Mel On...This Week's Training Update

OMG am I tired.  This week has been a rough one for me and I'm not sure why....but I have a feeling it has to do with my dear friend, Amanda, and a new running trail through the upper hills in our village...

After the half marathon this past weekend, I took two much needed rest days.  Then Tuesday I went to Amanda's circuit/pilates class.  My first mistake that day was getting on the dreadmill beforehand. My second was letting Amanda see the sparkle in my eye when she mentioned that she was tired.  That is right my friends, AMANDA was TIRED.  I think, not only did she catch on to my giddiness, but, she also must have read my thoughts (oh, how the mighty have fallen!) because that heifer BROUGHT IT.

In additional to our normal routine, she added this thing where you stand with your hands above your head, reach down to your toes, then walk yourself into a plank, do a push-up, then walk yourself back up, raise your hands, then do it all over.  Try it...go ahead...I'll wait...

Like that?  Try doing 25 of those bad boys after 60 push-ups.  No wonder even brushing my teeth this morning was a challenge.  My arms HURT!  I will take regular Amanda over tired Amanda any day of the week.  ANY. DAY.

Then came my third mistake on Tuesday...after enduring that jazz, I decided a 8 mile bike ride up the hills in our village would be a perfect idea. FYI, I am suddenly very aware of my hamstrings.

The new trail...

Ok, so they don't look that bad in the photos...but those hills are no joke! 

Wednesday was my medium run day (8 miles this week).  It was foggy but not near as cold as the race on Sat.  The first two miles of this new trail are rough.  It's almost all uphill (and we know how much I like hills) and I totally lost cool points for walking most of it but I have no shame.  My body hurt.  Thankfully, my running partner for the first half (Bri from Fem Fusion Fitness) was super-understanding.  However, when we got to the downhill part and it flattened out I found my grove and all was well in the world again. Bri finished the loop with me and headed home and I headed back for another lap around the village.  I was getting kinda bored until the fog cleared and some bikers made my day.  (I was heading down this long stretch of road and these guys on motorcycles each gave me thumbs up when they passed me.  It was like we were connected...on the open road...wind in our hair...doing what we love....insert sappy soundtrack...)

Back on the "normal" loop

However, when I stopped running Wednesday it felt like every muscle in my body tensed up and I couldn't shake it no matter how much I stretched.  NOT a good feeling.  I still feel tight and I'm no sure what I'm supposed to do about it.  My legs don't hurt but they just feel really tight.  It's weird.

Anyway, so today I was going to take it easy but it was circuits/pilates day with Amanda again.  I swear she can sense that stuff...."Come on, Mel...lower...faster...faster...back straight...press...press...press...PRESS!"  I literately have scratch marks on my yoga mat where I tried to hold on for dear life.  Death-by-pilates.  I can see my tombstone now.  Then I hear her yell out..."How many inches have you lost, Mel?" And I can't be mad.  I can still hurt.  But, I can't be mad.  She is totally awesome.

I also had my "Rocky tank" on today (it's a black tank top that looks like a cut-off sweater with the hand warmer pocket thing in the front and hoodie in the back).  I totally go into beast-mode when that hoodie comes up.  I'm talking Rocky-running-up-the-steps-beast-mode.  I didn't pull it up during Amanda's class (I can barely do that class in normal mode) but I did pull it up on the 5-miler afterwards.  I went through the new trail again, and again I had to walk some of the hills...but I swear flipping up that hoodie helped.  I was throwing punches coming off the downhill...hook, upper cut, jab, cross...hook, upper cut, jab, cross.  Tony would have been proud...Maybe I should wear that tank in Athens...hmm...

Definitely worth the view!

Well, that's about it for training this week.  Tomorrow I have Bri's Fem Fusion (core/hip class) and am supposed to run another 4 miles (interval/speed work) afterwards.  I'm looking forward to the class but not so much the run. I'll definitely need some motivation for that one tomorrow. Might just have to wash my "Rocky tank" tonight, who knows...I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow and some Motrin may bring!

(Please, please, please let it be long, loose, strong muscles.....)