Rainier Training: Detour

Quick Look Weeks of April 30-May 6:

# of Workouts:  9

# of miles ran/walked/hiked/climbed:  25

Starting Weight: 220.8

Current Weight: 175.2 (Up 0.6 lbs from previous week)

Total Lost to date: 45.6 lbs

Chest: 40" (No change)

Hips: 45"  (No change!)

Monday: 2.2 mile walk, 40 min ST with Adam
Tuesday: 1 mile walk, 4 mile run; zoo trip
Wednesday: 1.5 mile run; 40 min ST with Adam
Thursday: 2.5 mile walk
Friday: 1.17 mile run
Saturday: 13.23 mile run - Cap City Half: RECAP
Sunday: Rest/carried Avery in Bjorn 30 minutes

Another week, another gain.  I also feel the need to admit, that when I first weighed myself it was 175.8.  They say if you hydrate properly for a race, you should gain about 2-3 pounds...but I don't want to see it on the scale after the race!  HA!

It's hard not to get bummed about a little bump on the scale for a second week in a row.  Especially when I actually counted calories for the first time ever.  I have to remind myself that I almost always gain weight the week of a race, and that I'm in this for the long haul and long term conditioning, not the weekly scale.

Other things I've learned this week???  Don't write a race recap when you are TIRED.  I focused more on the negative in my recap than I should have.  This perhaps reflects what I wasn't admitting to anyone out loud, that I was bummed I didn't meet my post-Knoxville time goals.  I know, I KNOW it was hot and humid....but I'm competitive, especially with myself.  :)

Positives of Cap City that I feel the need to share even if I've already posted that recap:  

• Nice relatively flat course with LOTS of crowd support.  It is a nice loop that starts downtown, goes to the Ohio State campus, and back to downtown, with an extra 5K looping the German Village (the home of the cobblestones).  
• The post-race food was just what I want after a race: water bottles, orange slices, and bagels.  They also had Calcium Chocolate truffles and chocolate milk courtesy of Snowville Creamery!   Because I stayed until the very end cheering in friends and chatting, the Snowville Creamery people gave me one of the extra cartons of chocolate milk to take home.  I also got an extra pile of chocolates. 
• My absolute favorite part???  Cheering friends in at the finish line.  
• They also had lots of fun family and kid activities at the Finish Line that would have been fantastic for Avery if she were just a bit older.
• One of the best looking (and largest) medals in my collection.  Perhaps it's true what they say, it's all about the bling.

Thank you for all the nice congrats on my race!!!

Now it's time to shift gears.  I try to give myself a couple of days of little to no work the two days following a big race.  Then, I ease back into it, listening to what my body says.   As such, this week will be considered a "fall back" week for running, but next week I will actually be increasing my mileage in preparation for Relay Around Columbus.  I also will be splitting my long runs into two shorter runs as a relay leg prep.  (the total distance will approach distance records for me though).

For mountain climbing???  As my wonderful friend's countdown email showed this week, I only have 9 weeks left.  I can't baby my knees any more.  Time to build up the Rainier workouts.  My plan is to ramp up the intensity on days I workout, but give myself one extra rest day a week to compensate.

Any one else ever prepped for a long-distance relay??  Suggestions?

How long do you usually give yourself off after a race?