I didn't run Thurs-Saturday because it was American Thanksgiving and we were either eating, sleeping, or in the car (over 24 hrs total for that--yikes). The break was good, though.
Yesterday, Sunday, Gaz and I decided to do the run together. Fortunately she was accepting of my slower pace and we had a good run. Near the end, we stopped for expresso and I also went to the juice bar. My drink of choice was 'Pumping Iron': beets, carrots, ginger, and something else. It sounds a bit vile but goes down surprisingly smoothly mid-run, although I think I'll have to stress the 'not too much ginger' next time.
After about 1:48 for me, not including the 1/2 mile or so it took me to remember to restart my Garmin (Gaz had already racked up a couple of miles or so before joining me) we walked the rest of the way back to the start and parted. I jogged home, got there at 1:59:xx, had a quick glass of milk, and then set out. My goal was to do at least 2:30, and hopefully 2:45.
I went out until about 2:22 and turned back. There was construction on the path so I couldn't do 2:23 or whatever to be on the safe side.
Around 2:30 I was revisited by gut problems and I couldn't tell the extent of the damage, if any, because I was pretty sweaty. Fortunately, this resulted in a good shot of adrenaline and so my last mile was the fastest despite the internal turmoil. I made it home in 2:43. (Later on, I remembered the half mile unrecorded by Garmin so figured that I probably ran 2:49...that was a nice realization).
I got home and found nothing amiss, thank goodness, until the effects of the beet juice hit the porcelain. I'd momentarily forgot about drinking that, and wouldn't have guessed that it would take less than 1.5 hrs for the stuff to make it through my system anyway, so there was a few seconds of unease. LOL.
I'm glad I got that run in, but it did take a lot out of me and perhaps I should have stuck to 2:30. I didn't feel so good the rest of the day. In general, increasing these long runs feels like I'm starting from scratch, except that I feel pretty much the same throughout the runs. I get a bit more tired, but it's not as dramatic as the first time I started increasing long runs a few years ago. Since my muscles are constantly inflamed and/or depleted of glycogen, there isn't the same accumulation of fatigue during the run. I pay more afterward, but things are pretty level during.
Anyway, in 2:43, I covered 15.5 miles--so I guess I did 16 total. I would like to get to 18 by the end of Dec, which seems really possible.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
no long run
It was a stiff/sore/iffy gut morning so I didn't feel up to the challenge.
But I stiff felt like trying a run, so I decided to more accurately measure the new loop I'd tried recently. No detours! I tried, at least.
At first I was moving ok, just under 10:00/mile, and then things sort of seized up as they usually do and I started to get even slower....but this time, with the Garmin, I put my foot down. No. It used to be that 9:00/mile was easy, and I've gotten used to 10:00/mile, but enough with 10:30ish--11:00/mile! Yeah, that's where my easy pace is now, and I can usually accept that, but it doesn't really work for me biomechanically somehow and I have been getting bored of it.
So I pushed myself. It was disconcerting to feel how much effort 10:00ish/mile took, and it sort of hurt, like pushing through the wall does (which is pretty much where all my running is these days), but I kept it up and then after about 4.5 miles, I had a three mile stretch of bike path back home so I decided to do a tempo run. Just 15 min of tempo effort, see where I am.
Well! My tempo pace was pretty poor, 8:30-8:40/mile, and I decided to go for ten minutes instead because I was diverted off the bike path by construction--I got back on it, but crossing the street twice and the added hill (the path by the Canal is flat, but across the street is a hill, go figure) sort of blew my concentration. But ten min is still better than five. Maybe next week I can try for 15, or 2X 10 min, or whatever. Or the week after that.
I'm plenty sore now, but during my cool down jog, I realized that I also felt really good. I have been missing the endorphins and the smoothness of running faster.
No stairs today, I'd had enough. I'd considered sprints but then realized that I'd actually done them yesterday all in one go. I'd meant to do this as a separate post, but here goes:
I had to take a two-bus trip to a hospital for a field trip, part of the training program I'm in. The first bus was one of the nice ones that come every 5 minutes or so, the second was not. I don't know the Ottawa bus master plan by heart, but usually a bus comes every 5 minutes, or 30 or more...there aren't too many of an intermediate frequency (in my limited experience). Of course, this meant that when I got to the transit station, the other bus was arriving just as mine was, but on the opposite side of the road, which has a fence in the middle. If I waited for the next one, I would be late and then I'd have to hunt down my class meandering through the bowels of some hospital I'd never been to before.
So I ran, and I saw the second bus pulling towards its stop, and adrenaline kicked in and I got a good lift, and I was sprinting.
I love sprinting. I'm more of a fast-twitch person anyway. Why I signed up for yet another marathon is pure obstinacy. Unfortunately, my muscle recovery is so poor that I have cut out sprinting and replaced them with stairs, but yesterday I had no choice. But it was so simple, so elemental. I had no timer. It didn't matter. All I had to do was catch that bus. Because it wasn't a class day, I had no books to carry--I was unencumbered. I could keep my back straight and balanced, smash down with each step and bounce off, floating---when I move like this, it seems like I'm a foot taller, so little time gets spent on the ground. I got to the end of the barrier and saw the bus at the stop--no, I couldn't catch it, but there were other people still boarding it, so I lifted off again, and I got there. It was freakish. Everybody was moving so slowly. I was barely breathing hard when I got to the bus. I think I went about 200-250 metres. I have no idea how long it took. Probably a good thing but it is in the back of my head that, wow, what if I'd busted 30 seconds for 200M? This is a longtime always out of reach goal. I never did sprinting events per se, but whenever I had 200 repeats on my own, I'd try to smash the very last repeat and try to get under 30 seconds. Never happened! always 31 or 32. Someday, someday....
I probably was a lot slower yesterday, anyway. But maybe not. The other remarkable thing was that I didn't hurt. It was hard, sure, but it was such a serious hit of neurotransmitters that I was without discomfort for once, for the first time since my last good run in August, so I could totally throw down. man, I sure enjoyed whacking so much weight into the ground and tearing up a good chunk of muscle fibers. I miss that! I really do! As sore as my body is nowadays, it's a wimpy sort of soreness. It's degenerative, not progressive. I miss working harder.
OF course, this is maybe why the long run today didn't happen, but it was worth it.
But I stiff felt like trying a run, so I decided to more accurately measure the new loop I'd tried recently. No detours! I tried, at least.
At first I was moving ok, just under 10:00/mile, and then things sort of seized up as they usually do and I started to get even slower....but this time, with the Garmin, I put my foot down. No. It used to be that 9:00/mile was easy, and I've gotten used to 10:00/mile, but enough with 10:30ish--11:00/mile! Yeah, that's where my easy pace is now, and I can usually accept that, but it doesn't really work for me biomechanically somehow and I have been getting bored of it.
So I pushed myself. It was disconcerting to feel how much effort 10:00ish/mile took, and it sort of hurt, like pushing through the wall does (which is pretty much where all my running is these days), but I kept it up and then after about 4.5 miles, I had a three mile stretch of bike path back home so I decided to do a tempo run. Just 15 min of tempo effort, see where I am.
Well! My tempo pace was pretty poor, 8:30-8:40/mile, and I decided to go for ten minutes instead because I was diverted off the bike path by construction--I got back on it, but crossing the street twice and the added hill (the path by the Canal is flat, but across the street is a hill, go figure) sort of blew my concentration. But ten min is still better than five. Maybe next week I can try for 15, or 2X 10 min, or whatever. Or the week after that.
I'm plenty sore now, but during my cool down jog, I realized that I also felt really good. I have been missing the endorphins and the smoothness of running faster.
No stairs today, I'd had enough. I'd considered sprints but then realized that I'd actually done them yesterday all in one go. I'd meant to do this as a separate post, but here goes:
I had to take a two-bus trip to a hospital for a field trip, part of the training program I'm in. The first bus was one of the nice ones that come every 5 minutes or so, the second was not. I don't know the Ottawa bus master plan by heart, but usually a bus comes every 5 minutes, or 30 or more...there aren't too many of an intermediate frequency (in my limited experience). Of course, this meant that when I got to the transit station, the other bus was arriving just as mine was, but on the opposite side of the road, which has a fence in the middle. If I waited for the next one, I would be late and then I'd have to hunt down my class meandering through the bowels of some hospital I'd never been to before.
So I ran, and I saw the second bus pulling towards its stop, and adrenaline kicked in and I got a good lift, and I was sprinting.
I love sprinting. I'm more of a fast-twitch person anyway. Why I signed up for yet another marathon is pure obstinacy. Unfortunately, my muscle recovery is so poor that I have cut out sprinting and replaced them with stairs, but yesterday I had no choice. But it was so simple, so elemental. I had no timer. It didn't matter. All I had to do was catch that bus. Because it wasn't a class day, I had no books to carry--I was unencumbered. I could keep my back straight and balanced, smash down with each step and bounce off, floating---when I move like this, it seems like I'm a foot taller, so little time gets spent on the ground. I got to the end of the barrier and saw the bus at the stop--no, I couldn't catch it, but there were other people still boarding it, so I lifted off again, and I got there. It was freakish. Everybody was moving so slowly. I was barely breathing hard when I got to the bus. I think I went about 200-250 metres. I have no idea how long it took. Probably a good thing but it is in the back of my head that, wow, what if I'd busted 30 seconds for 200M? This is a longtime always out of reach goal. I never did sprinting events per se, but whenever I had 200 repeats on my own, I'd try to smash the very last repeat and try to get under 30 seconds. Never happened! always 31 or 32. Someday, someday....
I probably was a lot slower yesterday, anyway. But maybe not. The other remarkable thing was that I didn't hurt. It was hard, sure, but it was such a serious hit of neurotransmitters that I was without discomfort for once, for the first time since my last good run in August, so I could totally throw down. man, I sure enjoyed whacking so much weight into the ground and tearing up a good chunk of muscle fibers. I miss that! I really do! As sore as my body is nowadays, it's a wimpy sort of soreness. It's degenerative, not progressive. I miss working harder.
OF course, this is maybe why the long run today didn't happen, but it was worth it.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
stairs
Sat: walking
Sunday: 1.5hrs jogging (with some walking up grassy knolls, lol)
Monday: walking (5ish miles) and stairs)
Tues: walking (5ish miles)
And yoga almost every day, admittedly only 20-30 min, but that's a start.
I'm still being strict about not eating 2-3 hrs before bed, and I am sleeping better and am a bit less stiff and sore. When I started my run on Sunday, it almost felt like I hadn't already been running for eons. lol. That near-fresh feeling lasted only about a mile, but it was promising. It was almost like old times.
It was a fun run too, a new route which turned out better than I'd thought it would. Because I was trying to see how long it was, of course I had to take a detour and muck up the mileage count.
I did 4 stair repeats yesterday. I may or may not do them tomorrow--I'm hoping to do a longer run. Will see how I feel and what I can get done. I will be alone, sans dog (he's getting dropped off at the kennel tonight, and we'll leave for the US tomorrow noon-ish), and so I can duck into stores and buy what piques my appetite. It's been a while since I've had a true grazing run and I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping to incorporate two stops.
Sunday: 1.5hrs jogging (with some walking up grassy knolls, lol)
Monday: walking (5ish miles) and stairs)
Tues: walking (5ish miles)
And yoga almost every day, admittedly only 20-30 min, but that's a start.
I'm still being strict about not eating 2-3 hrs before bed, and I am sleeping better and am a bit less stiff and sore. When I started my run on Sunday, it almost felt like I hadn't already been running for eons. lol. That near-fresh feeling lasted only about a mile, but it was promising. It was almost like old times.
It was a fun run too, a new route which turned out better than I'd thought it would. Because I was trying to see how long it was, of course I had to take a detour and muck up the mileage count.
I did 4 stair repeats yesterday. I may or may not do them tomorrow--I'm hoping to do a longer run. Will see how I feel and what I can get done. I will be alone, sans dog (he's getting dropped off at the kennel tonight, and we'll leave for the US tomorrow noon-ish), and so I can duck into stores and buy what piques my appetite. It's been a while since I've had a true grazing run and I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping to incorporate two stops.
Friday, November 20, 2009
an ok run
Things hurt this morning, but no more than usual. Seems like quitting the trough at least two hours before bed is helpful.
I decided to run today and the aesthetics weren't what I was hoping for. I was expecting to run into the pink of dawn, something like that, but it was drizzly instead. However, I was pleasantly surprised: I was hoping for 30 min at least but it ended up being 60 min. I threw in some faster intervals: I picked up the pace for about a min, and then coasted back, and then picked it up again when my breathing calmed down. I think I did five such intervals. My muscles were sore, but it was good to move a bit faster. Faster being relative: total distance covered was about 5.85 miles. LOL.
Still, I'm feeling more optimistic--more resigned to not running every day, yes, but also more optimistic that the overall quality of my runs will go up.
I decided to run today and the aesthetics weren't what I was hoping for. I was expecting to run into the pink of dawn, something like that, but it was drizzly instead. However, I was pleasantly surprised: I was hoping for 30 min at least but it ended up being 60 min. I threw in some faster intervals: I picked up the pace for about a min, and then coasted back, and then picked it up again when my breathing calmed down. I think I did five such intervals. My muscles were sore, but it was good to move a bit faster. Faster being relative: total distance covered was about 5.85 miles. LOL.
Still, I'm feeling more optimistic--more resigned to not running every day, yes, but also more optimistic that the overall quality of my runs will go up.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
so...
More walking today--I'm still inflamed, my shoulder joints and back and lower leg bones and quads still ache. It sucks. My last good run was sometime in August.
So, once again, I'm revamping things slightly to help cope. Running, I'm not going to assume will be every day or even 5X a week anymore, and speedwork isn't going to be 1X a week either. The most important run will be the long run, assuming I can do it, and I would like to do at least one semi-long run too. So, if that means that I'm only running 3X a week total, so be it. I'm still keeping active with brisk walking every day, which is uncomfortable too, but less so than running. As well, today, I started stair repeats. The dog and I were walking along the river, and I was passing a staircase going up the hill and it suddenly occurred to me that maybe that would be a good alternative to doing sprints. So we went up it, and down, and then we came to a much longer staircase and I went about 3/4 up it twice. I'll see how I feel tomorrow, but if I can do that 2X a week or so, gradually increasing reps, that might help me keep my strength. My main concern about this issue is losing muscle mass once again. I did a good round of resistance work/sprinting early this summer to build up again, and I don't want to lose everything I gained!!
I'm also trying to get back into doing yoga every morning. It's gotten to the point where even going to the gentle classes 2 times a week or so is hard to recover from, so maybe if I do a little bit every day, it'll be less of a shock to my system.
I'm also trying to get back into doing ab exercises every day. Those muscles apparently recover more quickly than others, and hopefully I can strike a nice balance between maintaining a good core and not inflaming things further (which has happened in the past). I think plank poses will be more beneficial than doing crunches.
Plus, I'm changing my diet somewhat. The main thing is to stop eating 2hrs or so before bed. Maybe my muscles aren't recovering well because too much blood is getting diverted to my digestive system during the night. I definitely slept better last night after a couple hours of just water, at least, so I'll try to continue this. That's what I used to do, but I've been getting hungrier and hungrier after mid-afternoon and so have been chowing down, but I'll try to get all my eating done earlier. I also got some miso soup paste and seaweed and dried fish...the sort of thing that seemed to help me while I was in Asia. Strangely enough, the brand new big Asian supermarket (T&T) here is very close to the GI clinic. Coincidence? LOL. Unfortunately, I'm to continue eating wheat until early Jan, at which point, I'll get the blood tests and then go back to the GI doc. I've been trying to eat it every day since after the operation, but I guess that's not long enough to be sure. Kind of sucks to have to hang in for longer, but, ah, it's still better than waiting until April.
At any rate, I felt sort of groggy/foggy during the appointment (it was in the afternoon and usually I fall asleep for a bit around then) and probably I didn't make much sense. It was frustrating...it sounds dumb but some days I feel I can't talk properly, can't find the right words, can't explain myself. Unfortunately, I also forgot to ask the doc about a new symptom which has cropped up recently. I went in there and totally forgot. ahhh, stupid!
Anyway, I really hope that this is something that will be resolved by avoiding wheat. The doctor also mentioned that it's possible to have gluten intolerance instead of celiac. Yes, it will be a pain reading labels all the time and eating out, but it didn't seem too bad during my two wheat-free weeks although I was surprised to discover that wheat was in some brands of chips. And I didn't miss wheat much. The worst was when my dragonboat team went for dinner at an Italian restaurant. I wasn't craving pasta per se, but I was starving and the only thing I could have was salad.
I really really hope that all this is over and done with by the time my training program ends and I start my new job, in April. The timing has been really good in many ways, but I'm ready to start afresh. And I'm a bit worried about the job in terms of being on my feet for eight hours again. I can manage three or four (I still volunteer at the hospital), but eight is a bit much. I was at the college for 8-9 hrs on Monday, and I needed to go to the library for a nap halfway through. LOL
So, once again, I'm revamping things slightly to help cope. Running, I'm not going to assume will be every day or even 5X a week anymore, and speedwork isn't going to be 1X a week either. The most important run will be the long run, assuming I can do it, and I would like to do at least one semi-long run too. So, if that means that I'm only running 3X a week total, so be it. I'm still keeping active with brisk walking every day, which is uncomfortable too, but less so than running. As well, today, I started stair repeats. The dog and I were walking along the river, and I was passing a staircase going up the hill and it suddenly occurred to me that maybe that would be a good alternative to doing sprints. So we went up it, and down, and then we came to a much longer staircase and I went about 3/4 up it twice. I'll see how I feel tomorrow, but if I can do that 2X a week or so, gradually increasing reps, that might help me keep my strength. My main concern about this issue is losing muscle mass once again. I did a good round of resistance work/sprinting early this summer to build up again, and I don't want to lose everything I gained!!
I'm also trying to get back into doing yoga every morning. It's gotten to the point where even going to the gentle classes 2 times a week or so is hard to recover from, so maybe if I do a little bit every day, it'll be less of a shock to my system.
I'm also trying to get back into doing ab exercises every day. Those muscles apparently recover more quickly than others, and hopefully I can strike a nice balance between maintaining a good core and not inflaming things further (which has happened in the past). I think plank poses will be more beneficial than doing crunches.
Plus, I'm changing my diet somewhat. The main thing is to stop eating 2hrs or so before bed. Maybe my muscles aren't recovering well because too much blood is getting diverted to my digestive system during the night. I definitely slept better last night after a couple hours of just water, at least, so I'll try to continue this. That's what I used to do, but I've been getting hungrier and hungrier after mid-afternoon and so have been chowing down, but I'll try to get all my eating done earlier. I also got some miso soup paste and seaweed and dried fish...the sort of thing that seemed to help me while I was in Asia. Strangely enough, the brand new big Asian supermarket (T&T) here is very close to the GI clinic. Coincidence? LOL. Unfortunately, I'm to continue eating wheat until early Jan, at which point, I'll get the blood tests and then go back to the GI doc. I've been trying to eat it every day since after the operation, but I guess that's not long enough to be sure. Kind of sucks to have to hang in for longer, but, ah, it's still better than waiting until April.
At any rate, I felt sort of groggy/foggy during the appointment (it was in the afternoon and usually I fall asleep for a bit around then) and probably I didn't make much sense. It was frustrating...it sounds dumb but some days I feel I can't talk properly, can't find the right words, can't explain myself. Unfortunately, I also forgot to ask the doc about a new symptom which has cropped up recently. I went in there and totally forgot. ahhh, stupid!
Anyway, I really hope that this is something that will be resolved by avoiding wheat. The doctor also mentioned that it's possible to have gluten intolerance instead of celiac. Yes, it will be a pain reading labels all the time and eating out, but it didn't seem too bad during my two wheat-free weeks although I was surprised to discover that wheat was in some brands of chips. And I didn't miss wheat much. The worst was when my dragonboat team went for dinner at an Italian restaurant. I wasn't craving pasta per se, but I was starving and the only thing I could have was salad.
I really really hope that all this is over and done with by the time my training program ends and I start my new job, in April. The timing has been really good in many ways, but I'm ready to start afresh. And I'm a bit worried about the job in terms of being on my feet for eight hours again. I can manage three or four (I still volunteer at the hospital), but eight is a bit much. I was at the college for 8-9 hrs on Monday, and I needed to go to the library for a nap halfway through. LOL
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
quick recap
Saturday--went for a 30 min jog that extended to 2:10. felt sore at first, but then things got numb. Helped that we were running in fun places, a good part on dirt or grass.
Sunday-Monday-Tuesday--walk, walk, walk. 2 exams on Monday.
Wednesday, ran for 5 minutes, was too sore, so more walking.
I'm one big flaming knot right now but in approx 10 minutes I'm leaving for the GI specialist appointment which will hopefully be the beginning of the end of this.
Sunday-Monday-Tuesday--walk, walk, walk. 2 exams on Monday.
Wednesday, ran for 5 minutes, was too sore, so more walking.
I'm one big flaming knot right now but in approx 10 minutes I'm leaving for the GI specialist appointment which will hopefully be the beginning of the end of this.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
recovery day
I decided not to run today: I walked with the dog for an hour this morning, went to yoga at noon, and will walk to class later on--that's about 3 miles which should take me another hour. I'm not moving terribly fast today but it feels good to walk.
Monday, November 9, 2009
well, once I think I have things finally sorted out and am in a frame of acceptance....
...I get a call: my appointment's been bumped up: from April to next week. !!! yeah! What a big relief!
eating even more is the key?
I jogged for 30 min today. It felt sore, but slightly less than usual, and definitely less than the day after the last long run. I was slow, of course, and I hurt, but it was better.
I've eaten a lot during this past weekend; last night was no exception which probably helped recovery a lot even though I was too sore to sleep well. I usually eat what seems like quite a bit, but I guess I have to eat to the point of discomfort. LOL I think the whey-molasses shakes and the iron supplements have helped as well.
I've eaten a lot during this past weekend; last night was no exception which probably helped recovery a lot even though I was too sore to sleep well. I usually eat what seems like quite a bit, but I guess I have to eat to the point of discomfort. LOL I think the whey-molasses shakes and the iron supplements have helped as well.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
lost track due to epic battle
Yep, I got slammed by the Antivirus system pro Trojan thingy which hid deep in a random serious of folders, well out of sight of McAfee and Norton and AVG....even when I got the .exe name from another program, a search on my computer couldn't dig up the path. Eventually, I downloaded a free trial of Kaspersky, got the path, got to the file but couldn't delete it. I'd already downloaded Malwarebytes--it was great for cleaning up the registry key issues, but it couldn't get to the heart of the virus BUT it had an additional 'assassin tool' which did the trick. I ran a few more scans, got rid of the detritus, updated everything, switched my browser from IE to Firefox finally, lol, disabled system restore once everything was going well to get a new, better reference point, and things are running a LOT better. This took a few days, though. I'm no pro. lol
Anyway, this is why I've lost track of what I ran.
Tues: definitely jogged for 22 stiff minutes.
Wed-Thurs-Fri: a day off, a 30 min stiff run, and a 40 min fartlek run which actually went well. I was happy with it and I think that approach will work when I'm not in good enough shape to tackle a tempo run.
Saturday, no run, but plenty of walking, plus standing and eating at the Food and Wine show. I gorged.
Sunday, today, I woke up and saw that I weighed about two pounds more than yesterday morning--I now weigh myself every morning to keep track of what's going on--my weight has been creeping up, but I figure that that's because I've gained a bit of muscle from resistance exercises earlier in the summer, I'm perhaps retaining a bit more water, and I've gained some fat because of winter, and then the two pounds at the Wine and Food show, lol, so I'm not going to worry much about it. Last year was my first Canadian winter after a hiatus, and it was a bit of a shock. This year, I guess I've reverted to my old pattern of gaining in the fall. The scale is more to see if my weight starts to plummet or rise steeply at any point so that I can tell the specialist. over the last umpteen years, I've gotten better at keeping my weight from crashing too much, but who knows what may happen?
Anyway, I saw the two pound gain, sipped some water, and got dressed for a run. Took the dog. It was an average gut day but I figured that this was going to be just a warm up for a (hopefully) long run tomorrow. We jogged around and after a 1/2 hour, we met up with my running club. I decided to run with the folks at the back a bit, but they were going on a route that was unfamiliar to me, so I figured that I might as well hang in there and check it out. My friend gave me a sip of water around 40 min--my mouth was dry--after that, I was fine.
Including a few potty breaks for the dog, a long wait at my least favourite set of lights in the region, and a bit of a walk when we were figuring out that we were going the wrong way, I went 2:30. I figure about 2:20 running time, maybe a few minutes more, and I caved in and checked it on mapmyrun: almost 14 miles. PHEW!
I'm really happy with it.
I took some iron pills, had my whey and molasses shake and some meat pie when I got home, and I'm going to be stuffing myself royally tonight too. I guess that the two extra pounds this morning went to good use. I'm eating a lot, but not enough is sinking in properly as I'd feared, I guess, but I'm not at the point of losing weight so it's a bit hard to figure out exactly what's going on. It feels like my muscles are holding onto water because of the inflammation/arrested repair, which might explain things. Will see.
But at least it seems pretty clear that I have to really gorge the day before long runs. But not on wheat. I didn't eat much yesterday. ok! maybe I'll manage this Winterman thing after all--I was seriously doubting it this week before this run, and now I'm a lot more optimistic about it. I felt more like my old self.
Anyway, this is why I've lost track of what I ran.
Tues: definitely jogged for 22 stiff minutes.
Wed-Thurs-Fri: a day off, a 30 min stiff run, and a 40 min fartlek run which actually went well. I was happy with it and I think that approach will work when I'm not in good enough shape to tackle a tempo run.
Saturday, no run, but plenty of walking, plus standing and eating at the Food and Wine show. I gorged.
Sunday, today, I woke up and saw that I weighed about two pounds more than yesterday morning--I now weigh myself every morning to keep track of what's going on--my weight has been creeping up, but I figure that that's because I've gained a bit of muscle from resistance exercises earlier in the summer, I'm perhaps retaining a bit more water, and I've gained some fat because of winter, and then the two pounds at the Wine and Food show, lol, so I'm not going to worry much about it. Last year was my first Canadian winter after a hiatus, and it was a bit of a shock. This year, I guess I've reverted to my old pattern of gaining in the fall. The scale is more to see if my weight starts to plummet or rise steeply at any point so that I can tell the specialist. over the last umpteen years, I've gotten better at keeping my weight from crashing too much, but who knows what may happen?
Anyway, I saw the two pound gain, sipped some water, and got dressed for a run. Took the dog. It was an average gut day but I figured that this was going to be just a warm up for a (hopefully) long run tomorrow. We jogged around and after a 1/2 hour, we met up with my running club. I decided to run with the folks at the back a bit, but they were going on a route that was unfamiliar to me, so I figured that I might as well hang in there and check it out. My friend gave me a sip of water around 40 min--my mouth was dry--after that, I was fine.
Including a few potty breaks for the dog, a long wait at my least favourite set of lights in the region, and a bit of a walk when we were figuring out that we were going the wrong way, I went 2:30. I figure about 2:20 running time, maybe a few minutes more, and I caved in and checked it on mapmyrun: almost 14 miles. PHEW!
I'm really happy with it.
I took some iron pills, had my whey and molasses shake and some meat pie when I got home, and I'm going to be stuffing myself royally tonight too. I guess that the two extra pounds this morning went to good use. I'm eating a lot, but not enough is sinking in properly as I'd feared, I guess, but I'm not at the point of losing weight so it's a bit hard to figure out exactly what's going on. It feels like my muscles are holding onto water because of the inflammation/arrested repair, which might explain things. Will see.
But at least it seems pretty clear that I have to really gorge the day before long runs. But not on wheat. I didn't eat much yesterday. ok! maybe I'll manage this Winterman thing after all--I was seriously doubting it this week before this run, and now I'm a lot more optimistic about it. I felt more like my old self.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
recovery
It was gorgeous yesterday--1 C and sunny. I decided that it was time to go on a long run incorporating the Rideau River nature trail, which is a good chunk of dirt. Too bad it's not longer.
Unfortunately, it was a bad gut morning, but that's not unusual, and I wasn't out to break any speed records. Although I still did--my slowest 10 miles ever. I'm blaming the dirt! LOL
I was drained, but I took it as easy as I needed to take it, and I took a couple of walk breaks when I had to. It was very relaxing on the trail. And then I got more tired, and then I started to get depressed and angry that what would have been an easy run was taking so much out of me--actually, I got angry when I crossed the canal at the Experimental farm and found the bathroom locked for the winter, lol--I'd been counting on that thing. It took a mile or two to calm down. By the time I was about a mile from home, I was on autopilot. Everything hurt so I was distancing myself. It was disconcertingly like the last mile of a 20-miler or longer. I hit the ten mile mark around 1:57:xx. total 10.1X miles in 2 hrs. At that point, I didn't care about the distance.
It had been my original plan to run 12 miles--this would have been a very relaxing 2hr run, but it was not meant to be. Then I decided on 11 miles, and then I figured that maybe two hrs was enough. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of going by time on the long runs. I'm maintaining my cadence. I can pretend that, yeah, the same number of footstrikes would have gotten me 12 or 13 miles.
I slept poorly due to inflammation/soreness.
Today, I jogged for 22 minutes. I couldn't loosen up no matter how slowly I went, but I figured that getting the blood flowing would be enough. And then I got to a certain point where I started feeling more tired. That's when I stopped. I felt some coolness in my muscles afterwards, the same feeling I get after getting out of a long yin yoga pose--it means that something beneficial is happening. It's like a little chill trickling through.
I'm going to another yin class soon. I think it's important to do that.
Unfortunately, it was a bad gut morning, but that's not unusual, and I wasn't out to break any speed records. Although I still did--my slowest 10 miles ever. I'm blaming the dirt! LOL
I was drained, but I took it as easy as I needed to take it, and I took a couple of walk breaks when I had to. It was very relaxing on the trail. And then I got more tired, and then I started to get depressed and angry that what would have been an easy run was taking so much out of me--actually, I got angry when I crossed the canal at the Experimental farm and found the bathroom locked for the winter, lol--I'd been counting on that thing. It took a mile or two to calm down. By the time I was about a mile from home, I was on autopilot. Everything hurt so I was distancing myself. It was disconcertingly like the last mile of a 20-miler or longer. I hit the ten mile mark around 1:57:xx. total 10.1X miles in 2 hrs. At that point, I didn't care about the distance.
It had been my original plan to run 12 miles--this would have been a very relaxing 2hr run, but it was not meant to be. Then I decided on 11 miles, and then I figured that maybe two hrs was enough. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of going by time on the long runs. I'm maintaining my cadence. I can pretend that, yeah, the same number of footstrikes would have gotten me 12 or 13 miles.
I slept poorly due to inflammation/soreness.
Today, I jogged for 22 minutes. I couldn't loosen up no matter how slowly I went, but I figured that getting the blood flowing would be enough. And then I got to a certain point where I started feeling more tired. That's when I stopped. I felt some coolness in my muscles afterwards, the same feeling I get after getting out of a long yin yoga pose--it means that something beneficial is happening. It's like a little chill trickling through.
I'm going to another yin class soon. I think it's important to do that.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
a break
I walked Friday and Saturday--too much inflammation to run on Friday, and Saturday, I guess I was just lazy. LOL
I also got my H1N1 shot on Saturday; I wasn't sure what I'd be able to manage today.
After sleeping about 11 hrs, I got up and jogged about six miles with the dog. It was very slow, took me about 64-65 min to do six miles, but I think it was very productive. I started off nice and easy and concentrated on loosening up various things. The worst was something in my right shin....it started to get sore on Friday sometime after supper. By Sunday, things had seized up. It took about three miles to loosen up, and then, of course, other bits clamoured for my attention; I tried to keep things fluid and gradually I got even slower, I think, but I felt much better at the end of it.
This is the best 'recovery' run I've had in a while...I think I've been going too fast, or not slow enough. My jogging speed is now my old recovery run speed and I don't think I was tapping into the true recovery jog level of effort anymore. I've been pondering my recent 30ish min jogs, my so-called 'easy' runs, and more and more I don't think I've accomplished much with those. What's the point in going out and doing a thirty minute too-fast-for--recovery run? I'm going to get tired out, but it's not a 30 min tempo run so I'm not going to improve, and instead I'm going to withdraw energy from my harder run, and I don't really enjoy 30 min runs much, anyway. Maybe a slower hour-long run, like the one I did today, will serve much better. I feel so. Maybe the day after a tough workout, I'd be better off just doing 20 min or whatever, or walking, but it's great to know that I can enjoy a longer run and be better off with it too.
I went to a yin yoga class later on, which helped as well. I'm hoping to do a longer run tomorrow. I was hoping to do it today, but I had too many things to loosen up.
I also got my H1N1 shot on Saturday; I wasn't sure what I'd be able to manage today.
After sleeping about 11 hrs, I got up and jogged about six miles with the dog. It was very slow, took me about 64-65 min to do six miles, but I think it was very productive. I started off nice and easy and concentrated on loosening up various things. The worst was something in my right shin....it started to get sore on Friday sometime after supper. By Sunday, things had seized up. It took about three miles to loosen up, and then, of course, other bits clamoured for my attention; I tried to keep things fluid and gradually I got even slower, I think, but I felt much better at the end of it.
This is the best 'recovery' run I've had in a while...I think I've been going too fast, or not slow enough. My jogging speed is now my old recovery run speed and I don't think I was tapping into the true recovery jog level of effort anymore. I've been pondering my recent 30ish min jogs, my so-called 'easy' runs, and more and more I don't think I've accomplished much with those. What's the point in going out and doing a thirty minute too-fast-for--recovery run? I'm going to get tired out, but it's not a 30 min tempo run so I'm not going to improve, and instead I'm going to withdraw energy from my harder run, and I don't really enjoy 30 min runs much, anyway. Maybe a slower hour-long run, like the one I did today, will serve much better. I feel so. Maybe the day after a tough workout, I'd be better off just doing 20 min or whatever, or walking, but it's great to know that I can enjoy a longer run and be better off with it too.
I went to a yin yoga class later on, which helped as well. I'm hoping to do a longer run tomorrow. I was hoping to do it today, but I had too many things to loosen up.
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