Day 10

Today there was fresh snow, and umpteen impending loads of laundry, what's a little more? Might as well run! The dog and I ran three miles. And then I body rocked.

And then I ran up and down 1-2-3 flights of stairs a zillion times while carrying many things. Did some modest weightlifting too when I had to move my clay tomato pots. I think we're set now. Time to pack up this computer.

Tomorrow will test my dedication much more: will Day 11 be postponed?

Day 9

No running today. I stayed up until 2 am finishing a painting for a guest, and then I got up at 7:30 to put the trash (so much trash this week!) out...for the last time. Yes, it's the final push, the movers come in two days, and I am already short on sleep. I can't remember the last time I got more than six hours of sleep, more than a week ago at least. It's been fun but I am now wiped and I'm cancelling the planned pheasant fry up this evening. The only thing I'm going to cook is the rest of the florentines (still have some mix left in the fridge), and then the kitchen is CLOSED.

I didn't run this morning and probably won't for the next couple of days because we also have to pack ~1 month's worth of clothes to keep with us; I will put running clothes in there but I don't want to get them dirty right away.

But I did body rock! I even did the abs bonus plus the bonus bonus thing which was so uncomfortable that I should be doing it a lot more often: stand on a bench on one leg, lift the other leg out to the side and then lift the same knee up, and repeat 49 more times. It's pretty much a brutally embellished clamshell. Yay!

Day 8

2/3 of the way through, or not: the 4-7 min workouts require much less recovery than I'd thought, and so they might become my new daily minimum (with clamshells).

The dog and I ran 4 miles, and then I ran 2 more (literally running an errand).
And then I body rocked.

Most of our morning runs have been later than usual, and so I haven't been seeing the people and dogs I'm used to seeing, but am starting to recognize new faces. However, late last night, on Christmas Day, I walked the dog and saw someone whom I hadn't seen for a while but who seems to be the type of runner I wish to become. There was no one else out except for a couple of snow plow drivers and a few other people walking their dogs. It was quiet, white fluffy midnight snow quiet.

I have seen this runner quite a few times; we have never spoken but I once saw him entering the building next door, which makes us neighbours. Actually, I thought at first he was one of the men from the Mission or wherever who go through recycle boxes for bottles with deposits: his look was 80's unkempt, I guess: fluffy untamed hair and moustache and worn and dirt-stained though regularly laundered clothes, faded neon or primary colours that were once bold. A few times, I saw him on a bike, an 18-speed drop handlebar relic. He's middle-aged but wiry, and probably has looked or could look the same for decades.

And then I saw him out running. I wish I could remember what shoes he wore: I'm curious to know if he wears busted up shoes or if he channels his spare cash toward new trainers. The rest of his outfit seemed to be generic 80s workout clothes, cotton tshirt, and shorts, windbreaker, etc. He might have even worn a headband (in my mind, he did, at least).

Here was a guy who had not stopped running in his own world for years.

I don't know for sure, but that's what I've chosen to believe. I see him only infrequently, I'm not sure if he has a routine, if he acknowledges anyone at all, if he's training for anything or how much he runs, or if he simply heads out the door whenever and runs for however long. His gait looks like it has been smoothed by much repetition and tweaked by a few chronic injuries. He doesn't seem to look at anyone; he is not a social runner. He doesn't seem to wear a watch. He just runs.

Now, I enjoy the social aspect of running, but I admire this man's minimalistic and pragmatic focus. It's probably best that I don't know much about him. I can pretend that he's some sort of running monk. If he can simply roll out of the door every day, as essentially as breathing, why can't I?

Day 7

I guess this means that I'm 5 days behind the scheduled workouts.

The dog and I ran three miles in fresh snow flurries at dawn. The windchill was -20 but it was a gentle wind and for the most part we were enveloped in a white peace; it was a really nice way to start Christmas morning.
And then I bodyrocked. Did the bare minimum.

Day 6

Today's workout was improvised. I picked my favourite exercises and did them for the same length of time as the other holiday workouts: 4X 1 min, then 3 min of abs stuff. The dog and I also ran 2 miles. The temps plummeted last night and we underwent the rude but necessary adjustment this morning. It was an almost early-spring-like thaw two days ago, and this morning was -18C. I actually felt fine but the poor dog, even with his coat on, was not a happy camper. Actually, it was warm enough to stop and smell many things, though!

I was hoping to do at least three miles, and it was a beautiful day that asked for more, but I generally don't take him out much past 2 miles when it's below -15 or so.

Day 5

It was wonderful running weather this morning but also a pretty late night before, so the dog and I ran just three miles, as usual.
And then, after more cleaning (fun party last night!), I did the day 5 body rock workout. The shorter holiday workouts are super!

The run was surprisingly fresh, especially compared to yesterday's leaden effort. At one point today, I felt so efficient, and I was able to maintain that feel for a while. I was trying to figure out how to describe it: the most appropriate word is "flicking" although nothing was actually flicking, but there is a certain lightness to the word and motion. Often my quads feel kind of heavy on runs, but today they were flicking somehow, along with my hip flexors. A gentle quick flick, and then relaxation and reload.

Day 4

Day 3 was supposed to be repeated but I did the day 2 workout instead because I like it more.
The dog and I also ran three miles.

I've also done a ton of straining cleaning the house today. rush rush rush

Day 3 of Bodyrocking

I guessed at some of the exercises: I tried to play the video this morning but there was a glitch, and I tried to play it just now but there was still a glitch. Not much Wednesday left so it was now or never, and it HAD to be NOW. Not never! The Christmas rush is underway and it is very important to maintain some sort of routine, and falling off the wagon on Day Three greatly dims my chances of success.

As for running; we got out before the icy rain, but the snow/slush/salt combo then present was not to the dog's liking. 1 mile. LOL

2nd day of body rocking

was tailor-made. I almost backed out: between a final exam, shopping, more shopping, painting, and party prep/baking, I didn't hit the mats until 10 pm. Fortunately the workout was short and sweet (brutal): 7 min total. My abs are still sore!

12 days of Bodyrocking

So I'm a bit late in starting this challenge, but it's a convenient and strong way to close 2011.

I ate gluten again and this time it was a misunderstanding. Was there any wheat flour in anything? ("flour" being too confusing in the past) No, there wasn't, but there was all-purpose flour. Apparently that comes from a different grain. What can I do? I hate hate hate hate presenting a list of inquiries to whoever cooked whatever, but there don't seem to be any shortcuts. I have to ask about soy sauce, beer, cheap caramel/sweetener (actually, I don't know quite how to ask about that so generally I skip dessert and mass-produced salad dressings and sauces), flour, wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cake flour, pancake flour, sausages and other deli meats, barley, rye, malt vinegar, malt, graham crackers...and there's more.

Fortunately, the cooking was really good and it was still a fun evening. Yesterday was sort of painful but today is much better. We have three more dinners out this week but fortunately they're all family meals. And thank goodness I have more vitamins and enzyme pills now. The idea of taking that stuff isn't quite comfortable but they seem to help me recover much more quickly, and they have dampened the raging appetite that usually comes with gluten damage. I'm not snacking on butter this time! LOL

We'll see how I'll navigate the holidays but meanwhile I have to stay fit! Yesterday, my joints said "No running!", so I walked and did a very modest x-training routine. Today, I thought about running five miles, but once I started the run and got into a surprisingly easy groove, it was a sign. Or rather a delicate gift that would evaporate if held for too long. I promised myself that I wouldn't squish it until 2012. I've done everything I've wanted to do this year, and more: a few easy miles a day is enough for the time being.

And then I did Day 1 of the 12 day Bodyrock challenge. The jumps were rather feeble and then omitted--I didn't feel like doing much of that kind of thing. Otherwise, it worked out better than I thought it would.

Sleepy Sleepy

Yeah, that run really took a bite out of me! The other things going on don't help either.
I've become more and more tired. Yesterday ended up being a study/sleep day. I got up to cook us lamb shanks (with mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and a pie), but most of the day was wake up-memorise something-drink some water-nap. This is actually very effective for memorization. Today was almost as lethargic : sort through stuff-memorize something-drink some water-sort through more stuff. We're going through things, drawers, etc, in preparation for the move. I rolled almost $100 in coins today because we're not taking Cdn change to the US.

I've been drinking more water for the past couple of days or so because I felt kind of dehydrated and was wondering if I needed more water to flush out toxins or something. Too early to tell, though. My appetite was kind of wrecked yesterday; I had chia and freshly-squeezed citrus for breakfast (along with an iron pill, LOL), and then just water until suppertime. This was a bit of a relief because up until then I had been ravenous.

I ran on Mon-Wed-Fri, and will not run today and likely not tomorrow.

I actually think that I'm in a very suitable mood for the season. The darkest days of winter are supposed to be for reflection and recovery. (Getting back into x-training with the Bodyrocking 12 days of Christmas is very tempting, though...maybe I can do beginner versions of the workouts).

But what to reflect upon? For the time being, memorization will have to do.

taking a break

Not from running, from experimentation. I am borrowing and using a physics kit for one of my courses and it has made me feel somewhat inadequate because it assumes that one lives in a place with level floors.

Anyway, the dog and I ran three miles today and it was fine. I was expecting to feel little random aches and a general stiffness, but there wasn't really any of that. I'm mainly feeling a duller and more profound listlessness.

That is probably a sign of progress, of more comprehensive adaptation, or of simply millions of squished red blood cells.

The long run

A lot of it is a blur. Most of the run exceeded my expectations, a few sections were disappointing, but the day as a whole was very enjoyable. The effort was not hard but endorphins eventually masked much of what was going on, and I felt the next day that perhaps I'd imagined it all.

The original plan had been to run with the dog a bit at daybreak, then run a larger loop with Gaz...unfortunately, I forgot to read a certain label and got a bit sick a few days before. Fortunately, I recovered quickly, but I decided to restrict myself to the large loop. Unfortunately, I missed a brilliant red dawn. I saw a bit of it through the window, but it would have been amazingly transfixing to run through.

The weather was even more generous: no rain!

Gaz and I set out and ran down the hill to the river. It was overcast, the clouds were in a weird corrugated-looking pattern. We took our first break after about a 1/2 mile to adjust clothing (I had to ditch my jacket), and then a few miles later, we stopped to admire a legal graffiti wall. A few photo op stops later, and one for gels, we were at a gas station getting judged for buying Doritos. This has led me to ponder a couple of things:

1. Dill pickle Doritos are the perfect flavour and wonderfully suited to long run consumption, but is there something that is even better?
2. I wonder how turning the tables would go: telling a rather inactive-looking person reasons why he or she shouldn't buy junk food.

The stretch of road before and after the gas station was more picturesque than I'd imagined it would be. On the satellite map, it looked featureless and exposed, but it was more comfortable than that. At one point, there was a hill and a nice vantage. At another point, we were able to go down a dirt path removed from the main road a bit.

Shortly after, we wound up at T&T, the Asian supermarket. At this point, 9 or so miles in, I was starting to think a little stupidly, but we managed to navigate the aisles and pick up a few promising long run snacks, including peach vinegar, rice mocha, canned coffee, and lobster crunches. We then went to a coffee shop where decisions were more bewildering. The corrugated clouds had shifted aside for a brilliant sun.

The next section involved a bit of walking beside the road (no shoulder or sidewalk), but most of it was more suitable than I'd expected. This part of town is deep into car culture: sidewalks are optional and motorists generally don't expect to encounter or wait for pedestrians. However, there is also a surprising number of bike/rec paths in this part of town; I was so surprised to find them when researching the route, and we certainly didn't make use of all the options. We turned onto a path that started by a power station and followed a line of hydro towers. Eventually, it wound up back to a road, but here the openness was rather majestic (having sunshine and a slight rise above the road certainly helped).

At about 15 miles or so, we decided to stop for a snack. Gaz had a granola bar, I finished my Doritos and had some chia, and then we dug into the T&T finds:

1. Peach vinegar is a wonderful long run refreshment
2. Lobster crunchies or whatever they are, aren't.

At Greenbank road, we had a decision to make: head straight for Ikea, or take a detour around a lake by (in?) a large off leash dog park? At the time, my desire to see the lake burned brightly, and I convinced Gaz to try it out. Our trail wound up on a residential street leading to a No Exit sign, but there was a path leading from that.

It was covered in such a comfortable fine gravel, or dirt balls...I'm not sure what it was exactly, but it felt wonderful. This path wound through a field, and then through a wooded area; it was much lovelier than I'd expected. We ran on light snow and pine needles. After a mile or two, we found the dog park and a map (in the dog park enclosure for some reason), and decided that seeing the lake wasn't a priority anymore. I was content and looking forward to seeing the new Ikea. Largest one in Canada!

We ran through a subdivision and down a busy road, round a corner and, BAM, blue and yellow!

It was a disappointment. It was too crowded, the lines in the caf were too long to get anything...we ended up sitting in some pretty comfy chairs and eating the rice mocha, but an unattended child stared at us the whole time. I was more unnerved by the strangeness of being outside and moving for so long, and then suddenly being surrounded by a mass of people who were so much cleaner, but slower-moving and more expansive, than us. After our snack, we went through the showrooms, and there were a few that invited a bit of a rest, just a sit down for a few minutes, but then we had to leave Ikea.

Usually I like Ikea and don't mind the convoluted and prolonged exit, but it was almost upsetting this time. We weren't the only ones feeling some sort of malaise: some creative individual plunked a sheepskin in a sink and somehow this was hilarious. Stuff was strewn all over and the Ikea employees looked so tired. Gaz got clipped on the back of her heels by a wheelchair. It was time to get out, but how? After a navigational struggle akin to my attempts to solve castle.exe, we got out.

By this point, we'd gone I'm not sure how long, at least 21 miles, probably around 22 at least. Gaz decided to get on a bus and once it whisked her off to creature comforts, I headed down a street toward another path I'd looked up. It was still light out, but not for much longer.

The path was ok, surrounded by grass and buildings further out, some clumps of trees. I think I was done with paths of that type by that point, and the setting sun made it seem boring. I was moving pretty well still, around 9:30-10:00/mile, some stretches below 9:00/mile, and there was no reason to stick around. Eventually I got to the Experiment Farm, where the sunset painted the expansive fields, and so forth, and it was really quite pretty. I got to the top of the arboretum looking over the lake and Canal and reflections of city night lights, and it was lovely. But I was starting to feel tired. I ate my 2nd gel, drank some more chia, and headed home.

After about 28.5 miles, the old and usually absent hip flexor/ITB twinge started to return. I was expecting this to happen sooner, but the clamshells have been helping (as they always do--why do I keep forgetting to do them?!), and I was close to home. Eventually I settled into a run/stretch/walk/run rhythm that kept discomfort from erupting into pain, and then, almost a mile from home, I settled into a brisk walk. It wasn't a race, I was happy with what I'd done, and there was no reason to do more damage. The total distance, including the final walk, was over 31 miles as best as I can tell. I was wearing a Garmin, but I shouldn't have kept turning it off. Turning it back on became more difficult. Next time, I'll just let it run.

I was rather hungry and tired when I got home. My husband had made chill! I've since had it a few more times, including breakfast yesterday and today.

The day after the run, I jogged two miles: I was stiff but there were no ITB problems...I could feel like they were lurking, waiting to strike the moment I got sloppy. The muscles around my ankles felt the most sore perhaps, and I've never really thought about them before.

Today, I haven't run mainly due to schedule and rain, but I feel much recovered, enough so that the run itself feels almost like a dream. I think I got out of it what I'd hoped to get out of it: some exercise, some snacks, some company, and the impression of having gone somewhere else.

Preparations

This is my first post on my new laptop. After at least a month of deliberations, I decided to go with a Macbook Pro, the small one. It's a birthday/Christmas (they're close together for me) gift from my husband and parents; it seemed pricey and a rather breathless upgrade from its refurbished PC predecessor, but I was told that Macs are for artists and designers and thus I should have one, even if I do artistic stuff only part time.

What I actually have is the medium sized one with extra high def: the day I was to go to the store to get my machine, I received an unexpected scholarship. Its purpose was very clear.

Not that I can do much on this machine yet. I'm not sure it even has a word processing program, and I'll have to download ChemSketch and some sort of digital editing program, and stuff like that...

Anyway, Sunday's the big run! The extremely expansive Farewell to Ottawa escapade. I'm sort of starting to feel the excitement in a more concrete way, but I have been preparing:

No bodyrocking this week! I have to recover.
Lots of clamshells.
Lots of water.
Supplements, particularly iron.
chickpeas, lentils, that kind of thing
beet, carrot and ginger coleslaw. I think it could be considered a coleslaw, at any rate. It's shredded and rather satisfying.
Turkey soup. We had a 20 lb bird for Thanksgiving, and we boiled the leftovers for stock as usual. We don't buy a lot of meat, but we try to get it from good farms that feed and care for their animals properly (i.e., pasture-fed), and then we stretch the heck out of it. Then I picked the meat off the bones--a LOT of meat. I have to finish the soup tomorrow. This sort of thing takes a few days to make.
Basically, I'm trying to eat really well this week. Chia has helped--I have that instead of some nasty snack when I'm feeling hungry.
And, finally, sleep. Last night was adequate, but I'm hoping to be able to sleep more the rest of the week.

I have been running, of course:
15.5 miles on Saturday (a oddly tiring run, but usually the last long run is especially tiring despite the shorter distance).
6 miles on Sunday
3 miles on Monday
5.5 miles today, and it was a fast finish. I ran so fast at the end that my head hurt. The beginning of the run was as blah as most/all of my runs have been recently, but near the end, I started picking up speed, and once I got going, the mechanics improved incredibly, and though my lungs and mitochondria weren't quite up to the task, I clicked into something that felt perfect. I wasn't going in all directions, just forward, my core was solid, my feet were mostly off the ground, I had good lift, etc, etc, it was that proper form that I seek. It's so tantalizing: I'm able to maintain it for only a short time. I'm not sure how fast it is (the dog left his trot to go into a gallop), but I'm not trying to make the numbers the goal. Nor even race performance. What I want to do is recapture and prolong that elusive feeling of doing it right.

This won't happen on Sunday, but I hope to feel some sort of enlightenment, or at least change!

This post is a novel partly because the higher screen resolution gives me much more real estate, as other pixel pushers have put it!

Bodyrocking

I did two routines today (and ran 3 miles). I cannot resist the intensity and relative brevity of a bodyrocking workout. 12 minutes of hard effort and a 8ish mile fast finish run deliver similar endorphin release, but the latter requires an additional hour, and Patience isn't my middle name. And 12 minutes is so easy to fit in when required. When my trip to the fish store results in buying a side of shrimp, which then beckon for batter and deep frying, which then inspires other possibilities because the hot oil is ready and waiting (feta balls, onion rings, and deep fried pickles cropped up in this case), all of which are then consumed, the quick and dirty kcal burning workout becomes VERY attractive.

There are bodyrock routines which are longer than 12 minutes, but I like 12 minutes because I've been using a particular CD and I have 12:22 or so of Raised by Snakes and Time Operator before the annoying Yoko Ono song starts. Although, tonight's workout to a repeated rendition of The song of the Volga boatmen sung by the Red Army Chorus worked surprisingly well. My least favourite rep coincided with a stirring crescendo each time.

As for my long run preparations: still sticking with the daily iron pill and clamshells. I have put on some weight which facilitates some activities (I pick things up and put them down!!) but I feel the difference while running: my core is more steeled against my limp noodle tendencies but a few things like IT bands feel a touch more vulnerable too.

The final countdown

This fall has gone by quickly, which is good because the weather has been rather WET. However, with every soggy run, I remind myself that winter and summer this year were very good (the winter was cold and dry, the summer hot and humid but still comfortable), and since spring is pretty much non-existent here, that leaves only one season to provide negative balance.

I am still not running enough: my body rebels with 30-40 miles/week, but once I get around 50 miles or so, there is acceptance, neuromuscular synergy, and the mysterious unlocking of hoarded strength, and running becomes surprisingly easy and automatic. A reasonable goal might be to regain this by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, I have been running and recovering. Yoga and switching from various fancy tarted up teas back to plain old green tea has helped reduce symptoms a lot. I've been doing an endocrine yoga routine I found on youtube, and will investigate this avenue further. I should also tweak my diet a bit: I know I like butter too much and that grapeseed oil tastes almost as good, but sometimes I need more willpower.

A minor setback last Friday was caused by a rogue pack of Mentos--not all of them contain wheat glucose syrup, including the ones I'd eaten during several 3 hour biochemistry lectures this term (candy is necessary--it's my brain craving glucose, not me), but during my temporary time on the Mentos wagon, the old supply at the bus station had run out and was replenished with wheat glucose syrup fiends. Halfway through the lecture, I started to feel kind of funny. Looked at the label and, yep. So Mentos is now on the list of Never Again. I know I need to look at each and every label, no matter how many times I've bought that particular product before, but the bus was coming and just this once...

as an aside, the gluten issue has weaned me off many mass-produced "food" items, and perhaps I should eliminate a few more.

Fortunately, I found some gluten intolerance enzyme pills, kind of like lactase for lactose-intolerant people. It was too late at that point, and I have to avoid gluten altogether rather than wash it down with pills, but the pills seems to have helped me recover more quickly this time. The enzymes help break down other things as well.

And the final cog of my recent progress is chia. Yes, it's a part of the barefoot running-Tarahumara fad, but I can't be too cool for fads, especially those involving food described as looking like frog eggs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAZXTrpXRRs&feature=related
Basically, I bought some chia seeds, mixed them with 1 freshly-squeezed lime and water. That was enough to hook me. The stuff is very fulfilling. My last long run (some with Gaz, some with the dog) was just over 20 miles, and all I had was chia, lime and lemon juice, water, and a bit of sugar or agave (can't remember what I put in), and it was enough. I'm definitely taking some on the upcoming super long run.

Yoga

Yes, I've returned to regularly scheduled yoga classes. A relative of mine is testing it out and so I've been going too.

I don't know why I always forget how much yoga helps! I have been doing a tiny bit everyday, but not enough to get fully into it, I've realized.

Sunday, I woke up feeling off. I grabbed the dog and we did the world's slowest 6ish mile whatever it was...I did jog most of it (at a pace somewhere between 10:30 and 11 min/mile) but we took breaks. My legs were heavy and everything was sore, etc.

I decided during this adventure that it was time to go old-timey, medieval, if need be, to get rid of this issue I've had since September (!!!). It comes and it goes, yesterday, it was back again. Surely a hot compress or something could push it toward a more decisive exit? I still haven't hit google for this yet but I figure that this is one of those things that women have had since the dawn of time and there's got to be some sort of folk remedy.

Fortunately, it turns out that twisting up for an hour or so in a yoga class is pretty therapeutic! I felt much better during today's run and it was fine. Just 3 miles (I could have kept going quite easily but my gloves were too thin for the cold wind), then a bodyrock routine, then a yoga class in the evening. Oops, I just realized that I forgot the clamshells. :/

slugs

I'm in a 3 mile/day rut. That's all I want to do, or rather, it's what I have to do. The daily minimum. My dog requires at least 3 miles a day. Without him, I don't think I'd head out as much these days.

Not that this is bad...I ran a fair bit during the spring and summer and and had 4 races that went better than expected. I honestly didn't expect to run a 3:53 marathon and a 1:42 half this year (especially the latter). Consequently, I'm not disappointed that I don't feel like running much for the time being.

However, lately, I've been mildly troubled by something else: elusiveness of easy run effort. There's a weird dynamic at play and it's taken a while for me to figure out what could be happening, and it's still a guess...I can't seem to jog anymore on my own. My core feels stronger and the temps are a lot easier to handle, and these pull me into a faster pace which is still easy aerobically but sort of hard muscularly. I can only hope that my leg muscles will catch up to my core. Meanwhile, my runs are too fast to be easy and too slow to be exciting. Maybe a few more weeks will see a turning point of some sort. I have no idea of how fast I'm going; it might be really slowly after all and my legs are just tired from the cross-training. I have been hitting the bodyrock routines pretty diligently. 3-4X a week!
Plus clamshells (again).

And I am presently typing in pigeon pose. My yin exercises have sadly dwindled to nothing, which could be a factor too. Will see.

There are a couple of health factors too, and it's sort of typical that as I fix one (gluten/malabsorption), another one begs for attention (the same cyst, not gone). The best solution? tweak my diet, probably. Lately I have been craving and consuming arugula/green salad with pepitas and homemade lemon juice dressing. I ate a similar dish during the dinner with Gaz and the guys and it was so fulfilling that I could practically hear every little cell screaming for more, every day. Unfortunately, I have also been craving and consuming perhaps too much popcorn, with perhaps too much butter/grapeseed oil and parmesan, naturally. I mustn't pretend any longer that the weight I've gained is purely muscle. ;)

getting back into the saddle

Thurs, Fri, Sat: 0. I was sick on Thursday and just plain lazy on the other days. I'm also feeling a bit off in general due to a few recent gluten exposures. It happens; the trick is to space it out enough that damage doesn't accumulate too much. Unfortunately, I started feeling it a couple of days ago but it's not bad.

Fortunately, the staff at the restaurant Gaz and I and the boys went to last night was experienced with GF issues, not to mention that the cooking was excellent!

This morning, Gaz and I started at 8:30 (ok, 8:35, my fault). I wore my backpack instead of my fuel belt to avoid squeezing my guts.

We ran around for a while, went where we felt like. no plan. It was great.

Unfortunately, I started to feel the beginning twinge of ITBS near the end. It's been ages since this has happened, but it has also been ages since I've done clamshells, and the correlation is definite. And nothing else can replace clamshells. Yet I get sloppy with the clamshells now and then and then receive a gentle reminder.

When I got home, my husband was preparing to go for a run. I jogged with him and the dog for about 3 miles, and then I walked the last mile and a bit. I didn't want to aggravate my ITB too much; best to stop while the complaining was still mild. Then I did bodyrock AND clamshells.

total traveled today: 20.19 miles.

I didn't make it into the dawn

Well, it was still dawn when we ran, but not that crazy atmospheric gold dawn. I don't think it lasts too long. Will try to catch it tomorrow.

The dog and I ran about 8 miles. It felt sort of off...aerobically, very easy, but the mechanics were somehow not efficiently aligned, plus my legs felt a bit heavy. But I couldn't slow down. It felt worse to go slower; my body kept picking the pace back up.

This is something I've been thinking about: ideal pace. Yes, there's one for every distance, etc...I long for the pace that really feels good. There are actually a few: the slow dreamy and restorative jog around 11 min/mile which I can't seem to tap into these days despite spending many miles this past summer in it, the quick trot at about 8 min/mile (a bit slower and easier than my recent 1/2), and this faster pace where I lean forward a bit more and somehow my legs become light and almost absent, the motion becomes that fluid and effortless and superfluous jiggles vanish BUT my lungs burn. I can't keep it up for very long! I can't even capture it reliably by trying to run faster: if I push too hard, the form is lost. I've done whole workouts which are at or around that pace without feeling it, and I actually don't know exactly how fast it is, just how it feels.

It seems to happen when I fall into a faster pace for no reason except that I feel like running faster. Today, for instance, on our way back near the end of the run, we hit a dirt path and it felt good to pick up the pace and there it was. for a minute or two, it was transcending and nearly perfect. My dog broke into a canter and it was a whole new level. And then the oxygen debt hit and I slowed down

I feel like I have to handle it in a certain way: no push, no pry. I'm running mostly without the Garmin anyway which helps resist the temptation to find out how fast it is. I just have to remind myself that I seek the feeling, not the numbers. Open up and see what happens, enjoy it, but don't reach for more. Not yet.

After today's run, I did a new bodyrock routine. It went well: more exercises, longer reps, but just two sets. It was easier mentally.

a post so boring that I might fall asleep while writing it

Which would be nice! This isn't insomnia, more like getting that second wind, which I've been getting too often lately.

At any rate, the dog and I ran 3 miles today. It was a normal average run, but really above average considering the past few weeks. It should be the normal morning distance, and I'm hoping to keep it up (with longer runs mid-week and weekend) because my dog seems to have a 3 mile daily minimum. Below that, he starts getting depressed and pushy and once the regular morning routine is amply reestablished, he returns to his normal self very quickly. Usually I notice the change after the 2nd normal run. i should add that Sundays don't count: I usually run with humans and he's used to sleeping in with my husband instead. Unfortunately, Fridays have become a bit problematic because I have to leave earlier than normal and I haven't quite been getting up early enough to do more than a mile or two.

However, the time change has been very helpful. I find daylight savings hard to adjust to, even in fall, but the dawn sky has been this amazing yellow orange colour. It's a wonderful hue to wake up to. I would like to run in it but that hasn't quite happened yet.

Meanwhile, I'm pumped about this farewell long run I've been planning. There are more bike/rec paths in the city than I'd known about!

restoration

I've been feeling drained for a while. a few weeks?

Yesterday, Gaz and I ran for a while, but not a long while. My total mileage ended up being about 15 miles. Our energy levels were fortunately similar. walk? sure! Stop to eat something at the farmers' market? sure! We even met another friend and ran with her for awhile...it almost seems like we did everything but run.

I had sore guts, but in a muscular way, not digestive. I suspect my fuel belt interferes with my revamped core. At any rate, I enjoyed all the peripheral benefits, good conversation, snacks, lovely fall weather, etc, but the running itself felt too hard and yet too mild to be of any use.

HOWEVER, this morning, I ran with the dog and felt like a million bucks. I hadn't slept enough again (six hours, and the night before was three, due to social stuff), and I was going to do a couple of miles by the Canal but this bored me. So we headed down to the river and I loosened up and felt really light. We even sprinted up and down a few steep hill portions. It's been a while since I've done steep hill sprints and I was much more aware of my core. I kept it tight and it drove everything else. Before, i'd feel my quads and shoulders more. And then I did resistance exercises, a bodyrock routine that I'd done twice before, which further pushed things into a familiar and competent groove. It was not easy, but I felt like I wasn't merely pushing against fatigue, but toward gains.

In short, the long run on Sunday was the exact restorative thing that I've been requiring these past few weeks. I've broken slumps with extra long and easy runs before, but I'd forgotten about this. And apparently Lydiard (someone who's written a lot about long-distance running) advocated long easy runs as a cure for tired legs and general fatigue. This is second-hand knowledge and maybe I've misconstrued it, but the basic observation seems the same.

a slow slide into fall

so much to update. I fell prey to the mind-AND-body snatchers of certain science courses; finished the first round of midterms and started the 2nd (yes, multiple midterms) and I have had a few nights of low sleep, including a bizarrely invigorating 40 minutes (the next day was great, the day after that awful) but now I feel like I have a bit of breathing space. My laptop didn't make it through, though.

I have been running, just not as much. There are multiple culprits, including races (more on the latest), less sunshine (bought cod liver oil this week), studying, and that ccyst which is still on its way out...I prefer this slow deflate to a big bang, but it's been draining in more than one fashion. My total this week is just over 50 km which is low, but I am not feeling like I'm getting much or anything out of running apart from exercising my dog. Runs are not fun. This happens sometimes. So what if November is a down month?

Fortunately, Bodyrock.TV has been a great outlet. I have been doing those workouts 3 times a week--this week, 4! That is a burn I can relate to better nowadays and so I pursue it.

And it has had a positive effect on running. Last week, I ran a 1/2...last minute decision, a friend couldn't use her bib, etc. I was feeling dull but, hey, a race! I showed up and it was cold and there was a lineup for the porta potties, but I had to join it...they delayed the start because I was not the only one, but that extra five minutes of standing around took its toll. My feet were so cold, they didn't seem to be connected to the rest of me properly.

Once the race started, I was able to warm up, but at a price: I knew I was going too fast (just had my watch, but sub 5- min kms are easy math). slowing down was not in the works: I was cold, I was hanging behind some people including someone dressed up as Beetlejuice, and it was a lovely sunny crisp fall day...I was just going to have to see what would happen. The 1/2 is my most natural distance, my strongest PB and my best pacing, etc, etc...time to wrench it out of the comfort zone. I did 5K in 23:30, not sure how fast that was but it was way too fast for the first 5K of a half, but, so what?

I lost much time in the 2nd 5K...the turnaround was at 10.5 km and I was running on unfamiliar paths which was a lot of fun but there was a false turn at one point so I stopped cold for whatever reason and accidentally dropped a gel. i was still breathing hard and had to get used to the idea of doing this for over an hour more...anyway, I hit the turnaround in just over 51 minutes and I was alone. I lost the people I was trailing and I felt like I was going so slowly.

But, somehow, Bodyrocking kicked in and my abs knitted into this painful but solid platform and I was very aware that slowing down would just mean prolonged discomfort. After a few kms, I noticed that they were still sub 5-minutes. I thought that was a fluke, but I started doing math, as long as I got under 1:50, etc, etc, but the kms were still sub 5-min and somehow the math was skittering away but meanwhile, I was still going. It didn't matter that I was alone, I didn't care, I just wanted to get back. There were hills, and the 2nd last one came out of nowhere and ripped up my guts pretty fiercely (honestly, I forgot I was human for a few moments or even a separate entity because everything became a swarm of agony, reddish veil and all--it was a pain similar to the last few reps of weights where I don't know what I'm doing anymore except pushing against pain, which somehow distances itself and lets me go deeper), but once I got to the top of the last hill with less than 1 km to go, I could see the bottom and the end...and then I noticed that the race clock was still under 1:43.

Usually, it's my legs that feel sore, but this time, my guts took the heat! I got a core now.

This was a huge boost, not only because it's so close to my PB which dates from a leaner meaner pre-op time when I was faster at speedwork and about 10 pounds lighter (but now I have 10 more pounds (ok, 5?) of muscle), but ALSO because I went out harder and managed to hang in. I had gotten used to 8 miles of slightly faster than easy pace and 5 miles of more discomfort for a 1/2, I had become too conservative, too scared.

I'm not sure what will happen next year in Kansas (yes, we're moving again) but I have plans for the rest of my time in Ottawa at least. Definitely, I'm going to continue the crosstraining, if only because it's so thrilling making horrendous exercises less so (I actually got three relatively fluid dive bombers in a row). No more races this year, but I have to run an homage to my city of birth before I leave. This is going to be epic and might encompass daylight hours completely, hopefully.

The body knows

I haven't run much since Wednesday, just about two miles a day. My minimum pre-morning shower distance, I guess. I'm not injured so much as slightly bored. An unexpected effect of the monstrous mileage on Sunday is dissatisfaction with daily shorter runs this week. Doesn't help that the last couple of days have been rather warmer than what I expect of fall. I ran through a few months of feeling like I was tucked under someone's armpit,I embraced summer to the point of feeling comfortable running a marathon in 30C, but now I'm done with that and am craving the invigorating contrast of a 6C breeze.

I've gotten a few good non-running workouts in this week, though: bodyrocking!

distance and speed

Sunday was a cold drizzly day; I have been longing for that cool fall weather, but not the rain. Fortunately, Gaz showed up at my door at 8 am. I had no choice but to go. We had a wonderful run. I hadn't had enough, though: that afternoon, I grabbed the dog and went back out. We got drenched but otherwise had a great run. Total that day was just over 30 miles. It's hard to believe. It was actually reasonable. That's the longest I've ever run in a day. I really should have written about it earlier, while the feelings were still fresh...there was definitely something different about covering that much distance in a day. Extra endorphins?

I also had a really good run on Tuesday, almost eight miles. (Monday was four kind of stiff and definitely slow miles).

This morning was two easy miles. Tonight was speedwork. I felt sleepy all day for some reason and considered staying home, but I put on running clothes, dashed my dog's hopes by leaving him behind, and went to run club.

The workout was 1200-800-600, 2-3 repeats. I'm coming back after a hiatus, perfect reason to do just the two!

5:18/ 7:06/mile
3:30/ 7:02/mile
2:34/ 6:56/mile

5:26/ 7:17/mile
3:35/ 7:12/mile
2:32/ 6:47/mile

The first one, I was alone, but I caught up with two other women and we stuck together for the other repeats. I was really grateful to have company because I'm not quite sure I can feel a good pace on my own. We slowed down a bit but that was probably due to dusk. It was dark when we finished.

I have run nearly 50 miles this week already. (!!!)

rejoining run club

I picked a nice humid day to return to run club! I was a bit nervous about doing this because I'd been away for so long, but I'm hoping that I can be a regular until we move (and I return to my run club of 2: me and the dog).

It was 2000M repeats:

8:59
8:59
9:32...the woman I was running with mentioned going slower, and I quite agreed, because it was gross! The first two felt ok but the air dampened morale, I guess. It was going to rain, there were thick clouds overhead, but nothing was breaking and the air was a soggy sponge. Going 30 seconds slower didn't seem to make things much easier anyway. UGH!!!!

Still, it was great to rejoin the group! Sadly, I'll have to miss Friday's workout, I think, because we're going to Oktoberfest, but being with the group pushed me more than my dog does, and it was great to catch up with people whom I haven't seen in a while. Small group, too, which made it feel a little cozy in a way.

And I didn't really know what my pace was at the time...well, I would have been happy with my final interval pace because that is roughly my tempo run pace these days (7:40/mile). 7:13/mile for the first two, now that I've looked it up, takes me by surprise. nice!

Army Run

The Army Run was actually a week ago. It went better than expected. My legs recovered quickly from the marathon but my iron levels didn't. My iron was probably lowered during the summer illnesses to begin with, and I have not been consistent about taking iron pills since then. So, two days before the Army Run, the old foot glitch came back, the same thing which happened last summer shortly after I went off the iron pills completely and suddenly. I was having trouble walking on Friday. Saturday was better, but I still wasn't quite sure what would happen during the race. Last time, the foot glitch permitted me to run around 8:00/mile quite nicely, which meant that if I had the fitness to pull that off, I could perhaps get close to 1:50 this year after all.

Another glitch was another cyst..this is still being investigated but I had an infection and fever for a couple of days in the week before the Army Run and I ended up not running much that week. A mini-taper!

We (my husband, my brother and I) were late getting to the race start even though it was maybe a 10 minute walk from our house. LOL. Classic chip-timing lassitude. We hopped in somewhere after the 2 hr bunnies and then walked to the start--the crowd was very thick. I quickly lost my husband and brother and realized that I was still wearing my watch. I'd decided to go entirely by feel for my foot's sake, so I switched the watch setting to the alarm or whatever, so I wouldn't be tempted to look at it. This worked well and I didn't look at it once.

Well, I was too far back. The crowd slowed down unbearably on the first hill and there were too many ipod-zombies veering into my path--I got tired of saying "on your left" in vain and I didn't want to get too worked up, but I had to go a certain pace and so I had to find the holes to get by. My legs had a mind of their own. At times, I felt like I was going too fast, but I couldn't slow down. This has happened on previous 1/2s with success, and I ceded control to my legs.

I passed the 2:00 bunnies and then the 1:55 bunnies...I saw one of the 1:50 bunnies about 9-10 miles in and decided that I would catch up to him/her by the time we got to Pretoria Bridge, about a mile from the finish.

This didn't quite happen, and I never caught the bunny, but I honestly didn't slack on pace. Mentally, I felt very strong, and negative feelings about discomfort and so forth were quickly banished; at times, I thought about slowing down, but then I reminded myself that 1:50 would be a PB for the year, how grand, and if I had pretty much caught up to the 1:50 bunny, I could finish the job. And if I didn't, I would feel terrible; I owed it to myself to get a result that I would be proud of; I deserved a good result, etc, etc. This mental talk worked.

I was about six seconds behind the bunny; I narrowed his/her lead in the final 300M or so but my efforts weren't quite enough. Still, it was great to see 1:50:xx on the clock. We'd started late: my chip time was just under 1:48. Not a PB, but my old plateau! Very encouraging. I felt so thrilled after the race; it was one of my highest post-race highs, I think. The rest of the day was woefully unproductive because I wasn't on the planet.

It was also swell to finally run the Army Run with my husband there, even though we lost each other! The first year, 2008, he was in Iraq. The second year, I had the cath surgery 3 days before so my "race" was shuffling 400m to the end to hand in my chip (I still picked up the race shirt; figured I'd earned it). Last year, we were out of town.

He and my brother ran 1:51:XX, which they were both thrilled with. I was impressed!

I think I will do at least one more 1/2 this year...I will rejoin run club too but basically run by feel. I've been concentrating a lot on form recently and this seems to be paying off. The bodyrock routines have helped a lot too with tightening my core. I'm trying to do 3 routines per week.

I haven't run much this past week: didn't feel like it. I've been taking an iron pill every day and my foot feels almost normal now. I actually jogged today! This is good because the dog hasn't had enough exercise these past three weeks. Oh, yeah, I got an ingrown toenail after the race (I've been treating it and it's almost back to normal too)...I guess running a full and a 1/2 within two weeks of each other wasn't the best idea!

steam and endophins and steam

I got into a zone; I was disappointed with my result on the one hand but happy about the zone.

My first looped marathon, Winterman 2009, turned out to be mind-melting drift without The Wall, and I was hoping to enjoy a repeat of that by signing up for another looped marathon. Early September is usually warmer than late February but the average high is about 20C, which seemed manageable.

Plus this marathon was an evening run! How rare is that?

I woke up feeling a little ill, just nerves, and I ate what usually goes down smoothly, but the rice noodles sent me into a 2-hour nap. That was a relief: two fewer hours of clicking on the weather and seeing the numbers roll past 30C. Oh, yes. I think it got up to 32C for a bit, then started to drop...the humidex was 35C. This is ok for casual running, but a full marathon?

My husband dropped me off at the start...I decided to go mainly to see how many other crazy people would be there. IT was surprisingly crowded.

I got sorted out and lined up, ready to go. Oh, wait, I needed the chip ankle-band thingy...I got back just as the gun went off, which was totally fine because I let pretty much everyone go ahead. What was the rush?

The race was six laps. The first two were surprisingly comfortable. I settled into a good pace, about 38-39 minutes per 4.38 miles...I'd decided that anything below 40 minutes per loop would be great, but I wasn't going to worry about it because the main thing was to find the pace that my body could sustain. I didn't wear a watch or timer, but there was a timer at the start/finish of the loops. I was happy, I was in a good zone. I was running alone, but there were friendly volunteers, and there were runners on the other side going back after a while (I was still near the back), plus there were the ironman competitors. I decided to tell them "Good job!"

After a couple of loops, my stomach started to churn. It got worse.

I was not expecting this, but I figured it out pretty quickly: blood was being redirected to surface capillaries (for cooling), as well as to my legs (for locomotion)...my poor digestive system, always a bit of a maroon during endurance events, was being left especially high and dry (or in this case, stagnant). The thought of another gel disgusted me.

Fortunately, a couple of friends had come down to spectate--seeing them on the 2nd and 3rd laps helped a lot!

I felt like quitting at the halfway mark, which I reached in 1:58, I think. I was starting to slow down at this point but that didn't matter so much as the stomach issue. I had planned to take six gels total, one at the start of each lap, but after the first three during the first half, it took about a lap and a half to stomach another. The only gel I took during the second half was fortunately perfect: cherry-lime roctane. It was a delicate, cooling, and not too sweet flavour. I opened it, gagged, but the freshness quelled that reflex and I was able to finish it.

Apart from the GI distress, however, the rest of the race went well. I was moving slower, about 41-42 minutes per lap, which was a bit disappointing, but I was catching up to and passing people, one here, one there. My legs were starting to go leaden but I could still move them fine. I wasn't feeling too hot. And apparently, I was still smiling.

It got dark, and cooler; after the fourth lap, I was on automatic. I wasn't talking to the other competitors anymore; I couldn't really see them until it was too late (there were some other people on the path too). I finished the fourth lap feeling tired, but stopping was a foreign decision, and I went back out. Mentally, the loops were very easy because going out was a bit downhill: all I had to do was get embraced and swept along by gravity. Going back was easy too because the uphill gave some muscles a rest, plus once it got dark, it seemed easier to see going back.

The fifth lap was a blur. I honestly don't recall much of it. I was feeling some discomfort, my stomach and my legs, but it passed. It didn't seem endless at any point. That's the benefit to loops: you know where you are, you know that it'll take x minutes to get to such and such a point, which you've run to before after the first lap. There is no crushing uncertainty: how long is this hill and where the heck did it come from? Am I there yet? Instead, there is a machine-like efficiency that squashes the usual marathon doubts: I've run this before, I can run it again, what's the worry? It makes the distance so much easier.

The sixth lap, being the last, went pretty easy. I was trying not to stop; I broke the course into bits and coaxed myself through...and then I started to feel a bit of an acceleration. This is what happened during the last looped marathon though at a larger scale: pretty much each successive loop was faster. This did not occur this time, except that I think the last half of the last loop was faster. However, I passed several women during the last two laps, and NOBODY passed me except for some half marathoners who had started later. I was very happy about this.

At the second last drink station, I stopped to walk (as I had done for each water station)...I drank some water and a volunteer asked me if it was my last loop. Yes, it was, thank goodness. He asked again, I confirmed. Then he told me that I'd better get going. It seemed like an odd sort of attitude, almost as if he was shooing me away. It was too dark to see if he was smiling. "Go on, finish it up." I almost got annoyed, but I got going, and am now extremely grateful that he was that direct. I picked up my pace, passed another woman with less than 1 km to go (we both skipped the last water station, but I was rolling and she was fading), and I finished it. It felt great going up the last little hill onto the track. It was a strong finish.

Time: 4:01:XX
Temp (humidex): 35-30C.
Wall (apart from GI stuff): not apparent!

I wish the weather had been cooler so that I could have pushed myself more, and it is kind of annoying to see that "4", but having completed this race in this sort of temperature was a big confidence boost. There will be other hot races.

another tempo run

I was dreading the last tough workout: 3X 2miles tempo, then 9-10 miles easy. I even postponed it a day because I was tired. The peak of training made its presence known this past week. Basically, my legs are almost always tired, I sleep more, and like the dead. Yet the tiredness seems to melt away quickly once I've warmed up and it has become easier to run too fast.

This was what I was hoping for. This hasn't been the most regular marathon training cycle (two trips, two bouts of gut illness (mild, fortunately!); I wasn't sure if I'd feel the usual fatigue, the usual sharpening, particularly since I didn't boost mileage like before. I don't feel quite sharp now but I hope to soon, now that the tapering has started.

My tempo workout on Wednesday was more tiring than expected, and so I pushed the last tough workout from Saturday to Sunday. Saturday was hot and humid; it would have been better for acclimatization, but I've had plenty of that already this summer, and excuses were even more plentiful.

The weather on Sunday was anything but punishing. 18C, drizzling, it was amazing. My tempo pace was about 10-15 seconds/mile faster, and the run afterward was easy until the last mile or so. It felt a lot better than last time when it was hotter and I'd cut the workout short.

A curious thing happened, though, shortly after I'd stopped to walk after the last tempo segment. I know I shouldn't stop suddenly, but I wanted to put my shirt back on and get a drink of water, and warm weather actually gives me a bit of leeway by keeping my heart rate elevated. Otherwise, it drops suddenly and could trigger SVT, particularly if I bend down or turn my head while inhaling.

That is what happened. I didn't get to the water fountain; I put on my shirt, walked toward the fountain and, boom! I pressed my neck (as taught) and it went away quickly. Still, it compounded my fatigue and when I got home shortly after, I thought about dropping the rest of the workout. I drank a protein shake, reconsidered, and went out with the dog. The 9ish mile run was great, easy, relaxing. There was a moment where it was incredibly peaceful, perhaps the most tranquil moment I've had in a while. We were running by a willow tree without anyone else around, there was a mist of rain, and the path seemed almost frictionless.

During the rest of the run, I stopped a few times for water, no problem, but when I stopped at the end, I could feel the pressure of the trigger again. It felt urgent to breathe faster than required; it was uncomfortable to hyperventilate slightly but I did that for a minute or two and the feeling went away and everything settled back to normal and there was no SVT.

My interpretation: I've gotten used to 30ishC humidex. Heart rate was raised, but a greater percentage of blood went to surface capillaries and perhaps did not get as deoxygenated (I'm not entirely familiar with this aspect of physiology, but I'm assuming that muscles have greater oxygen demands than skin). When I stopped, my heart rate stayed elevated and oxygen levels rose gradually to normal. Yesterday was considerably colder. More of my blood circulated in my muscles and got deoxygenated further. When I stopped but was anticipating continuing the run, things stayed revved, but when I stopped finally, things dropped suddenly, but there was all this CO2, something has to be done, synapses fire, adrenaline and countless other biochemicals release and, voila! whoops! the 2nd time, the low oxygen levels made me breathe more quickly instead. I might ask my cardiologist about it. It's been ages since I've felt SVT--more than a year, I think--and it seems so bizarre that it should happen on the coldest run in a while, unless the coldness is the cause.

So I guess I will regain some speed as the temps cool; I'd thought that I'd acclimatized well but hadn't realized how underserved my muscles really have been, and that I really should be going faster. Meanwhile, I just have to be careful and coast to a stop gradually, like I had been doing before it got hot.

I jogged six miles this morning. It was hotter and I wore a long-sleeved shirt. No problems, not even a hint.

Reassured, I finally signed up for the marathon.

tempo tempo tempo

Lots of tempo runs, it feels like!
The weather has turned a bit from the super hot two-ish week stretch in July, but the highs are still getting close to 30C, not taking into account that the weather station is probably somewhere in a field on the edge of the city and I'm in the middle of downtown with lots of concrete and glass and car exhaust. It's probably a few degrees hotter here but I purposefully remain ignorant of the exact true temp.

I'm near the end of my marathon training, and am pushing my lactate threshhold quite a bit these days. This means doing tempo runs, my least favourite type of speedwork, especially in summer. However, I've actually gotten used to them, not faster, but better at shutting off the negative thoughts and going into robot mode. I've had six tempo workouts in the past 3 weeks and a half, and there are three more to go. My pace supposedly should be around 7:50/mile, which it has been. It used to be faster (heck, my 1/2 marathon pb was faster), but considering that I haven't done much tempo running in the summer, if any (I can't find any examples in my log because summer tempo runs used to feel horrendous), progress has been made. In general, I'm quite happy with how I've acclimatized and I've actually enjoyed many of my hotter temp runs. Helps not having inflammation!

Of course, I had another tempo run this evening, and I waited until 8 pm and 25C (30ish humidex) to start:

20 min T: 2.55 miles, 7:51/mile
4 min recovery
10 min T: 1.28 miles, 7:49/mile
2 min recovery
10 min T: 1.28 miles, 7:49/mile

Successful! I like consistency. then I did weights. Talk about lack of consistency! I'm hoping that, after the marathon, I'll be more strict with weights and cross-training again.

I haven't actually signed up for the marathon yet but the main thing holding me back is no longer a factor, so I have no excuse. My guts feel fine now. I've been taking iron pills and it feels like my iron is fine too. The main obstacle, apart from tapering effectively, will be avoiding gluten. I will try to avoid eating out for the next 2.5 weeks. We mostly cook from scratch anyway and my husband is doing a diet challenge so we're already laying low when it comes to going out.

Ode to a bluefin tuna from Nova Scotia

Like butter, like blood,
Like miles of cold seas.

The tuna made me do my last MP run in somewhat unsavory conditions: 28-26C, 30ish humidex. The run was supposed to be in slightly cooler temps after supper but when we walked into Lapointe's fish store this afternoon, we saw the spine and jaws of a (formerly) 500lb tuna prominently displayed and the much-better-than-usual tuna cuts; we bought a pound's worth and I decided that really good tuna was a much better post- than pre- run meal. I almost never eat bluefin tuna because it's usually not that good and because the fishery seems to be exhaustive, but this stuff was too rare to pass up.

So I had to start my run when it was still hot.

Curiously, it was pretty cold this morning: 14C. But things fired up! I decided that I would try to stay around 8:30/mile, but anything faster than 8:40/mile would be accessible. Also, I didn't run on the race course: that side of the Canal is sunnier and hotter in the afternoon/evening and there is only one drink fountain on the way and none on the actual course portion, versus more shade and 6 or so fountains on the other side. I also decided to run an hour, go home to cool off a bit, then finish.

The first two miles were easy and relaxed. I didn't warm up but I ran 8:32 and 8:29 almost effortlessly on very fresh legs. Then I suddenly got hot, my legs got heavy, and, whoops, 8:45 and 8:49. At this point, there were only three miles remaining (it makes sense and was easy to believe), so I accepted a bit of extra effort: 8:38, 8:32, 8:29. And then it made sense to knock out another mile so that I would be more than halfway done: 8:40.

I spent a few minutes at home drinking cold water and generally absorbing the somewhat clammy atmos of the kitchen.

The first mile back was sluggish: 8:53. DISGUSTING!
Then I ran past my (former?) run club doing sprints--it was nice to see everyone but I couldn't stop. I felt kind of bad about that because I've been away for so long and want to catch up and hear what everyone is up to. It was inspiring to see my friends though. 8:11.
And then I had just a few miles left; I settled into a zone of sorts: 8:22, 8:38 (hill), 8:22, 8:12, 8:12. It was harder than marathon pace should have been at that point, but it could be considered practice for the 2nd half of the marathon. It was a mechanically sensible pace.

Total: 14.06 miles in 2hrs. Pace 8:32/mile. If that will truly be marathon pace, I'll be very happy!

The tuna transcended fish. At bites, it was almost beef-like, at others, fresh like the ocean. We might go back and get more, but will it taste as special again without the 14 MP mile sauce? Sometimes it's best to be satisfied with the one perfect meal.

tempo run

I'm still stiff from Sunday's run. My quads are especially sore. I was going to do the workout tomorrow.

But the heavens opened up and the mercury went down. Only 18C and raining, how could I waste that? Having an extra day of recovery before the next tough workout was tempting too.

4X 10 min tempo, 2 min recovery.
1.32 miles
1.3 miles
1.3 miles
1.29 miles

Aerobically, it was easy. I felt hot after a while, but it was a different sort of hot: my shirt trapped the heat, not the entire atmos. However, my legs were constraining my gait somewhat. That was no surprise.

I was shocked, though, by a few minutes of effortlessness. My pacing was poor, I was prone to slacking off (more than usual); whenever I felt less sore, I looked at my Garmin and saw 8:XX. However, for a minute or two, something in my gait adjusted and my stride became very smooth. It felt slow, but it was in the 7:30 range every time I checked. It was such an ephemeral improvement that I dared not over-analyze; up-and-down motion was reduced, my centre of gravity seemed a little lower, there was something new going on with my thighs. Maybe so many muscles were sore that the wrapper was torn off some dormant muscles?

That was the kind of minute that inspires me, more than races or whatever. I will spend countless hours trying to recapture that perfect gliding motion.

Unfortunately, my Garmin memory filled up with exquisite timing; I ignored the beeping as long as I could, but eventually I stopped to delete some data and the improved form disappeared with it and the rest of the workout was a struggle.

Does it count if I stop for breakfast?

20.5 miles, 20 in 2:03:32 or so. It was about 22C and 94% humidity when I started but nice and cloudy. I figured I might as well try to keep to my supposed easy run pace of 9:28/mile. It actually felt fine. Compared to my last longish run, it was pleasant.

After a couple of hours, I met my husband at the farmers' market and ate breakfast, specifically raspberry lemonade and a beet/carrot/pear cold salad/coleslaw thingy which is an amazing mid-long run meal.

And then the sun came out!

The original plan was to run 22 miles, but 20 seemed more and more adequate. Chopping off two miles also sharpened the possibility of quickening the pace and ending even sooner.

9:26
9:36
9:23
9:23
9:14
9:25
9:31
9:20
9:00 (breakfast was anticipated more seriously)
9:18
9:13
9:07
8:46 (coasting to breakfast)
9:14
9:18
9:07
8:58 (figured I was halfway through the post-breakfast bit, not much left to run)
8:42
8:46 (auto-drive)
8:46
Then a slow short jog/walk/stretch home. It got up to 28C or so. Humidex 35C. Most of my runs recently have been in this range and it's beginning to feel normal.

I'm better acclimatized to summer this year and much of this is mental. I forgot to mention yesterday that, once I found my limit during my failed tempo run attempt, dropping back and jogging the rest of the way became very easy. The boundary is strangely emotional; I know this from getting heat exhaustion once. Discomfort becomes a sort of aerobic compression which becomes hysterical hyperventilation and then I get upset. But not an adult sort of upset, more of a toddler all-consuming level of upset. I start to cry, or nearly so! I wind up on the lip of a precipice and it's not worth not going down! Why am I even alive? It is unmistakable and distinct: the logical frontal cortex is ripped away to the amygdala: FEAR/RAGE/DESPAIR, those primal emotions that taught our species to avoid the pretty spotted mushrooms and the darkness and the creatures with fangs. My brain says, ok, you're not listening to reasonable excuses, so feel this! Why a bit too much of heat and exertion brings me to the bridge, I don't know, but it is a useful marker. If I'm feeling merely discomfort, I am fine. The last several miles of my run today were in that range. It would have been so nice to stop, but not necessary. I didn't feel the preliminary grip on my lungs; I could dismiss the negative thoughts until that point.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to run the marathon on Sept 3. I have until Aug 22 to register; that should be enough time to lose the slight abdominal pain that has crept up during the recent trips. It's impossible to avoid wheat completely when away in wheat-filled regions, but I fared better than expected. The trips are done and I'll be at home in my mostly GF kitchen, plus my husband and I will be doing a diet challenge until mid-September. We'll be eating extra healthy!

back in the saddle

Well, gluten exposure occurred and was mixed with hot temps and general cottage laziness (with a dash of fear of bears), and thus lying in the lake became the overwhelming activity, but I did do my two tougher workouts for the week, sort of.

The first was 20 min tempo, 10 min easy, 20 min tempo (with warm up and cool down)

T1= 2.62 miles, pace 7:38/mile. NICE!
T2 = 2.55 miles, pace 7:51/mile. what it's supposed to be.

The second wasn't entirely as successful. The temperature wasn't ideal, around 30C (humidex unknown), and the northern Ontario bush was no match for the brilliant sun. There was very little shade. Fortunately my husband biked along with me and brought a lot of water.

Still, there was only so much I could do!

T1(20 min) = 2.60 miles, pace 7:42/mile. NICE!
Easy (60 min) = 6.31 miles, pace 9:30/mile. Fine! (not fussy about easy pace)
But I had to stop several times to drink and get water poured over me. This wasn't enough to let my heart rate drop, though--it never settled into an easy run effort. It was hot and hard and stupid.

But I knew it was going to be like that. 5 minutes into the run, jogging easily to the trail where I started the tempo run, I was already covered in sweat and feeling somewhat off and upset. The thought of quitting was overwhelming. However, this was a turning point. I don't remember exactly what I told myself, but it was enough for the whiny acute part to surrender to the dull robotic senseless part. All I had to do was keep my right shoulder up, my glutes engaged, my cadence quick, etc, etc, all the little form tweaks that I've been trying to engage, until the next watering break. It was surprisingly manageable. The first tempo run felt gross but distant, and the easy run didn't feel like an easy run, more like propping myself up in a suitably efficient biomechanical method while ignoring the added effort required, but I was still distant. The heat and relentless sun and discomfort were very apparent, but there was so much else to focus on. Who left that scat? Why does my leg feel like that? Is that a distant cousin of labrador tea? Why do I feel like I'm veering off to the right? how long will it take me to get to that next part of shade? What is 7.5 minutes minus 4.5 minutes? (this level of math was surprisingly difficult at this point).

There remained the second tempo portion. This was not successful. I'd already decided that I could probably keep my heart rate up by doing intervals, 2 min tempo, 1 min easy, for the 20 minutes, but after the first 3 sets, I was done. Stuff was jacked up way too high and my breathing went hyper and I got upset. I walked and breathed into my water bottle to get back into a better rhythm, then I jogged back, ate, and jumped in the lake.

Mentally and aerobically, though, the workout was solid.

:/

My stomach is feeling back to normal, though!

Today was a marathon-pace workout. According to various calculators and my last 5K time, my VDOT value is 42.8 and my marathon pace is 8:16/mile. WHAAAAAA? Rounding down (incorrectly but more comfortably) to a nice round 42 yields a MP of 8:25/mile.

I didn't quite make it. I ran (suffered?) 12 miles of MP and my average pace was 8:27/mile, not including a few short walk breaks while taking gels and cooling off. I'm happy with that. The relatively refreshingly brisk temps of noon-ish yielded to a sunny clammy 27C or so. I started my run with a humidex of 35C.

Fortunately, I've gotten used to this sort of thing but acclimatization only goes so far. I should have eaten afterward but there was no way my stomach was going to accept anything but water. Other than that, I felt fine. My legs felt relatively fresh (had a timidly squeaking right hamstring but it shut up after an hour or so).

It was a valuable workout; I ran on the route of the marathon that I still haven't signed up for...I don't feel 100% recovered yet, but maybe a week of jogging, relaxing, and avoiding gluten up north will fix things. I'm bringing up GF stuff and will avoid scratched cookware and so forth. Will see how it goes!

back to the sauna, back on track

I took two weeks off. We were hiking lots and spending long days exploring, plus for the most part we were staying in pretty little B&Bs and I didn't want to release the sweaty post-run beast therein. Also, I was getting a bit run down anyway: avoiding gluten while dining in a predominantly bread-and-deep-fry region was pretty much impossible, though I mostly ate steamed shellfish and salad (not complaining at all! Nfld now has a snow crab fishery!!!!). Finally, I gave up at the Quidi Vidi brewery: I took a small sip of the last three beers offered. At that point, symptoms had already returned and there wasn't much I could do until returning to my gluten-free kitchenware, in for a penny, in for a pound. I can't remember the last time I'd tasted a proper beer. It was amazing.

It was a good vacation from many things, at any rate!

I was able to resume running pretty easily when I came back, although it's been kind of touch and go with emergency bathroom breaks for the first while (hopefully we're past that now, although it amazes me that I put up with that for years). Plus my knees have been affected. Usually it's mostly my fingers and shoulders, but a joint is a joint, eh? Fortunately, it didn't affect running at all, but sleeping was tricky for a few days. My knees, especially my left one, had to be just so...finally, I put a night splint on my left foot which kept the knee somewhat in alignment, enough so that I could sleep for at least an hour or two at a time. It feels a lot more normal now; I think the worst is over!

I've put in three harder workouts since my return and I've got a marathon-pace workout tomorrow. I still haven't signed up for the race. We're going to hang out with my extended family up north for a week and I'll have to see how I feel from that. I will have more control over my diet there; last year, I felt ok, just drowsy near the end.

Anyway, the workout I did yesterday went really well. I was surprised. it was 10X 1/2 mile tempo with 30 seconds rest...it was hot, 27C, so I walked for the rest intervals. My tempo pace was a bit slow but fine: avg 7:52/mile. The whole workout seemed to go by quickly.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate for my workout tomorrow! That's the only day I can do it on the route: we leave Saturday.


In other news: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms97mz3H69E :(

Sound mind, sound body

Except when you tear both of them up!

Saturday was the tough-ish MP run.

Sunday was the Spartan run. I can't climb a rope (yet) but I can carry a tire partway up a ski hill, and grass can be very sharp, among other things I learned.

Monday was my organic chemistry final (postponed (indefinitely for a while) due to the postal strike). I lost sleep over the past week over the uncertainty of the exam date, but fortunately it arrived in time and I wrote it. It was a very cathartic brain dump; it felt surprisingly intuitive. And now I feel the void--I was reviewing equations constantly, especially before bed.

Today was housework, yardwork, packing and an interval workout: We're headed to Newfoundland and I'm not sure how I will be able to get runs in, or what runs, if any, so it was best to get at least one of the tough ones out of the way.

This was an interval workout, 5X 1k, hard, with recoveries equal in duration. It was so hot, though, that a couple of them ended up being a bit longer. The temp was 28C. Some muscles were still sore from the Spartan race. My warm up jog was slower than 10:00/mile...I was not moving.

To soften the upcoming challenge, I decided to do out-and-backs on a stretch I know well. After the first interval, I changed my mind--slowing down for the sharp turn, though fine on other occasions, did not befit conditions which so strongly favoured a slower pace.

4:28. Actually, this is only a couple of seconds or so too slow, but somehow I thought that it was way too slow.

Fortunately, there is 5k's worth of 1/2k markers, and I know where they are and, thus how much or little remains of an interval when I'm suffering in the middle of it.

And a magical thing happened: I've been concentrating on form and I realized that, if I lean forward a little more, lift my shoulders a bit more, move my arms a bit more, and generally run into the discomfort instead of backing off it, things are more efficient.

4:12.

Was it a fluke? I was worried I'd start to droop.

4:01
4:05
4:10

The 4:01 was excessive...I tried to keep it up but I was getting hotter and more thirsty and more sore. The new form felt great but I wasn't able to capture it as well during the last interval...but I must not forget it! The adjustment took off at least 20 seconds per interval, I think.

I was supposed to do 4:26ish per k, and ended up doing 4:11. Not bad for 31ish C humidex (fortunately, the heat burned off a lot of humidity!) Hopefully this will make the upcoming tempo runs more palatable.

Marathon pace run

I'm even more sold on the early Sept marathon but I still haven't bought my bib: I have to evade the family curse first. In early August, we'll be going to the lake where my grandmother broke her hip, my aunt broke her foot, and I did something to my foot last year...I didn't get it checked out but I couldn't run for almost 2 months (stupidly, I still tried to get in a run here or there before accepting that I had to rest, which delayed recovery), and then I couldn't jog for almost 2 months after that. I think I cracked something while landing on a rock the wrong way. Anyway, I'll likely sign up for the race before that trip; regardless, I'll be extra careful and actually wear trail shoes on the gravel/rock bits.

With my eye on early Sept, I did a marathon-pace workout this morning. I didn't feel like getting up at 6:30 after staying up until midnight or so, but with the upcoming heat and humidity, I didn't have much choice. Fortunately, I was well hydrated. Unfortunately, I was kind of nervous about the workout. My jogging pace is about 10:00-10:30/mile these days, and my marathon pace should be 8:15-20/mile. My marathon pace wasn't plucked out of thin air: I plugged my recent slightly saggy 5K result into a VDOT calculator. Saggy = easy, right? However, it would be faster than my 2 slow 1/2 marathons this winter. I decided that I'd be happy with 8:25/mile.

After a 1/2 mile jog (over 10:00/mile), I picked things up.

Mile 1: 8:34. Too slow, but what was one slow mile? I had to ease into it and get used to easing into it. Not like I'm going to toss off a few warm-up miles before the marathon.

Mile 2: 8:27. Almost there. Keeping things easy. I also had my first gel, a Gu Roctane. Maybe having some at the beginning instead of just at the end will help.

Mile 3: 8:23. cool. It was comfortable but still sort of foreign. I noticed that my breathing was a loose 2-2..this would be my guide. I also noticed that my weird shoulder glitch was acting up. It's not painful at first, more of a flaw in form caused in part by holding a dog leash for many miles. My right shoulder drops, my arms become T-Rex-like, and this throws everything off to the point where I get off balance enough to step to the side now and then (the funky balance thing also crops up when I've been exposed to wheat). I've been practicing squaring my shoulders and moving my arms more.

Mile 4: 8:27. By now I was on the course, the uphill 'back' end. This is sort of daunting, too, some short but steep sections. Running there more often, especially in MP and tempo runs, should flatten the inclines somewhat. I tried to imagine them more flat, and as an opportunity to switch up activated muscles and give some a rest.

Mile 5: 8:11. Things were starting to click but I still had to keep resetting my shoulders. But this is a more natural pace for me somehow than 8:20-30.

Mile 6. 8:08. Ok. This was mostly downhill and a bit of a break.

Mile 7. 8:18. Going back uphill (I turned around to repeat the worst section of the course). Fortunately, before the first incline, some guy cut into the path ahead of me and he was going at the perfect pace! I was really grateful just coast behind someone for a while. I dropped him at the top to have another gel. This was an expresso love--it has a Gaz stamp of approval and since I like coffee during runs, I decided to try it. It was better than I expected, and the lingering of flavour was actually kind of nice.

Mile 8. 8:09. ok.

Mile 9. 8:05. ok, though I was starting to get kind of tired of resetting my shoulders. But it has to be done. And I was getting kind of tired in general...it wasn't bad and breathing was still pretty easy but my muscles were feeling the effort and it was starting to feel kind of hot. This mile seemed kind of long.

Mile 10. 8:07. ok.

0.89. 8:07/mile. ok. I could have kept going. I thought of taking it to 11 miles, but, nope, I'm going to save the extra for the next workout.

Total 10.89 miles in 1:30:01. Pace per mile: 8:16. NICE!!
Same irregularity that cropped up last time I did MP workouts: I don't actually go at the marathon pace, just around it. Oh, well. I'm happy with how it turned out. My expectation was to feel burnt after a few miles around 8:40 or so.

No bodyrock today: we're doing the Spartan race tomorrow. That'll be a good core workout.

speedwork!

So, I think I'm sold on the early September marathon, especially since there will be a 10K a couple or so weeks before on the same route. A good opportunity to test it out!

So, I did intervals at "Interval Pace" (Daniels) this evening (the morning was an 8-ish mile jog with the dog). This pace is hard and slightly rusty. Fortunately, the weather was relatively cool, though windy.

My times were all over the place though (the wind and changing route contributed to that): 3:21, 3:33, 3:29, 3:28, 3:20. I was supposed to run about 3:33 according to my 5K results, but it wasn't my best race (the clammy weather, the jog there, gluten contamination a few days before and thus sore guts, plus an untied shoelace during the race).

Last time I did this workout was last Dec: 3:27, 3:29, 3:28, 3:29, 3:25. This was repeated on the same stretch of road; I will do something similar next week because it is easier to run the same bit over and over again instead of running on and on and wondering where the next stopping point is and why the Garmin numbers are going by so slowly.

I've done 800m repeats prior to that...I guess the best workout was 6X 800m in Oct 2007. I was lighter then, sick but on meds that lessened symptoms, and in general running was going very well. 3:16, 3:11, 3:19, 3:19, 3:22, 3:24. My note says that the pacing was poor (it was around a track, so no excuse!), but it would be nice to be able to do sub-3:20 repeats again. in time!

Next week will be 5X 1000, and I have more past workouts to compare to that. Hopefully the weather cooperates again.

After the running, I did a bit of weights, a bit of bodywork; I had to take a break from Bodywork for a couple of days because I was wiped, but if I do the beginner versions sometimes, I might be able to be more consistent.

Bodyrocking

http://www.bodyrock.tv/

I found this site a while ago and it intrigued me but I wasn't quite strong enough to attempt the workouts then. Now is a different story. I'm still not strong enough to complete some of the exercises, but I'll get there. I'm still doing stuff with dumbbells and medicine balls, but the arm exercises were boring me and I needed something with more spark. I don't want toned arms for the sake of toned arms anyway, but I want to get my upper body stronger so that I can do squats and so forth with more weight and run faster without my shoulders getting tired.

http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/12/15/ninja-jump-sandbag-pick-up/

Of course, the ninja jump is a piece of cake compared to the more arm intensive stuff...but how exciting!

As for running, I have been jogging lots and getting used to doubles but I still feel a little soft. That's to be expected with increased mileage, though, so I'm not concerned. yesterday, I combined a 5K race with a longer run. That sort of thing is similar to some Daniels marathon workouts, and I wanted to try it out because I feel that those workouts really pay off for me and I want to get back into them. I jogged 5.5 miles to the race, then ran the race (not a PB at 22:45, gun 22:56), then jogged home, then ran with my family. total: 18 miles. This was the longest I've run since the marathon and my muscles are still chirping about it. But it went well overall and now I'm going to crack open the Daniels book and see where I can integrate some of those workouts.

But first I have to choose a fall marathon! I don't really want to travel far for it because I'm cheap, I get carsick, and I'm sensitive to gluten cross-contamination and would much prefer to eat at home with my 'safe' cookware before a long gut-reliant race. Fortunately, there are two marathons nearby. one is in early October, would require a short car trip, and is a slightly hilly but pretty countryside route. The other is in early September, is much closer (if it weren't a full marathon, I'd jog there because I've jogged to the vicinity umpteen times for other things), and is a boring though somewhat pretty route that 5 8km out and back repeats and some sort of blip to make up the last 2.2km, plus it is an evening marathon. I'm starting to lean heavily toward the latter: I like boring repeats, I don't really like hills that I'm not used to, I run the most of the course regularly during other runs, and I'm intrigued by the evening marathon aspect. There isn't a lot of time between now and early September, but I've got a lot of long runs behind me this year and my mileage is already pretty close to where I'd want it to be. All I'd really have to do is sharpen up and then taper.

chasing sleep

This isn't insomnia so much as nocturnal inspiration, I guess; I'm still tired but I had a couple of really good runs yesterday, including some modest speedwork. I was surprised to see that my 200M repeats were comfortable at about 39-40 seconds, though I could feel that my legs still have to make more of an acquaintance with faster effort. Weights went really well too. But last night's sleep was especially short. I finished one assignment at 2 am and then decided to check the news and see who won the Stanley Cup...well, Vancouver lost in more ways than one. It was hard to go to sleep after watching riot footage. I guess I went to bed shortly before 4.

And of course that garbage truck had to arrive--and back up--sometime before 7 am. The apartment building next to us has private pick up and usually I'm up before 7 so the truck has never woken me up before. I can sleep through a lot of urban noise, even most sirens (for a while when I was young, I lived close to a fire station) but the back up beep is diabolically designed. It's the pitch of adrenaline, it slices deep into the amygdala or some other quasi-reptilian brain region and ostomizes terror older than dirt. I used to live behind a club in Montreal that had garbage pickup at 5 am or so--the beep eventually entered my dreams and woke me up even when the truck wasn't there and so I started wearing earplugs to starve the auditory echo.

Surprisingly, we didn't run this morning. I was up in time but I wasn't moving very fast. I think we'll do a few miles this evening, probably mostly walking.

Gotta get working but procrastination waters other gardens: new (probably transient) feature of this blog:

Burning Questions! because I wonder about things.

What (at the molecular level) makes sap and other things sticky? Mainly, other things that get stuck to sap, like dogs.

Why do mobs occur? The riot last night was just an excuse to damage things, but why does this urge exist and why was fulfilling it apparently so satisfying? The conformity of the participants was disturbing; the similar team jerseys and glazed smiles added to the effect of a human plasmodial slime mold, many organisms aggregating to become a single pulsing whole, individuality stripped away. Strengthening human interaction and cooperation is often lauded as positive progress, but there are such deep primordial drives in us all, some of which are horrifically outdated and yet so readily amplified.

Running fever

I'm stuck in a lower gear, feels like, but I can't stop either.
There aren't enough hours in the day and of course I'm wasting part of one now.

Running has been going pretty well, but stuff has encroached upon sleep for the past few weeks: some things just beg to be done after 10 pm. Gradually, I've been getting more and more run down and less and less sleep, but I still wake up early. I feel it mostly in my shoulders, although I got up this morning with an emerging cold sore (after 4.5 hrs of sleep).

But there is a strange kind of counter-impetus to certain kinds of inertia. A layer of the ego (specifically, forethought and self-doubt) withers and before excuses erupt, motion is occurring. A music prof once told me that a fever can result in a really good performance, and I found this to be true. I'm not sure I have a fever now but I have the ether of a fever at least.

Decisions became easy...my running clothes were beside the bed, closer than any other possibilities; before I fully awoke, I rolled into them and out the door. The dog has trained himself to meet me at the front door close to his leash so I picked him up along the way and we floated for 4 miles. I felt more attuned to the surroundings than my own body. Who is this person breathing? I overdressed (accidentally?) and this created a bubble of comforting warmth, an artificial fever; we ran into the sun at first and it was disappointing to turn around.

And now I must apply this momentum to work.

recovery

It's been two weeks since the marathon and I feel pretty much recovered. Gaz and I jogged around for about 2 hours today and then I jogged home, and it was very comfortable. Much better than my 10 mile long run last weekend.

I have been avoiding hills and speedwork...this is the week to resume them.

NCM

This wasn't my fastest marathon or my most pleasant marathon, but it was the most exciting and relevant of the 7 or so that I've run. And it was close to my PB anyway. I'm really happy with 3:53 considering my 1/2s earlier this year were 2:03 and 1:57. I had lost a lot of fitness over the past two years, but I figured the best way to regain it was to get my mileage back up. This tired me out and made me flat, but I think the benefits are starting to roll in.

The weather cooperated as much as could be expected in late May: the once-predicted high of 28C didn't materialize and though the humidity was close to 100%, this eventually became rain, very sweet rain, which kept up a while after my finish (it's sunny now). The temps were too hot for me even though I was wearing just a skort and running bra for most of the race, but the rain helped a lot.

At the beginning, it was merely overcast. I was going to wear the race shirt but it felt too hot (it was 16C at the start), so I went with a singlet over a running bra, just in case. By 7K or so, the singlet was in my hand--fortunately, I saw a friend spectating soon after and she graciously agreed to take my gross apparel.

Other than feeling warm, I was feeling pretty good. Aerobically, it was very very easy. My legs felt a little more challenged, but they were fine. I started somewhere between the 4:15 and 4:30 bunnies, and then gradually caught up to the 4:00 bunnies, first the continuous one and then the run/walk. The run/walk was actually a comfortable pace but then they stopped to walk, and I went on. Soon after, I left the cheer of Wellington Village (hate to admit that my own neighbourhood was kind of sparse with crowd support, but maybe they'll work on that next year).

Then it was onto a meditative river section. It was nice. I reset my Garmin at 1:31:34 because I didn't want to think about running much more than 1:30. I had covered 10.48 miles. more than expected!

Then Hull. Fortunately shorter, less hilly, and less ugly than the old Hull part, plus I saw someone else I knew, plus I had a running companion for a while, a pleasant British lady. I lost her at a drink station.

The hills in Rockcliffe weren't too bad, but the one up to the Aviation museum was a bit stiff. This was about 25K in, but it still felt fine. Then it was slightly downhill for a while and I picked up some time, in retrospect, too much. I hung behind the 3:50 bunny for a while and I remember thinking that I should stay there until at least 32K, but I didn't want to waste the downhill and my legs felt like going a bit faster, so I went. I should have stayed!

After 1:30:30, I reset my garmin again. 10.13 miles. I was still feeling pretty good.

Then things became a bit less effortless, but not too bad...for another 20 min or so. Then it started to get rough. I couldn't hold onto pace--I'd look at the Garmin, see 9:xx, oh, how inappropriate, and push until I caught up to someone and then it made sense to trail them, even though they were obviously going slower than I. I did this over and over again. Logic wasn't my fellow at these points. And once I hit the first mile over 9:00, it became more acceptable. Still, I didn't walk. I actually didn't walk once during the race apart from a few sudden short stops at a few drink stations. Maintaining momentum was more attractive.

But I couldn't get back to the sub-9 minute miles until the very last one!!! ah, well.

The crowds were great, though. They did their best. I saw more people I knew, including GAZ! and once I was under the Queensway, I was back into my own neighbourhood and that definitely helped me get back to pace.

So, now I need to figure out how to keep it. Fueling was good, but can be improved. The gluten mishap a week ago certainly didn't help. My lineup of gels was good, but somehow I forgot to take one, and the usually pleasant vanilla orange flavour tasted pretty foul at about 3hrs into the race.

And I need to return to regular speedwork. I've enjoyed jogging a lot this spring, but now it's time to get a little more consistent. This fall, I would like to run a faster marathon, at least one that is 3:4X and not 3:5X.

tapering?

I'm feeling like I'm feeling too blase about this marathon.

This morning: 6.2 miles, including 4X 500M tempo, just to shake the sludge off. The first three were kind of dull and my form was off, and then muscles started reawakening for the fourth, which is what I wanted. So that became the last repeat and the last run of any substance (a few miles on Fri and/or Sat, perhaps).

I have been eating well this week, the usual menu: fruit smoothie for breakfast, salad and lentils and rice and vegs for lunch, and nothing too crazy for supper, plus milk and/or cheese. Tonight will be fish and salad, tomorrow, I haven't decided yet, and Saturday will be very bland rice pasta. My guts feel fine and I think the sluggishness I feel now is mainly due to tapering. My lower right leg is a bit tight; that and a weird though small reaction to a bug bite, have been my only tapering mishaps. Yesterday I managed to trip down the front steps and run into a handrail corner but neither was injurious.

This evening, my husband and I will go pick up our bibs and probably buy our gels for the race. The Gu lineup that worked for me during my hard "serious" long run was lemon sublime, blackberry, pineapple (roctane), and vanilla orange (roctane)....I will probably have to have a 5th gel, and I wasn't taken with the lemon sublime flavour anyway so some thought is still required. I just looked on the Gu website: trawberry banana has suddenly become appealing. Things were simpler when I stuck with plain Gu, but simpler isn't always best (parsimony during scientific explanation aside...).