Usually when I don’t write on here for a month, that means I’ve fallen off the wagon. Fortunately, this time I’ve just been incredibly busy, and instead of the workouts falling by the wayside, it was my blogging. Sometimes it’s really tough finding balance between working out, life, and everything between.
Balance Life and Fitness
I introduce myself as a freelance video editor, although I am also often take production jobs to fill the gaps between projects. Plus, I just love being on set and it makes for a good change of pace every now and then.
Unfortunately, as the nature of the freelance world, both are unstable and can have long breaks between gigs. Also, the nature of the work of these two are VERY different from each other. One week I can work 100% from my apartment and rarely leave my desk, then the next week I’ll be working overnights 14-16 hours almost all on my feet with very little sleep between days.
The latter occurred last month and I struggled physically by the end for sure. Not only did it not give me time to get in a workout, but I was so exhausted from being on set. While my muscles were sore and fatigued, I never got my heart rate up, so I don’t think that can count as a workout. So essentially, I had to take a week break while on that job.
The important part is to just keep it up, not get discouraged, and get in the workouts when you can. I’m not beating myself up for that week off, just take a day off to get my sleep back to normal and get back to it.
Life happens, sometimes you’ll miss a workout here and there, and that’s okay!
I think I’m saying as affirmation to myself as much as any of you reading out there!
Balance Training and General Fitness
The Hot Chocolate 5k is 2 weeks away, wow that time flew! Luckily, I started training much earlier than I have in the past, because I knew that I would blast through the C25K program (for the 4th time now) slower than what’s suggested.
One main reason for that slowness is my gym. I’m paying good money for 8 sessions a month, so I’m going to go to those sessions, dang it! We do blocks of treadmill every class, but the duration rarely gets me past 1.5 miles total.
As always, I read a ton of articles, although most of them focused on balancing running and weight lifting. My situation is a bit different since we also run during class. My solution is to slowly build up the endurance to get in more workouts, and integrate the outside running once my cardio got better.
Also, I started to push myself on the treadmill. So my Orange Theory days would be akin to a speed run or hard run with the intervals and I focus on (safely) increasing my top speed, while my C25K training days are more like long runs.
I guess in my world there’s no such thing as just a normal base run. Oh well, we’ll save that for after the race!
5K Training Check-In
With 2 weeks to go, training is going pretty well, I think…… let me explain.
Here’s my two outdoor runs this past week. Week 6, Days 1 & 2 from C25K:
I completed both of the workouts and more importantly, I felt GREAT after both of them. However, I really was surprised to see how slow my pace is. Looking back at my last training session before the Bears 5k back in June in the recap post, my mile 2 pace was 14:41 and my mile 3 pace was 12:53!
That must have been an exceptionally good run, because my sprint pace on the treadmill back then was 5.5-6mph, and a 12:53 mile is a 4.66 mph pace! Nevertheless, looking at my 2nd mile pace (beginning and end include warm up and cool down) I’m going 3.75-3.83mph.
To make my goal of beating my previous 5k PR of 48:22 made at Bucktown last year, I’ll need to average a 15:36 minute/mile pace, or a 3.85mph pace. Then to make my push goal of sub 45 minutes, I’ll have to do just better than a 4mph pace.
Looking at my last workout before Bucktown, I was averaging around 15 minute miles. So, looks like I need a LOT of endurance, and a little bit of speed in the next couple weeks! These next couple of workouts will be pivotal.
Overall Check-In
Yet, despite all of that, somehow I’m feeling the most confident that I have preparing for a race. The adjustments to my running form that I leaned in physical therapy really help, I feel much more controlled.
I feel like I’m using all the muscles and my core when running, so maybe this will be the key to preventing the calf cramps that have plagued me every other race attempt.
Since my enormous loss of strength in my post-overseas sickness, I’ve made a really strong comeback. My upper body and core are slightly beneath what they were earlier this year, but my treadmill work is the best it’s ever been. The achilles still has occasional aches, but it’s holding up well thus far!
Yesterday at the gym, I had my treadmill PR with holding “push pace” blocks ranging from 1-3 minutes between 4.5-5mph, with all out 30 second sprint blocks ranging from 6-6.6mph. So hopefully this means I’m hitting my stride (no pun intended) at just the right time.
I did consecutive days: outside then gym, then today was a rest day. Tomorrow I’ll do a long run, Monday will be an off day due to being on set, then hopefully back to consecutive days on Tuesday/Wednesday.
It’s all about finding that balance and getting the workouts in when you can. Just keep pushing along!