Last 5K for a while! I guess I ran/jogged about 30 min altogether, ambled over and trotted around a bit, then ran the 5K in 23:20. But it was a bit over 5K--there are km and 1/2 km spray-painted markers on the path next to the road that had been measured by a measuring wheel, very accurate, and so I'd figured out roughly where the turn around would be and we were a bit beyond that. Just checked on mapmyrun and, yeah, at least (being conservative) 1.59 miles out and back. But it turned out that they had the road blocked off so we ran on that which was a nice surprise! I was expecting to be dodging rollerbladers and dogs on the path. no complaints. it was a fun, inexpensive, and relaxed race...with a 20-odd buck race these days, I'm not expecting accurate course measurements or timing chips or whatever. Just block the road and let us run on it!
I had negative thoughts during the race, of course, but I tried to keep sucking in air and keeping my shoulders relaxed and my tempo up and it felt like a more solid effort overall than last time. I think I accepted the discomfort more. I'd seeded myself poorly and had to weave a lot at first, and then I tried to pin myself onto a certain woman and didn't catch up to her, but I passed others later on. But this little kid blew by me somewhere around 3-4 K! I hope he keeps up running. Then, close to the finish, some guy passed me--I'd passed him earlier and was kind of surprised that he wasn't breathing very hard then...anyway, he caught up to the guy ahead of me and they had a photo finish sprint. So now I'm disappointed that I didn't pick it up more at the very end. The last couple of km, I felt I was picking it up because I could feel more energy tapped and I passed a few people there, and I was happy with that, but the final 100m or so wasn't as strong as it had been the race before. I picked it up, of course, but what if I'd tried even more? I can't stop kicking myself! It would have hurt more but maybe I would have learnt something. As it was, I was alone when I crossed and it was kind of boring. I feel like I should have tapped into an inner terrier or something--gone for it. It wouldn't have killed me! At the very least, I would have known what it would have felt like. Where's that curiosity when I need it?
I didn't warm up as much as the races before and that didn't seem to matter...I still feel sort of dull so I guess a warm up doesn't really help beyond a certain point. This season, I haven't done much VO2 max work, aside from the races, and barely any sprinting besides the very short hill sprints I did earlier on, so I'm not totally put together yet. It'll come.
There's been something that's been bugging me about these 5K races--all three of them have been similar, out and backs....I didn't figure out where the turn around point was beforehand the first two times, and it was a bit further than I'd expected this time, so maybe that has something to do with it...it seems that I concentrate so much on it and then it's the long stretch back (feels so long) and it's lonely and deserted. Not really! But at that point people are pretty spread out and it's disconcerting somehow. I still can't put my finger on it.
Anyway, my 5K experiment is done!
April 18, Race 1: 7:24/mile
April 25, Race 2: 7:22/mile
April 30, Race 3: 7:18-7:30/mile, lol (7:20 if 1.59 miles out and back)
So, not too shabby! I'm tired, though. I would really like to get under 7:00/mile this year but I've got a lot of catching up still; I'm increasing mileage (will taper a bit for NCM and Emilie's run, though) so I'm not sure I'll be doing shorter intervals/sprints/jumps/whatever until after Emilie's run. I'll continue to do VO2 max intervals for the next 6 weeks, I think.
I might jog this evening, will see. We will likely do a long run tomorrow. Meanwhile, I should phone the doctor and find out Monday's iron blood test results.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Day 93
Yesterday: 30 min jog with the dog in the morning, 35 min run with my husband in the evening. We both got new shoes in the mail so it was a bit peppy. I'd ordered a pair of Saucony Grid Type A3 shoes, but a 1/2 size up from my old pair because they were out of my size. Turns out that was wise: they look the same size as my old shoes. anyway, they feel fine.
I was going to do speedwork, but signed up for another 5K race tomorrow instead; that will be my speedwork. Originally, I was going to do the race on Sunday and the VO2max intervals on Wednesday, and then I was considering the race on Saturday. Well, the race on Friday is the closest and cheapest and I know the course best so that settled it. It will be crowded, though, as the path is narrow in parts and won't be closed to the public, so it might get kind of annoying, but this is a race as a workout, not a goal race. anyway, once I signed up, I figured I was already a bit tired and doing intervals yesterday mightn't be the most logical thing to do. I will have access to treadmills next week so I might try to get two interval workouts in, say Monday and Thurs or Fri.
At any rate, tomorrow's race will be the end of my 3X 5K experiment, and then I have 4 weeks until the NCM 5K. My goal tomorrow is to be stronger mentally.
Today: 30 min jog with the dog in the morning. I probably won't run this evening. I'm kind of tired and I'm curious to see how things will feel tomorrow without the evening run.
I was going to do speedwork, but signed up for another 5K race tomorrow instead; that will be my speedwork. Originally, I was going to do the race on Sunday and the VO2max intervals on Wednesday, and then I was considering the race on Saturday. Well, the race on Friday is the closest and cheapest and I know the course best so that settled it. It will be crowded, though, as the path is narrow in parts and won't be closed to the public, so it might get kind of annoying, but this is a race as a workout, not a goal race. anyway, once I signed up, I figured I was already a bit tired and doing intervals yesterday mightn't be the most logical thing to do. I will have access to treadmills next week so I might try to get two interval workouts in, say Monday and Thurs or Fri.
At any rate, tomorrow's race will be the end of my 3X 5K experiment, and then I have 4 weeks until the NCM 5K. My goal tomorrow is to be stronger mentally.
Today: 30 min jog with the dog in the morning. I probably won't run this evening. I'm kind of tired and I'm curious to see how things will feel tomorrow without the evening run.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Day 91
Morning: 35 minutes with the dog
Evening: 57 minutes with my husband and the dog. I took the Garmin and we stopped at six miles. The run was ok at first, the little snow flurries were odd but we enjoyed seeing the tulips, and then I started to get a stomachache. Still have it :(
Evening: 57 minutes with my husband and the dog. I took the Garmin and we stopped at six miles. The run was ok at first, the little snow flurries were odd but we enjoyed seeing the tulips, and then I started to get a stomachache. Still have it :(
Monday, April 26, 2010
Day 90
Well, the shocking metamorphosis did occur, sort of...I expect an even greater one on Day 91. lol
Seriously, though, I ran pretty well today, considering the sort of blah race and all the other running yesterday. My legs were surprisingly fresh. In fact, I felt so good this morning that I passed my usual turn around point and even considered a 7.5-8 mile loop...but then I decided to be sensible. It was the day after a race, things might start to catch up to me after a while, the dog might get hot (we had no water), etc, etc. I'm glad I listened to the sensible grey matter: around 43 minutes, things started to tighten up. I ran a bit more just to see if they'd loosen up, but no. Hence 47 minutes and another 15 to walk home.
This evening, I figured I'd go maybe 30-40 min. My legs were even fresher still and my form felt great, really tight, and after about a 1/2 mile, some guy was trailing me, breathing hard, spitting...well, I found the energy to make him work a bit. I didn't want to lose the 4-2 breathing rhythm so soon though, so he passed me eventually and I decided to trail him. Shortly before my 2ish mile mark, though, he started to slow down. Fortunately, I knew that I'd be turning around soon so I slowed down, didn't have to worry about bruising his ego by passing him. LOL. I turned around and picked things up again, just a bit, just to see how long I could continue coasting along. My breathing was slipping into the 2-2 range, but it wasn't a hard run, not at tempo effort. It kind of felt like 1/2 marathon pace.
And then around 2.5 miles or so, I heard a guy breathing hard and spitting behind me. Really? No, it was some other dude, and he was fast. So I trailed him until I got to my 4ish mile mark (it was 4.08 miles--yes, I cheated and checked on mapmyrun.com afterward) in 33:15. I jogged it out to 40 min.
I can't believe I ran at 8:09 pace for 4 miles! A month and a half ago, that was my 2 mile pace, with considerably more effort. I'm definitely on the mend, not 100%, but getting there. I'm still not sure if I'll PB at any distance this year, but it would be nice to get back to where I was before things started going south.
I had a follow up with my nurse practitioner today and another ferritin test. It'll be interesting to see the numbers now.
Seriously, though, I ran pretty well today, considering the sort of blah race and all the other running yesterday. My legs were surprisingly fresh. In fact, I felt so good this morning that I passed my usual turn around point and even considered a 7.5-8 mile loop...but then I decided to be sensible. It was the day after a race, things might start to catch up to me after a while, the dog might get hot (we had no water), etc, etc. I'm glad I listened to the sensible grey matter: around 43 minutes, things started to tighten up. I ran a bit more just to see if they'd loosen up, but no. Hence 47 minutes and another 15 to walk home.
This evening, I figured I'd go maybe 30-40 min. My legs were even fresher still and my form felt great, really tight, and after about a 1/2 mile, some guy was trailing me, breathing hard, spitting...well, I found the energy to make him work a bit. I didn't want to lose the 4-2 breathing rhythm so soon though, so he passed me eventually and I decided to trail him. Shortly before my 2ish mile mark, though, he started to slow down. Fortunately, I knew that I'd be turning around soon so I slowed down, didn't have to worry about bruising his ego by passing him. LOL. I turned around and picked things up again, just a bit, just to see how long I could continue coasting along. My breathing was slipping into the 2-2 range, but it wasn't a hard run, not at tempo effort. It kind of felt like 1/2 marathon pace.
And then around 2.5 miles or so, I heard a guy breathing hard and spitting behind me. Really? No, it was some other dude, and he was fast. So I trailed him until I got to my 4ish mile mark (it was 4.08 miles--yes, I cheated and checked on mapmyrun.com afterward) in 33:15. I jogged it out to 40 min.
I can't believe I ran at 8:09 pace for 4 miles! A month and a half ago, that was my 2 mile pace, with considerably more effort. I'm definitely on the mend, not 100%, but getting there. I'm still not sure if I'll PB at any distance this year, but it would be nice to get back to where I was before things started going south.
I had a follow up with my nurse practitioner today and another ferritin test. It'll be interesting to see the numbers now.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Day 89
I expect a shocking metamorphosis to occur on day 90, unrealistic though that may be! I spent approx 90 days trashing my system with lots of wheat in preparation for the celiac tests so I figure that it'll take at least 90 days to undo that damage...my rational is purely symmetrical. I have no idea how long it will really take!
Anyway, Saturday: 25 minute easy run.
Sunday: I'm not sure how much I ran today. I figure about 1:40, same as last Sunday: 20ish min warm up, 5K, then 1 hr jog, this time with my husband and the dog. We had to go pick up the car; we took a cab back from the casino/Army Ball. A lot of fun last night!
The race was later this week, 10:45. I appreciated the extra sleep-in time, but I don't really sleep in even when up past 1 am the night before. I was worried about getting hungry so I ate some dessert tofu and drank some water. Jogged over to the start an hour before to get my chip, jogged around and warmed up and cheered some runners finishing the 1/2 marathon, then jogged back to use my washroom one more time, then jogged back to the start and warmed up some more. Did I mention that my house was about 300 metres from the start line? Very convenient! I didn't have to feel bad about doing damage in a public restroom.
This race didn't feel as mentally strong as last week's...it was later, hotter, and I wasn't as optimistic. And physically I didn't feel as good. I was sort of expecting this: army ball last night and a tougher workout week before. I felt like I was running so slowly today and it was a downer, and I had to keep pushing myself.
I think I seeded myself better this time, in that I didn't have to pass as many people, but I think I went out a shade too fast. It wasn't major, though. Things settled down, I passed a woman and then another passed me (us) at 2ish K, an older lady who looked like a born runner, lanky and leggy. She swept by seemingly effortlessly and I tried to dig in but didn't quite manage. The first woman wasn't too far behind me at the turn around and that helped keep me going. A guy passed me sometime soon after that and then that was pretty much it, I think--lots of space ahead, too much! I tried to break the course up in minute intervals, picking things that I thought were a minute ahead, and I remembered to loosen up my shoulders, keep my guts tight, and my turnover quick and not too sloppy, but I did feel sort of mired in place. Push, push, push....
The woman behind me passed me somewhere past 3K, the longest km of the race. So, her turn to pace. I trailed her, started counting down after 1k, but haphazardly, push, push, push, and then it was 500M to go. Nice! I felt like crap but only 2:15ish to go, I guessed. The woman ahead of me looked a little closer so that was incentive to push a little more. When we got to 200M I decided that I would try to start to kick it in at 100M. baby steps! Maybe one day I can have a longer kick, but today was a good start. It wasn't my best 100M but I found another gear. I passed her sometime shortly after the 100M mark, I think, and ended up beating her by 5 seconds (gun time). Not bad for 80-90 metres. Turned out she was in my age group too. You just never know!
The kick was a bit of a confidence booster but overall I was a bit disappointed at how hard this race was. But a 6 second improvement over last week's race, LOL: 22:52 vs 22:58--I forgot to correct it, but my time last week wasn't 22:54 after all.
I won a CD as a door prize and a pair of socks as an age group prize. They also had pancakes after the race (i didn't have any, of course! but good to know).
This was the Minto race--I did the 10K two years ago and enjoyed it. It's really nice having the 500-400-300-200-100 markers at the end and it's a smoothly run race. They had some really enthusiastic volunteers at the drink stations and road blocks.
So now I have another tough week and one more 5K...still trying to decide which one because there's the Law Run on Friday, one by the river on Saturday, and one on the same course as last week's Physio Run on Sunday. I have to catch a flight to San Antonio on Sunday, but I'm still tempted by the Sunday race...
Anyway, Saturday: 25 minute easy run.
Sunday: I'm not sure how much I ran today. I figure about 1:40, same as last Sunday: 20ish min warm up, 5K, then 1 hr jog, this time with my husband and the dog. We had to go pick up the car; we took a cab back from the casino/Army Ball. A lot of fun last night!
The race was later this week, 10:45. I appreciated the extra sleep-in time, but I don't really sleep in even when up past 1 am the night before. I was worried about getting hungry so I ate some dessert tofu and drank some water. Jogged over to the start an hour before to get my chip, jogged around and warmed up and cheered some runners finishing the 1/2 marathon, then jogged back to use my washroom one more time, then jogged back to the start and warmed up some more. Did I mention that my house was about 300 metres from the start line? Very convenient! I didn't have to feel bad about doing damage in a public restroom.
This race didn't feel as mentally strong as last week's...it was later, hotter, and I wasn't as optimistic. And physically I didn't feel as good. I was sort of expecting this: army ball last night and a tougher workout week before. I felt like I was running so slowly today and it was a downer, and I had to keep pushing myself.
I think I seeded myself better this time, in that I didn't have to pass as many people, but I think I went out a shade too fast. It wasn't major, though. Things settled down, I passed a woman and then another passed me (us) at 2ish K, an older lady who looked like a born runner, lanky and leggy. She swept by seemingly effortlessly and I tried to dig in but didn't quite manage. The first woman wasn't too far behind me at the turn around and that helped keep me going. A guy passed me sometime soon after that and then that was pretty much it, I think--lots of space ahead, too much! I tried to break the course up in minute intervals, picking things that I thought were a minute ahead, and I remembered to loosen up my shoulders, keep my guts tight, and my turnover quick and not too sloppy, but I did feel sort of mired in place. Push, push, push....
The woman behind me passed me somewhere past 3K, the longest km of the race. So, her turn to pace. I trailed her, started counting down after 1k, but haphazardly, push, push, push, and then it was 500M to go. Nice! I felt like crap but only 2:15ish to go, I guessed. The woman ahead of me looked a little closer so that was incentive to push a little more. When we got to 200M I decided that I would try to start to kick it in at 100M. baby steps! Maybe one day I can have a longer kick, but today was a good start. It wasn't my best 100M but I found another gear. I passed her sometime shortly after the 100M mark, I think, and ended up beating her by 5 seconds (gun time). Not bad for 80-90 metres. Turned out she was in my age group too. You just never know!
The kick was a bit of a confidence booster but overall I was a bit disappointed at how hard this race was. But a 6 second improvement over last week's race, LOL: 22:52 vs 22:58--I forgot to correct it, but my time last week wasn't 22:54 after all.
I won a CD as a door prize and a pair of socks as an age group prize. They also had pancakes after the race (i didn't have any, of course! but good to know).
This was the Minto race--I did the 10K two years ago and enjoyed it. It's really nice having the 500-400-300-200-100 markers at the end and it's a smoothly run race. They had some really enthusiastic volunteers at the drink stations and road blocks.
So now I have another tough week and one more 5K...still trying to decide which one because there's the Law Run on Friday, one by the river on Saturday, and one on the same course as last week's Physio Run on Sunday. I have to catch a flight to San Antonio on Sunday, but I'm still tempted by the Sunday race...
Friday, April 23, 2010
Day 87
Very good day! I feel a little tired and my legs are a little tired too, possibly residual recovery from Wednesday's hard workout...I probably should have jogged at least a little bit yesterday to loosen up but I just didn't feel like it! So this morning's run was dusting off cobwebs for 20 min, and then I ran 30 minutes with my husband in the evening.
And we ran. It wasn't a hard run, nowhere near tempo effort, and I kept to 4-2 breathing until a few minutes near the end when we were pushing it a bit more...it was one of those good runs. I love having good runs! This is what makes giving up bread and beer and all that other wheat stuff worth it! I still don't feel 100%, but I'm definitely getting there.
I try not to track time/pace except for speedwork, but I had to know, had to look it up on mapmyrun.com: 3.58 miles in 30 min. That's 8:23/mile. Nothing major for a few miles, but considering where I was a few months ago (11:00/mile? didn't want to know how much below 10:00/mile), and considering that that wasn't too far off my tempo effort pace a month ago (8:10-8:15/mile), I'm really pleased. I'm not going to be pushing that pace on all my easy runs--heck, I can be more than a min slower per mile and still be fine--but if it happens now and then, cool. We'll see how things go when the runs get longer and the temps get hotter.
At any rate, I didn't do the 500M intervals today, lol, because I didn't think I had enough pep.
Tomorrow will be an easy run and maybe a few light pick ups in prep for the 5K on Sunday. Maybe I'll do a short run in the evening too, maybe not. Will see how I feel.
Meanwhile, I've been throwing down in the kitchen...we'd cooked a chicken this past weekend, so I made broth yesterday, picked the chicken today and made chicken noodle soup, plus I took the tenderest bits and made rillette with some duck fat, plus I made wild garlic pesto, plus the fruit/whey smoothie I'm having now, lol. My husband made some wheat-free bread and we're going to stuff ourselves tonight!
And we ran. It wasn't a hard run, nowhere near tempo effort, and I kept to 4-2 breathing until a few minutes near the end when we were pushing it a bit more...it was one of those good runs. I love having good runs! This is what makes giving up bread and beer and all that other wheat stuff worth it! I still don't feel 100%, but I'm definitely getting there.
I try not to track time/pace except for speedwork, but I had to know, had to look it up on mapmyrun.com: 3.58 miles in 30 min. That's 8:23/mile. Nothing major for a few miles, but considering where I was a few months ago (11:00/mile? didn't want to know how much below 10:00/mile), and considering that that wasn't too far off my tempo effort pace a month ago (8:10-8:15/mile), I'm really pleased. I'm not going to be pushing that pace on all my easy runs--heck, I can be more than a min slower per mile and still be fine--but if it happens now and then, cool. We'll see how things go when the runs get longer and the temps get hotter.
At any rate, I didn't do the 500M intervals today, lol, because I didn't think I had enough pep.
Tomorrow will be an easy run and maybe a few light pick ups in prep for the 5K on Sunday. Maybe I'll do a short run in the evening too, maybe not. Will see how I feel.
Meanwhile, I've been throwing down in the kitchen...we'd cooked a chicken this past weekend, so I made broth yesterday, picked the chicken today and made chicken noodle soup, plus I took the tenderest bits and made rillette with some duck fat, plus I made wild garlic pesto, plus the fruit/whey smoothie I'm having now, lol. My husband made some wheat-free bread and we're going to stuff ourselves tonight!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Day 86
35 min jog in the morning, 80 min run in the evening.
Let's get the dumb dog owner rant out of the way now, and quickly: I almost got hit by the handle of one of those flexi-leashes I'm always frothing about. Karma? The dog was attached to the leash, which was not attached to the owner; the dog bolted to my dog, then stopped suddenly, and the leash whipped about. I felt the handle whisk past my arm. Sounds implausible, but I was also hit by a golf ball once and a bird twice (not the same bird as far as I know but both times it was a starling, I think)...my luck isn't the greatest sometimes.
I feel like this bad karma is unwarranted because I was really polite and calm about a minor dog incident this morning, and what could have been a major one yesterday morning--some lady let her dog loose and it was tearing around, but fortunately this was a few hundred meters away and I was SO grateful that she collected the dog before we got near, especially since it was wearing a prong collar. A prong collar usually isn't a good sign when the animal is loose!
Anyway, the jog this morning was pretty much uneventful and relaxing. This afternoon, we ran 4 miles with my husband who is trying to shake a knot in his ankle. Then I started my intervals.
Run club was 2X 3K, which didn't really appeal to me. I decided to attempt VO2max intervals, seeing as my goal races (yes, with 5Ks, I can have two!) are 5-8 weeks away. This will give me four weeks of VO2, and then maybe another workout or two to sharpen up in between the races. So, today was a very modest 6X 2min hard/2 min easy. I was tired (I've been doing a lot of scrubbing in the house this week, grout, etc), so I didn't feel quite at the VO2max effort, but maybe that's because the intervals were so short! Not really sure. No lactic acid. My form felt good on some, not so good on others. I just tried to keep pushing myself without getting into a more sprinting kind of thing.
Anyway, I covered 0.29 miles, 0.29, 0.29, 0.29, 0.29, and then 0.28 (sucks that I couldn't go faster). The distances are rounded by Garmin, and I was sometimes a second off in hitting the lap button, so the paces I got ranged from 6:48/mile to 7:02/mile (the saggy last one). I'm going to program the workout next time so I don't have to fuss with the lap button. First I have to decide how much to increase the intervals.
Week 1: 2 min
week 2: 2.5 min
week 3: 3 min
week 4: 3.5 min
Something like that! Move up to 4 after the first race for a couple of weeks, and then a week off before the 2nd. hmmm.
After the workout, I did two 100 meter strides and then resistance exercises, including 80 sit ups. They're starting to get a little monotonous. Yeah, they start to hurt near the end (ok, today, the last forty or fifty hurt!), so I know they're useful, just boring to count that much. Maybe I need to integrate a medicine ball somehow.
Let's get the dumb dog owner rant out of the way now, and quickly: I almost got hit by the handle of one of those flexi-leashes I'm always frothing about. Karma? The dog was attached to the leash, which was not attached to the owner; the dog bolted to my dog, then stopped suddenly, and the leash whipped about. I felt the handle whisk past my arm. Sounds implausible, but I was also hit by a golf ball once and a bird twice (not the same bird as far as I know but both times it was a starling, I think)...my luck isn't the greatest sometimes.
I feel like this bad karma is unwarranted because I was really polite and calm about a minor dog incident this morning, and what could have been a major one yesterday morning--some lady let her dog loose and it was tearing around, but fortunately this was a few hundred meters away and I was SO grateful that she collected the dog before we got near, especially since it was wearing a prong collar. A prong collar usually isn't a good sign when the animal is loose!
Anyway, the jog this morning was pretty much uneventful and relaxing. This afternoon, we ran 4 miles with my husband who is trying to shake a knot in his ankle. Then I started my intervals.
Run club was 2X 3K, which didn't really appeal to me. I decided to attempt VO2max intervals, seeing as my goal races (yes, with 5Ks, I can have two!) are 5-8 weeks away. This will give me four weeks of VO2, and then maybe another workout or two to sharpen up in between the races. So, today was a very modest 6X 2min hard/2 min easy. I was tired (I've been doing a lot of scrubbing in the house this week, grout, etc), so I didn't feel quite at the VO2max effort, but maybe that's because the intervals were so short! Not really sure. No lactic acid. My form felt good on some, not so good on others. I just tried to keep pushing myself without getting into a more sprinting kind of thing.
Anyway, I covered 0.29 miles, 0.29, 0.29, 0.29, 0.29, and then 0.28 (sucks that I couldn't go faster). The distances are rounded by Garmin, and I was sometimes a second off in hitting the lap button, so the paces I got ranged from 6:48/mile to 7:02/mile (the saggy last one). I'm going to program the workout next time so I don't have to fuss with the lap button. First I have to decide how much to increase the intervals.
Week 1: 2 min
week 2: 2.5 min
week 3: 3 min
week 4: 3.5 min
Something like that! Move up to 4 after the first race for a couple of weeks, and then a week off before the 2nd. hmmm.
After the workout, I did two 100 meter strides and then resistance exercises, including 80 sit ups. They're starting to get a little monotonous. Yeah, they start to hurt near the end (ok, today, the last forty or fifty hurt!), so I know they're useful, just boring to count that much. Maybe I need to integrate a medicine ball somehow.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Day 85
36 min jog in the morning, with two easy pickups/strides, whatever they're called! lol
30 min run in the evening. 80 sit ups.
Did a LOT of stretching last night and the knee is much better. Didn't feel it during either run, just briefly while walking once. Will do more stretching/yin yoga tonight. I'd been neglecting that these past few weeks and finally things caught up with me!
30 min run in the evening. 80 sit ups.
Did a LOT of stretching last night and the knee is much better. Didn't feel it during either run, just briefly while walking once. Will do more stretching/yin yoga tonight. I'd been neglecting that these past few weeks and finally things caught up with me!
Monday, April 19, 2010
day 84
I was sore today!
Morning: 21 min jog...was supposed to be 25 min but I could loosen up only so much before things got tight again. It was a very slow pace.
Evening: 30 min jog. Still sore but felt much better, and definitely I was much better aligned.
And then my right knee got a twinge when I was carrying the laundry downstairs. I'll stretch in front of the TV and hopefully locate whatever it is that's tight and pulling. Maybe my quad, maybe something in my calf...will find out!
Morning: 21 min jog...was supposed to be 25 min but I could loosen up only so much before things got tight again. It was a very slow pace.
Evening: 30 min jog. Still sore but felt much better, and definitely I was much better aligned.
And then my right knee got a twinge when I was carrying the laundry downstairs. I'll stretch in front of the TV and hopefully locate whatever it is that's tight and pulling. Maybe my quad, maybe something in my calf...will find out!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
day 83
An hour and forty minutes of running today.
My husband was ill with food poisoning last night (maybe I had a mild touch of that after all) so I didn't sleep much. Felt more like crap than like racing today! But I got up, had some dessert tofu and ginger ale for breakfast, and jogged out the door about 15 minutes before the start. It wasn't far; I jogged around for a bit once I got there, and threw in some faster portions, but still pretty conservative. No strides or anything like that. My legs felt kind of dead.
But it was perfect running weather! About 4-5 C...I was a bit overdressed, so I carried my hat. Wish I'd gone with lighter shorts after all--I'd set out my clothing the night before, and then changed out of the lighter shorts into a heavier pair when I read the forecast. I had a long sleeved shirt which I tied around my waist--I didn't plan on going to the bag drop so I figured that the long sleeved shirt would be warm enough to wait in and light enough to carry.
No watch; I wish I had the splits for curiosity's sake, but I wanted to focus on form and drive and so forth, not numbers.
I passed a bunch of people at the start; I felt a bit odd doing that, but it felt worse to put the brakes on, and it was still a not impossible level of effort. No lactic acid, just generally slightly dull legs. Sometime after the first K, things thinned out and I was mostly on my own, just trying to keep up with random people in front of me. Around this time, some guy in khakis (no joke!) blew by me but he didn't stay too far ahead and I didn't lose sight of him. And I started passing people again, one here, one there. I'd pick a person, and drift closer and closer and eventually pass them.
Meanwhile, I was trying to remind myself of form pointers, breathe deeply, keep some lift in the hips, keep the right arm from doing the funky thing it sometimes does, keep core tight...my form didn't feel that solid today, but it was better than I'd expected. Meanwhile, mentally, I was doing well. I really was. I accepted the discomfort and kept my rhythm pretty well, kept slowly reeling people in. I saw a few at the turn around that I vowed to not let pull ahead...I ended up passing them eventually.
I missed seeing the 3K marker--thank goodness, because that's a hard place for me mentally. I started counting, kept coasting up to a couple of people--the khaki guy was still ahead--he dropped back at one point and then passed me again but, once more, didn't get too far ahead. I forget who I passed, but I don't think anyone else passed me. There was one guy in bright green who was getting closer--I didn't figure I'd pass him. Shortly before the 4k marker, I was feeling pretty fatigued. That was the lowest point for me. But, hey, I could see the 4K sign, and some stuff to break up the stretch before it, and that helped me dig in a bit. I passed the guy in green sometime, I forget when. There remained the guy in khaki but at this point I was looking for landmarks and counting and more within myself, I guess. I felt semi latched onto him, but there wasn't really anyone close ahead of him--it seemed pretty empty! So counting and landmarks seemed more encouraging! LOL
I had no kick, but I finished and nobody pipped ahead of me. Felt awful, burning guts, after the finish but I bent over and it went away quickly.
Time: 22:54. So, a bit slower than I would have liked last year or before, but a good starting point for this year, I think! Got my B goal. Got an idea of where I am too, and what to aim for next.
Jogged a bit afterward, then ate and drank a bit, and took the dog for an hour jog just because the weather was so nice and I didn't feel quite finished. Then resistance exercises. I tried arm pumps (or whatever they're called) for the first time in a long time...still sort of uncoordinated. I got into a good swing with the sit ups, though. They started to burn around 60, and I figured that, hey, that was a productive feeling, so I went past 70, almost enjoying the increasing discomfort (I want to get stronger and it's a sign that I'm getting stronger) and got to 80 situps. Tried to tap into this mindset for other exercises, too, especially the single leg stuff. Now, if only I could integrate this more into running too!
There's a 5K next weekend that we might do--I'm definitely tempted! There's pretty much a 5K each weekend until Race Weekend which is very convenient. Best way to do what I consider tempo runs! lol
My husband was ill with food poisoning last night (maybe I had a mild touch of that after all) so I didn't sleep much. Felt more like crap than like racing today! But I got up, had some dessert tofu and ginger ale for breakfast, and jogged out the door about 15 minutes before the start. It wasn't far; I jogged around for a bit once I got there, and threw in some faster portions, but still pretty conservative. No strides or anything like that. My legs felt kind of dead.
But it was perfect running weather! About 4-5 C...I was a bit overdressed, so I carried my hat. Wish I'd gone with lighter shorts after all--I'd set out my clothing the night before, and then changed out of the lighter shorts into a heavier pair when I read the forecast. I had a long sleeved shirt which I tied around my waist--I didn't plan on going to the bag drop so I figured that the long sleeved shirt would be warm enough to wait in and light enough to carry.
No watch; I wish I had the splits for curiosity's sake, but I wanted to focus on form and drive and so forth, not numbers.
I passed a bunch of people at the start; I felt a bit odd doing that, but it felt worse to put the brakes on, and it was still a not impossible level of effort. No lactic acid, just generally slightly dull legs. Sometime after the first K, things thinned out and I was mostly on my own, just trying to keep up with random people in front of me. Around this time, some guy in khakis (no joke!) blew by me but he didn't stay too far ahead and I didn't lose sight of him. And I started passing people again, one here, one there. I'd pick a person, and drift closer and closer and eventually pass them.
Meanwhile, I was trying to remind myself of form pointers, breathe deeply, keep some lift in the hips, keep the right arm from doing the funky thing it sometimes does, keep core tight...my form didn't feel that solid today, but it was better than I'd expected. Meanwhile, mentally, I was doing well. I really was. I accepted the discomfort and kept my rhythm pretty well, kept slowly reeling people in. I saw a few at the turn around that I vowed to not let pull ahead...I ended up passing them eventually.
I missed seeing the 3K marker--thank goodness, because that's a hard place for me mentally. I started counting, kept coasting up to a couple of people--the khaki guy was still ahead--he dropped back at one point and then passed me again but, once more, didn't get too far ahead. I forget who I passed, but I don't think anyone else passed me. There was one guy in bright green who was getting closer--I didn't figure I'd pass him. Shortly before the 4k marker, I was feeling pretty fatigued. That was the lowest point for me. But, hey, I could see the 4K sign, and some stuff to break up the stretch before it, and that helped me dig in a bit. I passed the guy in green sometime, I forget when. There remained the guy in khaki but at this point I was looking for landmarks and counting and more within myself, I guess. I felt semi latched onto him, but there wasn't really anyone close ahead of him--it seemed pretty empty! So counting and landmarks seemed more encouraging! LOL
I had no kick, but I finished and nobody pipped ahead of me. Felt awful, burning guts, after the finish but I bent over and it went away quickly.
Time: 22:54. So, a bit slower than I would have liked last year or before, but a good starting point for this year, I think! Got my B goal. Got an idea of where I am too, and what to aim for next.
Jogged a bit afterward, then ate and drank a bit, and took the dog for an hour jog just because the weather was so nice and I didn't feel quite finished. Then resistance exercises. I tried arm pumps (or whatever they're called) for the first time in a long time...still sort of uncoordinated. I got into a good swing with the sit ups, though. They started to burn around 60, and I figured that, hey, that was a productive feeling, so I went past 70, almost enjoying the increasing discomfort (I want to get stronger and it's a sign that I'm getting stronger) and got to 80 situps. Tried to tap into this mindset for other exercises, too, especially the single leg stuff. Now, if only I could integrate this more into running too!
There's a 5K next weekend that we might do--I'm definitely tempted! There's pretty much a 5K each weekend until Race Weekend which is very convenient. Best way to do what I consider tempo runs! lol
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Day 82
Jogged 25 min this morning and 20 min this evening to loosen up and work on some form things. So I was without the leash and dog. It felt ok, I'm still a little tired from the gluten thing but today was better than yesterday. Hopefully tomorrow will be better still.
For some reason, it seems that I have a certain delayed-reaction gut phenomenon a few days after eating wheat/gluten....noticed this last time and today as well. 'Noticed' is a mild way of putting it, perhaps. My body takes a while to suddenly decide to purge itself. It's nothing major or long-lived, though, and it's still better than what I'd dealt with every day for a few years...but I'm spoiled now! But I'm sure glad that I'm doing only a 5K tomorrow and not a marathon. Bland rice noodles for supper tonight.
I still have to decide what I'm going to wear tomorrow, but I have my bib at least. Once again, they ran out of small t-shirts before I got to the race kit pick up. Who are all these small people who are registering at the last minute at the crack of dawn or whenever? LOL
For some reason, it seems that I have a certain delayed-reaction gut phenomenon a few days after eating wheat/gluten....noticed this last time and today as well. 'Noticed' is a mild way of putting it, perhaps. My body takes a while to suddenly decide to purge itself. It's nothing major or long-lived, though, and it's still better than what I'd dealt with every day for a few years...but I'm spoiled now! But I'm sure glad that I'm doing only a 5K tomorrow and not a marathon. Bland rice noodles for supper tonight.
I still have to decide what I'm going to wear tomorrow, but I have my bib at least. Once again, they ran out of small t-shirts before I got to the race kit pick up. Who are all these small people who are registering at the last minute at the crack of dawn or whenever? LOL
Friday, April 16, 2010
Day 81
I feel better, though still a bit weary. Hopefully that will wear off before Sunday. I should be thankful that the aches and gut pain are almost gone, though!
I decided to try a few short intervals at 5K pace...because I was still a bit wiped and couldn't decide between 1 X 1K and 2 X 1K, plus the race is only 5K, I decided to do 3X 500M at what felt like 5K pace, with jogging 500M recovery. So, not really a VO2 max workout but almost at the right pace, I guess. No lactic acid (at least not for 500M!) but good form. The first part was a success, the last part, not really until near the end. I had the dog with me and that makes things a little unbalanced/asymmetrical. Plus, the pace was between his gaits--the poor guy tried his best but either he was pulling ahead in a canter, or dropping back in a trot. So I was distracted by that. Finally, on the third fast interval, I remembered to remember the form...the whole run was like herding cats even without the dog factor and I didn't feel that well put together, but I tried. It was a bit slower but it felt more efficient.
2:15
2:16
2:19
If I do my 5K at that pace, I'll be happy! I have been wavering about A and B goals:
A: sub 7:00/mile (not likely unless things go REALLY well---the weather should be good, at least, so who knows?)
B: sub 23:00
C: sub 24:00
D: sub 25:00. I really expect to go sub 25:00! It will be hard not to be disappointed if I don't unless I end up saving a life on the course or something.
I've been thinking about how I've felt so good on a few runs recently, and not so much now...I think that's partly due to the tail end effect of the weeks I was doing doubles. I pick up and lose things quickly muscularly; cutting the time between runs in half is a considerable difference. My muscles remember a lot better how things are supposed to go. At the same time, it takes a few weeks of a regular routine to see a difference, and this doesn't cut out immediately either.
Another difference is perhaps my shoes--I'm currently using two pairs of somewhat old racing flat type shoes (Saucony Grid type A2 and Nike Trackstar) They're both well over a year old, and I sawed some grooves in the soles to increase flexibility...I've noticed that the Saucony pair are starting to feel a little off, but maybe that's also because it's a 1/2 size too large and I need to readjust the laces again (they're really loose, lol, but they were $30 down in TExas and I had to grab them when I had the chance). The Nike pair, however, is feeling more and more good. That was the pair I had on during the good runs I've had recently. Yeah, I shouldn't cheap out on shoes this much, and I will get some new shoes sometime, but I'm having trouble deciding what to get and where to order it. They don't usually stock my type of shoes in the stores here. Meanwhile, I'm really enjoying the good pair of shoes! I think they're about a year old now. Many many miles on them. I do have a second pair of the Nike shoes that I've been saving for races that I was too sick to run, lol...time to break those out, too. I'll see how they feel, but hopefully they'll work for my 5Ks in May and June.
And of course a third effect is diet. I'm trying to eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and protein. Tonight will be a test because we're going to a benefit dinner/buffet at the race track, lol...supposedly they have non-breaded seafood there so I should be good. Anyway, my diet mishap created some stiffness/inflammation, particularly on my right side. So my right arm got a bit tired. I used to do a certain arm exercise which helped--fast pumps with dumbbells. Time to reintegrate that into my routine! Today, I didn't do the full routine, just the sit ups (70) and some single leg calf raises and squats/dips.
I should add that I think my dog enjoyed running faster today, despite the awkwardness of it. Maybe, as I get gradually faster (I hope!) it will gel together. I might have to get a waist band for the leash, though. Will see.
At any rate, I look forward to racing on Sunday. It will be an experience.
I decided to try a few short intervals at 5K pace...because I was still a bit wiped and couldn't decide between 1 X 1K and 2 X 1K, plus the race is only 5K, I decided to do 3X 500M at what felt like 5K pace, with jogging 500M recovery. So, not really a VO2 max workout but almost at the right pace, I guess. No lactic acid (at least not for 500M!) but good form. The first part was a success, the last part, not really until near the end. I had the dog with me and that makes things a little unbalanced/asymmetrical. Plus, the pace was between his gaits--the poor guy tried his best but either he was pulling ahead in a canter, or dropping back in a trot. So I was distracted by that. Finally, on the third fast interval, I remembered to remember the form...the whole run was like herding cats even without the dog factor and I didn't feel that well put together, but I tried. It was a bit slower but it felt more efficient.
2:15
2:16
2:19
If I do my 5K at that pace, I'll be happy! I have been wavering about A and B goals:
A: sub 7:00/mile (not likely unless things go REALLY well---the weather should be good, at least, so who knows?)
B: sub 23:00
C: sub 24:00
D: sub 25:00. I really expect to go sub 25:00! It will be hard not to be disappointed if I don't unless I end up saving a life on the course or something.
I've been thinking about how I've felt so good on a few runs recently, and not so much now...I think that's partly due to the tail end effect of the weeks I was doing doubles. I pick up and lose things quickly muscularly; cutting the time between runs in half is a considerable difference. My muscles remember a lot better how things are supposed to go. At the same time, it takes a few weeks of a regular routine to see a difference, and this doesn't cut out immediately either.
Another difference is perhaps my shoes--I'm currently using two pairs of somewhat old racing flat type shoes (Saucony Grid type A2 and Nike Trackstar) They're both well over a year old, and I sawed some grooves in the soles to increase flexibility...I've noticed that the Saucony pair are starting to feel a little off, but maybe that's also because it's a 1/2 size too large and I need to readjust the laces again (they're really loose, lol, but they were $30 down in TExas and I had to grab them when I had the chance). The Nike pair, however, is feeling more and more good. That was the pair I had on during the good runs I've had recently. Yeah, I shouldn't cheap out on shoes this much, and I will get some new shoes sometime, but I'm having trouble deciding what to get and where to order it. They don't usually stock my type of shoes in the stores here. Meanwhile, I'm really enjoying the good pair of shoes! I think they're about a year old now. Many many miles on them. I do have a second pair of the Nike shoes that I've been saving for races that I was too sick to run, lol...time to break those out, too. I'll see how they feel, but hopefully they'll work for my 5Ks in May and June.
And of course a third effect is diet. I'm trying to eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and protein. Tonight will be a test because we're going to a benefit dinner/buffet at the race track, lol...supposedly they have non-breaded seafood there so I should be good. Anyway, my diet mishap created some stiffness/inflammation, particularly on my right side. So my right arm got a bit tired. I used to do a certain arm exercise which helped--fast pumps with dumbbells. Time to reintegrate that into my routine! Today, I didn't do the full routine, just the sit ups (70) and some single leg calf raises and squats/dips.
I should add that I think my dog enjoyed running faster today, despite the awkwardness of it. Maybe, as I get gradually faster (I hope!) it will gel together. I might have to get a waist band for the leash, though. Will see.
At any rate, I look forward to racing on Sunday. It will be an experience.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Day 80
A round number is exciting!
Alas, once again, it's a lie, a sad tale of triumphant temptation.
It started on Tuesday. We celebrated the end of my practical by getting takeout sushi, including the Dynamite Roll. I never used to eat the Dynamite Roll because it has tempura, but it's apparently very delicious...and oh, it is. After witnessing it and the pleasure it inspired for the fourth time or so, I succumbed. Lately, I've been having some doubt about this gluten intolerance, is it just in my head? Is a little bit of wheat ok? etc, etc...I want to test it. That sounds demented. Eating wheat put me in a lot of pain. That should be enough to stay away from it, but my resolve is a bit weak these days. Anyway, the Dynamite Roll was very good. It was amazing how strong the tempura tasted, though. I never really tasted tempura before, just its consistency, the crunch. After not eating wheat for pretty much 80 days, though, I've become very sensitive to it. It was strong, foreign, almost woody, beguiling flavour. It almost overpowered everything else, including the wasabi.
Wednesday morning, I woke up to some stiffness. Not bad, but I poked around where it was sore and, yep, stiff lymph nodes. Plus I was congested. No gut pain, though, so I was good to go.
I had errands to run in the morning after my run, and then I returned to the smell of natural gas. It wasn't strong, and at first I thought maybe it was my imagination--I opened windows and doors, got the dog outside, etc, etc...well, after an hour, it didn't seem to be getting much better so I shut off the furnace and called the gas company. Turns out the furnace wasn't the source, but there were problems with the outside line/valves, and this was drifting into the house through the porous medium that is our basement wall and windows. Anyway, after four hours of this adventure, everything was fixed, but I was feeling kind of light headed, mainly due to lack of food. I'm really grateful, though, that this happened when I was home, and not during the 2.5 weeks before that we were both out of the house all day.
My husband phoned, let's meet at a pub nearby, get some food. That sounded lovely! I had fries along with a chicken brie quinoa dish.
I'm trying to overcome my stubbornness about fries. I don't have them often, maybe once every few months now. The problem is, they are usually fried in the same fryer as breaded things. I don't go back into the kitchen to see, but I'm assuming that there's one vat and everything goes into it. Even if I don't get onion rings or something coated with flour, I get sick! I have to accept this. I just have to accept that I can't have fries unless I see that there is no breaded thing on the menu.
This morning, I woke up to more stiffness and some gut pain. We ran for 10 minutes. It just felt wrong. Yeah, some of my recovery runs recently haven't felt good, but I can live with the feeling of loosening up tired and sore muscles. The inflammation and (glandular?) soreness and fatigue I get from eating wheat is different.
So, speedwork didn't happen today. It was supposed to be 2X 2.5K. Tonight, I might attempt 2-3 X 1K...if not, tomorrow, it'll be 2X1000K, or one K repeat, just to get a taste of a faster pace before the 5K on Sunday. I don't have high hopes, considering how much (or not much!) I've run so far this year and how little speedwork I've done, but it'll be a good chance to get back into things. And I have to smarten up diet-wise.
Alas, once again, it's a lie, a sad tale of triumphant temptation.
It started on Tuesday. We celebrated the end of my practical by getting takeout sushi, including the Dynamite Roll. I never used to eat the Dynamite Roll because it has tempura, but it's apparently very delicious...and oh, it is. After witnessing it and the pleasure it inspired for the fourth time or so, I succumbed. Lately, I've been having some doubt about this gluten intolerance, is it just in my head? Is a little bit of wheat ok? etc, etc...I want to test it. That sounds demented. Eating wheat put me in a lot of pain. That should be enough to stay away from it, but my resolve is a bit weak these days. Anyway, the Dynamite Roll was very good. It was amazing how strong the tempura tasted, though. I never really tasted tempura before, just its consistency, the crunch. After not eating wheat for pretty much 80 days, though, I've become very sensitive to it. It was strong, foreign, almost woody, beguiling flavour. It almost overpowered everything else, including the wasabi.
Wednesday morning, I woke up to some stiffness. Not bad, but I poked around where it was sore and, yep, stiff lymph nodes. Plus I was congested. No gut pain, though, so I was good to go.
I had errands to run in the morning after my run, and then I returned to the smell of natural gas. It wasn't strong, and at first I thought maybe it was my imagination--I opened windows and doors, got the dog outside, etc, etc...well, after an hour, it didn't seem to be getting much better so I shut off the furnace and called the gas company. Turns out the furnace wasn't the source, but there were problems with the outside line/valves, and this was drifting into the house through the porous medium that is our basement wall and windows. Anyway, after four hours of this adventure, everything was fixed, but I was feeling kind of light headed, mainly due to lack of food. I'm really grateful, though, that this happened when I was home, and not during the 2.5 weeks before that we were both out of the house all day.
My husband phoned, let's meet at a pub nearby, get some food. That sounded lovely! I had fries along with a chicken brie quinoa dish.
I'm trying to overcome my stubbornness about fries. I don't have them often, maybe once every few months now. The problem is, they are usually fried in the same fryer as breaded things. I don't go back into the kitchen to see, but I'm assuming that there's one vat and everything goes into it. Even if I don't get onion rings or something coated with flour, I get sick! I have to accept this. I just have to accept that I can't have fries unless I see that there is no breaded thing on the menu.
This morning, I woke up to more stiffness and some gut pain. We ran for 10 minutes. It just felt wrong. Yeah, some of my recovery runs recently haven't felt good, but I can live with the feeling of loosening up tired and sore muscles. The inflammation and (glandular?) soreness and fatigue I get from eating wheat is different.
So, speedwork didn't happen today. It was supposed to be 2X 2.5K. Tonight, I might attempt 2-3 X 1K...if not, tomorrow, it'll be 2X1000K, or one K repeat, just to get a taste of a faster pace before the 5K on Sunday. I don't have high hopes, considering how much (or not much!) I've run so far this year and how little speedwork I've done, but it'll be a good chance to get back into things. And I have to smarten up diet-wise.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Day 79
40 min jog with the dog this morning.
On the way out, I saw a little dog ahead on one of those flexi leashes. Fortunately, at this point on the path, there are actually two paths, the rec path and a parallel dirt path a few meters apart; the dirt path is lower and the rec path is kind of on a low ridge, if that makes sense. The little dog's owner seemed to be letting her dog pull out lead nilly-willy on the rec path, so we switched to the dirt path.
Once the little dog (sort of looked like a corgi) saw my dog coming up, it started pulling back. The owner did not look where her dog was, just kept on walking, even though her dog had stretched its thin black lead across the path to get at us. I wasn't worried about it getting to us, but I was worried about other people on the path getting tripped. I was going to call her attention to it, but I decided to wait and give her the benefit of the doubt. Her dog started barking at us and then she looked--a cyclist came up just then and had to brake because of the leash stretched across the path. So she apologized to the cyclist--at this point, we were running by all this on the lower path--her dog was going nuts pulling ahead to get to us, and the woman was so occupied by her apology that she didn't see another cyclist on the other side who also had to stop to avoid getting tripped up. She apologized to that one too. Finally, she decided to collect her dog, but it had pulled too far ahead of her and she started yelling at it. So I called out something to the effect that it's hard to control dogs with that type of leash. So she yelled at me something like "I wasn't yelling at you, it's my dog" and I yelled back "I know, I just wanted to point out that it's much easier to control your dog with this kind of leash" and I held up my dog's thick red woven lead.
She didn't seem too receptive so I ran on. Got some smiles from a couple of other runners who had moved to the lower path with us while this yard sale was going on. There were a fair number of people using the path and she let her dog interfere with us all.
Honestly, I wasn't trying to be a butt. People don't realize that when they put their dog on a flexi-leash, it gets used to the pressure on its collar and thus it gets used to pulling. This makes it the one in charge. So it learns to pull, to ignore its owner to a point; good luck teaching that dog to walk properly. Yes, you can hold it in place somewhat, but it's not going to learn its place. I am trying to recall if I've seen a single dog heeling properly on a flexi-leash....can't think of one though I've seen dozens (hundreds?) on those leashes. Substitute the flexi-leash for an ordinary woven/rope leash and a halti or choke or prong collar, and the dog will figure out that pulling puts undesirable pressure on its muzzle and/or neck. Unless it's absolutely thick, it will learn to stop pulling.
Admittedly, what irked me most about this morning's encounter was realizing that I'd gone out of my way to avoid this dog, as did others, and the owner probably didn't consider this. Yes, the interruption of the cyclists was a more serious matter (what if they hadn't seen the leash?) but too often I find myself having to stop, to move my dog, to react to someone else's dogto take a different route, or otherwise change my plans on the fly because of poorly-handled dogs. It's not fair.
I don't think I deserved the bad karma today: had to call the gas company later on because I smelled something eggy. Turned out to be a clogged valve and something else that was loose.
edit: I've since seen that dog several times and she is doing better. A couple of times she has been loose on the lower path and came up to see my dog when we've been walking home but now that we know her, and she's calm about it too and hasn't interrupted our run, I don't mind. Which made me realize that maybe I don't care about loose dogs, just strange loose dogs. At any rate, I haven't seen this dog stretching a flexi-leash across the path again--I think she has a proper leash now but the owner unclips her sometimes for more range. Not the most ideal thing, but better than before, plus I've seen the dog pretty much every time I've run around that time, so at least she's getting out regularly. That makes me really happy, actually!
On the way out, I saw a little dog ahead on one of those flexi leashes. Fortunately, at this point on the path, there are actually two paths, the rec path and a parallel dirt path a few meters apart; the dirt path is lower and the rec path is kind of on a low ridge, if that makes sense. The little dog's owner seemed to be letting her dog pull out lead nilly-willy on the rec path, so we switched to the dirt path.
Once the little dog (sort of looked like a corgi) saw my dog coming up, it started pulling back. The owner did not look where her dog was, just kept on walking, even though her dog had stretched its thin black lead across the path to get at us. I wasn't worried about it getting to us, but I was worried about other people on the path getting tripped. I was going to call her attention to it, but I decided to wait and give her the benefit of the doubt. Her dog started barking at us and then she looked--a cyclist came up just then and had to brake because of the leash stretched across the path. So she apologized to the cyclist--at this point, we were running by all this on the lower path--her dog was going nuts pulling ahead to get to us, and the woman was so occupied by her apology that she didn't see another cyclist on the other side who also had to stop to avoid getting tripped up. She apologized to that one too. Finally, she decided to collect her dog, but it had pulled too far ahead of her and she started yelling at it. So I called out something to the effect that it's hard to control dogs with that type of leash. So she yelled at me something like "I wasn't yelling at you, it's my dog" and I yelled back "I know, I just wanted to point out that it's much easier to control your dog with this kind of leash" and I held up my dog's thick red woven lead.
She didn't seem too receptive so I ran on. Got some smiles from a couple of other runners who had moved to the lower path with us while this yard sale was going on. There were a fair number of people using the path and she let her dog interfere with us all.
Honestly, I wasn't trying to be a butt. People don't realize that when they put their dog on a flexi-leash, it gets used to the pressure on its collar and thus it gets used to pulling. This makes it the one in charge. So it learns to pull, to ignore its owner to a point; good luck teaching that dog to walk properly. Yes, you can hold it in place somewhat, but it's not going to learn its place. I am trying to recall if I've seen a single dog heeling properly on a flexi-leash....can't think of one though I've seen dozens (hundreds?) on those leashes. Substitute the flexi-leash for an ordinary woven/rope leash and a halti or choke or prong collar, and the dog will figure out that pulling puts undesirable pressure on its muzzle and/or neck. Unless it's absolutely thick, it will learn to stop pulling.
Admittedly, what irked me most about this morning's encounter was realizing that I'd gone out of my way to avoid this dog, as did others, and the owner probably didn't consider this. Yes, the interruption of the cyclists was a more serious matter (what if they hadn't seen the leash?) but too often I find myself having to stop, to move my dog, to react to someone else's dogto take a different route, or otherwise change my plans on the fly because of poorly-handled dogs. It's not fair.
I don't think I deserved the bad karma today: had to call the gas company later on because I smelled something eggy. Turned out to be a clogged valve and something else that was loose.
edit: I've since seen that dog several times and she is doing better. A couple of times she has been loose on the lower path and came up to see my dog when we've been walking home but now that we know her, and she's calm about it too and hasn't interrupted our run, I don't mind. Which made me realize that maybe I don't care about loose dogs, just strange loose dogs. At any rate, I haven't seen this dog stretching a flexi-leash across the path again--I think she has a proper leash now but the owner unclips her sometimes for more range. Not the most ideal thing, but better than before, plus I've seen the dog pretty much every time I've run around that time, so at least she's getting out regularly. That makes me really happy, actually!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Day 78
Well, my practical is done! Ended with a bang today...I can't really describe it except that I was so busy and so overwhelmed with all this new stuff I was learning that I lost count of how many times I went into some OR or other and didn't stop to look at whatever operation was taking place. LOL.
So, I was pretty mentally tired! But I had a good run today.
But to recap:
Thurs: ran for 30 min. Tired
Friday: off, just lots of walking
Saturday: ran for 30 min. Tired
Sunday: ran for 70 min. Tired
Monday: off. Very tired--I could have gone to bed at 7ish.
Tues: ran for 30 min. Very springy.
Yes, I was springy. My legs were FRESH. FRESH! I couldn't believe it. It was the same thing last Tuesday, anticipation for Wednesday's speedwork? But today they were especially fresh. My form was a bit different and a bit more improved too--I was working on the same thing I was before, but my footstrike seemed more efficient as well all of a sudden. But my legs were so springy! We ran pretty much 3.5 miles in 30 min and it was EASY. I'm highly encouraged.
I'm not sure what is going on...definitely, my digestive system is happier and my diet has become a lot healthier (fruit instead of wheat, mainly). Plus, the more I do full sit ups, the more important they seem. They target my front hip flexors a lot more than all the other exercises I've done. I'm up to 70 after runs now. Crunches really aren't the same. I still do exercises that target lateral muscles and so forth, but those sit ups are key. Wish I'd known sooner. I was told that, no, crunches are the same, full sit ups can hurt your back (and I have scoliosis so I really try not to strain my back), but as long as I put a folded up blanket or something under me, I'm fine.
Anyway, my practical is over and I guess I can run doubles until I get hired. No idea when that will happen--soon, fingers crossed!--but I can do temp work in the meantime. WIll see! We're going to Texas for a week in early May so no rush.
So, I was pretty mentally tired! But I had a good run today.
But to recap:
Thurs: ran for 30 min. Tired
Friday: off, just lots of walking
Saturday: ran for 30 min. Tired
Sunday: ran for 70 min. Tired
Monday: off. Very tired--I could have gone to bed at 7ish.
Tues: ran for 30 min. Very springy.
Yes, I was springy. My legs were FRESH. FRESH! I couldn't believe it. It was the same thing last Tuesday, anticipation for Wednesday's speedwork? But today they were especially fresh. My form was a bit different and a bit more improved too--I was working on the same thing I was before, but my footstrike seemed more efficient as well all of a sudden. But my legs were so springy! We ran pretty much 3.5 miles in 30 min and it was EASY. I'm highly encouraged.
I'm not sure what is going on...definitely, my digestive system is happier and my diet has become a lot healthier (fruit instead of wheat, mainly). Plus, the more I do full sit ups, the more important they seem. They target my front hip flexors a lot more than all the other exercises I've done. I'm up to 70 after runs now. Crunches really aren't the same. I still do exercises that target lateral muscles and so forth, but those sit ups are key. Wish I'd known sooner. I was told that, no, crunches are the same, full sit ups can hurt your back (and I have scoliosis so I really try not to strain my back), but as long as I put a folded up blanket or something under me, I'm fine.
Anyway, my practical is over and I guess I can run doubles until I get hired. No idea when that will happen--soon, fingers crossed!--but I can do temp work in the meantime. WIll see! We're going to Texas for a week in early May so no rush.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Day 72
Well, speedwork went better than I'd expected! It was mile repeats; I did three of them: 7:10, 7:16, 7:08. During the first, I remembered the good form I had yesterday, and it was surprisingly comfortable. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite summon it as completely for the other two repeats, and I sagged a bit on the 2nd (I was on my own). Still, I'm happy with it. It's not too far off sub-7 min miles, and not too far off of what I did mile repeats prior to my operation and illness. After the workout, I did resistance exercises. My pushups are still feeble, but I'm up to 60 full sit ups. The sit ups are more valuable, anyway: I feel that they've strengthened my hip flexors considerably.
I signed up for a 5K next weekend. My challenge will be to reclaim that good form!
I signed up for a 5K next weekend. My challenge will be to reclaim that good form!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Day 71
I have been so lazy!
The long weekend was balmy. I did get a good chunk of yardwork done, but truthfully some of the hours spent lounging in the sun reading and nursing mojitos might have been spent in running. I guess I was tired from all the standing and walking I did that week.
Sat: jogged 40 min
Sun: jogged 30 min
Mon: off
Tues: ran 40 min--well, ran for 2ish and then jogged back. I was tired and was going to pass on the run, but then decided that I should give it a whirl after dinner. Right after dinner. Odd decision, no? Well, as it turned out, my legs were springs and I felt, for the first time, a really effective stability in my core--mainly, hip flexors and inner thighs being tighter, the rest of me being more aligned, etc. It's hard to explain but it felt really effective. I wasn't going at tempo pace quite, but I had to pick it up a bit to maximize this form thing. So I decided that I'd run to the bridge and concentrate on this new and improved form. First mile, 8:40ish, second mile 7:40ish, as far as I can tell. No Garmin, but I had my watch and I know where some points are. 7:40 is still slower than my old tempo pace--7:45 was my 1/2 marathon PB pace--but it's SO encouraging to see some 7s. I'm still enjoying mostly not fussing about pace, but it's gratifying to see improvement.
Somewhere near the end of my new form expo, I was beginning to feel kind of unsettled. Then I remembered my dinner, which probably hadn't made it all the way to my stomach then. It hung in the balance for a minute or two--once I got to the bridge, I walked for that minute or two until things seemed to be headed in the right direction. Yet this wasn't distressing. I was so happy to have found that new form!
Hopefully I haven't tired myself out too much for speedwork tomorrow. But tonight was the night to move. I really hope I recapture the form I had. I suspect that doing all those full sit ups is much of the reason. I've slipped on those recently, but I will do them and other resistance exercises tomorrow after speedwork. I was happy with 50 full sit ups, but now I'm contemplating getting bored further.
The long weekend was balmy. I did get a good chunk of yardwork done, but truthfully some of the hours spent lounging in the sun reading and nursing mojitos might have been spent in running. I guess I was tired from all the standing and walking I did that week.
Sat: jogged 40 min
Sun: jogged 30 min
Mon: off
Tues: ran 40 min--well, ran for 2ish and then jogged back. I was tired and was going to pass on the run, but then decided that I should give it a whirl after dinner. Right after dinner. Odd decision, no? Well, as it turned out, my legs were springs and I felt, for the first time, a really effective stability in my core--mainly, hip flexors and inner thighs being tighter, the rest of me being more aligned, etc. It's hard to explain but it felt really effective. I wasn't going at tempo pace quite, but I had to pick it up a bit to maximize this form thing. So I decided that I'd run to the bridge and concentrate on this new and improved form. First mile, 8:40ish, second mile 7:40ish, as far as I can tell. No Garmin, but I had my watch and I know where some points are. 7:40 is still slower than my old tempo pace--7:45 was my 1/2 marathon PB pace--but it's SO encouraging to see some 7s. I'm still enjoying mostly not fussing about pace, but it's gratifying to see improvement.
Somewhere near the end of my new form expo, I was beginning to feel kind of unsettled. Then I remembered my dinner, which probably hadn't made it all the way to my stomach then. It hung in the balance for a minute or two--once I got to the bridge, I walked for that minute or two until things seemed to be headed in the right direction. Yet this wasn't distressing. I was so happy to have found that new form!
Hopefully I haven't tired myself out too much for speedwork tomorrow. But tonight was the night to move. I really hope I recapture the form I had. I suspect that doing all those full sit ups is much of the reason. I've slipped on those recently, but I will do them and other resistance exercises tomorrow after speedwork. I was happy with 50 full sit ups, but now I'm contemplating getting bored further.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Day 67
First week of practical (minus 1 day-today-Good Friday) done! That's what swallowed me up. It's been kind of intense, but fun, but intense. I've been walking 4-5 miles total each day--no running to/from the practical because I don't want to show up all sweaty to ask for a pass to the locker/shower room. They've been leaving the door to the department unlocked, but for obvious reasons the locker room is kept locked. I was hoping that we'd get temp passes or swipe cards or something like that, but no dice. ah, well.
The job itself is mostly standing/walking/squatting, so that's been a bit tiring to get used to again. I got a chair once but it wasn't the right height so I had to ditch it.
I have another week, plus two days to make up for Good Friday and Easter Monday. By the time I get used to the physical demands and the schedule (getting up rather early!) it'll be done and goodness knows what shifts I'll get after that, if any, or where...well, I'll see what happens!
Anyway, I miss the doubles!! I think I really like running twice a day.
Tues: 40 min jog
Wed: 100 min, some with dog, some speedwork. So-so, legs sore
Thurs: 30 min
Fri: 30 min. I was going to do speedwork this evening but I got derailed. Or tropical. The high today was 28C. No joke! I spent most of the day reading outside and nursing mojitos. My legs still feel a little strained so I didn't feel that keen on speedwork anyway. It was to be 6X 400M, so maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
The job itself is mostly standing/walking/squatting, so that's been a bit tiring to get used to again. I got a chair once but it wasn't the right height so I had to ditch it.
I have another week, plus two days to make up for Good Friday and Easter Monday. By the time I get used to the physical demands and the schedule (getting up rather early!) it'll be done and goodness knows what shifts I'll get after that, if any, or where...well, I'll see what happens!
Anyway, I miss the doubles!! I think I really like running twice a day.
Tues: 40 min jog
Wed: 100 min, some with dog, some speedwork. So-so, legs sore
Thurs: 30 min
Fri: 30 min. I was going to do speedwork this evening but I got derailed. Or tropical. The high today was 28C. No joke! I spent most of the day reading outside and nursing mojitos. My legs still feel a little strained so I didn't feel that keen on speedwork anyway. It was to be 6X 400M, so maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
