I had my fun in in the sun in Week 3. In Week 4, it was time to do something that I don’t do very often… act like a normal 40/hour a week human being who gets to sleep in their own bed every night. These next few weeks are pretty crucial for me to take advantage of as many running and CrossFit training opportunities to build my fitness before work goes bananas again.

#SeaKatyWheeze: Week 4

Day 22 – Sunday 6/17

Run 9mi

Sunday was a scorcher, and I went running at 10:00a. As I was hitting 6.5 miles in midday sun and 90 degree heat, one of my coworkers was stopped at a traffic light at the intersection I was crossing. My only two words I could manage to get out as a greeting as I went by? “I’m dying.” I legitimately had a crust of salt on my face when I finished.

So, that’s how that run went. A long, hot slog that made me realize what I should spend that REI dividend on. A hydration vest. My Amphipod only lasts me 6 miles on a hot day, so on the niner I looped back home to drop the empty and pick up a fresh bottle from my front porch after 6 and then went back out for another 3. That last 3 felt longer than the first 6. A vest with a higher capacity would help me stay out longer and not have any tedious route repetition.

Ain’t no shame in the walking game. A handful of times I purposely slowed to a brief walk just to stay in a rare shady spot for a few seconds longer, hence the red dots on the cadence chart.

After that exhausting outing, I hopped in the car and off to REI I went. Mission: VEST.

Day 23 – Monday 6/18

REST DAY 😀

I did fun things like grocery shopping and cleaning up around the house. Said shopping trip resulted in limoncello blueberry Belgian waffles and Ben & Jerry’s. Sometimes I cannot be trusted in the frozen food section.

Day 24 – Tuesday 6/19

CrossFit

STRENGTH
Back Squat
5×10 at 60%

WOD
For Time:
50-40-30-20-10 Air Squat
After each set of Air Squats complete
20 Single Arm Alternating Dumbbell Snatches 50/35

What a sweaty mess that turned out to be. I just don’t have the work capacity with heavy objects as much as I used to. But, one must endure the suck in order to get stronger, so there I was being the last one in class to finish.

Then, I threw on my Athleta romper and went to see Cold War Kids. Really wished I had chosen the shorts one, and not the pants one. It was HOT outside.

Day 25 – Wednesday 6/20

Tempo 6 = Warmup 2 + Wannabe Fast 3 + Cooldown 1

I had a thought that I shouldn’t tempo run on a treadmill ever again because the treadmill makes me think I can go fast and then when it’s time to propel myself forward on the ground I fail miserably… so why not spend all my time attempting to succeed outdoors?

I’m so bad when it comes to mental toughness and pushing myself out of the comfort zone when I’m out on the trail. If half marathon training were easy, I suppose everyone would do it. On this run, I stopped an embarrassing amount of times.

Day 26 – Thursday 6/21

CrossFit

STRENGTH
Deadlift 5×10 at 60%

WOD
10 Rounds For Time:
16 Cal Row
3 Front Squats 95lbs (take barbell from ground)

ANOTHER sweat fest, and I did this one at 7:00a before taking the day off from work to watch the local PGA Tour event with my Dad. Between that and walking 18 holes worth of golf course, I felt rather accomplished… and TIRED. The Rx weight on this workout was 125lbs, but it was a struggle at 95lbs.

I must have done a wonky deadlift, because I was experiencing pins & needles in my legs & feet each time I cleaned the barbell during the WOD. An abnormal feeling that I’ve never experienced before. That type of thing makes me nervous. Fingers crossed it was just a tweak and not something more serious.

Day 27 – Friday 6/22

CrossFit

STRENGTH
1-1-1-1-1 Hang Power Clean

WOD
12 Minute AMRAP
200m Run
12 GHD Sit Ups
6 Hang Power Cleans 95lbs

The weirdness from the day before carried itself into Friday, and I wasn’t able to push it on the WOD at all. It felt like my legs were not part of my body and I couldn’t sprint for the life of me.

You know that woozy and uneasy feeling you get when you’re on the brink of fainting? Yeah, that’s what my body felt like from the waist down. I almost started to cry in the middle of the workout not from pain, but from the realization that something could legitimately be wrong.

Day 28 – Saturday 6/23

Run 10mi

With the two weird WODs leading up to this run, I was apprehensive when I headed out. I still had that funny “these legs are not mine” feeling when I set out, but around mile 4, I finally started to feel like I had some control.

60 degrees, clouds and a little bit of rain = PERFECT running conditions. I also got to take my new Osprey Dyna 6 hydration vest for its maiden run.

With upgraded hydration capacity and the ability to go hands-free once again, I felt a new sense of freedom. I can’t believe it took training for my FOURTH half marathon before hopping on the hydration vest train.

It only took 3 more minutes to finish another full mile over Sunday’s long run, so I’d say that while I’m still a turtle, tortoise status is trending in the hare direction. Gonna thank the weather for the solid assist on that one.

On this run gave some energy chews a try, now that the vest makes things like that easily accessible. I ate one at 7 to see if my stomach would cramp (it hates Gatorade mid-run), and with no adverse reaction to the first, I popped a second at 7.5, then another at 9 miles. I think they helped?

#SeaKatyWheeze Stats

Week 4

Miles Run: 25
WODs Done: 3
Calories Burned: 3992
Miles Traveled: 0 (Holy crap)
Nights on the Road: 0 (What is this magical land of all the outfits? Ah, my own closet.)

Cumulative Total

Miles Run: 82.3
WODs Done: 6
Calories Burned: 11614
Miles Traveled: 14491
Nights on the Road: 9