and through Sunday. One serving! Only!

We shopped at REI on Saturday - I got a bright brick red rain coat like I've been wanting (the rain coat part, not necessarily the red) and LA got cycling shoes and bibs. Lotsa money -- oof -- but the gear lasts for years for me. Then we took LA's new bike and Puppy out to Liberty for a ride, only 5 miles (chilly wind and a kids call took the warmth out of me) but it was great to have someone to ride with. He was a bit testy during the ride not sure if it was the phone call or something I did or both (he blamed me for it) but I still enjoyed it