Originally, I was going to do my long run on Saturday, but the weather prompted revision. Yesterday was 20+ C, rainy, humid as f@@@, and today was 6-12 C, overcast, not humid, and windy. Hmmm, do I want to feel sweat-logged and queasy, or not?
I started off on my own. I'd thought about putting on a long-sleeved shirt, but today might be the last brisk day until fall. I couldn't let it go to waste. I had to embrace the chill. As a consequence, I started off a bit faster than easy pace in order to warm up, and I just stayed at that level of effort. I avoided the steeper hills but still had a bunch of large long ones. 9.5 miles in 1:22--definitely not my easy pace on hills. Oh, well! I guess I could count it as a sub-marathon pace workout or something, a freebie thanks to the great weather.
And then I picked up the boys. I'd planned an 8-mile loop for us as I was hoping to run 3 hrs/18 miles total, but I'd thought that my 9.5 mile route was ten miles. 17.5 miles is close enough.
We ended up running on a road that neither of us had been on before. It's a private road that is accessible to the public, but on which horses have the right of way. It goes by some very swanky horse farms and it's firmly-packed sand, which is pace-sucking but really really comfy. I run on sand a ton here, but most of it is fluffy or torn up. This was better than the best low-tide beach sand I've felt so far. The texture was considerably less granular, too...it was ultra soft. Like, foot spa soft. Even better, there are some more trails back there. So that's a diversion for the future.
Our pace was slower thanks to the dog and the sand (about 2 miles total of sand or dirt), and we got home at just under 2:50. 17.55 miles. I estimate about 15 miles of that was truly road. I wore shoes that are so beat up that the uppers are beginning to fall apart--it's cool, though, because they didn't have much cushioning to begin with. They felt fine except when I was going down one long hill in particular, but I also had to run on the shoulder for a bunch of it and the footing sucked there and threw me off my stride. Perhaps alternating quickly between spongy ground and asphalt kind of threw off sensory feedback or something. At any rate, I felt somewhat disgruntled during that stretch and I
tried to bank that aggression for four significant hills I knew were
still ahead of me. Maybe that worked, maybe that didn't.
My quads are a bit sore now, but I was expecting that. I'm in smiling cow pose now and will be doing other stretches tonight. So, not bad for my first long road run in ages. There's a few more coming up. The marathon is in five weeks.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
~
Yesterday: 30 min jog with my husband and the dog.
Today: 2 hr jog on the treadmill. I tested out a new fuel: UCAN. I got the plain type, so it's essentially gritty water, which is better than overly sweet. I got a bit tired by the end, but the stuff seemed to keep my legs feeling at least a little fresher.
Today: 2 hr jog on the treadmill. I tested out a new fuel: UCAN. I got the plain type, so it's essentially gritty water, which is better than overly sweet. I got a bit tired by the end, but the stuff seemed to keep my legs feeling at least a little fresher.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
~
1hr40 on the TM today. I started off easy and gradually pushed it to what felt like my vague approximation of marathon pace effort. That sounds perhaps uncertain, but I really don't know my present marathon pace, and my goals are modest anyway. It'll be warm and humid, so if I end up around 4 hrs, I'll be happy. It won't be the first 4-hr skanky hot marathon I will have run.
During today's run, I watched most of a movie about visualizing 10 dimensions, to the accompaniment of a playlist tribute to Zyzz. I don't wish to derail this post further, but Zyzz is the tragic young hero of aesthetic bodybuilding who died a few years ago in a Thai sauna or Thai massage parlour, depending on the account; cue hand-wringing over young folly/ego/superficiality (scads written already)...but he was a fan of trance music. I've recently discovered the fan playlist tributes and so far, they've been super. We're all going to make it, brah, but there are different types of trance, and some of them annoy me while others are incredibly uplifting and transporting.
Anyway, I didn't notice when I started to get run-stupid, but by 86 minutes and 45 seconds, I realized that the words weren't sinking in. But the cool graphics and music were adequate distractions by that point. It didn't matter that I didn't understand much of the multi-universe or whatever even when my brain was receiving the usual bloodflow/glycogen. However, I think a bit of 4th dimensional regard might make discomfort more bearable: instead of running for X number of increasingly slow minutes, I could consider that I simply exist in this state of discomfort. It just is: deal with it. And, if I wanted to be really creative, I could consider that an alternative me is in a state of less discomfort and I could perhaps trick myself into believing that....
Actually, I'll shelve that until I next achieve run-stupidity (long run this weekend!), but I've had a true stroke of brilliance today. I've been running (ok, mostly jogging) for about 14 years, but I've just realized that my feet are small enough for youth shoes, and that these are considerably cheaper than women's shoes. Update to follow.
During today's run, I watched most of a movie about visualizing 10 dimensions, to the accompaniment of a playlist tribute to Zyzz. I don't wish to derail this post further, but Zyzz is the tragic young hero of aesthetic bodybuilding who died a few years ago in a Thai sauna or Thai massage parlour, depending on the account; cue hand-wringing over young folly/ego/superficiality (scads written already)...but he was a fan of trance music. I've recently discovered the fan playlist tributes and so far, they've been super. We're all going to make it, brah, but there are different types of trance, and some of them annoy me while others are incredibly uplifting and transporting.
Anyway, I didn't notice when I started to get run-stupid, but by 86 minutes and 45 seconds, I realized that the words weren't sinking in. But the cool graphics and music were adequate distractions by that point. It didn't matter that I didn't understand much of the multi-universe or whatever even when my brain was receiving the usual bloodflow/glycogen. However, I think a bit of 4th dimensional regard might make discomfort more bearable: instead of running for X number of increasingly slow minutes, I could consider that I simply exist in this state of discomfort. It just is: deal with it. And, if I wanted to be really creative, I could consider that an alternative me is in a state of less discomfort and I could perhaps trick myself into believing that....
Actually, I'll shelve that until I next achieve run-stupidity (long run this weekend!), but I've had a true stroke of brilliance today. I've been running (ok, mostly jogging) for about 14 years, but I've just realized that my feet are small enough for youth shoes, and that these are considerably cheaper than women's shoes. Update to follow.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
~
After a couple of easy days, I did another VO2 max workout this morning.
6 X 2.5 minutes, with 2 minutes rest. The pace should have been a slight touch faster, I think, but I'm still getting used to the TM and the biomechanics at that speed. My treadmill is narrower and shakier than others I've used (but it was FREEE!!!) and once I go past 8 mph, it feels iffy. Weirdly stiff biomechanics, however, is an easier fix. I should warm up more next time.
At any rate, I found an effective accompaniment to the workout: trance music and footage of a race at the same time. The first is simple, the second kind of complicated. I prefer road races to track races. Unfortunately, it's easier to find track race footage. When I type in "road race running replay" or whatever, I get horses and motorcross. :/ Fortunately, I don't actually pay much attention to the race footage during faster intervals--it's more there for good vibes and atmos--so I can reuse it! At any rate, the videos and music make these intervals much more bearable. I used to despise VO2 max workouts, especially on treadmills. The seconds actually stalled at times; I felt like I was approaching the speed of light or otherwise transcending the bounds of space and matter in the suckiest way possible.
Not any more! Mind you, there is a big difference between 2.5 minutes and 4...we'll see how I'm feeling then.
After running, I did resistance exercises.
6 X 2.5 minutes, with 2 minutes rest. The pace should have been a slight touch faster, I think, but I'm still getting used to the TM and the biomechanics at that speed. My treadmill is narrower and shakier than others I've used (but it was FREEE!!!) and once I go past 8 mph, it feels iffy. Weirdly stiff biomechanics, however, is an easier fix. I should warm up more next time.
At any rate, I found an effective accompaniment to the workout: trance music and footage of a race at the same time. The first is simple, the second kind of complicated. I prefer road races to track races. Unfortunately, it's easier to find track race footage. When I type in "road race running replay" or whatever, I get horses and motorcross. :/ Fortunately, I don't actually pay much attention to the race footage during faster intervals--it's more there for good vibes and atmos--so I can reuse it! At any rate, the videos and music make these intervals much more bearable. I used to despise VO2 max workouts, especially on treadmills. The seconds actually stalled at times; I felt like I was approaching the speed of light or otherwise transcending the bounds of space and matter in the suckiest way possible.
Not any more! Mind you, there is a big difference between 2.5 minutes and 4...we'll see how I'm feeling then.
After running, I did resistance exercises.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
~
90 minute run on the treadmill today. I watched the 2013 NYC marathon.
I got to say, the youtube algorithm was kind of shoddy. I typed in "marathon race running replay" and the top choice was a collection of ads with runners in them. Fortunately, once I clicked on that, one of the suggestions in the sidebar was informative.
The last time I drank milk was probably in January...just haven't bothered to buy it. eh, I'll eat more cheese.
I got to say, the youtube algorithm was kind of shoddy. I typed in "marathon race running replay" and the top choice was a collection of ads with runners in them. Fortunately, once I clicked on that, one of the suggestions in the sidebar was informative.
The last time I drank milk was probably in January...just haven't bothered to buy it. eh, I'll eat more cheese.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Making use of cold days
I goofed up. I let a few nice and brisk mornings go to waste this week, and did the toughest run on the warmest morning. 16-21 C, and it was sort of humid too. Why?
2 X 10 min tempo, 1 hr easy (ok, 50 minutes due to trail considerations), and another 10 min tempo, and then home. My original plan was to do it all on roads.
Well, this morning was warmer than expected, I slept in longer than expected (I slept for 10.5 hrs!), and I have the dog all to myself this weekend. He doesn't like tempo runs, and I thought about taking him on a little bullcrap run or walk beforehand and then ditching him, but those brown eyes pierced deep into my soul, etc. Ok, little buddy, I'll rejig the route. Easy decision, for I wasn't feeling the route with the big hills anyway.
The little hills were enough. We walked up the first one just outside my house as a warm up (short and steep) and then started the first tempo portion. Right away, I had an anchor at the end of the leash. I wasn't feeling that pumped either. I gave us a few words of encouragement and wondered why I was feeling so sluggy. Well, after the steep hill, the incline flattens a bit but still continues, and I always forget this. I swear, every time, it's like "wah wah, frig, why is this so hard?" We're still going uphill. Ohhhh.
I decided that as long as I was doing 8 min/mile for tempo, I'd be happy, especially considering that my 'road-running' here still involves a decent portion on sand and pine needles, and sometimes ditch. Some cars pull aside for me, but I can't trust them because, one of these days, some jackoff on his phone going 45-55 mph (assuming he or she is not speeding!) is just not going to see me. So, spongy footing and increasing crankiness. Moving here was making the best of a sort of undesirable situation, and it really is a lovely region, but I'm done and summer still hasn't started!
--oh, wait, gotta google--the dog and I are presently eating dried mangos. ok, they're fine for dogs. Phew! It's surprising what can be harmful for dogs, including chocolate, onions, and raisins.---
Anyway, I may have been more peeved than usual this morning partly because my abs hurt. Not my guts, my abs. Usually my quads and right shoulder tire before my abs. And then I admitted that I haven't been doing ab work much (gotta be 3X week from now on). Plus, I was holding the dog leash in one hand and a water bottle in the other...I'm used to this, but not for tempo runs.
My tempo portions were 1.27 and 1.24 miles. eh, sagged on the second, too much turf, whatever.
But I was oddly torched. I didn't hurt, and I didn't feel like I'd pushed myself too much, and my breathing went down pretty quickly, but I was barely moving during the jog afterward. My legs didn't feel too bad, but they weren't moving. The dog was doing fine by this point, but I was feeling weird. And then I tasted a bit of bile. I am generally not motivated enough to run until I puke, but maybe I was having some acid reflux; that could account for the sore 'abs' earlier. Anyway, we ducked into the forest and jogged around on trails for a while, I recovered, and then we hit the top of a hill after about 50 minutes. What's ten minutes less for a great place to start the tempo portion?
But the workout said an hour! But I knew I had almost a mile of nice, mostly downhill trail ahead of me before things got rooty/hilly/soggy, and I didn't feel like pushing over that--so, let's go! The sand was thick at first, but soon we got to my 2nd favourite stretch of trail in the forest, and it didn't run out until about 8 minutes, leaving me with just a minute or two of junky footing. 1.16 miles. Then we jogged home (total 10 miles) and I did resistance exercises.
Ilike appreciate these combo tempo/semi-long runs. Tempo effort, or at least elevated heart rate, is prolonged somewhat, plus the easy portion in between isn't exactly easy: it's a good chance to practice moving tired legs. I guess it went ok, but I should have stuck to the roads more. I wish there was a magic hour for no cars whatsoever so I don't have to keep moving sideways on and off the road and get progressively more p!ssy over this--but I have to stay positive! Maybe all that lateral motion is shredding my core!
At any rate, the nice cool days are waning, and I must make better use of them.
2 X 10 min tempo, 1 hr easy (ok, 50 minutes due to trail considerations), and another 10 min tempo, and then home. My original plan was to do it all on roads.
Well, this morning was warmer than expected, I slept in longer than expected (I slept for 10.5 hrs!), and I have the dog all to myself this weekend. He doesn't like tempo runs, and I thought about taking him on a little bullcrap run or walk beforehand and then ditching him, but those brown eyes pierced deep into my soul, etc. Ok, little buddy, I'll rejig the route. Easy decision, for I wasn't feeling the route with the big hills anyway.
The little hills were enough. We walked up the first one just outside my house as a warm up (short and steep) and then started the first tempo portion. Right away, I had an anchor at the end of the leash. I wasn't feeling that pumped either. I gave us a few words of encouragement and wondered why I was feeling so sluggy. Well, after the steep hill, the incline flattens a bit but still continues, and I always forget this. I swear, every time, it's like "wah wah, frig, why is this so hard?" We're still going uphill. Ohhhh.
I decided that as long as I was doing 8 min/mile for tempo, I'd be happy, especially considering that my 'road-running' here still involves a decent portion on sand and pine needles, and sometimes ditch. Some cars pull aside for me, but I can't trust them because, one of these days, some jackoff on his phone going 45-55 mph (assuming he or she is not speeding!) is just not going to see me. So, spongy footing and increasing crankiness. Moving here was making the best of a sort of undesirable situation, and it really is a lovely region, but I'm done and summer still hasn't started!
--oh, wait, gotta google--the dog and I are presently eating dried mangos. ok, they're fine for dogs. Phew! It's surprising what can be harmful for dogs, including chocolate, onions, and raisins.---
Anyway, I may have been more peeved than usual this morning partly because my abs hurt. Not my guts, my abs. Usually my quads and right shoulder tire before my abs. And then I admitted that I haven't been doing ab work much (gotta be 3X week from now on). Plus, I was holding the dog leash in one hand and a water bottle in the other...I'm used to this, but not for tempo runs.
My tempo portions were 1.27 and 1.24 miles. eh, sagged on the second, too much turf, whatever.
But I was oddly torched. I didn't hurt, and I didn't feel like I'd pushed myself too much, and my breathing went down pretty quickly, but I was barely moving during the jog afterward. My legs didn't feel too bad, but they weren't moving. The dog was doing fine by this point, but I was feeling weird. And then I tasted a bit of bile. I am generally not motivated enough to run until I puke, but maybe I was having some acid reflux; that could account for the sore 'abs' earlier. Anyway, we ducked into the forest and jogged around on trails for a while, I recovered, and then we hit the top of a hill after about 50 minutes. What's ten minutes less for a great place to start the tempo portion?
But the workout said an hour! But I knew I had almost a mile of nice, mostly downhill trail ahead of me before things got rooty/hilly/soggy, and I didn't feel like pushing over that--so, let's go! The sand was thick at first, but soon we got to my 2nd favourite stretch of trail in the forest, and it didn't run out until about 8 minutes, leaving me with just a minute or two of junky footing. 1.16 miles. Then we jogged home (total 10 miles) and I did resistance exercises.
I
At any rate, the nice cool days are waning, and I must make better use of them.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
~
Yesterday, two short jogs.
Today, 70 minute jog. It was supposed to be my mid-week mid-long run, but I somehow got through the route more quickly than usual even though my legs felt a bit tired. Not complaining! I had one super run this week; if the others are kind of heavy but still at a decent pace, I'll be thrilled. I should be feeling a bit tired at this point--last week was too tired, but this level of fatigue is bearable.
And now matters turn to the gross and mysterious:
Why does my favourite sports bra reek so badly (A), and what can I do to stop it (B)?
A: it's 2-3 years old and I sweat a lot. The last two summers have been brutal and I've probably sweated the equivalent of two men twice my size. I've washed the bra regularly and rigorously, of course--I rinse it and wring it out after each run at the very least--but the material and/or construction seems to be prime real estate for smelly bacteria (I was told that bacteria turn sweat into funkiness, but I could be wrong).
B:wash/ baking soda/vinegar/ freezer/ sun/ sportswash A/ sportswash B...this is where we presently stand. Future possibilities include baking, microwaving, and other compounds.
Sportswash B, which I will not name at this point in case it washes out, contains "biodegradable surfactants and builders". Surfactants bust surface tension of liquids and solutions, but I haven't a clue what "builders" do. Are they actually building little condos for smelly bacteria? Because I just washed the bra in this stuff, and it's not smelling promising thus far.
Unfortunately, since our move, I no longer have access to the equipment and compounds that can absolutely pulverize the life or at least replication out of every single microbe (except for prions), but I do have some weapons at my disposal. At any rate, I've got to do more research. I'm curious to know what bacterial species are at work here too. Maybe there's a fungus jamming along with them. Who knows?
And why don't I just buy a new sports bra? The company discontinued that model! I can't even get my size on Ebay. I have a few other sports bras, but they're not as ideal...finding a good sports bra is a whole other post.
Today, 70 minute jog. It was supposed to be my mid-week mid-long run, but I somehow got through the route more quickly than usual even though my legs felt a bit tired. Not complaining! I had one super run this week; if the others are kind of heavy but still at a decent pace, I'll be thrilled. I should be feeling a bit tired at this point--last week was too tired, but this level of fatigue is bearable.
And now matters turn to the gross and mysterious:
Why does my favourite sports bra reek so badly (A), and what can I do to stop it (B)?
A: it's 2-3 years old and I sweat a lot. The last two summers have been brutal and I've probably sweated the equivalent of two men twice my size. I've washed the bra regularly and rigorously, of course--I rinse it and wring it out after each run at the very least--but the material and/or construction seems to be prime real estate for smelly bacteria (I was told that bacteria turn sweat into funkiness, but I could be wrong).
B:
Sportswash B, which I will not name at this point in case it washes out, contains "biodegradable surfactants and builders". Surfactants bust surface tension of liquids and solutions, but I haven't a clue what "builders" do. Are they actually building little condos for smelly bacteria? Because I just washed the bra in this stuff, and it's not smelling promising thus far.
Unfortunately, since our move, I no longer have access to the equipment and compounds that can absolutely pulverize the life or at least replication out of every single microbe (except for prions), but I do have some weapons at my disposal. At any rate, I've got to do more research. I'm curious to know what bacterial species are at work here too. Maybe there's a fungus jamming along with them. Who knows?
And why don't I just buy a new sports bra? The company discontinued that model! I can't even get my size on Ebay. I have a few other sports bras, but they're not as ideal...finding a good sports bra is a whole other post.
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