Boo Setbacks!

I was feeling pretty good on Sunday. Recovered well from the Hanging Rock Excursion, went on a beautiful bike ride at sunset, and was looking forward to a short run in the morning followed by Circuit Training w/ the girlz. 

I didn't get to bed until wayyy too late, but I thought it was just because I had slept in and taken a long nap that day and wasn't that tired. But around 3 or 4 in the morning, I woke up feeling... AWFUL. 

I had to stay in bed pretty much all day on Monday. Oh, except for the fact that I had to drive to Durham Tech and wait in a 2 hour line to pay for classes. Yeah. That really sucked. 

I assumed that with so much sleep, I'd turn the corner and hopefully it'd only be a 24-hour setback. So on Tuesday morning, when I still felt like I was hit by a semi when I woke up, I decided to power through it and hit the stadium anyway. Sure, I felt like I was going to puke the whole time, but I figured it was because I was running the stadium. You're supposed to feel like you're going to puke, right?

 Not so much. 

I had to leave work by noon and return to The Bed. Let me just say, it sucks being sick by yourself. I wanted my mommy.

But, this morning I woke up feeling weak, but muuuch better than yesterday. So I met up with the group at Wilson and just went out for a slow and depleted hour. Topped the morning off with coffee and a tomater sandwich at Squonk's house. I was able to keep that down. Woohoo! (I think I'll be totally happy if I never see Saltine Crackers again.)

So, I'm already a bit behind in mileage this week, but I'm going to try not to push it. Thoughts of doing two-a-days later in the week are creeping in, but I'm going to try to tame that part and just chillax. It won't be the end of the world. I got a 16er on the schedule for Saturday, and that's the most important run, anyway.

So, beware of the August Flu Bug! I heard something is going around in these parts. Break out the Swine Flu Masks, everyone!

Or just wash your hands and drink OJ and get 9 hours of sleep every night. That's my goal for now!

Peace out, y'alls. 

¡Estadio!

So, I did the stadium with ET this morning. 

I actually really enjoyed it, other than the excruciating calf pain I experienced. Okay, so that's a big one. I generally have been trying to only run two days back-to-back once a week. Because my calves tend to act up if I do more than that. 

This was a good wake-up call, though. The kind of pain I was experiencing really was not okay. For the type of training I've ben doing, I should be able to do what I did today without a problem. SO, it motivated me to call Brian as soon as I got back and plead my case for a PT appointment. Because I plead so remarkably well (and because Brian is really sort of proud of me whenever I admit pain instead of "sulking and hiding away like an injured dog" -- his words) I was able to get in with him mañana! So excited. 

 Then, after work today, Sidetrack and I headed out to the Homestead pool to do a nice 50 min swim. Felt sooo good. Hopefully it will help me on the run tomorrow. Got a semi-long ocho-ish thing to do in the morning. Sweetness.

Look at me updating two days in a row! Let's see how long I can keep this trend up! 

Hot July ain't good to me...

Well, that's not really true. It's just a lyric in this awesome song.

But, Blade did remind me that I haven't updated this blog in a really freaking long time. It's true... over a month! Sorry to all my devoted readers! (HA.) But it is a good place to recount and gather my thoughts, so I think I should use it more. Even though the only time I normally remember is at 11:30 PM aka Way Past My Bedtime.

ZBBC continues, and is now more known as "marathon training." I have come across some nutritional problems. The whole trying to lose weight + build muscle + train for endurance equation is a tricky one, and doesn't work out too well unless you're very diligent. I have been undernourishing, and have sought help from my AMAZING SPORTS/EXERCISE NUTRITIONIST, Michelle Rockwell. We at Balanced Movement/Balanced Physical Therapy are so remarkably lucky to have Michelle seeing clients once a week in the studio starting in August. I've worked with Michelle for about a year and a half now, but I took some time off and am really glad to have her support again.

So, yes. I'm dedicated toward do this the healthy way so as to come out super strong, fast, and UN-INJURED. I'm trying to put a new lens on my training, my eating, my overall outlook. A history of disordered eating, overtraining, and general girl-athlete-with-body-in-21st-century crap makes it difficult -- my instincts are skewed and I find myself dropping back into really bad habits. But I am determined to change. I have simply been through FAR too much to let this cycle keep repeating. 

I am speaking out now -- because I feel like this is a big issue for endurance athletes, especially women, but for men too. But it's rarely talked about, because of all the stigmas. So, silence no more! 

Sweet. What else is new? I have started a circuit training group with several of the Trailhead women.  It's fantastic! It really keeps me motivated to do the strength work that I know is so important for both bone building and muscular balance. I think the other ladies are starting to really feel the benefit of it as well. 

I've also started swimming once or twice per week. It feels AMAZING... lengthens my muscles and gives them a really refreshed feeling, like a massage. I never thought I'd be able to really enjoy swimming again, after my early, competitive years that seemed to suck the joy out of it by the age of 12. But I really do look forward to my swimming workouts each week. I feel like a fish in water... so natural.

I have to get an appointment with Brian/Gyro sometime soon to review my progress and make a solid PT plan for the remaining weeks leading up to the marathon. Still having some calf issues that are really holding me back speedwise. 

Alright, it's way too late. Been losing about an hour or two on sleep a night in the past week, and it's really starting to add up.

Stadium workout mañana por la mañana!

(I also got an A in my summer Spanish class! Olé!)

Love,

Z

Week 4 + Procrastination

I intended to do a post every few days or so, but such is the state of blogs: you forget to update them.
Ah well, to recap Week 3:
- Met my running mileage goals, and surpassed my cycling mileage goals (did 95 miles)
- Weight Trained 2x a week, not 3. I seriously suck at motivating to do weight training.

The weight is still coming off pretty fast, which is nice. And this morning I ran my fastest Freaky Friday since early May of last year! That is something to definitely be excited about. Maybe by the real Friday I'll be able to shave even a bit more time off.

There's something cool about the idea that, through biking & running, I've traveled 52 miles over the past 2 days. Even though I'm not quite as cool as the Highland's Sky/San Juan people who RAN most of that distance. Phew.

So, the procrastination part of my blog title today, is that it's one of those days that I am willing to do everything else in the world except work. So, I think I'm going to hit the Open Eye and hope some caffeine gives me a boost.

More later, when I really should be writing!

Zbow's Bootcamp

Why, hello Blogger World. Z here. It seems that blogging about running is what all the cool kidz are doing, so I figured it's about time I hop on board. 

Today was the start of Week 3 of "Zbow's Bootcamp". I have been medically "cleared" to ramp up the training after 7 long months running on the Brianopoly plan, several minor injuries/setbacks, and other life "stuff". I have been on the sidelines this past year (see photo, ha!) and I am so excited to be starting back in. It's amazing how much stronger I feel on the trails, even after just 2 weeks of hard training. I guess what they say about "muscle memory" is really true...

This Week's Goals

Run: 35 miles

Bike: 30-40 miles

Weight Train: 3x week, full body, high intensity circuits

(Upcoming races: Blue Ridge Relay '09 (9/11-9/12) and Marine Corps Marathon (10/25/09)

I am breaking one of my biggest ZBBC rules right now, staying up past midnight. My roommate has a friend over and they're being really loud, so I'm passing the time listening to Pandora and typing on my laptop with my legs up the wall (there's always time for a hamstring stretch!) 

This summer is going to be awesome. Having come a full year since The Injury, I'm enjoying every hot, sticky, sweaty minute I'm running on the trails, even when I'm being left in the dust by my friends. At least I'm not holed up at my dad's in Florida with my knee splinted and elevated, unable to put any weight on it whatsoever. WOOHOO PROGRESS!

But, that's the last time you'll hear me talk about The Injury (Voldemort). Because this is a new chapter. Life is awesome! Truly awesome. So many good things are happening right now, and I'm trying my best to stay positive, embrace what I have, and work really hard at achieving my goals for the summer and fall. 

K, eyes are definitely heavy. Time for bed. 

Trail Love to all.... 

-Z