Sunday, March 28, 2021

Weekly Sweats: The End of the Solo Act

 

In this week's edition: 28 miles, some random body weight strength work here and there, and the end of my solo act.

I'm linking up with the Weekly Run Down, please head over to Kim and Deborah to check it out.

My last day of acting as my own unlicensed, unqualified, and uncertified trainer is today.  Starting tomorrow, a professional takes over.  Let me take a moment to tell you about this week's running and then I'll go more into the coaching thing.

Monday: 4.5 miles and then a trip to one of my state's new mass vaccination centers to start filling up my v card😃

Tuesday: I had a "vaccine hangover" of fatigue and brain fog that dictated a rest day.  In the evening I could feel that things were starting to lift, so I decided to take a short spin and see how things felt.  Verdict: a slow run of 3.25 miles definitely helped.  

P.S. Side effects are out of my control and more than worth it.  The only thing that I wish I had done differently is to move my arm more through out the day to see if that would have cut down on the soreness as bit.  Although the soreness was worse than a flu shot, it also got better faster.

Wednesday: What a difference a day makes.  As soon as the first rays of daylight hit, I was out the door for 3.5 miles.

Thursday: 5.25 miles around town.

Friday: we had a major storm in the morning to the extent that it wasn't safe to run outside and the power was flickering so it also didn't seem like a good idea to run inside.  By late afternoon everything was calm so for the third time in two weeks I headed out for a run in the P.M.  4.25 miles

Saturday: this runs goes to the heart of why I'm firing myself as my coach.  Honestly I probably should have just skipped my Friday run because going into a big ol' long run just over 12 hours after my previous run was a predictable flop.  Yes it was a hilly route and yes it was hella windy but beyond that I was lacking pep in my step.  7.25 miles and I did 4:1 run-walk in the final two miles.

Sunday: off!

Why I'm Firing Myself as My Coach

As my own coach I've taken myself from couch to a 30:11 5k in a mere 10 years.  The things that are driving me to switch over to a professional:

  • The voice in my head asking much more progress I would have made by working with someone who knows what they are doing.  I don't see a downside to getting help.  Coaching isn't free, but it's also not that expensive.  When you look at the opportunity cost of my "free" self coaching the question becomes why the heck didn't I start working with someone a long time ago???
  • The train is clearly off the tracks and running in the wrong direction.  2020 was an excellent year for running and I laid down PR's right and left and got faster overall.    
I previously talked about my progress from April 2019 to April 2020 (P.S. thank you SmashRun!)
 
September 2020 stands as my best/fastest month as a runner ever.  Let's take a look see where things are now:

 
Is anyone looking at the numbers and saying, "yep, this girl knows what she's doing, she should absolutely stay on the self-coached path"?

I can't figure out how to get myself out of this slump.  Yeah I like running but I would like it even better if I was performing at my September 2020 levels.  On the strength training front, I've been able to "follow the book" but after 3 months I'm starting to lose interest and I have serious questions about whether I'm doing things correctly.  I'd kind of settled on continuing on my own until my next half marathon in May, but when it was cancelled I realized that I was truly at the end of the self-coached road.

I've been bouncing around a few ideas about who I wanted to work with.  A local name really stood out, so I contacted that person this week.  Although we'll be working virtually, by going with someone local I have the option to do in-person sessions, she's run all of my area's races, and hey it's always nice to keep the dollars local as well.

We've emailed and talked and are starting business on Monday.  I like what I see on my plan (spoiler: a bit less volume).  As soon as we figure out our schedules we'll do some in person strength work to evaluate what's going on there.  I have a really good feeling about this.
 

31 comments:

  1. It sounds like working with a coach will be really good for you! Sometimes it just takes a new perspective and changing things up to see some progress. That's great that she can evaluate your strength training as well!

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    1. Yes, I have a really good feeling about this situation. I told myself that I wasn't allowed to get "run only" for my training.

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  2. That is exciting about your coach!! Can't wait to see how you do, but I know you will do great! Gotta start the training before the training for the marathon right now. :-)

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  3. I laughed. I lifted a weight all day after my vaccine. I think it helped...no arm soreness.

    I have always been my own coach. I just can't wrap my head spending that money on me. I think I am afraid that I wouldn't improve. Money wasted.


    For me racing helps me get better so the Pandemic has got rid of that variable. And now I think I just don't care.


    That being said... Good luck. You will most likely be a better student than I am.

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    1. And you are certainly a better self-teacher than I am! I'm taking notes about the weight for my 2nd shot.

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  4. Awesome news about the coach! She said likes a great fit. So is she a running coach and a strength coach? That's great!

    Afternoon or after work runs are hard for me :) I much prefer mornings!

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    1. Yes, she's strength as well so she's an all-in-one package. The after work runs are hard...there's not really any kind of warm up that you can do to make up for 8 hours of desk work.

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  5. I'm laughing at your comments about the 'self coached path'. Been there done that and coaching $$ is the best money I've ever spent. It's so nice to have some objectively look at what you're doing and redirect you. I also love having a plan laid out for me and all I have to do is execute it. Excited for you!

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    1. This is long overdue. And now I have a coaching slot open if you know of anyone who wants to go from couch to +30 5k;-)

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  6. Good for you on seeking (and finding) a local coach! As you know, most of my runs are at o'dark thirty. For me, I love getting up early and starting the day with an adrenaline fix (it is my coffee, after all). That said, I don't mind after-work runs, but those are easy-paced and short (2-4 miles, max).

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    1. Same for me, at least for the 3 that I've done in the past two weeks. Since it's getting light out earlier and I only have one vax shot to go there shouldn't be any others. I'll take running in the evening over not running at all, but it is a little odd.

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  7. Awesome job on finding a coach! I've used a coach for my marathon training cycles and I found it to be super helpful .

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  8. How exciting! I will be interesting to see your progress now that you are working with a pro. ;-) But I’m glad you give yourself credit too - you deserve it.

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    1. I've had fun doing my own thing if nothing else. I'm looking forward to a new chapter.

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  9. I love your thought process on firing yourself. It sounds like you've found an amazing partner in your next journey.
    I'm with you on vaccine fog, although I didn't get into my "Fauci ouchie" in my post.

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  10. Well, I'll be interested to hear all about it! I also have been "coaching" myself with mixed results.
    I'm getting my first shot on Tuesday! I purposely scheduled it that way because I don't work on Wednesdays... just in case. my husband got his second (Pfizer) shot on Saturday, and all day Sunday he kept saying "I'm just so tired, I don't know why!" I told him about a thousand times it was the vaccine but he didn't seem to believe me. Anyway, today he was completely back to normal.

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    1. By now it must be V day for you! Husbands are so funny, they seems to think that side effects are for everyone else;-)

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  11. I think you're really smart to stay local so you'll have the option to do in-person training if/when you want. Just seeing your coach a races will also have a huge impact on motivation, accountability, etc. I hope it goes exactly as you hope!

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    1. Thanks Debbie! It's always fun to try something new.

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  12. honestly I don't think it would ever hurt to get a coach. I mean, the only downside is when you don't click with that person or you didn't learn anything. I've had a coach for years, including a small training group. I had a lot of good trainings then, and I managed to get my 5KM PR that I wanted before my last surgery, so I would say it was a success. I would love to train with him again, but I need to just wait now until we have a little be more freedom to be in a group again.

    so... I approve! :)

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    1. Exactly - if it doesn't work out you just move on. If it does work out then I'll enjoy running even more than I do now!

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  13. I'm excited to hear about your journey with your new coach!

    I got my first dose of vaccine today and I spent a lot of time moving my arm and rubbing the injection site. It's a little sore but not bad. Hoping a good night's sleep does the trick.

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    1. Yay that you got your shot! I'm going to really work my arm next time. Luckily there isn't a third time.

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  14. Good for you for getting your first vaccine. We got our first one on Saturday evening too. Just a little arm soreness was the only side effect. I did move my arm and in fact did Body Pump. I think that helped prevent too much soreness.

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    1. I am determined not to get arm soreness this time if it's within my control.

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  15. I am so freaking excited for you. You are one of the most consistent bloggers I follow and you clearly have the motivation. I cannot wait to see how you flourish with the structure and guidance of a coach. Congrats on taking the plunge and firing yourself!

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth! And you've got it right, I'm going to running no matter what so why not get some results to show for it?

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  16. good for you for getting a coach. I've definitely thought about it before but haven't pulled the trigger. I am curious to hear about your experience.

    And also: yay for vaccines!! I am so glad you were able to have side effects, because that means you were able to get vaccinated LOL

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