Week 4 Recap

I can't believe it! I'm already finished with a whole month of training.  How is that even possible?  I think it's going pretty well so far, but nothing in life is perfect!

Here's how Week 4 was supposed to go:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 3 miles speed
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross Train
• Thursday - 2 miles easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross Train
• Saturday - 7 miles
• Sunday - 2 miles easy

Here's how Week 4 actually went: 

• Monday - Rest (really, is it any surprise that I'm super good at this one?)
• Tuesday - 3 miles speed (hit the paces for my mile repeats, though the second one was a bit of a struggle)
• Wednesday - Hour long gym session (that I'm STILL sore from, nearly a week later. Ugh)
• Thursday - 2 miles easy (super slow, was pretty darn sore)
• Friday - Rest
• Saturday - 7 miles (this run went ok.  really slowly, and the humidity was terrible, but it was ok.) 
• Sunday - 2 miles easy (this felt super easy)

All in all, not bad.  But that hour long training session on Wednesday pretty much killed me.   This was supposed to be my week of getting into strength training, and instead I have been popping pills and laying with a heating pad for the past 5 days.  NOT pretty.  I cancelled the appts I had scheduled for this week - no way am I risking feeling like this for another week.  Lord have mercy.  Ugh.  I guess I'm going to have to workout on my own for awhile - in short, easy bursts - until I'm a bit stronger, then I can go back to seeing Aaron again.  Blah.  

Saturday is the 5K I signed up for, and my coach seems excited for me - she said she'll be sending me a "race plan" in a couple days.  I've never had a race plan before! LOL  I guess I won't be winging it after all. 

What are you up to this week? Anything fun?  12 days till Disney! 

Sore Feelings

I left the gym yesterday sweaty but happy.  An hour long session with my trainer was tough, but I actually felt like I was doing something good for my body.  Around 1 a.m. this morning, when I tried to roll over in bed and was met with pain and overwhelming soreness, I was immediately reminded that runner =/= physically fit.   Holy moly.

I've been so sore all day that I have literally done nothing.  As of this writing, I have managed less than 2,500 steps according to my Fitbit.  It's 6 pm, people.  I'm also still in my pj's.  

My abs hurt.  My chest hurts.  My neck hurts.  I am one big ball of sore.   Yet as soon as my husband gets home, I'm going for my scheduled recovery run - and as I look over the list of exercises I did with Aaron yesterday, I can't help but grin a little.   

I am not a "gym rat."  I do not enjoy "working out."  At all.  I'd rather run and do nothing else, but I know that doing other things will benefit my running (not to mention my overall health), so I'm giving it a go.  

For the record, here's what I did yesterday: 

60 raised leg crunches w/10 lb weight

60 (each leg) 1 legged Jack Knives

30 leg raises

60 cross body mt climbers

60 dumbell rows (20 lbs)

60 deadlifts (20 lbs)

1 set (12) Smith Push Ups 

45 seated rows (35 lbs)

30 reps knee raises on Power Tower 

45 reps row twist (25 lbs)

Hardest for me were the leg raises and the jack knives.  The last set of knee raises were hard, too. My core is so weak that I was pulling with my neck during the jack knives, and by the end, I was near tears (out of frustration).  

I'm hoping that this will get easier as I go, but for now..... owie.    Someone pass me the Tylenol, please!

Not just running, but exercise and a healthy lifestyle, too!  

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

You know what's fun?   That burning sensation in your muscles the day after a hard workout.  The feeling of heaviness, pain, and soreness that makes it hard to lift your arms, walk down stairs, or sit, depending on what muscle groups you tortured worked on.

It's a blast, isn't it?

If you're new to exercise, the day after being in the gym, you may wake up thinking that you've injured yourself.  While that is possible, it's more likely that you're just experiencing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (or DOMS).   So what is DOMS, anyway?

This article explains that:

 Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) describes a phenomenon of muscle pain, muscle soreness or muscle stiffness that occurs in the day or two after exercise. This muscle soreness is most frequently felt when you begin a new exercise program, change your exercise routine, or dramatically increase the duration or intensity of your exercise routine.

Also:

Delayed onset muscle soreness is thought to be a result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers. The amount of tearing (and soreness) depends on how hard and how long you exercise and what type of exercise you do. Any movement you aren't used to can lead to DOMS, but eccentric muscle contractions (movements that cause muscle to forcefully contract while it lengthens) seem to cause the most soreness.

Fortunately, DOMS goes away after a few days - and if it's bothering you too much, you can always take ibuprofen or something similar to help with the pain.  The absolute best way to deal with DOMS, however, is to prevent it in the first place - for example, by not giving up on the gym for over a year and then expecting to pick up where you left off.  (And yes, I'm talking to myself here.  Don't mind me.) 

For more information on DOMS, you can go here.  If you'd like to experience DOMS for yourself, I can give you the name of my trainer.  

(He IS kinda hot....  My trainer.  Not this guy.)