Weds: SWIM 2150 in 45 mins, 3x500
BIKE 22.2 in 1:15, 5x7 mins
Thurs: RUN 53-54 mins for the 6.6 mi loop
Fri: BIKE 1hr about 18 miles of stress relief
Sat: BIKE 1:45 and about 30 miles?
SWIM 1hr and 2500y, 7x200 all just over 4 mins
Sun: OFF
Mon: OFF
What a whirlwind of a week. I can't even remember how it all ended, the last few days are a fuzz!
DH was out of town for the week, my leg is bothering me when I run, my family was visiting over the weekend, and of course the dog was not 100% either. Oh and my appt with the surgeon was today. She first made a mess in our bedroom, then I found a smell in the guest room around Weds night. Through Thursday and Friday I tried to find and clean the mess, and the lack of success only ratcheted up my stress levels. How could I expect anyone to want to sleep in there!?
So Friday night during another cleaner incubation, I got in a stressed out bike ride. The day did not go according to my schedule, and I hit near-breaking point.
Saturday morning DH is back but sleeping in, so I do some more cleaning and another ride. I'm quiet as long as I can tolerate, then I wake him up with my guest room complaints. I don't know why he puts up with me, I get him out of bed to sniff a smelly room, then while I'm starting to crack he comes up with a solution to fix it. We spend the morning working on that. The whole time, I'm obsessing about my swim. The same swim I missed Thurs then again on Friday. I was determined to get it, OCD like. We finish cleaning, and I swim. It ain't pretty. My 200's are all just over 4 mins. They should be just UNDER 4 mins!
Parents arrive Sat evening and we get a late dinner. I sleep in Sunday as planned, kinda wanting to run but telling myself that the leg needs rest and there's no really good reason to run and make it worse.
Monday I skip the Evolve swim thinking I'd get it in the afternoon. But after the appts, dinner, and everything else of course it didn't happen. At least I'm not stressed about it.
The appt was good, but it looks like I'll be undergoing surgery after B2B. If it happens before B2B, it means things didn't go well for me this summer!
And wow what a nice segue into that topic.
The past few weeks since the last "events" I've been skittish around food again. After months of wanting to fix the problems, then weeks of intensive fixing, I've slipped back into the old habit of eating because I feel I "have to". This was especially bad last week -- a few nights I overate thinking "I need more calories!". But I don't! At least, not like that -- crammed down in a poorly planned dinner.
Well it just so happens that tomorrow is the first of the month, what better time to repeat my W30 challenge of January. I know I need to do this, the past few days had a few aborted starts (it's hard to start something like that with family and other schedule changes). But after dinner tonight -- at which I manged veggies until I could pop -- it's time to review the January thoughts I had and get back on track. This time with a slightly different purpose and a bigger goal: to keep out of surgery until after B2B, and to undo the neurosis I'm developing.
Here's how I ended January:
The LifestyleWhole30 ends tomorrow, and days like today have me planning ahead to the next month. Yup, it's gonna keep going! This month's changes of mindful actions, pre-planned meals, sit-down non-distracted eating, and increased scheduling have been great for me. I've been slipping a little as the month winds down, but I have identified a few trouble areas to work on. Specifically, bringing more food for long days and post-training, pre-planning mornings so I can get out the door on time, and streamlining the weekend duties to the entire thing isn't spend preparing for the week.
Here's how I ended March: Stressed, tired, off-balance. Unhappy with work, unhappy with a lot of things. Belly so full from dinner I'm uncomfortable. Dog starts barking and I don't even want to get up to see why. Leg needs foam rolling and here I sit typing. Lots of mental churning, note writing in my planning book, but not much happening.
March came in like a lion -- with the 2nd "event". It went out like a lamb, bleating and whining and weak.
Time to turn it around and get focused!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Brick session on snow! With right inner quad pain!
BIKE: 1hr and 18.5 miles, 10 min intervals with high cadence
RUN 53 minutes and some-odd seconds, 6 miles
I switched the Tuesday and Wednesday bikes so that I could focus on a great track session. This might be a good change for me to keep.
The ride was to this awful movie (some Resident Evil sequel) that was all action and no plot. Great for riding, lots of motivating fight sequences and music with no need to pay attention. I focused on keeping it ABP and alternated big and mid rings.
The run was in the COLD 30F fresh dusting of SNOW! WTF! DH is out of town in the 70+F degree desert and I'm here freezing my butt off. OK once I got running it wasn't that bad...but dammit warm up already!
The goal was 3x 1.5 mi intervals at mid-6 pace, but after the first 1200 my inner right quad muscle that hurt in Saturday's race started hurting again. I can't tell if it's injury pain or tightness pain. Either way, it really too the steam out of my sails. It set in motion that "niggle" doubt -- can I keep going or will I make it worse? Should I go home now and rest it? Am I fine, just keep going? Arg!
So I did one interval on the snowy track (I thought it ironic that an injury like this should come after running on the snow and twisting something...) in a pace that I think was in the 6:50s. Then I did a long recovery to see if things improved. After a mile they didn't and suddenly running on the track wasn't so interesting anymore. I took off around the neighborhood for the last few miles. The discomfort seemed to come and go, was I changing my stride? Climbing or descending? Just not paying attention to it? Couldn't tell.
Nuts. The muscle feels OK walking around, heck the past few hours it's a non issue. Foam rolling! Stretching!
RUN 53 minutes and some-odd seconds, 6 miles
I switched the Tuesday and Wednesday bikes so that I could focus on a great track session. This might be a good change for me to keep.
The ride was to this awful movie (some Resident Evil sequel) that was all action and no plot. Great for riding, lots of motivating fight sequences and music with no need to pay attention. I focused on keeping it ABP and alternated big and mid rings.
The run was in the COLD 30F fresh dusting of SNOW! WTF! DH is out of town in the 70+F degree desert and I'm here freezing my butt off. OK once I got running it wasn't that bad...but dammit warm up already!
The goal was 3x 1.5 mi intervals at mid-6 pace, but after the first 1200 my inner right quad muscle that hurt in Saturday's race started hurting again. I can't tell if it's injury pain or tightness pain. Either way, it really too the steam out of my sails. It set in motion that "niggle" doubt -- can I keep going or will I make it worse? Should I go home now and rest it? Am I fine, just keep going? Arg!
So I did one interval on the snowy track (I thought it ironic that an injury like this should come after running on the snow and twisting something...) in a pace that I think was in the 6:50s. Then I did a long recovery to see if things improved. After a mile they didn't and suddenly running on the track wasn't so interesting anymore. I took off around the neighborhood for the last few miles. The discomfort seemed to come and go, was I changing my stride? Climbing or descending? Just not paying attention to it? Couldn't tell.
Nuts. The muscle feels OK walking around, heck the past few hours it's a non issue. Foam rolling! Stretching!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Evolve my swim #3: STILL crossing over, 500y TT:
SWIM 1950y in about an hour
I missed a 50 so I didn't get the full 2000. There was a 500 y TT (still waiting to hear my time) that was the main set. ETA: Time was 10:25.
NK said something funny today -- that my stroke improved when I was slowing down in a pull set behind PT! HA! I wonder though if it was the pull and not the speed?
The swim felt good, can't believe I'm still crossing over!? I only swam twice last week so I can't go into the whole "but I worked so hard on it!" routine because, well, I didn't work that hard on it. So I've moved my normally scheduled Monday swim to Friday as a bonus swim. I think it's worth reminding myself that my running improved because I spent so much time on it. My swim could do the same.
I missed a 50 so I didn't get the full 2000. There was a 500 y TT (still waiting to hear my time) that was the main set. ETA: Time was 10:25.
NK said something funny today -- that my stroke improved when I was slowing down in a pull set behind PT! HA! I wonder though if it was the pull and not the speed?
The swim felt good, can't believe I'm still crossing over!? I only swam twice last week so I can't go into the whole "but I worked so hard on it!" routine because, well, I didn't work that hard on it. So I've moved my normally scheduled Monday swim to Friday as a bonus swim. I think it's worth reminding myself that my running improved because I spent so much time on it. My swim could do the same.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Wussed out and rested
BIKE 1:50 and 32.2 miles
Indoors, dammit, because it's even colder out today than it was yesterday. It's spring dammit!
The main set of this ride was 3x3.1 miles, I timed them at 9:20, 9:43, 9:43, so 19.9, 19.1, and 19.2mph. I don't have HR data. I figured that after yesterday's race I wouldn't get good numbers.
OK, I was just being lazy.
But it wasn't laziness that kept me from the brick run. I rested! My right hip that plagued me yesterday feels JUST FINE today, WTH?!
Next week is 15/36. Approaching the halfway point.
Indoors, dammit, because it's even colder out today than it was yesterday. It's spring dammit!
The main set of this ride was 3x3.1 miles, I timed them at 9:20, 9:43, 9:43, so 19.9, 19.1, and 19.2mph. I don't have HR data. I figured that after yesterday's race I wouldn't get good numbers.
OK, I was just being lazy.
But it wasn't laziness that kept me from the brick run. I rested! My right hip that plagued me yesterday feels JUST FINE today, WTH?!
Next week is 15/36. Approaching the halfway point.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Alton Half Marathon Race Report and PR!!!
RUN: 13.1 miles in 1:44:04 for a 7:57 m/m pace
7th female out of 123, 4th in AG of 26, 3rd place hardware
BIKE ~1hr and 16 miles, indoor spin later in the afternoon to shake things out
All those "out of" and hardware numbers, but the best part was that I FINALLY BROKE THE PLATEAU I've been lamenting! So much to say, how to get started?! Get ready for lots of exclamation points.
First off, a sub-8 pace! My only prior race with a sub-8 pace was a 5K in Nov 2009. ONLY. (I didn't look at my sprint tri times, to be fair, but I don't expect to find sub-8 there). The closest I got was an 8:01 at the 2010 St Patty's 5-miler.
Second, this was faster than my 10K PR pace from an olympic tri in fall of 2011, which was an 8:13 m/m pace. So this means I have a new 10K PR awaiting me, I just need to race it.
Third, holy nailed-that-goal cow, did I nail that pace! My goal set in late February was an 8 m/m and 1:45 race. It felt so good to see the miles go by at sub-8's, it was a confidence building boost. The 1:45 time was suggested by the McMillan Running "oracle" for my marathon goal time of 3:40. Now for the first time probably ever in my running career, I can use the oracle to say "this is my __K pace" and have a realistic number to shoot for in longer races:
CURRENT TIMES
Fourth, bring on the marathon!! Wow, I'm feeling good about this race now. I thought about the marathon during this race, thinking ahead to how I feel at this pace, how would I slow myself down, would I be able to do this distance twice over? I have a half-minute pace change to make, I'll need to do some training at the pace to be able to identify it. As a point of reference, Thursday's group run was an 8:43 pace, could I hold less than that for 26 miles...hmmm....
Fifth and finally, this result puts to rest so many doubts I've been having. I registered for this race the Monday after the second "event" then spent the next few days lamenting the decision. It's hard to feel race-ready when you're sick, I was getting certain that this would turn into a training day. Also, the recent weight loss and nutrition habit changes had me doubting my body and wondering what would happen when I got 8-10 miles in -- would my body would be ready for the rigors and up to the challenge? Today I learned: I'm not only fine, I'm doing great.
In February, this is what I typed into my Anti-Blerch Training Goals page:
Look-it that plateau I had going! BUSTED!!! WHOOP!!! My other half-mary PR was last summer's Route 66 Half Iron run of 1:49:28 at a 8:21 m/m pace.
This was a remarkably simple race, and reminded me of the ultras I did last summer. No big frills, small field, just a simple set-up and go type of race. Parking, packets, everything super easy. The course was simple too: short 2 mile loop then over the bridge (cross-tailwind), out-n-back along the river (tailwind then headwind), back over the bridge (cross-headwind) to mile 8, then out-n-back along the river again (tailwind then headwind again) on the levee trail to the finish.
I knew going in the race could be windy, and the low temps only added to my "what to wear" doubts. What you can expect from this situation is feeling too-warm in the tailwinds and too-cool in the headwinds. It's hard to dress for both! The irony of running from this park and along the levee trail was looking back at a training brick I did for Redman in 2012, in which the heat was so horrible that I promised myself I could play in the Pavilion's water fountain if I finished a good brick run. No playing in the fountain today! And no heat to warm me up, the temps were in the mid-30's. I decided right before the start to wear two hats and two pairs of gloves. You know me, would rather be too warm than too cold.
In previous races like this, I'd be hesitant to do any running as a warm-up. Today I jogged about 15 mins and did some speedy pulse-ups. I reminded myself that my best runs were after bike rides, so certainly I could handle a few mins of jogging today! I kept looking at the pretty half moon in the southern sky. A half moon for my half mary.
As for the race itself (this is a race report, and I've yet to get past the start line in it!), it was wonderful! I started nearer the front than usual (something I'm still learning to do) and was surprised to find that I stayed there the rest of the way. I was buoyed by the sub-8 mile intervals reported by the Garmin but wasn't really able to adjust my pace based on a mile of 7:43 or 8:13, I just ran what I could for that moment. The slow climbs up and over the bridge weren't as spectacular as I expected them to be, I ended up just staring at the roadway instead of the river. As I approached the first turn-around, I used the opportunity to count the females ahead of me -- only 7 of them! To distract myself from the headwind I counted the ones behind me too -- 122 womens total -- and I was struck by how many there were. [In fact, I just looked as I typed this, there were only 95 males in the race]. I also noted that the women runners tended to run in social groups and were having quite the fun :)
In contrast, I ran alone. Around mile 6.5 a guy passed me who was cheering on every runner we passed, I spoke briefly to him, and that was the extent of my talking for this race! At least the out-loud talking, my mind never shut-up: "I'm a strong runner, if I can be a smart runner today I'll nail my goal". "You can run the heat all you want on the drive home, just suck it up for now". "Two miles in, it's normal to feel tired, you're still warming up". "Perfect nutrition with the EFS, take only what you need, and take the cold aid station water even if you don't want it". "Run in your bubble, don't worry about the woman ahead of you". "It's supposed to hurt". "Stay in the bubble, don't worry about the woman right behind you!". "Remember Hoka/IM guy ahead of you? With the perfect easy form? Is my form like that too?". "My race, my pace". "How in the world is that person wearing shorts and t-shirt?!".
Oh if anything should get tired during a long event like this, you'd think it'd be my brain.
The race really started for me around mile 9.5. A tight inner quad muscle started to hurt, and it spread to form an upside down V from my hip, pulling on both inner and outer quad muscles. I was benefiting from a tail wind at this point and picked up my pace to take full advantage before I turned around. My goal was to save at least a little bit for a strong 12th mile and even better finish. As mile 11 came up, I could see the woman in front of me. I was slowly reeling her in, the question would be her mile 12 kick -- will she have one? (I joked that since she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, she might be in a hurry to finish!). I slowly, slowly, slowly, caught up and passed her. Then the worry was on that she'd be right behind me! So mile 12 was fast, legs starting to numb a little, and the worry about tripping or turning an ankle started to seep in. No such -- I saw the Mile 13 sign, turned it up a little more, and crossed the line a minute under my goal!
I've learned that I'll doubt my effort if I feel like I have left over energy afterwards. So although I felt OK at the finish, I don't think I could have run it any better. I probably made a mistake of not walking more than a few minutes, my fingertips were so cold they ached for 20 mins and I huddled in the truck waiting to warm up. My right quad muscles were definitely going to hurt tomorrow. But I nailed the nutrition (Powerbar nibbled before start, 2 servings of EFS in-race, 1 serving EFS immediately after), had no gear fails or chafing, managed to find the best balance of clothing for the weather...I was a smart runner today :)
I'm in a great place to start final preps for the upcoming May marathon only 7 weeks away!
7th female out of 123, 4th in AG of 26, 3rd place hardware
BIKE ~1hr and 16 miles, indoor spin later in the afternoon to shake things out
All those "out of" and hardware numbers, but the best part was that I FINALLY BROKE THE PLATEAU I've been lamenting! So much to say, how to get started?! Get ready for lots of exclamation points.
First off, a sub-8 pace! My only prior race with a sub-8 pace was a 5K in Nov 2009. ONLY. (I didn't look at my sprint tri times, to be fair, but I don't expect to find sub-8 there). The closest I got was an 8:01 at the 2010 St Patty's 5-miler.
Second, this was faster than my 10K PR pace from an olympic tri in fall of 2011, which was an 8:13 m/m pace. So this means I have a new 10K PR awaiting me, I just need to race it.
Third, holy nailed-that-goal cow, did I nail that pace! My goal set in late February was an 8 m/m and 1:45 race. It felt so good to see the miles go by at sub-8's, it was a confidence building boost. The 1:45 time was suggested by the McMillan Running "oracle" for my marathon goal time of 3:40. Now for the first time probably ever in my running career, I can use the oracle to say "this is my __K pace" and have a realistic number to shoot for in longer races:
CURRENT TIMES
Fourth, bring on the marathon!! Wow, I'm feeling good about this race now. I thought about the marathon during this race, thinking ahead to how I feel at this pace, how would I slow myself down, would I be able to do this distance twice over? I have a half-minute pace change to make, I'll need to do some training at the pace to be able to identify it. As a point of reference, Thursday's group run was an 8:43 pace, could I hold less than that for 26 miles...hmmm....
Fifth and finally, this result puts to rest so many doubts I've been having. I registered for this race the Monday after the second "event" then spent the next few days lamenting the decision. It's hard to feel race-ready when you're sick, I was getting certain that this would turn into a training day. Also, the recent weight loss and nutrition habit changes had me doubting my body and wondering what would happen when I got 8-10 miles in -- would my body would be ready for the rigors and up to the challenge? Today I learned: I'm not only fine, I'm doing great.
In February, this is what I typed into my Anti-Blerch Training Goals page:
| Half | Spirit of St Louis | April 2006 | 2:06:23 | 9:38:00 |
| Spirit of St Louis | April 2007 | 1:59:37 | 9:07:00 | |
| Frostbite | January 2008 | 2:10:02 | 9:55:00 | |
| Go St Louis | April 2009 | 1:58:22 | 9:02:00 | |
| Track Club | November 2009 | 1:54:38 | 8:45:00 | |
| Frostbite | January 2010 | 1:58:30 | 9:02:00 | |
| Alton | March 2014 | 1:45:00 | 8:00:00 |
Look-it that plateau I had going! BUSTED!!! WHOOP!!! My other half-mary PR was last summer's Route 66 Half Iron run of 1:49:28 at a 8:21 m/m pace.
This was a remarkably simple race, and reminded me of the ultras I did last summer. No big frills, small field, just a simple set-up and go type of race. Parking, packets, everything super easy. The course was simple too: short 2 mile loop then over the bridge (cross-tailwind), out-n-back along the river (tailwind then headwind), back over the bridge (cross-headwind) to mile 8, then out-n-back along the river again (tailwind then headwind again) on the levee trail to the finish.
I knew going in the race could be windy, and the low temps only added to my "what to wear" doubts. What you can expect from this situation is feeling too-warm in the tailwinds and too-cool in the headwinds. It's hard to dress for both! The irony of running from this park and along the levee trail was looking back at a training brick I did for Redman in 2012, in which the heat was so horrible that I promised myself I could play in the Pavilion's water fountain if I finished a good brick run. No playing in the fountain today! And no heat to warm me up, the temps were in the mid-30's. I decided right before the start to wear two hats and two pairs of gloves. You know me, would rather be too warm than too cold.
In previous races like this, I'd be hesitant to do any running as a warm-up. Today I jogged about 15 mins and did some speedy pulse-ups. I reminded myself that my best runs were after bike rides, so certainly I could handle a few mins of jogging today! I kept looking at the pretty half moon in the southern sky. A half moon for my half mary.
As for the race itself (this is a race report, and I've yet to get past the start line in it!), it was wonderful! I started nearer the front than usual (something I'm still learning to do) and was surprised to find that I stayed there the rest of the way. I was buoyed by the sub-8 mile intervals reported by the Garmin but wasn't really able to adjust my pace based on a mile of 7:43 or 8:13, I just ran what I could for that moment. The slow climbs up and over the bridge weren't as spectacular as I expected them to be, I ended up just staring at the roadway instead of the river. As I approached the first turn-around, I used the opportunity to count the females ahead of me -- only 7 of them! To distract myself from the headwind I counted the ones behind me too -- 122 womens total -- and I was struck by how many there were. [In fact, I just looked as I typed this, there were only 95 males in the race]. I also noted that the women runners tended to run in social groups and were having quite the fun :)
In contrast, I ran alone. Around mile 6.5 a guy passed me who was cheering on every runner we passed, I spoke briefly to him, and that was the extent of my talking for this race! At least the out-loud talking, my mind never shut-up: "I'm a strong runner, if I can be a smart runner today I'll nail my goal". "You can run the heat all you want on the drive home, just suck it up for now". "Two miles in, it's normal to feel tired, you're still warming up". "Perfect nutrition with the EFS, take only what you need, and take the cold aid station water even if you don't want it". "Run in your bubble, don't worry about the woman ahead of you". "It's supposed to hurt". "Stay in the bubble, don't worry about the woman right behind you!". "Remember Hoka/IM guy ahead of you? With the perfect easy form? Is my form like that too?". "My race, my pace". "How in the world is that person wearing shorts and t-shirt?!".
Oh if anything should get tired during a long event like this, you'd think it'd be my brain.
The race really started for me around mile 9.5. A tight inner quad muscle started to hurt, and it spread to form an upside down V from my hip, pulling on both inner and outer quad muscles. I was benefiting from a tail wind at this point and picked up my pace to take full advantage before I turned around. My goal was to save at least a little bit for a strong 12th mile and even better finish. As mile 11 came up, I could see the woman in front of me. I was slowly reeling her in, the question would be her mile 12 kick -- will she have one? (I joked that since she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, she might be in a hurry to finish!). I slowly, slowly, slowly, caught up and passed her. Then the worry was on that she'd be right behind me! So mile 12 was fast, legs starting to numb a little, and the worry about tripping or turning an ankle started to seep in. No such -- I saw the Mile 13 sign, turned it up a little more, and crossed the line a minute under my goal!
I've learned that I'll doubt my effort if I feel like I have left over energy afterwards. So although I felt OK at the finish, I don't think I could have run it any better. I probably made a mistake of not walking more than a few minutes, my fingertips were so cold they ached for 20 mins and I huddled in the truck waiting to warm up. My right quad muscles were definitely going to hurt tomorrow. But I nailed the nutrition (Powerbar nibbled before start, 2 servings of EFS in-race, 1 serving EFS immediately after), had no gear fails or chafing, managed to find the best balance of clothing for the weather...I was a smart runner today :)
I'm in a great place to start final preps for the upcoming May marathon only 7 weeks away!
Friday, March 21, 2014
WasGonna swim, but took the day off
Title says it all. I WasGonna do the 1200 straight through swim that I missed earlier in the week, but a long day at work and the need to rest for tomorrow's half marathon kept me from doing so.
I'm pretty convinced that this one swim won't make or break my races in August!
How am I feeling for tomorrow? Lots of doubt. Doubt about being 'sick' in the past few weeks, doubts from missing what I considered to be key workouts, doubts about how my changing body will respond in a race.
I'm pretty convinced that this one swim won't make or break my races in August!
How am I feeling for tomorrow? Lots of doubt. Doubt about being 'sick' in the past few weeks, doubts from missing what I considered to be key workouts, doubts about how my changing body will respond in a race.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
8:43 is the new 9:15
RUN 6.6 miles in 57:40 for an 8:43 pace
SWIM 2600 yards in 1:05, 15x100 (10s) in 32:30
COMMUTE 6 miles
Spring has sprung! Although you wouldn't know it this morning with the chill in the air. Warm up dammit!
My goal for the run was an easy, pre-race loop of the park. DC wasn't running so I didn't feel the need to keep up with him :) If I had to have guessed my pace, I would have said 9:15-ish. So I was surprised to see 8:43! Whoop! It felt good and easy, unpushed but brisk.
Can't say the same for the swim. After a WU and drills (I'm now much better about including drills after my WU, just needed to make it a priority. And habit.) I started the 15x 100y with 10s rest. My goal was do to the 100's in 1:52-1:55ish, maybe even 1:50. So the overall time I was shooting for was 30 mins, which included the 100's and the rests.
Didn't happen. The first 100 came in at 1:52, the rest closer to 1:57-1:59. My form definitely fell off as the distance progressed, but it was disappointing to see the 2nd and 3rd 100's slower. And things were chugging along nicely until the very end of the 8th interval when a CRAMP hit the right calf. I stopped my watch and waited it out. I needed the break anyway to get my head around my slower than expected pace, and adjust my goals.
Tomorrow I'm planning to do the 1200 straight through, and REST into Saturday's race. I'm having some doubts about how I feel for the race -- can I expect to go as fast as I'd hoped without the speed work? Maybe. After this morning's surprise, who knows!? But I'm still tired and feeling a little on the weak side sometimes. REST!
SWIM 2600 yards in 1:05, 15x100 (10s) in 32:30
COMMUTE 6 miles
Spring has sprung! Although you wouldn't know it this morning with the chill in the air. Warm up dammit!
My goal for the run was an easy, pre-race loop of the park. DC wasn't running so I didn't feel the need to keep up with him :) If I had to have guessed my pace, I would have said 9:15-ish. So I was surprised to see 8:43! Whoop! It felt good and easy, unpushed but brisk.
Can't say the same for the swim. After a WU and drills (I'm now much better about including drills after my WU, just needed to make it a priority. And habit.) I started the 15x 100y with 10s rest. My goal was do to the 100's in 1:52-1:55ish, maybe even 1:50. So the overall time I was shooting for was 30 mins, which included the 100's and the rests.
Didn't happen. The first 100 came in at 1:52, the rest closer to 1:57-1:59. My form definitely fell off as the distance progressed, but it was disappointing to see the 2nd and 3rd 100's slower. And things were chugging along nicely until the very end of the 8th interval when a CRAMP hit the right calf. I stopped my watch and waited it out. I needed the break anyway to get my head around my slower than expected pace, and adjust my goals.
Tomorrow I'm planning to do the 1200 straight through, and REST into Saturday's race. I'm having some doubts about how I feel for the race -- can I expect to go as fast as I'd hoped without the speed work? Maybe. After this morning's surprise, who knows!? But I'm still tired and feeling a little on the weak side sometimes. REST!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Today didn't go as planned, so I did what I could
COMMUTE 6+3 extra
BIKE 40 mins and 14 miles
SWIM didn't happen
And I can't complain really, because it isn't that often that a planned day falls apart like this. It's pretty rare.
I'd like to blame the dog, but really she was more of just the excuse. I woke up thinking I'd take the "long way" into work for the bike ride, attend a work meeting at 9am, take DH's car to the pool for the swim, and be done. That's not how the morning went. Instead I took a few extra miles in FoPa, sat through the meeting, then skipped the swim. I instead headed back to lab to get going on a day that would be shortened by having to take the doggie to the vet for the cut on her face.
All day this weighed on my mind. When will I swim? Will I get to go at all? How will I ride home to get the miles? Should I swim Friday instead? What if it gets too dark to ride? What if I went to the pool after the vet?
In the end, I didn't get more outdoor miles (boooo.....), I moved the swim to Friday, and I finished off an hour's worth of riding indoors after the vet and prescription errands were done. To amp it up a bit, I did some light arm weight exercises in the last 20 mins of the bike. I'm worried about going from Hero to Zero, and that I'm losing muscle. Not sure if I am or not, but it's enough to motivate me.
I did what I could, and I'm happy with that.
BIKE 40 mins and 14 miles
SWIM didn't happen
And I can't complain really, because it isn't that often that a planned day falls apart like this. It's pretty rare.
I'd like to blame the dog, but really she was more of just the excuse. I woke up thinking I'd take the "long way" into work for the bike ride, attend a work meeting at 9am, take DH's car to the pool for the swim, and be done. That's not how the morning went. Instead I took a few extra miles in FoPa, sat through the meeting, then skipped the swim. I instead headed back to lab to get going on a day that would be shortened by having to take the doggie to the vet for the cut on her face.
All day this weighed on my mind. When will I swim? Will I get to go at all? How will I ride home to get the miles? Should I swim Friday instead? What if it gets too dark to ride? What if I went to the pool after the vet?
In the end, I didn't get more outdoor miles (boooo.....), I moved the swim to Friday, and I finished off an hour's worth of riding indoors after the vet and prescription errands were done. To amp it up a bit, I did some light arm weight exercises in the last 20 mins of the bike. I'm worried about going from Hero to Zero, and that I'm losing muscle. Not sure if I am or not, but it's enough to motivate me.
I did what I could, and I'm happy with that.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
How bad do I want it?
BIKE: 75 mins and 22.25 miles, indoors morning
RUN: 72 mins and 7 miles, windy afternoon
COMMUTE 6 miles
The goal of the bike was 4x 3.1 mile intervals with increasing effort:
#1 and #2: 75% took 10 mins for ave of 18.6 mph
#3: 80% took 9:40 for ave of 19.2 mph
#4: 84% took 9:30 for ave of 19.6 mph
Now when I first saw those numbers I though I hadn't made much difference between the first and the last. It was disappointing. But when the average mph was calculated I was happier. 112 miles at 18.6 mph is a smidge over 6 hours, while 112 miles at 19.6 mph 5 hrs 42 mins. OK that's less than exciting, but 20 mins is still 20 mins!
After the ride, my enthusiasm for the run faded like a dropped rock. Maybe faded is the wrong word. I was cold and hungry, it was 34F outside, and so instead of running I ate a random brekkie standing at the computer. Not my goal! I decided to run later in the day when the temps were expected to be in the 60's.
I had a minimal lunch of a large pear and some canned oysters (WTF did I pack?!) at 2pm, and wondered what those oysters were going to do when I ran. So I waited until almost 4pm to run. It was almost 60F and windy! A strong blustery wind out of the south/southeast (bodes well for my commute home...) made the out portion of the run pleasant, but the in portion a bit frustrating.
The run started off bad, I was stiff, poorly fueled, and had a tight inner quad muscle. But I told myself to at least get warmed up before coming to any decisions about what to do. I'd already thrown out the plan of 3x 1 mile intervals, it just wasn't going to happen today. I decided on a steady 6 miler that stayed steady in spite of the wind. At one point I decided that if I did 7 I could have a treat piece of chocolate later :) with almond butter :). Hey whatever works.
On the way back, I started getting chilled from the wind and my enthusiasm started to wane again. I promised myself to run to a certain point, then if I still needed to I could walk. But I'd reach that point I'd picked and have no real urge to walk. Pick another point, run, repeat. I realized soon enough it was The Blerch who wanted to walk. Bastard. At 6 miles I was close to the end, I could cut short, but asked myself "How badly do you want this?" And I didn't mean the chocolate. How badly did I want to have a good marathon, a good MiTi, a good run today? Turns out I didn't want to stop. I didn't want to cut the run short, cut the corner near the science center, didn't want to walk the last hill into the parking area. I wanted this!
And so for that I get chocolate. Hey, what ever works!
RUN: 72 mins and 7 miles, windy afternoon
COMMUTE 6 miles
The goal of the bike was 4x 3.1 mile intervals with increasing effort:
#1 and #2: 75% took 10 mins for ave of 18.6 mph
#3: 80% took 9:40 for ave of 19.2 mph
#4: 84% took 9:30 for ave of 19.6 mph
Now when I first saw those numbers I though I hadn't made much difference between the first and the last. It was disappointing. But when the average mph was calculated I was happier. 112 miles at 18.6 mph is a smidge over 6 hours, while 112 miles at 19.6 mph 5 hrs 42 mins. OK that's less than exciting, but 20 mins is still 20 mins!
After the ride, my enthusiasm for the run faded like a dropped rock. Maybe faded is the wrong word. I was cold and hungry, it was 34F outside, and so instead of running I ate a random brekkie standing at the computer. Not my goal! I decided to run later in the day when the temps were expected to be in the 60's.
I had a minimal lunch of a large pear and some canned oysters (WTF did I pack?!) at 2pm, and wondered what those oysters were going to do when I ran. So I waited until almost 4pm to run. It was almost 60F and windy! A strong blustery wind out of the south/southeast (bodes well for my commute home...) made the out portion of the run pleasant, but the in portion a bit frustrating.
The run started off bad, I was stiff, poorly fueled, and had a tight inner quad muscle. But I told myself to at least get warmed up before coming to any decisions about what to do. I'd already thrown out the plan of 3x 1 mile intervals, it just wasn't going to happen today. I decided on a steady 6 miler that stayed steady in spite of the wind. At one point I decided that if I did 7 I could have a treat piece of chocolate later :) with almond butter :). Hey whatever works.
On the way back, I started getting chilled from the wind and my enthusiasm started to wane again. I promised myself to run to a certain point, then if I still needed to I could walk. But I'd reach that point I'd picked and have no real urge to walk. Pick another point, run, repeat. I realized soon enough it was The Blerch who wanted to walk. Bastard. At 6 miles I was close to the end, I could cut short, but asked myself "How badly do you want this?" And I didn't mean the chocolate. How badly did I want to have a good marathon, a good MiTi, a good run today? Turns out I didn't want to stop. I didn't want to cut the run short, cut the corner near the science center, didn't want to walk the last hill into the parking area. I wanted this!
And so for that I get chocolate. Hey, what ever works!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Evolve My Swim 2: Quit crossing over!
SWIM 1hr and I think 1950y
My feedback last week was that both arms cross over. I watched a few videos, worked on this last Weds and Thurs, and thought I made progress. Nope. My first feedback today was that I'm still crossing over! In my mind I was aiming for the 10 and the 2. In reality I was more like 11:58 and 12:02, but with the wrong hands!Nuts!
Drills today were "water polo" -- kinda like a doggie paddle to see where arms enter; and a "looking ahead" -- to watch hands underwater. SM said what I've heard before: I have the physique but not the technique. So instead of descending 100s with the group, I did form-focused 100s'. I timed one of them at 1:50!!! My 100s lately have been more like 1:55-1:59 so this was a pleasant surprise. I did feel faster, I did feel different muscles working. My head likes these things :)
SM also suggested resistance band training. I have work to do.
Great energetic day, feeling really good. Except for this cavity filling that feels like it could pop out any second. Off to the dentist...
My feedback last week was that both arms cross over. I watched a few videos, worked on this last Weds and Thurs, and thought I made progress. Nope. My first feedback today was that I'm still crossing over! In my mind I was aiming for the 10 and the 2. In reality I was more like 11:58 and 12:02, but with the wrong hands!Nuts!
Drills today were "water polo" -- kinda like a doggie paddle to see where arms enter; and a "looking ahead" -- to watch hands underwater. SM said what I've heard before: I have the physique but not the technique. So instead of descending 100s with the group, I did form-focused 100s'. I timed one of them at 1:50!!! My 100s lately have been more like 1:55-1:59 so this was a pleasant surprise. I did feel faster, I did feel different muscles working. My head likes these things :)
SM also suggested resistance band training. I have work to do.
Great energetic day, feeling really good. Except for this cavity filling that feels like it could pop out any second. Off to the dentist...
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Hopefully the last indoor weekend ride!
BIKE 2 hrs and 36.6 miles
This was a descending intervals workout, I have the HR data but not in front of me.
32 mins 19.7 mph
24 mins 19.1
16 mins 19.1
8 mins 18.8
4 mins 18
I started off with a long WU and felt good through the first intervals, but faded by the 8 mins.
The forecast called for cold, windy, 1-3 inches of snow, sleet, rain ... just a mess. So I didn't plan a run. Which was good, because I didn't really feel like running. But the weather turned out to just be kinda cold and somewhat windy.
I spent the rest of the day thinking I probably shoulda ran, but I was also happy to just spend the time with DH, mull my recent health questions, and do the cook up work.
This was a descending intervals workout, I have the HR data but not in front of me.
32 mins 19.7 mph
24 mins 19.1
16 mins 19.1
8 mins 18.8
4 mins 18
I started off with a long WU and felt good through the first intervals, but faded by the 8 mins.
The forecast called for cold, windy, 1-3 inches of snow, sleet, rain ... just a mess. So I didn't plan a run. Which was good, because I didn't really feel like running. But the weather turned out to just be kinda cold and somewhat windy.
I spent the rest of the day thinking I probably shoulda ran, but I was also happy to just spend the time with DH, mull my recent health questions, and do the cook up work.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
20-miler #2
RUN 3:12 and 20 miles, 9:36m/m
BIKE 48 mins and about 13.5 miles, just rounded up to 4 hrs
I met up with the Evolve group after 4.4 miles alone, ran with them until TH was done at almost 14 miles (for me), then broke off on my own. It was fun to run my usual neighborhood with others! And it was good to talk to TH about what's going on. She's honest with me, and told me things I need to hear. I'm damned good at denial. She's damned good at straight-talkin'.
I worked hard yesterday to catch up after Thursday night, and I think it paid off. I felt great for this run, awake and energetic, maybe a little sludge in the system (haha, funny right?). I only ate about 100 calories every 45-60 mins and that might account for my mental fade towards the end. I had some math troubles trying to figure out the route for an out-n-back. But my energy in the last mile was awesome! Probably due to the bites of powerbar at 16 miles? Is that a sign I need to eat more? Probably.
I did the ride just to round out the 4hrs. It was an easy, no-work, spin indoors.
BIKE 48 mins and about 13.5 miles, just rounded up to 4 hrs
I met up with the Evolve group after 4.4 miles alone, ran with them until TH was done at almost 14 miles (for me), then broke off on my own. It was fun to run my usual neighborhood with others! And it was good to talk to TH about what's going on. She's honest with me, and told me things I need to hear. I'm damned good at denial. She's damned good at straight-talkin'.
I worked hard yesterday to catch up after Thursday night, and I think it paid off. I felt great for this run, awake and energetic, maybe a little sludge in the system (haha, funny right?). I only ate about 100 calories every 45-60 mins and that might account for my mental fade towards the end. I had some math troubles trying to figure out the route for an out-n-back. But my energy in the last mile was awesome! Probably due to the bites of powerbar at 16 miles? Is that a sign I need to eat more? Probably.
I did the ride just to round out the 4hrs. It was an easy, no-work, spin indoors.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Event #3 and summary
DAY OFF
I was sick again last night, and I need to get this recorded somewhere before I start forgetting.
#1: Pork belly in early December. Ate out with family and had a square of pork belly. I was acutely nauseated 2.5-3 hrs after eating. Horrible nausea that came in 15-20 mins waves, abdominal pain, but no vomiting, or any other symptoms. It cleared by the next morning, and since I had family I just kept chugging away through the day thinking I was just sick from eating a super fatty meal. But it left a mark, I'm not sure I can ever eat pork belly again!
#2: Oysters and clam/mussels in coconut broth on Saturday March 1st. We bought some new foods at an Asian market and I munched some of the dried mushrooms a few hours before dinner. Ate out with DH was again acutely sick 2.5 hrs after eating. Same awful nausea and pain, but no other symptoms. I did an indoor ride Sunday morning, and thought I'd recovered by the end of the day although I still wasn't feeling good. Monday I was still sick feeling and didn't drink much. By Tuesday I was miserable -- nausea and dehydrated and in some pain just under my ribs. I left work early, went to bed at 2pm and didn't move much until 7pm. And that was just to switch beds. I slept another 10-11 hrs! Weds I stayed home again, trying to rehydrate but still feeling sick every time I ate something. Thursday morning was to urgent care, Thursday afternoon back to urgent care, Thursday evening to BWC for imaging. The 2L of fluid I received at the afternoon and evening visits proved just how dry I was -- I didn't have to pee for hours! The imaging revealed sludge and stones in the gallbladder, some fluid around the gallbladder, all suggestive but not definitive for gallbladder disease. But the ER Dr thought that was a good enough reason to follow up on that suggestion.
Although I got home from the ER at midnight, and I was on the trainer at 7am for an easy ride. Saturday a long indoor bike, Sunday a 14 miler with TH. I bounced back fast with those extra fluids. After this second event I was on a gluten-free BRAT diet until Saturday, and I've been staying low fat ever since. But soon enough I think I started straying towards normal, which I was eager to get to. I watched the fat amounts, tried to log so I had a record to follow, and just tried to return to normal.
My blood tests all came back normal. This event was really complicated by the dehydration. It's probably why I didn't recover Sunday, dragged into Monday, then crisised into Tuesday. Was the nausea from the dehydration?
#3: Thursday night March 13th, I munched more of the dried mushrooms (joking in my head that if I got sick again we should investigate the shrooms!), and had low-fat fish for dinner followed by an apple with ghee butter. Nothing too extra-ordinary fat-wise. But 2.5 hrs later acute nausea, came on strong and fast. This time though my stomach followed through on the threat and I threw up about 6 times over the next few hours. The amount of food seemed crazy, as if everything I'd eaten all day was coming back. By the end, it was dry heaves. Ugh...this all kept me away from solid food for awhile!
I went to bed afterwards and a worn-out dizzy mess, woke up the next morning and immediately focused on recovery. Nothing tasted good, my throat was raw, and I had petechia around my eyes. And I had a 20-mile run this weekend! By coincidence I had a Dr appt today too, to establish with a PCP. I was tired all day, but we bought some water and applesauce and that seemed to get me back on track. The Dr also thought gallbladder and referred me to a surgeon. But what do I think?
I've been making mental lists, comparisons, extrapolations...
Both #1 and #2 had high-fat meals, but did #3? Not really.
Both #2 and #3 had the mushrooms, but the timing was 5 hours for #2 and 2-3hrs for #3.
I didn't have the expected excruciating pain I read about. I was more "very uncomfortable" in pain.
#1 and #2 happened on weekends after restaurant meals, #3 was at home.
#2 and #3 were in training season, #1 was in the off-season.
I did have the acute nausea after eating.
#2 was complicated by the dehydration, it's hard to separate the symptoms, especially the fatigue and lingering sickness, as that's not a normal gallbladder thing.
So while I'm seeing a surgeon, I'm not convinced and need better evidence. The fat? The mushrooms? Coincidence that I have the gallstones?
Until I know more, I'm diligently tracking my nutrition, working recipes so I know how much fat is added by only adding it after cooking and I plan to titer up the amounts of fat until I find a comfort zone. I'm also working out my nutrition so I get the needed calories without the fat to help. Carbs are easy, I need to put the focus on protein. To be honest, I'm still eating fat, just less than before. Actually, I'm probably eating what normal people eat now. Lastly, I'm working over the mental blocks of eating solid foods. Throwing that stuff up was terribly unpleasant...so I'm planning juices and soups.
I was sick again last night, and I need to get this recorded somewhere before I start forgetting.
#1: Pork belly in early December. Ate out with family and had a square of pork belly. I was acutely nauseated 2.5-3 hrs after eating. Horrible nausea that came in 15-20 mins waves, abdominal pain, but no vomiting, or any other symptoms. It cleared by the next morning, and since I had family I just kept chugging away through the day thinking I was just sick from eating a super fatty meal. But it left a mark, I'm not sure I can ever eat pork belly again!
#2: Oysters and clam/mussels in coconut broth on Saturday March 1st. We bought some new foods at an Asian market and I munched some of the dried mushrooms a few hours before dinner. Ate out with DH was again acutely sick 2.5 hrs after eating. Same awful nausea and pain, but no other symptoms. I did an indoor ride Sunday morning, and thought I'd recovered by the end of the day although I still wasn't feeling good. Monday I was still sick feeling and didn't drink much. By Tuesday I was miserable -- nausea and dehydrated and in some pain just under my ribs. I left work early, went to bed at 2pm and didn't move much until 7pm. And that was just to switch beds. I slept another 10-11 hrs! Weds I stayed home again, trying to rehydrate but still feeling sick every time I ate something. Thursday morning was to urgent care, Thursday afternoon back to urgent care, Thursday evening to BWC for imaging. The 2L of fluid I received at the afternoon and evening visits proved just how dry I was -- I didn't have to pee for hours! The imaging revealed sludge and stones in the gallbladder, some fluid around the gallbladder, all suggestive but not definitive for gallbladder disease. But the ER Dr thought that was a good enough reason to follow up on that suggestion.
Although I got home from the ER at midnight, and I was on the trainer at 7am for an easy ride. Saturday a long indoor bike, Sunday a 14 miler with TH. I bounced back fast with those extra fluids. After this second event I was on a gluten-free BRAT diet until Saturday, and I've been staying low fat ever since. But soon enough I think I started straying towards normal, which I was eager to get to. I watched the fat amounts, tried to log so I had a record to follow, and just tried to return to normal.
My blood tests all came back normal. This event was really complicated by the dehydration. It's probably why I didn't recover Sunday, dragged into Monday, then crisised into Tuesday. Was the nausea from the dehydration?
#3: Thursday night March 13th, I munched more of the dried mushrooms (joking in my head that if I got sick again we should investigate the shrooms!), and had low-fat fish for dinner followed by an apple with ghee butter. Nothing too extra-ordinary fat-wise. But 2.5 hrs later acute nausea, came on strong and fast. This time though my stomach followed through on the threat and I threw up about 6 times over the next few hours. The amount of food seemed crazy, as if everything I'd eaten all day was coming back. By the end, it was dry heaves. Ugh...this all kept me away from solid food for awhile!
I went to bed afterwards and a worn-out dizzy mess, woke up the next morning and immediately focused on recovery. Nothing tasted good, my throat was raw, and I had petechia around my eyes. And I had a 20-mile run this weekend! By coincidence I had a Dr appt today too, to establish with a PCP. I was tired all day, but we bought some water and applesauce and that seemed to get me back on track. The Dr also thought gallbladder and referred me to a surgeon. But what do I think?
I've been making mental lists, comparisons, extrapolations...
Both #1 and #2 had high-fat meals, but did #3? Not really.
Both #2 and #3 had the mushrooms, but the timing was 5 hours for #2 and 2-3hrs for #3.
I didn't have the expected excruciating pain I read about. I was more "very uncomfortable" in pain.
#1 and #2 happened on weekends after restaurant meals, #3 was at home.
#2 and #3 were in training season, #1 was in the off-season.
I did have the acute nausea after eating.
#2 was complicated by the dehydration, it's hard to separate the symptoms, especially the fatigue and lingering sickness, as that's not a normal gallbladder thing.
So while I'm seeing a surgeon, I'm not convinced and need better evidence. The fat? The mushrooms? Coincidence that I have the gallstones?
Until I know more, I'm diligently tracking my nutrition, working recipes so I know how much fat is added by only adding it after cooking and I plan to titer up the amounts of fat until I find a comfort zone. I'm also working out my nutrition so I get the needed calories without the fat to help. Carbs are easy, I need to put the focus on protein. To be honest, I'm still eating fat, just less than before. Actually, I'm probably eating what normal people eat now. Lastly, I'm working over the mental blocks of eating solid foods. Throwing that stuff up was terribly unpleasant...so I'm planning juices and soups.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Still tired but getting it done
RUN 6.6 miles in 57 mins, I think about an 8:23m/m
SWIM 2400 in 1hr
Brrr hopefully this is the last cold morning to deal with! Just above freezing, but otherwise a great morning, sunrise, and run group :) I was tired and kept wanting to stop, but never wanting it so bad that I was really tempted to.
Between the run and swim, I ate half a powerbar and part of a Lara. Hopefully this would take away any excuses about being poorly fueled. Then I took about 10 mins to get through the shower to the deck...momentum slowing down again!
The MS today was 800 loco then 3x500 as 300swim/200 choice. I was feeling better than I did for yesterday's swim energy-wise, but felt just as sloppy and messy. Once again, I slowed down and paused as needed so I could focus on good form and the drills. Quality over Quantity.
The "11" drill feels OK but not clean. When I focus on that drill, other things start to fall apart. Suddenly I feel like I'm not getting enough air, I'm dragging in the water, and my catch is even worse than before. I understand that things can get worse before they get better, but this was maddening. But I stuck to it to give it a fair chance. I remembered JM's drill of aiming for the 10 and the 2...my shoulder and arm muscles were feeling the workout...and I felt slow and sloppy. I didn't make it to the last 500, there was just no need to keep pushing something I wasn't enjoying.
It felt good to just get it done. Today I found a good balance of "I did my workouts, they may have been messy, but I mentally pushed it, and didn't punish myself stupidly". At least that's what I'm telling myself.
SWIM 2400 in 1hr
Brrr hopefully this is the last cold morning to deal with! Just above freezing, but otherwise a great morning, sunrise, and run group :) I was tired and kept wanting to stop, but never wanting it so bad that I was really tempted to.
Between the run and swim, I ate half a powerbar and part of a Lara. Hopefully this would take away any excuses about being poorly fueled. Then I took about 10 mins to get through the shower to the deck...momentum slowing down again!
The MS today was 800 loco then 3x500 as 300swim/200 choice. I was feeling better than I did for yesterday's swim energy-wise, but felt just as sloppy and messy. Once again, I slowed down and paused as needed so I could focus on good form and the drills. Quality over Quantity.
The "11" drill feels OK but not clean. When I focus on that drill, other things start to fall apart. Suddenly I feel like I'm not getting enough air, I'm dragging in the water, and my catch is even worse than before. I understand that things can get worse before they get better, but this was maddening. But I stuck to it to give it a fair chance. I remembered JM's drill of aiming for the 10 and the 2...my shoulder and arm muscles were feeling the workout...and I felt slow and sloppy. I didn't make it to the last 500, there was just no need to keep pushing something I wasn't enjoying.
It felt good to just get it done. Today I found a good balance of "I did my workouts, they may have been messy, but I mentally pushed it, and didn't punish myself stupidly". At least that's what I'm telling myself.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Bored, tired, crappy workouts
BIKE 1hr and 17.5 miles
SWIM 50 mins and 1950y
So after two wonderful days of 70F weather we're plunged back into the low 30's. It's only temporary so just ride it out. Better weather ahead!
The ride was supposed to be 6x of the VGR drills, but I just rode. Bored. I was going to swim right away but realized that since I had to leave work early for a 3pm tax appt my work day was already messed up. So instead of driving to south city 2x, I decided to head to work first then swim after the appt.
All day I was dragging, low energy and no momentum. Lots of sitting, lots of stress, all adds up bad. When I finally got to this swim I was even lower energy despite the Lara bar and extra salad. I was moving slow and sluggish. The training plan said 1x500, 2x250, 5x100 for the MS. I got through the 500 and a 250 before I called it off and focused on pull drills. Which reminds me!
Evolve says I cross over in front, so I was given some "11" position drills to work on. I could feel the cross over effect as my back end was wagging everywhere Monday, it just didn't occur to me why I was wagging so much. I did this drill both before and after the MS.
The pool lanes were filling up with non-swimmers, one guy jumped in and b!tched about how his complaints for more lanes go ignored, then proceeds to do some backstroke/doggy paddle/kick thing in our circle swim. Ugh. Strange Denizens of the Pool.
I gotta push through this fatigue -- not ignore it but rather figure it out and resolve it. I'm thinking it's stress, I had a pretty stress-filled Tuesday at work.
SWIM 50 mins and 1950y
So after two wonderful days of 70F weather we're plunged back into the low 30's. It's only temporary so just ride it out. Better weather ahead!
The ride was supposed to be 6x of the VGR drills, but I just rode. Bored. I was going to swim right away but realized that since I had to leave work early for a 3pm tax appt my work day was already messed up. So instead of driving to south city 2x, I decided to head to work first then swim after the appt.
All day I was dragging, low energy and no momentum. Lots of sitting, lots of stress, all adds up bad. When I finally got to this swim I was even lower energy despite the Lara bar and extra salad. I was moving slow and sluggish. The training plan said 1x500, 2x250, 5x100 for the MS. I got through the 500 and a 250 before I called it off and focused on pull drills. Which reminds me!
Evolve says I cross over in front, so I was given some "11" position drills to work on. I could feel the cross over effect as my back end was wagging everywhere Monday, it just didn't occur to me why I was wagging so much. I did this drill both before and after the MS.
The pool lanes were filling up with non-swimmers, one guy jumped in and b!tched about how his complaints for more lanes go ignored, then proceeds to do some backstroke/doggy paddle/kick thing in our circle swim. Ugh. Strange Denizens of the Pool.
I gotta push through this fatigue -- not ignore it but rather figure it out and resolve it. I'm thinking it's stress, I had a pretty stress-filled Tuesday at work.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Back on track!
BIKE 72 mins and 19 miles, 2x15mins in 19.2mph each
RUN 43 mins and 5.3 miles, 400, 800, 1200, 1600 (400 rest)
COMMUTE 6 miles
This indoor biking thing is getting BORING. So not much to say there except it's done and I'm already planning how I can do these outside.
For the run I went to the track, no plan until I got there. I decided on a pyramid of 400, 800, 1200, 1600 with a 400 jog between each. My hip pain from Sunday and Monday is gone apparently, another pain come and gone?
Spinning up speed in the intervals didn't feel smooth or easy, I kept wanting to dial it back but that feeling was never too strong. In the 1200 I told myself that if I can't push it here, then how will I push it in a race? With that I decided to time the 1600. Unfortunately I was running in the 4th lane so it's probably not an accurate mile, but my time according to the Garmin was 6:58. An online calculator says the 4th lane is 423m long, and I checked the garmin soon after the 3.5 mark of the track and was surprise to see it at 1 mile! I was at the top of the last turn...so was it a mile? Calculations have it around 1500m...so maybe not. Either way, it felt really good to get a speedy session in! Just wish it didn't feel so sluggish.
RUN 43 mins and 5.3 miles, 400, 800, 1200, 1600 (400 rest)
COMMUTE 6 miles
This indoor biking thing is getting BORING. So not much to say there except it's done and I'm already planning how I can do these outside.
For the run I went to the track, no plan until I got there. I decided on a pyramid of 400, 800, 1200, 1600 with a 400 jog between each. My hip pain from Sunday and Monday is gone apparently, another pain come and gone?
Spinning up speed in the intervals didn't feel smooth or easy, I kept wanting to dial it back but that feeling was never too strong. In the 1200 I told myself that if I can't push it here, then how will I push it in a race? With that I decided to time the 1600. Unfortunately I was running in the 4th lane so it's probably not an accurate mile, but my time according to the Garmin was 6:58. An online calculator says the 4th lane is 423m long, and I checked the garmin soon after the 3.5 mark of the track and was surprise to see it at 1 mile! I was at the top of the last turn...so was it a mile? Calculations have it around 1500m...so maybe not. Either way, it felt really good to get a speedy session in! Just wish it didn't feel so sluggish.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Evolve my swimming 1
SWIM about an hour, 2050y
COMMUTE 6 miles
First swim with Evolve! I'm excited about this because it's the first time I've had the chance swim on a regular basis with others, I get to see friends, and the coaching from the deck is more personal and intense than Master's with CHG.
I was in the "faster" lane, all of us were T's! TH, TT, TD, and me. I was TheSlowZebra of the lane though, something to work on.
Happily the pool was warm, but sadly I felt so slow and sloppy. Granted, I've been out of the pool for a bit over a week due to being sick. But that excuse has gotta go (I think I'm back to normal btw)! We did a swim golf drill at the end, and were told we'd get feedback and specific drills to work on later. Looking forward to it!
Injury updates: hip pain from yesterday's run lingered today even while walking. foot pains mentioned in the past few weeks are minimal, I really think it was shoes with poor medial post support. As for the sickness last week, I'm just really tired still but I can't tell if that's stress or the sickness or some combination of the two.
70F on the way home this afternoon!! Woot to the commute!!
COMMUTE 6 miles
First swim with Evolve! I'm excited about this because it's the first time I've had the chance swim on a regular basis with others, I get to see friends, and the coaching from the deck is more personal and intense than Master's with CHG.
I was in the "faster" lane, all of us were T's! TH, TT, TD, and me. I was TheSlowZebra of the lane though, something to work on.
Happily the pool was warm, but sadly I felt so slow and sloppy. Granted, I've been out of the pool for a bit over a week due to being sick. But that excuse has gotta go (I think I'm back to normal btw)! We did a swim golf drill at the end, and were told we'd get feedback and specific drills to work on later. Looking forward to it!
Injury updates: hip pain from yesterday's run lingered today even while walking. foot pains mentioned in the past few weeks are minimal, I really think it was shoes with poor medial post support. As for the sickness last week, I'm just really tired still but I can't tell if that's stress or the sickness or some combination of the two.
70F on the way home this afternoon!! Woot to the commute!!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
A Galling Attack!
Mon-Thurs: OFF sick
Friday: BIKE 1hr 17 miles indoors
Saturday BIKE 2 hrs 36 miles indoors (2x33, 1x15)
RUN 4 miles in 35 mins
Sunday RUN 14.6 miles in ~2:18 with TH
Wow. Long story but I'll go fast.
I didn't mention this in the Sunday post, but I was sick overnight Saturday. We went out for a late V-day dinner of oysters and a coconut broth soup of clams and mollusks. D-lish! But 2.5hrs later I was extremely nauseated, reminiscent of the night of sickness I had when I ate pork belly back in December. No vomiting, although that probably would have felt better, just lots of pain and q20min waves of nausea.
Sunday I felt the effect of being up most of the night, had an OK but lackluster indoor ride, and forgot about it.
Monday morning I didn't feel like swimming. I ate a bad breakfast of random veggies and spent the rest of the day in pain, bloated, tired, feeling sick. I didn't drink much and got dehydrated. I attributed the sick to the bad breakfast, figuring eat bad = feel bad. But Rich is feeling sick too, so we wonder if we picked up a bug.
Tuesday morning I'm dehydrated and feeling way off. I eat and feel sick again, but no as bad as Saturday. I get a frustrating half day in at work before heading home. I'm bedridden from 2pm to 8pm, at which point I just move to another bed until 6am. Miserably tired, nauseated, headache, backache, still not eating or drinking. At this point it's hard to separate the symptoms of dehydration from everything else, but we know the dehydration is really holding me back. Rich is feeling better, so now it's only me feeling sick.
Wednesday I wake up feeling sick. Another day home from work, but at least today I could sit up. We dismiss flu due to lack of fever, so maybe it was a stomach bug. Thursday morning I'm still feeling nauseated and sick. This is a very long course for a stomach bug, so DH takes me to urgent care where I get the dx of gastritis. 'Take these meds, see how you feel after lunch.' I don't feel any better, so back to urgent care for 1L of saline. They think I look yellow-ish in the skin (kinda like I always do), I show a positive Murphy's, and the diagnosis veers towards a gall bladder problem. Off to B-WC for after hours imaging from their ED. Oh and another 1L of saline. (It will be no surprise to report that I didn't have to pee until hours later.)
The dx is gallbladder problem -- they found at least one stone and some fluid around the gallbladder suggestive of inflammation.
Friday morning, only 8 hours after getting home from the ER I did an indoor ride. In my mind, the problem was now known, and I could start experimenting. Thursday through Saturday morning I was on the carb-heavy BRAT diet (Ugh, rice...). After my ride I wanted real food and went for it, but kept it low fat. Saturday's brick run felt fantastic, so I was confident about ~15 miles on Sunday. The last 10 miles of that was with TH in CCP. Wow I miss running with her!!! That felt great too, aside from some out-of-nowhere right hip pain. On Sunday I started adding fat back. No distinct or clear indications of problems from that. Now I'm tracking my nutrition again to monitor the daily averages and plan on just watching to see what happens.
But I'm seeing lots of things in retrospect now. We make pulled pork a few weeks ago and I didn't like it. Now I wonder if I felt sick after eating it, and just thought I didn't like it? Some days I'll have sharp abdominal pains that resolve after a few hours with no other symptoms. Are those minor gb issues? That mild discomfort I feel right now under my ribs -- is that my gb? (or where the NP shoved her fingers under my ribs for the Murphy's?).
The recommendation is to remove it if it's causing problems, but I don't see it as a problem just yet. I need more data! And more experimenting! How much fat can I eat? What if I eat it slowly over the day? What about different types of fat? I love me experiments, but I have enough bats in the belfry, I don't need to add to it!
Friday: BIKE 1hr 17 miles indoors
Saturday BIKE 2 hrs 36 miles indoors (2x33, 1x15)
RUN 4 miles in 35 mins
Sunday RUN 14.6 miles in ~2:18 with TH
Wow. Long story but I'll go fast.
I didn't mention this in the Sunday post, but I was sick overnight Saturday. We went out for a late V-day dinner of oysters and a coconut broth soup of clams and mollusks. D-lish! But 2.5hrs later I was extremely nauseated, reminiscent of the night of sickness I had when I ate pork belly back in December. No vomiting, although that probably would have felt better, just lots of pain and q20min waves of nausea.
Sunday I felt the effect of being up most of the night, had an OK but lackluster indoor ride, and forgot about it.
Monday morning I didn't feel like swimming. I ate a bad breakfast of random veggies and spent the rest of the day in pain, bloated, tired, feeling sick. I didn't drink much and got dehydrated. I attributed the sick to the bad breakfast, figuring eat bad = feel bad. But Rich is feeling sick too, so we wonder if we picked up a bug.
Tuesday morning I'm dehydrated and feeling way off. I eat and feel sick again, but no as bad as Saturday. I get a frustrating half day in at work before heading home. I'm bedridden from 2pm to 8pm, at which point I just move to another bed until 6am. Miserably tired, nauseated, headache, backache, still not eating or drinking. At this point it's hard to separate the symptoms of dehydration from everything else, but we know the dehydration is really holding me back. Rich is feeling better, so now it's only me feeling sick.
Wednesday I wake up feeling sick. Another day home from work, but at least today I could sit up. We dismiss flu due to lack of fever, so maybe it was a stomach bug. Thursday morning I'm still feeling nauseated and sick. This is a very long course for a stomach bug, so DH takes me to urgent care where I get the dx of gastritis. 'Take these meds, see how you feel after lunch.' I don't feel any better, so back to urgent care for 1L of saline. They think I look yellow-ish in the skin (kinda like I always do), I show a positive Murphy's, and the diagnosis veers towards a gall bladder problem. Off to B-WC for after hours imaging from their ED. Oh and another 1L of saline. (It will be no surprise to report that I didn't have to pee until hours later.)
The dx is gallbladder problem -- they found at least one stone and some fluid around the gallbladder suggestive of inflammation.
Friday morning, only 8 hours after getting home from the ER I did an indoor ride. In my mind, the problem was now known, and I could start experimenting. Thursday through Saturday morning I was on the carb-heavy BRAT diet (Ugh, rice...). After my ride I wanted real food and went for it, but kept it low fat. Saturday's brick run felt fantastic, so I was confident about ~15 miles on Sunday. The last 10 miles of that was with TH in CCP. Wow I miss running with her!!! That felt great too, aside from some out-of-nowhere right hip pain. On Sunday I started adding fat back. No distinct or clear indications of problems from that. Now I'm tracking my nutrition again to monitor the daily averages and plan on just watching to see what happens.
But I'm seeing lots of things in retrospect now. We make pulled pork a few weeks ago and I didn't like it. Now I wonder if I felt sick after eating it, and just thought I didn't like it? Some days I'll have sharp abdominal pains that resolve after a few hours with no other symptoms. Are those minor gb issues? That mild discomfort I feel right now under my ribs -- is that my gb? (or where the NP shoved her fingers under my ribs for the Murphy's?).
The recommendation is to remove it if it's causing problems, but I don't see it as a problem just yet. I need more data! And more experimenting! How much fat can I eat? What if I eat it slowly over the day? What about different types of fat? I love me experiments, but I have enough bats in the belfry, I don't need to add to it!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Long indoor ride, where is spring?!
BIKE 2.5hrs and 44.5 miles, descending intervals at 75%
33 min 19.1mph 109bpm
24 min 18.7 mph 106 bpm
16 min 18.7mph 106 bpm
9 min 18.7 mph 106 bpm
I was fading towards the end, but the numbers suggest I was fading all along!
SPRING?! Where are you? I want outside on the bike!
33 min 19.1mph 109bpm
24 min 18.7 mph 106 bpm
16 min 18.7mph 106 bpm
9 min 18.7 mph 106 bpm
I was fading towards the end, but the numbers suggest I was fading all along!
SPRING?! Where are you? I want outside on the bike!
Saturday, March 1, 2014
4 mile MAF
RUN 10.1 miles in 1:35, 4 mile MAF in 35:04 and 142 bpm
BIKE 17.1 miles in 1 hour, aerobic extension
Quote for March from Dr Suess:
Great quote for the start of March, and another go at my LifeStyleWhole30. I've been slipping a bit and noticing the effects. So back at it! It's up to me, my choice and my decisions.
My last MAF was a month ago, but a 3 mile distance. This was a 4 miler, pace was 8:46 m/m while the previous one was 9:23 m/m. This MAF average HR was 142 and the previous was 131 bpm. So while the HR was higher in this one, it felt WAY better. My form was efficient, my focus good, and it didn't feel appreciably harder.
Ignoring the potential caveat that the previous 3 mile MAF was in the infamous Pork Belly run!
I wondered as I was running if this was supposed to be a marathon effort? Something I should look into.
BIKE 17.1 miles in 1 hour, aerobic extension
Quote for March from Dr Suess:
You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you chose.
Great quote for the start of March, and another go at my LifeStyleWhole30. I've been slipping a bit and noticing the effects. So back at it! It's up to me, my choice and my decisions.
My last MAF was a month ago, but a 3 mile distance. This was a 4 miler, pace was 8:46 m/m while the previous one was 9:23 m/m. This MAF average HR was 142 and the previous was 131 bpm. So while the HR was higher in this one, it felt WAY better. My form was efficient, my focus good, and it didn't feel appreciably harder.
Ignoring the potential caveat that the previous 3 mile MAF was in the infamous Pork Belly run!
I wondered as I was running if this was supposed to be a marathon effort? Something I should look into.
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