Adding influenza to injury

Over the weekend, my sore throat gained momentum and turned into a full-on cold. On Sunday night, we had takeout pizza from Stellar (appropriately named) at our friend, Michele's house, but tragically, I couldn't even taste it. That really hurts. Yesterday morning at 5:20 as Seujan was leaving the house for her spin class, I thought maybe I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, but bossy girl, aka the love of my life, yelled as she went out the door, "DON'T go to swimming and DON'T go to work!" Allright, already...I obeyed and crashed back out for a while and called in sick (but HA, she couldn't stop me from getting on the trainer later when Ellen was on TV and she wasn't home to stop me!).

Hoping that things don't actually happen in 3's like they (whoever "they" are anyway?) say, I'm slowly coming back from both the hip thing and the cold. I have started to believe that perhaps both are really temporary and I could be firing on all cylinders again soon. I haven't run in a week (yikes), but the hip no longer twinges when I walk and I did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine today at lunch and it felt great. I'm hopeful that running might be in the near future (if approved by PT on Friday) and, in the meantime, I'm really trying to work on my posture...both Cheryl and the Chi Running book have pointed out what a slouch I am. Who knew I'd need to learn how to freakin' stand up at age 40? Next, I want some coaching on my running as I never really learned the real-deal form and how to do that right, either...

Back on the bike...

Today was supposed to be a 17-mile long run...however, the hip still isn't interested in running, so it turned into a bike ride. I've been icing my hip daily, taking Aleve 2x a day for about 3 days, and waiting for the PT appt. next Friday. It feels like my running plan is getting de-railed, and I've been informed (not surprisingly), that my attitude is following suit...I also woke up with a sore throat this morning making me even more fun as I complained about that, too.

Fortunately, the weather was great today, and Seujan and Jeff were planning to ride, so I took my bike off the trainer and re-aquainted it with the outdoors. I started with them, then went on my own as they were going for more miles. I rode from home out to Mercer Island and back the same way (did the long part of the island twice)...total of about 42 miles and I felt better on the bike than I thought I would (even though the bike computer only paid attention for about 3/4 of the ride and kept zero-ing out...I think the universe is provoking me to a gripe-a-thon...for godsake!).

Anyway...it was a beautiful day, a nice ride, and I could feel that my sessions on the trainer are helping my cycling. Very cool!

42 miles
3:05
Avg. HR = 123
No hip pain on the bike

Champion of denial

I'm not good at being injured. I called for a PT appt. and can't get in until a week from Friday. So...left to my own devices (and my "Do as I say and not as I do" way of handling things), I didn't run for 2 whole days... until today. My hip thing has been hurting, and I've been icing, advilling, and tiger balming, but I thought it was a little better and that maybe running on the treadmill would be bettter than pavement. This, I thought, was a reasonable enough sacrifice to the injury gods as I was running at lunchtime and it was about 50 degrees and partly sunny outside making the treadmill seem dreadful. They didn't buy it. I did a high aerobic/low tempo short run on the treadmill and then a bit more on the elliptical machine. It hurt a bit while running, but mostly just annoying, not incapacitating. Later in the afternoon, however, it hurt(s) WAY worse. I can swim and bike with no pain, but running and walking hurts. Not sure exactly how I can get this thing to be OK for the Saturday long run...supposed to do 17 miles.

Trying to get a grip and some perspective...and beginning to read "Chi Running," a gift from Tatyana a month or 2 ago...hoping for some good coaching...

Got kiwi?

My better half has decided to do Ironman New Zealand in about 7 weeks (March 4) as a celebration of her 40th birthday...she decided this yesterday (crazy Pisces) and we are already in full swing of travel planning (who knew Kinko's does passport photos? Getting mine renewed pronto). I'm calling this "the shotgun Ironman," but if anyone can pull it off, it's her, and I'm happy to be her Chief of Staff. I am on board with this project as travel coordinator/companion, cheerleader, and assistant money spender. (Sidebar: open water swimming in March and getting in my last few long runs prior to my marathon looking for koalas and kiwi was NOT a tough sell for me!) We practiced today as Seujan purchased a new bike bag for winter bike commuting (aka part of the necessary training regimen). I accompanied and supported the purchase, just as I will cheer her on as she registers for the race to the tune of $500...chump change for a birthday party with at least 500 others in attendance, don't you think? And everyone gets shirts and medals for party favors...what a bargain...who cares if they are 500 people we don't know and who don't know it's SJ's birthday...a party is a party and this is a great deal!

Anyway...Iron Thing herself is out on her bike right now and I'm recovering from today's long run. Today's assignment was 13 miles and I wanted to get it in really early this morning since Ja'Narah had a basketball game at 10:30 in West Seattle. So...without the usual amount of time to caffeinate and eat, I just had about 1/3 of a PowerBar and a small cup of coffee before the run. Probably not a great plan, as I'd guessed. I carried my bottle of magic Hammer shake and used all of it, but my stomach was grumbling with about 5 miles left and I was a bit tired out there. But I got it done, the weather was perfect (37 degrees, some sun, no rain) and now I have the rest of the weekend to relax, read my brand new copy of "Lost Planet: New Zealand," and sit in on Seujan's meeting with our coach tomorrow while they compose her shotgun training plan. The bummer of this training week is I've developed a bit of hip pain, esp. on the right side...it was just a little annoying most of the week and on both sides, but after today's run, the right side really freakin' hurts whenever I move. Going to call for a PT appt. first thing on Monday...till then, laying low and taking Advil.

Today's run:
Route: From Jock'n'Jill, long way around Greenlake outer loop, down Stone Way, around Lake Union, and back around long way of Greenlake inner loop.
13 miles
2:09:00
Avg. HR = 138

Puddle stomping....

Nothing screams, "Let's go to the track to run intervals!" at 6:15 a.m. like 36 degrees, rain, and darkness...sometimes (like when I'm dragging myself out of the bed/car/house/insert other warm dry structure with coffee here) I wonder if maybe stamp collecting might be a worthwhile hobby instead of being a triathlete...Naaah, you can't assign yourself "tough guy" points for mornings like today if you collect stamps. So, yeah...today was an interval run morning. I ran them on the treadmill last week (blech), so I decided this week, I needed to get out on the track. Let's just say the track at lower woodland was about the muddiest goop-fest I've ever attempted to run in...during my first lap (sploosh, squish, smack, step, repeat), I thought, "you know, this probably isn't even safe...I could seriously get hurt..." There were a few places where it was reasonable, but mostly it was just squishy, muddy, and slippery...oh, and dark. However, once I was out there, I wasn't giving up and I got in the whole workout. My times weren't stellar, but they were in the ballpark and the mental exercise of choosing/focusing on the path of least resistance (literally) around the track was a new and different mental challenge...I didn't even notice till the last 400 that it had actually stopped raining. 2 days ago, I ran around Greenlake in the last of the snow/slush which was similar in texture to the mud crap this morning and I'm proud to say that despite a few slips, I stayed upright on both occasions. It doesn't have to be pretty...

Workout summary:
Warm Up: 18:15
1 x 1200: 5:50
2 x 800: 3:46, 3:48
2 x 400: 1:52, 1:53
Cool down: 10:07

Bring on the beef...

For the last month, long run days have induced a large appetite for beef...last week, I made steaks for dinner the night after my 15 mile run and tonight we made big mushroom and Swiss burgers...today's long run was 16 miles. I'm a little afraid of what culinary requirements will result from the marathon...

Anyway, this morning Seujan and I made up a great plan whereby she left the car at Leschi and ran home; she dumped me by Jock 'n Jill and I ran from Greenlake down Stone Way, through the arboretum, to Lake Washington Blvd. with a few out-and-backs on my route to equal 16 miles, ending at Starbucks (what could be better on a 27 degree morning?). This was doubly brilliant because I got a lot of downhill with almost no uphill stretches, while she happily ran uphill home, crazy girl. Note to self: it's way more fun to run TO somewhere than an entire long run out and back. I felt great--seems cold weather works for me and running-- and kept wondering if I was dreaming as I kept thinking, "This is fun...wait, it's STILL fun, am I stoned on endorphins? This is wierd, I really like this..." the whole run. I used the Hammer shake stuff again, started fueling by mile 4, and it worked great. This seems to be the new key to success for me. With about a mile to go, I ran into a woman from swim team, Allison, who was out for a 3-hour run and was going at a good clip...we chatted, I picked up my pace to stay with her, and I would've probably gone further if I'd had time; that last mile flew by and I finished feeling strong.

Seujan and I took our little sister to watch a basketball game this afternoon and I had to get home for a shower, so I kept it to 16 miles. Probably good as I'm feeling it tonight...

Anyway, here are the stats:
16 mile run (maybe a little over)
2:36:20
Avg. HR = 139

Rest day tomorrow...weights only! Yea!

Winter wonderland...

So the weather is the big news again in Seattle...making training a little more interesting.
Yesterday, I went for a quick run at Greenlake right after work, just as it was getting dark. As I started, it was dumping snow and about 32 degrees...took a little while to get warm, but it was beautiful with the snow collecting on the trees, the festive string of endless tail lights in the snarled traffic going up Aurora (where I was keeping pace with the cars!), and the few houses whose lazy occupants still had Christmas lights up. As soon as I started, I couldn't get the words to "Winter Wonderland" out of my head...It was fun and I was a little disappointed when the short run was over. I felt very fortunate considering that Seujan was stuck in the crappy traffic...we both left our offices at the same time and in the time I drove to Greenlake, ran around, drove home, and got dinner started...she barely inched home. Commuting to the East side sucks.

This morning things looked icy and I got to start the morning on my new bike trainer, spinning for an hour with the window open and watching the school closures and continual weather updates on TV. It's all sunny now and I'll head into work late...hoping to somehow wedge in an interval run later today.

Hammer Time!

Today was my first long run of 2007 and I accomplished 2 successful experiments on myself (in addition to completing the longest run of my life to date!). I met with our coach, Cheryl, yesterday to plot out the next 12 weeks of my athletic life leading up to the Yakima marathon. Two of the things we talked about that need some work are (still) my nutrition during long runs and teaching my body to walk/run (more for the Ironman, but perhaps will be relevant for the marathon). So...today I test drove "Hammer sustained energy Ultra Endurance Fuel." Jeff used this stuff for the Tour de Tucson and gave us (OK, he gave it to Seujan, but I'm taking member of the household privilege and access) a big tub of this instant-magic-just-add-water for Christmas. This stuff is a tasteless powder that has a little bit of protein along with complex carbs and advertises that it doesn't cause "performance-inhibiting stomach maladies that commonly occur when using sugar-based fuels." And I'll be damned if the label wasn't actually right. Who knew there was honest advertising? I mixed up a good batch of the cloudy potion and, carried it with me. Although it foamed a bit, it worked great. I had felt more energy throughout the whole run and my stomach didn't rebel. I'm psyched about this new find!

The second experiment I did was to end the run a mile from my car so I could try the walk/run in an extra-credit mile. For this last mile, I alternated one minute walk/one minute run. I thought it would be hard to start running again after each short walk, but it wasn't too bad. I'm calling both of my experiments a success! This was my first long run when I actually thought that running a marathon might not be outside the realm of possibility.

Speaking of the possibility of surviving a marathon, I registered for my first one yesterday. For just $60, I'm all signed up for a death march in Ellensburg/Yakima on March 31. Tatyana says I should be calling this a "romp of life" rather than a "march of death," and, from a sport psychology standpoint, I know she's right. The application was a little daunting...questions like, "How many marathons have you done?" (woo-hoo, zero) "What's your best marathon finish time?" and "Are you a member of 'the marathon maniacs' club" (now come on, isn't that redundant??) preceded my favorite question of all: "Will you be competing in a wheelchair?" Now this question only had "yes" or "no" options and I really wanted to let them know that I didn't plan to START in a wheelchair, but I'd certainly appreciate it if one was available at, say, mile 20...with someone nice to push it and perhaps offer me a beer...

Anyway...here are the stats on today's run:

15 miles Madison Beach into Seward Park and back
2:30:41
Avg HR = 143
(started nutrition 4 miles in...good decision)
One Walk/Run Mile: 11:39

16 miles total: 2:42:17