Blog post picture above and reality picture below. It was so hard.
I was quite scared to try out the bike again after my back problems, but I’m happy to report that I didn’t feel even the slightest twinge (and paying attention to how my back and leg felt was basically all that I could think about the whole ride because I was worried).
My heart rate on the Peloton is nuts. I am way off my previous watts but hey, I’m back on the Peloton and getting a good sweat pain-free.
I also got to the gym for some strength. I was feeling pretty cocky when my push-ups were feeling easier than ever but then humbled extremely quickly when my side plank with my legs elevated for twenty seconds nearly killed me.
This year’s teacher’s gifts were Amazon gift cards and the best TJ’s treat they offer.
Things aren’t going well with our puzzle. A child (I won’t name names) undid all of the pieces we had done, so we are basically starting from scratch again haha. We won’t let any roadblocks keep us from completing this thing.
Some friends were telling me about a new taco spot and I figured with it being Tuesday, it was kind of mandatory to try it.
El Tio Tacos! I’m so proud of Brooke for trying their spiciest salsa.
Yesterday, we made our favorite Hot Chocolate Cookies but used the TJ’s peppermint marshmallows, which was a fabulous decision. Skye asked if I would make these again on Christmas day.
I have been thinking about the time I accidentally trained for my best marathon. I’ve run 20 marathons in total, and my best one IMO (a much harder course than my other faster times) is one I kind of accidentally trained for;)
I was training for a trail race in the first part of 2022 when Amazon reached out to me to be one of their athletes at the Boston Marathon about seven weeks before the marathon. At this point, I hadn’t run or trained for a marathon in over two years, but I couldn’t say no to the offer. I had a great base from training for my trail race, but I wasn’t running high mileage or doing marathon-style workouts. Once I found out I was running Boston, I added in a few weeks of solid marathon training, but those few weeks weren’t anything special compared to marathon builds that I’ve done for other races. So, let’s talk about a few of the different things I was doing (besides having an awesome coach who got me ready for Boston in just a few week’s notice) to help me to get to my best race yet (without knowing I was even going to run the race). <– I have mastered the run-on sentences.
*I was running so many hills. I was training for a trail race, and so I was getting in a lot of trail miles. I wasn’t doing specific speed work on the trails besides trying to show off to Andrew because he would bike with me, but those hills got me so fit for Boston. I do much better with training when I’m not doing everything on the roads.
*I was cross-training A TON on the Peloton. There is something about biking that can get us so fit. I swear it reprograms my cadence to be faster, and the hills on the bike build muscle. Also, on the Peloton, I can really train my heart rate to be in the threshold state for quite some time without any impact.
*I did it after a break from marathoning. My brain likes to tell me that the best marathons only happen after building as much fitness as possible from doing a lot of marathons and stacking them, but my best one happened after a break from marathoning. I was pregnant, had Beck, started to build fitness, took another break because of plantar fasciitis, and then Boston came along. Breaks can bring success! I was fresh!
*I was consistent more than ever with strength training (thanks to the plantar problem, I was motivated to really strength train).
*I had zero pressure on myself. I went into the race feeling free as a bird. I knew I hadn’t had a traditional build and so I put zero stress on myself about hitting a time. I let my body run whatever it felt like rather than sticking to an exact pacing chart etc. It felt so good.
Long story short, I’m going to learn from my best marathon, which was kind of an accident, and try to reenact it again when the time is right. There are so many different ways to train, and isn’t it fun to experiment to see what is the best way for yourself? Happy experimenting!
————————————————————————–
Ever sign up for races last second or do you like to have it all planned out well in advance?
Parents with school-aged students, what do you do for teacher gifts?
Peloton users–> Who is your current favorite instructor?
Are there any strength training moves that feel especially hard to you?
