R4R L2, Part 1

On deck today was 5min WU, (2min run/2min walk) x 10, 5min CD. The forecast was showing either high humidity in the morning or rain showers in the evening. I set my alarm, packed my stuff, grabbed my shoes, and was out the door to the marina one more time before hitting the highway.

The first few intervals felt out of sync, albeit running easy. Running in 90% humidity for someone with low ferritin is tough, but I would have done anything for this workout months ago. In between bone stress injuries, I’ve also been one-upping my iron stores. Back in Summer 2022, my ferritin was 22. I’ve managed to bump it up to 37 in about 1.25 years. Yes, YEARS! I still have room to grow. None of the hurdles I’m presented are quick one-nighters or one-weekers. I always have to be deep in the trenches. And that’s what has made me gritty, with the power to keep grinding. I’m not here for quick fixes, the latest trends, or the hottest gadgets to help jump over bumps in the road – I’m here to do things right, focusing on the biggest, toughest, most resilient foundational blocks. Do you look for quick fixes or do you go back to the basics to make a leap forward?

After a few more intervals, I found a better rhythm and finished with a moist shirt. The sun was just starting to peek through the clouds, but I had to get moving on to the rest of the day. Nothing exciting; it just checked the box for a pain-free “run.”

R4R L2, Part 2

I’ve been intentionally keeping my days unstructured and more flexible. On today’s agenda was a run, a bike, some errands, a dog walk, and mobility movement.

I took my planned run to one of my places where I’ve been speeding on the bike this summer. It’s a nice park, not super populated, but a little bit of a drive from my usual locations. I thought it would be relatively “flat” but it was gently hilly in running shoes compared to the bike.

Today’s run was a repeat of the workout for Level 2, but in better weather conditions. Temp was 60 F and 60% humidity with 10-20mph winds. I definitely had my sensitive ears covered, arms covered, and gloves just in case. Workout fuel was 16oz Tailwind and one Huma gel.

While I had my usual music playlist going, my mind wandered to my book chapter about developing boundaries. Something stood out: “Flexibility is about continually adjusting how you practice your core values in ways that are true to yourself but also in harmony with your changing circumstances.” At first, I found it difficult to know what my core values were, but then with a helpful list, I came to: “I am on a curious adventure to learn how peak performance can intertwine with sustainable progress.” And so, during my run, I was searching for words to describe adventure.

A = always

D = daring

V = very

E = enticing

N = nature

T = thrills

U = understandably

R = rejuvenation

E = enthusiasm

Adventures for me have a fun element to them, always enticing, usually full of thrills in nature, while understandably being my source of rejuvenation and enthusiasm. And suddenly, recovery’s challenges have made sense. When I was forced to rest, it took away my core value of adventure. But all along these past 4 months, I purposefully planned adventures on the calendar – like a diamond in the rough, something to look forward to, to survive another week or another day or another hour. Adventures are pivotal to my self-care.

My “run” was good, smooth, and refreshing. It wasn’t anything earth-shattering, but it was pain-free. And that’s how I’ll keep building little by little to work through recovery, stacking up small progress wins on my own, while zoning in on a few core values.