Group Training Continues ~ The Honeymoon is Definitely Over!

If you’re a regular reader, bet you’re wondering what happened to the Group Training Stories?  :) 

Well, we local bloggers have admittedly

been slacking lately for one simple reason:

We are exhausted! 

 

This o’dark thirty training could be compared to a MACK truck (cue whistle sound) rolling over us again and again and again….

With exhaustion (and a hundred other things going on behind the scenes), my brain was fuzzy and I wasn't sure how I wanted to tell the most recent (groovy!) stories ~ what the "angle" would be, until Thursday of this week. 

Then it hit me as Kitzzy and I were driving to our early morning track session.  She was scheduled to ride her bike that morning, but texted me at 4:00 a.m.... "Hey!  Could I possibly catch a ride with you?  I just don't feel like riding today..."  and the post began to write itself in my head. 

You see, Kitzzy is a seasoned group training participant and a triathlete (read: lots o' experience), and she too was just simply.... tired.  I felt better instantly.  Misery loves company?  Not really.  Well maybe a little....  More like a group training newbie appreciates knowing she's not the only one!

I thought it was just me and I needed to suck it up.  Turns out, I learned this week, that it’s a common problem right now. The honeymoon is (apparently) over!  Even Lauren, our peppy runner-girl in the Marathonfest group, admitted she was feeling a bit rundown by Thursday's run.

Now, going back to the earlier school analogy, I found this particularly interesting.

You see, as a 16-year educator, I've always known about the 'honeymoon period,' that time in which students  are on their best behavior, getting used to routines, new people, new expectations and rules... (fellow teachers, you know what I'm talking about!)  

Then, one day, BAM!  The party is over.  The 'real' children begin to come out from behind those cherubic faces  (I was a middle school teacher for much of my classroom career).  Yes, parents... YOUR kids are awesome(!) and we love them, but when they get with all their buddies.... the days can be challenging... 

Just like in any long-term relationship, we begin to let our hair down ~ students and teachers alike.  As an educator, I can explain this from 'my side of the desk,' but to be on the other side ~ to be 'the student' ~ has been an eye-opening experience, and since my work is with teachers and  instructional methods/student engagement, this has proved to be defacto 'research' that is  invaluable in understanding the learning process.  (sorry... went a little researchy there!)  

As a 'student' in this group-training-thing, I've learned that once routines are in place, schedules established, and the novelty wears off  (the honeymoon is over),  it's very easy to become tired, lackluster, and going through the motions ~ even if I'm really interested in the topic (which I am, in this case!). 

As a student: 

I may need a regular push to excel (getting that).  I may benefit from having others share how they're feeling (they are) and know that I'm not the only one feeling this way.  I need to have self-initiative and self-direction (I do).  And if I don't have that, then I need my teacher/pace group leader/etc.... to recognize that and support me in nurturing  my own learning/push to improve  performance.  (Our group leaders have been terrific!)

As an educator, this is a powerful learning experience.  As many of you are also experienced educators, I thought you might find my group training/realization  interesting.  *If not, feel free to skim and read on....   :) 

"Re-learning" the learning process helps me continue to put teaching/instructional methods in perspective.   My professional philosophy has always been "Engage learners.  Make learning interesting, hands-on, interactive, useful and purposeful.  Teach students to own their learning."  

Who knew my running training  would have me thinking (even more) about staff development & training, instructional methods, and how we "do" school?   Powerful stuff.  

By the way, parents - when your kids tell you they're 'bored' at school, this info may be a place to start.  How engaged is your child when he or she is in the classroom?  I will be exploring this running/classroom correlation over at my professional blog this summer, as training continues...

Okay ~ so back to the story .....  enough of the educator-speak!

In a nutshell, here’s the weekly synopsis to date:

Week 1:  Like the first week of school – awkward at best – finding our way around, meeting new people, learning new routines, finding our classrooms, getting our schedules changed

Week 2:  The novelty seemed to drive us. Up before the 3:30 a.m. alarm, excited to get out there  with our rose-colored glasses firmly in place.  Still meeting new people. Learning new skills (track work still boggles me: 400s, 600s, 800s… )

By week's end.....fatigue noticeably kicking in…  Naps becoming increasingly necessary.  Rest days absolutely necessary!

Week 3: The Honeymoon is Over. Exhausted. Contemplating skipping an early-morning workout (NOT happening!). Dragging.  Need sleep.  Need recovery time.  Need fuel.   Need to blog!  I'm fortunate that I'm on  summer (teacher) schedule and able to take little naps as needed. 

I'm feeling for my fellow training partners whose schedules don't allow them naps during the day. They say they are  struggling to get through their work and/or school days....

During weeks 2 and 3, I'm happy to share that I bonded with my new/old/new group.  After some initial changing of groups the first week, I settled back into my original group which is admittedly slower than many, but faster than a few, but hey, we've got endurance and commitment ~ a perfect fit for this turtle runner! 

I chuckle when all the groups head out to run.  Like cliques in school, you can see each group's characteristics, with members looking similar within their 'class' -  fast and lean runners;  mostly in shape and middle-of-the-pack runners;  and us...  a  nice mix  of  back-of-the-pack runners in  all  shapes and sizes. 

Interestly, the average age of the runners in the entire Galloway training group is considerably higher than I would've thought - probably early to mid 40's as an overall average.

The second Saturday of the new training season was my first long run with the slower group, at a pace that was (thankfully) just right.  We averaged  13:30 - 14:30/mile, which is about right for our group's  long run - slow it way down!  We ran six miles, the same as Week 1's distance, but this time I could keep up and get this* ~ talked with every single group member while we ran. 

Remember, I've been a solo runner with anxiety about running w/ others.  I think I've conquered it!  Yay me!  When we get to longer distances, I definitely won't be talking, but it was great to meet my fellow group members and talk shop.  :)  This was much better than my disastrous first Saturday in which I just couldn't keep up.  If you missed it, you can read about it here. 

We even stopped for a pic after our long run..... 

 This is half of The Trail Blazers, our group of about 15(?),

half of whom are training for full mary races (pictured).

The other half of our entire group is training for half-mary races

and we'll catch them next time for a picture.

Since I'm scheduled for the Chicago Half in early Sept, 
I need the mileage and run between the groups.

So as Week 3 comes to a close, and a long run is on the schedule for Saturday morning, we are tired, we are happy with our progress, and we are looking forward to upcoming weeks.

We're also told our bodies will adjust. 

We’re still waiting.

Happy running, friends....

Robin
Own your journey.  One run at a time. ™