october: more exciting than most
As usual, zero recollection of goals I set a month ago.
October Goals
Big changes. DON'T BE SCARED. Far, far bigger than I thought.
Do not overeat at the first stop on the cupcake tour. PACING!! It was weeks before I could look at another cupcake. Okay, days. DAYS.
At least one PR (spoiler, attempting a new distance). A heap of life stress turned into the sniffles turned into my first-ever DNS. No PRs for me this month.
Keep doing the "let's mash our workouts together and sort of capture the general spirit of the training session" rides with your girlfriends. So much more important than nailing intervals. Some of this, but all of my girlfriends are solidly in the off-season (as am I) so we captured the general spirit of several bottles of wine instead of rides.
Do not die in trapeze class (hope Sonja isn't reading this one). Yes!
The new vegetable thing. Or at least don't go two days without eating something green again because you are too lazy/stressed/exhausted to go to the grocery store. Mostly a check, although the off-season brings along complex carbohydrates rather than leafy greens, but I'm swinging back around.
I feel like my body spent a lot of this month complaining. I was ready to spend a lot of time in the pool, but my cranky shoulder piped up to the point that I have now taken three solid weeks off from the water...and counting. I got a cortisone shot to help everything calm down, and the length of my to-do list has made any sort of training schedule an impossibility right now. I think I'm ready to hop back in, although this morning I set my alarm to go swim...and when it went off, I read blogs (yes, I am over two weeks behind but I'll get there), caught up on email, and cleaned a bit more so the realtor can take pictures today for our listing before finally giving into my sweatpants and curling up on the couch with the puppies and the laptop to post something about my own life. Maybe tonight...or tomorrow. I'm not going to worry about it now, the only reason I want to go swim is because I WANT to go swim, and that's what this off-season crap is all about. And only a tiny bit because I want it to hurt less in December ("Masters swim in Boulder is probably going to kill you," says Sonja).
Cycling motivation was at an all-time low in October, although I did have some fun rides. My guess is that I won't be on my bike seat even once in November, and that's okay with me. I did the same thing last November after a long season and never regretted it. Any strength or speed that I lose is worth the mental break, and since I'm moving to Boulder and will be working for a company full of powerhouse cyclists, I'm not (that) worried about lacking motivation or training partners going into the next season.
And running. I took the first week of October off from running completely, mostly because I was still recovering from the idiot move of giving myself shin splints. My first run this month was on my birthday, with the poet, and that set the tone for the winter. I'm running right now because I want to. I did one long run on a treadmill in Michigan, and that wasn't horrible, but then I DNFd my 70.3 and took a week of deep rest, which means my monthly mileage is low. Heading into November, I'm planning lots of running for fun, running with friends, running easy and as much as I want. And no heart rate monitor or watch. I remember saying last year with glee to Sonja, going into November rest, "Let's see how much of a mess I can make before we get started December 1!" And now I'm saying, with relief, "I know I can't make THAT much of a mess before we get started up again December 1."
When I talked about big changes coming a month ago, I thought it was because I was going to change jobs. I had no idea that this month would bring along a fistful of job offers and I would take two of them - the first which would simply bring joy back into my life, and the second which would move us all.....two? thousand miles across the country (no, I still haven't google-mapped the drive). I am happy, I am excited, and I am scared. When this opportunity came around, I knew that if I didn't say yes this time, we would never go. The timing isn't perfect, but there probably isn't ever a good time to burn your life to the ground and start over in a new city. Our plan is starting to come together, and I'm pumped to the millionth to have put together a Thelma & Lousie-style road trip to get me out there by mid-November. The only thing that breaks my heart about moving is the amazing friendships I will be leaving behind. I feel actual grief, deep sadness, about not having these women as a part of my daily life, and knowing that this is the right decision for my family takes the sting away only a little.
So many things have happened in my life this year that make me grateful I decided to start a blog several years ago. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have finished an IM. Or even a half-IM. Kirstin would never have brought a spaghetti squash to my house. I would never have met Sonja, or most of my bitches. I never would have tried kale. Graham wouldn't be alive. I wouldn't have found a home in triathlon, I wouldn't be living the (mostly) healthy life I am living right now and I definitely wouldn't be leaving DC on this grand adventure. It's been a good reminder about the butterflies flapping their wings crap. I wanted a place to talk about running at 10-minute pace and post puppy pics on the internet. And just like that, I changed the course of the rest of my life.
October
Miles run: 39.4 (snort).
Cupcakes eaten: oh Lordy, let's not even count
Times I have made the heart-shape with my fingers while talking about clothes: 438
Times I have thought about going to a yoga class: several dozen
Yoga classes attended: zero (sigh).
Days I have forgotten to take either my asthma meds OR my vitamins OR all of the above: all of them
Sleepless nights spent worrying about the future: many
Times I have reaffirmed my desire to be present and worry less: many more
November Goals
Do not spend one single second stressing about training. Move for fun, be healthy, love activity, and do not worry.
Do not go crazy selling stuff on Craig's List (anyone want a microwave? some bookshelves? a queen-sized bed?)
Lots of puppy FaceTime is going to be necessary. Oh, and husband and friend FT.
Stop whining about adjusting to altitude and just go run.
It's probably time to stop fueling your body like a drunk locked in a candy store. Small changes to swing back.
What are your goals for November? Tell me about your trail races and your fun hiking and boxing classes and good off-season stuff to do.
October Goals
Big changes. DON'T BE SCARED. Far, far bigger than I thought.
Do not overeat at the first stop on the cupcake tour. PACING!! It was weeks before I could look at another cupcake. Okay, days. DAYS.
At least one PR (spoiler, attempting a new distance). A heap of life stress turned into the sniffles turned into my first-ever DNS. No PRs for me this month.
Keep doing the "let's mash our workouts together and sort of capture the general spirit of the training session" rides with your girlfriends. So much more important than nailing intervals. Some of this, but all of my girlfriends are solidly in the off-season (as am I) so we captured the general spirit of several bottles of wine instead of rides.
Do not die in trapeze class (hope Sonja isn't reading this one). Yes!
The new vegetable thing. Or at least don't go two days without eating something green again because you are too lazy/stressed/exhausted to go to the grocery store. Mostly a check, although the off-season brings along complex carbohydrates rather than leafy greens, but I'm swinging back around.
I feel like my body spent a lot of this month complaining. I was ready to spend a lot of time in the pool, but my cranky shoulder piped up to the point that I have now taken three solid weeks off from the water...and counting. I got a cortisone shot to help everything calm down, and the length of my to-do list has made any sort of training schedule an impossibility right now. I think I'm ready to hop back in, although this morning I set my alarm to go swim...and when it went off, I read blogs (yes, I am over two weeks behind but I'll get there), caught up on email, and cleaned a bit more so the realtor can take pictures today for our listing before finally giving into my sweatpants and curling up on the couch with the puppies and the laptop to post something about my own life. Maybe tonight...or tomorrow. I'm not going to worry about it now, the only reason I want to go swim is because I WANT to go swim, and that's what this off-season crap is all about. And only a tiny bit because I want it to hurt less in December ("Masters swim in Boulder is probably going to kill you," says Sonja).
Cycling motivation was at an all-time low in October, although I did have some fun rides. My guess is that I won't be on my bike seat even once in November, and that's okay with me. I did the same thing last November after a long season and never regretted it. Any strength or speed that I lose is worth the mental break, and since I'm moving to Boulder and will be working for a company full of powerhouse cyclists, I'm not (that) worried about lacking motivation or training partners going into the next season.
And running. I took the first week of October off from running completely, mostly because I was still recovering from the idiot move of giving myself shin splints. My first run this month was on my birthday, with the poet, and that set the tone for the winter. I'm running right now because I want to. I did one long run on a treadmill in Michigan, and that wasn't horrible, but then I DNFd my 70.3 and took a week of deep rest, which means my monthly mileage is low. Heading into November, I'm planning lots of running for fun, running with friends, running easy and as much as I want. And no heart rate monitor or watch. I remember saying last year with glee to Sonja, going into November rest, "Let's see how much of a mess I can make before we get started December 1!" And now I'm saying, with relief, "I know I can't make THAT much of a mess before we get started up again December 1."
When I talked about big changes coming a month ago, I thought it was because I was going to change jobs. I had no idea that this month would bring along a fistful of job offers and I would take two of them - the first which would simply bring joy back into my life, and the second which would move us all.....two? thousand miles across the country (no, I still haven't google-mapped the drive). I am happy, I am excited, and I am scared. When this opportunity came around, I knew that if I didn't say yes this time, we would never go. The timing isn't perfect, but there probably isn't ever a good time to burn your life to the ground and start over in a new city. Our plan is starting to come together, and I'm pumped to the millionth to have put together a Thelma & Lousie-style road trip to get me out there by mid-November. The only thing that breaks my heart about moving is the amazing friendships I will be leaving behind. I feel actual grief, deep sadness, about not having these women as a part of my daily life, and knowing that this is the right decision for my family takes the sting away only a little.
So many things have happened in my life this year that make me grateful I decided to start a blog several years ago. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have finished an IM. Or even a half-IM. Kirstin would never have brought a spaghetti squash to my house. I would never have met Sonja, or most of my bitches. I never would have tried kale. Graham wouldn't be alive. I wouldn't have found a home in triathlon, I wouldn't be living the (mostly) healthy life I am living right now and I definitely wouldn't be leaving DC on this grand adventure. It's been a good reminder about the butterflies flapping their wings crap. I wanted a place to talk about running at 10-minute pace and post puppy pics on the internet. And just like that, I changed the course of the rest of my life.
October
Miles run: 39.4 (snort).
Cupcakes eaten: oh Lordy, let's not even count
Times I have made the heart-shape with my fingers while talking about clothes: 438
Times I have thought about going to a yoga class: several dozen
Yoga classes attended: zero (sigh).
Days I have forgotten to take either my asthma meds OR my vitamins OR all of the above: all of them
Sleepless nights spent worrying about the future: many
Times I have reaffirmed my desire to be present and worry less: many more
November Goals
Do not spend one single second stressing about training. Move for fun, be healthy, love activity, and do not worry.
Do not go crazy selling stuff on Craig's List (anyone want a microwave? some bookshelves? a queen-sized bed?)
Lots of puppy FaceTime is going to be necessary. Oh, and husband and friend FT.
Stop whining about adjusting to altitude and just go run.
It's probably time to stop fueling your body like a drunk locked in a candy store. Small changes to swing back.
What are your goals for November? Tell me about your trail races and your fun hiking and boxing classes and good off-season stuff to do.