Sober Racing

Let's kick this one off shooting straight out of a canon, fireworks and all. I officially finished the SeaWheeze Virtual Half Marathon this past weekend!

When we left off last, I was post-MRI and had the plan to resume running the following week. That return to running after roughly two weeks off felt great. I felt strong and wanted to just zoom through the town. My knee pain returned later that week and I had to take a few days off. About three days before race day, I had to bail on a run about a 1/2 mile in. To say the least, I threw getting a PR out the window. I trained really hard these past 10-12 weeks. I hit paces I never thought I would. Heck, I PR'd my mile two weeks after running an ultra marathon. The old me would have been super upset. The new me takes it with a grain of salt. I have a very "at least try" attitude nowadays more than I ever have.

I took Friday off of work, which is still weird because I'm working from home, but I treat every race the same. I pretty much spend most of the day doing a whole lot of nothing. I elevate my legs, stretch, do my daily yoga, and take an Epsom bath. I typically watch a movie to pump me up and since it's come out, that movie is The Game Changers. I think most would ask if I get sick of watching a documentary about vegan athletes but I don't. I read Rich Roll's 'Finding Ultra' as well, which was also inspiring, especially since I'm trying to transition to more of a whole-foods, plant based diet. I'm pretty much already there aside from some treats here and there. One of my favorite treats to make comes from The Game Changers website! Appropriately named 'Damn Good Cookies', the best no-bake cookies I've probably had. Take a gander here. My pre-race dinner is always the same: spaghetti. A lot of it. As we sat at the table, my husband asked me how I was feeling since he knew my knee problems were weighing on my mind. "I'm feeling fine. We'll go out and try and see how far we get!". I say we because he bikes along side me, carrying my water, Nuun, and my nutrition. I'm rather lucky to not have to worry about anything except running.

We set out just after 5:00am Saturday morning. The sun doesn't rise nowadays until almost 6:00am. We've been under an excessive heat warning for what feels like forever. This race also has made me realize that I'm never training/running a race in the summer again, ha! 

I threw on my Noxgear vest (code BRITTERS for 35% off), my headlamp, and off we went! My knee felt a little uneasy to begin with but that subsided. I planned on doing four loops, measuring a little over 3 miles each time to equal 13.1. This way, I could avoid stops and pass the house just in case I needed a bathroom. I think this is the first half marathon that I didn't have to stop and pee during. Maybe that was mild dehydration? Who knows. The first two loops went well. The third one was when the heat set in. The humidity level was 50% that morning, which is much higher than we're used to. Typically, it's less than 15%. I took some walking breaks. My legs started to feel heavy and my right glute was really talking to me. I think they were confused because we hadn't run this far in quite some time let alone anything over 3.2 miles since having to take a running break due to my knee issues. My knee started to feel some discomfort around mile 10. I was actually surprised it lasted that long. Once I made my final turn to finish the race out, I did a slow run up to my street. While this was my slowest half marathon, I wasn't even upset. I was happy to finish another race. I was happy to be able to even run when there are so many who can't. Checked it off in my training journal and closed the chapter on distance running, at least for a while. It's funny to think how pumped I was to set my eyes on ultra running and now my patience runs thin on anything that lasts longer than an hour. I have a fire lit in me to conquer shorter distances and see what barriers I can break with anything from the mile to the 10K. I don't completely hate distance running but I've had my handful of marathons and halfs to make me happy for now. 

So what's with the title of 'Sober Racing'? This past weekend (Saturday) was my 100th day sober. From what started as something I wasn't really trying to do has become a rather big accomplishment to me. Most races, I'd pour a beer but this time, I made a cup of coffee. My history with drinking is a whole other story I'll tell one day. Do I think I had a problem? I don't know, honestly. Some days I think I did, some days I think I didn't. Either way, I'm happy to be sober. I still have yet to be around others who are drinking but obviously, we're in a pandemic still, and being at restaurants and bars is something I'm not doing. Makes me think of the days I quit smoking. Yep, I did that too. I had to stop drinking for a week to help because having a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other was just common sense. Dear lord, I'm so glad I got through that habit a long time ago. I have 30 bottles of wine in my wine fridge still that I could easily open if I wanted to but I have no desire. Now, my obsession with sparkling water is another conversation. I treat this the same as my Veganism. If you drink, that's fine! You do you. I don't think of anyone different if they decide to have some spirits in their life. If you think you need help, don't be afraid to reach out to SAMHSA. There are tons of support groups online as well.

What's on tap next for training? I'll take this week off of running. Coach said if I feel good, I can start doing some mild cycling mid/late week. My next goal is a virtual Turkey Trot in November. Do you have any goals for the remainder of the year? Has it been hard to commit to anything due to the state of the country we're in? I'd love to hear about it.

Hey, It's June

One of these days when I say "I'll keep up on this blog thing" I'll actually mean it, I swear. I mean, what else do I have to do? I'm not working. I've deemed myself a professional live-in chef to my husband. I'd like to think I'm the next Charity Morgan but minus the football team.  If you have no idea who I'm talking about, check out The Game Changers.

I think it's safe to say we are all riding the worst rollercoaster ever. I won't get political on here but let's be honest, we're fricked. We're in the midst of a pandemic, which I feel like many people have already forgotten about. Over 100,000 people are dead and cases are still on the rise. I can't even type that without getting upset and sad. I won't even go into the problem of police brutality. Everything is just as bad in every way. I can't be out there with everyone but Lord knows I stand here with them.

One subject matter that has come up quite often these past few months is mental health and how there has been a rise in those seeking help. I've never publically talked about this and just recently came out about it to my running coach but anxiety is something I've been dealing with for a while now. Due to recent events, it's pretty much been much more prominent in my life than not. Usually, I'm pretty good at making it subside or preventing it from coming on at all. I don't take medications or anything as I like to take a holistic approach to everything. It was suggested I take a gander at the application Headspace and it's been awesome. They are even offering a free year subscription to those who are unemployed, otherwise, you can try out a 14-day trial by clicking here. It might feel weird at first. Sitting still for 5-10 minutes is actually a lot harder than it may seem but after a few days, I've looked forward to it so much. Whenever I want just to sit and have a guided meditation has been wonderful and a big aid at emptying my thoughts. Mental health in the form of telemedicine is something that is slowly becoming more widely available but I still think the accessibility can be improved and the cost. Either way, it's okay to ask for help, even if you think whatever you may have going on isn't "as bad" as someone else. Just talking with someone can be such a huge weight off your shoulders. I've been journaling every morning for the past 21 days. I even set a "Digital Wellbeing" block on all of my social media apps from 5am-12pm though I'm considering making it longer. I absolutely love my Instagram family but sometimes, it's too much. It's too much to take in on everything being posted. It's too much to consistently try to seek validation so people can be like HEY LOOK WHAT I DID I'M THE BEST. I'm guilty of this and I know some of you that read this are too. We all are at some point. There is tons of positivity radiating on there but sometimes it's equally met with negativity. I've connected with a lot of people I wish lived closer to me and I've also become annoyed with those I wish would take a break and find out who they really are. Either way, remember everything else around you. Sometimes when you put the screens down and take a moment to look around, you do realize there is more to life than just scrolling your feed for 15 hours a day. It's been a wonderful choice I've made.

Phew, okay. That was a lot to get out. Should we talk about running? We haven't since I finished my ultra. The good news is that I'm still doing it. I took a week off after my race and just did yoga every day. My body felt fully recovered probably 2 days after but it's good to have that reset period. My coach had me start back up with some light work and cycling. I told her I wanted to incorporate more cycling into my training since I've really enjoyed it and it's really been a great help to my cardiac fitness and endurance. The NordiTrack is still amazing. One day I'll have a road bike but until then, I'm enjoying rides all over the world. Last week I rode in Tokyo. Tomorrow I'll hit up Colorado. My first attack was the McKirdy Mile. I wasn't setting big expectations on my time since I had only run twice and was only two weeks post-race.

Yeah, needless to say, I was quite surprised when I looked down after I hit the 1-mile mark. I told my coach that I'd be happy with an 8:30, even an 8:15. It was a great accomplishment. It also lit a fire under me wanting to work more towards becoming more efficient. Becoming faster is one thing but doing it in the most efficient way is important. I started looking at races coming up for the fall and winter. To be honest, I am not comfortable being around people and I highly doubt that will subside for the rest of the year. Sure, maybe I'm being too cautious but it only takes one person. I'm okay with riding the virtual race train for a bit. I registered for the SeaWheeze virtual half marathon and will attempt that in August. I guess you could say I'm currently in week 2 of training for that and my coach just started implementing speedwork in today. Have I mentioned how thankful I am for her? Because I am. 

Let's see if I keep up with an actual consistent schedule with this thing again. I'm trying to play around with the layout again since I got bored with the purple. I want it to look cleaner. I'm kind of OCD when it comes to graphic design. What can ya do? I hope you all stay safe. Stand up for yourself. Be grateful for what you have and pray.