Tuesday, June 3, 2014

S.O.S. : Summer Of Strength

I realized the other day that I have not put up an update in quite a while. Part of it was by design as I as taking a breather to focus on my athletes and the other because I needed myself a mental break from running for a couple weeks. This is new, but so far I am glad I am doing what appears to be a common and necessary practice for successful runners.

To back up a bit, I have had some mild struggles still with my right foot, which lead to every run being uncomfortable and disappointing in a way. As a fellow athlete once wrote: "crappy exercise leads to nowhere". I found myself in the pattern of getting tunnel vision toward the 15k, and I have decided to skip that event as it has little bearing on larger, more long term goals. Not only do I get a physical reset, but a mental one as well. I gave myself permission to not really think about running, especially worrying about it to do a big 'RESET' before I make some soon-to-be announced (and exciting) announcements.

Honestly, I am proud of my decision to take the mature, big-picture focus to the side and bypass my fragile ego. Perhaps I should have taken two complete weeks off, but being the workout junkie I am, I am currently focusing on other aspects of fitness. First being my two summer sprint triathlons. With these, I am on schedule for shifting to marathon mode this fall. I have been really feeling good with the bike and swim. Really strong, actually, and I think I have my solid 6-plus months of consistent strength training to thank for it. I think even though the run will be a tertiary discipline for the next few weeks, I can be successful in these.

'Strength' has become the theme of the summer-not fast, but I am devoting the next few months to really re-modeling my fitness from the inside out, being smart and looking at the long-term. Besides crosstraining, there are several factors that I am focusing on currently:


  • Nutrition/Fueling: Since joining the Honey Stinger Hive (or #HSHIVE :)) I have easy access to some of the most high-quality sports nutrition on the planet. Protein bars are my go-to in the afternoon, with quick carbs in waffles before workouts. Processed foods are at a minimum, and putting in things that are easy to prepare yet yield high dividends in energy levels are key. 
  • Supplementation: Beta Alanine has returned into the cycle in addition to an increase in omega 3's. 
  • Process focus: I'm doing well taking things one session at a time. The less I think about what one day/workout/lack of workout means, the better off I am. While tris are secondary, I do seem to have a knack for them and should embrace it this summer instead of wishing I could run more. That can come later. 
  • Confidence: really trying to focus on thinking about how strong I feel vs. stressed and/or tired. Every day is different but most days are good.
  • Lateral stability: see paragraph 2 for rationale on that one! Looks like I missed something. 
  • Lastly-and this on shocks even me....body image. While not intending to sound arrogant, for the first time in years, I am happy with what I'm doing regime wise, although not perfect, I've stopped trying to look perfect. I have many days where I actually look in the mirror and....wait for it...actually like what I'm seeing. True story. After reading this gem of an article on Canadian marathoner Lanni Marchant, I'm becoming ok with looking like what I'm supposed to look like. How can you be upset at yourself if you are doing a great job taking care of yourself? 
Hopefully, things will continue to come together. What makes you feel strong?

So, there you have it-I should have a post soon with some updates as things are going to get exciting in the upcoming months. 

Stay the course. 

2 comments:

Raina R. said...

Note to foot: Get on board!!
Smart choice, Adrienne, regarding the race.

I am totally curious about Beta alanine. Why have I heard of this, but don't know what it is?

L.A. Runner said...

Out with the news already!!!!! Your devoted readers deserve more than that! LOL. You've always been a smart cookie, but I'm super proud of the last paragraph there. Pregnancy has done some crazy things to my body, a lot of which I'm not fond of. However, it's hard to think badly about when it's making a human in there! I'll try to channel my inner-Adrienne in weeks and months to come.

And you've always been a beast in the pool and on the bike, not sure why you think that would go away all of a sudden… ;)
Love ya bunches!