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.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
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.
I have been avoiding hills and speedwork...this is the week to resume them.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
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...).
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...).
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