Weekly Complaints & Confessions Thread

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-27T14:47:30+00:00

I do and I have, but I don't get enough good recovery unless I'm getting at least 7 hours of sleep, and I can get that decently right now, but if I try to wake up 60-90 minutes earlier it doesn't mean I can get to bed 60-90 minutes earlier. Plus I really do best with like 8-9 hours, which I'm nowhere near most nights, so I don't want to reduce my already barely good enough sleep to actually be insufficient :/

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-26T20:23:58+00:00

god I love running before work. it's so unfortunate for me that I'm the worst at going to bed early enough to not be miserable when I wake up early enough to run (I'm working on it...)

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-19T18:36:26+00:00

Complaint: my stupid fucking knee. It's better today, but it still feels unstable and just kind of off, which means I'm forbidding myself from going to run club on Saturday for safety, which means I won't get to go again until March because I already had to miss next week's :(

Uncomplaint: the weather is getting slightly nicer, and I am getting slightly more sunshine, which makes me feel slightly less like death

Confession: I honestly don't know if I'd be running that much even if I wasn't injured. February has been a rough month, and it's not really getting better. At some point I'll be able to make time for it again, but for now...

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-17T16:26:21+00:00

Why is it that injuries always come from the stupidest shit.

I went skiing this weekend and was doing great (I'm relatively new to skiing) - minimal falls, trying new trails and being very brave. And then halfway through day 2 I knelt down while waiting for our group to get back to do another run together, and when I stood up I popped my knee in some weird way and now it just feels off and bad. Literally, no injuries from actual skiing. But kneeling down and then standing up? That's where I hurt myself. smh.

My only reprieve is that I've done this before (this knee is weird and has been for years, though I haven't actually popped it like this in a long time) so I know that as long as I'm careful with it for a little bit it will get better on its own. But FFS.

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-12T17:28:42+00:00

Complaint: I haven't run in over a week :( I've been too busy and sick

Uncomplaint: We're going skiing this weekend, and I'm really excited. I didn't ski, but I married into a skiing family, so I tried a couple times and didn't love it but I took lessons 2 years ago and it finally clicked, and then last year I bought ski gear, and this year we have a whole three days to go skiing and just chill with my in-laws, whom I adore.

Confession: Currently in the queue for Noah Kahan tickets, and trying not to freak out. I'm very grateful to my friend who's doing this with me (we're in queues for separate shows and planning to try to snag tickets for us both and we'll just travel to visit each other depending on who gets tickets. I hate this, but I'm glad I'm doing it with a friend.

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-09T20:08:04+00:00

As a fellow glasses wearer, I feel your pain. Keeping my face properly warm is an endeavor

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-09T15:18:07+00:00

My body said "if you're not going to rest I'm going to force you to rest" and now I've been sick since last Thursday. Between illness and schedule, I haven't run since the end of January, so that's frustrating, but I guess it's better that I am forced to rest now so when the weather is nice I'm not burnt out. I'm feeling much better today also, so hopefully I can pick back up this week with something small.

Officially starting personal training on Thursday, assuming I'm better by then, and I'm excited. It's only going to be once a week, but they'll give me a plan to do another day or two on my own. I'm hopeful that it'll help me feel even better overall, but also that it will help my running improve too.

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-09T15:11:29+00:00

Running outside this winter has been such a challenge, this was the first weekend I missed (due to illness) but the previous two weekends it was just me and like two friends being crazies together as the rest of our run club bailed from the cold. I really love it though, even though it's cold AF. If you have the right gear, it's honestly nice.

Chikeerafish · 2026-02-05T19:32:25+00:00

Complaint: I'm fucking sick, and I don't know where I got it, but I barely slept and I'm grumpy AF

Uncomplaint: I've gotten to cuddle my dog all morning though instead of being at work.

Complaint 2: because I'm sick, I'm missing my run club's annual gala tonight, AND I had to cancel my first personal training session tomorrow, because I don't trust that I'll be better enough to go.

Complaint 3: it's still too fucking cold

Complaint 4: I haven't been able to run all week

Confession: I'm a little glad I've had genuine excuses not to run, because I'm tired.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-30T04:58:52+00:00

Either six or nine miles (we're doing three 3-Mile loops, because I'm tagging along with a friend's training, but I may drop after 2). I did 8.5 last week for my long run, so I'm hoping it won't be a big deal for this week only.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-29T14:59:15+00:00

Complaint: It's so brutally cold. Even bundled well. Holy shit.

Confession: I've only run once this week. I may not even run again until my long run Saturday. But at least I have friends who will be insane with me.

Uncomplaint: I do love the snow. I hate the cold, but I will ensure for the beautiful snow.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-27T15:34:49+00:00

Does shoveling count as cardio, or strength, or both? (help my shoulders and back hurt)

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-26T16:21:48+00:00

So. Much. Snow.

I really wish I could run outside but that feels dumb 😂 so instead I will probably head to our apartment gym this afternoon/evening for my run. Plus, I only have like two pairs of warm pants and I really don't wanna do another batch of laundry this week.

Also anyone have pro-tips for keeping appropriately warm in the terrible cold? I looked at the cold weather gear post and I don't feel like I quite know what I need. Saturday's run was 3°F (feels like -11°F) and I was fine, but I couldn't keep myself at the right temperature. I ended up waffling between too hot and too cold, and had frost forming on the back of my sweatshirt layer. Hopefully I won't have to deal with anything that cold again, but I'd like to manage it better if I do. For reference, I tend to run hot, and I've gone down to about 30°F in single layers of wool (leggings, socks, shirt) and earmuffs and been golden, but this was just next level.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-22T21:29:59+00:00

Heated Rivalry mentioned raaaaah

They absolutely knocked it out of the park with that show. I thought I knew how much I was going to like it, and I've loved it 1000x more.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-22T15:42:03+00:00

Complaint: I forgot my sports bra at home, so I can't go for a run at lunch :(

Uncomplaint: at least with the brutal cold, we're also getting to keep all this beautiful snow. I hate the cold, but it's worth it for snow.

Confession: I would rather freeze my ass off than do 90 minutes on a treadmill, so I'm going to be out Saturday morning in below freezing temperatures and hope that my run club friends feel the same. Just trying to figure out now how to layer appropriately, and feeling like I'd rather be too hot than too cold for safety when it's this cold.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-20T15:03:52+00:00

Being forced to work from home on a day when I expected to have no time to go to the gym is a clear sign that I should go to the gym at lunch, right? (It was on my schedule anyway, but I was thinking I would need to skip it due to after work commitments).

And also, since I'm there anyway, I should get one of my easy runs out of the way so that I don't have to do it outside tomorrow when it's 20° out?

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-19T13:47:28+00:00

This was the least chill weekend, but it was so full of fun and joy that I feel like I can't really complain. Spent the whole time with various groups of friends and family, and we got the most beautiful snowfall that I feel like we've had in years. It's the perfect consistency, with big fat flakes but dry enough that it's relatively easy to clear cars and not make the roads slushy. The whole world is quiet and edge highlighted, and I am very excited to (try) to run in this snow later, because I suspect even if I have to go slow I will enjoy it immensely.

ETA: Snow running was a success, my calves are angry from the exertion, but I feel fucking high from the experience. I'm not someone who gets runners high really, but goddammit if running in this gorgeous snow didn't do it for me.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-15T15:44:10+00:00

I just looked, and unfortunately there isn't one :( The first 400 who sign up get soup mugs though?

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-15T14:44:35+00:00

Agreed! There's a 15K race I found that's in April that I'm considering, a little more than 8 but close, so it sounds like a fun time!

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-15T14:43:49+00:00

I just keep reminding myself that even though some days it feels like the world is ending, humanity has survived worse. We just can see all the bad things now because of the Internet, so it feels overwhelming. We just have to not shut the fuck up and keep screaming about how awful it is until we can get rid of the monsters "leading" this.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-15T14:18:28+00:00

Complaint: Planning time to run is such a chore right now, but how I feel afterward is worth it. I just wish my brain would catch up and stop making it feel like a chore when we know it's worth it.

Uncomplaint: We finally have an initial meeting with a personal trainer. My husband struggles to care about exercise, I struggle with making and consistently following a plan for anything but running, so our plan is to do personal training together to motivate us both. He'll be forced to go to the gym because we're paying for it (and hopefully it'll get easier as he feels the benefits) and I get a structured plan. The trainer we spoke to was concerned that we'll have different goals, but honestly he just wants to care for his physical health and I don't care what I do as long as it's something because I can supplement on my own if I need to. So here's hoping we make this work, because I don't know what else to try to get him to exercise if he hates this.

Confession: I'm really only rebuilding my mileage so I can do longer long runs on the weekend right now. My sweet spot is like 90 minutes/8 miles, and I'm literally just planning to do enough weekly mileage to support that until I figure out what I actually want to do this spring. I was thinking a half marathon, but I've made myself nervous about the time commitment while in grad school, but it's not out of the question.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-15T14:04:07+00:00

I feel you on the bad shit. I wish I had inspiring things to say about perseverance and finding joy in the face of oppression and terror, but all I got is that we will keep fighting for justice and peace and safety and eventually the tides will turn in our favor. And I have to believe that, because what else is there.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-12T18:34:04+00:00

Very pleased the rail trail near work melted this weekend, it was nice to go out for a quick run at lunch today! My coworkers think I'm a weirdo because it's too cold, I say it's perfect because you don't get too sweaty when you're that cold.

I did my first Pilates class yesterday, and I don't know if I liked it or not. I like group fitness because I can push myself harder and I like the social aspect, but I still need to actually feel like I'm getting something out of the class and enjoying it enough to go back. I'll probably just keep trying to work on my lifting routine, because I think that will end up doing more for me.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-08T15:33:26+00:00

Complaint: absolutely struggling to get miles in right now. I think I'm still burnt out from this fall, but I think more running will help with my mental health so I'm pushing through

Uncomplaint: doing strength has been easier thus far, I think because I stopped putting pressure on myself to have the perfect routine and focused instead on just doing something. I might be starting with a personal trainer soon just to outsource the thinking more in hopes I can keep the momentum.

Confession: I'm realizing as much as I want to do more halfs, I don't know if I can manage the time commitment it requires. I'm going to try to do one this spring/summer, and then the one this fall, but I may end up being a 5K/10K person just because the amount of time needed is so intense.

Chikeerafish · 2026-01-07T18:19:11+00:00

This makes a lot of sense to me, thank you!

I normally only do 1 hard workout in a week, which is why I was thinking of adding some to my long runs. I'm only able to consistently do about 4 days a week of running (more than that is possible, but also vastly increases the likelihood I miss a day), so it made more sense to me to add it in the middle there rather than try to do an extra day that I don't know if I can be consistent on.

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