Bouncing Back

It seems like I am always kind of a mess post-race. With the big goal complete and a body in need of some recovery I feel like I kind of in a state of flux for awhile. This year is no different, even with the Red, White and Boom half just three weeks away. I am still really excited for the race - to have a next goal and really look forward to running with Hilary, but my running mojo is seriously out of wack.

Last week I took Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off - more days in a row than I can remember. I did an easy run Wednesday, taught Spinning Thursday and took Friday off. Saturday morning dawned bright and I was ready for an easy 7 mile to keep some distance going, but still honor the need for recovery. That run was much rougher than it should have been. So I followed it up with a quick 4 on Sunday, where I fell solidly right back into the groove. This morning I ran with a friend who has been nursing an injury so we took it really easy. Even taking it really easy my legs were choppy. Huh.

Oh, and I've been eating everything in sight!

My goal for the half is to keep up with Hilary and maintain a solid base of miles as I transition to marathon training. As I thought about the last ten days or so and tried to reflect on why my performance has been all over the map I've realized a couple of things.

1) I raced Dam to Dam - I had to push myself and dig deep to accomplish my time goal and my old bones need some time to recover.

2) I can't eat crummy food and expect it not to affect how I feel.

3) The last few weeks I've slacked off on my specialized workouts (hills, speed) and I'm feeling it. Time to get back into the routine of at least one specialized workout per week and insuring some hill routes for my regular runs.

4) I have also seriously slacked off on weight training the past few weeks. We were diligent about doing General Strength workouts until a few weeks ago, but as our mileage crept up we began to let that slide. Along with it slid strength training outside of the GS. I know strength training improves my running and my recovery.

So, it's Monday and here's what I did:

I packed my lunch (some delicious and healthy leftover dinner from last night) along with two snacks (watermelon and a VitaMuffin) to take with me to work. I have a healthy and tasty dinner planned for this evening.

I went to Y-Pump over the noon hour (because I had lunch packed!). The class was ok - not terribly imaginative, but solid. They have the class at several very convenient times during the day and it is perfectly legitimate for me to take a class during the day if I pack my lunch. The gym is about 4 minutes from my office and they teach Y-Pump 4 times a day. I think I can get there twice a week.

So hopefully some new resolve will help me bounce back, not embarrass Hilary at the half in a few weeks and face marathon training from a place of strength and happening mojo.

Wish me luck!