Jumping January

January 2020 in Review - Happy New Year!

Total mileage for the month:  230.2

• Dec. 30-Jan. 5:  79.2
• Jan. 6-12:  68.6
• Jan. 13-19:  63.8
• Jan. 20-26:  13.1 (PR for the most days I've taken off running when not injured, at 5!)
• Jan. 27-Feb. 2:  45.5

Jumping January returns!

Races:

• Jan. 19 - Chevron Houston Marathon in 2:58:45 for another chance to use the title "Houston, we had a problem...".  With as sick as I was for this race, I was happy to finish and to extend my sub-3:00 streak to 10, but this was far off my goal time and fitness.  It also officially closed the door on opportunities to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Trials.

Workouts:

• Jan. 3:  3 warm up, 3 x 1 mile w/ 3:00 recoveries in 5:52, 5:56, 5:53, 3 MP in 6:17, 6:16, 6:26, 5:00 recovery, 3 x 1 mile in 6:07, 6:13, 6:23 w/ 3:00 recoveries, 1 mile easy, 2 MP (was supposed to be 3 again) in 6:36, 6:34, 1 cool down.  Meh.  I was worried on the first set of tempos that I was reaching too much to stay in the 5:50-6:00 range, but I hoped that I'd feel better once I got going.  I did feel much better on the first set of marathon pace miles; on the third mile I just lost focus due to talking to a friend who was running with me - you read that right, I had someone to run this workout with (Derek, who is a 1:11 half guy so was barely working) through the second repeat of the second set of tempo miles.  6:15 was much more comfortable than 5:55!  But when it was time to drop back to tempo pace I could not get my pace back down to sub-6:00.  Instead I got a little slower on each one, and on #3 when I couldn't even hit marathon pace I told myself that I could stop the workout at the end of that mile.  I instead took a longer recovery, jogging for a mile instead of for 3:00, and gave it my best for 2 more marathon pace miles, which felt about like the end of a marathon death march.  I knew I'd be fighting for pace at the end of Houston, and although I hoped my fight at Houston yielded faster splits, I fought to stay in the 6:30s then cooled down for 18 miles total.  It was very windy, which definitely affected me, but this was also not my day.
• Jan. 8:  4 x 1 mile tempos with 90 second recovery jogs in 5:57, 6:02, 5:58, 5:57 (3 warm up, 2 cool down).  My goal pace range was 5:55-6:00, and these felt better than my Jan. 3 workout but still harder than I wanted them too.  My body wanted to run 6:0X pace and anytime I lost focus that's where I went, such as on #2.  These was no wind for this one so I couldn't blame the weather!
• Jan. 10:  2 x 2 mile at marathon pace with 2:30 recovery in 6:10, 6:14, 6:18, 6:12 (3 warm up, 2.1 cool down).  6:10-6:15 is definitely easier that 5:55 (Captain Obvious), but this was another crazy windy day!  Abby ran some of this one with me, which was really nice.  She did the first full mile with me, then took a recovery and came in and out for 2-3 minutes at a time for the rest of the workout - getting her sub-19 5K ready!
• Jan. 14:  1 mile in 6:03, 1200 m at 5:56, 2 x 800 m at 5:41 and 5:36 with full recoveries (3.1 warm up, 1.8 cool down).  This workout felt so short and easy, and it was nice to feel so great after not having the best streak of workouts.  It was 40 degrees with no wind, which sure helped - plus Rebecca ran this with me and we are always better together!
• Doubles: Jan. 2, 6, 10.
• Strides:  Jan. 17, 18, 30 and at least a few before all workouts and races.
• Strength work:  Weekly totals of 1:43, 1:30, 0:20, 0:25
• Yoga:  Weekly totals of 2:05, 3:17, 2:27, 2:47 - I think it's clear this month consisted of tapering and recovering!
• Favorite workout:  I loved the Jan. 3 workout but didn't love how I felt.  I felt like a million bucks on Jan. 14!

Unlike last year, we didn't get jumping pics
every day

My first ever hot yoga class, with Amy on Jan. 1

Jan. 10 post-workout

Long Runs:

• Jan. 3:  18.4 miles, with a workout described above.
• Jan. 12:  Snow and ice 11 miles (8:34).  This run was an adventure on some of the worst road conditions I've ever run on!  I wanted to wait until after church to run to allow some melting to occur, but Abby talked me into going in the morning.  I enjoyed the time with her, but I ran very tentatively and worried about falling with each step.  My husband could not believe I went out in it.
• Jan. 19:  27.5 with the Houston Marathon plus warm-up.
• Favorite long run:  This month is a best of the worst contest, so Jan. 3.
  

Post-Jan. 3 long run workout

Jan. 11 post-long run

Running highlights/thoughts/randomness:

• I made the Bill Snyder half marathon homepage and feature video.
• I also found myself pictured on the Rock the Parkway half marathon registration page.
• I tried hot yoga.  My friend Amy attends classes regularly, and since I was off work on New Years Day we ran on a trail by the yoga studio then went to their morning class right after.  I liked it for about 40 minutes and was then ready to be done; the yoga videos I usually do are around 30 minutes so I guess I haven't built up my yoga endurance.  I was glad I had been doing videos, because otherwise I'd have been clueless about the poses.  My pecs were sore after the class.
• I had a lot of confusion and uncertainty hit me in the 10 days leading up to Houston.  I wasn't prepared for it, but there is no manual for grief and I've learned it comes in waves.

Bill Snyder Half page

Rock the Parkway registration

My new 3-pack of food compression socks

Life stuff: 

• We welcomed 2020 with take-out and movies.  I went to sleep around 10:00 p.m., but Jon and Albani watched another movie and welcomed in the New Year.
• We got a decent snow on January 10, and I remembered that I'm not very good at running in snow that's re-frozen on January 11.
• The Houston Marathon wasn't what I'd hoped for, but I enjoyed the trip with my husband and dad, and Albani sure enjoyed her Grandma time with my mom while we were away. 
• Albani had her first school band concert - she plays clarinet.
• Mostly I had bronchitis this month.

On New Years Day, we were lazy...

...and played a lot of card games

Nugget's first snow

Albani enjoyed it too

After Albani's first band concert

Books:

• Educated by Tara Westover
• Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
• The Power by Naomi Alderman
• Framed by James Ponti
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
• Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron
• Do Not Become Alarmed by Malie Meloy
• You'll Never Know by Halie Ephrom
• Dead Sea Rising by Jerry B. Jenkins
• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Night Night, Sleep Tight by Hallie Ephrom
• Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
• Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
•  Once a Runner by John L. Parker, Jr.

Between the ride to Houston and being quite sick for 9 days, I read a lot.

Also, I started a Goodreads account to track my 2020 reads!

Theme of the month:
Questionable decisions.  I wasn't sure if I should go to Houston, then I wasn't sure if I should start Houston, and also I was unsure if I should finish Houston.  While I now don't plan to return to Houston, I also probably would if circumstances end up being similar in 2024.  It's a great event, but it has not gone well for me!  I am currently still somewhat weak and wheezing, so it's questionable if I should be running in the cold, but I have improved a lot and was going crazy staying in.