Monday, July 25, 2011

How NOT to train for a race

On August 14th, I am running a half marathon with my friend Lindsay and Theodora.  I just dialed up my training with a solid week of running two weeks ago and then struggled to find the time last week.  On Friday, Corey and I were gchatting about running together on Saturday.  She wanted to run 11 miles at a slower pace for her (which happens to be my pace) and then speed up the last 4 miles.  I wanted to run 11 miles so it was going to work out perfectly. Problem was it was supposed to be 100 degrees Saturday morning.  Corey texted me later in the evening and told me she was going to push off her run until the cooler day on Sunday.  So I set my alarm to run on the treadmill Saturday morning. BUT... here come the excuses....  This is HOW not to train for a RACE.

FRIDAY NIGHT:
Dave and I celebrated our anniversary at The Capital Grille in Chestnut Hill.  (Review on that to come)
And our waiter was really generous.  Meaning, after some Stoli Dolis, we got complimentary Champagne and Port Wine.
Needless to say, I was feeling the alcohol when my alarm went off Saturday AM. So I opted for more sleep rather than running.

SATURDAY:
In the late morning, I headed to my friend Sara's Bridal Shower.  I drove through some insane thunder and lightening storms before making it down to the South Shore. Sara is one of those friends that I know I'll be friends with for life so it was extra special to see her 'showered' with love (and presents!).
I had a few hours in between the shower and her bachelorette party so I headed to the gym.  I was optimistic for a long run, but after four miles I called it quits.  

Again, drinking the night before and then continuing to drink mimosas at the shower does not equal a successful run.  You would think I would learn my lesson and not drink (or drink less) Saturday night.  You would think.

But I had a bachelorette party to attend.  And a fun night with my high school friends after that. 

SATURDAY NIGHT:
I first headed to Temazcal Tequila Cantina on the Waterfront for Sara's Bachelorette Dinner.  When I arrived, the guy at the door wouldn't let me in saying the restaurant was at capacity and there was a 2.5 hour wait at 7pm.  Luckily, a few minutes later some people left and they let me in to join Sara's friends at dinner. First, let me tell you, this place is GORGEOUS.  And CROWDED.  And loud.  But the place was super swanky- they had ipads in place of menus!  Pretty cool!  My camera died and my phone was charging with the hostess (as you can tell I was a hot mess) so I stole these photos from their website and made a fun collage so you can see what I ate and drank : )
The food was pretty good.  It's hard for me to judge exactly because I didn't have an entree but I definitely want to go back to try it out again.  My tamale didn't have nearly the amount of lobster that they show in this picture though : (. But the views are what you pay for and what makes every place in the Seaport area so breathtaking.

Around 9:15, I had to quickly run over to meet my high school friends at Whiskey Preist.  I was told that if I didn't show up by then, there would be a line.  And even at 9:15pm, I waited in line.  Luckily I got through fast and joined my friends just as the band was setting up.

My friend Jamie is here from California and she knows the singer in the band Bearfight.  Well, they were the best live cover band I've ever seen in Boston and I cannot wait to hear them play again.  If you ever get the chance to hear Bearfight, GO.  They will make your night!!!
So, as you can see my Saturday was A TON of fun but obviously a run on Sunday was out of the question. I did have high hopes that I would feel better by evening and I would be able to do my long run then, but that was not the case.

Truth is, I wouldn't change this weekend for anything. I had a romantic dinner with my husband, celebrated a life-long friends upcoming marriage and partied with my best friends from high school.  Although I definitely regret some of the alcohol, I do not regret one moment spent with these special people.

My legs haven't forgotten how to run by taking a few days off...
(I know that for a fact because I busted out 8 miles this morning before work!)

Do you let life interfere with your running training plan? Or are you strict with it?
I'm a huge advocate for balance and moderation and if life calls, you gotta roll with it!

17 comments:

  1. i let my life interrupt my training plan fairly often. running wouldn't be fun to me if it came as a major sacrifice to the rest of my life. i'm with you on balance and moderation. rein it in sometimes, bit other times, just go along with it and adjust accordingly.

    btw -- this weekend looked well worth it :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This post is kind of awesome and hilarious. I like you. I also really like that you ran 8 miles before work today. That, my friend, is badassery at its best. Job well done. Now come run some of those miles in NYC. Please?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I LOVE BearFight! A friend of mine is in the band and I love love love love them, they're so much fun. But your training sounds a lot like mine these days ;) It's all about balance, right?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I completely agree. well not that i have a running plan, but about the whole, life calling and rolling with it aspect. your weekend looks amazing.

    After all the Boston restaurant recs you went with Captil Grille outside the city?! haha ;) can't wait for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I find that it is so hard to balance sometimes. Like I don't want to be the lame girl who doesn't socialize because I need to get a good run in, but somedays, I just want to be around people... It's a hard balance to find, andI still haven't perfected it yet.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I had the same thing happen this weekend! Ended up getting invited to a free dinner on my friend's company at a higher end restaurant that completely thwarted my planned 12 miler. But it was well worth it. Glad you had a fun weekend with friends and the husband!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think I would go crazy if I didn't skip workouts now and then. Especially for fun weekends like you had. But that's also why I like to do long training plans because it gives you more wiggle room.

    ReplyDelete
  8. sounds like an absolutely fabulous weekend - i also missed a workout on sunday bc i was hungover. btw - im friends with the bearfight guys! they are awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love all the stuff you did! I can't wait to read the Capital Grille review... I still have not been there! And that cake at the shower is so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  10. My life always interferes with my exercise plans. Looks like you had a fabulous weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You gotta let life interfere with your running....so many things only happen once!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love this! One of the things I hate about how I used to approach training was that I'd say "no" to so many things because I had a long run in the morning blah blah. But you're right, living your life to the fullest is so much more important.

    Glad you had a good weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congrats on getting up early this morning to run! You made me proud :)

    So as much as I'd like to say that I let my life interfere with my running, the truth is that it doesn't always. I get nervous about my long runs, and try to work things around them as much as possible. BUT I used to be a lot worse. I had to stick to a rigorous schedule, and got anxious if I didn't. Now I'm a lot more flexible about it when things come up...and even skip a workout here and there. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is my life! For a long time, the training plan took over and it got real old, real quick. I am definitely planning my workouts around my life rather than planning my life around my workouts. It's so much more enjoyable!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is why I'm so happy to not be training for anything right now. I always felt like my run schedule was taking over... and I would cancel plans on Saturday night (or not drink and leave early) because of my Sunday morning long run. So glad not to be worrying about that anymore. You should try it sometime ;)
    Looks like an awesome weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm glad you had such a fun weekend. Life over running any day!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sometimes life gets in the way of running...and that's okay :) I'm sorry I didn't get to run with you, but SO happy that you had a great anniversary celebration and weekend in general! You work so hard and definitely deserve a fun break. I know you will be ready to take on that half on the 14th!!

    ReplyDelete