Sunday, February 11, 2018

60 Miles + I Wasn't Feeling It Till Saturday

You know those weeks that seem absolutely endless? Yeah, I had one of those and I felt pretty out of it the whole week. Moving by auto pilot each day, going through the motions - having many days where I had zero desire to run. What? Yes. I had many days where I didn't want to run AT ALL and it was incredibly difficult to force myself out the door. By Thursday, I started to question if maybe I was coming down with the flu? No. That wasn't it... I think weeks like these are normal and okay. If we felt great every single day on every single run - well, I guess we would be super human.
My speed workout (which is usually on Wednesday), was moved to Thursday since I had the race last Sunday. I ended up moving it to Friday, becuase Thursday was crazy, crazy and I also didn't feel like I had much energy to run fast on Thursday.
Finally, I knew I had to try to get this done on Friday and the first rep felt like death. I mean, I was so depleted after the first 600 meter (I had 10 to do) that I really doubted that I could finish. I was like, "I'm done". Then you talk yourself into doing just one more and then by number four it feels better and by number eight I knew I could finish.
Sleep. I know I talk about sleep a lot, but as athletes, sleep is critical to the healing/recovery process. I've been making it my job to go to bed every night for eight plus hours. It's become a game - how fast can I make it to bed. What? I have to finish this task? Nope. I've got to go to bed. Only seven hours and fifty seven minutes? Shoot! The thing is, you have to take it seriously, because the alarm clock doesn't care - it goes off at the SAME TIME every morning and it has zero mercy. Ugh.



Every day is a new day toward your goals. #justrun


I'm happy with my sleep this week and I'm proud of myself for staying strong through a less than stellar week of feeling good about running. Finally, on Saturday morning I bounded  cautiously lifted myself out of bed and felt excited about running. Sure enough it was a great eight mile day and then fifteen on Sunday felt like nothing was ever wrong. (insert sigh of relief).
Although I'm not "marathon specific training" right now, I am building a critical base that is important to the overall health of this training cycle. I can't begin to tell you how pumped I am about it and my journey toward big goals. On the bad days, you shake your head and wonder: "How am I going to run x pace for 26.2 miles?" Other days, you confidently feel that it is going to happen if you put in the work, pace well and BELIEVE.


Josh took this. #proudmom



Let's make this post short, sweet and down to business, shall we?


Monday Feb 5th - 4 easy miles (post race)

Tuesday Feb. 6th - 8 miles

Wednesday Feb. 7th - 8 miles

Thursday Feb. 8th - 8 miles

Friday Feb. 9th - 2 mile w/up, 10 x 600s (at 6:00-6:10 pace. I did the first half at 6:10 and second half going down toward 6:00 - last three were in 6 min. range), 1:30 jog in betweem, 2 mile c/d = 9 miles

I used the Energy Gummi Bears for this workout!
Also, the protein Cake Bites taste like heaven.


Saturday Feb 10th - 8 miles

Sunday Feb. 11th - 15 miles


Long run felt fantastic in new shoes! Brooks Ghost 10 #runhappy


Finally a run where I felt good this week.


Post run with this sweet 7 year old girl - love her so. #Megan


Total Miles: 60


Onward to a new week and I'm feeling great about it + Valentine's Day + almost mid Feb?


How do you deal with running when you aren't feeling up to it (but not sick)?

Which spring races are you training for?



Do Awesome things.

xo,
Natalie

Friday, February 9, 2018

Redondo Beach Super Bowl 10K Race Recap

One of my goals for 2018 is to race more often, treat a race environment like second nature and to work on speed. I was happy to start the new season with a 10k race as a starting point on what to work on and access where I am right now.
This race also coincided with Elle's 5th birthday celebrations and to be honest (which, why do we say that? I'm always honest with you :) about a week before the race, I thought seriously about pulling out, because I didn't want to feel over loaded. I went back and forth and decided I could do ALL the things and I really want to race in early February, blah, blah. Ultimately, by the time I got to the starting line I was exhausted. I tried to block it out of my mind when the gun went off, but my body was listening at all. Although I very much wanted this race, it just wasn't my day. The hectic pace of the week, including Elle's actual birthday the Tuesday before (which included school and home celebrations) along with her very first birthday party with friends (the last four birthdays have been family only) on the day of the 10k was pulling myself emotionally and physically in too many directions.


You can't do ALL the things and race well.



Jerold and I decided to take the kids with us to the race as it was going to be a gorgeous day and we thought they would have fun hanging with Dad while I raced.
They dropped me off quickly near the start, so I could begin my warm up and stretch routine while they parked the car. I felt pretty good on the warm up and ultimately would have liked to arrive even earlier to get to the front of the pack with ease as it was a pretty nice sized race.
From the moment the gun went off, I knew my body felt off.  I didn't think about it too much, I just focused on running according the plan coach had outlined. After the first mile, there wasn't much zip in my legs and I tried to run as fast as my body would let me.

Splits:

7:10, 7:06, 7:02, 6:51, 7:16, 7:15 = 44:41

Let's talk about the good things here for a moment. The good thing is I'm working hard on pacing and the first four miles were a good progression down. I didn't start the race too fast and I was happy about that. 


I HAD to find something good about my race :)


The not so good things were I was aiming to run 6:30s and go DOWN from there (nope) and also what happened to mile 5 and 6? (yikes - I could tell I was toast, couldn't even sprint in at the end which I always do).

These splits look more like marathon splits than 10k, but with each race you learn so much. I learned that you can't schedule 5,000 things over the course of a week and expect to race at your very best. I slept well that week, but I think the craziness of party planning, Mom life and some unexpected stresses during the week was too much for this runner girl :)

Other great things about this race:

1. Well organized. I had to pick up my bib early that morning and I was able to get it in like two minutes - no joke.

2. Fun race atmosphere! They had such great music, an enthusastic announcer and lots of fun booths to explore after the race.




3. The volunteers were super friendly and everyone was in a great mood with getting their sweat on in the am and then preparing for the big game later that day!

4. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The weather was fantastic and living in So Cal never, ever gets old (especially in February).




5. The t-shirt and medal were very cool.





6. Good, enjoyable course - flat with a few rolling hills.


I ran a two mile cool down and then we jumped back in the car to hurry home and get dressed and ready for the all the little people that were coming to my house later that day. Here's the thing - with being a Mom and an athlete, I have to juggle a lot of balls and hope nothing comes crashing down. In this case the race came crashing down, but to see Elle's eyes light up with joy at her big birthday party.... well, that's all that mattered on this day.


Bunnies and a bouncy house to celebrate 5!


I care about the time on the clock, but they don't :)


I would highly recommend the Redondo Beach Super Bowl 10k as a fun way to kick off Super Bowl Sunday, a well organized race in a beautiful seaside setting.

I'm in the middle of a 60 (I think it'll be 60) mile week, so off to hydrate, run and be the best Mom I can to three awesome kids.


How do you deal with bad races?

Ever raced during a hectic, super busy week?


Do Awesome Things.

xo,
Natalie










Friday, February 2, 2018

Roka (Rio) Sunglasses Review

I've been psyched to write this review - it's fun talking about products that get me fired up AND I get to share it all with you guys. The fact is, sunglasses that I can run and work out in are like GOLD to me. Living in a year round sunny climate, I pretty much sleep in sunglasses. Most importantly, for the overall health of my eyes, its so important to have the right pair.




When I started on the hunt for a new pair of shades, I knew they had have the following criteria:

1. Stylish. 
I mean, right? They have to protect your eyes like nobody's business, but if they look bad on your face, then that's a deal breaker. Also, they have to be timeless - like you want to look back in 10 years and still think they look good.

2. Functionality
I needed a pair of sunglasses that were going to stay put during a twenty mile run or one mile repeats and everything in between. Who has time to constantly fiddle with glasses when you are focused on running? I wanted to put them on and forget about them - like they weren't even there....

3. Lightweight
...which brings me to the next point - lightweight. I wanted something that would feel light as air on my face.

4. Polarized lenses
Polarized lenses are important to me - they have better protection for your eyes...

Check out this article from VSP:




5. Versatile
I was looking for sunglasses that I could easily wear on a run or go out for dinner. Wear them with jeans, a dress or active wear. I didn't want to have to worry about having five different pair of glasses.






The Roka Rio fit all of my needs and so much more. These glasses are in three words: total. bad. ass. Roka has an awesome selection of sunglasses that are crafted and made for athletes, and yet anyone can wear them and look great. The company understands that athletes work hard at their sport and they want to look good too. The Rio is a classic aviator style, and from the moment you slide them on your face, you're in heaven.






Not only do they feel smooth as silk and light as a feather (the glasses weigh only 18 grams) all at the same time, they are handcrafted in Japan and made with titanium. They of course have polarized lenses and sturdy nose grips which don't allow the glasses to move AT ALL on your face. I've worn these beauties on over twenty mile runs, tempo workouts, hill repeats, trail runs and more during marathon training and they fit like a dream.



Excellent quality - these glasses were made for working hard and looking beautiful at the same time.



I also love the luxurious case that they provide for your glasses. After years of putting my sunglasses any and everywhere, this case is so pretty that I can't wait to put them away after every use.






Roka provides sunglasses to some of the best athletes in the world, and they only launched in 2013 - amazing things this company has done in a short amount of time.







Let's talk about cost for a moment. The Rio retails for $300, which I know isn't cheap - but I'm telling you, it's worth it. There are things you can skimp on, but protecting your eyes isn't one of them. After two months of testing these glasses, I feel the price is justified (note the black pair are a bit more expensive. This style also come in other colors which retail for $260).




Cheers to running and protecting our eyes!






*I was sent a pair of the Rio for review, but all opinions are my own.


Do you run in sunglasses?

What is most important to you in a pair of sunglasses?


Do Awesome Things.

Xo,
Natalie