I suppose it’s easy to tell I didn’t finish my last training cycle—no updates since that first overly optimistic report about how “consistent” I was being. Not!
I was still struggling with depression and just couldn’t/wouldn’t get myself out to train. I had that 25K at the end of September and the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run in November that was on my calendar. (No matter what, I wasn’t going to be doing anything close to the 50K I’d registered for Dino Valley.) Lastly, a 10K for a run at Dana Peak which included about 1000′ of elevation gain.
I just let it all go. No races for the rest of 2024. I was honestly wondering if I’d ever seriously train and run races again. Should I give up the grandiose dream of finishing the Western States Endurance Run in 2034 as the oldest female finisher of record. (Ha! Quick review of that post and I was overly optimistic about having “pulled myself out of [the depression]” at that time. Or maybe, more fair to say I was naive to think it was over and wouldn’t be back—like…every year.)
I’m still overly optimistic, if not naive about it now. I’m sure I’m into a long-term “remission” and will work to keep it that way. I’ve accomplished more in the past month than I have in the past several years. I feel these are grounds to be optimistic.
This one is the one I’m really using as an indicator: In one more week, I’ll meet my friend Susy’s definition of training “consistency.” That is, I’m “consistent” if and when I’ve completed a solid month of training. LOL It’s been years since I trained for two consecutive weeks—and three? Probably not in the past decade. Now, here I am, working into my fourth consecutive week of training.
My friend Kathy and I have been trying for years to support each other with establishing a modest weekly exercise practice. This goes all the way back to when I was still in Austin. We’d met virtually via Skype for our workouts. Then there was the time we agreed to meet 2-3 times a week, alternating her place and mine. The attempts to get a regular hiking schedule for Cameron Park in Waco. The DeXA scans, the anti-inflammation diet plan, clean eating plan, once weekly yoga… We never even got close to being consistent in any of those attempts. Until now.
She and I got together for lunch in the middle of November. Part of our conversation (in addition to the trials and tribulations of being care-givers) always include some mention about how we have to get serious about exercising regularly. “We’re getting too old to let that slide.” “The less we do, the less we’ll be able to do.” “What are we going to do with ourselves? We can’t even get out everyday for a 30 minute walk.”
As it turned out, Kathy had been doing some research and learned that Silver Sneakers, by way of a Medicare benefit, would pay for a gym membership and a gym covered was a nearby Planet Fitness (PF). Then she made the most amazing offer. If I’d go with her, she’d pay for my membership, said it would be worth it to her to have me going with her. (I plan to take over the membership cost in April, after I’ve paid off my “hospital” bill from my Jan ‘24 shoulder surgery.)
We went and signed up that afternoon! “Black Card” membership includes access to a PF personal trainer and the Black Card Spa with it’s massage chairs, hydro beds (lovely!), tanning booths, and wellness pod. I made sure we scheduled with a trainer for the earliest appointment that fit all three of our schedules. That meant Wed afternoon the following week. That’s all it took for us to finally get serious about a regular weekly fitness practice.
Using my experience as an athlete and education as a personal trainer, I took on the role of developing a fitness plan for both of us. I knew in addition to the strength and conditioning (S&C) workouts we’d do at PF, Kathy would need regular walks or hikes. I’d need regular training runs, because trail running had to be part of my fitness practice. So I invited Kathy to a short hike that very Saturday at Ft. Parker State Park. (At right, pics from that first hike – 20241116.)
We followed through! Hiked that Saturday and did our first S&C workout the following Wednesday. For the following weeks, we scheduled our PF workouts on Mondays and kept our park hikes on Saturdays.
I officially kicked off my run training at the end of that second week1. Last week, week 3, our schedules wouldn’t match up. But rather than following the pattern set in our past (e.g. skipping workouts if we didn’t have each other to keep us accountable), we each did our S&C workout independently. Kathy, scheduled with the PF trainer and I went to Lott’s Fitness Center in Fairfield. (My insurance pays that monthly cost.) Kathy got in a walk with one of her dogs, and I continued my running plan with a 7M trail run/hike solo at Ft. Parker.
Last week was more challenging. Kathy had knee pain after her solo workout. (I found out the trainer didn’t meet her and she was working out unsupervised. She’s still learning the machines and proper form.) This past weekend, foot pain from a recent podiatrist visit kept her off her feet.
True to history, unable to get myself out there solo, I skipped the weekend run/hike. Fortunately, the two of us made it all happen on Tuesday. I stopped off at Ft. Parker again and got in a blistering 4.85M run. More on that in a bit.
Finishing my run, I stretched then drove on to Waco to met Kathy for a light lunch (I ate salad!). Afterwards, we went to PF for our S&C workout. It wasn’t too intense, but Kathy did say her triceps were sore from the assisted triceps dips I introduced her to. 😉
I haven’t been this excited in a while and I haven’t done any S&C work in years! It’s actually been fun, particularly working out our training programs for the gym. As a result, I’ve been registering for races, using volunteer credits mostly, and creating training plans for them. A 25K (15.5M) in Jan, a marathon (26.2M) in Mar, a 50K (31.1M) in May (not yet registered), a 50M in Oct and a 100K (62.2M) in Nov (also, not yet registered). (Or maybe just another 50K instead of the 100K at one of my favorite state parks. 😜)
Yesterday, I was to have left for a week and a half vacation. I was excited enough about it and my almost-training-consistency that I mapped out both of my long runs on the trails and my S&C workouts at local PF locations. Day 1 was 9M at my first stop, Galveston Island SP. Day 7 was 10M at Brazos Bend SP—just a day pass, no camping. (I couldn’t bear the idea of 2M repeats on a busy urban trail.)
The travel schedule looked like this: 3 nights at Galveston Island SP, day 4 I’d move to Pearland to visit with a cousin while she was on vacation, and day 8 on to Austin for 4 nights working on my condo work and visiting friends. I plotted out my training for the entire trip!2
As is my luck of late, my truck went into the shop again, although a full week in advance of my planned departure. (This time the issue is in the electrical controls of the A/C and heater.) They’ve had it for 9 days, as of today, replaced the “controller head” but are finding further issues. Along with another unplanned $200 out of pocket (so happy I bought the extended warranty service, though), I don’t have my truck.
The plan was to sleep in the bed of the truck under the SofTopper® with the camper top tent attached, extending interior space over the tailgate. With power at the campsite, I planned to stay snugly out of the wind and rain. I was even taking an electric space heater to sit safely out of the way on a corner of the tailgate. Okay, okay. So it’s glamping and not camping. Still roughing it enough to count as getting outdoors. 😉
Without the truck and it’s canvas topper, my only option was full-on tent camping. Not quite as planned, but I’ve done it many times before.
I was going, dammit!
I had all my camping gear loaded in Dad’s car. Just needed to add my backpack, running bag, dry food, and ice chest to be ready to roll the next morning.
That night, I woke up at 4:00 AM and my brain launched into a pre-check, mentally ticking off the items I had loaded to cope with wind and rain. Inexorably, this led me to recalling past experiences with trying to keep a shelter in place on an open, windswept campsite. Likewise the tactics for staying dry in wet weather and warm in cold weather—without a heater in my cot tent. (I did not want to be on the ground.) By 4:43 I was online canceling reservations and the curbside grocery pickup.
I’m still going to Austin next week, but I’ll do my long run at Ft. Parker the day before I leave.
I’m still amazed this setback didn’t pitch me back into depression, putting me in bed for a week. Instead, I’ve taken it in stride. “Shit happens.”
Okay, back to the training update. About that “blistering” pace I mentioned… Full disclosure, it was a very modest 18:21 min/mi average trail pace. On the road, I can almost manage that as a steady walking pace. By comparison, my average page for the three trail races I did this past summer was 21:28 min/mi.
Of course, it was summer in Texas for those three races—and we’re always slower in the heat. And it was over much more technical and challenging terrain for longer distances. Still, I’m counting my modest pace as an improvement and celebrating that I was doing a trail run at just over my easy road pace. So there!
To give you an idea of what my speed needs to be on challenging terrain: If I were attempting the 50K instead of the 25K at the upcoming RagBag Run3 (in two and a half weeks!), I’d need to average 17:23 min/mi to beat the 9 hour cutoff. To average that means I’d need to regularly be running a 14-15 minute mile. At half the distance, I’ll have a very generous 34:46 min/mi average pace to manage—although the 15.5 miles and 5 loops to do it will be a physical AND mental challenge.
Well, this post included quite a bit that wasn’t exactly training updates. However, it all still applies to my training plans—and helps me to review and see where some changes are needed and/or additional training goals set. I’ll finish this out with some of the sights from the past three weeks of training runs. Most are on the Baines Creek Trail at Ft. Parker SP. (My captions aren’t showing up in the gallery below, so: Other than the ant beds, all the churned earth is wild hogs foraging along the cleared path of Baines Creek Trail.)
- Note: My run plan actually starts with week 3 (W3) of the 18 week marathon training plan I’m using. So that would have been the end of the second week after Kathy and I began training. The advanced start is because of the date of the race I selected for my first marathon. I was already registered for it, having taken advantage of a discount offered for the 2025 race. Although, I was registered for the 50 miler and changed it to a modest “marathon,” to match my current (lack of) training. Yes, I KEEP dreaming big. 😜 ↩︎
- For my S&C workouts, I identified the nearby PF centers in Texas City (for Galveston stay), Friendswood (for Pearland vist), and E. Riverside (Austin—and only a half mile from my condo.) I found nearby urban trails in Friendswood for my short runs while in Pearland. My last long run of the trip would have been on the familiar Lady Bird Lake Trail in Austin a short 5-min drive from my condo. ↩︎
- BTW: If you check out the video banner on this race’s website, you’ll see a woman in a teal green running skirt with a black fanny pack on her hip. That’s me hanging out by myself on the right! Proof I was there to volunteer for the first Bear Country Night Trek. I’m still disappointed I wasn’t up to running it myself. ↩︎
