Thursday, January 29, 2015

Spinning and broomball and rest ... again

Another intense week! Monday was spinning at AMIG (class #2). Tuesday was a 3 mile run in which I ran sub 10 pace (9:44 average - 9:35, 9:55, 9:45 splits) then a broomball game later that night on slick ice. Wednesday was spinning at AMIG (class #3) and then a broomball game later that night on slick ice. There's a pattern here!

And today...REST.

I'm sore. It's awesome. I feel like I'm getting stronger. Playing on the slick ice makes for some crazy stabilization muscle action. My abs hurt, my quads hurt, my inner thighs hurt, my upper body/shoulders hurt. My joints do NOT hurt :)

So today I'm taking the day off and I'll re-assess tomorrow how things are looking. I may ride my bike if my legs feel tight. Or I may just take it very easy for a couple miles.

Saturday I'd like to do hilly 6 miles. I'm thinking the Sharon Woods loop a couple times and then a quick out and back on the trail again to get it to 6. The loop is 2.5. I'll see if Krista is willing to meet there. I just need to get some hills in.


Other than workouts being awesome, work is going well, though stressful. Harley-dog is doing ok today. I was able to trick her with a frozen crack treat (ID wet food is crack to her) when I left for broomball last night. For the first time in I don't know how long I didn't leave with her banging against the gate, crying...and I didn't come home to pee! It may have just been a fluke. It most likely is. I'm trying to not get excited about it. It's amazing how much this is wearing on me.

Here's to a very productive day. It's raining and cold. I'm not going anywhere. It will be a day of work, spattered with maybe some dancing, some trimming Harley, maybe a trip to the bank if I can sneak out, and maybe some drawing. I have high hopes.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Heart-Pig Training: Week 3

Week 3 of training is over, and 8 miles is in the bank successfully. Woohoo!

Planned: 18 miles
Sunday – off
Monday – bike / lift
Tuesday – 3 miles / broomball
Wednesday – bike / broomball
Thursday – 3m iles / lift
Friday – 2 miles
Saturday – 10 miles

Actual: 14.5 miles + broomball madness
Sunday – off
Monday – biked on the trainer. Didn't lift :(
Tuesday – ran 2.5 / broomball
Wednesday – first spinning class at AMIG!!! / broomball
Thursday – REST. Wow was I tired by this point.
Friday – 2 miles on the treadmill at the Y.
Saturday – ran 10 miles outside on the bike trail.

10 miles on the trail!

10 miles complete!

It went well. The first 2.5 were with K. She hadn't run in a while and we had to walk the last half mile. She had had a pretty rough week and was telling me all about it. So then I kind of got more of a break than planned, but it was ok. Goal was just to be out there for 10.

After K and I parted ways, I hooked up my phone and earphones and cued up the podcast I had downloaded: Invisibilia. It's a newer one and has been getting good reviews. I was listening to the one titled "Fear." It was incredibly interesting! This is the first time I've ever listened to anything on a long run let alone a pod cast. I liked it a lot. And this might just be what has to get me through these long runs (sadly).

I did see Casey out there :)  I was at about 2 left to go and saw him coming my way on the trail! So he ran with me a bit, and I got to push the final 2 like I wanted to. It was awesome. He then went on his way to do 8 more and finished his 10 with really excellent times!

After I came home, I crashed pretty hard. I wasn't hungry, but I ate a raw bar that had honey in it, in an attempt to have some sugar on the back end so I wouldn't feel light. I didn't feel hypoglycemic, but I was just so tired. I ended up napping, and then when I did get up, I felt fantastic and continued to feel fantastic the entire night. Next day soreness? Not much to speak of. Monday soreness gone. So I do think my tissues are recovering better, as the people who talk about high fat low carb diets claim. I just still need to figure out this light headedness that is plaguing me. More broth? More calories of a certain kind? Maybe up to 50 carbs is what I need? Not sure yet.

Splits:
10:31, 10:30, 10:35, 10:37, 10:33, 10:58, 11:09, 11:09, 10:33, 10:33

See how those last two got back down to 10:30?  :D


Friday, January 23, 2015

Cycling and broomball and REST

Wednesday I took a cycling class at AMIG. Eeeeeeee! Again, that will just be a different post I think. Later that evening was broomball. I was so extremely tired. It has been a rough week with Harley, and leaving twice in one day didn't make things any easier. I made it downtown, went through the motions, and thankfully got pumped up ok for the game.

The game was great. We won again 3-0 with Greg scoring two goals. Previous night's game was 4-0. Our teams are shut-outs this week!

Thursday was a REST DAY. Oh my I needed it. I was just so fatigued. I've been trying to remember to drink broth every day to keep my sodium levels up. Low carb thing...lots of salt leaving my body, not retained in my kidneys anymore. Plus I have pretty low blood pressure. I've been dizzy getting up every time, and I need to figure that out.

Today I was back to the gym. I decided I will never run on Sunday in the winter after Saturday's long run. Sorry, nope. I hate winter too much and don't want to burn up all my "I can make it on the treadmill" cards. So instead of Friday being off now, I'm taking Sunday off. I'll float that off day whenever I need it. My schedule may change a lot given the spinning stuff coming up, so I need to be flexible. And I need my weekend day to lounge.

So I went to the Y for a 2 mile run. I walked a half mile to cool down. I was going to lift, but it was super crowded. The run felt ok. It was sluggish at first, which is how all my runs started this week. But breathing seemed ok. I sweated a LOT.

So, now tomorrow is ..... 10. I'm nervous, as usual. But again, just going to try it and see how things go. I just need to try to cover the distance. Time on my feet for this one.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

2.5 mile recovery

My legs are feeling a bit fatigued, but I just felt I should go on an easy run anyway. I did the 2.5 loop from the house.

The first mile was kinda rough. Started slow and sluggish feeling. 10:27 pace average. The second mile and the last .5 were 10:00 pace. So, that's better, but it felt faster, which just means I'm tired.

Broomball tonight. I hope it's an easy game...

Trainer Ride

I do believe I'm recovering well from the 8 miles. Sunday was nothing and Monday night was a trainer ride.

My legs still feel kind of fatigued. With two broomball games and OH MY GOODNESS A SPINNING LEARNING CLASS on Wednesday (more about that later), I tried to take it easy. So mostly, I just rode along while music played. It was kinda boring.

More stretching. And about to go for a run in 43º temperature!!


Monday, January 19, 2015

Heart-Pig Training: Week 2

Week 2 of training is over, and 8 miles is in the bank successfully. Woohoo!

Planned: 16 miles
Sunday – 2 miles easy
Monday – bike / lift
Tuesday – 3 miles / broomball
Wednesday – bike / broomball
Thursday – 3 / lift
Friday – rest
Saturday – 8 miles

Actual: 11 miles + broomball madness
Sunday – broomball makeup game. This threw everything off due to soreness.
Monday – rest
Tuesday – biked 18 / broomball
Wednesday – broomball
Thursday – 3 miles
Friday – rest
Saturday – ran 8 miles outside! It was kinda rough (see previous post) for mental/Harley reasons, but I did it and feel good now. Success!


I need to figure out what Sundays are going to be. I just can't see getting out again on Sunday for 2 miles since I hate the winter weather so much. Plus, I think I need a day of doing nothing for the weekend. Maybe Friday because an easy day.

Good start! Also, Casey got his 8 in so a good start for both of us so far.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

8 miles in the bag

Saturday was a long run day, and also a rather nice day weather-wise. Greg went to Fuel and I geared up for 8 miles. This would be my first attempt at some truly long distance without any carbs.

For breakfast I had a coconut milk - peanut butter - cocoa powder smoothie that I sweetened with some stevia. It was tasty, but I was nervous putting what felt like a lot of liquid in my belly right before running. I stretched some and tried to calm Harley-dog down while waiting for my own stomach to settle.

The plan was to leave Harley outside since it was so nice. No stressful kitchen. However, I didn't get out of the house without her seeing me, and she didn't like that. So I nervously ran around the neighborhood for a couple of miles listening to her bark. It was sad. I was determined to not stop and let this derail my run. But I wondered about how stressed she was, or how much she was annoying neighbors. I decided she'd calm down, and even though I didn't hear it for sure, I ran away from the barking, planning to re-evaluate the situation after a few more miles.

So my planned route changed. I just headed down Montgomery road, not knowing where I'd go. Just plodding along, thinking about Harley. I wondered if it was stressing me out, making me tense on a run I was already nervous about. However, I think it was a different stress and one which over-powered my running nerves...which may have ended up being a good thing.

I thought about turning into the neighborhood behind Dunkin' Donuts but then decided I just kind of wanted to run away from the problem. People could deal with her barking. We never leave her out barking, but I wanted to get my damn run in. She may not have even been barking the whole time. From my experience working from home, the rational side of me agreed she most likely had calmed down by now.

So I got to 4 miles and turned around. This was easy, I'd just do the same little steps through my neighborhood on the way back and all would be good. After turning around, I suddenly panicked about Harley: maybe she really freaked out and started digging under the fence. I haven't looked back behind the wood pile recently – what if there is a big hole started back there? What if she started chewing the deck? I was a mess.

There was nothing to do except move on. I tried to remain smooth and keep my posture in check. As soon as I got into my neighborhood, it was getting hard. There was about a mile to go. I also turned my ears to listen for barking. Instead of retracing my steps, I just decided to go directly past the house to see if there was a hole under the fence or what. As I got closer, silence. And no hole. Sigh. I freaked myself out for nothing, of course. After that relief washed over me, it's like everything else shut down. My pace had been slowing, but now everything felt really really hard. I just decided to not worry about it. This last mile was going to be my "cool down." I plodded along into the next neighborhood, turned around at a random house, then plodded back...to the sounds of a barking Harley. Hold on, girl, I'm almost there.

I hit 8 and then was pretty thankful to walk. I got to the house and let in Harley, who ran around the living room some. I also think Dex was stressed. I left him inside (he's a delicate flower who probably would have been shaking outside) but I think he knew Harley was stressed. It's funny how much he reacts to her stress.

So... not sure I can manage Saturday morning runs with Greg gone in the future. Not with Harley the way she is right now and the weather not being super nice where she spends more time outside. Maybe it's a schedule shift. Maybe I just play it by ear. I don't know.

Other than that, the run was good. I felt pretty steady and strong for most of the time, holding my pace back so it would be as even as possible by the end when I'd get tired.

Splits:
10:43, 10:40, 10:56, 10:41, 10:39, 11:00, 11:11, 11:11.

Breathing was good. I only drank a couple sips of water on the run. Recovery was pretty good. Had a chicken breast with provolone, avocado, bacon and lettuce with a side salad (dressing on the side). Then played games all afternoon, snacking on cheese and salami. Had the top of a piece of pizza for dinner, and an amber ale.

Today, I'm only slightly sore and my knees don't hurt at all which is awesome. Could be the new shoes? Could be the benefits of a low carb high fat diet which seems to have anti-inflammatory properties?

Looks like Casey did his 8 today. He did awesome at a 10:15 pace on a very hill route!!  I'm super happy for him and inspired. I'm glad he did so well. I wish I could catch him!

So, so far so good. That was a lot of "so's". I'm inspired and encouraged by my first run with such a drastic change in my eating. I'm looking forward to figuring more out as more miles happen, getting stronger, and hopefully improving!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

3 miles. Tomorrow is a Break.

I managed 3 miles today in the afternoon. It wasn't too cold outside, which was nice. And it was sunny...super nice. I didn't need gloves!

I ran in my new shoes that I got last weekend. Finally. But broomball has been dominating the running section of my workouts this week. Plus being sore.

The run went well, especially considering how tired and semi-sore I still am. First mile was super easy feeling, 9:54 pace. Second still good, 10:00 pace. Third was kind of hard to hang on to. It was still 9:58 pace overall, but I had to push at the end, and noticed my average pace drop to 10:01. Still, all close and again. Not bad for a rough week.

So tomorrow I rest. I stretched for about a half hour today, and I'll probably do the same tomorrow. Saturday the plan is 7 - 8 miles. Eeep!! But I'm going to do them very slowly. I'm thinking I am not going to do hills this week. Given the broomball adjustment, maybe just completely 8 outside will be sufficient. And it's going to be outside for sure! 50º for a high! I will need to do it probably around 9 - 10 a.m. since we have game day starting at 2. But still, it won't be anything close to 7º, and I won't be on a treadmill. Another option would be to go to Buckeye Running Club and join their group run at 7:30. But I'm a little intimidated. What if I want to slow down? What if no one there runs my pace (likely)? I suppose it's just Mason; it's not like I'm going to get lost.

I'm nervous about 8 in general. I think I always am when I train for longer distances. 8 and then 15 will freak me out too. Funny. But we'll see how it goes. I'm just going to try my best, enjoy this journey, and play it by ear for what distances I actually end up doing. So far so good!

Broomball game 2 team 2

Yes it is pretty ridiculous to be on two broomball teams. I have an ongoing bruise tally of 3. My planet on my arm, one on my knee and one on my shin. But...it's just so damn fun...

Last night's game was intense. It was BHDP's Brooms Like Jagger (who everyone likes to pronounce Jager...with the two little dots over the a, as in Jagermeister) against the ...I don't know their name - green Hudeopohl shirt team? I say it was intense because they were intense. They yelled and cussed. Whine about penalties (sometimes even before they understood it wasn't called on them but us). They had some major 'roiding guys who looked like they might beat ME with their broomball stick if I screwed up their play.

Brooms Like Jagger on the other hand was laughing, getting high stick penalties left and right (ok just two - me and Laura...who've never had high stick penalties before), and just having an overall great time.

The final score was 2-2. I really wish we had beat those dumbasses.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Broomball Bruises

Tuesday night was our 3rd broomball game. Second for one team, third overall. I can't get over how much broomball I'm playing.

I still had my planetary bruise on my arm, but it didn't hurt as bad. And I didn't wear pants over my tights, so sliding on my knees actually felt a lot better. The ice was really slick, so that slowed the game down a lot...which was a good thing. It allowed the team to look and figure things out better. But it still made for some hilarious game time. I now have three total bruises. Arm, knee and shin.

Greg scored 2 goals! He was pretty psyched about it for the rest of the night.

I played D, and was OK I guess.

Tonight is our second game for team 2. We'll see how it goes.

I may try running beforehand. I'm not sure what I should do. Feeling a bit over-trained right now, as I adjust to the games and stuff. I don't want to ruin Thursday's run. But maybe Thursday I just run easy on treadmill or something.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Cycling at the Y with Mr Chattypants

Sunday was our makeup broomball game. I am sore and bruised (I have a huge bruise on my arm that I call a planet – there's just something about it that looks like a picture of a planet). Yesterday I took the day off, since I didn't really get Sunday off. And then today, I thought a nice biking session would help flush some soreness away before another broomball game tonight. So I went to the Y for a cycling class.

I love the Y. Not because it's particularly swanky or nice. There's no café, the locker room has beat up metal lockers and plain tiled shower stalls, and the building's interior cinder blocks remind me more of junior high school than fitness. But it's so functional, and such a damn good representation of real people. I don't get that kind of exposure much anymore.

The cycling class I have gone to (and I think this is maybe the third one I've been to at this time slot) always comes with a bonus of some "characters." There's a large man who strolls in with a slight limp. It seems he comes from the weight/cardio area first, as if he just spends all morning at the Y. If he does, I imagine he lifts some 5 lb weights and mostly talks to whomever is near by. Sometimes he's sweaty, sometimes not. Always a big dirty-white shirt over some pants, and plain white New Balance shoes...the non-flashy kind that are sold over in the dark corner at a running shop.

I have yet to hear this guy's name, but he seems to know everyone: the instructor, regulars in the class, people that walk down the hall. Nothing stops this man from yelling out at someone passing by in the hallway, or bantering with the instructor or other classmates about what pace we're riding.

For me, it is super super super annoying. I can't stand him. I just wish he'd shut up so I can focus on my workout and what the instructor is saying. Stop interrupting the instructor!! But then I think about how he's just being happy, and spreading around his happiness. I try to look at it that way at least. I know that he is in fact being disruptive. And there's no excuse for him to be that way. But people smile and everyone knows him. And he just adds something to the community, with his incessant playful chatting and annoying commentary.

Today, there was another man that added to chatter. All I can gather is he's a local lawyer or judge, again seemed to know everyone, and perhaps is compulsively tired (based on complaining the entire class about our pace). His name was Sal, and Mr Chattyman called him Sally. Together, they were absolutely ridiculous.

But, it's the Y, and I think it's just something I'm going to have to put up with. I'll continue to take my seat on the opposite side of the room where I can see the instructor and try to focus on why I'm there.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Heart-Pig Training: Week 1

This is a familiar format. I believe I broke my training weeks up when we trained for the Columbus marathon, recapping my planned workouts against what I/we actually did. I enjoyed looking back on it, and it is also very helpful. Might as well continue the tradition this time for whatever races I end up doing here.

So, week1. There was a partial week of New Year's in there. As I've mentioned, I ran New Year's Eve. New Year's Day was crazy awesome lazy. But on to actual week 1, when training starts.

Planned: 11 miles
Sunday – rest
Monday – bike
Tuesday – 2 miles / broomball
Wednesday – bike / broomball
Thursday – 3 / lift
Friday – rest
Saturday – 6 miles

Actual: 8 miles
Sunday – 3 miles
Monday – biked 8, but felt horrible. Cut the ride short at 35 minutes.
Tuesday – 2 miles with K. Breathing was really hard. Then at the broomball game, I felt like I was going to pass out.
Wednesday – sick. Fever, chills, achy (though some of that was broomball), heart was racing. Thankfully, broomball was cancelled due to the low temperatures.
Thursday – still sick.
Friday – better, so did some stretching and leg exercises.
Saturday – ran 6 miles on the treadmill at the Y. It was 7º when I was supposed to run, and I just didn't want to mess with it. Plus, I didn't know how I'd feel after being sick and trying to run the farthest I've ran in forever. It actually went really well! I took it easy, breathing was cake, and somehow I made it over an hour on the 'mill.

Even though I was sick, I think this is a great start to the training. I'm in a good amount of pain now because our make up broomball game was Sunday and I had to play the entire game. But I think after this week, I'll get to feel the rewards of the crazy conditioning broomball gets you in.

My knee joints hurt ever so slightly Sunday. I fell on them during the game, and no damage was done. I'm feeling stronger and it's pretty great.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

A rough week

Nothing too crazy, except that I can't stand temps in the teens (or below as the case was today) and I am fighting some sort of virus I think.


Sunday I ran on the trail with K. Easy 3. We were somewhere around just over 10 pace.

Monday I tried to bike, but ended up cutting it short at 35 minutes. I just couldn't maintain a pace even as slow as 14-15 mph. Starting Sunday night, I developed a bad pain in the side of my neck, like all my lymph nodes were infected. I could feel a pea sized lump. It hurts to touch, tender. Nothing bad when swallowing.

Tuesday ran 2 miles with K. I was breathing pretty hard for as easy as we were going. Then there was broomball - and it was terrible. I got really hot while playing and had no energy. I came out a lot.

Wednesday - rest. Definitely fighting something. Had a 100º fever and really pounding headache. Took the afternoon off and watched the rest of Breaking Bad finally. Watched more TV all evening. Broomball was cancelled thankfully, due to the cold temps. I would have been useless.

Today ... feeling better off and on, but still going to go to the doc at 4:50 today. Neck still really sore. I can walk better and don't feel as weak. Plus, I'm going to finally get all my bloodwork!!

So, hopefully whatever I'm fighting is a quick battle. I'd still like to run 6 this weekend. Maybe it moves to Sunday. Oh crap our makeup broomball game is Sunday I just realized.


More later after I get my numbers. I'm excited to have a benchmark to see if the changed way of eating will help my numbers and overall health in the future.


Monday, January 5, 2015

Schedule made.

Making schedules is kind of what I do when I don't know what else to do. Sometimes it's unnecessary, but at least today's schedule rampage was something I did need to figure out.

The Pig is in 18 weeks. The Heart Mini Half is in 10. The most miles I have been running is 5. I am crazy.

But I'm just kind of in an "I don't care" kind of mood. I'll just see what happens. If I can't handle the schedules, I'll bump it down and go for speed. 

I think I'm all in on this one. Solo hand. So I'm going to have to dig deep. 



Saturday, January 3, 2015

4 Miles in Sun and 38º

It was a nice change from the 22º windy run I did New Year's Eve!

I wanted to go to the trail to do a flat run and get shoes afterwords. I asked C to go too. I thought it would be a really great kick off to the new year and training. I know he's been sick, so running my pace for perhaps one of his "get back into it" runs would be good for him I thought. He ended up bailing which was sad, and I didn't make it to the trail. Instead I just ran from the house.

I tried to keep it easy and smooth. The first 2 miles were good. 10:03 and 10:02. At the turn-around, I decided I needed to make it feel even easier, so I backed off the pace some. Ended up being 10:19 and 10:21 – though the last half I pushed. I don't think I could have maintained the 10 pace for the last 2 miles. So here's a benchmark/starting point. I am back to 10 feeling easy, but now I just need some more endurance and strength.

The bottom of my left foot hurts. I think the boots I wore New Year's eve, for an unknown reason, hurt my arch. They were flat boots, but maybe they just didn't have good support? It's a pain right above where my heal starts and arch ends. I've been painfully rolling it on one of the dogs' toy balls. It didn't hurt too bad when I ran. Hopefully it's nothing too serious.

New Year's Eve Run and Goals for 2015

I wrote this yesterday morning and never finished it...

My friends and I chatted about our "new year resolutions" and how they aren't really resolutions at all, but are more like chances to start something new, accomplish something else, try for something. I love it, always have. I don't seem to make "resolutions" that can be broken. Or maybe I do, but I don't focus on that. I just like the fresh start to have a clean slate to try stuff.

But first, new year's eve. I ran, knowing that I probably would be pretty lazy on new year's day. I wanted to do 4, but after a morning of working and not being able to clean or get to the store for party food, I cut it a little short to 3. For some reason, 3 miles is short to me. 4 miles would only add another 10 minutes...but it seems like a huge jump. 3 is 3 and then 4 or 5 or 6 all feel like 6 in terms of time. Who knows why.

Anyway, I just ran to the attached neighborhood's cul-de-sac and back. It felt pretty good, though not as good as it did with K the other day. I wondered if the talking was a good distraction that made me feel more confident than when I run by myself, with nothing left except my own head.

Running is so damn mental for me. That is certainly something I need to work on. Feeling better lately has helped with my confidence though.

So pace was decent. 10:02, 10:06, and then 9:52. I should note that the 10:02 felt easy. The 10:06 coming back was probably mostly flat? And then the 9:52 had a hill.



Goals

I've been writing about this already, but I've decided I'm going to officially enjoy the journey of training for the Heart Mini Half Marathon (March 15) and the Flying Pig Marathon (May 3).  I'm going to try. It sounds like Casey is also aiming for those races, so I'm really hoping we can run together some. He brought up a good point, that if he finds himself overtrained for the full Pig, he can drop to the half and maybe PR it.

Realistically, I probably can't PR the Heart Mini Half in 11 weeks. But I think I could PR the marathon. Or, if I also find myself injured/over-trained, I can try for a speedy half Pig. It's going to be a challenging marathon in itself. So many hills. It's going to require different training, but I'm excited about that. There's no faking it with this marathon. This is going to require a full body fitness. That's what I want and really look forward to the journey!

So, essentially, my Resolution or Goal or Whateveryouwanttocallit is to enjoy the journey of getting to the Heart Mini, the Pig, and any other fitness endeavors that I like doing so much.