I put my name in the lottery this year for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco thinking it was likely I wouldn’t get in. With the SeaWheeze eight weeks before, it seemed like it would be a blessing in disguise if I didn’t get in. I loved running it the past two years, but last year I was ready to take a bit of a break after running the SeaWheeze. Since I was indecisive, it seemed best to leave it up to the machine to decide.

I got in (with a lot of mixed emotions) and I am just now starting to get excited about it and feel good about training. But that training won’t be easy. I have a long trip during the last month of training (which means long runs in a foreign country), and I have been generally tired and a bit burned out on running so soon after crossing the finish.

But I also realized I am in damn good shape for this race.

I am starting to feel recovered and stronger than I was for the first race. I also can be a bit more flexible with my training. I have chilled out on trying to squeeze in my long runs before work when I have a busy week. Yesterday I split up my eight mile long run into two runs – one that included ultimate frisbee with my coworkers in the morning and a 3.5 mile run at race pace after. Mentally it was exhausting, but it made me feel strong and like I’m ready.

So here’s to loosening up, to not worrying so much, to being more flexible. I get to run and explore new places. I get to enjoy another fantastic race, and I don’t have to wait until 2016 to do it. I’m going to be ready, and I am going for a PR.

Who’s with me?

A little over a week after SeaWheeze I was pinning on a bib for the Giant’s 5k. This race was definitely not in my original summer racing plans, but a bunch of my coworkers signed up and I couldn’t say no.

Despite tired legs and sick lungs, I still had a great time (well… not according the race clock, but I had fun). The course is beautiful! It follows a route I used to run when I worked at Yoga Journal in the city.

Thanks Ashley and Peter for the photo!

I ran nine minutes off my PR… and I didn’t really care. I knew going into it that this was a social event, not an all out race. Which isn’t to say that I probably pushed it further than I should have given the state of my body on race day, but I don’t regret the pace I tried to keep.

Also, three miles is a nice distance. The pain is over so much faster than 13.1. Too bad you still feel like you are going to throw up after.

(I couldn’t resist sporting my new bling. Until it got glitter all over me, then we were done.)

My favorite part of the race was finishing on the baseball field at AT&T park. I’m not a baseball fan. This was not a religious experience for me, but it was fun to have a different perspective on the stadium (you know, not way up in the bleachers behind the drunk people). It must be terrifying to be one of a handful of people on the field with tens of thousands of people looking at you. Good thing I dodged that bullet.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make. For the first time in four half marathon training cycles, I finished every damn workout (except for one).

I didn’t get injured.

And it showed. I didn’t have any pre-race “what if I don’t make it?” worries. I didn’t stress about making an injury worse. I was fully prepared for the race.

I had forgotten what it’s like to run your first half. It was a blast to be there every step of the way for my mom’s.

I wanted to make sure the experience was fun and worth the weeks of training, and I’m pretty sure we succeeded. My mom spent the entire 13.1 cheering everyone on (including the spectators who looked tired on the side walk). It was a bit like running with a personal cheerleader (or the Energizer Bunny).

My mom finished her first half marathon (at her goal time) with an insane amount of positivity. She only said “I think I’m going to puke” once : ) #seawheeze #running #runchat #race

A photo posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on Aug 15, 2015 at 2:56pm PDT

Best of all, I was able to stick to a consistent pace and help get my mom across the finish line at her goal time (which felt pretty damn good for both of us if I can speak for everyone).

After the race we went back to the hotel and treated ourselves to a slow bike ride without any resistance. I had read about it on Ray Maker’s blog, and it was a life saver (Thanks Ray)! My legs started shaking and getting extremely tight while we were walking down the finish shoot, but as soon as I got off the bike I could walk normally and the pain in my legs was gone.

Am I doing this right?

The sunset festival yoga probably helped recovery as well.

And without further ado, the weirdest race metal ever.

My last run of the taper is over today. It feels weird to know that I don’t have to do anything (you know, other than pack, make it through airport security, fly, successfully make it into Canada…) before the race on Saturday. It’s almost here, and I think I’m (mostly) ready.

From here on out, it’s about staying hydrated and relaxed.

Last year’s race!

My left ankle has been bothering me in an odd spot, so I’m doing my best to not stress about it and do everything I can to help it feel better. I’ve got my compression socks on with my work shoes, and I’ve decided I’m not going to worry about it.

Since our Airbnb reservation got cancelled last week, stress has been through the roof. But we (magically) worked it out, and our trip is shaping up to be even better than planned.

This is the first time I have ever finished an entire 14 week training cycle without an injury catastrophe. And damn it feels good to know I’m honestly, for real, ready.

Let’s do this.

Life has gotten crazy. Long runs before work crazy.

With plans on the weekends and longer hours in the office during the day, training got a little hairy for a bit. I only missed a single workout since starting my training cycle 12 weeks ago, and it was because of an unhappy back muscle, not a scheduling fiasco.

In July, every single one of my long runs was on a Tuesday or Thursday morning before work. And I mean loooong runs. Eight, nine, 10, and 12 all done before hobbling my way to my desk. At first the thought made me shiver with horror. Get up early, suffer through more miles than I had done total in a week only a few weeks ago, and then sit (and stand at my standing desk) all day at work?

No Thanks!

8 mile run before work was way more fun than I expected. Long run for the week is done! #runchat #seawheeze #FollowMeIntoTheJungle

A photo posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on Jun 30, 2015 at 10:48am PDT

But it turned out it wasn’t that bad. I’m lucky that I have a flexible start/end time, a comfortable shower at the office, and active coworkers who totally get why I was exhausted and experiencing extreme runger. I hate to say it, but by the time I got around to having to run 12 miles, it wasn’t a big deal anymore and it felt kind of normal. I would still struggle to psyche myself up a bit before strapping on my sweet hydration belt and I didn’t care for my alarm clock very much (not that that’s any different from every other day), but once I was going it wasn’t too bad.

  I ran the whole dam trail. All 12 miles of it. Almost time for taper! #running #runchat #seawheeze #SeenOnMyRun   A photo posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on Jul 30, 2015 at 12:13pm PDT

The best part? I ran most of my long runs in a fashion similar to how my upcoming race will be, in the morning about an hour after eating breakfast. Second best? Not having to take hours out of my weekend. Sleep in time? Oh yes.

Over the past two years I’ve been trying casually to gain muscle… 15 or more pounds of muscle. I have been steadily making progress since I started to lift more, and the scale has been slowly creeping up.

I gained muscle very slowly. So slowly that I didn’t think I looked any different. Until I started trying to wear my summer clothes and some other pieces (hello adorable, fancy dress) that I hadn’t worn in two years.

Suddenly I am busting out of everything like the Hulk. Or I can’t even get the piece on. (To be fair, many of my clothes are from college or right after graduation. In other words, I bought them 10-15lbs ago.) I’ve never had such a sudden change in my body (Ha! Changes over more than a year might not be considered “sudden”).

Chasing 200 #legday #oly #squats #crossfitgirls

A video posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on Jun 13, 2015 at 12:18pm PDT

As much as it pains me to no longer fit into some of my favorite clothes (and I cringe at the idea of having to shop for their replacements), it’s incredibly gratifying to see and feel that all of my had work paid off.

I’ve been afraid to say anything in case the universe hears me and sends a setback my way, but I’m hoping the universe doesn’t read this.

Training is going really well.

Thankful that I can finally pick up the pace. #runchat #flying #fastfeet #running

A photo posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on May 22, 2015 at 11:38am PDT

There are days when I feel like I did two years ago, long before I knew what PTT was. I would go for runs and feel like my feet were light as air, just flying underneath me. I would hit sub 9 minute miles without realizing it. I would run at the pace I felt like running at – I never had to worry about my pacing or cadence or uneven pavement or anything else I can hurt myself with.

I can’t get enough.

Finally feeling like myself again has done wonders for my mental state this time around. I’m still struggling to balance running, lifting, and CrossFit with PT, yoga, and recovery. Some days my legs feel like I filled them with lead and encased them in concrete. I have had runs where I just.can’t.go.any.faster. I have had runs where I have to rein myself back in, at least a little bit.

I’m four weeks in, and I’m looking forward to the next 10. My flight is booked, I know where I’m staying, and what I’m eating for breakfast the morning of the race. I just need to keep going, keep being careful, and keep knowing when to let loose.

Total miles: 47.35
CrossFit classes: 8
Lifting/Squatting sessions: 9 (skipped a week)
Yoga classes: 1 (my goal for next month is to make it at least once a week)
PT: pretty good overall. Some room for improvement

I’ll be the first to admit that running isn’t fun 100 percent of the time and training for a goal that’s still months away can be demotivating. But training can be fun for all 14 weeks (or however long your training cycle is).

Here’s how I keep training interesting and exciting:

Playfulness. I am lucky that my coworkers get together once a week (during work time no less) to play ultimate frisbee. It’s a great way for us to bond as a team (hello startup life) and relieve some stress. Bonus points for me, I use it as my speedwork. Between my easy warm-up run to the park and sprinting up and down the field, I more than satisfy my running workout for the day.

Thankful that I can finally pick up the pace. #runchat #flying #fastfeet #running

A photo posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on May 22, 2015 at 11:38am PDT

Short term goals. Although 14 weeks isn’t a terribly long way away, I like to set smaller goals to keep me motivated. I do everything from picking runs that I am going to not walk at all to holding my race pace for a few miles. I also like to pick goals outside of what I’m running for. CrossFit is great for this. I am able to choose lifting or other performance goals that don’t get the in way of my running but do help me feel like I’m making progress and getting stronger overall so I’m race day ready.

Mind games. Very similar to the one above, I also play mind games with myself while running. I will try to track my cadence (counting how many times my right or left foot hits the ground in 30 seconds, multiply by 2), see just how much of a song I really know, or my new favorite game via my coworker, try to guess the name of random people on the street.

Company. For the most part, I’m a solo runner. I like to run my own pace, not get caught up in what someone else is doing (or wishes we were doing), and really settle into my head and body. But running with a friend or family member every once in a while can be just the change I need. This year I’m running the Seawheeze with my mom (her first half marathon). Lately it’s been a great way to catch up and get some quality time in.

Check it off. Confession, I love crossing things off to do lists. Writing down lunch just to cross it off? Most definitely. The app I’m using for training has workouts by day that you can check off. I love clicking the box after I’ve finished the day’s workout. So. Addicting.