For the past couple of weeks, I've been fighting off a cold. It finally got the better part of me last Saturday. I went on a run with Krista, then came home and really started feeling bad. Aches, tired, dizzy...ug. I made it out Saturday night, after a long afternoon nap. Then Sunday I was pretty worthless. Monday and Tuesday were a struggle, as clients suddenly needed everything last minute and all I wanted to do was sleep. Coughing was getting worse- burning. And I had to finish shopping. I had no appetite, so that helped my diet along nicely.
Christmas eve and Christmas I tried not to hack on everyone. And now it's two days after Christmas and I'm definitely feeling better! Yesterday I went on a 2.5 mile run. Almost immediately, my lungs started burning. But I took it easy, and eventually the burning went away. I didn't even cough much afterwords, so I think that's a good sign.
I was thinking about going on a bike ride tomorrow, but it's supposed to be raining. It was a 20 miler that goes the speed of the slowest rider. So really, it could be pretty painful and cold. I may just stick to the trainer. I just want to get some outdoor riding in this winter. Keep things in check.
Yesterday I realized that the Heart Mini is only 11 weeks away. That sparked trying to really decide what I want to do next year for fun. And so here goes a list of goals.
1. Heart Mini Half Marathon - March 15.
2. Flying Pig Marathon - May 3.
3. Various sprint tris that are close and convenient throughout the summer.
4. Something biking long? I still haven't done any biking events.
5. Fall Marathon - Columbus?
So, thinking more about triathlon, I really think I need to back off a bit and just stick to a fun sprint here and there. Until I have the desire and time to really focus on swimming, sprints are plenty fun. Maybe even some duathlons. I missed running a lot last year. I want to get back to running.
My breathing continues to be better. I'm really hoping that this diet change I've made will allow me to have fun again, and maybe even have some cool performances. Maybe, just maybe, if I work hard, I can run a half marathon PR again.
Showing posts with label Plans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plans. Show all posts
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Friday, December 12, 2014
Busy Day and Long Run or 5K
I've had a busy day. Just a lot going on, got up early, felt the urgent need to find something to wear to G's Xmas party tonight so did some brief shopping. It's a classic case of "well now the afternoon is gone" and I don't think I'll work out.
I also didn't work out yesterday.
In reality, I may lift. I did some squats and other leg stuff this morning while I waited for tea to brew. I did counter pushups. I am not ever sore from those, so I guess I need to do more.
Tomorrow morning I'd really like to do a 5K in Loveland. It's a Christmas themed one, and I don't really have anything even red or green...but it's free with canned food and sounds like a good enough reason to run with some people. I would not expect anything stellar for time. Maybe...just maybe I could pull off 10 pace. It'd be good practice.
The problem is I'm already tired and there's this Xmas party tonight...so tomorrow morning may be rough. Not because of alcohol. I'm just dragging a bit.
Alternative idea would be to run long. Like 6 miles. But the newfound overachiever in me wants to run this 5K tomorrow and then run 6 Sunday morning. Because I didn't do anything yesterday or today.
And obsession is starting to kick in big time.
I also didn't work out yesterday.
In reality, I may lift. I did some squats and other leg stuff this morning while I waited for tea to brew. I did counter pushups. I am not ever sore from those, so I guess I need to do more.
Tomorrow morning I'd really like to do a 5K in Loveland. It's a Christmas themed one, and I don't really have anything even red or green...but it's free with canned food and sounds like a good enough reason to run with some people. I would not expect anything stellar for time. Maybe...just maybe I could pull off 10 pace. It'd be good practice.
The problem is I'm already tired and there's this Xmas party tonight...so tomorrow morning may be rough. Not because of alcohol. I'm just dragging a bit.
Alternative idea would be to run long. Like 6 miles. But the newfound overachiever in me wants to run this 5K tomorrow and then run 6 Sunday morning. Because I didn't do anything yesterday or today.
And obsession is starting to kick in big time.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
16 miles from the house
I can't remember if I've mentioned it here before, but in reading about triathlons (as I keep doing, because I have a LOT to learn), I've come across a bunch or articles concerning how much of each sport to focus on. Or, how to divide the time among the three sports. It's a good question, obviously. When you just focus on running, you do different running workouts to get better. And you take a day off to rest. When you have the same time but have to cram three sports in, you really start to wonder if something isn't getting enough attention.
One theory is to focus on your weakest sport. Running and swimming are both weak for me. Swimming is probably my weakest, since I at least have confidence as a runner. Biking is definitely my strongest. So, if I spent all my time working on swimming and running, the biking would get better only from a general fitness standpoint.
Then there is a theory about switching up the weeks to focus on one sport each week while also maintaining the others of course. So one week I'd do harder run workouts, but not hard swim or bike workouts. Then the next week I'd make the biking harder, etc etc. This makes a lot of sense to me, and I can see how it would also keep training from becoming stagnant,
Then another point is that in every triathlon, most of the time is spent on the bike. So, simple math tells you that if you can increase your pace on the bike, and the biking is a longer portion of the entire race, you have more opportunity to shorten your overall time. The swim has limited opportunity for this, as does the run. If I increased my pace from 10 minute miles to 9 minute miles, I'll shave 3 minutes off the overall 5K time. But if I increase my bike pace from 16 mph to just 17.5 mph, then I can shave 5 minutes off a 16 mile bike ride. And I think 16 - 17.5 is much easier done than 10 minute to 9 minute miles :)
Soooo that biking theory is what I am going to focus on. I'm increasing my biking days from 2 to 3 times a week. And staying with 2 days for everything else. I am going to have to either not rest or do some additional double days.
Right now the running is rough because one of the days is Ultimate Frisbee. I run a lot, but it's sporadic and not always quality. Sometimes I'm forced to run at levels beyond what is quality, and it just becomes a survival kind of thing vs when I'm on a track and can focus on speed and rest appropriately. I'm sure it's still good; I'm getting in great cardio and pushing my body. I guess the other day I run should be long and easy. That will help with endurance?
Swimming...I'm just trying to get it down. I can't believe how hard it is.
So anyway, Thursday was my first day of increasing biking. I had biked Sunday, Wednesday (spinning) and Thursday had an easy ride from the house. I went all around neighborhoods and surface streets. It wasn't bad, I felt strong. Averaged somewhere around 15mph I think. I will plan to bike again this Sunday on the trail, maybe going longer.
Another thing I'm incorporating is lifting. I need to do some strength big time. It will help the swim and everything. But mostly the swim. My weak-ass core is not keeping me on top of the water too well.
A brief schedule synopsis. The weekends are always flexible, so this is just an example:
Sun - long bike and strength training
Mon - off or easy short run
Tue - swim, yoga
Wed - bike (spinning), Ultimate (running)
Thur - bike easy and strength training
Fri - swim
Sat - long easy run
One theory is to focus on your weakest sport. Running and swimming are both weak for me. Swimming is probably my weakest, since I at least have confidence as a runner. Biking is definitely my strongest. So, if I spent all my time working on swimming and running, the biking would get better only from a general fitness standpoint.
Then there is a theory about switching up the weeks to focus on one sport each week while also maintaining the others of course. So one week I'd do harder run workouts, but not hard swim or bike workouts. Then the next week I'd make the biking harder, etc etc. This makes a lot of sense to me, and I can see how it would also keep training from becoming stagnant,
Then another point is that in every triathlon, most of the time is spent on the bike. So, simple math tells you that if you can increase your pace on the bike, and the biking is a longer portion of the entire race, you have more opportunity to shorten your overall time. The swim has limited opportunity for this, as does the run. If I increased my pace from 10 minute miles to 9 minute miles, I'll shave 3 minutes off the overall 5K time. But if I increase my bike pace from 16 mph to just 17.5 mph, then I can shave 5 minutes off a 16 mile bike ride. And I think 16 - 17.5 is much easier done than 10 minute to 9 minute miles :)
Soooo that biking theory is what I am going to focus on. I'm increasing my biking days from 2 to 3 times a week. And staying with 2 days for everything else. I am going to have to either not rest or do some additional double days.
Right now the running is rough because one of the days is Ultimate Frisbee. I run a lot, but it's sporadic and not always quality. Sometimes I'm forced to run at levels beyond what is quality, and it just becomes a survival kind of thing vs when I'm on a track and can focus on speed and rest appropriately. I'm sure it's still good; I'm getting in great cardio and pushing my body. I guess the other day I run should be long and easy. That will help with endurance?
Swimming...I'm just trying to get it down. I can't believe how hard it is.
So anyway, Thursday was my first day of increasing biking. I had biked Sunday, Wednesday (spinning) and Thursday had an easy ride from the house. I went all around neighborhoods and surface streets. It wasn't bad, I felt strong. Averaged somewhere around 15mph I think. I will plan to bike again this Sunday on the trail, maybe going longer.
Another thing I'm incorporating is lifting. I need to do some strength big time. It will help the swim and everything. But mostly the swim. My weak-ass core is not keeping me on top of the water too well.
A brief schedule synopsis. The weekends are always flexible, so this is just an example:
Sun - long bike and strength training
Mon - off or easy short run
Tue - swim, yoga
Wed - bike (spinning), Ultimate (running)
Thur - bike easy and strength training
Fri - swim
Sat - long easy run
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Season Change
Ah it's that time of year again...when the temperatures drop (perhaps drastically) and the mornings and evenings are dark. I struggle through it every single year: how to work out when it's dark and cold in the morning and dark and slightly warmer in the evening. I must figure it out. It's barely November. There are many days ahead...
Some ideas!
1. HTFU.
Always a good mantra for most situation, harden the f up and pretend like it's not actually 20-whatever degrees, windy and cold. Or, at least just don't dwell on it. Get the warm stuff on and go. It's not going to kill you.
2. Change Workout Time to Lunch.
I could conceivably run at lunch. Right now I have a gym just down the street, but that only lasts until the end of the year. I could still just run and deal with sweatiness by taking a spit bath at the office. I could turn the other bathroom into a more workable getting ready bathroom. By doing this, I could just get up and go to work earlier. But, it involves packing a bag every day, which I kinda despise (not sure why).
3. Change Workout Time to After Work.
I don't run well after work. I am in wind-down mode, or go hang out with friends mode. The only successful runs I've had after work were because I absolutely had to do them...and they were usually not after most people's work...I have the flexibility to leave early and run at say 3:30. If I could make that work every day, it would just entail getting up early so my hours would shift.
4. Stop Running in Winter.
Not an option to stop running.
So...those are my options. And now the pros and cons for all.
1. HTFU.
- PRO: It's simple. Just do it, it really isn't a big deal. Don't think about it.
- CON: I might get to work a little later than normal, but that's OK.
- PRO: The workout is done right away and no chance for it to be side-tracked later with work or tiredness.
- CON: I hate being cold and the house is so cold in the morning.
- CON: Stuck running around my neighborhood only.
2. Lunch Workout
- PRO: Can just get up and go to work early.
- CON: Showering and then working out later without a shower is weird. I'd have to shower in the morning because I wouldn't be able to shower at lunch. Getting ready and then getting stinky and having to get ready again is kind of dumb.
- PRO: Breaks up the day. Could make the days longer at work, but I like being home as much as I am.
- CON: Work gets in the way, as do lunch plans. I'm trying to make more lunch plans because I'm so lonely. I don't know that I'd want to have such long lunches every day (running, changing then food that isn't convenient around here, though I could pack).
3. After Work.
PRO: Can get up and do my day without lateness or interruption. This is like a rest day, I already know it's a nice schedule...except....
CON: I'd be worried about getting my workout in all day. What if I have to work late? What if something after work comes up that's fun?
CON: I want to do yoga and strength in the evenings. That'd be a lot of evening stuff to try to fit in.
Soooo, the results? I'm kind of glad I wrote all this out! It is a lot easier to think about now. It looks like #1 HTFU is the way to go. I just need to get up and deal with the weather. I'm happiest after running in the morning. And a plan to make it happen will indeed shift my schedule slightly. But here's an idea. I could get up early and draw! Have a piece of fruit, draw, take care of the dogs. Then, when I'm awake and it's light out, I could go for the run. Then go to work. Then, I'm getting in some drawing time also! (which has been a really hard thing for me to do recently). Also, I could sprinkle in a lunch run on days I work from home, and I could drive to Sharon Woods or something. It doesn't have to be rigid. But I think for the most consistency, I need to plan on mornings for the core of my runs.
A possible schedule. I'm beginning to feel a wee bit obsessive about all this, but I just need to write it out/work through it - I've got goals, dammit! :)
Sunday: rest
Monday: 3 miles a.m.
Tuesday: 3 miles a.m. / yoga p.m.
Wednesday: 5 miles a.m. or at lunch?
Thursday: spinning / strength p.m.
Friday: 3 miles a.m. or rest
Saturday: 6 - 10 miles a.m. / lifting a.m.
Ambitious schedule perhaps. I'll give it a shot. It's only 20 - 24 miles a week. One rest day, one cross-training day. I got really good at consistency with the marathon training. This shouldn't be too hard with a little more dedication!
Some ideas!
1. HTFU.
Always a good mantra for most situation, harden the f up and pretend like it's not actually 20-whatever degrees, windy and cold. Or, at least just don't dwell on it. Get the warm stuff on and go. It's not going to kill you.
2. Change Workout Time to Lunch.
I could conceivably run at lunch. Right now I have a gym just down the street, but that only lasts until the end of the year. I could still just run and deal with sweatiness by taking a spit bath at the office. I could turn the other bathroom into a more workable getting ready bathroom. By doing this, I could just get up and go to work earlier. But, it involves packing a bag every day, which I kinda despise (not sure why).
3. Change Workout Time to After Work.
I don't run well after work. I am in wind-down mode, or go hang out with friends mode. The only successful runs I've had after work were because I absolutely had to do them...and they were usually not after most people's work...I have the flexibility to leave early and run at say 3:30. If I could make that work every day, it would just entail getting up early so my hours would shift.
4. Stop Running in Winter.
Not an option to stop running.
So...those are my options. And now the pros and cons for all.
1. HTFU.
- PRO: It's simple. Just do it, it really isn't a big deal. Don't think about it.
- CON: I might get to work a little later than normal, but that's OK.
- PRO: The workout is done right away and no chance for it to be side-tracked later with work or tiredness.
- CON: I hate being cold and the house is so cold in the morning.
- CON: Stuck running around my neighborhood only.
2. Lunch Workout
- PRO: Can just get up and go to work early.
- CON: Showering and then working out later without a shower is weird. I'd have to shower in the morning because I wouldn't be able to shower at lunch. Getting ready and then getting stinky and having to get ready again is kind of dumb.
- PRO: Breaks up the day. Could make the days longer at work, but I like being home as much as I am.
- CON: Work gets in the way, as do lunch plans. I'm trying to make more lunch plans because I'm so lonely. I don't know that I'd want to have such long lunches every day (running, changing then food that isn't convenient around here, though I could pack).
3. After Work.
PRO: Can get up and do my day without lateness or interruption. This is like a rest day, I already know it's a nice schedule...except....
CON: I'd be worried about getting my workout in all day. What if I have to work late? What if something after work comes up that's fun?
CON: I want to do yoga and strength in the evenings. That'd be a lot of evening stuff to try to fit in.
Soooo, the results? I'm kind of glad I wrote all this out! It is a lot easier to think about now. It looks like #1 HTFU is the way to go. I just need to get up and deal with the weather. I'm happiest after running in the morning. And a plan to make it happen will indeed shift my schedule slightly. But here's an idea. I could get up early and draw! Have a piece of fruit, draw, take care of the dogs. Then, when I'm awake and it's light out, I could go for the run. Then go to work. Then, I'm getting in some drawing time also! (which has been a really hard thing for me to do recently). Also, I could sprinkle in a lunch run on days I work from home, and I could drive to Sharon Woods or something. It doesn't have to be rigid. But I think for the most consistency, I need to plan on mornings for the core of my runs.
A possible schedule. I'm beginning to feel a wee bit obsessive about all this, but I just need to write it out/work through it - I've got goals, dammit! :)
Sunday: rest
Monday: 3 miles a.m.
Tuesday: 3 miles a.m. / yoga p.m.
Wednesday: 5 miles a.m. or at lunch?
Thursday: spinning / strength p.m.
Friday: 3 miles a.m. or rest
Saturday: 6 - 10 miles a.m. / lifting a.m.
Ambitious schedule perhaps. I'll give it a shot. It's only 20 - 24 miles a week. One rest day, one cross-training day. I got really good at consistency with the marathon training. This shouldn't be too hard with a little more dedication!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Plan this week
There will be wind and rain this week, but hopefully I can still sneak in some short miles.
Saturday I ran 1.5 miles...the first run since the marathon. It went fine. My pace ended up being 10:15. My legs felt tight and stiff, but I wasn't surprised. I didn't run Sunday. I hope to maybe run tonight before it's dark? Unless it's raining sideways. Not sure what kind of fringe rain we'll have from hurricane Sandy. I know gusts are up to 45 mph.
The rest of the week I want to alternate running with strength. Maybe it will look something like this:
Monday: 2 miles
Tuesday: strength and yoga
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: strength/abs and spinning
Friday: 8-9 miles
Saturday: 2 miles
Sunday: rest or run in Cleveland...we'll see...
Yep 8-9 miles for Friday. If I'd like to do the redemption run, aka Mason Half, I need to do something long. Maybe 6 would even be enough. I'll see how I feel/how it goes. It is going to be hard because we have to leave for Cleveland early Saturday morning, so there won't be time to really run then.
Saturday I ran 1.5 miles...the first run since the marathon. It went fine. My pace ended up being 10:15. My legs felt tight and stiff, but I wasn't surprised. I didn't run Sunday. I hope to maybe run tonight before it's dark? Unless it's raining sideways. Not sure what kind of fringe rain we'll have from hurricane Sandy. I know gusts are up to 45 mph.
The rest of the week I want to alternate running with strength. Maybe it will look something like this:
Monday: 2 miles
Tuesday: strength and yoga
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: strength/abs and spinning
Friday: 8-9 miles
Saturday: 2 miles
Sunday: rest or run in Cleveland...we'll see...
Yep 8-9 miles for Friday. If I'd like to do the redemption run, aka Mason Half, I need to do something long. Maybe 6 would even be enough. I'll see how I feel/how it goes. It is going to be hard because we have to leave for Cleveland early Saturday morning, so there won't be time to really run then.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The Next Chapter
The next chapter begins with a "Co" and ends with a page-turning "lumbus"!
After the Flying Pig half marathon last Sunday, I did a lot of reflecting on my running. Specifically I thought about the past couple of years, what I want out of running, what running is to me, etc. It's not the first time I've reflected on these ideas, but I at least felt some enlightenment this time.
Sunday was the worst feeling. I had trained. I had made some progress despite a calf issue and new asthma to fight with. I should have been able to get out there and do my best. The problem was I really didn't think I could. I had a couple of hopes, but once those were dashed, I was only left with a negative level of confidence out of which I wasn't willing to pull myself. During the run, I considered walking back downtown and just enjoying waiting for Casey with the others. I walked a lot. I looked around. I listened to people around me. I thought about the weather. I just didn't care. There was no point fighting myself anymore. Then my knee gave out causing a lot of pain and, oddly, I was happy. Now I had a more substantial reason to not care about how I did. Now it was really over and I could just start thinking about moving forward.
So that's what I've been doing. Thinking about running and me and how much I love it and why I love it. I love it because I improve, do well and get stronger. I love my body more when I'm running. It gives me confidence and is part of my identity. Unfortunately, many of the past months have been filled with getting worse more than improving, figuring out injuries, figuring out breathing, struggling with eating and not eating. There hasn't been much on the confidence front. I've allowed the other things put the confidence and identity in a shadow. It was all my undoing.
For whatever reason, making schedules really makes me happy :) So, the night of the half, I started mulling over a marathon schedule. I originally thought that coming off of such a horrendous race was going to smother my hopes for the marathon. But I think what the race did was allow me to hit a rock bottom of sorts. It was actually a cushy rock bottom, more like just a silt bottom. But it did allow me to finally see what I need to do. I can't explain why everything has gotten so bad with seemingly the same kind of efforts except I am getting older and I let the bad overshadow the good. Bodies change, stress levels change, etc. I'm not worried about explaining it anymore though. I am just going to look ahead.
The deeper I got into the schedule-making, the more excited I got. I wasn't excited about running faster or cutting a half hour off my time or anything specific to my performance necessarily. I was excited to finally feel like a runner again. I remember standing up after one of my times of crunching numbers; I felt like I could see myself standing there. I was standing tall, lean and strong. I was confident, relaxed, happy and positive. I was a happy runner about to embark on another running adventure where I'd chase my soul and expand my lungs and that glowing ball of happiness inside me. :)
Needless to say, I'm really excited about Columbus. I have a couple of different approaches to the miles this time that I believe will keep us injury-free and make us strong runners. I'm really excited to see Casey go through this training too. Knowing how uniquely impressive it is, I look forward to him having the awesome experience for himself.
The physical therapy chapter closed today with my last session and a completely loose calf. And now, the Columbus chapter begins... Running, happy, and documenting all of it with words and pictures (that's the plan at least) because I love this experience so much.
Here we go!!!! This is going to be awesome!!!!!!
After the Flying Pig half marathon last Sunday, I did a lot of reflecting on my running. Specifically I thought about the past couple of years, what I want out of running, what running is to me, etc. It's not the first time I've reflected on these ideas, but I at least felt some enlightenment this time.
Sunday was the worst feeling. I had trained. I had made some progress despite a calf issue and new asthma to fight with. I should have been able to get out there and do my best. The problem was I really didn't think I could. I had a couple of hopes, but once those were dashed, I was only left with a negative level of confidence out of which I wasn't willing to pull myself. During the run, I considered walking back downtown and just enjoying waiting for Casey with the others. I walked a lot. I looked around. I listened to people around me. I thought about the weather. I just didn't care. There was no point fighting myself anymore. Then my knee gave out causing a lot of pain and, oddly, I was happy. Now I had a more substantial reason to not care about how I did. Now it was really over and I could just start thinking about moving forward.
So that's what I've been doing. Thinking about running and me and how much I love it and why I love it. I love it because I improve, do well and get stronger. I love my body more when I'm running. It gives me confidence and is part of my identity. Unfortunately, many of the past months have been filled with getting worse more than improving, figuring out injuries, figuring out breathing, struggling with eating and not eating. There hasn't been much on the confidence front. I've allowed the other things put the confidence and identity in a shadow. It was all my undoing.
For whatever reason, making schedules really makes me happy :) So, the night of the half, I started mulling over a marathon schedule. I originally thought that coming off of such a horrendous race was going to smother my hopes for the marathon. But I think what the race did was allow me to hit a rock bottom of sorts. It was actually a cushy rock bottom, more like just a silt bottom. But it did allow me to finally see what I need to do. I can't explain why everything has gotten so bad with seemingly the same kind of efforts except I am getting older and I let the bad overshadow the good. Bodies change, stress levels change, etc. I'm not worried about explaining it anymore though. I am just going to look ahead.
The deeper I got into the schedule-making, the more excited I got. I wasn't excited about running faster or cutting a half hour off my time or anything specific to my performance necessarily. I was excited to finally feel like a runner again. I remember standing up after one of my times of crunching numbers; I felt like I could see myself standing there. I was standing tall, lean and strong. I was confident, relaxed, happy and positive. I was a happy runner about to embark on another running adventure where I'd chase my soul and expand my lungs and that glowing ball of happiness inside me. :)
Needless to say, I'm really excited about Columbus. I have a couple of different approaches to the miles this time that I believe will keep us injury-free and make us strong runners. I'm really excited to see Casey go through this training too. Knowing how uniquely impressive it is, I look forward to him having the awesome experience for himself.
The physical therapy chapter closed today with my last session and a completely loose calf. And now, the Columbus chapter begins... Running, happy, and documenting all of it with words and pictures (that's the plan at least) because I love this experience so much.
Here we go!!!! This is going to be awesome!!!!!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
I'm Getting Excited
Here are the reasons:
1. Physical therapy might work and I might soon have no pain when running. I say this right before I'm about to head out for a chilly 3 miles. That I'm sure will be painful. Ah, optimism. It gets me every day.
2. The Pig is coming up. While I don't expect to preform very well, I'm also not expecting a horrible run. I've trained for this better than I trained for the last half (if you can even call that training...no, actually you can't) and am feeling decent about where I stand. And regardless of how I do, it's always a very fun time running with everyone in the home town. The entire weekend is a fun fun positive time! We should have a Post Pig Pigout again this year.
3. My breathing seems to be getting a little better. It's still a fight, but I'm feeling a little better and learning.
4. After the Pig...after some recovery...is marathon training!!! As the days go by and the reality of training kick-off approaches, I find myself looking more and more forward to it. I forgot how much I love a schedule, love the increase of mileage and the push. It isn't about speed anymore. It's endurance, getting to know my body and soul again on that crazy level, feeling the rewards of all of it and being so proud of myself. I think I'm a much happier person because of it. Maybe that's just an idealized memory, but whatever it is, I'm looking forward to being happy about my running again.
1. Physical therapy might work and I might soon have no pain when running. I say this right before I'm about to head out for a chilly 3 miles. That I'm sure will be painful. Ah, optimism. It gets me every day.
2. The Pig is coming up. While I don't expect to preform very well, I'm also not expecting a horrible run. I've trained for this better than I trained for the last half (if you can even call that training...no, actually you can't) and am feeling decent about where I stand. And regardless of how I do, it's always a very fun time running with everyone in the home town. The entire weekend is a fun fun positive time! We should have a Post Pig Pigout again this year.
3. My breathing seems to be getting a little better. It's still a fight, but I'm feeling a little better and learning.
4. After the Pig...after some recovery...is marathon training!!! As the days go by and the reality of training kick-off approaches, I find myself looking more and more forward to it. I forgot how much I love a schedule, love the increase of mileage and the push. It isn't about speed anymore. It's endurance, getting to know my body and soul again on that crazy level, feeling the rewards of all of it and being so proud of myself. I think I'm a much happier person because of it. Maybe that's just an idealized memory, but whatever it is, I'm looking forward to being happy about my running again.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Next Up...the Pig
Heart Mini done.
Fitness exposed.
Motivation high.
I am not disappointed with my time at the mini, because I thought all I could do was probably a 10:30 pace, given my very late in the training asthma revelation and the toughness of the course. So really, I'm pretty happy with it. I would have liked to have done better, but realistically, I think the way it turned out was great.
And now...the Pig.
I'm so excited. Now that I know the source of all of my breathing issues, I'm hopeful that training will be more productive once I have the asthma all under control. I feel like an athlete again, even if a very amateur one :) My leg issue hasn't gone away. But holy crap now I can breathe and breathe when I run and not cough and I'm sleeping better and GAH!!!!!! It's soooooo exciting!!!!!!!
So, my plan for the next weeks is to get stronger, lose more weight, and run more miles. Time is time, but I'm a hopeless dreamer for progress. Plus this weather is awesome right now. Makes me want to go outside all of the time.
I geek out thinking about schedules.
Current schedule has been like this:
Mondays - usually rest, occasional lifting
Tuesdays - spinning and yoga, a couple times I'd run 2 or so miles
Wednesdays - hardly ever did anything
Thursdays - spinning
Fridays - hardly ever did anything, but more frequent than Wednesdays
Saturdays - nothing
Sundays - long run
......This is what got me 10:31 at the Mini. Well no wonder. I only had 2 days of running usually. 3 if I was lucky. Spinning is awesome. But, it's not running. It is important cross training for sure. And I know it makes my legs stronger. But...still.
Ideal schedule for the future:
Mondays - rest, lift
Tuesdays - run 2, spinning, yoga
Wednesdays - mid-distance run (4 - 5 miles)
Thursdays - spinning
Fridays - run 3 miles quick
Saturday - run 3 miles easy
Sunday - long run
Is that possible? I'm not sure. I think spinning twice a week is challenging and might take away from running. I honestly go every week because of Erin! :) Running Tuesday before class might be OK. Running Thursday before class would be easier because it's a later class. I could run at home even, then go. Hmmm. Also, I need to lift and work on my core!! Mondays are easy for that. And Tuesday is a strength day of sorts. Maybe Friday is also a lifting day?
I am not sure what should be done when. But I will figure this out and make it work. I've made spinning Tuesdays and Thursdays work. I haven't missed in a LONG time. It took a few weeks, but I managed to make it fit into my schedule. I am confident I can add in more running. It's just going to take some thinking ahead.
Fitness exposed.
Motivation high.
I am not disappointed with my time at the mini, because I thought all I could do was probably a 10:30 pace, given my very late in the training asthma revelation and the toughness of the course. So really, I'm pretty happy with it. I would have liked to have done better, but realistically, I think the way it turned out was great.
And now...the Pig.
I'm so excited. Now that I know the source of all of my breathing issues, I'm hopeful that training will be more productive once I have the asthma all under control. I feel like an athlete again, even if a very amateur one :) My leg issue hasn't gone away. But holy crap now I can breathe and breathe when I run and not cough and I'm sleeping better and GAH!!!!!! It's soooooo exciting!!!!!!!
So, my plan for the next weeks is to get stronger, lose more weight, and run more miles. Time is time, but I'm a hopeless dreamer for progress. Plus this weather is awesome right now. Makes me want to go outside all of the time.
I geek out thinking about schedules.
Current schedule has been like this:
Mondays - usually rest, occasional lifting
Tuesdays - spinning and yoga, a couple times I'd run 2 or so miles
Wednesdays - hardly ever did anything
Thursdays - spinning
Fridays - hardly ever did anything, but more frequent than Wednesdays
Saturdays - nothing
Sundays - long run
......This is what got me 10:31 at the Mini. Well no wonder. I only had 2 days of running usually. 3 if I was lucky. Spinning is awesome. But, it's not running. It is important cross training for sure. And I know it makes my legs stronger. But...still.
Ideal schedule for the future:
Mondays - rest, lift
Tuesdays - run 2, spinning, yoga
Wednesdays - mid-distance run (4 - 5 miles)
Thursdays - spinning
Fridays - run 3 miles quick
Saturday - run 3 miles easy
Sunday - long run
Is that possible? I'm not sure. I think spinning twice a week is challenging and might take away from running. I honestly go every week because of Erin! :) Running Tuesday before class might be OK. Running Thursday before class would be easier because it's a later class. I could run at home even, then go. Hmmm. Also, I need to lift and work on my core!! Mondays are easy for that. And Tuesday is a strength day of sorts. Maybe Friday is also a lifting day?
I am not sure what should be done when. But I will figure this out and make it work. I've made spinning Tuesdays and Thursdays work. I haven't missed in a LONG time. It took a few weeks, but I managed to make it fit into my schedule. I am confident I can add in more running. It's just going to take some thinking ahead.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Next Time on the Trainer By Myself...
Warm-up
Main Set (20-30 minutes)
Repeat the set below 2 or 3 times:
Cool Down
I saw an article on indoor training in a newsletter I get and this one looked pretty good and simple. It's from Gale Bernhardt, whose a trainer and I have a book of hers. I'm not all that into the zones, just use them as guidelines. I especially like the leg spin exercises in the warm-up because I think I still tend to mash the pedals a bit.
The main set is kind of like what I did at the Trek store the night I went, only those intervals were 15 second increments rather than 30 and it was most of the workout.
| 5-10 minutes | Ride comfortably, an easy, aerobic warm-up |
| 10 minutes | 5 x (30 second with the right leg doing most of the work, 30 seconds where the left leg does most of the work, 60 seconds with both legs working to form smooth, relaxed circles) |
| 12 minutes | 4 x (both legs working for 30 seconds at 90 rpm, 30 seconds at 100 rpm, 30 seconds spinning at more than 100 rpm (keep your fanny from bouncing off of the bicycle seat with controlled, high speed spinning), recover with 1:30 of easy spinning) |
Main Set (20-30 minutes)
Repeat the set below 2 or 3 times:
| 2 minutes | Zone 2 intensity (recover with easy spinning in Zone 1 for 2:00) |
| 1 minute 30 seconds | Zone 3 intensity (recover with easy spinning in Zone 1 for 1:30) |
| 1 minute | Zone 4-5a intensity (recover with easy spinning in Zone 1 for 1:00) |
| 30 seconds | Zone 5b intensity, powerful riding seated or out of the saddle standing (recover with easy spinning in Zone 1 for 0:30) |
Cool Down
| 8-13 minutes | At a low resistance, spin easy at Zone 1-2 intensity |
I saw an article on indoor training in a newsletter I get and this one looked pretty good and simple. It's from Gale Bernhardt, whose a trainer and I have a book of hers. I'm not all that into the zones, just use them as guidelines. I especially like the leg spin exercises in the warm-up because I think I still tend to mash the pedals a bit.
The main set is kind of like what I did at the Trek store the night I went, only those intervals were 15 second increments rather than 30 and it was most of the workout.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy New Year
It's a new year! Which means new plans and new goals- yay! A clean slate to start training is refreshing.
I have never really been a New Year Resolution maker, but I do like it in the running context. I get a kick out of making plans for running, which I suppose aren't really resolutions. I simply like to think about what's coming up in the next year - what fun things lie ahead to look forward to as well as what I hope for.
First up is the Heart Mini Marathon March 20th.
From now until then I'd like to:
- get a good base on the bike trainer
- get my running mileage back up
- lose some weight
- get into a strength training routine
Then, May 1st is the Flying Pig Half Marathon.
I'm really excited about this race because Daryl and Jessica are going to come down to run it and that means it's going to be a very fun weekend running with friends! I very much enjoy doing races with other people. I want to do well at this race and take my time down from October's half as well. That is my only goal. Well, not so secretly I'd like to not be last among the friends. Oh so sick of being a turtle... We'll see what can be done about that in the next months.
As for the rest of spring and summer, I'm not sure what I want to do. Maybe there will be more biking, or maybe more duathlons. When it was 60ยบ on New Year's Eve, I felt the urge to get outside for a ride. I can't wait to ride on the road again. This year I am definitely going to try to immerse myself more in biking groups. The Monday night rides were really fun, pushing me way more than I push myself. Plus it's just way better to ride with someone. In the fall, I think I would like to do the Columbus marathon again. That was such an amazing experience. We shall see... For now I'm just going to think about the Heart Mini and getting my routine down!
And now a toast...
Here's to a fantastic year ahead. May it be filled with a lot of fun experiences, happy happy smiles, and good times! (pun intended, haha)
I have never really been a New Year Resolution maker, but I do like it in the running context. I get a kick out of making plans for running, which I suppose aren't really resolutions. I simply like to think about what's coming up in the next year - what fun things lie ahead to look forward to as well as what I hope for.
First up is the Heart Mini Marathon March 20th.
From now until then I'd like to:
- get a good base on the bike trainer
- get my running mileage back up
- lose some weight
- get into a strength training routine
Then, May 1st is the Flying Pig Half Marathon.
I'm really excited about this race because Daryl and Jessica are going to come down to run it and that means it's going to be a very fun weekend running with friends! I very much enjoy doing races with other people. I want to do well at this race and take my time down from October's half as well. That is my only goal. Well, not so secretly I'd like to not be last among the friends. Oh so sick of being a turtle... We'll see what can be done about that in the next months.
As for the rest of spring and summer, I'm not sure what I want to do. Maybe there will be more biking, or maybe more duathlons. When it was 60ยบ on New Year's Eve, I felt the urge to get outside for a ride. I can't wait to ride on the road again. This year I am definitely going to try to immerse myself more in biking groups. The Monday night rides were really fun, pushing me way more than I push myself. Plus it's just way better to ride with someone. In the fall, I think I would like to do the Columbus marathon again. That was such an amazing experience. We shall see... For now I'm just going to think about the Heart Mini and getting my routine down!
And now a toast...
Here's to a fantastic year ahead. May it be filled with a lot of fun experiences, happy happy smiles, and good times! (pun intended, haha)
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sniff sniff blow sniff...
I have a code...and my node is stopped up preddy good. ~sniiifff~
It started as a dry cough and then all of the sudden moved to my head. I feel ok, just a little worn out and quite achy, though the achyness may be left over from recently sleeping on an uncomfortable couch one night and laying on the same uncomfortable couch with a sick beagle the next night. Being off this week was good timing I suppose. My chapped lips and nose are more uncomfortable than anything else.
So I haven't worked out. Not that I've been working out consistently anyway. Sigh. It's getting old, me and my not working out.
I've decided I'm going to do the Heart Mini Marathon. It's March 20th. That should be enough to motivate me to train - it's 11 weeks away and an actual race. It's definitely time to start, especially since I haven't been running or biking consistently. I would like to start to get excited about it, but it's difficult given the current 'you better not run' situation with my folks. I know I am excited about it, but I can't be openly excited and happy about it. It's not like me to be quiet about things I'm looking forward to, especially with running. I suppose I should just go ahead and make my appointment with a doc and get that clear bill of health that I think I have. I don't want to get cocky about it. But I am really really hoping I get the "run whatever and however far you want to" from the docs. Then I can openly and confidently live the way I want to with running again. Well, mostly anyway.
And now to lift while Greg plays Forza. Might as well do something.
It started as a dry cough and then all of the sudden moved to my head. I feel ok, just a little worn out and quite achy, though the achyness may be left over from recently sleeping on an uncomfortable couch one night and laying on the same uncomfortable couch with a sick beagle the next night. Being off this week was good timing I suppose. My chapped lips and nose are more uncomfortable than anything else.
So I haven't worked out. Not that I've been working out consistently anyway. Sigh. It's getting old, me and my not working out.
I've decided I'm going to do the Heart Mini Marathon. It's March 20th. That should be enough to motivate me to train - it's 11 weeks away and an actual race. It's definitely time to start, especially since I haven't been running or biking consistently. I would like to start to get excited about it, but it's difficult given the current 'you better not run' situation with my folks. I know I am excited about it, but I can't be openly excited and happy about it. It's not like me to be quiet about things I'm looking forward to, especially with running. I suppose I should just go ahead and make my appointment with a doc and get that clear bill of health that I think I have. I don't want to get cocky about it. But I am really really hoping I get the "run whatever and however far you want to" from the docs. Then I can openly and confidently live the way I want to with running again. Well, mostly anyway.
And now to lift while Greg plays Forza. Might as well do something.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Plans and Such
It's been almost two weeks since the half marathon, and I haven't run 1 mile. Nor have I biked. In fact, I've not done much of anything except worked. Working in, not working out. :( This is not exactly how I had wanted it to go.
Part of the problem was work (many consecutive 10 billable hour days). Every day like clockwork I get a bad tension headache in my neck and jaw. I'm tired of it! (Ironically, a run would probably help get rid of it!) The other part was motivation. I get pretty sad/down after races as eventful as a half, where there are weeks invested in training and planning for it. This one was no exception. I finished, was happy and disappointed all at the same time (which was weird and I still feel weird about), and was left feeling pretty empty with the question in my head every day: now what?
I guess now I'm trying to address it. Now what?
First things first - It's time to start running again! I need to start running again. This has been a long rest period; I'm sure my IT band is fine by now. Plus, I have a fun new GPS watch to play with! I partly bought that for motivation, but it didn't have quite as big of a spark as I had hoped it would. I am still looking forward to using its features and having more freedom on my routes again.
Second, plans/aka motivation... My eyes are on the Pig. I go back and forth about full or half. I feel like I'm copping out by not doing the full. I've done a full and would still like to run more full marathons. And this is the home town marathon! But.... then I think about how I want to get faster. The Pig quite possibly could be a slower marathon than Columbus was for me, and I don't ever want to do one slower than that. I would need to know I could do better, which means I'd have to train for pace at the distance rather than just the distance. That's scary when you're a mortal. Back to the half... it is such a more manageable distance! It's still an endurance challenge, but nothing like a full. I know I could keep improving my speed and would have a great time working on that. I feel like it would be very rewarding. Back to the marathon... I could do one later in the year, after the Pig is done. I could aim for Columbus again in the fall - that is such a great race. Hmmmmm...decisions!
I think for now I'm going to break things up in chunks. From now until the end of the year, I want to nail down a routine, which will include running, biking (indoors) and lifting/core. When I think about running, I get pretty excited thinking about getting faster. So I think I'm going to start there for now and see what happens. It's time to do some real work!
Part of the problem was work (many consecutive 10 billable hour days). Every day like clockwork I get a bad tension headache in my neck and jaw. I'm tired of it! (Ironically, a run would probably help get rid of it!) The other part was motivation. I get pretty sad/down after races as eventful as a half, where there are weeks invested in training and planning for it. This one was no exception. I finished, was happy and disappointed all at the same time (which was weird and I still feel weird about), and was left feeling pretty empty with the question in my head every day: now what?
I guess now I'm trying to address it. Now what?
First things first - It's time to start running again! I need to start running again. This has been a long rest period; I'm sure my IT band is fine by now. Plus, I have a fun new GPS watch to play with! I partly bought that for motivation, but it didn't have quite as big of a spark as I had hoped it would. I am still looking forward to using its features and having more freedom on my routes again.
Second, plans/aka motivation... My eyes are on the Pig. I go back and forth about full or half. I feel like I'm copping out by not doing the full. I've done a full and would still like to run more full marathons. And this is the home town marathon! But.... then I think about how I want to get faster. The Pig quite possibly could be a slower marathon than Columbus was for me, and I don't ever want to do one slower than that. I would need to know I could do better, which means I'd have to train for pace at the distance rather than just the distance. That's scary when you're a mortal. Back to the half... it is such a more manageable distance! It's still an endurance challenge, but nothing like a full. I know I could keep improving my speed and would have a great time working on that. I feel like it would be very rewarding. Back to the marathon... I could do one later in the year, after the Pig is done. I could aim for Columbus again in the fall - that is such a great race. Hmmmmm...decisions!
I think for now I'm going to break things up in chunks. From now until the end of the year, I want to nail down a routine, which will include running, biking (indoors) and lifting/core. When I think about running, I get pretty excited thinking about getting faster. So I think I'm going to start there for now and see what happens. It's time to do some real work!
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