Well, my foot thing is still a bit dodgy...last felt a twinge while doing, of all things, yoga.
My mood was plummeting, so I figured I had to start off each day with yoga. Just 10-15 min to start. If I feel too tired to start reeling off the sun saluts, then I do some tai chi. I think it's helped a lot, that and taking iron supplements. My blood pressure is apparently lower than normal--I went to the nurse yesterday and it was 82/60. I just feel tired, not dizzy, but it seems to take me a while to get up in the morning. Fortunately, I'm working part-time, evening shift.
I've been mostly walking, throwing in jogging as I see fit. The dog and I have been covering abou 4-7 miles a day. I might try to do more tomorrow, will see. My best bet at this point is to do what feels right, and get to the ultra as rested as possible. I would like to do about 16 miles this weekend, though, just to give the fat-burning process a gentle reminder.
I also have to sit down and look at the course, the drink/pit stops, the drop stops, etc, and figure out fueling. I would like to have a couple of drop bags.
I have other plans, too. The Ottawa marathon is coming up. I really don't know how I'll feel two weeks after the ultra, but in some ways it'll be easier than running an entire marathon, judging by how marathon pace and ultra marathon 'pace' workouts feel. It took me nearly six hours to do a marathon a la ultra, but I felt fine afterwards. And if I take it not entirely seriously, that will reduce the pressure.
I was considering going as Amy Winehouse, but the eyeliner would likely run more than I would. (lol)
Today, I thought of the landlady from Kung Fu Hustle. It would be a funny costume without people understanding the character, and turns out she can run pretty fast, lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPFECDepBdI
Still haven't signed up for the marathon...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday
I think the dog and I did about 4 miles today. Mostly walking. I tried to enjoy the sunshine and use the outing as mainly refreshment :)
At least my foot seems to be healing nicely! That's one good aspect of this thing I'm going to. I'm not sure what to call it, a physiological slump? Oh, it's mental, too, but I know from experience that when my jogging speed is stuck around 10:30/mile or lower for more than a couple of days in a row, that means that I'm fighting something. Pushing harder will not help.
As much as I don't miss running right now, I really miss the endorphins. Things are so much duller when I'm not running.
At least my foot seems to be healing nicely! That's one good aspect of this thing I'm going to. I'm not sure what to call it, a physiological slump? Oh, it's mental, too, but I know from experience that when my jogging speed is stuck around 10:30/mile or lower for more than a couple of days in a row, that means that I'm fighting something. Pushing harder will not help.
As much as I don't miss running right now, I really miss the endorphins. Things are so much duller when I'm not running.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Arboreteum
Dog drama! some dog ran up to my dog while we were in the Arboreteum. My dog was leashed (apparently the only one in there that was) and the other dog was loose. It dashed right up to my dog and I didn't quite see what was going on because my dog was slightly behind me, but I think the other dog snapped at him. I wasn't sure, though, so we just kept going. Other than that, it was a nice relaxing jaunt.
We jogged 5 miles very slowly (like in 53 min) and that was enough, so we walked a slightly hilly loop 6-7 times and then went home. If I feel better, I'll likely go back to that portion later in the week.
The good news is that my foot seems to be getting better, and I feel a little less sick, and my thyroid is normal. I have some nodules in my parotid glands which are probably harmless--will get them checked again in the fall.
The bad news is that my legs still weigh a ton and I'm tired and I will have to see a cardiologist. The stats from my 48 hr heart monitoring were interesting:
min beats per minute: 41
max beats per minute: 202
max beats per minute w/ tachycardia: 228.
apparently, the electrical impulses of my heart are funky, so we'll see what I find out about managing this.
I forgot to ask my doctor about running the ultramarathon, lol. She's supportive of running, but she did say to take it easy. The thing is, the ultra would be a very easy effort, just for a long while. However, this fatigue I'm feeling in general is pretty discouraging. I shouldn't feel like crap moving 10:30-11 min/mile for just a few.
I'm going to try to be more consistent with taking iron pills. Another factor might be the Pill...I've been on a new kind for the past 3 months and it has not agreed with me at all. Just a few more days to finish the present cycle, and that will be that. I will switch to another kind but I don't want to start a new cycle just yet--two weeks without extra synthesized hormones will hopefully help me recover for the ultra.
So, I feel a little more relieved, but still in limbo and still logey.
We did 10.25 miles today.
We jogged 5 miles very slowly (like in 53 min) and that was enough, so we walked a slightly hilly loop 6-7 times and then went home. If I feel better, I'll likely go back to that portion later in the week.
The good news is that my foot seems to be getting better, and I feel a little less sick, and my thyroid is normal. I have some nodules in my parotid glands which are probably harmless--will get them checked again in the fall.
The bad news is that my legs still weigh a ton and I'm tired and I will have to see a cardiologist. The stats from my 48 hr heart monitoring were interesting:
min beats per minute: 41
max beats per minute: 202
max beats per minute w/ tachycardia: 228.
apparently, the electrical impulses of my heart are funky, so we'll see what I find out about managing this.
I forgot to ask my doctor about running the ultramarathon, lol. She's supportive of running, but she did say to take it easy. The thing is, the ultra would be a very easy effort, just for a long while. However, this fatigue I'm feeling in general is pretty discouraging. I shouldn't feel like crap moving 10:30-11 min/mile for just a few.
I'm going to try to be more consistent with taking iron pills. Another factor might be the Pill...I've been on a new kind for the past 3 months and it has not agreed with me at all. Just a few more days to finish the present cycle, and that will be that. I will switch to another kind but I don't want to start a new cycle just yet--two weeks without extra synthesized hormones will hopefully help me recover for the ultra.
So, I feel a little more relieved, but still in limbo and still logey.
We did 10.25 miles today.
Monday, April 20, 2009
pre-appointment fret
I still feel sort of sick, but today it's more nerves, I think. I get the test results today and of course I'm worried about two possible outcomes:
A: it's something serious
B: it's not serious enough to bother with, and so I have to figure out how to live with the symptoms. I'm cool with that, except that I've been doing that for the last 8-9 years and they've been getting worse recently.
In fact, it was partly the heart thing that got me started running. I was a grad student in Montreal, doing grad student things like not sleeping enough and believing that Guinness was a meal, lol....great times, but one day I got palpitations. I actually had gotten them a couple of years before, so wasn't concerned...until I got them again shortly after. I was falling apart! And then I wound up in the hospital a few months later due to something else (probably a burst cyst/septis), I decided that I was indeed falling apart and had to improve my fitness. After a zombie like week eating mostly red meat, and drifting in and out of consciousness, I decided I would start running.
Why? it seemed the cheapest option and Mont-Royal was but a couple of blocks away--as it turned out, I lived really close to the start of the Olmstead trail. The
I dug out a pair of casual cotton shorts--they had a zipper! lol--and a cotton tshirt. I honestly don't remember what I was wearing for shoes. I don't think I had running shoes at the time because I pretty much always wore army or construction boots or ballet-flat type shoes when it was warmer. Maybe I jogged in the flats. not sure. It didn't really matter because I didn't go far at first.
When I headed out that first time, the challenge of going up the mountain suddenly struck me. Hadn't occured to me before, but I looked up at that thing, the top shrouded in mist (at least in my imagination), and I decided to run around the park on the other side of the street.
This turned out to be incredibly hard because it was not flat either and, duh, I hadn't ever really ran before. I spent a lot of my formative years jog/walking to things when I was late (either in boots or flats--after getting through the humiliation of Grade 9 gym, I didn't own running shoes--and, actually, I wore an old pair of my mom's before then). But I had hopeless endurance. I couldn't jog for more than a minute. I had a 800M run in Grade eight and came in around 3:15, I think...with a walk break. LOL
Fine. I was sick and weak. I had an excuse. I made it around the park and then the next time I figured it was going to be hard no matter what, so I hit the hill.
And, with the company of a couple of roommates on and off, I clawed my way up the hill that summer. Ran when I could, walked when I was out of breath. I was working but otherwise had few constraints on my time once I was done school, so I didn't wear a watch, didn't worry about mileage, just tried to get a bit farther each time. To the first bend, to the second, to the third, to the fountain, to the bench...it was pretty exciting.
when I finally got to the top, I was disgusted to find a parking lot and some very unhealthy people up there. That was a shock.
But I was healthy. I didn't feel like my heart was going to flutter out of my chest anymore. I felt like I'd taken a few years off already.
I had a few ups and downs with running, injuries, low iron, etc...but I've largely felt a lot healthier after running than before.
Until recently. I feel like I'm back where I started. It's discouraging. I tried running yesterday, and my legs were very heavy. I'm still fighting something which doesn't help. I might run later this afternoon--I really need to give the dog a good workout, and since I'm working tomorrow, I might do a double on Wed-Thurs. Will see.
And I'll see what the doctor says in about two hours. I've been waiting for this for two months now. Hopefully they got a good reading with the electrodes!
A: it's something serious
B: it's not serious enough to bother with, and so I have to figure out how to live with the symptoms. I'm cool with that, except that I've been doing that for the last 8-9 years and they've been getting worse recently.
In fact, it was partly the heart thing that got me started running. I was a grad student in Montreal, doing grad student things like not sleeping enough and believing that Guinness was a meal, lol....great times, but one day I got palpitations. I actually had gotten them a couple of years before, so wasn't concerned...until I got them again shortly after. I was falling apart! And then I wound up in the hospital a few months later due to something else (probably a burst cyst/septis), I decided that I was indeed falling apart and had to improve my fitness. After a zombie like week eating mostly red meat, and drifting in and out of consciousness, I decided I would start running.
Why? it seemed the cheapest option and Mont-Royal was but a couple of blocks away--as it turned out, I lived really close to the start of the Olmstead trail. The
I dug out a pair of casual cotton shorts--they had a zipper! lol--and a cotton tshirt. I honestly don't remember what I was wearing for shoes. I don't think I had running shoes at the time because I pretty much always wore army or construction boots or ballet-flat type shoes when it was warmer. Maybe I jogged in the flats. not sure. It didn't really matter because I didn't go far at first.
When I headed out that first time, the challenge of going up the mountain suddenly struck me. Hadn't occured to me before, but I looked up at that thing, the top shrouded in mist (at least in my imagination), and I decided to run around the park on the other side of the street.
This turned out to be incredibly hard because it was not flat either and, duh, I hadn't ever really ran before. I spent a lot of my formative years jog/walking to things when I was late (either in boots or flats--after getting through the humiliation of Grade 9 gym, I didn't own running shoes--and, actually, I wore an old pair of my mom's before then). But I had hopeless endurance. I couldn't jog for more than a minute. I had a 800M run in Grade eight and came in around 3:15, I think...with a walk break. LOL
Fine. I was sick and weak. I had an excuse. I made it around the park and then the next time I figured it was going to be hard no matter what, so I hit the hill.
And, with the company of a couple of roommates on and off, I clawed my way up the hill that summer. Ran when I could, walked when I was out of breath. I was working but otherwise had few constraints on my time once I was done school, so I didn't wear a watch, didn't worry about mileage, just tried to get a bit farther each time. To the first bend, to the second, to the third, to the fountain, to the bench...it was pretty exciting.
when I finally got to the top, I was disgusted to find a parking lot and some very unhealthy people up there. That was a shock.
But I was healthy. I didn't feel like my heart was going to flutter out of my chest anymore. I felt like I'd taken a few years off already.
I had a few ups and downs with running, injuries, low iron, etc...but I've largely felt a lot healthier after running than before.
Until recently. I feel like I'm back where I started. It's discouraging. I tried running yesterday, and my legs were very heavy. I'm still fighting something which doesn't help. I might run later this afternoon--I really need to give the dog a good workout, and since I'm working tomorrow, I might do a double on Wed-Thurs. Will see.
And I'll see what the doctor says in about two hours. I've been waiting for this for two months now. Hopefully they got a good reading with the electrodes!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
still sick
No exercise today except the 1.5 miles to work and then approx 7 hrs of running/walking/lifting/pushing/squatting once I get there. LOL
I'm still sick! Work was one small-scale 'emergency' after another, although one of them was real (leaky col bag). And then I didn't sleep well. Hopefully it'll be better tonight.
Tomorrow, I go to the doctor to find out the test results--I'm really anxious about that. And, as luck would have it, I'm not working, so I can watch the Boston marathon, if I find it somewhere online. yeah!
I'm still sick! Work was one small-scale 'emergency' after another, although one of them was real (leaky col bag). And then I didn't sleep well. Hopefully it'll be better tonight.
Tomorrow, I go to the doctor to find out the test results--I'm really anxious about that. And, as luck would have it, I'm not working, so I can watch the Boston marathon, if I find it somewhere online. yeah!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
sick
Well, just a couple of miles on Friday, and probably I'll just jog/walk 1.5 to work, bringing my weekly tally just over 50 miles. scraping by! lol
I had hoped to do one more back to back, starting today but I'm fatigued and stuffed up and work is only going to make that worse. (Unfortunately, I'm not throwing up/hacking up a storm, so I can't in good conscience call in sick.) Walking into that place even when I'm feeling fine often results in my throat getting sore. It's an unsanitary place like any other containing unsanitorily-sentient humans spreading fecal matter about. My last job was similar, but there I had a fair bit of down time before it got busy so I could run around with a rag and bleach and disinfect the areas people most likely touched, handles, handrails, faucets, etc. A few times, I got lazy and started skipping that, and I got sick soon after.
This place, I have very little free time. Plus, I'm not there every day it's open. Instead, I use lots of soap and water and disinfectant on myself and my charges, go through gloves like oxygen, and scour up to my elbows before eating. Fortunately, they have hand disinfectant dispensers by the elevator on every floor and in most of the residents' rooms. Periodically I distribute more bottles from the stash in the basement. Unfortunately, it's not quite enough. People there are senile, they forget. They also tend to keep a death grip on kleenexes and toilet paper, no matter how used. I'm always prying that shit out of their wizened claws and throwing it away. It's best to flush it down because some of them go through their trash cans and rescue things. I really hope I die with my boots on before I get to that stage.
So, basically, my already-struggling immune system is going to get royally slammed starting in a couple of hours, hence I did not run this morning. LOL
I had hoped to do one more back to back, starting today but I'm fatigued and stuffed up and work is only going to make that worse. (Unfortunately, I'm not throwing up/hacking up a storm, so I can't in good conscience call in sick.) Walking into that place even when I'm feeling fine often results in my throat getting sore. It's an unsanitary place like any other containing unsanitorily-sentient humans spreading fecal matter about. My last job was similar, but there I had a fair bit of down time before it got busy so I could run around with a rag and bleach and disinfect the areas people most likely touched, handles, handrails, faucets, etc. A few times, I got lazy and started skipping that, and I got sick soon after.
This place, I have very little free time. Plus, I'm not there every day it's open. Instead, I use lots of soap and water and disinfectant on myself and my charges, go through gloves like oxygen, and scour up to my elbows before eating. Fortunately, they have hand disinfectant dispensers by the elevator on every floor and in most of the residents' rooms. Periodically I distribute more bottles from the stash in the basement. Unfortunately, it's not quite enough. People there are senile, they forget. They also tend to keep a death grip on kleenexes and toilet paper, no matter how used. I'm always prying that shit out of their wizened claws and throwing it away. It's best to flush it down because some of them go through their trash cans and rescue things. I really hope I die with my boots on before I get to that stage.
So, basically, my already-struggling immune system is going to get royally slammed starting in a couple of hours, hence I did not run this morning. LOL
Thursday, April 16, 2009
no bath for the dog
We went walking for about an hour instead. Doesn't feel quite warm enough to bathe him. I slept for about 10 hrs but still feel like I'm fighting something. My throat is sore/stiff. I guess I'll sleep as much as possible tonight!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
wednesday speedwork
'Speed' being relative....
It was gorgeous today. I slept in a bit because it took me a while to get to sleep after last night's shift. Then it was spring cleaning time, bedding, rugs, etc, and then I had to repot a bunch of little tomato seedlings (they're looking really good this year), and then it was time to trot.
I was going to take the dog out for an hour and then drop him off and go to run club, but we got carried away and my foot still isn't 100% anyway so speedwork doesn't seem to be the best choice these days. We jogged for about six miles and then did a couple of 1/2 mile intervals, walk, jog, walk, jog...and kept going.
I've been travelling at 10:30ish/mile for the past few weeks, which is fine. However, my curiosity was piqued and I picked the pace up. The dog wasn't too impressed by this but he kept up. We got under 10 min/mile, and then 9 min/mile...my foot was starting to complain and I was finding it hard to not fling the dog leash about, but otherwise it was surprising how comfortable it felt. It's been a while since I've moved at that pace, and I miss it. We walked the last mile back to the house.
Total 13.6ish miles in 2:30. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow, apart from enjoy the sunshine. No work (yeah, I admit it, I'm underemployed these days, lol), but there is one item on my agenda: wash the dog. I've already washed all his bedding. The final sign was a fly in the house. First it tried to land on my dinner but an extra-close swat dissuaded it. The next best smelly thing was the dog. It kept buzzing around him until he caught it and ate it. On the one hand, I don't want to handicap my dog's fly baiting prowess; on the other hand, he stinks. Not in a brash way, just like a dog who has spent most of the winter indoors eating smelly dog food, licking himself with smelly-dog-food-tinged saliva, and lying curled up in the same bed.
It was gorgeous today. I slept in a bit because it took me a while to get to sleep after last night's shift. Then it was spring cleaning time, bedding, rugs, etc, and then I had to repot a bunch of little tomato seedlings (they're looking really good this year), and then it was time to trot.
I was going to take the dog out for an hour and then drop him off and go to run club, but we got carried away and my foot still isn't 100% anyway so speedwork doesn't seem to be the best choice these days. We jogged for about six miles and then did a couple of 1/2 mile intervals, walk, jog, walk, jog...and kept going.
I've been travelling at 10:30ish/mile for the past few weeks, which is fine. However, my curiosity was piqued and I picked the pace up. The dog wasn't too impressed by this but he kept up. We got under 10 min/mile, and then 9 min/mile...my foot was starting to complain and I was finding it hard to not fling the dog leash about, but otherwise it was surprising how comfortable it felt. It's been a while since I've moved at that pace, and I miss it. We walked the last mile back to the house.
Total 13.6ish miles in 2:30. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow, apart from enjoy the sunshine. No work (yeah, I admit it, I'm underemployed these days, lol), but there is one item on my agenda: wash the dog. I've already washed all his bedding. The final sign was a fly in the house. First it tried to land on my dinner but an extra-close swat dissuaded it. The next best smelly thing was the dog. It kept buzzing around him until he caught it and ate it. On the one hand, I don't want to handicap my dog's fly baiting prowess; on the other hand, he stinks. Not in a brash way, just like a dog who has spent most of the winter indoors eating smelly dog food, licking himself with smelly-dog-food-tinged saliva, and lying curled up in the same bed.
mon/tues~recovery
Monday, I guess I strolled about two miles. My legs were maybe a little heavy, in that post-tough-workout way of feeling not sore, but like it could feel sore, and should feel sore, because repairs are going on. If that makes sense.
Today, I jogged to work, 1.5 mile...that's it. not including running around at work, up/down stairs, etc, etc...it was pretty busy tonight. My core muscles got a pretty good workout too--had to clench those pretty tightly to protect my back during some particularly heavy lifts. I've gotten pretty good at using my core, but am kind of less and less appreciative about the opportunities to do so. (meaning, I'm through with this job once I find a better one, lol)
tomorrow, not sure what I'll do. errands and then hopefully a long walk/jog with the dog. my foot definitely seems on the mend. I'll continue to wear my laces loose for a bit longer.
Today, I jogged to work, 1.5 mile...that's it. not including running around at work, up/down stairs, etc, etc...it was pretty busy tonight. My core muscles got a pretty good workout too--had to clench those pretty tightly to protect my back during some particularly heavy lifts. I've gotten pretty good at using my core, but am kind of less and less appreciative about the opportunities to do so. (meaning, I'm through with this job once I find a better one, lol)
tomorrow, not sure what I'll do. errands and then hopefully a long walk/jog with the dog. my foot definitely seems on the mend. I'll continue to wear my laces loose for a bit longer.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
fueled by lips and @ssholes
Today, I got up and ready barely in time for run club, but then family came over, and then I had to let my dog out again, find my fuel belt, etc, etc, etc...
So I set out an hour late. No biggie, as I soon realized that there was no way I was going to keep up with anyone in the club. My legs were quite stiff.
I decided to alternate 1/2 mile walking with 1/2 mile jogging, as that seemed to work well yesterday. The deal with the walking, though, was that it had to be under 15 min/mile. I kept checking my Garmin for that, and did pretty well, I think. I'm trying to keep it as efficient as possible, and to remember what it feels like, and I think I'm getting more of a handle on that pace/effort. Jogging, on the other hand, was not much faster than walking! My legs were heavy, plus to allow my foot to heal, I had the laces really loose on my right shoe, and then the left too, so that they'd match. They were pretty much slippers. Running through muck nearly lost them. lol. Seemed that every time I checked the garmin, my pace was 10:36/mile. Oh, well, not bad. As long as my foot felt fine, I didn't care.
After about an hour of this, I met one of my run club buddies, and I jogged with her a couple of miles, I guess, then left her to do some more before going to the coffee shop. It's amazing how quickly the miles seem to go with the intervals, in a way, but I was feeling more and more tired and then realized that, duh, it was just over two hours into my run and I hadn't eaten anything. To the coffee shop! but
We've had a Tamil Tigers protest on the Hill these past few days. I could hear the drums a few blocks away. I went on Sparks, and found a bunch of the protesters spilling down from Wellington, and two hot dog vendors. Yeah, they set up the grills. So I got a bratwurst. I've been toying with the idea of eating a hotdog or whatever on the run, but didn't want to go down to Bank and Laurier, but didn't know any other in biz when it's this cold. But, hey, protesters have to eat! I wonder if the hotdog guys raked it in. Anyway, my bratwurst tasted really good. I ate most of it on the way to the coffee shop and then also got some hot chocolate and a cookie. Ate everything. I was very hungry, even though I'd gone only 11 or 12 miles. (still faster than race pace, hahaha)
Then I set out again, the same deal, and at first it was ok because my legs were sore, but no more sore than they had been at the beginning of the run. That's the good thing about starting tired, sometimes: it doesn't get any worse. After about an hour, though, the bratwurst started to make me feel kind of off. I was at Dows Lake then, and I decided that, heck, I'd walk for a whole mile.
Then I wondered if I was actually dehydrated, because I hadn't been drinking a lot of water, maybe 500mL by that point. So, as I strolled through the Arboreteum, I took a swig. And another. and another. That water, chilled by the air, was perfect. The sun was shining, the wind was off me, the grass was relatively green, the sky blue, etc, etc, and I was drinking the best water in the world. It was one of those rare moments of total satisfaction. I decided to take the gel, too, the last Orange Creamsicle, and it was good, but not as good as the water. I enjoyed more water and wondered if the ultra was going to be the same sort of blissful zone. It's definitely a zone of some sort.
I jogged a mile on the little trails in the Fletcher Garden, then jogged/walked home. Total 20.5ish miles in 4:30ish, I think. Had some ginger ale and sat down for I guess 20 min, then figured that I might as well exercise the dog before company came.
We walked a bit, but I was getting tired of that after about a 1/2 mile, so we ended up jogging and not walking again. My legs felt fresher than they had before. That blew me away. I was moving a notch faster, too, around the 10 min/mile mark.
I was going to do just a few miles, but then figured that, hey, I might as well do a marathon. And I did.
I've run five official marathons and the only one that went well was the last. The first was a big disappointment. I expected to feel this huge sense of accomplishment at the end, but I didn't. The others weren't as bad because my expectations were lower. So it was really surprising to feel so proud of myself at the marathon mark of my run today. I wasn't expecting that. I wanted to grab someone and tell them that I did a marathon. Can't say ran, because at least 11 miles of that was walking, and my time was 5:45 for 26.46 miles...not really stellar, lol. But it was an amazing feeling. I didn't know I was going to run a marathon today. My goal was to do 4.5 hrs. And I could have gone on. It was really tempting, and had we not the Easter dinner at my folks', who knows how long I would have gone.
So I feel more confident about the ultra. I ran over 40 miles this weekend. I have one more weekend to do some serious runs, and then I'll back off a bit. Not sure if I'll aim for 45 or a longer long run, or both, but I think I'll be ok. Just have to get used to switching gears between running and walking more. But it's good to know that I can get a bit of a break by running straight. The fueling stations are 5 miles apart, as it turns out, which is about what the dog and I ran. So, in the later stages of the run, when my legs are trashed anyway, I might as well run.
My foot seems to be ok. I'll probably just walk for the next two days, then maybe do 2-3 hrs with hills on Wednesday instead of speedwork. no more speedwork for me until after this race, unless I do a tempo run.
So I set out an hour late. No biggie, as I soon realized that there was no way I was going to keep up with anyone in the club. My legs were quite stiff.
I decided to alternate 1/2 mile walking with 1/2 mile jogging, as that seemed to work well yesterday. The deal with the walking, though, was that it had to be under 15 min/mile. I kept checking my Garmin for that, and did pretty well, I think. I'm trying to keep it as efficient as possible, and to remember what it feels like, and I think I'm getting more of a handle on that pace/effort. Jogging, on the other hand, was not much faster than walking! My legs were heavy, plus to allow my foot to heal, I had the laces really loose on my right shoe, and then the left too, so that they'd match. They were pretty much slippers. Running through muck nearly lost them. lol. Seemed that every time I checked the garmin, my pace was 10:36/mile. Oh, well, not bad. As long as my foot felt fine, I didn't care.
After about an hour of this, I met one of my run club buddies, and I jogged with her a couple of miles, I guess, then left her to do some more before going to the coffee shop. It's amazing how quickly the miles seem to go with the intervals, in a way, but I was feeling more and more tired and then realized that, duh, it was just over two hours into my run and I hadn't eaten anything. To the coffee shop! but
We've had a Tamil Tigers protest on the Hill these past few days. I could hear the drums a few blocks away. I went on Sparks, and found a bunch of the protesters spilling down from Wellington, and two hot dog vendors. Yeah, they set up the grills. So I got a bratwurst. I've been toying with the idea of eating a hotdog or whatever on the run, but didn't want to go down to Bank and Laurier, but didn't know any other in biz when it's this cold. But, hey, protesters have to eat! I wonder if the hotdog guys raked it in. Anyway, my bratwurst tasted really good. I ate most of it on the way to the coffee shop and then also got some hot chocolate and a cookie. Ate everything. I was very hungry, even though I'd gone only 11 or 12 miles. (still faster than race pace, hahaha)
Then I set out again, the same deal, and at first it was ok because my legs were sore, but no more sore than they had been at the beginning of the run. That's the good thing about starting tired, sometimes: it doesn't get any worse. After about an hour, though, the bratwurst started to make me feel kind of off. I was at Dows Lake then, and I decided that, heck, I'd walk for a whole mile.
Then I wondered if I was actually dehydrated, because I hadn't been drinking a lot of water, maybe 500mL by that point. So, as I strolled through the Arboreteum, I took a swig. And another. and another. That water, chilled by the air, was perfect. The sun was shining, the wind was off me, the grass was relatively green, the sky blue, etc, etc, and I was drinking the best water in the world. It was one of those rare moments of total satisfaction. I decided to take the gel, too, the last Orange Creamsicle, and it was good, but not as good as the water. I enjoyed more water and wondered if the ultra was going to be the same sort of blissful zone. It's definitely a zone of some sort.
I jogged a mile on the little trails in the Fletcher Garden, then jogged/walked home. Total 20.5ish miles in 4:30ish, I think. Had some ginger ale and sat down for I guess 20 min, then figured that I might as well exercise the dog before company came.
We walked a bit, but I was getting tired of that after about a 1/2 mile, so we ended up jogging and not walking again. My legs felt fresher than they had before. That blew me away. I was moving a notch faster, too, around the 10 min/mile mark.
I was going to do just a few miles, but then figured that, hey, I might as well do a marathon. And I did.
I've run five official marathons and the only one that went well was the last. The first was a big disappointment. I expected to feel this huge sense of accomplishment at the end, but I didn't. The others weren't as bad because my expectations were lower. So it was really surprising to feel so proud of myself at the marathon mark of my run today. I wasn't expecting that. I wanted to grab someone and tell them that I did a marathon. Can't say ran, because at least 11 miles of that was walking, and my time was 5:45 for 26.46 miles...not really stellar, lol. But it was an amazing feeling. I didn't know I was going to run a marathon today. My goal was to do 4.5 hrs. And I could have gone on. It was really tempting, and had we not the Easter dinner at my folks', who knows how long I would have gone.
So I feel more confident about the ultra. I ran over 40 miles this weekend. I have one more weekend to do some serious runs, and then I'll back off a bit. Not sure if I'll aim for 45 or a longer long run, or both, but I think I'll be ok. Just have to get used to switching gears between running and walking more. But it's good to know that I can get a bit of a break by running straight. The fueling stations are 5 miles apart, as it turns out, which is about what the dog and I ran. So, in the later stages of the run, when my legs are trashed anyway, I might as well run.
My foot seems to be ok. I'll probably just walk for the next two days, then maybe do 2-3 hrs with hills on Wednesday instead of speedwork. no more speedwork for me until after this race, unless I do a tempo run.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Saturday!
Fri: 4ish miles with the dog.
Today, Saturday, I bailed out of running with a friend. My foot is still a bit iffy and I wasn't quite up to doing 35k at any pace, much less faster than what I'm used to these days. Assuming I could run at all.
So I puttered around a bit at home, drank some juice, and then dug out the water bottle belt. I put an orange burst gel in the belt pocket...orange is a totally rad gel flavour for me, but it was a freebie and this was to be a very easy run/walk. Minimal intestinal jostling.
I told the dog that we'd be out for a while. Look, I was even bringing water. It's been a while since I've done that.
We headed out to the Canal and I just did whatever, roughly 1/2 to 1 mile jog, then walk for umpteen minutes. We got to the Arboreteum in about an hour (we were moving pretty slowly!) and I took one look at the sledding hill and figured that I should do hills. The ultra is pretty much all hills and I've been entertaining a myriad of excuses for postponing hill training, but this one was seductively clad in near-green lawn and the golden gleam of sunlight. I had no picnic; all I could do was exercise. Walked briskly up the steep part and jogged down a softer slope, and did this for about a mile. Then we walked/jogged around some more on the dirt, and did a few more hill loops on a longer but less steep hill, and then it was time to head home.
Time for the gel. The dog and I drank some water, and then I was taken back to childhood memories with orange creamsicles (my favourite ice treat for a while). The flavour was probably not one that I could handle during a marathon, but for a jaunt, it was fine. I let the dog finish it. He's less fussy than I am.
Going home, I alternated 1/2 mile of walking with 1/2 mile of running, and though switching gears was sort of tough considering my legs were still a bit raw from hillwork, it got easier. and it was a surprisingly easy run in some ways. I still felt pretty fresh. The intervals went by quickly. I was in a zone. I feel like this is the first time I've really understood what the ultra is going to be like, in terms of the amount of walking I can do and how relaxed I can be. Plus, we were running on some of the little paths in the wildlife garden and that reminded me that I was going to be running in a forest, on similar terrain....it was going to be an adventure. Not a race. I've paid a fee so that I can just traipse through a park for half a day and have food waiting for me at convenient intervals. There is no excuse for rushing.
I've known this theoretically, but today was the first time that I was able to feel just how easy the effort is supposed to be.
14.15 miles in 3:19....lol....but that's race pace for over 1/4th of my ultra. Actually a little faster than race pace. I have to go about 15:30/mile to make the cut off.
So, I'm feeling pretty good about it after all. I should do another long run/walk tomorrow; if I get only one back-to-back in, that would be fine, but I'd feel odd not doing one at least. At any rate, although I'm not sure if I'm over my slump/foot issue, I feel like I'm getting over it, at any rate, and actually see myself doing the ultra after all. In a strange sort of way, too, I think that the foot issue is actually fortuitous: without it, I would have never managed to slow down enough to get a grasp of the real pace/attitude required.
My foot seems a lot better.
Today, Saturday, I bailed out of running with a friend. My foot is still a bit iffy and I wasn't quite up to doing 35k at any pace, much less faster than what I'm used to these days. Assuming I could run at all.
So I puttered around a bit at home, drank some juice, and then dug out the water bottle belt. I put an orange burst gel in the belt pocket...orange is a totally rad gel flavour for me, but it was a freebie and this was to be a very easy run/walk. Minimal intestinal jostling.
I told the dog that we'd be out for a while. Look, I was even bringing water. It's been a while since I've done that.
We headed out to the Canal and I just did whatever, roughly 1/2 to 1 mile jog, then walk for umpteen minutes. We got to the Arboreteum in about an hour (we were moving pretty slowly!) and I took one look at the sledding hill and figured that I should do hills. The ultra is pretty much all hills and I've been entertaining a myriad of excuses for postponing hill training, but this one was seductively clad in near-green lawn and the golden gleam of sunlight. I had no picnic; all I could do was exercise. Walked briskly up the steep part and jogged down a softer slope, and did this for about a mile. Then we walked/jogged around some more on the dirt, and did a few more hill loops on a longer but less steep hill, and then it was time to head home.
Time for the gel. The dog and I drank some water, and then I was taken back to childhood memories with orange creamsicles (my favourite ice treat for a while). The flavour was probably not one that I could handle during a marathon, but for a jaunt, it was fine. I let the dog finish it. He's less fussy than I am.
Going home, I alternated 1/2 mile of walking with 1/2 mile of running, and though switching gears was sort of tough considering my legs were still a bit raw from hillwork, it got easier. and it was a surprisingly easy run in some ways. I still felt pretty fresh. The intervals went by quickly. I was in a zone. I feel like this is the first time I've really understood what the ultra is going to be like, in terms of the amount of walking I can do and how relaxed I can be. Plus, we were running on some of the little paths in the wildlife garden and that reminded me that I was going to be running in a forest, on similar terrain....it was going to be an adventure. Not a race. I've paid a fee so that I can just traipse through a park for half a day and have food waiting for me at convenient intervals. There is no excuse for rushing.
I've known this theoretically, but today was the first time that I was able to feel just how easy the effort is supposed to be.
14.15 miles in 3:19....lol....but that's race pace for over 1/4th of my ultra. Actually a little faster than race pace. I have to go about 15:30/mile to make the cut off.
So, I'm feeling pretty good about it after all. I should do another long run/walk tomorrow; if I get only one back-to-back in, that would be fine, but I'd feel odd not doing one at least. At any rate, although I'm not sure if I'm over my slump/foot issue, I feel like I'm getting over it, at any rate, and actually see myself doing the ultra after all. In a strange sort of way, too, I think that the foot issue is actually fortuitous: without it, I would have never managed to slow down enough to get a grasp of the real pace/attitude required.
My foot seems a lot better.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
update
Well, that 2hr run on Sunday really wiped me out, lol.
Then I had a thyroid ultrasound on Tues. This was actually more uncomfortable than I expected--there was a lot of pressing down on my neck and I guess they hit an accupuncture point or whatever for appetite suppression because I was feeling too queasy to eat much for a day or two...my appetite is fortunately returning.
And my foot is still sore, but getting better, I think. I have to keep reminding myself to leave the laces extra loose over it.
I haven't run since Sunday. I've been walking a lot, though! I think it actually tires the dog out more because it takes longer and he still has to trot. For example, today we did 7.12 miles in about 2hrs. Yeah, I'm not a pro, lol, but maybe that would be 16 min/mile without traffic lights. Anyway, we would run that in a bit over an hour, so that whole extra hour makes a big difference. And he's not used to walking that long, anyway...he's possibly more efficient at trotting at my jogging pace, because when the weather is a few degrees above freezing, it seems that he's still fresh after a couple of hours of jogging.
I'm still feeling kind of blah about the ultra, but maybe that will pass. Just have to keep getting out there and doing what I can manage. I've done 35 miles already...not sure if I'll hit fifty this week, but hopefully I can get a long walk in, and then try running tomorrow. Will see how my foot feels.
Then I had a thyroid ultrasound on Tues. This was actually more uncomfortable than I expected--there was a lot of pressing down on my neck and I guess they hit an accupuncture point or whatever for appetite suppression because I was feeling too queasy to eat much for a day or two...my appetite is fortunately returning.
And my foot is still sore, but getting better, I think. I have to keep reminding myself to leave the laces extra loose over it.
I haven't run since Sunday. I've been walking a lot, though! I think it actually tires the dog out more because it takes longer and he still has to trot. For example, today we did 7.12 miles in about 2hrs. Yeah, I'm not a pro, lol, but maybe that would be 16 min/mile without traffic lights. Anyway, we would run that in a bit over an hour, so that whole extra hour makes a big difference. And he's not used to walking that long, anyway...he's possibly more efficient at trotting at my jogging pace, because when the weather is a few degrees above freezing, it seems that he's still fresh after a couple of hours of jogging.
I'm still feeling kind of blah about the ultra, but maybe that will pass. Just have to keep getting out there and doing what I can manage. I've done 35 miles already...not sure if I'll hit fifty this week, but hopefully I can get a long walk in, and then try running tomorrow. Will see how my foot feels.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
wah wah wah
What a crybaby!
So I decided that I'm mainly just fetch-me-my-brown-trou terrified over this ultra. Maybe. I don't feel scared so much as bored with the idea, but maybe I really am making excuses. The main thing I'm concerned with is the heart issues, but what good will waiting around for two weeks do me? might as well run.
And though I keep thinking that my training has been shoddy this spring, it hasn't been too bad. I've already done 5 runs in the 16 to 26 mile range. Almost every week has been around 50 miles/week. I've done speedwork. I was doing core work pretty regularly (have slipped some)
And I still have five weeks to go. I won't do much of a peak/taper, so I have four more weeks to do some solid work. Especially core work. I have to get back into that. And yoga. I haven't been since my husband arrived. That could be why I'm falling apart.
My mom and I went to the women's event at Bushtaka (sp?). They had a couple of motivational speakers which was kind of neat...I'm usually sort of jaded with that sort of thing, but this one woman gave a story about how she visualized a goal so vividly....well, I haven't been doing that at all. Can't hurt.
How do I visualize myself in this race? In pain and delirious with odd chafe marks and possible probing by aliens...yes...but what I hope to get out of it is umpteen hours running in the forest. Running on a small narrow little path winding around trees. sometimes when I'm on a trail, everything becomes so small. Instead of a bike path or sidewalk, it's a little stretch a few inches wide. The ground is soft so I'm not going fast, either, so the stuff around the path becomes even more important. Oh, look at that rock/pinecone/dead rodent! And since I'm not moving very fast, I'm barely picking up my feet. Sometimes it feels like I'm hovering just a few inches above, looking at individual blades of grass or pine needles.
So, yeah, that's what I want. A nice jaunt in the forest. A nice relaxing jaunt.
I also realized that, yep, I need new shoes. Another pair? Well, I had bought three, but two were trail shoes (and one of those needs alterations)...I have two other trail shoes for winter that need to be put away, and about 4-5 pairs of busted road shoes. I usually wear my shoes way too long anyway, but I did ten weeks around 100K in the fall...that's like two pairs of shoes just there! And supposedly I've run another two shoes' worth already this year--I'm over 1000K. Most of that has been in trail shoes, but I have been using a couple of pairs of road shoes sometimes for long runs, and, well, they've each been through a marathon and umpteen miles and they're dead. I've had some shoes that I've worn for ages and they're still comfy--I still jog in my 3-4 year old Asics trail attacks sometimes. They're like slippers! My Nike frees are probably a year old, at least, and I've done at least a couple of 30k runs in them, and speedwork, and they're still game (albeit, sadly, temporarily misplaced somewhere, but I'm sure they'll turn up) But other shoes go flat and stiff, which is vexing.
So, while at Bushtakah (sp?), I noticed that they had shoes for sale, and I got a pair of fluffy Pearl Izumi shoes for $50. I didn't know anything about them except that they didn't feel stiff and the soles weren't hard-core stability or motion control. And they were cheap and fluffy. Fluffy is what I need now. Pampering. These shoes are like Cadillacs. I usually like the little sporty convertable type shoe, but I think I need a bit more plush to get me through these last few long runs on roads (long runs on trails...another story).
My mom has expressed an interest in going down to NY too, so that would be an added morale boost, I think.
I just have to pretend that I'm really going to go. LOL
I also looked at headlamps while in Bustahka (sp?)....I will need one. I have good night vision, but the race rules say I must have one for the start or get disqualified. I've already decided that I'm probably just going to walk for that first hour of the race anyway, so I needn't be too fussy about the headlamp. But it would be nice to have something that's not too heavy or jiggly.
I should also think of some sort of hydration system. Maybe one of those nifty camelbacks for runners things. I have an army one that I've worn for several 9+ hr hikes, but I'm not sure if I can run with it comfortably. Will see.
At any rate, it's kind of funny....I never before really believed in the motivating power of shopping, but getting those shoes and looking at the other things in the store really helped.
So I decided that I'm mainly just fetch-me-my-brown-trou terrified over this ultra. Maybe. I don't feel scared so much as bored with the idea, but maybe I really am making excuses. The main thing I'm concerned with is the heart issues, but what good will waiting around for two weeks do me? might as well run.
And though I keep thinking that my training has been shoddy this spring, it hasn't been too bad. I've already done 5 runs in the 16 to 26 mile range. Almost every week has been around 50 miles/week. I've done speedwork. I was doing core work pretty regularly (have slipped some)
And I still have five weeks to go. I won't do much of a peak/taper, so I have four more weeks to do some solid work. Especially core work. I have to get back into that. And yoga. I haven't been since my husband arrived. That could be why I'm falling apart.
My mom and I went to the women's event at Bushtaka (sp?). They had a couple of motivational speakers which was kind of neat...I'm usually sort of jaded with that sort of thing, but this one woman gave a story about how she visualized a goal so vividly....well, I haven't been doing that at all. Can't hurt.
How do I visualize myself in this race? In pain and delirious with odd chafe marks and possible probing by aliens...yes...but what I hope to get out of it is umpteen hours running in the forest. Running on a small narrow little path winding around trees. sometimes when I'm on a trail, everything becomes so small. Instead of a bike path or sidewalk, it's a little stretch a few inches wide. The ground is soft so I'm not going fast, either, so the stuff around the path becomes even more important. Oh, look at that rock/pinecone/dead rodent! And since I'm not moving very fast, I'm barely picking up my feet. Sometimes it feels like I'm hovering just a few inches above, looking at individual blades of grass or pine needles.
So, yeah, that's what I want. A nice jaunt in the forest. A nice relaxing jaunt.
I also realized that, yep, I need new shoes. Another pair? Well, I had bought three, but two were trail shoes (and one of those needs alterations)...I have two other trail shoes for winter that need to be put away, and about 4-5 pairs of busted road shoes. I usually wear my shoes way too long anyway, but I did ten weeks around 100K in the fall...that's like two pairs of shoes just there! And supposedly I've run another two shoes' worth already this year--I'm over 1000K. Most of that has been in trail shoes, but I have been using a couple of pairs of road shoes sometimes for long runs, and, well, they've each been through a marathon and umpteen miles and they're dead. I've had some shoes that I've worn for ages and they're still comfy--I still jog in my 3-4 year old Asics trail attacks sometimes. They're like slippers! My Nike frees are probably a year old, at least, and I've done at least a couple of 30k runs in them, and speedwork, and they're still game (albeit, sadly, temporarily misplaced somewhere, but I'm sure they'll turn up) But other shoes go flat and stiff, which is vexing.
So, while at Bushtakah (sp?), I noticed that they had shoes for sale, and I got a pair of fluffy Pearl Izumi shoes for $50. I didn't know anything about them except that they didn't feel stiff and the soles weren't hard-core stability or motion control. And they were cheap and fluffy. Fluffy is what I need now. Pampering. These shoes are like Cadillacs. I usually like the little sporty convertable type shoe, but I think I need a bit more plush to get me through these last few long runs on roads (long runs on trails...another story).
My mom has expressed an interest in going down to NY too, so that would be an added morale boost, I think.
I just have to pretend that I'm really going to go. LOL
I also looked at headlamps while in Bustahka (sp?)....I will need one. I have good night vision, but the race rules say I must have one for the start or get disqualified. I've already decided that I'm probably just going to walk for that first hour of the race anyway, so I needn't be too fussy about the headlamp. But it would be nice to have something that's not too heavy or jiggly.
I should also think of some sort of hydration system. Maybe one of those nifty camelbacks for runners things. I have an army one that I've worn for several 9+ hr hikes, but I'm not sure if I can run with it comfortably. Will see.
At any rate, it's kind of funny....I never before really believed in the motivating power of shopping, but getting those shoes and looking at the other things in the store really helped.
Sunday, still Sunday....
Well, the dog and I jogged for about 11 miles and then walked home, so 11.4-5ish altogether in about two hours. It was an easy effort, but not the dead-easy effort it should have been at that pace. I had actually eaten beforehand, too, and nothing crazy--I was fueled, but didn't feel like it. My legs were pretty much dead the whole way.
I'm trying to figure this out because it's a bit frustrating. I don't mind jogging at 10:30/mile, but I do when it's feeling like 9:00/mile and there's no snow or anything to account for it.
1. I'm still tired from the marathon. Could be.
2. I'm still tired from the killer speedwork session two weeks ago. More likely than 1.
3. I'm just tired. But why?
4. Tired from work last night. probably not, because it wasn't a strenuous shift and I slept better than normal, like almost 7 hrs. lol
5. Low on sleep in general. could be! My sleep patterns got messed up last week with the lab assignments.
6. poor nutrition. could be. I don't have much of an appetite these days, except for junk food. Yeah, I should know better...I try to eat enough fresh fruit and protein, at least, but not sure about vegs or carbs.
7. I'm all messed up because of this new birth control pill I've been on for the last two months. Probably. I don't want to go into details, but my cycle's totally jacked up, and being on the pill always seems to make me more tired and slower to recover anyway.
8. I'm just tired and messed up because of stress...could be. The last few years have been sort of hard on me, and I'm looking forward to a nice two-year long posting in a nice place without my husband deploying. :) That hasn't started yet, though, and I've been feeling more and more strung out. I have a thyroid ultrasound next week (my doctor said it looked enlarged) and I'm still waiting on the holter monitor results.
9. Getting significant palpitations two weeks in a row (which is somewhat uncommon) has tired out my heart. It's still repairing itself or something.
10. I'm just tired at this stage of training. Could be, but I haven't been peaking or even remotely peaking.
11. Maybe I should have taken more step-back mileage weeks. Maybe.
well,whatever, I'll see how it goes. I wish my foot would stop hurting, though! some days, it's fine, other days, it's sore. It hurts mostly on the arch of my right foot, though sometimes the ache spreads to my big toe joint or to my instep. This is the sort of thing I usually stretch out and jog (lightly!) through, and it goes away...I haven't had this very long and it'll probably go away, too, but with everything else going on, it seems insurmountable.
Sorry to be such a downer.
on the plus side, the dog and I had a really nice 2 hr jog/walk along the river on the Hull side!
I'm trying to figure this out because it's a bit frustrating. I don't mind jogging at 10:30/mile, but I do when it's feeling like 9:00/mile and there's no snow or anything to account for it.
1. I'm still tired from the marathon. Could be.
2. I'm still tired from the killer speedwork session two weeks ago. More likely than 1.
3. I'm just tired. But why?
4. Tired from work last night. probably not, because it wasn't a strenuous shift and I slept better than normal, like almost 7 hrs. lol
5. Low on sleep in general. could be! My sleep patterns got messed up last week with the lab assignments.
6. poor nutrition. could be. I don't have much of an appetite these days, except for junk food. Yeah, I should know better...I try to eat enough fresh fruit and protein, at least, but not sure about vegs or carbs.
7. I'm all messed up because of this new birth control pill I've been on for the last two months. Probably. I don't want to go into details, but my cycle's totally jacked up, and being on the pill always seems to make me more tired and slower to recover anyway.
8. I'm just tired and messed up because of stress...could be. The last few years have been sort of hard on me, and I'm looking forward to a nice two-year long posting in a nice place without my husband deploying. :) That hasn't started yet, though, and I've been feeling more and more strung out. I have a thyroid ultrasound next week (my doctor said it looked enlarged) and I'm still waiting on the holter monitor results.
9. Getting significant palpitations two weeks in a row (which is somewhat uncommon) has tired out my heart. It's still repairing itself or something.
10. I'm just tired at this stage of training. Could be, but I haven't been peaking or even remotely peaking.
11. Maybe I should have taken more step-back mileage weeks. Maybe.
well,whatever, I'll see how it goes. I wish my foot would stop hurting, though! some days, it's fine, other days, it's sore. It hurts mostly on the arch of my right foot, though sometimes the ache spreads to my big toe joint or to my instep. This is the sort of thing I usually stretch out and jog (lightly!) through, and it goes away...I haven't had this very long and it'll probably go away, too, but with everything else going on, it seems insurmountable.
Sorry to be such a downer.
on the plus side, the dog and I had a really nice 2 hr jog/walk along the river on the Hull side!
really late for run club
As in, so late they'll probably finish before I leave the house.
I drank too much tea at work last night, I guess....I got home sometime after 11 pm and was up until 2. Same old story. Nothing exciting happened at work (thank goodness!) but I'm on my feet a lot near the end of the shift, so it takes a while to simmer down. I slept through my alarm this morning.
I still don't feel particularly motivated to run, except by the possibility that it will warm up somewhat, so I should wait until then. Will see.
I drank too much tea at work last night, I guess....I got home sometime after 11 pm and was up until 2. Same old story. Nothing exciting happened at work (thank goodness!) but I'm on my feet a lot near the end of the shift, so it takes a while to simmer down. I slept through my alarm this morning.
I still don't feel particularly motivated to run, except by the possibility that it will warm up somewhat, so I should wait until then. Will see.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
out of gas
I've been busy.
The electrodes came off yesterday. I decided to do a tempo run on the way to the hospital, just to give the poor tech who has to read my 48 hrs of data a little more variety. Unfortunately, it wasn't my day. I warmed up and got in two miles under 8:00/mile, and that was it. A: I misjudged the distance beforehand, and was where I'd thought I'd be after three miles so ran out of road and B: I was really tired anyway. My pace was slower than my 1/2 marathon PB, but harder. Mind you, it's been a while since I've done a tempo run--I was doing sprints instead on Friday and then just regular runs. I need tempos, I think.
But I've been sluggish this week. I had that one good interval workout last week, and everything else has been sort of blah. More and more I've been thinking that the ultra isn't going to happen. I've gotten in some long runs for it, but not any back-to-back...I have time to get in a least one of those, but I'm tired and not interested. I'll try to figure out a way to get motivated.
Meanwhile, my foot is sore again. One of the new pairs of shoes I got is an upgraded model of two other pairs I have. They've changed the inside somewhat. The first model I have, the shoe is essentially a sock--at first it was hard to get my foot into it but it got easier. I suppose that people complained, because the 2nd version I have is more of a normal shoe. The third version is sort of in between, with a half-sock/half-tongue in it, meaning that there's an edge of fabric along my arch and instep inside the shoe. It felt fine but once I got up to 2hrs in it, I got sore. I wore those shoes again recently for a long walk....eh. So I guess I'll see what I can do with an exacto blade or something. Kind of sucks when new shoes have a mileage limit that you can't really reach until you've already worn them a bit, but I'm not going to be running 12 miles every single time I head out, either, so there's still a place for them in my stable. once my foot feels better. Not sure how I'll make it through work today, though!
The electrodes came off yesterday. I decided to do a tempo run on the way to the hospital, just to give the poor tech who has to read my 48 hrs of data a little more variety. Unfortunately, it wasn't my day. I warmed up and got in two miles under 8:00/mile, and that was it. A: I misjudged the distance beforehand, and was where I'd thought I'd be after three miles so ran out of road and B: I was really tired anyway. My pace was slower than my 1/2 marathon PB, but harder. Mind you, it's been a while since I've done a tempo run--I was doing sprints instead on Friday and then just regular runs. I need tempos, I think.
But I've been sluggish this week. I had that one good interval workout last week, and everything else has been sort of blah. More and more I've been thinking that the ultra isn't going to happen. I've gotten in some long runs for it, but not any back-to-back...I have time to get in a least one of those, but I'm tired and not interested. I'll try to figure out a way to get motivated.
Meanwhile, my foot is sore again. One of the new pairs of shoes I got is an upgraded model of two other pairs I have. They've changed the inside somewhat. The first model I have, the shoe is essentially a sock--at first it was hard to get my foot into it but it got easier. I suppose that people complained, because the 2nd version I have is more of a normal shoe. The third version is sort of in between, with a half-sock/half-tongue in it, meaning that there's an edge of fabric along my arch and instep inside the shoe. It felt fine but once I got up to 2hrs in it, I got sore. I wore those shoes again recently for a long walk....eh. So I guess I'll see what I can do with an exacto blade or something. Kind of sucks when new shoes have a mileage limit that you can't really reach until you've already worn them a bit, but I'm not going to be running 12 miles every single time I head out, either, so there's still a place for them in my stable. once my foot feels better. Not sure how I'll make it through work today, though!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Speedwork
So, I can't get these electrodes wet so speedwork was curtailed for me when it started to rain. I put on my raincoat and jogged home. And then, shortly before I got there, it stopped raining. Doh!
But the main purpose of the workout was not really the lactate threshhold or whatever improvement. No, the main reason was to get my heart jacked up. It's been kind of wonky these past 8-9-? years. I might have posted about this here before: I'd started getting palpitations when I was in university, had them checked out and was told that it was mitral valve prolapse and harmless. Woohoo! and other factors in my life made me realize that I really needed to be more healthy, so I started running.
Well, it turns out that what my doctor really said was that it was probably mitral valve syndrome but that I needed to get more tests done. So that's what I'm doing now. I get little blips often, and running is fine, but if I'm running and then stopping, starting, bending over, or otherwise shifting gears suddenly, that's what kicks things off, particularly if I already have been running for a while and haven't stopped for very long. Then my heartrate jumps up and stays up, somewhere past 200 bpm, sometimes for as long as a half hour. That's what happened last week. I was kind of annoyed, because it was a week early.
So, I wasn't quite as revved up today, when I had to stop. I tried alternating sprinting and jogging on the way home. IT was a weird feeling. On the one hand, I didn't want to get palpitations; I didn't want the discomfort. on the other hand, I really want the medical folks to get a good reading of whatever this issue is.
Fortunately, when I bent over to pick up my keys, that set it off. just for five minutes or so, but way better than nothing. I'm really happy about that. I'm going to try running a tempo run on Friday, I think, before I have to take the electrodes off.
I walked with the dog for about 1.5 miles....not sure I should count that. I'm really tempted to, because it was a brisk walk and I've been trying to walk more in prep for this ultra, so walking counts as training, no?...even a short one like that would be a recovery walk? lol
Anyway, without the dog walk: 10.5ish miles.
But the main purpose of the workout was not really the lactate threshhold or whatever improvement. No, the main reason was to get my heart jacked up. It's been kind of wonky these past 8-9-? years. I might have posted about this here before: I'd started getting palpitations when I was in university, had them checked out and was told that it was mitral valve prolapse and harmless. Woohoo! and other factors in my life made me realize that I really needed to be more healthy, so I started running.
Well, it turns out that what my doctor really said was that it was probably mitral valve syndrome but that I needed to get more tests done. So that's what I'm doing now. I get little blips often, and running is fine, but if I'm running and then stopping, starting, bending over, or otherwise shifting gears suddenly, that's what kicks things off, particularly if I already have been running for a while and haven't stopped for very long. Then my heartrate jumps up and stays up, somewhere past 200 bpm, sometimes for as long as a half hour. That's what happened last week. I was kind of annoyed, because it was a week early.
So, I wasn't quite as revved up today, when I had to stop. I tried alternating sprinting and jogging on the way home. IT was a weird feeling. On the one hand, I didn't want to get palpitations; I didn't want the discomfort. on the other hand, I really want the medical folks to get a good reading of whatever this issue is.
Fortunately, when I bent over to pick up my keys, that set it off. just for five minutes or so, but way better than nothing. I'm really happy about that. I'm going to try running a tempo run on Friday, I think, before I have to take the electrodes off.
I walked with the dog for about 1.5 miles....not sure I should count that. I'm really tempted to, because it was a brisk walk and I've been trying to walk more in prep for this ultra, so walking counts as training, no?...even a short one like that would be a recovery walk? lol
Anyway, without the dog walk: 10.5ish miles.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
short of 200 miles
I made it to 190 miles in March, so close enough! I've been busy finishing my chem lab work, and have also been having trouble sleeping, even though I really need to get caught up, lol. The night before last, I was having night sweats, and last night, it was bowel issues. I had been coming down with something, but I'm not sure what was up last night. I'd had Chinese dumplings and then bubble tea...but sometimes green tea is a trigger. Just sometimes, though, I think. augh. So 15 miles turned into 5 miles. it happens.
Sunday, nearly 15 miles.
Monday, 7ish
Yesterday, just those 5. Really, is there such a big difference between 190 and 200 miles? lol
Today, I did about 5 miles this morning...admittedly, it was mostly walking. I'm wired now, for a 48hr heartrate monitor test, and I've had to get used to the eletrodes. Still not quite used to the concept of no showers, either. Sponge baths are ok, though. Thank higher powers for that! I also told the technician that I, well, will probably sweat a lot. She gave me extra tape. She's a runner too!
Sunday, nearly 15 miles.
Monday, 7ish
Yesterday, just those 5. Really, is there such a big difference between 190 and 200 miles? lol
Today, I did about 5 miles this morning...admittedly, it was mostly walking. I'm wired now, for a 48hr heartrate monitor test, and I've had to get used to the eletrodes. Still not quite used to the concept of no showers, either. Sponge baths are ok, though. Thank higher powers for that! I also told the technician that I, well, will probably sweat a lot. She gave me extra tape. She's a runner too!
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