Trust, Strength, and Perseverance

I expected perfection and achievement of myself daily, but I hate repeated struggle, and I hate pain, especially the self-induced kind!  When a workout gets hard and painful, I struggle with continuing, can I succeed at this?  Did I really try hard enough?  Is it this hard for everyone?

Therefor, I really hate speed workouts and sharing my goals.  What if I don't reach them?  What if I don't have it in me to do the workout?  Which of course is why I announce them.  I need the accountability because without the accountability, I would never, never push myself this hard.

This morning was a struggle.  1) it was cold, and 2) Hill Repeats!  The training agenda was 2 mile WU followed by 6 X 400 hill repeats.  This is not just any hill either, it's a steep one.  56 ft elevation gain in 400 meters with a 3% average grade.  It qualifies as a category 5 hill, so a pretty good one.

I am an endurance athlete, I like it long and steady and below the level of pain.  Sprinting just hurts, and then you add hills, talk about insult to injury!  As I am running up those hills and feeling my legs burn, a different thought went through my mind on each 400:

1) This is working that saggy butt area, wow, you are out of shape!
2) Trust yourself, you can do this, you will not die!
3) I hate this, how much more to go?
4) My constant running verse:  Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Jesus Christ, who gives me strength.
5) Nope, no wine tonight.  Think of how much easier this will be in -5lbs!
6) You did it, way to be strong, finish hard, finish hard, love the pain!

On the run back, in the 35 degree wind, my mind was kind of drifting off in thoughts, and wondering how my legs were going to feel at TRX, and hating the fact that I would be drinking a smoothie when I got home to maximize recovery versus a nice hot bowl of steel cut oats or creamy buckwheat.  

All in All, it was great, smoothie tasted awesome and I was warmed up enough that the coldness didn't bother me.  My 400's were all below my LT, which means I could have pushed it a bit harder, my heart rate remained in zone 3, almost zone 4, but still zone 3.  This tells me that I need to reset my parameters of what pain is and it gives me a whole new respect for sprinters!  My time for all 6 hill repeats were within 4 minutes of each other, and the last one was as fast as the first and they were all faster than my MGP.  This is good news since there will be minimal hills in Eugene!  

As I review my run, I realize it didn't seem as hard afterwards as when I was doing it.  Somehow, I seem to be saying that a lot lately in other areas of my life.  When did I lose my mental edge and that can do attitude?  When it comes down to it, maybe I need to look at my attitude, have a little more trust in myself, and push through the pain with more praise and less complaints; and maybe I need to apply that in more areas of my life than just running.  There is hope, optimism, rewards, respect, and appreciation through pain and challenges.  

MMM, weight loss, and marathon training....  Is there something I need to remember?  Funny, the verse I found today:

John 16:33 I have told you these things so that you would find comfort in Me. In this world, you will suffer; but be courageous, for I have overcome the world!

Happy Running,
Tracy

Favorite Recovery Smoothie:
1 cup frozen blueberries (antioxidants and quick digesting carbs)
1 cup Almond milk (Calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and easy digesting carbs)
1 scoop Whey Protein (quick digesting BCAA ~ 10g protein)
1 Tbs. activated Chia Seeds
Blend and enjoy!

VO2Max, Heart Rate, and Weight Loss!!

So, it's been awhile since I've been blogging....  Honestly this is my last ditch effort to maintain and actively keep a blog.  I think about it often, but finding the time between kids, training, husband, and my business, is my downfall!  When I have the time to sit down at the computer, there is always something more urgent on the To Do list and at night and, I'm just to tired to think.  So I've made a decision to move this up on the priority list, before I throw in the towel.

I participated in a study that allowed me to have my V02 Max, Lactate Threshold, and all that fun data analyzed.  It was a fun experience with some good news and some not so great news.  The good news, my VO2 Max is awesome, I'm in the 99% percentile, so not much room for improvement.  My speed at  Lactate Threshold is pretty good and my heart rate there is in very close to my max heart rate.  So this means, that I can run pretty close to my top speed for a good long distance....  Bottom line, if all conditions are ideal I should in theory be able to run a 3:30 marathon, according to my speed at LT.

So, for the bad news...  My running efficiency is good, but not great.  My body fat percentile is less than ideal.  I admit it, since IronMan, I've indulged more than normal.  I've had wine more in the last two months than I probably drank in the previous 12 months.  At 40, that all adds up.  Good news is my Lean Body Mass (LBM), the muscle and bones, are great and so is my body water.  The amount of LBM I have for my height and age is in the 85%, so again, really high.  What this basically means is that I have a lot of insulation.  Not that my body fat is all that high, at 23% it is still in the ideal range, but by losing 6 lbs, I would drop my body fat to 19% and increase my running efficiency and my speed at LT would increase and theoretically I should be able to run a 3:12 marathon...

So let's talk reality.  I know myself really well, and I know that mentally I'm not going to push myself to sustained pain, so a 3:30 marathon or better, no matter what I weigh is unimaginable to me.  On the other hand, yes, I admit, I am about 5lbs over my ideal body weight and the weight I've been at for the last 4 years.  Thank You 40 and Malbec!  So now it is time for the dietitian to put into action what she talks about all the time.

My training routine heading into Eugene....  Kind of late in the game to look at weight loss, but since it is a small amount, theoretically by March I should be at my IBW, which would give me 3 weeks before peak training, hopefully allowing peak performance at the end of April!

• Monday will be a simple run day
• Tuesday is quality and TRX
• Wednesday is recovery run
• Thursday is quality and strength
• Friday is rest
• Saturday is Long Run
• Sunday is stability and core

Right now my cruising pace is about an 8:30, which, would give me a BQ, and I'd be perfectly excited at achieving!  I'd like to drop that pace to an 8:26 by March, and hopefully run the marathon at an 8:22 pace, because of course, I am who I am, and want the best case scenario result!

Tune in to see how the weight loss and running are going!!  I'm sure there are bound to be some road bumps, but I'm hoping for smooth sailing!  :)

Happy Running!

Tracy