Tuesday, September 29, 2015

My last run ever

Actually, I'm being dramatic. 

I'm sad because I've wasted some nice cool weather, and disappointed that I couldn't keep up running until the end, but I have to take a break.  Maybe if things feel and seem better, I'll try a short test jog, but ego seems to be the predominating beneficiary these days, and there are other dogs to feed.

My last run for a while was last week.  3 X 3 minutes, and I was going for five repeats at least, but my right foot was hurting again, and my left foot was starting to follow suit.  I have simply become too heavy and I'm not getting enough sleep.  Perhaps, given enough time, my body might adjust to the increased load, but I have just six weeks to go.  

Six weeks of elliptical perhaps and then umpteen weeks of ?????!: very boring blog probably.

Monday, September 14, 2015

A tale of two blue grapes

#1: freshly squeezed grapefruit/spirulina/? blend from a local vegan raw store.
#2: electric blue Powerade knockoff/chemical warfare byproduct? from a local gas station.

I am presently drinking the latter.  There are other electrolyte replacers in the kitchen, but sometimes electric blue grape hits the spot.  However, I also have my own spirulina powder and could mix some of it into this stuff...maybe tomorrow.

However, I did not employ this dilatory attitude to running.  Last night was the last of two slightly cooler nights, which meant that this morning was only 20 C.  I had slept poorly once again, somewhat soundly but in 1 - 1.5 hr increments only; I didn't want to move but I really didn't wish to waste 20 C.  Otherwise regrets would have kept me up tonight, with my luck.

I decided to do 5 X 4 min jog intervals (the usual 5 min seemed too daunting).  Unfortunately, the kid was still on my bladder, but I got somewhat used to it.  4-4-5-5-1.5.  Yes, I shortchanged myself but it got to that certain point of NOPE.  Whatever!

Hopefully, I can stick to 4-5 min intervals for at least another week.  Meanwhile, prenatal yoga everyday--I try to do an actual routine but sometimes I just hit the floor and do some poses.  Whatever!

Saturday, September 12, 2015

~

Sleep has been fragmented and elusive this week, but I have a bit of a reprieve: cooler temps!  Highs in the low 30s and lows in the low 20s...actually, 19 for the next two days. 

!

This is very helpful because I'm usually awake from 3ish to 6ish am.  Yep.  Some nights I'm productive during this span, others I waste on anxiety and/or indulgent web surfing.  Listening to "sleep-promoting" music or meditation doesn't help, listening to lectures sometimes does; last night I simply accepted the inevitable and listened to Leviathan and Galaktikon and then fell asleep in the midst of some album by Persephone.

At any rate, I need some slack getting outside afterwards while it's still relatively cool.  Skipping that last sliver of sleep isn't optimal, not when I've had just 3 or 4 hours beforehand. 

Yeah, sleep has been an issue for a while, and some nights are rough, but I seem to be adapting.  Is this good preparation? Who knows?

Fortunately, this morning was agreeable.  I was awake for a shorter span, 4-6 am or so, and I woke up shortly before eight feeling surprisingly refreshed.  When the dog and I hit the pavement, it was still only about 24 C, and so we tried out a new loop.  25 minutes total of running, plus walk breaks.  These days, that's a victorious long run!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

~

I haven't run for a week because my foot was sore.  Stuff gets sore now and then, and unless the pain is sharp and/or seems to proclaim a reoccurring issue, I usually run through it.  However, I'm now heavy and sort of loose-jointed in general (thanks, relaxin), and I didn't want to mess around, particularly since I could feel it while walking.  I stretched and did more yoga--it felt like things were sliding slightly out of joint, so it felt possible to ease things back into joint and keep them there.

Fortunately, it's gone now and I jogged a bit on the treadmill this morning.  4 intervals, each the length of a different music video.

Which leads me to a long-delayed shout-out: hope you're doing well, Old Free Treadmill.  Prior to our move, the TM rode away in a Habitat for Humanity truck along with Old Free Dining Room Set and Friends, and hopefully it's now helping another family get/keep fit.   Now I'm using a treadmill in the fitness room of our apartment complex.  Wish they had fans there, but it's still considerably more comfortable than running in a Southern garage without A/C.

As for running outside...my sleep has horrible this past week and I just can't get up and out before 7, ok 8, and the weather hasn't been cooperative either.   Slightly hotter slightly later morning temps haven't been a big deal for walking, but running is a different matter.  I need all the help I can get! Fortunately, the weather forecast actually promises sub-23 C later in the week.  I can't remember the last time I felt that outside.  I'm hoping to wake up before the sun, open the windows, and air out the place...and then have an enjoyable run.

9ish weeks to go!