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The Return of the Long Run

Oh holy jet lag! This time Bo nor I were able to beat jet lag and instead have just given into it 100%. Typically we do our best to quickly adjust to the time zone by going to bed at normal times, making sure we wake up at normal times, eating healthy, and hydrating. When we arrived back in Geneva on Friday, after over 30 hours of travel, we immediately headed to a wedding celebration for Mike & Nora.

 Photo: No better way to celebrate Swiss National Day than at Nora and Mike's wedding! Cruising around the lake through Switzerland and France in gorgeous weather surrounded by fireworks. I'll take it. ✨

The celebration was pretty amazing and included a yacht tour of Lac Leman with 50 of their friends and then an after party at Java, a local club. The night ended at 2am and by this point we’d each been up for over 36 hours.

Needless to say that between Friday night and Saturday night, Bo and I slept 24 hours. I think you could say our bodies were screaming for sleep. Yesterday we woke up at 3pm and today we woke up at 12pm. I don’t think I’ve EVER slept until 3pm; not even in college! With the crazy jet lag, it would have been easy to skip this week’s long run and just put it off until next weekend. The Berlin Marathon my goal race this Fall, is just 8 weeks away which means that only 7 long runs remain until the big day. That, along with the fact that Theodora would be crushing the NYC Tri at the same time, gave me the inspiration and kick in the butt needed to get out the door this afternoon.

My goal for today’s long run was to start practicing my fuel and clothing plan for race day. I relaxed for an hour, while catching up on emails and blogging, as I ate my pre-run “brunch”. This morning was the return of a classic, as we brought PB and Company Bee’s Knees peanut butter back with us from the US.  In addition to peanut butter and banana on toast I enjoyed a cup of coffee and Vega Sport Prepare pre-workout energizer. The Vega was a little too earthy or plant tasting for me but I will continue trying it as so many people swear by it before long workouts.

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When I left the house it was overcast and around 70 degrees; perfect long run weather. My goal was to only stop 3 times during the run, once for fuel and then another two times to refill my water bottle. The course I mapped was simple to follow and parts of it were along the lake and through the botanical gardens which meant lovely scenery.

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As the pictures show, the overcast weather quickly turned to a sunny and humid summer day complete with temperatures in the low 80s. My route provided very little shade and I quickly regretted forgetting to add NUUN or Vega Sport to my water for electrolyte replenishment. But, the good news is that the 13 miles went exactly as I hoped. I felt strong and my pace was exactly on target for my Berlin Marathon training.

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The middle miles, seven through nine, were slower than planned as I had to weave through Fete de Geneve festivities including lots of fair games and rides. I will share my playlist this week as it was perfect and was only half way through when Map My Run told me I was finished with 13 miles.

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Next week I have 15 miles on the schedule and my sole goal is to maintain a similar pace. Thanks for all the suggestions and positive motivation earlier this week as you all really helped me believe that I could come back from my training break stronger than before!

I finished the run with a refreshing green smoothie including spinach, powered peanut butter, frozen banana, skim milk, ice, Blissful Eats granola and Designer Whey protein powder!

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Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with the couch!

How was your weekend? Did you have a long run or other workout which you especially loved?

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ashleyd /

Taking A Break from Training

I’m currently sitting on the roof of the JFK Delta Sky Lounge, enjoying the 80 degree temperatures and last bits of sunshine before our evening flight to Europe.

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This vacation has been absolutely incredible in so many ways and I will certainly share more details in the upcoming posts but today, I figure I should take a pause to focus on the one thing giving me a bit of anxiety right now.

The press around Shalane Flanagan sub 2:20 hour Berlin Marathon goal earlier this week made me remember that in just 8.5 weeks I too will be lacing up my sneakers and pinning on my bib to run 26.2 miles.  First of all, my mind is at a loss when I realize that she will finish the marathon before I hit the half marathon point. Second of all, while vacation has been wonderful and I have absolutely zero regrets, I haven’t exactly stuck to my training plan. As I sit here typing this post I think there may be a few anxiety hives showing up on my neck.

This vacation was a much needed chance to unplug. I have been virtually silent on social media, except for a few check-ins here and there and a daily Instagram post. Instead of focusing on an agenda and calendar each day of vacation, as I’ve done previously, I was the most relaxed I’ve been in years. Many vacations I still bring my training plan with me and focus on squeezing in every workout. While that is healthy and sometimes makes sense, for this vacation I knew I wanted to relax emotionally, physically and mentally.

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I didn’t gain a single pound on vacation due in part to the fact that I was active every single day whether walking on the beach, practicing yoga in the backyard, biking around the island, or running. My long run was 10 miles and every other run was between three and four miles, far shorter distances than my training plan prescribed. As I have my sights set on a PR in Berlin, I know this decision wasn’t necessarily the smartest physically but mentally I think it was the best thing possible. For the next 8 weeks I will be living by my training plan and this mental break allows me to start fresh. Based on my physique and headstand abilities, I know that I am the strongest I’ve ever been and that my body is ready for any challenge I will give it over these next few weeks. The first few days of training won’t be easy but at least I am fresh and ready. There may not be a washboard stomach in the below picture but there is a heart and soul that craved attempting headstands on a daily basis and finally, after days of trying, was able to hold it long enough for my dad to capture on his phone camera. IMG_1199[1]

Now it’s your turn, what are your suggestions for making my first few weeks of training easier? How do you jump back into long runs after a momentary break?

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Geneva Triathlon Training – Stronger

Not every day of training will be perfect. I sat down to write this post and saw that there were many areas I could stress over in regards to last week’s training. One of my runs didn’t happen at all and another one of them was on the treadmill instead of outside. But, at the end of the day I have to take a step back and remember a few things.

I have come SO far from where I was this time last year.

I am mentally stronger than I’ve ever been.

My body is stronger than it’s ever been.

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I am giving myself a bit of a break between now and July 19th when I will complete my first triathlon. I know that my marathon training will not be perfect between now and then. For one thing, next weekend I will not have a long run as I’ll instead spend nearly two hours swimming, biking and running in the actual triathlon. But, I hope to take the confidence and overall strength that I’ve developed during this “out of my comfort zone” training and apply it to my marathon training to ensure that my final two months of training are the strongest yet.

So, now that we have cleared that up, let’s get down to business and take a look back at last week’s training.

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Another great Tuesday two a day including a 6 mile treadmill tempo run during lunch followed by 90 minutes of power yoga in the evening.

Wednesday: I did a 45 minutes pre-programmed hill workout on my gym’s upright stationary bike. This workout quickly proved to me that you CAN in fact get a killer workout on this under utilized piece of gym equipment.

Thursday: Rest

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Friday: Due to hail and inclement weather I ran 13 miles on the treadmill after work. Even though it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as my lakeside runs, I lived to tell the story and even learned a few tricks which I shared in Friday’s post; 5 Tips for Making Treadmill Long Runs Easier.

Saturday: Bo and I had great plans to do a brick workout including a 30 minute open water swim followed by an hour bike ride. I’m going talk more about our adventures and misadventures in triathlon training later this week but needless to say, one flat tire derailed our plans quite a bit. I ended up having a great 1,000 meter open water swim but only biked for 10 miles.

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Sunday: We joined the Geneva Runners Club evening swim practice for a 1.5 hour open water swim which included about 15 minutes of pre and post swim triathlon tips and coaching. The actual workout included about 1 mile of open water swimming including a 600 meter warm-up and lots of drills. I really enjoyed the sighting and breathing drills, in light of my upcoming triathlon. Bo and I biked to and from practice for a total of another 7 miles on the bike. This amount seems like nothing but every little bit helps me become more confident though I’ve learned from two side falls that clipping in while navigating Geneva’s crowded sidewalks isn’t a smart move. 

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How about you? What are you thanking your body for this week? I’m thankful for a stronger, more positive mind than I’ve had previously. This mindset is allowing me to overcome fears, slowly but surely and push through mental exhaustion.

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