I’m not going to sugar coat this week in terms of running. It wasn’t good, great, or impressive. I struggled to make myself run EVERY SINGLE DAY! I put in long days everyday this week (except Friday) of 11-12 hours trying to get stuff done at school that I needed/wanted to do.  On top of that I felt sad, lazy, and like the only place I wanted to be was under a blanket by the fire place when I finally got home. I shamefully did not complete all my runs this week and missed my minimum weekly mileage goal by 2.5 miles (#wintermiles). I’m annoyed with myself-big time. With Ryan still out of commission I didn’t have any extra motivation to get those miles in. Excuses!

Tuesday-(3 miles in 5+ inches of snow half the way) This run was extremely challenging the entire way. I tweaked my ankles running on uneven surfaces you couldn’t see. This led me to skip a run the next day. It was a great core workout though and fun to run in the fresh snow.

Wednesday-(5 miles elliptical) Ryan hit the gym and put in 5 miles on elliptical. While this is not replacement for running it has him doing something cardio wise.

Thursday-(5 miles-elliptical) Ryan on the elliptical

Friday-(6 miles-elliptical) Ryan again hit the gym and rocked the elliptical machine.  I hit the bar with coworkers, rocked some pitchers of beer, and got a new temporary tattoo.  I needed a mental break and simply some FUN!  Plus, the black panther now on my arm is FIERCE!

Saturday-(8.5 miles-me running, 8 miles-Ryan on elliptical) This was a good run. I started out feeling cranky, but getting some vitamin D and seeing the beautiful sunset put me in a way better mood even though a total of 3 blocks were NOT snow covered.  Seriously, who could get enough of sunsets like these.

Sunday-(6 miles) I was starving on this run, it was getting dark, and I just really wasn’t feeling it. I put this run off to spend time with the husband (good choice), but it did impact my run. Then I thought of Meg and her family, and I pushed through those miles.

Found this plastic bag with the contents inside of it scattered all over the road a quarter mile from my house. One of my biggest pet peeves is littering. GRRR. How hard is it to throw your trash into a garbage? I picked up the garbage, put it in the bag, and ran the rest of the way home.

When reflecting on this week’s training, the reality is as much as I preach to not make weather excuses or wait for the perfect conditions (I do fully believe this), it is sometimes exhausting to be mentally tough during EVERY SINGLE RUN during winter in Wisconsin. There are very few to no clear roads. It is always slippery. It is cold. Snot freezes in your nose and sometimes onto your face. Eyelashes freeze. You step onto what you think is frozen ice and it ends up being a freezing puddle that comes up to your ankles (Sunday’s run ;). I say this not to complain, but just for all of you to see there is really nothing special about me and my training over the winter. I fight the same battles all of you winter runners do too. Some weeks we win the battle, while other weeks we lose.

Another training battle I always find myself in is the balance between having a social life and getting in my miles. As soon as running seems to put a kink in my fun plans, I start to resent it. This week with my funky mood, I did not put running first. I chose drinks after work on Friday with coworkers over freezing cold miles. Saturday I cut my run a mile short to go to dinner with the family. Sunday I ran later, when I was starving, and as a result didn’t run as many miles as I’d planned/hoped. That choice was in exchange for a day date with the husband. Sometimes we just have to acccept that the miles will be there later, but the people in our life might not be.

Reading the story about Meg on Sunday morning reminded me of the importance of people over miles.  Her tragic story is the reason I pushed my run to later in the day so I could have a day date with the husband. Running and miles are important. Running doesn’t take more than it gives back. It makes you a better person. Yet despite all these wonderful things, sometimes we just need the people in our life more. I filled my cup this weekend with good people and miles. Even if those miles weren’t quite as high in number as planned, I’m better for the chance to both run and spend time with people I love. I strive for the perfect balance in life everyday. When I figure it out, you guys will be the first to know. Until then, we are all works in progress.

Losing the battle with running this week has renewed my determination for the upcoming weeks. I refuse to sit and feel bad about the missed miles. I can’t change them. The week is over. All I can do is work towards a better mileage week next week.

Ryan’s Total Miles on Elliptical-24 miles
Sarah’s Total Miles Running-17.5 miles

Ryan’s Tip of the Week: If you are injured while training, do other cross training that won’t aggravate or make your injury worse. I lifted three days this week and put in miles on the elliptical. Injury doesn’t mean stop training, it just means a different type of training.

Sarah’s Tip of the Week: Don’t play basketball when training for a marathon if you can’t not hurt yourself. Just kidding. My actual tip is…

Balancing social lives and running is never easy. Do your best to get all your runs on your training calendar in. The more you miss the more you risk not reaching your goals or finishing the distance you are working to complete. Do this consistently enough and you can forgive yourself some weeks when life gets in the way or you just need a mental break from the demands of training. A few missed runs or miles don’t mean you will fail, but try not to skip long runs-they are essential to marathon training. And remember when running is put against friends and family, sometimes the ones you love have to win!

Happy Running!