Weeks 8 & 9

Monday

Gym Day. I was looking forward to this workout—until I got there and found out the next 4 weeks will be cardio-based. Today was an EMOM (every minute on the minute—change exercise), which can be very fast-paced. I decided I’m not going to rush and will still focus on form to get good-quality work in. My hip still felt funny at the start from the long run. I’ve gotta say, by the end of the workout my hip was doing great. I think it just needed more repeated movement—not stretching or rest.

Tuesday

Well, today didn’t go as planned. I didn’t sleep that well last night—tossing and turning. I should probably do some research to see why or what else I can do to help. I already take magnesium and a peak sleep supplement. I slept an extra hour and then decided to walk. It was a really nice morning too. Listened to a great podcast. I was breaking in some new insoles—hoping these work well. While my coffee was brewing, I decided to do some squats and band work for my hips. Things are going okay so far this week.

Wednesday

Gym Day. We’re in that cardio phase at the gym, so I’m doing the best I can with that. Not feeling strong, but I’m trying to use this time to get better at jumping or using certain exercises to stretch out specific areas (like the hips).I’m still having fun. After the gym workout, I got my husband to walk 2.5 miles with me. My back was a bit overworked today, so the walk felt great. We also have 12 hours on a plane today.

Thursday

Landed in Dublin.

Friday

We got up very early—13-hour trip from Dublin to Cliffs of Moher.

Saturday

I set the alarm to get up and run, but when it went off, I was still super exhausted. I knew we had another long day with me meeting my husband’s Marine buddies, so I was glad I rested.

Sunday

The reason we are in Ireland—wedding day for Jasmine and Jordan.

Monday

I set the alarm again to run but was still super tired, so I decided to sleep. We traveled back into Dublin today from the countryside where the wedding was.

Tuesday

Fly home today. Get in at 9:00pm. I went straight to bed.

Wednesday

Catch-up day for chores. I took today to get back on schedule.

Thursday

I did a 3-mile run today. My calves are super tight and achy. I’ve had an itchy rash around my ankles since my first day in Dublin—it finally felt better after running for twenty minutes. This morning, I set out to do a 35-minute run in a 4:1 ratio (run 4, walk 1) and did great! At the end, I was so close to 3 miles that I ran extra to get the even 3 miles. It was super hot and the air was heavy—it was hard to breathe. Plus, I got lazy on vacation. But I’m back at it now.

Wednesday

5:00am Gym Day! Classes are still in this 4-week cardio phase, which means things are sped up. Not my favorite way to work out, but I’m just doing what I can. I was tired going in but felt great after. Sometimes that’s how I get going—knowing I’ll feel better when I’m done. Plus, I do have fun while I’m there… or at least I make it fun.

Saturday

REST DAY

Sunday

Long Run—11 miles today. I got up at 4:00am so I could be out running by 5:00am. I was pushing today. Guess I must have looked or sounded miserable because my husband said, “You can walk, it’s hot out.” And he was right. I’m actually glad I did—it’s like 90° in the dark. I’m super proud of today’s run. Outside of the heat, the runs aren’t so bad. Yes, I have to push myself and it’s hard, but I’m finding ways to keep going. I’m enjoying this. I fueled well and focused on taking in enough water and electrolytes. At 7 miles I did say out loud, “Why did I think this was a good idea?” It’s just so darn hot! I still had 4 more miles to go. I need to stop thinking like that. To distract myself today, I used a time-to-run/time-to-walk ratio instead of looking at distance. My husband suggested what Jesse Itzler does—7 minutes run, 3 minutes walk. That was a great idea! I really liked the timing—it made the run go by so fast. I wasn’t thinking about distance anymore, just tracking time, and making sure I fueled properly for this crazy Florida heat. After today’s run, my legs were super restless and achy. I stretched, and that helped a lot—so more of that after these runs.

Thoughts:

Grace for when I am traveling.

The time change was confusing for my body and mind.

But after a day to recover, I got right back into it.

I am getting stronger! Love the way that feels.

Thanks for following my journey.