Big week for me...my butt and my mileage. I'm still struggling with eating like a normal, healthy, well balanced person. This week has been an exercise in healthy eating punctuated with ravenous chocolate and bread (not together, ewww!), binges. I think as the mileage increases, I need to find a way to increase the calories...even when it looks like A LOT of food in one place. Volume on the plate will (hopefully) keep it out of my pants.
Pace times this week were SLOW, part of that was due to design-- I've been reading more about really training easy during easy and hard during hard...I have trouble wrapping my head around that, I like medium-hard all the time. It literally breaks my heart to see slow times.
Did the long run today. The bad was that the splits were crazy positive and the pace, well, stunk. I was working REALLY hard at some points, just to keep my pace within 30 seconds of what I thought I should be capable of. Still, see the great tug of war in my brain about "easy" mileage. The GOOD, was that I got in a 14 mile run, which is the longest run I've done since late February of last year. YAY!!! Kind of makes me think that I might actually have a shot at running a marathon some day.
Weather was nice on the run today, if a bit windy. It was in the 40's and sunny, so it felt pretty good. There was still a fair amount of ice in places on the path I use, and I wonder if that doesn't affect my pace.
It was nice, too, that someone stopped at the stoplight when I did to cross the street for the last two miles of my run. I don't know what the ettiquette is...I said hi and stood there until the light changed. I took off and she HAMMERED it to pass me. I thought she was just a far superior runner, but she ended up settling into a pace that pushed me, but didn't drop me. Hopefully she doesn't think that I'm a jerk, but I just kind of held on about 10 seconds back, usign her to get me home. There was a huge spike in my pace those last two miles, and I had less of that "I'm going to die now" feeling.
Perhaps I need to find someone to run with. I don't even need someone to talk (though that would be good too!), I just need that extra mental boost!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Following the Plan
So...I have a problem with moderation. My mother says that the only time I got C's was when the teacher averaged the number of A's and F's I'd received that term. Oddly enough, then, one of my goals for this training season is to set achievable goals and achieve them without feeling the need to exceed them....and potentially hurt myself in the process.
WIthout a trainer I'm kind of doing this whole half marathon/marathon training year by the seat of my pants. I know that I can do the half marathon distance...I did it just two weekends ago. I'd like to improve my times and beat the pants off of last year's time when the local May 1/2 marathon comes up. Next, I'd like to go on to do a full marathon in the fall. I think this is a reasonable goal, and I should have the fitness foundation to do it safely at that point.
With these goals in mind, I'm looking to get more out of my runs this year than merely putting in the mileage. I'm putting up some better numbers, but everything has been moderate-hard intensity, and the best available literature tells me that A)I'm probably setting myself up for injury and B)I'm probably not making the gains that I could be making.
Enter the need for more intentional workouts. The first couple I tried bombed terribly. I would like to think I am a better runner than I am, and my "planned" runs crushed me like a bug. Today was the first interval run that I managed to do exactly according to plan. I did a nice warm up, followed by 5 intervals at a 3:1 fast/slow ratio, then completed my miles. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that my overall pace was a few seconds slower than my "usual" pace, but my fast segments beat the pants off of my usual pace. I was definately proud of this, and will be interested to see what kinds of gains might come from consistant interval training. I was more proud of the fact that I was able to complete the workout according to plan--well mostly, I bumped the pace a tiny bit to hit an even mile number at the end, but had the energy to complete the workout strong and not dead.
The intervals also had the bonus of breaking up the monotony of the treadmill. I have gone from being a strictly treadmill girl to someone who would really rather be outside. Character building, however, was last weekend. AMA wasn't going to be thrilled about me running in single digits after the water bottle fiasco of last Saturday. So, today's planned training run worked out well. With bad weather forecast for the rest of the week, I'm really just hoping that my long run doesn't have to be on the treadmill too. In the mean time...hurrah for intervals!
WIthout a trainer I'm kind of doing this whole half marathon/marathon training year by the seat of my pants. I know that I can do the half marathon distance...I did it just two weekends ago. I'd like to improve my times and beat the pants off of last year's time when the local May 1/2 marathon comes up. Next, I'd like to go on to do a full marathon in the fall. I think this is a reasonable goal, and I should have the fitness foundation to do it safely at that point.
With these goals in mind, I'm looking to get more out of my runs this year than merely putting in the mileage. I'm putting up some better numbers, but everything has been moderate-hard intensity, and the best available literature tells me that A)I'm probably setting myself up for injury and B)I'm probably not making the gains that I could be making.
Enter the need for more intentional workouts. The first couple I tried bombed terribly. I would like to think I am a better runner than I am, and my "planned" runs crushed me like a bug. Today was the first interval run that I managed to do exactly according to plan. I did a nice warm up, followed by 5 intervals at a 3:1 fast/slow ratio, then completed my miles. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that my overall pace was a few seconds slower than my "usual" pace, but my fast segments beat the pants off of my usual pace. I was definately proud of this, and will be interested to see what kinds of gains might come from consistant interval training. I was more proud of the fact that I was able to complete the workout according to plan--well mostly, I bumped the pace a tiny bit to hit an even mile number at the end, but had the energy to complete the workout strong and not dead.
The intervals also had the bonus of breaking up the monotony of the treadmill. I have gone from being a strictly treadmill girl to someone who would really rather be outside. Character building, however, was last weekend. AMA wasn't going to be thrilled about me running in single digits after the water bottle fiasco of last Saturday. So, today's planned training run worked out well. With bad weather forecast for the rest of the week, I'm really just hoping that my long run doesn't have to be on the treadmill too. In the mean time...hurrah for intervals!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Hy-brrrrr-bole!
I froze my ass off today. This is hyperbole because a) it was only 1/2 of said ass AND b)it didn't technically come off. Still, it was a near thing. But hear me out, it was not my usual "I make poor choices!" kind of adventure, rather I merely forgot basic high school chemistry for a moment.
Today's story begins with a princess who lives in the far away land of Colorado (It's my story, I get to be the princess). She lived in a well appointed castle (of 585 sq feet), and loved nothing more than to go for runs. One day, it was very cold, but the princess was determined to go out, knowing that she had strained the kingdoms resources buying the very best gear the local wizards (REI and SportsAuthority) had to offer.
She carefully put on layer upon layer of finery including: YakTrax, Ghost 5s, wicking underthingies, running tights, running pants, insulated running shirt, fleece, gloves, balaklava, hat, sunglasses, garmin, ipod, hydration belt with 1 bottle water and 1 bottle coconut water, 1 lara bar and a phone. Oh she loves the magic of the tinkers, tailors and alchemists who make all sorts runs possible!
She knew that she was very well prepared for an 11 mile run in 27 degree weather. As a matter of fact, she got to take off the YakTrax because the trails were 50% clear. She was just VERY careful when running under bridges and in the places people don't think shoveling is necessary. She even got to take off the balaclava for 5 or 6 miles because the wind was at her back.
It was a hard run, but the princess paid attention to the philosophers of the craft of which she is merely among the novitiate. She slowed her pace and adjusted her expectations. Suffering is only in your mind, the wise said. Physical and Mental Toughness have to be earned the hard way, her tutors proclaimed. And so, the princess ran on....albeit at a pace more plodding than graceful.
Still, there was some joy to it all. There were no bicyclists on the path (commuters, but no roadies), and there was a kind-hearted camaraderie with other runners. People all smiled at the princess as if to say "We are an insane, but honorable brotherhood, come join us as we drink of our pain and feast on our successes".
The princess was startled when she thought she had run afoul of one of the citizens in the kingdom who, appeared to have a severe and persistent lack of quality mental health care and need to address his condition with the tinctures and postions offered by less than savory local apothecaries. She chided herself for her narcissism when she realized that shouting and aggressive shovel (!?!) weilding was not directed at her, but rather at another citizen who appeared to be in similar straights as the first.
The princess moved on, and checked in with Prince when she reached 4.86 miles. She indicated that she would continue forth down the frigid path and go head towards the Bazaar where a great many wonderous non-compostable, non-reusable things are found all wrapped up in shining little packages.
Feeling better, having worked heavily on her attitude, the princess reached her turn-around and headed back to the castle. The path was the same, slippery, cold path, but she noticed that the run always seems nicer when heading into the final stretches. She couldn't run very fast, but her spirits began to rise with the rosy-warm promise of a shower just minutes away.
Upon returning to the castle, the princess checked in with the prince, and he helped her strip off the layers of clothing which ranged from frigid to sweaty. The princess made a startling discovery! While she had heeded the words of the running sages, she had completely forgotten the teachings of the chemists. Her bottle containing only water had burst open at the top and had slowly leaked water down the back of her pants for quite some time....leaving 1 entire buttock completely soaked through and well on its way to frostbite AND solidly frozen water in and around the spout of the bottle! Thank goodness she was wearing synthetic, wicking fibers--surely cotton would have lead to the most dire peril!
Prince Charming, haven taken wilderness first responder courses, promptly drew a warm (105 degree) bath for the Princess. She cried out as she thawed out, but it appeared that the damage was minimal. 45 minutes later, warm and pink from her bath, the Princess feasted on huge quantities of delicious, locally sourced, whole foods.
Then, she went to bed. Happily ever after TBD, but prospects look good!
She carefully put on layer upon layer of finery including: YakTrax, Ghost 5s, wicking underthingies, running tights, running pants, insulated running shirt, fleece, gloves, balaklava, hat, sunglasses, garmin, ipod, hydration belt with 1 bottle water and 1 bottle coconut water, 1 lara bar and a phone. Oh she loves the magic of the tinkers, tailors and alchemists who make all sorts runs possible!
She knew that she was very well prepared for an 11 mile run in 27 degree weather. As a matter of fact, she got to take off the YakTrax because the trails were 50% clear. She was just VERY careful when running under bridges and in the places people don't think shoveling is necessary. She even got to take off the balaclava for 5 or 6 miles because the wind was at her back.
It was a hard run, but the princess paid attention to the philosophers of the craft of which she is merely among the novitiate. She slowed her pace and adjusted her expectations. Suffering is only in your mind, the wise said. Physical and Mental Toughness have to be earned the hard way, her tutors proclaimed. And so, the princess ran on....albeit at a pace more plodding than graceful.
Still, there was some joy to it all. There were no bicyclists on the path (commuters, but no roadies), and there was a kind-hearted camaraderie with other runners. People all smiled at the princess as if to say "We are an insane, but honorable brotherhood, come join us as we drink of our pain and feast on our successes".
The princess was startled when she thought she had run afoul of one of the citizens in the kingdom who, appeared to have a severe and persistent lack of quality mental health care and need to address his condition with the tinctures and postions offered by less than savory local apothecaries. She chided herself for her narcissism when she realized that shouting and aggressive shovel (!?!) weilding was not directed at her, but rather at another citizen who appeared to be in similar straights as the first.
The princess moved on, and checked in with Prince when she reached 4.86 miles. She indicated that she would continue forth down the frigid path and go head towards the Bazaar where a great many wonderous non-compostable, non-reusable things are found all wrapped up in shining little packages.
Feeling better, having worked heavily on her attitude, the princess reached her turn-around and headed back to the castle. The path was the same, slippery, cold path, but she noticed that the run always seems nicer when heading into the final stretches. She couldn't run very fast, but her spirits began to rise with the rosy-warm promise of a shower just minutes away.
Upon returning to the castle, the princess checked in with the prince, and he helped her strip off the layers of clothing which ranged from frigid to sweaty. The princess made a startling discovery! While she had heeded the words of the running sages, she had completely forgotten the teachings of the chemists. Her bottle containing only water had burst open at the top and had slowly leaked water down the back of her pants for quite some time....leaving 1 entire buttock completely soaked through and well on its way to frostbite AND solidly frozen water in and around the spout of the bottle! Thank goodness she was wearing synthetic, wicking fibers--surely cotton would have lead to the most dire peril!
Prince Charming, haven taken wilderness first responder courses, promptly drew a warm (105 degree) bath for the Princess. She cried out as she thawed out, but it appeared that the damage was minimal. 45 minutes later, warm and pink from her bath, the Princess feasted on huge quantities of delicious, locally sourced, whole foods.
Then, she went to bed. Happily ever after TBD, but prospects look good!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
I dislike, therefore I run
Today I had a bad day at work. No one died, things just stunk. An icky, irritating, everyone is in a foul mood and the poop kept piling on. The good news is that I had a run scheduled for when I got home. Not a big run, not a fancy run, not a hard-hitting, record setting run. Just a run. A goal to complete with a beginning and an end.
Setting records and doing races is one kind of awesome but so are runs like today. But it's kind of like love. Big races and records are like new relationships and milestones. Fireworks and elation. Runs like today are like enduring love, a warm glow that suffuses ones existence with meaning and calm.
I loved my run today. I actually thought about running a few more miles once it was done, but I want to be careful about not over doing it. My knee has felt good for two whole runs, my butt has behaved for a few days, and I want it to stay that way.
I went ahead and did a bit more than half hour on the bike trainer today after my run. It felt...sweaty. I'm still getting used to the bike trainer becase low gears feel hard, and I don't really have any sense of how "fast" I'm going. Still, the saddle time is good for me, and it raises my awareness about my truly crappy posture. I look forward to getting in more training "rides" while the weather is bad, and I am hoping that it will improve my performance when it comes to hitting the trails with AMA this summer.
Setting records and doing races is one kind of awesome but so are runs like today. But it's kind of like love. Big races and records are like new relationships and milestones. Fireworks and elation. Runs like today are like enduring love, a warm glow that suffuses ones existence with meaning and calm.
I loved my run today. I actually thought about running a few more miles once it was done, but I want to be careful about not over doing it. My knee has felt good for two whole runs, my butt has behaved for a few days, and I want it to stay that way.
I went ahead and did a bit more than half hour on the bike trainer today after my run. It felt...sweaty. I'm still getting used to the bike trainer becase low gears feel hard, and I don't really have any sense of how "fast" I'm going. Still, the saddle time is good for me, and it raises my awareness about my truly crappy posture. I look forward to getting in more training "rides" while the weather is bad, and I am hoping that it will improve my performance when it comes to hitting the trails with AMA this summer.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
The Rub
I wish that this was a post about an awesome massage...but no-o. This my friends, is my very first experience with chaffing. See I figured after a year of running, I was just somehow magically exempt from the chaffing thing. Sure, I've gained a couple of pounds (okay, a lot of pounds), but my build doesn't really lend itself to that sort of problem. Nor was it new gear. Running bra I've worn until it's not anywhere near its original color. Running skirt that's seen its fair share of wear. Socks that are worn at least 2x a week. Nope, none of these things.
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Instead it was my trusty Nathan (Speed 2, I think) hydration belt. The one that AMA calls my "utility belt" and makes me feel like one part geek and one part super hero. I didn't notice it during the run, or even in the shower afterwards. But there, the next morning, like an itchy comet across my lower back was the beauty pictured on the left.
There is a first time for everything, and, perhaps a last. I think that my shirt snuck up in back a bit. I also worry that it bounces, but the only fix for that is going to be finding a smaller hydration belt.
But good news I'll share tonight....I did my first ride on the bike trainer last night. 'Cause zero days, I know how to do those!
Instead it was my trusty Nathan (Speed 2, I think) hydration belt. The one that AMA calls my "utility belt" and makes me feel like one part geek and one part super hero. I didn't notice it during the run, or even in the shower afterwards. But there, the next morning, like an itchy comet across my lower back was the beauty pictured on the left. There is a first time for everything, and, perhaps a last. I think that my shirt snuck up in back a bit. I also worry that it bounces, but the only fix for that is going to be finding a smaller hydration belt.
But good news I'll share tonight....I did my first ride on the bike trainer last night. 'Cause zero days, I know how to do those!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
14 days, 14 things
Soo, evidently it's been two weeks since my last post. I have been remiss in posting lately, so here it goes, 14 inane ramblings for 14 post free days.
- Week 9 started strong, but got shortened by a busted knee. I'm willing to push it when it's musclar, but when tendons and joints hurt in a way that affects my walking gait, I call it quits. I actually skipped my scheduled run on 1/16 because I was definately working on an injury. Did a shorter run on the 17th that I was pleased with, but it affected my overally mileage for the week.
- Week 9 also had a scheduled 11 mile run, which I did rather successfully. I was pleased with my pacing, even though it was a touch slower than the previous week.
- Week 10 was scheduled to be a cut back week, which it was (in a way). I hit my mileage targets, but not at all in the way I had planned. Extra mileage in the long and recovery runs made up for a missed mid-week run. Bad, bad, bad. Two weeks in a row I have missed runs and I feel bad about it.
- Part of the wonky schedule had to do with travel. I was on a business trip Tuesday-Friday, which completely screwed up my routines.
- Tuesday's run I did in the morning before my flight.
- Wednesday's run also happened in the morning. The weather was unexpectedly cold at my destination, so no outside run for me...Got to do it in a hotel with an unfamiliar treadmill.
- Totally missed Thursday's run. I was going to do it in the afternoon when it was supposed to be warm outside, but a last minute meeting meant that I didn't get back to the hotel until after 7:30. Oh, and also had a couple of drinks--I don't run after drinking.
- Got home safe and sound on Friday.
- Slept from 8:00 p.m. on Friday to 7:00 a.m. on Saturday. 11 hours of cozy sleeping bliss set the stage for an awesome run.
- Feeling guilty about missing a run on Thursday, I decided to see what my body would do after 2 days off, albeit at sealevel.
- 13.24 miles and a PR training run later (by about a minute, with 4 times as much elevation gain as my previous PR), I figured it out...my body loved me!
- Went for a 5 mile run this morning. A bit stiff and sore at the outset. Knee a little cranky, periformis also acting up a bit. By mile 3.5 or so I was actually feeling pretty good. Miscalculated my laps and did 5.88 miles.
- Went for bike ride after lunch. Thinking I'd do an easy 12-15 miles until...
- HA! #$%^(! weather channel. Sometime between the run and the bike, the wind picked up and was blowing at 31mph with gusts up to 44. Did a hard 11.67 miles and came home!
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Love, True Love....
...is what brings us together, today. Or, should I say, kept us together today. AMA was kind enough to join me on today's run around the park. It was a recovery day for me, with a planned 3.5 mile run, and AMA is trying to do about a 5K every other day. By walking to the park together, me departing to run 2 and a smidge laps, AMA walking one, and us walking back together, we were both able to meet our daily fitness needs.
What's love got to do with it you might ask? Weeeeellll...for starters it was cold. It felt okay to me who was running, but poor AMA kind of froze to death. ANDDDD it was my genious plan to do said adventure on solely a cup of coffee. I don't know why, but I've been digging the recovery runs on an empty stomach lately. Unfortunately this didn't work out so well for AMA, who was darn near bonking by the time we got breakfast at 9:15. For those playing at home, 9:15 is about 2 hours late for us. Oh, and did I mention that the poor man had to use the bathroom the whole time, but it was too cold for him to use the port-o-lets at the park AND he didn't want to deviate from the schedule because I wasn't carrying a phone? Seriously folks, that man must love me, because I can't think of any other reason why someone would endure all of that.
My run went well....a solid 3.5 miles. A bit fast, especially since it was a "recovery" day and I was kind of, sort of, okay really blowing that whole idea by going 30-60 seconds faster than I should have been. It just felt so darn good! AMA survived and we had a tasty, tasty breakfast of bagels after run and bathroom visit (thanks local grocery store!) was complete.
My bum really hurt this morning, but a good bit of stretching before the run made it bearable. I'm really going to have to make a habit out of stretching and strengthening exercises if I don't want it to turn into a full blown injury. I know better, it's just a matter of staying on top of it.
As of right now, next week is looking like it should be some fairly moderate (though still chilly) temperatures and moderate winds. Hopefully the weather will hold in the afternoons so that I can get some more outside runs completed. Next week is a 34 mile week, which represents a fairly significant chunk of mileage for me. I only exceeded that once in training last year. This year's plan is more mileage intensive, but the long runs planned are geared toward the half marathon distance, instead of the marathon distance I thought I would do last year. Here's to a week covered in awesomesauce!
What's love got to do with it you might ask? Weeeeellll...for starters it was cold. It felt okay to me who was running, but poor AMA kind of froze to death. ANDDDD it was my genious plan to do said adventure on solely a cup of coffee. I don't know why, but I've been digging the recovery runs on an empty stomach lately. Unfortunately this didn't work out so well for AMA, who was darn near bonking by the time we got breakfast at 9:15. For those playing at home, 9:15 is about 2 hours late for us. Oh, and did I mention that the poor man had to use the bathroom the whole time, but it was too cold for him to use the port-o-lets at the park AND he didn't want to deviate from the schedule because I wasn't carrying a phone? Seriously folks, that man must love me, because I can't think of any other reason why someone would endure all of that.
My run went well....a solid 3.5 miles. A bit fast, especially since it was a "recovery" day and I was kind of, sort of, okay really blowing that whole idea by going 30-60 seconds faster than I should have been. It just felt so darn good! AMA survived and we had a tasty, tasty breakfast of bagels after run and bathroom visit (thanks local grocery store!) was complete.
My bum really hurt this morning, but a good bit of stretching before the run made it bearable. I'm really going to have to make a habit out of stretching and strengthening exercises if I don't want it to turn into a full blown injury. I know better, it's just a matter of staying on top of it.
As of right now, next week is looking like it should be some fairly moderate (though still chilly) temperatures and moderate winds. Hopefully the weather will hold in the afternoons so that I can get some more outside runs completed. Next week is a 34 mile week, which represents a fairly significant chunk of mileage for me. I only exceeded that once in training last year. This year's plan is more mileage intensive, but the long runs planned are geared toward the half marathon distance, instead of the marathon distance I thought I would do last year. Here's to a week covered in awesomesauce!
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