A real run!

I ran Lake Union this morning...6 miles and I feel like I'm slowly getting back to "normal" running again. It was dark/early, and running through Interlaken or the Arboretum seemed a like a recipe for a faceplant and frustration, so I drove down to Boyer and ran from the bridge by Red Robin. Not a particularly eventful run, but no rain and did I mention my hip was OK????? It's a little tight now, but not bad...I have a PT appt. tomorrow and maybe I'll get the go-ahead soon to run 3x a week and build the mileage back up. A half marathon this spring before the HoNu Half Iron is still my off-the-record goal.

The run was the only workout of the day today and I have a lunch meeting, so I left for work this morning without a duffel bag or a lunch...completely wierd! And after a shower at home and a little time to actually dry my hair (can't remember the last time I did that on a work day), I had the very foreign feeling of a "normal" person...yikes.

Lake Union Run:

6 miles
54:29
Avg HR = 146

So much for the mat

Well, I heard from the apartment dweller below me and the mat has helped with the noise/vibration created by my bike trainer, but not enough to be acceptable...another (more nice in tone this time) typed note was delivered last night with an allowance from her to train at 7:30 a.m. instead of only after 8:00 a.m. (not much help). Fortunately, the latest formal little typed note also announced that she will be moving out at the end of February...so hopefully, a deaf and/or early riser type person will inhabit that space starting in March and I will just have to "punt" for February. Sigh. I had a meeting with the head guy at Seattle Multisport yesterday, Tim, and he offered me a free test drive of a Computrainer class next week, so that'll get me started and may give an alternative to my "bad neighbor Tuesdays..."

Had a good swim this morning. It was Jenny's birthday, so she made up the workout for the whole team and most of us liked it better and got in more yards than usual. My training schedule said "optional bike" today, too, and I thought I'd go to spin class at noon. Well, that was until I had a staff meeting that went almost till noon and until I also realized that I forgot my bike shoes, my HR monitor, and Nuun (hello, midlife crisis indicator, the "details girl" lost a few)...so I did a pretty uninspired (and un heartrate monitored) 30 minute hamster workout.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow...it's a run day and I'm hoping/planning to try for a 6-miler.

Snow false alarm

The predicted snow day for today turned into a regular 'ol day of Seattle winter rain...dangit. I heard the rain all night and hoped it'd turn to snow, but nope, didn't happen. Got up with the alarm and the news and onto the bike.

My quads have a slight hangover from the stairs yesterday as predicted, but not too awful...they were able to pedal. I oiled my bike chain last night and double-layered the heavy rubber mat with the hope of not pissing off my neighbor with this morning's ride on the trainer. I had my phone by the bike, too, just in case I had to field a complaint. But...the phone didn't ring and I didn't hear any broom handles knocking through their ceiling/my floor...so I guess I'll just have to wait and see if there are any more anonymous typed notes under my door or on the mailbox later.

The bike workout wasn't particularly inspired, but it was OK. Will also get in weights today.

Bike Trainer workout:

5 x 3 min hard (HR to 150ish) with 1:30 recovery after each
4x 1 min hard/1 min recovery

Total:
1:00:00
Avg HR = 136

Snow 'n stairs

It's one of those winter days in Seattle when there are a few flakes of snow, many puddles, and a LOT of weather hype...viola', instant sweeps week for the local TV news. I woke up a little before my alarm this morning and turned on the TV to hear "There has been a great deal of snow overnight, don't go anywhere if you don't have to..." so I put on my hiking boots and went down to find...some snow on my car and wet streets. I drove to swim team and back with no problem and then hung out for a while drinking coffee and watching the live reports of snow in the area and exchanging phone calls and emails with co-workers, most of whom bailed and took the snow day at home option. I'm banking on another snow storm tonight and will probably walk home and leave my car in the garage at work.

More stuff was coming down by late morning and I went out for a run at lunch time in the rainy snow (or maybe snowy rain?). Today was a 4 mile-ish "add hills" run, so I decided to do a few sets of the Howe St. stairs...hills, stairs, close enough. My hip was fine and I'd thought I'd do 4-5 sets, but my quads went on strike by the 3rd set and I know them well enough to know when they might be sore tomorrow, so I called it good at 3 sets (there are 13 flights in a set, after all!!).

Run summary:

46 minutes
4.3 miles
Avg HR = 148
Max HR = 170

Spinnin' Saturday

Today I facilitated a small exodus from Seattle to warmer places by doing 2 shuttles to Sea Tac airport, the first to take Michele & Cathie to their flight to Mexico, and the 2nd to take Dave for an escape to southern Cal. In between the shuttling, I wished I'd gone somewhere sunny and warmer myself as I did a long butt-chapping (sorry, "tmi," but it's true) workout on the bike trainer. I considered braving the elements for an outdoor ride, but it was about 31 degrees when I needed to start my workout, and the forecast included a rain/snow mix within a few hours, so I opted for the indoor deal. I tried out my new expensive mat under the trainer (waiting for feedback from the downstairs neighbor on whether sound and vibration were sufficiently muffled) and watched last night's taped "Friday Night Lights" and 3+ episodes of "The Office" I rented last night. The workout was supposed to be 3 hours...which seemed like an eternity all week as I saw it coming my way on the calendar. However, eternity was reached at 2:35 when boredom, hunger, and my butt decided it was enough (plus, I remembered Julie & Duncan telling me yesterday that Duncan's formula for indoor cycling is that indoor = 2x outdoor and I LIKE that formula a lot!). So yeah, I caved at 2:35 which, I'm pretty sure, is my longest workout on the bike trainer ever.



After the 2nd airport shuttle, I took Ja'Nararah to the women's basketball game at UW where I found myself tilting my head back from time to time and taking little mini naps, despite the loudness of the band, our friends John & Judy being there, and the game going on... We stayed afterwards so Ja'Narah could get her basketball autographed by the entire Husky team....then she wanted to go to Jamba Juice (brrr, not me, but of course we went)...then I finally hit Safeway for some stuff to make for dinner and happily was in for the night at 6 p.m. How do weekend days end up being at least as busy and exhausting as work days??



Tomorrow is a rest day...shew.



Bike trainer workout:



2:35

Avg HR = 131

Won't you be my neighbor?

So...yesterday evening there was a typed note under my door from the unnamed "neighbor" who lives below me. Apparently, my bike trainer is "loud and the vibrations are disturbing..." and I was asked to only use it after 8:00 a.m. I thought they MUST be kidding until I re-read my lease and realized that there are quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. CRAP, they've got me. My mission of the day is to find and buy a mat that will help muffle the vibration and noise so I can test drive it tomorrow after 8:00 a.m....and I have mentally composed an apology note to be delivered this evening. Apartment livin'...sigh.

I had a good swim this morning and a really good run at lunch. The hip felt good and the weather was sunny and brisk (again the weather gets this adjective, not me), so I stretched it out to 5.6 miles and went out and back into Interlaken since I love that road. I guess I'll know tomorrow by the hip soreness factor if I made a bad decision or not in going longer, but I really want to return to the land of the living soon and be back to running normal distances. Got in my plyometrics, too, after the run. I didn't feel like I was pushing it to tempo pace, but my HR was on the high side.

Run:
5.6 miles
50:00 minutes
Avg HR: 154

Bike trainer workout

I got to sleep in a little today (6:00!) and did a bike workout on my trainer this morning with the morning news. I wasn't sure I was that inspired, but it/I was better than I anticipated, and I got in some good intervals...also made it to the gym at lunch for a good weight session.

Bike Trainer workout:

15 min. moderate/steady
Interval ladder (all intervals got HR to 150+):
1 min hard/ 1 min recovery
2 min hard/1 min recovery
3 min hard/ 2 min recovery
4 min hard/2 min recovery
3 min hard/2 min recovery
2 min hard/1 min recovery
1 min hard/1 min recovery
8 min steady
4 x 1 min hard/1 min recovery (at higher cadence than the first set)

Total:
1:00
Avg HR = 140
Max HR = 155

Me 'n my Visa

I'm blogging on my BRAND NEW laptop...very exciting! It's blue and very sexy. Buying a new computer was part of my "what the hell, I'm worth it" shopping spree that has been going on for a couple of weeks...my Visa has left a smoking trail through the city, blazing through "Bed, Bath & Beyond," Fred Meyer, Office Depot, and Target...oh yeah, and Dania. Oh and the HoNu race entry. I'm a little afraid to look up my statement online...yikes. I think I need to put on the brakes soon (like about 4 purchases ago), but it has been fun and I'm pretty well nested with my new stuff!

I've barely been keeping pace with my Visa card, but did get in a double yesterday (it was supposed to be a triple, but I didn't exactly make it to the gym to lift weights...). I swam yesterday (today, too) and also did a 4.5 mile run yesterday with 8 x 1-minute "pick-ups." My hip was a little tight today, but not bad, so I'm planning to up the mileage a little on the next few runs. I went back to PT today and it seems the hip is making decent progress. I think I may have landed at the right PT (finally) because he's a marathoner, former ultra-marathoner, and has had a very similar hip injury himself.

Yesterday's weight session didn't exactly happen today, either (crazy run-around day)...but I think I'll make it tomorrow.

Brisk January ride

I got in a good 42-mile ride yesterday...wish I could say that my pace was as brisk as the weather was, but that definitely was not the case. It was about 37 degrees and my face was numb almost the whole time...I kept having this vision of my head like a cube in an ice tray gradually expanding...it felt wierd. But other than my face/head, I was warm enough and had chosen the right gear--kept the lobster gloves on for the entire ride. There were a few ice patches in some shady places, but nothing too hazardous.

My legs were a bit heavy and I wouldn't have done more than 30 miles, except that I kept seeing the "45-50 miles" that was on the prescribed training schedule. I went over to Mercer Island and rode the whole island twice, once in each direction...I know, not particularly creative, but it was a nice ride and a gorgeous day. The mountains were incredibly clear and, had it been 45 degrees warmer, I'd have been in my natural habitat!

Ride summary:

42 miles
2:52
Avg HR = 126 (highest = 158! Yikes)
Avg pace = 14.6

First brick of '08

I went to PT on Friday and now have another (this is the 3rd) PT working on my hip (the last one moved to a new clinic). Apparently, the field of PT is a bastion of "2nd opinion," and seems to be more of an art than a science...every person thinks and does something different for my hip. The new guy took the heel lift out of my running shoe and said I should add a short unscheduled run to the week on Saturday to try running again without it. Saturday was a bike day, so I decided to do my first brick of the year.

I had a 2-hour trainer or 30-mile road ride on my schedule for Saturday and the weather was crap, so the trainer was the obvious choice. Fortunately, I had a DVD of an "L Word" episode as well as a tape of Ironman Wisconsin, so I made it 1:40 on the bike with good quality entertainment. Then I grabbed my running shoes and ran outdoors for 25 minutes, taking a short tour of Volunteer Park (making up new routes in my new 'hood). It was really cold and rainy and my hands got numb pretty quick. I was also pretty tired and just done with working out for the week so I cut the run at 25 minutes. The brick felt pretty good...legs were fine and hip was OK, too.

Yesterday was my first rest day in 2 weeks and after a crazy week, I was just fine with that idea. However, when I got back to my building with the last full car full of stuff to move, the $&#! elevator was broken. And guess who's on the 4th floor. So...several schleps up and down the stairs made it a bit more of an "active rest" rest day. At least it happened yesterday and not on Saturday when I was negotiating a large desk alone (that I got for $20 on craigslist, whoop!).

Today I finally got online for the first time in 2 days and had a note from Julie saying "Register now for Hawaii!!!" because she noticed that the race is almost full. My credit card has been operating at full steam lately, so it hopped out of my wallet at Julie's prompt and I'm officially signed up for the Honu Half Ironman at the end of May.

My schedule today has me biking about 45 - 50 miles and since I just paid $250 for a race in a few months, I better get out there and do it. They just said on tv that this morning is the coldest day of the year so far...locating my lobster gloves and prepping for a cold one.

Urban nomad

This week has me moving into/living in a new apartment...and I'm a bit of an urban nomad in the transition (my frig contains one bottle of coffee mate and nothing else, yikes). Fortunately, I shower most days at the gym or the pool as I didn't quite get around to buying a shower curtain until today (however, I chose one with palm trees on it so I can think about Hawaii and now I'm very excited to actually use my shower sometime soon!).

Yesterday's prescribed bike workout turned into a hamster as my bike & trainer were at the wrong address, I don't have cable yet (TV = essential for trainer), and there weren't any spin classes at the gym at the times I could do one. I tried to ramp up the hamster workout and did 6 x 2 minute hard intervals within the 50-minute workout, so I called it good. I also drove down Capitol Hill to the gym at about 5:30 a.m. in the ice and snow, which was a fun adventure (you think the US post office will not be stopped by rain, sleet, snow, or hail? Just try to keep me from a workout and see who goes postal). I also got in weights yesterday at lunch.

Today I did the regular morning swim team workout and also tried to make up for yesterday's skipped bike workout with a noon spin class. Of course, I forgot my $%&*+! heart rate monitor and had to do the class on RPE. I checked HR the old fashioned way a few times (140-150) and felt light-headed and like I really wanted to quit after several intervals, so I'm pretty sure I didn't let the lack of gadget feedback allow me to slack off.

Rest Schmest

The weather was gorgeous yesterday and my mental/emotional disposition required activity and fresh air, so I ditched having a rest day this week. I went for a really nice sunny bike ride around Mercer Island...first time outdoors since New Year's Day and I wasn't cold. Sweet. Despite being sore from skiing on Saturday (adductors and quads from snow-plowing on the descent, I'm pretty sure), I felt good on the bike.

I started out the week today with a good swim workout (main set was 16 x 100's and Mackenzie was leading and kicking our butts). I also got in my 4-mile run at lunch with the prescribed hills added...did 2 hill repeats pretty hard on the .25 mile hill at the middle of the Howe St. stairs (i.e. Broadway from Miller back up to the stairs), plus another hill and a set of stairs. Felt really good while running and I was wishing (as usual) that I was allowed to run longer...but now my hip is tight and I guess holding it to 4 miles was the responsible (augh, I hate being responsible) thing to do.

Sunday ride:
28.6 miles
1:54
Avg HR = 126
Avg speed = 15 mph

Monday swim: 3050 yards

Monday run:
4.o miles
37:38
Avg HR = 148 (165 high)

First ski of '08

I went XC skiing today at Hyak...Cara, her friend, Amy, and I waffled about whether to go to Hyak or to Stevens due to the snow/rain probability and settled on the usual (Hyak) after Cara checked the DOT website one last time. As we drove up, we kept hoping the dumping rain would turn to snow and, fortunately, it finally did. The reader board at the top of Snoqualmie Pass was jumping between 32 and 31 degrees. As usual, I skied alone and went up Mt. Catherine...Cara and Amy did a different route and we all ended up at the lodge a few hours later. As I was skiing in the tracks with my little classical "beater" skis (and poles whose wrist straps have been lost, often resulting in me leaving one behind and having to back track to retrieve it), Karen Wolf swooped past me on her skate skis and we chatted a little before she dropped me. Saw her and her husband again later in the lodge and hung out chatting for a while, which was fun. I had a good, fun ski and had quite a bit of solo time (my favorite for skiing) on the climb and around the top...the trees and the snow were really pretty and besides the clatter of my own skis (oh, wait, that was the clatter in my own head), it was quiet and serene. On the way back, I got a little road rage in the last 1-2 miles, but de-escalated because I realized the people who were moving slowly or standing in the tracks were the special needs folks from "ski for all." Not cool to be cranky with them at all! Anyway, I had fun... didn't kill myself, but got a decent workout and I had a really great time riding up and back with Cara and Amy.

11.1 miles skiing
Avg HR = 121
2:24

Friday...no clever title available

This is the end of the first 5-day work week in a while...where did all those holidays go already? The hardest "work" of the week, however, hasn't been in the office or the gym, and it's been a pretty extensive butt-kicking, for sure. The workouts have served to keep me going, as always, and having a new color coded schedule is a nice stable base to work from. I threw in a non-scheduled session or 2 this week to move something at the same time my mind was spinning around.

Yesterday was a 45ish minute spin on the bike trainer and a 30 minute hamster (+ plyometrics as we didn't do those at the Wed. night weights group, where I was humbled by my non-firing core muscles, a sidebar I'd rather not go into at this time, thankyewverymuch).

Today was a good hard swim (main set was 20 x 50's with various paces/speeds throughout and I must say that I led the lane and kept 3 different rotating send-offs on track flawlessly, impressing my lane-mates). I also lifted weights at lunchtime, which brought a nice escape into the ipod and the gym.

Weekend training plan is undefined...could be skiing, could be biking, could be both...depends on weather, mood, and my ski buddy, Cara's transportation plan to go to Hyak.

Wednesday triple...

I left the house this morning equipped for today's triple (a.m. swim team workout, lunchtime run, and weights group tonight). Fortunately, I was a physical education major way-back-when and have academic training on how to change clothes quickly 96 times per day. However, I did forget a few things, as has been the case more often lately (a few other things hopping between the synapses). This time I actually remembered the right GPS gadget for my run, but got to the swim locker to discover I'd forgotten underwear (fortunately solved this one by the "emergency pack" always kept in the car containing the most common items: a towel, sports bra, underwear, socks, and 2 belts) and also forgot running gloves. My hands got quite numb on the midday run...but all things considered, I think I'm calling it a successful day so far (ok, it's not over, but I'm feeling hopeful). Even got some work and meetings done in between the workouts...not bad!

Hip felt pretty good on the run again, today, too, and I can't wait to get up to some decent mileage again.

Swim: 3,00o yards

Run: 4 miles, 37:27, Avg HR: 143

Leg workout: TBD

Monday, Monday...

Got to work on the new training plan today with a Monday double. Swim team was good as always and the lane was crowded again with 5 of us paddling away... we're in the wall lane this month so we can smack hands with the big guys in the next lane swimming one way and with the brick wall swimming the other direction :( Who ever said swimming isn't a contact sport? But the workout was fun, nonetheless, and I got in my regular 3,000 yards.

At lunch I went for an outdoor run...grabbed the wrong gadget so I didn't have my GPS with the good HR monitor, but did have the stopwatch and I know my route is just about 4 miles. I was supposed to test out the hip with a few 1-minute surge intervals during the run, so I did 5 of them...one was up the hill where I did pre-Ironman hill repeats last summer. I'd been feeling my hip this morning a bit, but felt really good on the run...will see how stiff I am tonight and tomorrow and might throw some ibuprofen at the problem if necessary. The PT put a new, higher lift in the heel of one shoe last week so I'm test driving it to see if it helps.

4 mile run: 37 minutes.

Happy New Year

Well, the first few days of 2008 have been...well, not what was anticipated a week ago, and a bit of a new and interesting frontier in the old setting. Let's just say that I un-forwarded my mail and my/our home address will remain the same for a while. Tomorrow is the season premiere of the "L Word," but I think the truth has been more difficult to believe than fiction, and I could really step up with a few autobiographical episodes should their writers go on strike!

I brought back a bit of a cold from the Georgia trip, so I've been a sniffy and coughing a little this week. But I still got in some good training in the last few days including a great 35 mile solo outdoor bike ride on New Year's Day (during which I was never cold...whoop!). Thankfully, swim team has resumed at Seattle U, too, so I'm psyched about that. My coach has created my new training plan and I have my marching orders for the next 5 weeks or so to get 2008 going. The hip is still a bit of an obstacle, but I am running a little and easing it back into functionality (albeit way slower than I'd like, grrr).

Today's task was a bike ride with an AT field test included...I was NOT looking forward to it the last couple of days and procrastinated for a while this morning before I sucked it up and got on the bike trainer. It helped that we'd taped "Friday Night Lights" last night, so watching that got me through the first hour or so...and then I had an old tape of the Louisville Ironman from a month or so ago that I hadn't gotten around to, so that finshed it off. Also, there were some great dinner leftovers in the frig waiting at the finish line.

Bike ride summary:

15 minute warm up
20 min. TT: Avg. HR = 142
5 min recovery
20 min. TT: Avg. HR = 140
40 min moderate ride: Avg HR = 130