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.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
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.
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.
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