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.

It’s official, I’m training for my first half marathon of 2015. SeaWheeze is only 14 weeks out!

This is my first half that I’m actually on schedule for training (I know it’s only the first week and I have plenty of time to get behind, but for once I’m not injured from day 1). I’m ready to slowly add mileage and feel strong.

The past two years I have used the SeaWheeze app to train for my first three half marathons, so it’s a no brainer that I’m doing it again… with some changes.

Here’s how it will break down for me:

Mondays: CrossFit or olympic lifting (also known as “cross-training” according to my app)
Tuesdays: Short run, between 30-45 minutes depending on how far into training)
Wednesdays: CrossFit or olympic lifting
Thursdays: Recess! or speed work. Minimum of three miles.
Fridays: CrossFit, olympic lifting, or optional rest day (ha! I should work on that one…)
Saturdays: Long run
Sundays: Power yoga, optional 20 minute run

So far I’m super pumped for my schedule, although I know that as my mileage increases and the race gets closer I will have to back off on weight and intensity at CrossFit and start taking a for real rest day that I don’t sweat… unless it’s on a yoga mat in an easy class.

Relax, improve recovery, and heal? Count me in!

In a fit of desperation with my tendonitis last year, one of my friends recommended a great place to get massage and bodywork. I can’t thank her enough. While there is no silver bullet for most injuries, getting the fascia released in my feet and ankles has been a huge help with my posterior tibial tendonitis.

I won’t lie to you, this is not a relax with cucumbers over your eyes sort of experience. I have found myself breathing like a woman in fake labor on TV. I have laughed hysterically while trying not to cry. I have wondered what is wrong with me that I paid for pain. But it’s always so worth it (and really not that painful. At least not for long).

One of the best parts of getting massage and bodywork for me has been having someone else give me feedback on what my body is trying to tell me. My massage therapist has also given me tons of great tips and exercises/stretches to make sure that when I’m not crying on her table, I’m not in pain and my body is functioning as it should.

Even if you don’t have a problem area or current injury, a session of massage and bodywork can do you some great good.

PS My massage therapist, Alex B. works at Psoas Massage and Bodywork in San Francisco. She’s amazing!

My first TV commercial airs today!

In case you didn’t see it on Instagram, for the past few months or so my friend and coworker Joe Stoltz and I have been slaving away over our biggest project yet, a TV commercial for the startup we work at, Curious! We had a blast writing the script, shooting, and making meticulous changes over and over again.

The 16-year-old inside of me who thought she would go to USC’s film school couldn’t be more stoked. Check it out!

I’ve never really fit the stereotypical definition of a girl. I’ve had a long-running aversion to all things pink, I give the way I look very little thought, and my fingernails are more often colored by dirt than polish.

But it’s taken me a while to be comfortable in my own skin. I have often felt different and like I didn’t fit. Even at my all girls high school I was the outlier. The one who would wear pants and a basketball sweatshirt every day. The one who didn’t own a single thing of makeup and rolled her eyes whenever someone complained about the things she ate. I had no clue how to curl my eye lashes or roll my skirt.

It wasn’t until I was in college that I realized I really liked being me. I didn’t care that I didn’t look like the other girls in my class (or the boys either). I had a distinct point of view and I saw value in that. I finally felt confident being me.

I’m sick of all of the pressures put on women and girls to look and act a certain way. Don’t you dare tell me something I do isn’t “lady-like.” Why do we try to pigeon hole people into looking or behaving in a certain way? Why do we demonize and put down girls?

You can be a girl and be powerful. You can be a girl and speak up. You can be a girl and a leader.

It’s time that being a girl doesn’t matter, that it isn’t something used to put someone down or tell her she isn’t good enough. Women do amazing things. They go to space, fight for people’s rights, and change the world completely unseen. Let’s start seeing.