Run day today...it was a really nice no-wind morning, warm enough for shorts, and there was daylight by 6:30 a.m...every week is a little closer to getting out of the winter tunnel. Did the usual Lake Union + part of Boyer and felt good.
No other workouts today...just several "round the block with the beagle" strolls.
7.4 mile run
1:06
Avg HR = 141
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Beagle blog!
I'm hosting my first 4-legged guest in the Shoebox...Rosie, my favorite beagle, is in my care (or maybe more accurately, I'm in hers?) until Monday. YEA!! I even cleared her presence with the apt. manager who said he'd be able to "look the other way..." for a weekend, despite the fact that doggies really aren't allowed in the building (making this a double gift from the universe). It's definitely time for some unconditional love on 4 feet and I'm very happy to have her around.Today was a swim/bike day...swim team was the regular good workout (although there was some breath control crap and I actually tried to do a little of it, blech). I got in an hour on the bike trainer later in the day at basic aerobic pace, nothing fancy. I tried to keep the cadence up and was at about 100 for much of the workout...hoping some of this indoor stuff will transfer to the real riding.
I also had to deal with a technical difficulty with my computer today...I couldn't get online and had to call Comcast (who, despite the fact that the company IS the devil, employs some really nice and decent tech support staff...). It turned out my splitter had spontaneously bitten the dust and, for a few hours, I had to choose between the TV or being online. It made me realize how dependent I am on having them both simultaneously to keep me company...Anyway, a $2 splitter at Bartell's has brought me back to the usual connections and I am good to go with the TV on as I type...thank god, as it's time for American Idol! Poor Rosie had to listen to my singing in the car and it might get worse now if I like their song choices!
Swim: 3150 yards
Bike trainer:
1:00
Avg HR = 130
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
How's your column?
Tatyana and I watched Ann's "Chi Running" DVD last night...lots of posture, body alignment stuff ("check your column," mine's not as columnal as it should be) and cerebralizing of running technique. I think I'm going to grab a few tips, but not try to become a complete disciple of this one...too many things to think about to do it all and I'm just not up for it (read: motivated enough to get the hip not to hurt, too lazy to think/change more than necessary).
Got up and went to the gym for weights and core first thing this morning...I don't usually like to lift in the morning, but it was good this time...I was mostly in my head with the ipod and processing some stuff with the weights moving in the background.
I brought my bike to work and went out at lunchtime to do hill intervals...another dry and pretty warm day so it was great to get outside and not onto a spin bike! Today's forgotten cycling accessory was gloves. It's always something, but of all the 9,352 things I could have forgotten, that one wasn't too awful on a 55 degree day.
I biked over to Interlaken, did 5 hills, then a loop around the arboretum, and one more of the hills so I could swoop by Nancy's house. She was working out with Cheryl, so I got to see them and chat for a minute before coasting back down the hill.
I kept myself in the saddle and the hill I did was .5 mile. I hit all 6 of the hills between 3:02 - 3:04 with recovery of 1:59-2:03...pretty consistent, so that was good...got up to 150+ bpm on each one. Nice day, good workout, though I would have liked to ride another hour or 2...
3 mile warm up
5x .5 mile hill:
3:02 (137 avg HR)
3:04 (141 avg)
3:03 (142 avg)
3:02 (143 avg)
3:04 (143 avg)
4 mile ride
1x hill: 3:04 (145 avg)
10 min easy
Total: 15 miles
1:05
Max HR = 155
Got up and went to the gym for weights and core first thing this morning...I don't usually like to lift in the morning, but it was good this time...I was mostly in my head with the ipod and processing some stuff with the weights moving in the background.
I brought my bike to work and went out at lunchtime to do hill intervals...another dry and pretty warm day so it was great to get outside and not onto a spin bike! Today's forgotten cycling accessory was gloves. It's always something, but of all the 9,352 things I could have forgotten, that one wasn't too awful on a 55 degree day.
I biked over to Interlaken, did 5 hills, then a loop around the arboretum, and one more of the hills so I could swoop by Nancy's house. She was working out with Cheryl, so I got to see them and chat for a minute before coasting back down the hill.
I kept myself in the saddle and the hill I did was .5 mile. I hit all 6 of the hills between 3:02 - 3:04 with recovery of 1:59-2:03...pretty consistent, so that was good...got up to 150+ bpm on each one. Nice day, good workout, though I would have liked to ride another hour or 2...
3 mile warm up
5x .5 mile hill:
3:02 (137 avg HR)
3:04 (141 avg)
3:03 (142 avg)
3:02 (143 avg)
3:04 (143 avg)
4 mile ride
1x hill: 3:04 (145 avg)
10 min easy
Total: 15 miles
1:05
Max HR = 155
Monday, February 25, 2008
Alki intervals
Had a good rest day yesterday...I almost wanted to ride or run since it was sunny yet again (I actually wore my favorite chaco sandals for a while in the afternoon!), but the body voted to stay with the regular rest, groceries, and clean house sunday routine. Probably good as today was the Monday double.
Started the day with a good swim workout...I had my own lane for more than half the session and it was a good no-nonsense workout (yea, no stroke/drill crap!), so I got in 3,400 yards, just a little more than usual.
I strategically sculpted my day's schedule to include an afternoon meeting in West Seattle, so I could "carpe diem" a sunny run on Alki. It was a tough interval run and nice to have sunshine and pretty scenery (although I'm not sure it matters that much when you're thinking you might trip on your tongue). On paper, the workout wasn't that bad, but it felt hard...5 x 2 minutes hard/2 minutes recovery in the middle of a 4-5 miler. I pushed it pretty hard (160s on all intervals), jogged the recovery pieces (no walking), and pushed the last part after the intervals to tempo-ish pace because I wanted to be as close to an 8 minute average mile pace for the whole workout as I could (I don't know why, I just did). I did end up with an 8:10 overall average pace...not bad. It was hard, but I do think I might be getting a tiny bit faster... I'm very happy about that, especially since I've only been running 2x per week and working on the hip. Great to be by the water and running in shorts today! I felt great afterwards.
Came home, did some core stuff, and am making dinner for Tatyana as we have a viewing of Ann's "Chi Running" DVD scheduled this evening.
Interval Run:
10 min warm up: 1.17 mile
2:00 Hard: .31 mile: Avg HR = 155
2:00 Recovery: .20 mile
2:00 Hard: .29 mile: avg HR = 155
2:00 Recovery: .21
2:00 Hard: .30: Avg HR = 158
2:00 Recovery: .21
2:00 Hard: .31: Avg HR = 158
2:00 Recovery: .21
2:00 Hard: .29: Avg HR = 158
12:48: 1.5 mile Avg HR = 152
Total:
5 miles
40:48
Avg HR = 149
Max HR = 167
Started the day with a good swim workout...I had my own lane for more than half the session and it was a good no-nonsense workout (yea, no stroke/drill crap!), so I got in 3,400 yards, just a little more than usual.
I strategically sculpted my day's schedule to include an afternoon meeting in West Seattle, so I could "carpe diem" a sunny run on Alki. It was a tough interval run and nice to have sunshine and pretty scenery (although I'm not sure it matters that much when you're thinking you might trip on your tongue). On paper, the workout wasn't that bad, but it felt hard...5 x 2 minutes hard/2 minutes recovery in the middle of a 4-5 miler. I pushed it pretty hard (160s on all intervals), jogged the recovery pieces (no walking), and pushed the last part after the intervals to tempo-ish pace because I wanted to be as close to an 8 minute average mile pace for the whole workout as I could (I don't know why, I just did). I did end up with an 8:10 overall average pace...not bad. It was hard, but I do think I might be getting a tiny bit faster... I'm very happy about that, especially since I've only been running 2x per week and working on the hip. Great to be by the water and running in shorts today! I felt great afterwards.
Came home, did some core stuff, and am making dinner for Tatyana as we have a viewing of Ann's "Chi Running" DVD scheduled this evening.
Interval Run:
10 min warm up: 1.17 mile
2:00 Hard: .31 mile: Avg HR = 155
2:00 Recovery: .20 mile
2:00 Hard: .29 mile: avg HR = 155
2:00 Recovery: .21
2:00 Hard: .30: Avg HR = 158
2:00 Recovery: .21
2:00 Hard: .31: Avg HR = 158
2:00 Recovery: .21
2:00 Hard: .29: Avg HR = 158
12:48: 1.5 mile Avg HR = 152
Total:
5 miles
40:48
Avg HR = 149
Max HR = 167
Saturday, February 23, 2008
A feast of vitamin D!
This cannot be February in Seattle!! It's yet another sunny perfect cycling day...I take back every insensitive comment I made about that little groundhog a few weeks ago!
I slept in till about 7:00 today and woke up to daylight and another great sunrise view of Mt. Rainier from the Shoebox. Before I finished my coffee, my bike was almost twitching on the rack and I called Cara and bailed out of the XC skiing option...I'm sure it was gorgeous up in the mountains, too, but it was just too nice to pass up a riding opportunity. My bike and I discussed where to go (when an extrovert lives alone, conversations with inanimate objects are common) and decided that another trip out to the east side sounded the most fun. I drove out to Marymoor and got on my bike by about 10:00...it was already 51 degrees and I ditched my jacket early and was glad I wore the 3/4 tights and not the full ones. I rode the Flying Wheels 45 mile route which meant some tough hills (like stupid Inglewood Hill Rd. with less than 15 minutes warm up...and Issaquah-Fall City Rd. later). This route also includes one of my favorite stretches of road to go aero and cruise, Ames Lake going toward Carnation...as they say in the Mazda ad, "Zoom-zoom!" Way fun.
My legs were a bit tired throughout (I did lunges and plyometrics yesterday afternoon and an unscheduled walk around Greenlake afterwards), but I felt pretty good and it's sunny, so who cares! I had a little tailwind on East Lake Sammamish and pushed the last 3-4 miles harder to finish strong...felt really good at the end and glad to be done at 45 miles. Then I took myself out to lunch at Whole Foods and ate outside to soak up a little more sun...
45 mile ride
2:51
Avg HR = 119
Avg pace = 15.8mph
I slept in till about 7:00 today and woke up to daylight and another great sunrise view of Mt. Rainier from the Shoebox. Before I finished my coffee, my bike was almost twitching on the rack and I called Cara and bailed out of the XC skiing option...I'm sure it was gorgeous up in the mountains, too, but it was just too nice to pass up a riding opportunity. My bike and I discussed where to go (when an extrovert lives alone, conversations with inanimate objects are common) and decided that another trip out to the east side sounded the most fun. I drove out to Marymoor and got on my bike by about 10:00...it was already 51 degrees and I ditched my jacket early and was glad I wore the 3/4 tights and not the full ones. I rode the Flying Wheels 45 mile route which meant some tough hills (like stupid Inglewood Hill Rd. with less than 15 minutes warm up...and Issaquah-Fall City Rd. later). This route also includes one of my favorite stretches of road to go aero and cruise, Ames Lake going toward Carnation...as they say in the Mazda ad, "Zoom-zoom!" Way fun.
My legs were a bit tired throughout (I did lunges and plyometrics yesterday afternoon and an unscheduled walk around Greenlake afterwards), but I felt pretty good and it's sunny, so who cares! I had a little tailwind on East Lake Sammamish and pushed the last 3-4 miles harder to finish strong...felt really good at the end and glad to be done at 45 miles. Then I took myself out to lunch at Whole Foods and ate outside to soak up a little more sun...
45 mile ride
2:51
Avg HR = 119
Avg pace = 15.8mph
Friday, February 22, 2008
Marathon Movie review...
I dragged myself through a 45 minute bike trainer session late yesterday afternoon...it was very uninspired, but I got it done. Fortunately, what that workout lacked in inspiration was more than re-captured by the movie shortly thereafter.
The "Spirit of the Marathon" was great! It's a documentary of the history of the marathon as an event, and specifically about the 2005 Chicago marathon. It profiles some elites, some first-timers, and some other mere mortal marathon addicts over several months as they trained for it...and does so pretty evenly (rather than the coverage of Ironman on TV where all you see is elites and 30 seconds of "everyman"). Deena Kastor (who, in my estimation, is part hummingbird, holy smokes) is amazing and it was cool to learn more about her and how she patiently and intensely re-habbed an injury during training that year and still won the race. Impressive. They also include the film of Joan Benoit in the 84 Olympics (I've seen it many times and it makes me cry every time) and interview Katherine Switzer, another one of my heroes. There's some footage of the 1967 Boston marathon where the jerk-heads tried to tackle her to get her out of the race and her boyfriend decked them...classic!! I think I may need to get her book. I was a little bummed when the movie was over that there's no running on my training plan until Monday...after watching it, I wanted to run home and keep on going!
Regardless of the fact that I did NOT run home and had only watched others run in the film (while eating chocolate chip cookies I might add), I was as hungry this morning as if I had done it myself...I made it through swim team, but was starving by the time Julie, Duncan, and I went for coffee. I will get in some weights later and that'll be it for today...tomorrow will be a bike ride if the good weather continues or perhaps a cross country ski outing...TBD.
The "Spirit of the Marathon" was great! It's a documentary of the history of the marathon as an event, and specifically about the 2005 Chicago marathon. It profiles some elites, some first-timers, and some other mere mortal marathon addicts over several months as they trained for it...and does so pretty evenly (rather than the coverage of Ironman on TV where all you see is elites and 30 seconds of "everyman"). Deena Kastor (who, in my estimation, is part hummingbird, holy smokes) is amazing and it was cool to learn more about her and how she patiently and intensely re-habbed an injury during training that year and still won the race. Impressive. They also include the film of Joan Benoit in the 84 Olympics (I've seen it many times and it makes me cry every time) and interview Katherine Switzer, another one of my heroes. There's some footage of the 1967 Boston marathon where the jerk-heads tried to tackle her to get her out of the race and her boyfriend decked them...classic!! I think I may need to get her book. I was a little bummed when the movie was over that there's no running on my training plan until Monday...after watching it, I wanted to run home and keep on going!
Regardless of the fact that I did NOT run home and had only watched others run in the film (while eating chocolate chip cookies I might add), I was as hungry this morning as if I had done it myself...I made it through swim team, but was starving by the time Julie, Duncan, and I went for coffee. I will get in some weights later and that'll be it for today...tomorrow will be a bike ride if the good weather continues or perhaps a cross country ski outing...TBD.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Eclipse 'n stuff
Since my way-fun Monday, it's been more of a regular slogging week with a decent amount of meetings and appointments and not a ton of training...Tuesday and Wednesday were swim team mornings and that was about it except for weights on Tuesday. Last night, I had a front row seat of the eclipse from my new favorite watering hole, the Bottle Neck Lounge, where I met up with Erin, Brenda, and Megan. We got the very front table with a view to the moon and the clear sky (beer + layman's astronomy + conversation...what's not to love about that!). Erin has started calling me "Norm," as my new favorite bar has a some "Cheers" like qualities. I'm becoming a bit of a regular there and the bartenders now know me...
This morning I got up and went for a run in my neighborhood...where I saw that very same moon that was eclipsed last night, but it was huge, much more yellow, and again beautiful (although it didn't really resemble the same planet we'd been watching 9 hours prior much at all). It looked really cool behind the cemetary by Volunteer Park. Anway, it was a good 5.5 mile run (the "long" run is back down a little this week), but living up on the hill means a lot of down-down-down to get to Boyer...and then the up-up-up to get back home through Interlaken...not much flat on this route. I don't really like all that downhill stuff, esp. in the first half of a run, but the moon was nice and most of the run was in daylight, so it was OK. And I was able to avoid the carbon footprint guilt this time since I went from home. Hip's a little stiff, but allright.
I'm planning to go home to get in a session on the bike trainer later before going to see "The Spirit of the Marathon" movie. I wanted to see it a month ago and it sold out, so I got tickets pronto for this one-time showing. I'm really looking forward to seeing it and getting some good inspiration.
5.5 mile run
51:38
Avg HR = 138
Max HR (?) = 191 (is the gadget to be trusted??)
This morning I got up and went for a run in my neighborhood...where I saw that very same moon that was eclipsed last night, but it was huge, much more yellow, and again beautiful (although it didn't really resemble the same planet we'd been watching 9 hours prior much at all). It looked really cool behind the cemetary by Volunteer Park. Anway, it was a good 5.5 mile run (the "long" run is back down a little this week), but living up on the hill means a lot of down-down-down to get to Boyer...and then the up-up-up to get back home through Interlaken...not much flat on this route. I don't really like all that downhill stuff, esp. in the first half of a run, but the moon was nice and most of the run was in daylight, so it was OK. And I was able to avoid the carbon footprint guilt this time since I went from home. Hip's a little stiff, but allright.
I'm planning to go home to get in a session on the bike trainer later before going to see "The Spirit of the Marathon" movie. I wanted to see it a month ago and it sold out, so I got tickets pronto for this one-time showing. I'm really looking forward to seeing it and getting some good inspiration.
5.5 mile run
51:38
Avg HR = 138
Max HR (?) = 191 (is the gadget to be trusted??)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Carbon footprint confessions
I spent a lot of the President's Day holiday today running and biking...and, as a resident of environmental central Seattle, I feel the need to confess that I drove my car to do both. I wanted a change of scenery and had the whole day to kill, so I figured what the hell...
I have really been missing Greenlake since I've moved...I realized the other day that it's been more than 6 years since I've lived more than a mile from Greenlake, and I've been craving a run there. I woke up early and drove over to do my sort-of tempo run. The new training plan has me easing the hip back into the harder speed stuff, and today was a 4 mile run with 3x 5 minutes tempo pace. It was cold and clear (had to scrape the windshield to commit my first carbon footprint sin of the day) and the sunrise sky was really great as it got light at Greenlake. I parked by Starbucks and did a warm up to the track, did the first tempo there, then continued around the lake...good strong run and my tempo "chunks" were at a pretty good pace. I kept it at only 4 miles instead of cheating up like usual because a bike ride was also on the agenda today.
After the run, I hung out with my coffee for a while, did some housecleaning around the shoebox, and waited for the temperature to warm up, then got all my bike stuff together and drove out to Marymoor. I wasn't sure how much cycling energy would be in the tank today, so I figured I'd start around Lake Sammamish with options to May Valley and more miles over Tiger Mountain if I felt good. It's really interesting how you never really know how a workout is going to feel...on Saturday, I had my head wrapped around the idea of a 60ish mile ride and completely saw it happening...however, my legs and my tire were deflated and my attitude followed quickly...and it was a really tough long ride. Today, my attitude was a little less determined (plus, yesterday was not exactly a nutritionally stellar day and included a few beers and fun last night with my new pals, Megan and Brenda at our new favorite watering hole...great for morale, wasn't sure it'd be good for training), but my bike and my legs felt so good that my head easily followed along. I'd put my Ironman tires on my freshly clean bike after Saturday and it zoomed out of the park...and for whatever reason, I felt great. Every 10 miles or so, I kept wondering if/when my legs would start falling apart, but they never did....I added rte. 900 to May Valley, went over Tiger Mountain, and back to Marymoor feeling strong all day (and at a faster pace than usual!) Not sure where it came from--probably the sun as that always affects me (it was 56 degrees when I got done)--or the good company last night---whatever it was, I'll take it!
When I got home, Erin sent me this hilarious blog link on IM called Stuff White People Like . I read today's entry and laughed out loud because it hit close to home and, well, sometimes one must laugh at oneself...no wonder it got 50 comments.
OK, back to the facts:
4 mile run:
10 min warm up
5 min tempo (.65 mile) Avg HR = 155
2 min moderate
5 min tempo (.65 mile) Avg HR = 150
2 min moderate
5 min tempo (.66 mile) Avg HR = 154
4:30 moderate
Total: 33:36
Avg HR = 149
Max HR = 166
45 mile bike:
2:50
Avg HR = 120
Max HR = 157
Avg pace = 15.8 mph
I have really been missing Greenlake since I've moved...I realized the other day that it's been more than 6 years since I've lived more than a mile from Greenlake, and I've been craving a run there. I woke up early and drove over to do my sort-of tempo run. The new training plan has me easing the hip back into the harder speed stuff, and today was a 4 mile run with 3x 5 minutes tempo pace. It was cold and clear (had to scrape the windshield to commit my first carbon footprint sin of the day) and the sunrise sky was really great as it got light at Greenlake. I parked by Starbucks and did a warm up to the track, did the first tempo there, then continued around the lake...good strong run and my tempo "chunks" were at a pretty good pace. I kept it at only 4 miles instead of cheating up like usual because a bike ride was also on the agenda today.
After the run, I hung out with my coffee for a while, did some housecleaning around the shoebox, and waited for the temperature to warm up, then got all my bike stuff together and drove out to Marymoor. I wasn't sure how much cycling energy would be in the tank today, so I figured I'd start around Lake Sammamish with options to May Valley and more miles over Tiger Mountain if I felt good. It's really interesting how you never really know how a workout is going to feel...on Saturday, I had my head wrapped around the idea of a 60ish mile ride and completely saw it happening...however, my legs and my tire were deflated and my attitude followed quickly...and it was a really tough long ride. Today, my attitude was a little less determined (plus, yesterday was not exactly a nutritionally stellar day and included a few beers and fun last night with my new pals, Megan and Brenda at our new favorite watering hole...great for morale, wasn't sure it'd be good for training), but my bike and my legs felt so good that my head easily followed along. I'd put my Ironman tires on my freshly clean bike after Saturday and it zoomed out of the park...and for whatever reason, I felt great. Every 10 miles or so, I kept wondering if/when my legs would start falling apart, but they never did....I added rte. 900 to May Valley, went over Tiger Mountain, and back to Marymoor feeling strong all day (and at a faster pace than usual!) Not sure where it came from--probably the sun as that always affects me (it was 56 degrees when I got done)--or the good company last night---whatever it was, I'll take it!
When I got home, Erin sent me this hilarious blog link on IM called Stuff White People Like . I read today's entry and laughed out loud because it hit close to home and, well, sometimes one must laugh at oneself...no wonder it got 50 comments.
OK, back to the facts:
4 mile run:
10 min warm up
5 min tempo (.65 mile) Avg HR = 155
2 min moderate
5 min tempo (.65 mile) Avg HR = 150
2 min moderate
5 min tempo (.66 mile) Avg HR = 154
4:30 moderate
Total: 33:36
Avg HR = 149
Max HR = 166
45 mile bike:
2:50
Avg HR = 120
Max HR = 157
Avg pace = 15.8 mph
Saturday, February 16, 2008
How to grieve a tire...
Didn't blog yesterday...not much to report on the end-of-week except the regular good swim team workout, a decent weights session, and PT with Wolf and his sweet golden retriever (note to self: always schedule PT on Mon/Wed/Fri because the dog works on those days). My hip was less sore this week after my 7 miler than last week and we've determined that I'm officially getting better. My next appt. with Wolf won't be for 2 weeks since things are going pretty well. Ended yesterday by convincing Stacey to meet me at Atlas for Happy Hour which was great...came home, crashed early, and slept about 9 hours.
Today was a bike day and I was enthusiastic about the forecasted sunshine and had aspirations for 60ish miles...both the sun and my mileage didn't quite hit the mark, but they were close. I had hoped the pavement would be be dry by the time I started riding, but it was still wet and cloudy at 8:30 when I headed out...oh, well, just means I have to clean my bike. I headed out the long side of Mercer Island (my bike seems to have this on auto-pilot now) and then east past Loehmann's Plaza, over Newport Way, toward Lake Sammamish. At about mile 24, I was crossing over I-90 and on a concentrated mission to get to the Lake Samm State Park bathrooms, and dropped my chain...no big deal, stopped on the gritty shoulder and threw it back on. However, as I was starting back onto the road, I didn't notice the big pile of glass until I was right in the middle of it. When I didn't hear anything immediately, I thought maybe I'd dodged the bullet. In about a half mile, though, I was rapidly going through the stages of grief (being an expert of late, I recognized this process quickly).
Tire: thumpthumpthump
Me (Denial phase): I can't have a flat, it's been at least a half mile since that glass....
Tire: thumpthumpthump
Me (Anger phase): DAMMIT, I have to pee, I should have looked where I was riding, and haven't I banked karma lately to cover this???? And it has to be the back tire, too, crap.
Tire: thumpthumpthump
Me (bargaining phase): Can't I just make it one more mile to the park and the bathroom and make ONE stop....please?
Tire: thumpthumpthump, not unless you want to wreck the rim you're already riding on.
Me (acceptance): Ok, Ok, it's not the end of the world, I'll fix it now.
I skipped the sadness phase...enough of that lately and I over-dramatized the flat already :) And, of course, it could have been worse. I was right by a condo complex with a nice safe parking lot and a dumpster for the dead C02 cartridge and tube. I fixed it and found a piece of glass that was lodged so far through the tire I had to pull it out the inside-side of the tire...it left a cut, so I booted the tire with a dollar bill (I am not too proud to buy karma at this point and really really didn't want another flat today).
I went on down to the park (thank god, the bathrooms are open in the winter, see, my $1 karma paid off immediately!)...mixed the 2nd bottle of Perpetuem, ate a banana, and headed home the same way, over Mercer Island the long way...I'd thought about trying to do more miles, but the flat and my tired legs decided against that one, and it still felt like a LOONNNGGG ride. I'd had 2 bottles of perpetuem, a banana, and 2/3 bottle of Nuun, but I was really hungry, too.
Of course, when I got home there was an email from my coach saying, "Weather doesn't look as good as we thought, save your long bike ride for Monday when it will be 60 and sunny..." Guess I saw that note about 4 hours too late. But I'll ride again on Monday and might try for another long one. Now I get to recover, clean up the dirty bike, and replace the tires with last summer's "race" tires.
Long ride:
54 miles
3:42:49
Avg pace: 14.4
Avg HR = ?? (GPS said avg HR was 107, but it was screwy today, no way that's right)
Today was a bike day and I was enthusiastic about the forecasted sunshine and had aspirations for 60ish miles...both the sun and my mileage didn't quite hit the mark, but they were close. I had hoped the pavement would be be dry by the time I started riding, but it was still wet and cloudy at 8:30 when I headed out...oh, well, just means I have to clean my bike. I headed out the long side of Mercer Island (my bike seems to have this on auto-pilot now) and then east past Loehmann's Plaza, over Newport Way, toward Lake Sammamish. At about mile 24, I was crossing over I-90 and on a concentrated mission to get to the Lake Samm State Park bathrooms, and dropped my chain...no big deal, stopped on the gritty shoulder and threw it back on. However, as I was starting back onto the road, I didn't notice the big pile of glass until I was right in the middle of it. When I didn't hear anything immediately, I thought maybe I'd dodged the bullet. In about a half mile, though, I was rapidly going through the stages of grief (being an expert of late, I recognized this process quickly).
Tire: thumpthumpthump
Me (Denial phase): I can't have a flat, it's been at least a half mile since that glass....
Tire: thumpthumpthump
Me (Anger phase): DAMMIT, I have to pee, I should have looked where I was riding, and haven't I banked karma lately to cover this???? And it has to be the back tire, too, crap.
Tire: thumpthumpthump
Me (bargaining phase): Can't I just make it one more mile to the park and the bathroom and make ONE stop....please?
Tire: thumpthumpthump, not unless you want to wreck the rim you're already riding on.
Me (acceptance): Ok, Ok, it's not the end of the world, I'll fix it now.
I skipped the sadness phase...enough of that lately and I over-dramatized the flat already :) And, of course, it could have been worse. I was right by a condo complex with a nice safe parking lot and a dumpster for the dead C02 cartridge and tube. I fixed it and found a piece of glass that was lodged so far through the tire I had to pull it out the inside-side of the tire...it left a cut, so I booted the tire with a dollar bill (I am not too proud to buy karma at this point and really really didn't want another flat today).
I went on down to the park (thank god, the bathrooms are open in the winter, see, my $1 karma paid off immediately!)...mixed the 2nd bottle of Perpetuem, ate a banana, and headed home the same way, over Mercer Island the long way...I'd thought about trying to do more miles, but the flat and my tired legs decided against that one, and it still felt like a LOONNNGGG ride. I'd had 2 bottles of perpetuem, a banana, and 2/3 bottle of Nuun, but I was really hungry, too.
Of course, when I got home there was an email from my coach saying, "Weather doesn't look as good as we thought, save your long bike ride for Monday when it will be 60 and sunny..." Guess I saw that note about 4 hours too late. But I'll ride again on Monday and might try for another long one. Now I get to recover, clean up the dirty bike, and replace the tires with last summer's "race" tires.
Long ride:
54 miles
3:42:49
Avg pace: 14.4
Avg HR = ?? (GPS said avg HR was 107, but it was screwy today, no way that's right)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
BAH HUMBUG!!
Today is Valentine's Day... because I really need a holiday to remind me (in those 2-4 minutes of the day I'm not thinking about it already) that I'm relationship-impaired...thankyewverymuch. I've been waiting for a few weeks now for stupid cupid to get this day OVER with so I won't have to see/hear the hearts & flowers marketing barage anymore and we can move on to some holidays worth celebrating like...I don't know, spring solstice or oh yeah, Monday is President's Day and that's not too bad...I can celebrate some dead white guys by not working and being on my bike that day. That'll work. My non-Valentine's present to myself was joining Netflix yesterday. And when I got to work, the latest friend-recommended morale boosting book I ordered, "The Art of Possibility" had been delivered...perhaps the perfect thing to start later today.
Other than my afore-mentioned crankiness, I had a really good run this morning. I did the Lake Union + some of Boyer Street loop for a total of 7 miles again, like last Thursday, but in the opposite direction. The days are getting slightly longer -- I noticed that I had a bit more daylight this week...there is (literally) light at the end of the tunnel! Pretty sky, no rain, and I felt good...my hamstring was talking as soon as I started, I felt that new knee thing a tiny bit in the last mile, but the hip said nothing...woo-hoo!! I'll take it. During the run, I think I decided to forego the Pac Tour trip at the end of March...I really really want to go, but I'd rather pay it forward on vacation days and money and have some play options later in the summer...90% sure on that one.
7.o mile run
1:04:40
Avg HR = 143
Other than my afore-mentioned crankiness, I had a really good run this morning. I did the Lake Union + some of Boyer Street loop for a total of 7 miles again, like last Thursday, but in the opposite direction. The days are getting slightly longer -- I noticed that I had a bit more daylight this week...there is (literally) light at the end of the tunnel! Pretty sky, no rain, and I felt good...my hamstring was talking as soon as I started, I felt that new knee thing a tiny bit in the last mile, but the hip said nothing...woo-hoo!! I'll take it. During the run, I think I decided to forego the Pac Tour trip at the end of March...I really really want to go, but I'd rather pay it forward on vacation days and money and have some play options later in the summer...90% sure on that one.
7.o mile run
1:04:40
Avg HR = 143
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Either...or
After a less-fun-than-usual swim yesterday morning (first set was really dumb and really long and wasted too much time), I met with my coach to discuss the training plan for the next few weeks and to talk about what other races 'n stuff I'll do this year. The options have been narrowed down, but the final decisions are yet to be made: Either I'll do the Pac Tour training trip to Arizona the last week of March, or...I'll (likely) decide I can't afford it (even with a tax refund and a frequent flyer ticket, still not looking financially responsible)...Either, I'll do the Eugene Half Marathon on May 4, or I'll do the Tacoma Half on May 10....and Either I'll do the ChelanMan Half Ironman on July 29, or I'll (more likely) do Troika on Aug. 3. Of course, HoNu on May 31 is set and we've decided that the goal for that one due to time of year, weather, etc. is officially to have fun...it's not my A race. In addition, Tour de Blast and High Pass Challenge could happen and, of course, Fat Salmon is a given...and perhaps a few other things like Chilly Hilly next weekend are TBD.
I lifted weights and did plyometrics yesterday and something torqued in my left knee at some point...I'm pretty sure it was from the plyometrics or maybe lunges and I felt it the rest of the day/evening. It scared me last night when it was sore (even after taking Aleve) and has continuted to be a little annoying today, but I'm choosing to believe that it's just a little thing that will pass, especially since it felt a bit better today after cycling. I'm NOT interested in another injury, for sure, as I'm not quite finished with the last one.
Today I had a really good swim (way better workout from the swim coach today) and also figured out my schedule so that I could come home and get on the trainer in between various meetings hither and yon. It was sunny and almost 50 outside, but I opted to just get on the trainer for 45 minutes while watching "Ellen," steady state and simple.
Tues swim:
2850
Wed Swim:
3000
Bike Trainer:
45 min
Avg HR = 132
Sidebar: culinary lesson learned this evening...don't put wild grain rice in the rice cooker despite what it says on the box...my rice cooker is a little crusty and really pissed.
I lifted weights and did plyometrics yesterday and something torqued in my left knee at some point...I'm pretty sure it was from the plyometrics or maybe lunges and I felt it the rest of the day/evening. It scared me last night when it was sore (even after taking Aleve) and has continuted to be a little annoying today, but I'm choosing to believe that it's just a little thing that will pass, especially since it felt a bit better today after cycling. I'm NOT interested in another injury, for sure, as I'm not quite finished with the last one.
Today I had a really good swim (way better workout from the swim coach today) and also figured out my schedule so that I could come home and get on the trainer in between various meetings hither and yon. It was sunny and almost 50 outside, but I opted to just get on the trainer for 45 minutes while watching "Ellen," steady state and simple.
Tues swim:
2850
Wed Swim:
3000
Bike Trainer:
45 min
Avg HR = 132
Sidebar: culinary lesson learned this evening...don't put wild grain rice in the rice cooker despite what it says on the box...my rice cooker is a little crusty and really pissed.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Monday double
My good friend, Shemille, has mastered the art of relaxation and sedentary downtime...while this is probably a good influence on me --and I loved having her in town this weekend-- I did a bit more sitting around yesterday than I usually do, even for a rest day, and I was uncomfortably rested by last night. I was good 'n ready to hop out of bed at 5:00 this morning to get in my run before shuttling her to SeaTac. I did about 4.5 miles with 4 good hills (there are several good steep hills on the streets running east/west between 19th and 15th Ave on Cap Hill). I felt great and like I wanted to run a lot longer, but...I had limited time and it was supposed to be a 4 miler. Anyway, good start to the morning.
With some energy left to burn, I went to spin class at noon. Despite the appearance of the Monday instructor I usually don't like (she announces at the beginning of every class that "When I ask any question, the correct answer is, 'Whhheeeewwww!'" gawd, can I roll my eyes any higher?), I had a great workout. And I must admit that although I did NOT ever yell, "Whhheewwww" as cued way too many times, I liked her cheesy oldschool music and got a kick out of the class...I can't remember the last time I heard, "You dropped the bomb on me...baby!" but I must admit that I love that song and ramped my HR right up while trying not to actually sing. I was about to bail a couple minutes early, but who can truncate Sister Sledge...I mean, "We are Family" is a classic and gave me some good flashbacks of dancing at the old Timberline on 50 cent beers...went the whole 50 minutes and did a lot of sprints, exactly what I wanted.
Run Summary:
4.55 miles
44:20
4 hills on parallel streets (Garfield, 2x Galer, and Prospect)
Avg HR = 134
Max HR = 164
Spin Class:
50:00
Avg HR = 143
Max HR = 159
With some energy left to burn, I went to spin class at noon. Despite the appearance of the Monday instructor I usually don't like (she announces at the beginning of every class that "When I ask any question, the correct answer is, 'Whhheeeewwww!'" gawd, can I roll my eyes any higher?), I had a great workout. And I must admit that although I did NOT ever yell, "Whhheewwww" as cued way too many times, I liked her cheesy oldschool music and got a kick out of the class...I can't remember the last time I heard, "You dropped the bomb on me...baby!" but I must admit that I love that song and ramped my HR right up while trying not to actually sing. I was about to bail a couple minutes early, but who can truncate Sister Sledge...I mean, "We are Family" is a classic and gave me some good flashbacks of dancing at the old Timberline on 50 cent beers...went the whole 50 minutes and did a lot of sprints, exactly what I wanted.
Run Summary:
4.55 miles
44:20
4 hills on parallel streets (Garfield, 2x Galer, and Prospect)
Avg HR = 134
Max HR = 164
Spin Class:
50:00
Avg HR = 143
Max HR = 159
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Saturday spin 'n spin 'n spin....
I spent about a month on my bike trainer this morning...ok, closer to half a day, but it was the longest amount of time I've ever lasted on an indoor ride...2 hours, 45 minutes. It was supposed to be 3 hours, but I got to the bottom of my bottles and my enthusiasm before I hit "3," and called it good. I alternated between a DVD and women's basketball and took a break at 1:30 to rotate laundry, re-fill my Nuun bottle, and grab a banana...I was riding with the sliding glass door of the shoebox open, as usual, but thought it was really warm...well, duh... at my little halftime break, I realized that I'd left the heater on and, of course, didn't hear it because of the trainer. Big oops...might as well have been just throwing money out the window, dangit.
Anyway...2 soaked headbands, 2 soaked sweat towels, 2 full bottles of Nuun, 1 full bottle of Perpetuem, 1 banana, parts of 2 basketball games, 2 episodes of "The Riches" and the whole morning later...I'm done and it's time for the weekend and a rest day tomorrow!
My friend, Shemille, got in last night from Baltimore and we went for a late beer (successful carb load for this morning!). Needless to say, she did not participate in the morning workout and I will return to my host duties shortly. Tonight we're going with some friends to "The Saturday Night Sizzler" boxing matches at Cappy's gym...I have always hated boxing, but apparently, it's pretty cool to watch the amateurs spar and, well, it's only $5, so why not. If it looks like something out of the Sopranos and there's lots of fat guys and cigar smoke, we can always bail.
Indoor Bike:
2:45
Avg HR = 131
Anyway...2 soaked headbands, 2 soaked sweat towels, 2 full bottles of Nuun, 1 full bottle of Perpetuem, 1 banana, parts of 2 basketball games, 2 episodes of "The Riches" and the whole morning later...I'm done and it's time for the weekend and a rest day tomorrow!
My friend, Shemille, got in last night from Baltimore and we went for a late beer (successful carb load for this morning!). Needless to say, she did not participate in the morning workout and I will return to my host duties shortly. Tonight we're going with some friends to "The Saturday Night Sizzler" boxing matches at Cappy's gym...I have always hated boxing, but apparently, it's pretty cool to watch the amateurs spar and, well, it's only $5, so why not. If it looks like something out of the Sopranos and there's lots of fat guys and cigar smoke, we can always bail.
Indoor Bike:
2:45
Avg HR = 131
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Impromtu group run
This morning was "long" run day..."long," of course, is still a relative term, but slowly returning to what I consider to be a realistic definition. I turned on the TV quick before heading out and dreaded the "really windy" assessment of current conditions, but there was no friggin' way I was going to the gym to get on the treadmill for 6+ miles. It was a good decision to go out...it was breezy in places, but not that bad, no rain and not too cold. I parked on Boyer again like last week and went clockwise (strategy = headwind first) around Lake Union. At the south end of the lake, I heard my name being yelled behind me...at 6:15 a.m. in the dark, it seemed a little odd, but I looked back and Ann J. and Karen D. had merged onto the route and were behind me (apparently Ann identified me by my running form which I don't think was exactly a compliment!). We ran and chatted together for a few minutes and they told me they were out for a 9-miler and invited me to come along...it was VERY tempting, especially since their route sounded fun, but I thought I shouldn't jump up to 9 miles quite yet. I split off when they made a pit stop and continued around...by the time I passed Speedy Reedy, there was a slight bit of daylight and I was thinking (again) how much I can't wait for the days to get longer...come on, spring! I added a little at the end past my car to get 7 miles and it felt good. The hip was fine while running and I have PT later today, so hopefully Wolf will wrench on the post-run stiffness.
7 Mile Run
1:05:46
Avg HR = 140
7 Mile Run
1:05:46
Avg HR = 140
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Payback spin
Since last night's computrainer class made me feel like Wussy McWussington (sidebar: Karen D. told me this morning she thought it was too easy, too, but thought it was just the course he made up), I figured the "optional bike" on today's calendar was no longer optional. I got in a good spin class at lunchtime and received the butt-kicking I expected yesterday...worked the intervals pretty hard as penance for yesterday's walk in the park. Also had a good swim this morning...it was just Mackenzie and me in the lane today. She's a much stronger swimmer than I am and she usually kicks my butt, but she's had a couple weeks off and it was her first day back, so I got to lead while she lamented about how hard it is on the first day back...I'm sure she'll be back at the front by next week.
In unrelated excellent news, one of my best pals in the whole world, Shemille, told me this morning that she booked flights to come visit me this weekend from Baltimore. For someone who's had a rough couple of months (that'd be me), this is the equivalent of calling in the friendship cavalry and I am more than happy she's headed west. Sounds like she's taking a timeout from some substantial job-related stress, so I think some hangin' out like old times might be good medicine for both of us. I'm not sure how exactly a house guest will fit in the shoebox, but I guess we'll find a human shoehorn of some sort...
Swim:
3100 yards
Spin:
49ish minutes
Avg HR = 137
Max HR = 155
In unrelated excellent news, one of my best pals in the whole world, Shemille, told me this morning that she booked flights to come visit me this weekend from Baltimore. For someone who's had a rough couple of months (that'd be me), this is the equivalent of calling in the friendship cavalry and I am more than happy she's headed west. Sounds like she's taking a timeout from some substantial job-related stress, so I think some hangin' out like old times might be good medicine for both of us. I'm not sure how exactly a house guest will fit in the shoebox, but I guess we'll find a human shoehorn of some sort...
Swim:
3100 yards
Spin:
49ish minutes
Avg HR = 137
Max HR = 155
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Too much technology?
I slept in this morning... unheard-of for me on a weekday, but I have the "no bike trainer till 7:30 a.m." rule from the downstairs neighbor, I had the offer to do a Computrainer class this evening and, well, I was tired. I slept over 9 hours and I was still feeling a little slo-mo when I woke up, so hanging out for a couple hours with my coffee was a welcome luxury. I did weights midday and then went to try out the Computrainer class late this afternoon.
The workout was, well, disappointing. I think it was a combination of first-timer-figure-out-the-wattage and the dude underestimated bigtime, plus he thought that maybe the particular machine I was on wasn't "loading up" the workload correctly. Once, for about 30 seconds, it hit me like a ton of bricks, but the rest of the time it was so easy I could barely get my HR up...and, apparently, increasing cadence actually reduces the resistance, so I was pedalling faster and I kept hitting the "up" arrow to increase wattage, but...bottom line: wussy workout. Tim told me I'd done over 26 miles in the 50 minutes, but I was thinking, "Yeah, 26 miles coasting downhill..." Karen D., Ann J., and Ratna came in for the next session, so I chatted with them a bit, thought about trying to do their class with them, and then just bagged it. After how tired I was earlier today, an easy workout was OK and surprisingly, I'm over it. I might give it another shot next week, but...maybe not. TBD.
Computrainer class:
50 min
Avg HR = 126
The workout was, well, disappointing. I think it was a combination of first-timer-figure-out-the-wattage and the dude underestimated bigtime, plus he thought that maybe the particular machine I was on wasn't "loading up" the workload correctly. Once, for about 30 seconds, it hit me like a ton of bricks, but the rest of the time it was so easy I could barely get my HR up...and, apparently, increasing cadence actually reduces the resistance, so I was pedalling faster and I kept hitting the "up" arrow to increase wattage, but...bottom line: wussy workout. Tim told me I'd done over 26 miles in the 50 minutes, but I was thinking, "Yeah, 26 miles coasting downhill..." Karen D., Ann J., and Ratna came in for the next session, so I chatted with them a bit, thought about trying to do their class with them, and then just bagged it. After how tired I was earlier today, an easy workout was OK and surprisingly, I'm over it. I might give it another shot next week, but...maybe not. TBD.
Computrainer class:
50 min
Avg HR = 126
Monday, February 04, 2008
A welcome double
After a not-so-great Sunday (Sundays are kind of depressing these days...note to self: pretend Sundays are Saturdays henceforth) and the extra calories due to the occasion of the "Stupid-Bowl" Superbowl (as if I cared or had watched a single game all season till yesterday), it was OK with me that today was Monday with a good double on the schedule.
Swimteam was the usual good workout...there was someone new today, so we had 5 in the lane, but it was fine...got in 3,100 yards.
The lunchtime run assignment was 4 miles with some 1-minute "pick-ups" (euphemism for intervals, just sounds more fun, huh?). I changed it up and added a little length on the pick-ups and the overall distance. Kind of a bummer how 2 minutes of "hard" feels a lot longer than it did last summer and running them on the road isn't as cool as on the track, but I'm coming along, I think. The hip felt fine, but everything else (esp. that damn right hammy) is a little stiff and tired now as the day goes on. The run felt good and I was really trying to work on the forward lean as well as turnover and smaller steps (this after a form conversation with Julie & Duncan last Friday about not striding too far out, esp. on speedwork). I think there's something to that idea of smaller steps and keeping your wheels under you...my overall average pace for the whole workout (including the recovery intervals in the total) was pretty good and it FEELS faster when I take more steps, kind of like increasing cadence on the bike. Who knows if it's physical or mental, but a good experiment nonetheless.
Run:
8 min warm up
Then 3 of these:
1 min hard/ 1 min jogging recovery
2 min hard/ 1 min jogging recovey
17 min moderate
Total:
4.75 miles
39:49
Avg HR = 152
Max HR = 177
Swimteam was the usual good workout...there was someone new today, so we had 5 in the lane, but it was fine...got in 3,100 yards.
The lunchtime run assignment was 4 miles with some 1-minute "pick-ups" (euphemism for intervals, just sounds more fun, huh?). I changed it up and added a little length on the pick-ups and the overall distance. Kind of a bummer how 2 minutes of "hard" feels a lot longer than it did last summer and running them on the road isn't as cool as on the track, but I'm coming along, I think. The hip felt fine, but everything else (esp. that damn right hammy) is a little stiff and tired now as the day goes on. The run felt good and I was really trying to work on the forward lean as well as turnover and smaller steps (this after a form conversation with Julie & Duncan last Friday about not striding too far out, esp. on speedwork). I think there's something to that idea of smaller steps and keeping your wheels under you...my overall average pace for the whole workout (including the recovery intervals in the total) was pretty good and it FEELS faster when I take more steps, kind of like increasing cadence on the bike. Who knows if it's physical or mental, but a good experiment nonetheless.
Run:
8 min warm up
Then 3 of these:
1 min hard/ 1 min jogging recovery
2 min hard/ 1 min jogging recovey
17 min moderate
Total:
4.75 miles
39:49
Avg HR = 152
Max HR = 177
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Damn the groundhog, full speed ahead!
Does anyone else think that Punxsutawney Phil looks kind of stoned? I mean, as someone who also has a job that pretty much revolves around an event that happens one day per year, I'd think that little groundhog would exhibit a bit more enthusiasm...I think they drug him before they go on TV to announce the results of his yearly shadow-seeking. Poor guy...he's cute, fat, and looks well-groomed, but doesn't seem too happy about his gig. Anyway, Phil saw his shadow this morning and I went downstairs and outside to the street twice to look for my own before I finally bit the bullet and decided to ride my bike outdoors. I had all but conceded to the wet pavement and cold, but the more/later I waffled, the bluer the sky got, so I took it as a sign (plus, I just didn't want to get on the trainer AGAIN).
My legs were feeling it pretty soon (which made sense as I remembered that I haven't been off them since last Sunday and I did stairs this week, did an extra spin class yesterday, and did plyometrics last night...), but otherwise it was a really good ride. I went out the long side of Mercer Island and around the south end of the lake...other than my toes, I never got cold (good, as it was 37 degrees) and even though the pavement was wet, it didn't rain so I stayed dry. I was supposed to do 30 miles today, but since I "cheated short" last week, I "cheated long" this week and went 42...at 30 miles, this was a decision my quads did not agree with, but I was south of Seward Park and had no scoop options, so I kept throwing food at the problem and made it home. Woulda shoulda (not sure I coulda) done core when I got home, but felt more like "stick a fork in me, I'm DONE..." so I opted for a shower and lunch. I toyed with the idea of hiking downtown to meet my friend, Paul, for a movie this afternoon, but I think I'll just deal with the guilt of my carbon footprint and drive down the hill...I'm beat and looking forward to sitting through a movie. I trained just under 12 hours this week, but it feels like about 18! REST DAY tomorrow, whew.
Groundhog Day Ride:
42 miles
2:50
Avg HR: 121
Max HR: 154
Avg pace: 14.8mph
My legs were feeling it pretty soon (which made sense as I remembered that I haven't been off them since last Sunday and I did stairs this week, did an extra spin class yesterday, and did plyometrics last night...), but otherwise it was a really good ride. I went out the long side of Mercer Island and around the south end of the lake...other than my toes, I never got cold (good, as it was 37 degrees) and even though the pavement was wet, it didn't rain so I stayed dry. I was supposed to do 30 miles today, but since I "cheated short" last week, I "cheated long" this week and went 42...at 30 miles, this was a decision my quads did not agree with, but I was south of Seward Park and had no scoop options, so I kept throwing food at the problem and made it home. Woulda shoulda (not sure I coulda) done core when I got home, but felt more like "stick a fork in me, I'm DONE..." so I opted for a shower and lunch. I toyed with the idea of hiking downtown to meet my friend, Paul, for a movie this afternoon, but I think I'll just deal with the guilt of my carbon footprint and drive down the hill...I'm beat and looking forward to sitting through a movie. I trained just under 12 hours this week, but it feels like about 18! REST DAY tomorrow, whew.
Groundhog Day Ride:
42 miles
2:50
Avg HR: 121
Max HR: 154
Avg pace: 14.8mph
Friday, February 01, 2008
Love my lane-mates!
Despite a few adult beverages last night over dinner with my friend, Erin, at the "shoebox" (as I now affectionately refer to my living quarters), I was up before my alarm this morning and off to swim team. 3 of my lanemates have commented this week that they think I've gotten faster recently...I'm quite happy with this compliment, but not sure where it's coming from, except maybe that I'm pulling a little less weight through the water...or that my over-actively processing brain is transferring something to the rest of me. I keep hoping that whatever improvements are happening aquatically might also happen on the bike and running...and in that hope, I added a lunchtime spin class today that wasn't on the schedule. I still have to lift weights today, but I think I can still fit that in later. I was kind of thinking that today's spin class might be a little paying-it-forward to tomorrow because another long session on the bike trainer is likely... and I may be tempted to cut a little off of another 2 hour butt killing session. I'm hoping a miracle brings outdoor-bikeable weather or maybe the avalanches will have calmed enough that I can go skiing. TBD, but some kind of relevant training will occur tomorrow...
I had a really good PT appt., too, and the hip is doing pretty well. It was a little tight from yesterday's run, but not bad. I really like Wolf, the PT I'm finally working with, and the fact that he had his very sweet dog, an 8-month old lab, in the office made the appt. even more fun. The dog was uber-friendly and then just laid under the table while I got worked on. Wolf mentioned that he did a 17-mile run himself last weekend, so the empathy of a PT who's a real runner is good..he gets it. He says I can keep the weekly mileage the same (i.e. 10-12 miles) and either go to 3 days per week or keep it at 2 days and gradually increase the longer one like I've been doing. I think I'll opt for the 2x per week as I really want to get that longer run back up to 8-10 miles soon.
I had a really good PT appt., too, and the hip is doing pretty well. It was a little tight from yesterday's run, but not bad. I really like Wolf, the PT I'm finally working with, and the fact that he had his very sweet dog, an 8-month old lab, in the office made the appt. even more fun. The dog was uber-friendly and then just laid under the table while I got worked on. Wolf mentioned that he did a 17-mile run himself last weekend, so the empathy of a PT who's a real runner is good..he gets it. He says I can keep the weekly mileage the same (i.e. 10-12 miles) and either go to 3 days per week or keep it at 2 days and gradually increase the longer one like I've been doing. I think I'll opt for the 2x per week as I really want to get that longer run back up to 8-10 miles soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)