Today I got to do my track workout. I skipped yesterday's bike ride because I woke up too early again and couldn't fall back asleep, but I slept well last night, so I'm getting there on my sleeping.
The track workout includes easy running, strides and a mix of 10K and 5K intervals. I was on my 3rd of 3 sets of the 10K/5K stuff when new runner guy shows up to the track. I had a few minutes of walking time, so I, of course, scoped him out. He didn't appear to be running too fast, but maybe enough to help me out with my next repeat.
So I'm running next to this guy and we're talking, and I'm supposed to be at 10K pace, but I'm running faster than I thought. Anyway, we are chatting (guess I can run faster if I can talk at 10K pace, huh?) and this guy has only run 4.5 miles at the most ever. He's doing a 5K race soon, and he tells me he is going to win the 40+ age group! I tell him he had better run faster if he thinks that (after he already told me this is as fast as he can go), and he says it's for charity so "real runners" won't show up, and I tell him yes they will, because we like to win stuff! Anyway, I'm hanging with him easily on my 6' at 10K pace, and then I gracefully tell him I need to pick it up (I needed to accelerate to 5K pace for 2'). Eat my dust, slow man!
But I must thank him, because all I needed was a slight challenge, and it got me running faster than I had in awhile; in fact I think I may have actually become slightly faster! I ran the 10K pace at 8:00/mile (I believe my 10K pace to be more like 8:10, but hey, now I think I can go 8:00), and the 5K pace at 7:23 (I have my current 5K pegged at 7:50/mile). Yes, that's SEVEN FREAKING 23 FOR THIS OLD LADY! Maybe there's hope for me as a runner yet!
This has me all fired up for my sprint race on Sunday, because I get to go head to head with my nemesis, who has beat me by a hair the last 2 times out. I am going to give her a run for her money, that's for sure. Since I've been at or beyond puking speeds in biking and running workouts for 4 weeks now, it's good to see something is paying off on the track, and since I'm rearranging my workouts later this week, I should be all nice and rested for this race (ha ha my definition of "rest" is just an easy swim and ride the day before).
There are only 2 words to describe how I feel right now--FUCKIN' A.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Weekly Workout Totals 2/25/2007-3/3/2007 and Happiness/Sadness
The week ended pretty well, although almost not.
This morning when I opened my front door to retrieve the Sunday newspaper, there was a youngish raccoon asleep curled up in a ball just outside my front door. The net net is that my neighbor called the police to have animal control retrieve him/her, who is hopefully, resting in peace in raccoon heaven. Poor little guy was either injured or sick, and while I truly wanted to take it to a wildlife shelter, they just won't accept the common raccoon. It did munch a little on a pine cone before it was taken away. I balled my eyes out. Again, I was thinking why do I continue to be tested? See, I'm a lot more sensitive to certain things than many people think I am. Ever since I was a young child, I would care for injured/sick wildlife and you win some you lose some. I appreciate the food chain in nature, yet it always pains me to see an animal suffer. I'm crying as I write this. I've watched every Jacques Cousteau, Nature, and any animal educational TV since I was tiny; so I appreciate all the variety that nature provides us. I am a many-year contributor to National Wildlife and the Audobon Society, and I try my best to live a life that has the least impact on the wildlife and environment that I can.
I did pretty well against my goals for last week and training, but not good enough. I can do better, but at least I know I'm coming around. I did go get measured for the bike, and sadly, the Eddy Merckx frames are too big, so now I've got my sights set on a Pinarello, and I better get it, because I already have a name picked out (secret until said frame is confirmed to be mine). I had so much fun at the bike shop yesterday, I can't describe it, and then I hung out at the nearby running shop to jawbone for about an hour. I am truly blessed in that I know so many excellent athletes who are all extremely intelligent and seem to share most of the values that I hold dear.
Well here it goes, and now I'm back on my old format:
Weekly Totals 02/26/2007-03/04/2007
Swim: 7900 yards (4.48 miles) in 2.75 hours; 21% of weekly workout time; approx. 963 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 77.87 miles in 4.45 hours; 34% of weekly workout time; approx. 2140 calories burned
Run: Approx. 24.12 miles in 3.78 hours; 29% of weekly workout time; approx. 1722 calories burned
Strength: 2.25 hours; 17% of weekly workout time; approx. 563 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 106.47 miles in 13.23 hours; approx. 5388 calories burned
Sleep: 8.07 hours avg./night
Stretching: 2.47 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
Goals from Last Week:
Goals for Next Week:
This morning when I opened my front door to retrieve the Sunday newspaper, there was a youngish raccoon asleep curled up in a ball just outside my front door. The net net is that my neighbor called the police to have animal control retrieve him/her, who is hopefully, resting in peace in raccoon heaven. Poor little guy was either injured or sick, and while I truly wanted to take it to a wildlife shelter, they just won't accept the common raccoon. It did munch a little on a pine cone before it was taken away. I balled my eyes out. Again, I was thinking why do I continue to be tested? See, I'm a lot more sensitive to certain things than many people think I am. Ever since I was a young child, I would care for injured/sick wildlife and you win some you lose some. I appreciate the food chain in nature, yet it always pains me to see an animal suffer. I'm crying as I write this. I've watched every Jacques Cousteau, Nature, and any animal educational TV since I was tiny; so I appreciate all the variety that nature provides us. I am a many-year contributor to National Wildlife and the Audobon Society, and I try my best to live a life that has the least impact on the wildlife and environment that I can.
I did pretty well against my goals for last week and training, but not good enough. I can do better, but at least I know I'm coming around. I did go get measured for the bike, and sadly, the Eddy Merckx frames are too big, so now I've got my sights set on a Pinarello, and I better get it, because I already have a name picked out (secret until said frame is confirmed to be mine). I had so much fun at the bike shop yesterday, I can't describe it, and then I hung out at the nearby running shop to jawbone for about an hour. I am truly blessed in that I know so many excellent athletes who are all extremely intelligent and seem to share most of the values that I hold dear.
Well here it goes, and now I'm back on my old format:
Weekly Totals 02/26/2007-03/04/2007
Swim: 7900 yards (4.48 miles) in 2.75 hours; 21% of weekly workout time; approx. 963 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 77.87 miles in 4.45 hours; 34% of weekly workout time; approx. 2140 calories burned
Run: Approx. 24.12 miles in 3.78 hours; 29% of weekly workout time; approx. 1722 calories burned
Strength: 2.25 hours; 17% of weekly workout time; approx. 563 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 106.47 miles in 13.23 hours; approx. 5388 calories burned
Sleep: 8.07 hours avg./night
Stretching: 2.47 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
Goals from Last Week:
- Work no more than 40 hours. CHECK!
- Sleep at least 8 hours per night. I average over 8, so CHECK.
- One less cup of coffee in the morningl. Not so much--but let's say 1/2 cup less.
- No alcohol for the foreseeable future. Well, the chicken fricasee tonight called for "a good red wine," so NOPE.
- Stretch :30/day except the day I get a massage. Not quite, but good enough.
- No more Valentine's candy until my weekly hours go over 14. Had to finish the last open bag. NO CIGAR.
- Back on strength training (I skipped it last week except for shoveling). CHECK.
- Get in 3 solid swims of at least 2500 yards. CHECK.
Goals for Next Week:
- Finalize bike frame and component (fingers crossed, you won't believe it if I get what I want)
- Kick ASS at the next race on Sunday 3/11. Since I'm going to be (cough, cough) SICK on Friday, I will have Saturday off.
- Kick down the coffee one more notch.
- Enjoy the fact that I'm on MAINTENANCE STRENGTH TRAINING!!!!
- Increase the sleep. It's coming, trust me.
- Lose that last stupid pound of weight that is hanging around (although I suppose it could be muscle, so it's not really a concern).
- Hope that nothing weird or strange happens and nobody close to me or any wild animals die in front of me or bite me. PLEASE GOD I'M BEGGING YOU!!!
- Enjoy the heck out of my next week of life.
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