Strength day with Andrew in our garage.
Currently, I get all of my strength training workouts from Megan and Andrea. Their IGs have so many awesome workouts that don’t require a ton of equipment, and they make it so I don’t have to think about anything besides what muscle groups I want to work for the day.
Earlier in the morning, I met up with the Runner’s Corner crew for a speed workout. They were doing 26 x 200m fast (with equal recoveries… another one of my favorite workouts), and while the speed didn’t feel terrible, they weren’t great so I stopped doing speed after the 10th interval. My foot felt great running easy after that!
I finished up with 10 miles @ 7:43 average.
I remembered a quote that a friend told me leading up to CIM in 2019 (below screenshot). “When in doubt, don’t burn out.” It’s never worth it to go past what your body can handle. It’s so much better to show up to the starting line undertrained vs. overtrained.
My brain is all over the place today so just another thought…
We work so hard to get to our races to hit our goals, and sometimes things pop up out of our control. I have no idea how my foot will react trying to run 13.1 miles fast, and over the years, I’ve learned that that is okay. It could go amazing, and it could blow up in my face.
There is always another race. Running doesn’t define us, and it sure doesn’t tuck us in at night (Kara Goucher once said that last part:). It is such a small part of who we all are, and I’m grateful I love the training so much because sometimes things don’t go as planned for our races!
PS everyone I am working with has recommended continuing running. If this were an injury that I was making worse by running, I would stop immediately!
Fall is showing up here!
She is working on her pull-ups.
Skye could be in the middle of eating an ice cream sundae with the Paw Patrol characters as she is getting her feet massaged, and I could say, “Hey Skye, wanna get in the hot tub with me?” and she would be in her swimsuit and outside in less than 60 seconds.
Beck is so confused why he isn’t involved in Skye’s class. He crawls out there very quickly so Andrew and I switched off chasing after him.
We had one of my favorite meals for dinner… Roasted Cauliflower Chowder. I’m already looking forward to leftovers today.
And grilled cheese sandwiches.
Just a few more random things today:
*Doing my best to eat in-season produce right about now;)
*Loving my at-home foot massager right about now…
*Oh and a photo from Brooke’s race the other night. I loved seeing how proud of themselves they were after the race. Running does so much good for so many people.
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Tell me one thing that is making you happy today.
Something out of your control that popped up right before race day or on race day?
Do you wear your watch on the arm/hand that you write with?
-Everyone in my family besides Andrew does!
Fall traditions/things you like to do each year around this time? Fill me in so I can copy you.
34 comments
Mariah
I was just thinking about that undertraining vs overtraining sentiment yesterday! It’s so true- I’d rather make it to the starting line healthy, than hurt myself getting there.
No, I wear my watch on my non-dominant hand. Now I’m wondering if that’s opposite what most people do haha.
Fall traditions- apple picking, hiking, making pumpkins everything, lighting all the fall candles.
The Hungry Runner Girl
AMEN! We need to get to that start line healthy! Hahah I think I am the weird one with the watch thing. LOVE all of those traditions… off to light my fall candle. Hope your day is a great one, Mariah!
Ashlea
I am right handed but will throw a ball/kick with my left and wear my watch on my left.
This time of the year we always go to an apple orchard and make apple crumble with the apples, get pumpkins at the pumpkin patches and they have activities there for the kids. Our ski resort also has an outdoor walk every thanksgiving weekend and you can take a ride in the chair lift. It’s so beautiful this time of the year.
That foot massager looks amazing. I could really use that after my 12 hr shifts
Have a beautiful day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Ashlea! That is so interesting, I am the exact opposite (left handed but do sports with my right)! Can I come over for that apple crumble, that sounds so yummy. I love that your ski resort does that, we are off to ours today for the chair lift. I think you need a foot massager… you deserve it after those long shifts. Thanks friend, you too!
Wendy
I am so with you on eating the in-season “produce” ha ha. I love candy corn!
I’m glad running easy feels good for you, and that you were in a good head space to know to stop the speed work. It is so true, that it’s better to be a little undertrained than overtrained. I think you’re going to surprise yourself with how good your race goes.
Fall traditions here…. Baking pumpkin chocolate chip bread, being outside in the evenings and early mornings when it’s cool, watching football, fall candles…. I love this time of year.
Things making me happy today… Running early with friends, then packing to go to Colorado tomorrow!!
Have a good day Janae ?
The Hungry Runner Girl
I hope you enjoy all of the in-season produce this week! It’s just the best! I LOVE all of your fall traditions, just the best! I am going to be outside this evening to copy you:). HAVE THE BEST TIME IN COLORADO THIS WEEKEND! I am so happy you had a great run and get to go. Thanks Wendy, you too!
Maureen
One thing making me happy today is that it feels like fall! Don’t get me wrong, I do love summer but I also love not sweating the second I walk outside of my house ;)
You wear your watch on the hand you write with?? That feels so odd to me for some reason ha. I write with my right hand and any sort of jewelry or watch goes on my left.
Fall traditions – apple cider donuts (duh!) and apple picking if possible. Lately I’ve been adding apple cider margaritas to the mix too since it just tastes so good when hanging out by a bonfire with friends. I’m sure you could make them a virgin drink too by adding in club soda or something instead of tequila too!
Kristine
Well on race day there was 10cm of snow on the summit haha. It was snowing 2 km before the summit. Definitely not expecting that so we just got through it and once we we got over the sketchy parts we ran faster to get out of the snow and rain quickly hee.
I am right handed so watch on my left.
Fall traditions.. pumpkin spice latte.. and at night we are lighting candles. The cozier clothing is starting to come out of the closet too.
Things that make me happy..Coffee and waking up with the puppy at my feet :).
I love how much Skye loves the hot tub. Happy running Janae and have a great day!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I seriously cannot believe there was already so much snow at your race! You are so tough. I love this time of year for the clothing… the best. Thanks Kristine, you too!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Maureen! It really is so nice to not be sweating buckets anymore. Keep enjoying those cooler temps. Hahah I am definitely the weird one when it comes to watch wearing. Thank you for reminding me of those donuts, I think TJs has those so I need to pick them up. Enjoy those margaritas at the bonfire, that sounds SO great and I’ll try that with club soda. Happy Thursday!
Toby
It will all work out :)
Every Sunday, we go for the same walk up the canyon. We take a picture In the same spot to compare the leaves. Forced family fun!!
But tell me about your grill cheese! Is that shredded cheese in between the bread? I’ve always used sliced cheese. I definitely need to try this!!!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
It always does, right. Oh I love that you guys do that. I seriously just need to sit down and interview you to get every parenting tip/idea/thing that you do. You have raised amazing humans. YES, we love to do shredded cheese so that we can add a few different types:). I love the variety! Hope your day is a beautiful one, can’t wait to see you soon!
Molly S
There is always another race-even if there is an 18 month delay d/t a once a century pandemic! haaa
I think back to Indy Monumental Marathon in 2019 and thinking how we all had no clue that that would be our last race for monthsss. Makes me appreciate each race a little more now!
Hope the PF gets a little better each day. It definitely takes time to completely heal.
The Hungry Runner Girl
That is SO so true. Oh my goodness, it seems like that marathon was like ten years ago, so much has happened since then! I totally agree, it brought so much gratitude for each race that we get. Thank you so much Molly, trying to be patient ha. Have a fabulous day!
Katrina
For strength workouts I follow Ashley Beito on Ight, she has some great ones too that don’t involve too much equipment.
I am currently trying to avoid any type of cold or injury…one week out from Memphis 70.3 and I cannot get sick. I feel like this is my fear close to all race days…
Katrina
That should be IG not Ight ??♀️
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you thank you for the recommendation, I just started following her. MEMPHIS 70.3… I am SO thrilled for you! PLEASE let me know how it goes and stay healthy!
Amy S
Hi Janae! Great job listening to your body and doing strength training, that’s definitely the smart play. I like candy corn too but I do this weird thing where I eat it one section at a time. Enjoy that hot tub!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you Amy! That is exactly how Brooke eats candy corn too. I hope you get some soon and have a beautiful day!
Audrey
Hi! What store are Beck’s clothes from? I am expecting a boy at Thanksgiving and I looove his style!! (I dressed my other two boys in a lot of Carter’s which I like but I want to branch out!) Happy trails!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Audrey! I am SO SO excited for you! I should just send you Beck’s clothes because I had him in November too. I get a lot of his stuff from H&M, Zara and Amazon. I didn’t think I would love boy clothing as much as I do but there are SO many fun things for them. I hope you are feeling well!
Mollie
I can’t remember the last time I had a race go as planned lol.
I really like that advice about not burning out. I’ve had a lot of GREAT workouts this cycle but a couple where my body just said NO. So I stopped to regroup, get water, whatever was needed before finishing. I really think sometimes that’s ok as long as you know the difference between not feeling ok and just being uncomfortable. Pushing through the uncomfortable is key, but not pushing when there’s something wrong is also key.
We put out all of our fall/Halloween decorations and it’s the BEST! Now I need to find some candy corn! :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahah that is so true… things out of our control always pop up. You seriously have had such an amazing training cycle, I am so impressed by you. Finding that fine line is so tricky and who knows if I even made the right call yesterday ha. YES to the decorations and enjoy all of the candy corn! Thanks Mollie!
Emily L
Thanks for always sharing such a positive and compassionate attitude! Even for someone like me, who is sometimes hesitant to call myself a runner because I am sloooooow, it’s nice to hear that more experienced runners don’t always push themselves to the brink. It’s meant to be a joy, not a pain! Something bringing me joy today is a positive interaction I had with a student of mine who thanked me for making reading fun! It’s the little things sometimes! Take care!
Elliot
I love the part about running not defining us/tucking us in at night – but here’s where I struggle. When a workout/race goes well and I am invested, I am SO HAPPY. The runner’s high and sense of accomplishment is so great! But then I feel the same level of disappointment when it doesn’t go well! I haven’t found a way to be invested in celebrating the success, without also being invested in and disappointed by the bad days – have you found a good way to balance this, and still feel excited about accomplishments without being upset by the hard days?
Tess
For a good strength/HIIT workout you NEED to try Heather Robertson on Youtube (she has IG too but her full workouts are on Youtube). Like I said, it’s both strength and HIIT so you get your heart rate up on a lot of them (some have just strength), and a lot of them are low impact (if needed) and light/no equipment (I bet you have most of the equipment). I did her 12 week program early this year and it kicked my butt. Probably not an every day thing for runners, but soooo nice to supplement!
Amy
Since you asked about unexpected things happening on race day, I just saw this article about a marathon up in Kotzebue. I’m not sure you can get more unexpected that needed a piggy back ride across a creek in the middle of a marathon…
https://www.adn.com/sports/2021/09/22/at-a-rare-marathon-in-kotzebue-chest-waders-piggyback-ride-and-sled-dogs-are-part-of-the-race-plan/
I did not run that race. Just for the record. But I did run a half one time with a cold and had to start walking less than a mile into it. I finished, but it was brutal. And then I found out I was pregnant two days later. That might have played into why I had no energy at all.
Kathy McElhaney
Something out of my control that popped up on race day = rain the morning of the 2014 Honolulu Marathon. It wasn’t a simple pineapple mist, but a complete downpour that didn’t let up the entire time.
I’m a lefty and wear my watch on my right arm.
I hope you never have to copy one of my Fall traditions – preparing for wild fires. This is the time of year when Santa Ana winds kick up with single digit humidity and we just pray for rain. (You can join me in the praying for rain part!) I always say I love the IDEA of Fall, but Fall in So Cal is pretty harsh. We get rewarded with awesome winters, so there’s always a trade off!
Mary
I wear my watch on the opposite hand I write it. I thought most did that!
What cool water place was that in your pics?
Lee
I can’t help but wonder if strength training contributed to bringing on your PF? In this way, is strength training like another early warning system? I think of stretching this way. We can think of running this way, too….
Damarys Reyes
Glad to see your foot is feeling better! I’m training for nyc marathon and while I’ve been putting in a lot of mileage especially since the pandemic (there was nothing else to do)–last week I traveled to California and I think I ran 70+ miles which is a lot compared to the 50+ I’ve been normally running. Today, I felt so tired and a little sore when I woke up that I thought of you and listening to my body–so I changed my alarm clock and kept on sleeping. This is so unusual for me but taking a day off felt like the right thing to do–given how hectic my day was going to be at work today. Anyhow, glad I did and thought I would share…the quote from your friend is right on point.
Jaci
Right now, this moment, this post is 100% what I needed to read. I’m 3 weeks out (today) from a marathon that I have trained so hard for, it’s been hands down my best marathon training cycle and the first time I feel like I’ve had a legit shot at a PR and possibly BQ over my last 5+ years of marathons. And then Monday, first run of our last big week, I rolled my ankle on a pine cone. Ankle seemed to hold up OK, but during Wednesday’s 800s I ran the first one, felt fine, ran the 2nd one and thought, wow, my hip really hurts. And since that repeat, 4 days ago, I haven’t been able to run (or walk, really) pain free. Getting seen by a PT tomorrow, have shed a few tears, and am just trying to take a lot of deep breaths and realize 1) I don’t really have a lot of control over how this plays out, 2) there are SO many things much worse than this and to keep that in perspective and 3) all of what you said in this post about running and races not defining us. If I end up getting to race, I swear I will smile through every mile in gratitude for being there. And if not? I’ll probably cry some more, then I will put on a smile and go cheer like crazy for my training partner and try my best to get her through to her BQ.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Jaci. My heart is absolutely broken for you. I am so so so so sorry. I hope the PT is really able to help. I’m here for you. Please keep me updated. I want to hear about you getting to run your marathon??
Jaci
Janae – Thank you so much for your kind words. They literally brought me to tears. I have followed your blog for years, rarely comment, but read faithfully and love your positive outlook on life and your toughness and stick-to-it-ness (I don’t care if that’s not a word) when it comes to your running goals. There is a glimmer of hope for me yet. Saw my PT this morning (shout out to awesome PTs who respond to frantic text messages and get injured runners in for early Monday morning appointments) and the verdict is my TFL and glute med muscles are WAY overworked and very angry. Meanwhile my backside is apparently just going along for the ride and not doing a lot (any) of the work. He told me 3 weeks is a LONG time in the world of tendons, that if I do my exercises (clamshells with static holds for the win!) faithfully and correctly, I can start to rewire those brain/muscle connections in as little as a week and start making those rear end muscle participate, get the overworked tendons to chill out, and hopefully see the starting line. We have a plan for this week (dry needling at lunchtime today, clamshells 2-4x a day, then an appointment to do some taping on my hip Wednesday at noon and if all goes well, I’ll try running again after work on Wednesday. Fingers crossed….here we go.