I am Type-A. I feel the need to do everything and I do not know how to ask for help, perhaps that’s why running works so well for me.
More mellow, I think not, still just as crazy…
Josh found one of my old weekly planners from college at my parents’ house a couple weeks ago. He later told me that I had each of my days planned out to the hour. I guess I was a little extreme back then, but that was what I needed to juggle classes (oh and also, we were looking at my college transcript a couple weeks ago as well, there was a semester, I took 31 credits), extracurricular activity meetings, athletics, team projects, homework, and work. It got me really thinking about how I am today. I’d like to think I am more mellow in terms of trying to juggle many things, but I do think a big part of being able to handle it goes back to planning and being prepared.
What most people don’t realize about my marathon training (I know every person’s training is different, so I really do not want to generalize) is that it is a lot more than just running a lot of miles. Usually, my weekly routines these days are pretty straightforward. Work Monday through Friday (and sometimes weekends), either running or some sort of cross training after work, eating dinner, watching something off the DVR, and sleeping. This is all seems simple enough except that there is a lot of planning that goes into making sure everything goes according to plan. I plan out my eating and hydration plans for each day to ensure I am ready for my evening workout. Below is a sample weekly schedule:
Sunday nights – cooking dinner for the week; cooking oatmeal for my breakfast for the week
Monday – work followed by some sort of cross training, usually barre, but if I didn’t run twice that weekend, I’ll usually try to get in a run and strength training
Tuesday – work followed by marathon practice with the team which means I need to leave work no later than 5:10 so that way I can get home, change, and leave again to catch a ferry out to the city
Wednesday – work followed by a short run and maybe cross training if I didn’t do it on Monday (usually, a spin or barre class)
Thursday – work followed by marathon practice with the team
Friday – rest day or cross training depending on how the week went
Saturday / Sunday – one day long run with the team and the other day a short recovery run
And here is a sample of my daily food plan (I’ll have water throughout the day and if I have a tough workout later that day, I’ll add nuun to my water):
Breakfast – oatmeal with frozen blueberries, pomegranate seeds, and milk; coffee
Snack 3 – yogurt (must be eaten no later than two hours before practice)
Snack 4 – banana (must be eaten no later than one hour before practice)
Snack 5 – granola bar (only if I am hungry after practice)
Dinner – some kind of protein with brown rice or quinoa and vegetables
Dessert – maybe fruit, cereal, or ice cream (if I am lucky!)
Or rain during practice can be a wrench as well…
Wrenches (good wrenches, though, since after all, I’d like to have a social life!) are thrown into my plan when I am meeting friends after work or weekend plans don’t allow me to rest before or after the long runs. My week is built in with contingencies, as shown above, with multiple days and ways to get in cross training and/or double workouts (and if I am aggressive, I will try to wake up early for a workout). I am lucky that typically my work schedule allows for me to be able to make it to team practices twice a week, but as I approach travel season this fall, I am starting to get antsy about how my routine will all change. It is apparent that my routine will change, but how I will juggle working late nights at college fairs and missing team practices? Or traveling out-of-state and missing long runs with the team as well?
What kind of schedule / plan works for you while training for a big event?
Modeling the tank during our hills workout
P.S. my running product review of the week is the Under Armour Fly-By Mesh Stretch Tank. I have to admit that I wasn’t the one who found the tank. My teammate, Amanda, who takes the reign with me as the sweatiest on the team introduced me to this amazing running top. When one sweats as much as we do (borderline too much information?), it is so important to wear a top that is lightweight and can wick away moisture. This top is also perfect because it is longer (though all tops are long on me) and is snug up top but looser on the bottom. So far, I’ve worn this top for a couple of the shorter practices and on one long run. I also don’t seem to have any problems with chafing (knock on wood) so far. The price point on this top is also pretty reasonable considering comparable tops from Lululemon or Athleta are priced higher. I love this top so much I bought it two other colors today!
I am only as crazy as the rest of the team! (we take direction from our coaches!)
