Snakes, stats and a sizzlin’ Saturday
Nope Rope? Danger Noodle?
What’s the right term for those slithering monsters of the woods? Whatever you want to call it,, I saw a real big snake during the last couple miles of my long run on Saturday. Luckily, he wasn’t a ‘bad’ guy, and I had plenty of time to spot him, snap him, and scurry from him, but still… Dude, get outta here! In my humble, professional opinion, the world would be a better place if these critters didn’t exist. Change my mind, I dare you.
In other news, I’m happy to report that snake was the only bad part of my run this weekend. I really enjoyed all my miles on Saturday! I was so happy to be back at one of my go-to trail spots. The little trails near the house are fun and all, and a long day in the mountains are great, but I’m glad there’s an in-between spot that’s not far from home where I can still get after it a bit. It was a double-win because I finally felt good. I didn’t feel like I was dying because of the heat and humidity. It was a day that makes me glad I run. Dare I say, I’ve come out the other side of heat training?
A quick update for those who’ve been following along, after last week’s meltdown, I decided to just go with plain ol’ water in my pack this time. I do plan to play around a bit with Roctane (after some more research and some of your feedback) as I think it’ll work great for me in the long run… get it?! :)
For this week’s edition of, “What the heck am I doing here?” I have a question about this stat on my watch. Any Coros users out there? What is the deal with the ‘Fitness Level’? See below. According to Coros, Fitness Level is a fitness and endurance evaluation metric. It is the result of a combination of VO2 Max, lactate threshold and workout efficiency. It also indicates your performance level.
It seems like no matter how well I run or how far I go, my level goes down. But then sometimes I do a tiny little run, or go really slow, and it goes up. For example, on Saturday, I ran 18 miles, I felt like it was a solid run and I felt great, but my ‘fitness level’ went down.. Not that that number really means anything to me, but I just don’t get it. Like, I literally don’t understand it. Can someone please explain to me what it even is and why mine never goes up?
To top off a pretty stellar weekend, I spent Sunday playing Crew Chief from my bike, riding alongside Tim on his weekly “long” run. I was supposed to take a day off (sorry coach) from running, but he had been feeling under the weather and really needed some good company. Besides, it was a beautiful day for a slow roll down the Beltline. Playing crew was actually super fun, even when I got lost in Piedmont Park… don’t ask. Entering the home stretch, we ran (pun intended) into my sister, and she joined in for a few fun miles!
It was a super fun morning followed up immediately by bloody’s (that’s bloody mary’s) on the front porch. Cocktails were chased by a MOUNTAIN of tater tots with all the fixin’s. Peppers, onions, vegan sausage, vegan eggs, avocado… basically heaven in a bowl. Oh yeah, we love plants over here and eat vegan in our house. It’s newer-ish to me, but Tim has been vegan for like a decade, so he’s the real pro. Have a recipe or need some tips on eating more plants? Let me know, I’m happy to swap recipes or share some ideas to help get you started.
Anyway, I hope everyone had an amazing week and I hope to share some miles with you all soon!
