Monday, August 29, 2016

One mile at a time


We're now seven weeks out from the Baystate half and training is *supposed* to be kicking into a higher gear. I am not sure I have a higher gear in me, but I believe in miracles. After a summer of weekday lunchtime runs, I also have some gnarly tan lines and am tired all the time. How do you find time (but more importantly, energy) for anything more than 6 miles on a weekday? It's all I can do to just get the miles in, never mind stretching, foam rolling, or strength training. 

Some notes from my training log, which does actually exist, albeit in a place that is not this blog:

August 14. Sunday morning longish run: Planned 10. Actual 8. Started late (8am) after horrendous night with feverish coughing teething child. High of 36C today plus humidity. 
If horses sweat, men perspire, and women glow, I was glowing very hard all over the place and the glow was running down my elbows and knees and getting into my shoes. I must have been positively radiant

August 20-21. Child now will not tolerate >3 awake miles in stroller with no playtime for HIM. Mr GCA away on work trip. Creative run-planning ensued:
Saturday - run 2m to next but one T stop, take T, run 1m to friends' place for playdate, shower there.
Sunday - AM: run 3m to playground with stroller and friend. Chase offspring around playground. Run 2m to pool. Take offspring swimming, shower there. PM: walk and walk and walk downtown: park, carousel in park, chase little dude round park, walk to/ around Children's Museum, corral wriggly offspring at Shake Shack for dinner-treat. At least 4m walking. 

August 27. Saturday morning long run. Planned 12. Actual 11. 22C, mega humid.
Started 7am off the back of 1.5 weeks solo parenting a child whose antibiotics have been causing nighttime tummy troubles. Scooted out the door with a handful of cereal and a package of shot blocks. I was exhausted even before I tied my shoelaces. Told self to take it one mile at a time, and this wasn't a figure of speech. 
Started at 9:30-10:00 miles (good). By mile 6 had disintegrated into 11:00 miles (not good). Shortly thereafter there was walking. Mile 7 going uphill: mystery, brand-new shooting pain through right knee. Mile 7 going downhill: pain vanished. Eventually made it through 11 miles as I had to get home anyway. Actually literally the worst run of the year to date. 

And a nutrition side-note: I need to start a food diary, but not for the conventional reasons. Not too long ago, I hopped on the scale at the doctor's to find myself a few pounds below racing weight* and still losing weight. I generally think of myself as a pretty intuitive, balanced eater - I'll eat when I'm hungry and get cravings for vegetables when I've had too many refined carbs, and vice versa! - but this clearly is not optimal. I still feel fine (just tired?) and my periods are present and normal. But I need to figure out what nutrients or how many calories I might be missing, and see if I have more energy if I replace those.  

*Not a weight I typically *strive* to achieve, just where I usually am after a full marathon or a triathlon training cycle. 

Let's start with today:
- 1.5 slices toast with butter and jam
- 1 egg, scrambled
- Coffee 
- String cheese 
- Handful of animal crackers 
((went rock-climbing with friends))
- Lunch buffet at Indian restaurant (full plate, piled high, mostly rice, naan, dal, and vegetable curry) 
- Chia bar 
- 1/2 peach
- Cereal and soy milk
- 1 small bowl pasta salad with olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, red onion
- 2 squares chocolate
- 2 toaster waffles and chocolate ice cream


I mean, I'm eyeballing this and thinking, but seriously, what I am not getting enough of? and plugged it all into the USDA food tracker thing and am freaking baffled.  

Friday, August 5, 2016

Summer adventures 2016

There are few things that hold more promise than the summer weekend. The weather is excellent, the days are long, there's so much to do and see...

But it's way too easy (if boring, and tedious) to just stick to the weekend routine - pancakes for breakfast, newspapers, run a little bit with the little squirt, hang out at home and watch him play, read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to him for the nth time, figure out what to have for lunch, throw up our hands and get burritos, et.c et.c.

This year we thought we ought to, you know, actually plan some adventures. Fun-size ones. 

And adventure we did. 

We went to the children's farm.


And hiking in Colorado.


 Followed by a gondola ride.


We picked (and, ahem, ate) strawberries.


We cycled around Martha's Vineyard.



And ran to the local splash pad. 


Did some more hiking in New Hampshire. 


And went to the county fair. County fairs have the best food. (Not pictured: the TWO frozen lemonades I had.) 


Kid, meet kid.
We visited friends in Maine and went to the beach. (Twice! Never before have I been to a lake beach and an ocean beach in the same weekend. What a concept.) 

This view! I mean. 

Really, what I'm finding is a toddler does limit one's travels and activities in some ways (I can't remember the last time I went to watch a play, and forget about going to Patagonia or Kathmandu for the next decade), but in many other ways is a GREAT excuse to get out and go places. How often are you a tourist in your own region?  

The house is a mess, I haven't run as much as I wanted to, work has been loony, and people who ask me if I've tried Pokemon Go get a blank stare in response, but I'm pretty content with how summer has gone so far.

P.S. Yes, I signed up for the Cambridge Half Marathon. Bring it on.