It's been awhile since I've cussed in a post here. Why? Because I've just been plugging along since May, 2006, not really "training" so much, at least not for an Ironman. For it's only when I am thinking about an impending Ironman that I begin to receive fucking hard workouts from my coach.
Since MiamiMan last November, all I've done is run a lot and try to maintain respectable swim and bike fitness.
Swimming is still not something for me to worry about--at this point, I am not going to get much faster, and building endurance is easy. I had wanted to get some individual swim coaching, but it just hasn't panned out. Oh well, I still gotta work on my biking and running.
I am still more or less in "ease back into hard running" mode. I got in a decent amount of it last week, but am just beginning to feel ready for quality work, i.e., tempo intervals. I don't have much of that scheduled for this week, but I am sure I will start to see them next week.
Now, any of you who follow my blog know that my coach excels in prescribing evil bike workouts, and since I've been with him for a few years, and he knows what I have done and what I might be able to do, he periodically mixes things up. And I really believe he makes up stuff and tries it out on me to see if I will cry, "UNCLE!" Because the key to getting better at biking (or running--swimming is more a technique thing, no?) is to regularly change the stimulus to produce more of a response. When a person first begins training seriously, almost any stimulus will create improvement, but when you've been at it at the level I have for 6 years already, there is no such thing as expecting improvement from an easy/mindless workout.
Let me just say that I think I'm a pretty damn good biker for a 50-year old woman. Hey, I can average 21+mph in a 1/2 Ironman. Would I like to be faster? You betcha. I'm an OK runner now, too, only I need for the stars to align and for me to "just" race a 1/2 marathon to prove it, even though I'm quite comfortable with what I've seen during training runs.
So it's time for me to get back on my biking. I guess what I was doing the past 3 months wasn't hard enough, or at least it wasn't enough to trigger improvements to my FTP. Then again, I didn't expect that to happen, nor did I focus on my biking the past 3 months. Recall that I had a banner summer, where I banged out a lot of miles and progressed beyond where I was after Ironman Brazil. I can't believe I've already put over 1,000 miles in biking since 9/18/2006. HA! Most of that is indoors!
So you know what that means? It's time for WORK. It's time for fucking hard workouts that when I look at them on paper, I go what the fuck? It's time for doing a workout that I've never done for the first time and finding that I either want to cough up a lung, puke or flat out die at some point while I'm doing it.
Today was such a day. Here is the workout I did. Short and sweet, and fucking hard!
WU: 15' wup, 3' spinups
MS: 3 x 1' (1') @ 105%, 2' Easy,
4 x 5' (2') as 4' @ FT then 1' @ 105-110%,
3' Easy,
8 x 30/30's (which I did at >110%)
CD: 5' Easy
For those of you unfamiliar with the terminology, the percentages are as a percent of my FTP, or Functional Threshold Power. 30/30's are supposed to be 30" at VO2 Max power, 30" easy. The last time I formally tested FTP was in August, and it was 186. It's dropped a little bit since then (maybe 180?), but I am still using 186 as my "target" during workouts. Eventually it will get easier (ha ha), and hopefully the number will move back up to where it was and even beyond.
FTP is the wattage you can hold in a 1-hour time trial, but I estimate it by performing a test about every 4-6 weeks (it sucks, trust me) that includes a total of 40 minutes at that power level, so it's "good enough" for a working number. Thing is, doing actual 1-hour time trials is both hard indoors (mentally), and can require some extra recovery time. Besides, when I do the test indoors, I can usually get another 5 watts were I to go ride outside. But that's not possible right now.
Anyway, the entire workout took 1:10 (598 calories burned), and let me just say welcome back to the fucking hard interval workouts! And I mean that in the nicest possible way. Because there is no easy way to get stronger and faster.
It was even more fun today since I did 3 workouts yesterday: a :30 swim, a :50 run and a :51 strength workout that put the hurt to my legs. So my power was a bit off today, but lucky me, I get to do this workout again on Thursday!
Endurance is an easy thing for me to acquire--I have a huge, multi-year base, and it only takes a few weeks of increased volume to get it back. But speed--that's another thing entirely. If you don't practice going fast/hard, you don't get good at it, and it's easy to lose. So that's what the remainder of my winter is about. Hard and fast. Work.
While I was on the trainer today, I thought about buying a web cam and streaming live video of me working out to the web. If anyone is interested, let me know. I'd like to see it myself. What do I look like when I'm clenching my teeth, my lungs are burning, my legs are running on fumes, and that silly power meter is telling me I'm not good enough? And why do I bust out in the biggest smile when I'm done with the workout?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Weekly Workout Totals 1/15/2007-1/21/2007
OK, so this is just an excuse to gloat a little bit about Da Bears. Da Bears Da Bears Da Bears Da Bears! Remember that it's a SOFT S, a la the Superfans.
I had what I consider a near perfect day yesterday. I did a 1:30 run (first one since Goofy), that felt great. Then I swam :30 just to cool off, went home and lifted for :30, got ready to watch the game, and then totally enjoyed the game (and yes, there were beers involved). I was even happy to hear that the Colts are now favored in Super Bowl XLI, since the Bears were the underdogs yesterday and look what that made them do?
Anyway, I got back to training last week. In the big scheme of things, it was still an easy week for me, but a nice comeback from Goofy. This week I start up again with coach Rich, and I'm excited to see what he's going to throw at me. We chatted last week, and he asked me why I can't do "just" a 1/2 marathon or "just" a marathon. I'll do that eventually! For now, the focus is on the Triple T in May. I have my first indoor sprint in 3 weeks, and I'll be running long after it as race-specific prep. I'm still on huge strength workouts for another 7 weeks, and in that time I'll hit 3 races.
One last thing--I have to say that it always feels SO great to get back to full training after a break. My outlook on life is brighter; everything looks nicer. I suppose it doesn't hurt to have your football team winning, either!
Weekly Totals 01/15/2007-01/21/2007
Swim: 6800 yards (3.86 miles) in 2.4 hours; 21% of weekly workout time; approx. 841 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 81.97 miles in 4.68 hours; 41% of weekly workout time; approx. 2361 calories burned
Run: Approx. 24.75 miles in 3.88 hours; 34% of weekly workout time; approx. 1760 calories burned
Strength: 0.5 hours; 4% of weekly workout time; approx. 125 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 110.58 miles in 11.46 hours; approx. 5087 calories burned
Sleep: 8.93 hours avg./night
Stretching: 2.35 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
Monday, January 15, 2007
Disney Pics
As I always say (borrowing from Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas--sorry I couldn't find a video clip), it's better to look good than to feel good. For a 50-year old bag, I think I'm still kickin' it. Bonus--the fish showed up in my marathon pics!
No really, despite my description of being in pain during the marathon, I did enjoy it. My quads are feeling much better after a week of serious rest, and I'm going to go for a short run today!
1/2 Marathon:
Marathon:
No really, despite my description of being in pain during the marathon, I did enjoy it. My quads are feeling much better after a week of serious rest, and I'm going to go for a short run today!
1/2 Marathon:
Marathon:
Friday, January 12, 2007
2007 Goofy’s Challenge Race Report
Executive Summary:
Weight: 112 lbs. (same as last year)
Half Marathon 1/6/2007: 2:14:32, 10:16/mile, 44 out of 597 F50-54, did not wear HRM
Half Marathon 1/7/2006: 2:07.17, 9:43/mile, 86 out of 789 F45-49, burned 1,206 calories, average heart rate 128
Full Marathon 1/7/2007: 4:31:13, 10:21/mile, 27 out of 361 F50-54, did not wear HRM
Full Marathon 1/8/2006: 4:27.07, 10:12/mile, 68 out of 586 F45-49, burned 2,398 calories, average heart rate 124
Combined Time 2007: 6:45:45, overall average 10:19/mile
Combined Time 2006: 6:34.24, overall average 10:02/mile
When I did this race last year, it was a new experience, so I went into it with a sense of fun and completing a new challenge. While I was preparing for it this time, I had designs on PR’ing the marathon and perhaps even qualifying for Boston. Neither of those things happened, but I am still glad I did this--although this was the last time, I swear! Having the race looming gave me a reason to do some serious running, including gaining some speed (which the numbers above don’t show), adding on to my running base, and giving me additional confidence that I should not have any problems (or at least no severe ones!) in attempting the Desoto American Triple T (DATTT) this May. DATTT will “only” have about 26.2 miles of running across its 3 days of 4 triathlons. I’m not saying it still won’t be tough, but at least I’ve exposed myself twice to a boatload of running across consecutive days.
I have gone without formal coaching since 11/13/2006. I figured out what I needed to do for Goofy by looking at what I had done last year and listening to my body. My coach knew I could handle the scheduling myself. About all I did differently was to make running the priority. So if I was tired and didn’t feel like getting up early to swim, I skipped it. If I didn’t feel like going as hard on the bike, I didn’t. But I did do a few longer long runs than I had done a year ago. What I didn’t have this time around was a recent marathon performance. In 2005, I ran a marathon by myself in “penance” for having DNF’ed at Ironman Wisconsin. But in 2006, my only marathon was at Ironman was Brazil in May. After that, I kept up more of a biking focus through August. After that, I switched gears into ½ Ironman training for Miami Man, and stepped up my running for Goofy.
As of 3 weeks ago, I was concerned that I had jacked up my lower back/hip mechanics, as evidenced by extreme tightness in my left calf muscles. It seemed to be worse when running on the treadmill, which was a new thing for me. Typically, the treadmill fixes up any lingering issues I developed from running on the roads all spring and summer. But this time, the treadmill took revenge on me. So last week’s runs prior to Goofy and the week before were done back on the roads. Yet I still didn’t know if I’d come out OK after Goofy.
I am running faster than a year ago. About 15-20 seconds per mile on long runs. My typical long run in the fall, winter and early spring starts with an easy (Z1) warm-up, building to a tempo (Z4) finish of 20-25 minutes. Last year my pace on these runs was 9:35-9:40, and this year it was 9:10-9:15. That’s not too shabby of an improvement considering I am always in training for some Ironman or another. I’ve read that you can improve your running for about 10 years from the point you begin doing it seriously, so that means I may have another 2-3years of improvement left! I think it may actually be more if I were to switch to pure running. At any rate, I am very happy (thanks, Coach) for the steady improvements that I’ve made over the past 3 years.
So, as is customary with triathletes and other OCD individuals, I began to experience goal inflation for this year’s Goofy. It was about late November when I thought, gosh, what time do I need to qualify for Boston? And then when I looked at that marathon pace (9:21/mile) against how I had been executing my long runs, I began to think it was doable. In retrospect, sure, if I didn’t run 13.1 miles the day before! Some highly gifted runners could pull it off, and I still believe that if I just go run a marathon and get decent weather (i.e., mid-60’s or lower), I can do it.
But you never know. Early last week was the first time I started looking at the weather forecast for Orlando. It didn’t look good. 70’s to 80’s and high humidity. I really didn’t think I could keep up my training paces under those conditions across 39.3 miles of running. My plan was to really hold back on the ½ marathon, and then try and go for it in the full.
I arrived in Orlando on Thursday, 1/4, quite late. My plane was delayed about an hour leaving Chicago O’Hare International airport because it began raining quite heavily early that afternoon. As soon as I stepped outside the plane, I could feel the humidity, and it didn’t feel good. By the time I got my rental car and drove to Kissimmee to my hotel, it was 12:30AM Friday, and I was unable to fall asleep. I am not sure how much I actually slept, but figured I’d be plenty tired the next night and catch up.
At 10:50AM EST on Friday, I went for a run from my hotel. Side note: this was the sleaziest hotel room I have ever stayed at in the Orlando area. But it served my needs, except that it didn’t have a coffee pot. Anyway, I suited up wearing as little as possible and headed out to run. It felt nice to be in shorts and a small top, but it was humid. As I was running, I felt like I was going at a peppy pace, despite the lack of sleep. But later in the day when I was driving to get some lunch and I was able to calculate how far I had run, it was disappointing to find out that I wasn’t really running as fast as I thought. So I gave myself a reality check as far as how fast I might be able to run in the races. I didn’t want to totally let go of my ultimate goal, yet I knew I had to be comfortable with something less.
I went to the expo for packet pickup around noon. The expo is pretty big, and you can find just about anything you need there. Just as for last year, in our packets we received a lightweight, long-sleeved technical shirt for the ½ marathon and another for the full marathon. We got our chips for both days. I ran into a guy I used to work with, who was running with his son and daughter. I asked who would win? He said his son probably would.
Last year I didn’t buy any Goofy-specific merchandise, but had decided I would get some this time around. Normally, I don’t buy race stuff until afterwards, but there would be no chance for that this time (or at least I wasn’t going to try), so I picked up a black t-shirt (can’t have too many of those), a baseball cap (I can’t call it a running hat because it’s mesh like a trucker’s hat) and a pin. This got me in the spirit of dropping cash mindlessly as is customary in Orlando.
I browsed around the expo just for fun (what else did I have to do?), and espied a nice Pearl Izumi tank top with fish on the front! As I looked at it, I saw it had a mesh back, and it occurred to me that this might be more comfortable (read cooler) than what I had planned to wear on Sunday. It was good that I could try it on, because many times I find I’m a size XS, but in this brand it turned out that S was good for me. I have many running tops that are tank-style, but none of them have mesh backs, so I think I may actually get some good use out of this one.
As I drove back to home base along the strip (Highway 192, or Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway) trying to decide what I wanted to eat for lunch, I found a sushi restaurant, which seemed perfect. I hadn’t had sushi in some months, and with all the soy sauce I would take in, decided this would be a good bet for some sodium loading for the warm race conditions. I ordered more sushi than I could eat all at once, which was fine, since I could finish it later for my dinner, which is what I ended up doing. My favorite thing was the conch sushi. Simply awesome!
Friday night, I again had difficulty falling asleep, but I wasn’t worried since all I had to do was run 13.1 miles on Saturday, and I was going to run easy. It was already almost 70 when I woke up at 2:30AM, and I had decided to use the race provided nutrition, so I wore pink shorts and a pink bra top, and my 2004 Kona Timex hat. When I got to Epcot, I saw people wearing a lot more clothing than me, and thought to myself how hot they would get. I wasn’t the least bit cold standing out in the open. I had scored some mango Gatorade (which I can rarely find at home) to sip on before the start.
Originally, I had planned to go 2:30 in the ½ marathon, that being an arbitrarily easy pace (11:27/mile) for me to run. I ran easy, easy, easy, but just couldn’t go much slower than about 10:31. In hindsight, maybe I should have taken very long walking breaks, but I was so hot and sticky that I didn’t want to prolong this any more, and my legs felt fine, and I knew I was going easy, because I could sing whenever I wanted to! I knew my stomach didn’t appreciate the Powerade at the aid stations, but I didn’t think it would create many problems on Sunday, since I’d also be using good old Ultra Violence. I did try a new flavor of Clif Shot, though—Apple Pie. It tasted like barf with cinnamon to me. I will not be purchasing any of that!
After I finished and showered up, I wasn’t really hungry (but I did remember to drink my Endurox R4), and I really didn’t want to walk around a bunch, so I stretched for close to an hour. Around 1:00PM I decided it was time to get some food, so I walked over to the IHOP. My legs felt absolutely great! Nothing was tight, I wasn’t finding any trigger points while I stretched, and walking was no problem. I felt much looser than after any of my 2-hour training runs, and I felt way better than I had last year after the Goofy ½ marathon, so I felt like I had held back enough. But the forecast for Sunday called for even warmer temperatures. I had 3 eggs, steak and pancakes for lunch at IHOP. YUM!!!!! Since that was such a big lunch, I knew I wouldn’t need to go out for dinner, and ended up topping off my tank with a couple of freebie Clif bars, some Pringles, and plenty of water. I had liberally applied salt to my lunch, and that combined with Pringles was sufficient salt loading for the marathon.
Saturday night I slept pretty well, although I only got 6.5 hours of sleep. It was tough to fall asleep at 8PM, especially since it felt like 7PM to me, coming from the Chicago area. Still, it was restful sleep, and I felt very refreshed upon waking. My legs felt great—almost like I hadn’t done anything the day before. I even managed to stretch for 15 minutes.
While getting dressed, I decided against pinning my bib number onto my brand new top because I wanted to be sure I got photos showing the fish! How messed up is that? Anyway, I matched it up with my lucky red long distance shorts (those red shorts have carried me through many successful Ironman runs). I had brought already defizzed Ultra Violence (Mountain Dew Code Red, for those of you not familiar with my pet name) with me, and had loaded up my (6) 6-oz. Fuel Belt bottles the night before. I attached my bib number to my race belt, which fit comfortably below the Fuel Belt (I’m pretty small in the hip area). For headgear, I had brought a visor, since I’d be out there longer and it would be warmer than on Saturday, and if necessary, I could pour cups of ice directly into it.
Breakfast was a Power Bar Triple Threat, 3 cups of 7-Eleven coffee, 16 oz. of water, a gulp of Ultra Violence, and I took along a 20-oz. bottle of mango Gatorade to drink up until the start. The morning dawned with what seemed like less humidity than on Saturday, but I think I was already acclimating to the conditions, because it was really about the same. Driving to Epcot again in the dark, I didn’t notice anything peculiar about the weather, and I felt great. It was only when they began walking us to the start corrals that I noticed something—fog—and lots of it. It wasn’t just above us—it was AROUND us. We were literally in the fog.
We could feel ourselves soaking up water like sponges as we marched to our start area. While my legs felt wonderful and it wasn’t yet too hot, I was not optimistic about running fast this day. I knew the humidity would be oppressive, so I began to think about what I wanted to accomplish. And then I thought, let’s just run a few miles and see what unfolds.
I was in the 2nd corral behind the start line, so I wouldn’t have to jostle for room. I started running, real easy, but purposeful. 9:21 should feel easy. Mile 1: 9:29. That’s fine, I can pick it up. Mile 2: 9:25. Miles 3-4: 18:42 (9:21). I asked myself how that pace felt and whether I could keep it up. The answer was probably not, but let’s just keep this effort up. Mile 5: 9:37. Crap, I’m slowing down already. Mile 6: 9:49. Right about here I knew I was off Boston qualifying pace, so I had to make some decisions. Did I want to bag it now and commence walking? I was only walking briefly through the aid stations. I decided to keep running at this pace through the halfway point and then re-evaluate. I really didn’t care how much I might slow down after the halfway point.
I got to 13 miles in 2:05, so I was already about 5 minutes slower than Boston qualifying pace. I knew there was no way in hell I could make that up, so I let the pressure off of myself. Bonus, my legs really started to hurt at this point. Perhaps it was exacerbated by the extreme camber of some of the roads (I had forgotten just how bad they were), or maybe it was just that I had run 26 miles already between yesterday and now! We had been in the fog for 2 hours, and to make things even better, now the sun came out with guns blazing! So I knew things would get worse, and then I began to think about my ultimate goal. At first I was thinking 4:20, but then I guess I just didn’t care enough to push that hard, so I sort of went on autopilot. It was hot and sunny, and I was covered with salt and assorted slime, and my legs hurt like sons of bitches.
One of the saving graces was that every 1-2 miles they had people giving out Biofreeze. I would take a small handful and apply liberally to my screaming quads. I am not sure it actually did anything, but it did take my mind off the pain for at least ½ mile each time I used it.
Originally I wasn’t planning on switching to the Ultra Violence until Mile 15 or so, but after the first hour when I had already determined I was off Boston pace and that this was going to hurt, I decided to alternate it with Powerade at each aid station. It worked like a charm to at least keep my brain from deciding to shut things down altogether.
I managed to find the beer mile, sponsored by a Hash House Harriers group. They only had small cups (about 4 oz. worth), but man it tasted great! I should have taken more, but by that time (Mile 18 I think?), I was not interested in prolonging this pain festival any more than necessary, so on I went.
As much pain as I was feeling, I was passing a lot of runners who weren’t running Goofy. Us loonies were sporting special blue wristbands, and you can bet I was looking for them, even though I was off pace for my original goal. Passing people who were just doing the marathon gave me a slight boost. I think it was Mile 19 where I was listening to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell, and I sung loudly as well as I could, since I was also laughing, and my quads were screaming. How appropriate!
I was really feeling it during the last 5 miles, and just before we hit the Mile 25 marker, a 4:30 pace girl came up from behind. I thought, OK, let’s do this thing—all I have to do is stay with her (she had quite a small group—no doubt she had lost many folks along the way) and run it in. So I did, but it didn’t seem like she was on pace, either. Oh well, at least I am not going to slow down.
The last mile is winding around Epcot, so we’re on concrete, which just enhances the pain in your quads. I didn’t care. I wanted it to be OVER. I ran, I ran, and then, boom, I was done.
I headed to the medical tent to get ice for my knees as a preventive strategy. My knees themselves felt fine, but I knew they would be vulnerable to after the fact pain. So I sat for about 10 minutes with the ice on them, and then I removed the bags and put one on my head. Well, I guess my core temperature had gone up a few notches, because I couldn’t really feel any cold on my head. I’m not really sure what the air temperature was at that point, but my guess is high 70’s or low 80’s. I ambled slowly over to the area to collect my Goofy medal. I told one of the volunteers it should have been labeled “Idiot Tent.” But what the hell, I did it again, and so gimme my stinking Goofy medal!
For some reason, I didn’t remember being in such pain a year ago while running the marathon. Maybe because I ran the first ½ faster this year, maybe I just have short term memory! I think forgetting about the pain you experience in these events is a protective mechanism of our brains. I shuffled some more to get a finisher photo taken, and I sure hope those fish on my top show up!
I was so gross from all the sweat, salt, Biofreeze and general drool that I didn’t hang out to cheer others on. I needed a shower and FAST. When I got back to my hotel, the first thing I did was wash my face. I wanted to get all the salt off of it before I popped out my contact lenses. Then I took off my clothes. They were soaked through and through, just as they were the day before after the ½ marathon, only I think I smelled worse on Sunday! There were a few times during the races when I would run up near someone and notice their stench, but I figured I must have smelled just as badly. When I took off my shoes and socks, I could see (as expected) 3 blisters on my right foot—one on the medial side of my big toe, a blood blister on the lateral side of the 2nd toe from the right, and one on the bottom of my little toe. I guessed that my 2nd toe (which is longer than my big toe) on each foot was probably going to lose its toenail. Ah, the pleasures of running with sweaty feet!
I got in the shower, and as I rinsed my head, I could tell there was salt crusted around my eyes! Man, had I ever sweated! I was a bit dehydrated, as you’d expect, which I can always tell by pressing on my triceps muscles and feeling them hurt just a little bit. But as always, it was the BEST SHOWER EVER—well, except for it being in a dive hotel room.
I was not immediately hungry but knew that I needed to get on my rehydration. Luckily, I had remembered to premix (and chill—at least my dive had a refrigerator) some Endurox R4, and so I downed that and had a little lay down. Around 12:30 I decided to drive (walking was not a good bet at this point) to McDonald’s for lunch. I only go to McDonald’s after I have run a marathon—either open or Ironman. It’s the only time I can justify such blatant disregard for my body’s nutritional needs, or at least I know it won’t make me feel badly. I had a Quarter Pounder with Cheese (Royale with Cheese, for you French folks or Pulp Fiction aficionados), medium fries and lemonade. I ate while sitting out in the sun, which at this point felt good, knowing I’d be returning to colder Chicago in a few days.
After the junk food, I had a hankering for some beer, so I headed to go buy some, went back to the dive, and drank a few while lying in bed. Around 5:15 I ambled down to Pleasure Island to view the results and see if I could catch the awards presentation, which I did. Of course, I didn’t win anything, but I knew someone who did, so it was good to cheer for him.
On my way back to the dive, I went back to the sushi restaurant again. I ordered what I thought I’d be able to finish—about 25 pieces of sushi and assorted rolls—but was only able to eat half of it. Which was fine, because I figured I might want the rest later or something, but it turns out I was quite full.
I slept well Sunday night, because I didn’t have to try to be asleep by 8PM, nor did I have to wake up at any particular time. I got a solid 9 hours. I had more or less decided to get an earlier flight on Tuesday, so on Monday my plan was to hang out at Sea World. I thought I might also catch a movie later in the day, but that never happened. I walked so slowly while at Sea World that I was there pretty much all day, and found myself exhausted by the time I returned back to home base.
I took in the “Shamu” show and also the dolphin show while at Sea World. I enjoyed it, especially when I discovered that the park is owned by Annheuser-Busch, meaning that bottles of water cost $3.00, but beer is FREE! People could tell that I had run on Sunday (and I would mention to them also on Saturday) by the way I could barely walk and had trouble with the stairs in the stadiums where the shows were held. But it was a good kind of trouble, if you know what I mean.
While Sea World was enjoyable, I really do not like the idea of keeping such amazing ocean creatures as the orca whales and dolphins in captivity. In the orca tank, I could tell that most of the whales were females by the size of their dorsal fins. Female orcas are much smaller than males, and no doubt less aggressive and possibly easier to train. There was one male who was HUGE, that came up on a platform so we could see his entire size. He had a really long dorsal fin, but it was curled over. Something told me that this is indicative of stress. I have never seen photos or film footage of orcas with curled over dorsal fins. But I found this: http://whale.wheelock.edu/archives/whalenet95/0034.html, so perhaps that big guy I saw was OK. Call me weird, but I had this secret desire to see one of the whales go postal on the trainers. I give those trainers credit, though—they must have a healthy respect for these great predators.
One thing I didn’t notice at Sea World was any display discussing the overfishing of the oceans. I couldn’t find anything on the website, either. I think it would be responsible to point out to the visitors that many of the creatures we were looking at are endangered either due to us eating too many of them, us eating their food or pollution of the oceans. Oh well, you can’t have everything.
I found it comical that at any of the displays where we could buy fish/squid/whatever to feed to the thing in the display that there were many egrets hanging out trying to cop a free meal. The egrets were quite aggressive. I thought to myself that all the egrets that live within flight distance of Sea World must have some sort of system to decide who gets to go visit each day. There were even egrets hanging out at the orca and dolphin shows, and a few of them managed to snag fish when the trainers accidentally left a treat box open.
My best memory of Sea World is the seahorses that look like they have leaves growing out of them (photo at the beginning of this post). It made me feel like a child to look at these things, and recapture the feeling of Nature as being far superior to anything us humans can produce.
I didn’t have the energy to go out to eat after all the stumbling around at Sea World, and I decided I had earned one more bad meal to enjoy, so I ordered a pizza. I think that’s the 2nd time I’ve eaten pizza in the last 12 months. Good thing, because it really is quite heavy.
Tuesday morning I woke up, went to 7-Eleven to get my coffee, ate breakfast, stretched, and then drove to the airport where I easily got on the earlier flight (12:15) to Chicago on standby. I enjoyed my stay in Orlando, but at this point, frankly, I was done with the Magic Kingdom! I don’t think I’ll be back for awhile, but somehow I keep ending up in Florida, so I wouldn’t count it out totally.
My plan is not to run until Sunday or maybe even wait a few more days. I lifted weights Tuesday evening when I got home (no leg work, though). I went to swim at lunch Wednesday, and the swimming was OK, but my quads hurt when I pushed off the wall, so I stopped after 30 minutes. I thought I’d finish my weight routine and do my legs, but found out that my quads were still nowhere to be found, so I did everything but quad work (hamstrings, calves and anything with a stable knee were fine).
I got a massage Wednesday night, and my therapist went pretty deep on me, including my quads, and it didn’t feel bad. But Thursday I found myself pretty tired, and so I did not do any exercise. Today I may or may not swim—I feel a little cold coming on. At this point, rest is my priority, and there’s no rush for me to do anything—the next thing I have coming up is a 2/11 indoor sprint race, and I know I’ll be ready for it. My guess is my bike legs will suffer the rest of this month and that I’ll really come around in February. I should be back on 1:30 runs next week already, so it’s all good.
Actually I’m pleased at how good I feel, all things considered. I don’t think I’ve damaged anything, and everything is working fine, just a bit slow. My legs are still a bit puffy, and I’m up about 3 lbs. as a result, but that should go away by the weekend. Now it’s time for me to get back on some much better nutrition, since I won’t be running as much as I was, and I need to watch my intake a bit more closely.
4 ½ months until my next major adventure. I can’t wait!
Weight: 112 lbs. (same as last year)
Half Marathon 1/6/2007: 2:14:32, 10:16/mile, 44 out of 597 F50-54, did not wear HRM
Half Marathon 1/7/2006: 2:07.17, 9:43/mile, 86 out of 789 F45-49, burned 1,206 calories, average heart rate 128
Full Marathon 1/7/2007: 4:31:13, 10:21/mile, 27 out of 361 F50-54, did not wear HRM
Full Marathon 1/8/2006: 4:27.07, 10:12/mile, 68 out of 586 F45-49, burned 2,398 calories, average heart rate 124
Combined Time 2007: 6:45:45, overall average 10:19/mile
Combined Time 2006: 6:34.24, overall average 10:02/mile
When I did this race last year, it was a new experience, so I went into it with a sense of fun and completing a new challenge. While I was preparing for it this time, I had designs on PR’ing the marathon and perhaps even qualifying for Boston. Neither of those things happened, but I am still glad I did this--although this was the last time, I swear! Having the race looming gave me a reason to do some serious running, including gaining some speed (which the numbers above don’t show), adding on to my running base, and giving me additional confidence that I should not have any problems (or at least no severe ones!) in attempting the Desoto American Triple T (DATTT) this May. DATTT will “only” have about 26.2 miles of running across its 3 days of 4 triathlons. I’m not saying it still won’t be tough, but at least I’ve exposed myself twice to a boatload of running across consecutive days.
I have gone without formal coaching since 11/13/2006. I figured out what I needed to do for Goofy by looking at what I had done last year and listening to my body. My coach knew I could handle the scheduling myself. About all I did differently was to make running the priority. So if I was tired and didn’t feel like getting up early to swim, I skipped it. If I didn’t feel like going as hard on the bike, I didn’t. But I did do a few longer long runs than I had done a year ago. What I didn’t have this time around was a recent marathon performance. In 2005, I ran a marathon by myself in “penance” for having DNF’ed at Ironman Wisconsin. But in 2006, my only marathon was at Ironman was Brazil in May. After that, I kept up more of a biking focus through August. After that, I switched gears into ½ Ironman training for Miami Man, and stepped up my running for Goofy.
As of 3 weeks ago, I was concerned that I had jacked up my lower back/hip mechanics, as evidenced by extreme tightness in my left calf muscles. It seemed to be worse when running on the treadmill, which was a new thing for me. Typically, the treadmill fixes up any lingering issues I developed from running on the roads all spring and summer. But this time, the treadmill took revenge on me. So last week’s runs prior to Goofy and the week before were done back on the roads. Yet I still didn’t know if I’d come out OK after Goofy.
I am running faster than a year ago. About 15-20 seconds per mile on long runs. My typical long run in the fall, winter and early spring starts with an easy (Z1) warm-up, building to a tempo (Z4) finish of 20-25 minutes. Last year my pace on these runs was 9:35-9:40, and this year it was 9:10-9:15. That’s not too shabby of an improvement considering I am always in training for some Ironman or another. I’ve read that you can improve your running for about 10 years from the point you begin doing it seriously, so that means I may have another 2-3years of improvement left! I think it may actually be more if I were to switch to pure running. At any rate, I am very happy (thanks, Coach) for the steady improvements that I’ve made over the past 3 years.
So, as is customary with triathletes and other OCD individuals, I began to experience goal inflation for this year’s Goofy. It was about late November when I thought, gosh, what time do I need to qualify for Boston? And then when I looked at that marathon pace (9:21/mile) against how I had been executing my long runs, I began to think it was doable. In retrospect, sure, if I didn’t run 13.1 miles the day before! Some highly gifted runners could pull it off, and I still believe that if I just go run a marathon and get decent weather (i.e., mid-60’s or lower), I can do it.
But you never know. Early last week was the first time I started looking at the weather forecast for Orlando. It didn’t look good. 70’s to 80’s and high humidity. I really didn’t think I could keep up my training paces under those conditions across 39.3 miles of running. My plan was to really hold back on the ½ marathon, and then try and go for it in the full.
I arrived in Orlando on Thursday, 1/4, quite late. My plane was delayed about an hour leaving Chicago O’Hare International airport because it began raining quite heavily early that afternoon. As soon as I stepped outside the plane, I could feel the humidity, and it didn’t feel good. By the time I got my rental car and drove to Kissimmee to my hotel, it was 12:30AM Friday, and I was unable to fall asleep. I am not sure how much I actually slept, but figured I’d be plenty tired the next night and catch up.
At 10:50AM EST on Friday, I went for a run from my hotel. Side note: this was the sleaziest hotel room I have ever stayed at in the Orlando area. But it served my needs, except that it didn’t have a coffee pot. Anyway, I suited up wearing as little as possible and headed out to run. It felt nice to be in shorts and a small top, but it was humid. As I was running, I felt like I was going at a peppy pace, despite the lack of sleep. But later in the day when I was driving to get some lunch and I was able to calculate how far I had run, it was disappointing to find out that I wasn’t really running as fast as I thought. So I gave myself a reality check as far as how fast I might be able to run in the races. I didn’t want to totally let go of my ultimate goal, yet I knew I had to be comfortable with something less.
I went to the expo for packet pickup around noon. The expo is pretty big, and you can find just about anything you need there. Just as for last year, in our packets we received a lightweight, long-sleeved technical shirt for the ½ marathon and another for the full marathon. We got our chips for both days. I ran into a guy I used to work with, who was running with his son and daughter. I asked who would win? He said his son probably would.
Last year I didn’t buy any Goofy-specific merchandise, but had decided I would get some this time around. Normally, I don’t buy race stuff until afterwards, but there would be no chance for that this time (or at least I wasn’t going to try), so I picked up a black t-shirt (can’t have too many of those), a baseball cap (I can’t call it a running hat because it’s mesh like a trucker’s hat) and a pin. This got me in the spirit of dropping cash mindlessly as is customary in Orlando.
I browsed around the expo just for fun (what else did I have to do?), and espied a nice Pearl Izumi tank top with fish on the front! As I looked at it, I saw it had a mesh back, and it occurred to me that this might be more comfortable (read cooler) than what I had planned to wear on Sunday. It was good that I could try it on, because many times I find I’m a size XS, but in this brand it turned out that S was good for me. I have many running tops that are tank-style, but none of them have mesh backs, so I think I may actually get some good use out of this one.
As I drove back to home base along the strip (Highway 192, or Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway) trying to decide what I wanted to eat for lunch, I found a sushi restaurant, which seemed perfect. I hadn’t had sushi in some months, and with all the soy sauce I would take in, decided this would be a good bet for some sodium loading for the warm race conditions. I ordered more sushi than I could eat all at once, which was fine, since I could finish it later for my dinner, which is what I ended up doing. My favorite thing was the conch sushi. Simply awesome!
Friday night, I again had difficulty falling asleep, but I wasn’t worried since all I had to do was run 13.1 miles on Saturday, and I was going to run easy. It was already almost 70 when I woke up at 2:30AM, and I had decided to use the race provided nutrition, so I wore pink shorts and a pink bra top, and my 2004 Kona Timex hat. When I got to Epcot, I saw people wearing a lot more clothing than me, and thought to myself how hot they would get. I wasn’t the least bit cold standing out in the open. I had scored some mango Gatorade (which I can rarely find at home) to sip on before the start.
Originally, I had planned to go 2:30 in the ½ marathon, that being an arbitrarily easy pace (11:27/mile) for me to run. I ran easy, easy, easy, but just couldn’t go much slower than about 10:31. In hindsight, maybe I should have taken very long walking breaks, but I was so hot and sticky that I didn’t want to prolong this any more, and my legs felt fine, and I knew I was going easy, because I could sing whenever I wanted to! I knew my stomach didn’t appreciate the Powerade at the aid stations, but I didn’t think it would create many problems on Sunday, since I’d also be using good old Ultra Violence. I did try a new flavor of Clif Shot, though—Apple Pie. It tasted like barf with cinnamon to me. I will not be purchasing any of that!
After I finished and showered up, I wasn’t really hungry (but I did remember to drink my Endurox R4), and I really didn’t want to walk around a bunch, so I stretched for close to an hour. Around 1:00PM I decided it was time to get some food, so I walked over to the IHOP. My legs felt absolutely great! Nothing was tight, I wasn’t finding any trigger points while I stretched, and walking was no problem. I felt much looser than after any of my 2-hour training runs, and I felt way better than I had last year after the Goofy ½ marathon, so I felt like I had held back enough. But the forecast for Sunday called for even warmer temperatures. I had 3 eggs, steak and pancakes for lunch at IHOP. YUM!!!!! Since that was such a big lunch, I knew I wouldn’t need to go out for dinner, and ended up topping off my tank with a couple of freebie Clif bars, some Pringles, and plenty of water. I had liberally applied salt to my lunch, and that combined with Pringles was sufficient salt loading for the marathon.
Saturday night I slept pretty well, although I only got 6.5 hours of sleep. It was tough to fall asleep at 8PM, especially since it felt like 7PM to me, coming from the Chicago area. Still, it was restful sleep, and I felt very refreshed upon waking. My legs felt great—almost like I hadn’t done anything the day before. I even managed to stretch for 15 minutes.
While getting dressed, I decided against pinning my bib number onto my brand new top because I wanted to be sure I got photos showing the fish! How messed up is that? Anyway, I matched it up with my lucky red long distance shorts (those red shorts have carried me through many successful Ironman runs). I had brought already defizzed Ultra Violence (Mountain Dew Code Red, for those of you not familiar with my pet name) with me, and had loaded up my (6) 6-oz. Fuel Belt bottles the night before. I attached my bib number to my race belt, which fit comfortably below the Fuel Belt (I’m pretty small in the hip area). For headgear, I had brought a visor, since I’d be out there longer and it would be warmer than on Saturday, and if necessary, I could pour cups of ice directly into it.
Breakfast was a Power Bar Triple Threat, 3 cups of 7-Eleven coffee, 16 oz. of water, a gulp of Ultra Violence, and I took along a 20-oz. bottle of mango Gatorade to drink up until the start. The morning dawned with what seemed like less humidity than on Saturday, but I think I was already acclimating to the conditions, because it was really about the same. Driving to Epcot again in the dark, I didn’t notice anything peculiar about the weather, and I felt great. It was only when they began walking us to the start corrals that I noticed something—fog—and lots of it. It wasn’t just above us—it was AROUND us. We were literally in the fog.
We could feel ourselves soaking up water like sponges as we marched to our start area. While my legs felt wonderful and it wasn’t yet too hot, I was not optimistic about running fast this day. I knew the humidity would be oppressive, so I began to think about what I wanted to accomplish. And then I thought, let’s just run a few miles and see what unfolds.
I was in the 2nd corral behind the start line, so I wouldn’t have to jostle for room. I started running, real easy, but purposeful. 9:21 should feel easy. Mile 1: 9:29. That’s fine, I can pick it up. Mile 2: 9:25. Miles 3-4: 18:42 (9:21). I asked myself how that pace felt and whether I could keep it up. The answer was probably not, but let’s just keep this effort up. Mile 5: 9:37. Crap, I’m slowing down already. Mile 6: 9:49. Right about here I knew I was off Boston qualifying pace, so I had to make some decisions. Did I want to bag it now and commence walking? I was only walking briefly through the aid stations. I decided to keep running at this pace through the halfway point and then re-evaluate. I really didn’t care how much I might slow down after the halfway point.
I got to 13 miles in 2:05, so I was already about 5 minutes slower than Boston qualifying pace. I knew there was no way in hell I could make that up, so I let the pressure off of myself. Bonus, my legs really started to hurt at this point. Perhaps it was exacerbated by the extreme camber of some of the roads (I had forgotten just how bad they were), or maybe it was just that I had run 26 miles already between yesterday and now! We had been in the fog for 2 hours, and to make things even better, now the sun came out with guns blazing! So I knew things would get worse, and then I began to think about my ultimate goal. At first I was thinking 4:20, but then I guess I just didn’t care enough to push that hard, so I sort of went on autopilot. It was hot and sunny, and I was covered with salt and assorted slime, and my legs hurt like sons of bitches.
One of the saving graces was that every 1-2 miles they had people giving out Biofreeze. I would take a small handful and apply liberally to my screaming quads. I am not sure it actually did anything, but it did take my mind off the pain for at least ½ mile each time I used it.
Originally I wasn’t planning on switching to the Ultra Violence until Mile 15 or so, but after the first hour when I had already determined I was off Boston pace and that this was going to hurt, I decided to alternate it with Powerade at each aid station. It worked like a charm to at least keep my brain from deciding to shut things down altogether.
I managed to find the beer mile, sponsored by a Hash House Harriers group. They only had small cups (about 4 oz. worth), but man it tasted great! I should have taken more, but by that time (Mile 18 I think?), I was not interested in prolonging this pain festival any more than necessary, so on I went.
As much pain as I was feeling, I was passing a lot of runners who weren’t running Goofy. Us loonies were sporting special blue wristbands, and you can bet I was looking for them, even though I was off pace for my original goal. Passing people who were just doing the marathon gave me a slight boost. I think it was Mile 19 where I was listening to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell, and I sung loudly as well as I could, since I was also laughing, and my quads were screaming. How appropriate!
I was really feeling it during the last 5 miles, and just before we hit the Mile 25 marker, a 4:30 pace girl came up from behind. I thought, OK, let’s do this thing—all I have to do is stay with her (she had quite a small group—no doubt she had lost many folks along the way) and run it in. So I did, but it didn’t seem like she was on pace, either. Oh well, at least I am not going to slow down.
The last mile is winding around Epcot, so we’re on concrete, which just enhances the pain in your quads. I didn’t care. I wanted it to be OVER. I ran, I ran, and then, boom, I was done.
I headed to the medical tent to get ice for my knees as a preventive strategy. My knees themselves felt fine, but I knew they would be vulnerable to after the fact pain. So I sat for about 10 minutes with the ice on them, and then I removed the bags and put one on my head. Well, I guess my core temperature had gone up a few notches, because I couldn’t really feel any cold on my head. I’m not really sure what the air temperature was at that point, but my guess is high 70’s or low 80’s. I ambled slowly over to the area to collect my Goofy medal. I told one of the volunteers it should have been labeled “Idiot Tent.” But what the hell, I did it again, and so gimme my stinking Goofy medal!
For some reason, I didn’t remember being in such pain a year ago while running the marathon. Maybe because I ran the first ½ faster this year, maybe I just have short term memory! I think forgetting about the pain you experience in these events is a protective mechanism of our brains. I shuffled some more to get a finisher photo taken, and I sure hope those fish on my top show up!
I was so gross from all the sweat, salt, Biofreeze and general drool that I didn’t hang out to cheer others on. I needed a shower and FAST. When I got back to my hotel, the first thing I did was wash my face. I wanted to get all the salt off of it before I popped out my contact lenses. Then I took off my clothes. They were soaked through and through, just as they were the day before after the ½ marathon, only I think I smelled worse on Sunday! There were a few times during the races when I would run up near someone and notice their stench, but I figured I must have smelled just as badly. When I took off my shoes and socks, I could see (as expected) 3 blisters on my right foot—one on the medial side of my big toe, a blood blister on the lateral side of the 2nd toe from the right, and one on the bottom of my little toe. I guessed that my 2nd toe (which is longer than my big toe) on each foot was probably going to lose its toenail. Ah, the pleasures of running with sweaty feet!
I got in the shower, and as I rinsed my head, I could tell there was salt crusted around my eyes! Man, had I ever sweated! I was a bit dehydrated, as you’d expect, which I can always tell by pressing on my triceps muscles and feeling them hurt just a little bit. But as always, it was the BEST SHOWER EVER—well, except for it being in a dive hotel room.
I was not immediately hungry but knew that I needed to get on my rehydration. Luckily, I had remembered to premix (and chill—at least my dive had a refrigerator) some Endurox R4, and so I downed that and had a little lay down. Around 12:30 I decided to drive (walking was not a good bet at this point) to McDonald’s for lunch. I only go to McDonald’s after I have run a marathon—either open or Ironman. It’s the only time I can justify such blatant disregard for my body’s nutritional needs, or at least I know it won’t make me feel badly. I had a Quarter Pounder with Cheese (Royale with Cheese, for you French folks or Pulp Fiction aficionados), medium fries and lemonade. I ate while sitting out in the sun, which at this point felt good, knowing I’d be returning to colder Chicago in a few days.
After the junk food, I had a hankering for some beer, so I headed to go buy some, went back to the dive, and drank a few while lying in bed. Around 5:15 I ambled down to Pleasure Island to view the results and see if I could catch the awards presentation, which I did. Of course, I didn’t win anything, but I knew someone who did, so it was good to cheer for him.
On my way back to the dive, I went back to the sushi restaurant again. I ordered what I thought I’d be able to finish—about 25 pieces of sushi and assorted rolls—but was only able to eat half of it. Which was fine, because I figured I might want the rest later or something, but it turns out I was quite full.
I slept well Sunday night, because I didn’t have to try to be asleep by 8PM, nor did I have to wake up at any particular time. I got a solid 9 hours. I had more or less decided to get an earlier flight on Tuesday, so on Monday my plan was to hang out at Sea World. I thought I might also catch a movie later in the day, but that never happened. I walked so slowly while at Sea World that I was there pretty much all day, and found myself exhausted by the time I returned back to home base.
I took in the “Shamu” show and also the dolphin show while at Sea World. I enjoyed it, especially when I discovered that the park is owned by Annheuser-Busch, meaning that bottles of water cost $3.00, but beer is FREE! People could tell that I had run on Sunday (and I would mention to them also on Saturday) by the way I could barely walk and had trouble with the stairs in the stadiums where the shows were held. But it was a good kind of trouble, if you know what I mean.
While Sea World was enjoyable, I really do not like the idea of keeping such amazing ocean creatures as the orca whales and dolphins in captivity. In the orca tank, I could tell that most of the whales were females by the size of their dorsal fins. Female orcas are much smaller than males, and no doubt less aggressive and possibly easier to train. There was one male who was HUGE, that came up on a platform so we could see his entire size. He had a really long dorsal fin, but it was curled over. Something told me that this is indicative of stress. I have never seen photos or film footage of orcas with curled over dorsal fins. But I found this: http://whale.wheelock.edu/archives/whalenet95/0034.html, so perhaps that big guy I saw was OK. Call me weird, but I had this secret desire to see one of the whales go postal on the trainers. I give those trainers credit, though—they must have a healthy respect for these great predators.
One thing I didn’t notice at Sea World was any display discussing the overfishing of the oceans. I couldn’t find anything on the website, either. I think it would be responsible to point out to the visitors that many of the creatures we were looking at are endangered either due to us eating too many of them, us eating their food or pollution of the oceans. Oh well, you can’t have everything.
I found it comical that at any of the displays where we could buy fish/squid/whatever to feed to the thing in the display that there were many egrets hanging out trying to cop a free meal. The egrets were quite aggressive. I thought to myself that all the egrets that live within flight distance of Sea World must have some sort of system to decide who gets to go visit each day. There were even egrets hanging out at the orca and dolphin shows, and a few of them managed to snag fish when the trainers accidentally left a treat box open.
My best memory of Sea World is the seahorses that look like they have leaves growing out of them (photo at the beginning of this post). It made me feel like a child to look at these things, and recapture the feeling of Nature as being far superior to anything us humans can produce.
I didn’t have the energy to go out to eat after all the stumbling around at Sea World, and I decided I had earned one more bad meal to enjoy, so I ordered a pizza. I think that’s the 2nd time I’ve eaten pizza in the last 12 months. Good thing, because it really is quite heavy.
Tuesday morning I woke up, went to 7-Eleven to get my coffee, ate breakfast, stretched, and then drove to the airport where I easily got on the earlier flight (12:15) to Chicago on standby. I enjoyed my stay in Orlando, but at this point, frankly, I was done with the Magic Kingdom! I don’t think I’ll be back for awhile, but somehow I keep ending up in Florida, so I wouldn’t count it out totally.
My plan is not to run until Sunday or maybe even wait a few more days. I lifted weights Tuesday evening when I got home (no leg work, though). I went to swim at lunch Wednesday, and the swimming was OK, but my quads hurt when I pushed off the wall, so I stopped after 30 minutes. I thought I’d finish my weight routine and do my legs, but found out that my quads were still nowhere to be found, so I did everything but quad work (hamstrings, calves and anything with a stable knee were fine).
I got a massage Wednesday night, and my therapist went pretty deep on me, including my quads, and it didn’t feel bad. But Thursday I found myself pretty tired, and so I did not do any exercise. Today I may or may not swim—I feel a little cold coming on. At this point, rest is my priority, and there’s no rush for me to do anything—the next thing I have coming up is a 2/11 indoor sprint race, and I know I’ll be ready for it. My guess is my bike legs will suffer the rest of this month and that I’ll really come around in February. I should be back on 1:30 runs next week already, so it’s all good.
Actually I’m pleased at how good I feel, all things considered. I don’t think I’ve damaged anything, and everything is working fine, just a bit slow. My legs are still a bit puffy, and I’m up about 3 lbs. as a result, but that should go away by the weekend. Now it’s time for me to get back on some much better nutrition, since I won’t be running as much as I was, and I need to watch my intake a bit more closely.
4 ½ months until my next major adventure. I can’t wait!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Weekly Workout Totals 1/1/2007-1/7/2007
Before I get to posting the Goofy opus (it's 5 pages in MS Word already), I thought I'd better account for the previous week of my life:
Weekly Totals 01/01/2007-01/07/2007
Swim: 2700 yards (1.53 miles) in 0.97 hours; 8% of weekly workout time; approx. 338 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 0 miles in 0 hours; 0% of weekly workout time; approx. 0 calories burned
Run: Approx. 56.04 miles in 9.34 hours; 80% of weekly workout time; approx. 4231 calories burned
Strength: 1.4 hours; 12% of weekly workout time; approx. 350 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 57.57 miles in 11.71 hours; approx. 4919 calories burned
Sleep: 8.25 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.12 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
What makes me laugh is that even with this being an all-time record for miles run in a week by me, it's nothing compared to someone like Julie B.
Oh, and I still cannot find my quadriceps muscles. They have gone missing. I am hoping they will find their way back tomorrow or Saturday.
Weekly Totals 01/01/2007-01/07/2007
Swim: 2700 yards (1.53 miles) in 0.97 hours; 8% of weekly workout time; approx. 338 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 0 miles in 0 hours; 0% of weekly workout time; approx. 0 calories burned
Run: Approx. 56.04 miles in 9.34 hours; 80% of weekly workout time; approx. 4231 calories burned
Strength: 1.4 hours; 12% of weekly workout time; approx. 350 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 57.57 miles in 11.71 hours; approx. 4919 calories burned
Sleep: 8.25 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.12 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
What makes me laugh is that even with this being an all-time record for miles run in a week by me, it's nothing compared to someone like Julie B.
Oh, and I still cannot find my quadriceps muscles. They have gone missing. I am hoping they will find their way back tomorrow or Saturday.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Quick Goofy Report
It was hot. It was humid. It was foggy. And then it was bright sunshine.
1/2 marathon: 2:14 and change, went really easy, felt like an easy (easier than my usual) training run.
Marathon: 4:31 and change. 4 minutes slower than last year, nowhere near my BQ time of 4:05. Did I say hot, humid, foggy and then hot and sunny?
But in general I feel good about my performance. Not too far off last year in much worse conditions. I know I can BQ if I "just" run a marathon and hit decent weather, but I am in no hurry to do it.
When I woke up this morning, I felt a little out of place--I wasn't within 5 miles of the Magic Kingdom!
My legs are coming around. I lifted weights yesterday (no legs), and that went well. I swam today, but cut it short at 1300 yards (planned=1500), since my quads were pinging me when I pushed off the wall. Massage tonight!
Knees are fine, calves are fine--nothing went truly mechanically wrong--but I am going to lose 2 toenails, and I got 3 blisters on my right foot, one of which is a blood blister that I guess I should pop. The other 2 are already mostly flattened out. And I'm still pretty hungry, even though I'm not doing anything.
More to come once I get it all down on paper. It was not quite as fun as last year, but still I'm glad I did it. I have zero concerns about Desoto Triple T. I mean come on, you only run marathon distance over THREE DAYS!
Favorite sign (sponsored by Sharpie) I saw on the marathon course: "If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving is not for you."
Peace out!
1/2 marathon: 2:14 and change, went really easy, felt like an easy (easier than my usual) training run.
Marathon: 4:31 and change. 4 minutes slower than last year, nowhere near my BQ time of 4:05. Did I say hot, humid, foggy and then hot and sunny?
But in general I feel good about my performance. Not too far off last year in much worse conditions. I know I can BQ if I "just" run a marathon and hit decent weather, but I am in no hurry to do it.
When I woke up this morning, I felt a little out of place--I wasn't within 5 miles of the Magic Kingdom!
My legs are coming around. I lifted weights yesterday (no legs), and that went well. I swam today, but cut it short at 1300 yards (planned=1500), since my quads were pinging me when I pushed off the wall. Massage tonight!
Knees are fine, calves are fine--nothing went truly mechanically wrong--but I am going to lose 2 toenails, and I got 3 blisters on my right foot, one of which is a blood blister that I guess I should pop. The other 2 are already mostly flattened out. And I'm still pretty hungry, even though I'm not doing anything.
More to come once I get it all down on paper. It was not quite as fun as last year, but still I'm glad I did it. I have zero concerns about Desoto Triple T. I mean come on, you only run marathon distance over THREE DAYS!
Favorite sign (sponsored by Sharpie) I saw on the marathon course: "If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving is not for you."
Peace out!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Taper Madness
Ah, the taper.
It's gone relatively well for me this time. No more worries about getting cramps or a period (or at least I *think* I'm done with that), nobody in my immediate family is ill, it doesn't look like Chicago is going to get snow anytime soon to jeopardize travel, and I feel pretty much ready to go.
Of course, I did have a semi-crappy run today, I can feel all sorts of little aches and pains that I am concerned will turn into big problems, and why is it that I feel fat or at least that I've gained weight, even when I step on the scale and the number hasn't budged? Have I lost muscle mass and put on fat weight? How could that be possible when I've been doing my typical early season strength training build? When I've been running a lot but not eating a lot? When I was even good over the holidays and didn't indulge hardly at all? It's funny, yet predictable, that I will feel this way during a taper. I can't remember a single one where I felt like I was incredibly lean and depleted. Maybe it's a psychological thing to not feel depleted, since I shouldn't be, when I'm resting my body and letting it load up on glycogen. It makes me laugh.
Another thing I notice during a taper is that food doesn't taste the same. Heck, when I'm training 15+ hours a week, ANY food tastes great! It could be braised cardboard, but if I ate it after a 2+ hour workout, it would be awesome (with a little salt, of course). My taste buds seem to take a hiatus when I'm tapering. Yet my brain will always kick in the night or two before a big race to ensure that I gobble down plenty of carbs, even while I am not that interested in them!
I've been sleeping like it's going out of style. Why get up in the morning while it's dark outside? Oh yeah, to swim. Haven't been doing much of that lately. I had big plans to swim a lot more, but with all the running, I just haven't been motivated to squeeze it in. Well after this Goofy thing, it will be time for me to get my swim on. Back to measly 1:30 "long" runs on Sundays, leaving me plenty o' time to fit in a 4th swim. And the days are getting longer, too, so before we know it, it will actually be light by 6AM!
At this point, I am left to obsess about the weather. Orlando weather is going to be much warmer this time around than it was last year. It could mean I throw my Sunday goal out the window. We shall see. On the plus side, we start at 6AM, so how warm can it be by 10AM, when I expect to be done? I must say, though, it will be nice to run in shorts. I may even get a bit of a tan!
So there you have it--the usual taper including feeling fat, food doesn't taste that great, things hurt all over at times, I'm not yet very excited about this (the marathon is going to be WORK this time--not fun like last year, although it still was some work) and the weather is not cooperating.
But the work is done, the money is in the bank--now it's time to collect a little interest.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Weekly Workout Totals 12/25/2006-12/31/2006 and Calendar Year 2006 Totals
I had a good training week. I have just about confirmed that I am becoming allergic to running on the treadmill, so in the spirit of saving energy and being good to Earth, new rule is that if it's 40+ degrees and not raining and roads are safe, I'll be running outdoors. I find it funny how before I started triathlon I was hardcore outdoor runner most of the time, and then I gradually got to the point of running indoors all winter. Oh well, live and learn!
On Thursday, I did my last long run prior to Goofy. Last year, this last long run lasted 1:45, covering 11.05 miles at a pace of 9:30. This year, I ran 1:43, covering 11.68 miles at a pace of 8:50. Now last year I ran it on the treadmill, which explains some of the pace difference (I always run more slowly on the treadmill), but the rest is that I'm faster! I was quite surprised when I figured out my pace for Thursday's run, because my legs weren't too happy, as this was the first long run I had done on the road since 11/26. I went from the day before worrying about my calves to boy, did my quads feel it! Friday, I again ran outside again, and my quads let me know they weren't happy about it. But at least all tightness in my calves was gone. So yesterday, I figured a little brick run on the treadmill wouldn't be bad. I felt fine while I was running on the thing, but today, hello tight calves again, at least my left one is bad. No worries--today was just a swim (actually it was tomorrow's swim, but my Y is closed tomorrow so I did it today instead), and hopefully it won't be raining tomorrow so I'll get my run in outdoors again. I checked in with this ultra-fast runner who works at my local running store, and he recommended I stay on the roads now to keep my quads toughened up for the Disney assault. So I stretched well today and worked on my calves, and hopefully they will come right tomorrow.
Stats for the week and also for calendar year 2006 are below. Happy New Year!
Weekly Totals 12/25/2006-12/31/2006
Swim: 7350 yards (4.17 miles) in 2.53 hours; 23% of weekly workout time; approx. 887 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 50.46 miles in 2.88 hours; 26% of weekly workout time; approx. 1492 calories burned
Run: Approx. 25.18 miles in 3.72 hours; 34% of weekly workout time; approx. 1691 calories burned
Strength: 1.9 hours; 17% of weekly workout time; approx. 475 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 79.81 miles in 11.03 hours; approx. 4545 calories burned
Sleep: 9.21 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.72 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
Calendar Year Totals 1/1/2006-12/31/2006
Swim: 426,825 yards (242 miles) in 149.53 hours; 20% of yearly workout time
Bike: Approx. 5,413 miles in 308.17 hours; 41% of yearly workout time
Run: Approx. 1,437 miles in 223.10 hours; 30% of yearly workout time
Strength: 67.37 hours; 9% of yearly workout time
All Sports: 748.17 hours
Stretching: 112.13 hours
I have to laugh at how close to 750 annual hours I got. That's about my usual target, and I feel comfortable training at that level. And stretching sure takes up a lot of time!
On Thursday, I did my last long run prior to Goofy. Last year, this last long run lasted 1:45, covering 11.05 miles at a pace of 9:30. This year, I ran 1:43, covering 11.68 miles at a pace of 8:50. Now last year I ran it on the treadmill, which explains some of the pace difference (I always run more slowly on the treadmill), but the rest is that I'm faster! I was quite surprised when I figured out my pace for Thursday's run, because my legs weren't too happy, as this was the first long run I had done on the road since 11/26. I went from the day before worrying about my calves to boy, did my quads feel it! Friday, I again ran outside again, and my quads let me know they weren't happy about it. But at least all tightness in my calves was gone. So yesterday, I figured a little brick run on the treadmill wouldn't be bad. I felt fine while I was running on the thing, but today, hello tight calves again, at least my left one is bad. No worries--today was just a swim (actually it was tomorrow's swim, but my Y is closed tomorrow so I did it today instead), and hopefully it won't be raining tomorrow so I'll get my run in outdoors again. I checked in with this ultra-fast runner who works at my local running store, and he recommended I stay on the roads now to keep my quads toughened up for the Disney assault. So I stretched well today and worked on my calves, and hopefully they will come right tomorrow.
Stats for the week and also for calendar year 2006 are below. Happy New Year!
Weekly Totals 12/25/2006-12/31/2006
Swim: 7350 yards (4.17 miles) in 2.53 hours; 23% of weekly workout time; approx. 887 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 50.46 miles in 2.88 hours; 26% of weekly workout time; approx. 1492 calories burned
Run: Approx. 25.18 miles in 3.72 hours; 34% of weekly workout time; approx. 1691 calories burned
Strength: 1.9 hours; 17% of weekly workout time; approx. 475 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 79.81 miles in 11.03 hours; approx. 4545 calories burned
Sleep: 9.21 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.72 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
Calendar Year Totals 1/1/2006-12/31/2006
Swim: 426,825 yards (242 miles) in 149.53 hours; 20% of yearly workout time
Bike: Approx. 5,413 miles in 308.17 hours; 41% of yearly workout time
Run: Approx. 1,437 miles in 223.10 hours; 30% of yearly workout time
Strength: 67.37 hours; 9% of yearly workout time
All Sports: 748.17 hours
Stretching: 112.13 hours
I have to laugh at how close to 750 annual hours I got. That's about my usual target, and I feel comfortable training at that level. And stretching sure takes up a lot of time!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
An Eye for an Eye?
I don't believe in it. How is the deliberate killing of one human being justified, even if that human being tortured and killed others? What does that say about a person who condones such behavior? Only that killing is "sometimes OK." Sure maybe self-defense, but beyond that, I don't see it.
I was raped and robbed by 2 men, and while the emotional side of me hoped for capture and retribution, and I had many a fantasy about shooting them firing squad style, to me that makes me just as much a monster as they are (or more likely were--I seriously doubt they are alive today--they probably OD'ed on some drug or another). Do I support justice? Yes. Punishment via incarceration? Yes. Execution? No.
I do not think that all men and women who enlist in the armed services and end up killing the so-called "enemy" are monsters. Some probably are. It's just the law of statistics.
In the end, I believe that everyone gets their just due one way or the other.
I cannot see how the deaths of 3,000 plus US troops (at our own government's hands--WE sent them there) in Iraq has accomplished anything. If the Iraqis want to kill one another without our intervention, that's fine by me. But we have put our own men and women in harm's way. We are not fighting a war. We are merely providing targets.
Is the execution of Saddam Hussein going to stop the violence in Iraq? Stay tuned. But apparently it will make some people feel better. Not me.
I was raped and robbed by 2 men, and while the emotional side of me hoped for capture and retribution, and I had many a fantasy about shooting them firing squad style, to me that makes me just as much a monster as they are (or more likely were--I seriously doubt they are alive today--they probably OD'ed on some drug or another). Do I support justice? Yes. Punishment via incarceration? Yes. Execution? No.
I do not think that all men and women who enlist in the armed services and end up killing the so-called "enemy" are monsters. Some probably are. It's just the law of statistics.
In the end, I believe that everyone gets their just due one way or the other.
I cannot see how the deaths of 3,000 plus US troops (at our own government's hands--WE sent them there) in Iraq has accomplished anything. If the Iraqis want to kill one another without our intervention, that's fine by me. But we have put our own men and women in harm's way. We are not fighting a war. We are merely providing targets.
Is the execution of Saddam Hussein going to stop the violence in Iraq? Stay tuned. But apparently it will make some people feel better. Not me.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Straight Talk Running Site
Here: http://mysite.verizon.net/jim2wr/
I added a link to my sidebar of Triathlon and Physical Fitness links. There's some good info in here, like confirming that you do NOT need to put a treadmill on incline in order to get a good workout (I never do), and the real reason why you should rotate shoes (something that I need to start doing).
Check it out; the articles are no nonsense.
EDIT: Regarding treadmill running, people should do what works for them. If you can go at a faster pace than you run outdoors with no incline, how can that be a bad thing? What you should be trying to equalize is effort level indoors vs. outdoors. When I compare my self-selected outdoor pace on a flat course to what feels equivalent on the treadmill, I tend to go slower on the treadmill. I am not entirely sure why, but that's how it is. Perhaps I use an unnatural stride on the treadmill. Perhaps I am more motivated outdoors, or perhaps outdoor terrain (there are a good bit of hills right ouside my house) motivates me to push myself harder. But my treadmill running is limited to late fall/winter (not so much with the recent spell of global warming), when I'm doing a bit more speed work, and it's all the same to me to do it without any incline. Right now I'm training for Disney, and it's very flat, so I am not disadvantaging myself by running with no incline.
I added a link to my sidebar of Triathlon and Physical Fitness links. There's some good info in here, like confirming that you do NOT need to put a treadmill on incline in order to get a good workout (I never do), and the real reason why you should rotate shoes (something that I need to start doing).
Check it out; the articles are no nonsense.
EDIT: Regarding treadmill running, people should do what works for them. If you can go at a faster pace than you run outdoors with no incline, how can that be a bad thing? What you should be trying to equalize is effort level indoors vs. outdoors. When I compare my self-selected outdoor pace on a flat course to what feels equivalent on the treadmill, I tend to go slower on the treadmill. I am not entirely sure why, but that's how it is. Perhaps I use an unnatural stride on the treadmill. Perhaps I am more motivated outdoors, or perhaps outdoor terrain (there are a good bit of hills right ouside my house) motivates me to push myself harder. But my treadmill running is limited to late fall/winter (not so much with the recent spell of global warming), when I'm doing a bit more speed work, and it's all the same to me to do it without any incline. Right now I'm training for Disney, and it's very flat, so I am not disadvantaging myself by running with no incline.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
New Year's Resolution
I came across a reference to the paper Livestock's Long Shadow. While I haven't read all of it (390 pages), I have read a summary and understand the key findings. Here is the opening statement:
"Livestock activities have significant impact on virtually all aspects of the environment, including air and climate change, land and soil, water and biodiversity. The impact may be direct, through grazing for example, or indirect, such as the expansion of soybean production for feed replacing forests in South America."
Livestock production is ahead of automobiles in its contribution to global warming!
What can we do about this? On a personal level, we can:
This article states that in 2002 (and I assume the numbers would be about the same today), the consumption of red meat, poultry and fish per capita in the US was 200 pounds. That's almost 9 oz. of those protein sources per day.
How much protein do I need per day? According to Monique Ryan in her book Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition, an endurance athlete in "heavy training" requires .5-.75 grams protein per pound of body weight. I'll use the high end of the range, since I am frequently closer to "very intense training." .75 x 112 = 84 grams, which is 2.96 ounces. It's time for me to get a bit better about monitoring my intake, since I'm pretty sure I am getting more protein than I need.
So in 2007, I am going to, on most days, limit my protein intake to only what I need. Which means I will need to replace calories with carbs, which is not a bad thing, as long as they come from whole foods, particularly fruits and vegetables. But even there, my objective is to reduce my intake of processed foods. I've done a fairly good job of that already, but I can do better.
Every little bit helps this Planet!
"Livestock activities have significant impact on virtually all aspects of the environment, including air and climate change, land and soil, water and biodiversity. The impact may be direct, through grazing for example, or indirect, such as the expansion of soybean production for feed replacing forests in South America."
Livestock production is ahead of automobiles in its contribution to global warming!
What can we do about this? On a personal level, we can:
- Reduce or eliminate our consumption of eggs, meat and dairy. The less demand, the less supply needed.
- Support programs that seek to miminize environmental impact of livestock production. Unfortunately, such programs will require government intervention. Why? Because free market mechanics have not made it happen. Profitability above all pushes companies to hold little regard for the downstream effects of their actions. I enjoy eating eggs, meat and poultry (and to a lesser extent, dairy), and would rather feel good that they are produced in an environmentally safe method rather than give them up totally.
- Limit our procreation to replacement levels and support programs to provide birth control globally. This is a gross simplification, as there are many factors involved in controlling population growth, such as education, status of women in the society and employment opportunities.
I consider myself an OKsteward of the environment. I recycle, I drive my car very little, try not to consume too much energy, limit my intake of processed foods and have not replaced myself with any children. Side note: when I was 16 I had already made the decision not to have children, and at the time it was driven by the overpopulation of the Planet--look what's happened in 34 years!
In my mind, living a life of personal integrity includes limiting personal consumption at all levels. So my 2007 New Year's resolution is to do a better job of it. I have spent the last 2-3 years trying to simplify my life and possessions. I need to do better. I need to reduce my intake of eggs, meat and dairy, but I need to be careful not to replace the protein with fish species that are being decimated world-wide.This article states that in 2002 (and I assume the numbers would be about the same today), the consumption of red meat, poultry and fish per capita in the US was 200 pounds. That's almost 9 oz. of those protein sources per day.
How much protein do I need per day? According to Monique Ryan in her book Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition, an endurance athlete in "heavy training" requires .5-.75 grams protein per pound of body weight. I'll use the high end of the range, since I am frequently closer to "very intense training." .75 x 112 = 84 grams, which is 2.96 ounces. It's time for me to get a bit better about monitoring my intake, since I'm pretty sure I am getting more protein than I need.
So in 2007, I am going to, on most days, limit my protein intake to only what I need. Which means I will need to replace calories with carbs, which is not a bad thing, as long as they come from whole foods, particularly fruits and vegetables. But even there, my objective is to reduce my intake of processed foods. I've done a fairly good job of that already, but I can do better.
Every little bit helps this Planet!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
I Am Not Soft
I got a chuckle out of an Anonymous comment, telling me that his/her view of me was "softened" by reading my previous post.
Interesting...blogging is like a one way conversation. I'M TALKING TO YOU. So unlike an actual conversation where there is back and forth and questions being asked, on a blog, it's up to the writer to reveal whatever he/she likes, and then those readers who are into passing judgment can base their judgment on what the blogger chose to write.
So apparently Anonymous prefers "soft" people. I have no clue what Anonymous' definition of a "soft" person, but I can hazard a guess. If you are married with children, you get an automatic bye. If you have a lot of drama in your life and you write about it, you get an automatic bye. If you are struggling with your weight/station in life/career/personal relationships and you write about it, you get an automatic bye. If you are depressed, are or were addicted to controlled substances, you get an automatic bye. If you are good at small talk and you write it down in your blog, then you get an automatic bye.
So I guess I'm not soft. But I don't feel "hard" either, not that I would know how to define that. Maybe the word that Anonymous is looking for is unapproachable. Certainly my blog is open for anyone and everyone to comment on or even send me email. So I've left that option open. I've had a few good digs sent my way, and I am most happy to publish them.
What can I say about myself if I'm not soft?
In 2005 and early this year, there were some things I experienced that were deeply personal to me, but I wrote about them here. I DNF'ed an Ironman race. I had a brief bout of mild depression. I euthanized my beloved cats. My Mom died. I broke off a relationship with a very close friend (I had hoped it was temporary, but alas, she wants no part of reconciliation). I guess in the big scheme of things these are not personal enough or infused with enough drama for some readers of this blog to feel that I am indeed a soft person with emotions? We all have problems of one sort or another, and we just do the best we can. Perhaps I don't make a big enough deal out of my own troubles. But then again, how would you, a reader of this blog, know that? Remember, this is not a conversation.
Here are some other things that might be of interest to those of you who've never had a chance to engage in actual conversation with me:
And yes, I'm OK with not being judged soft.
Time to get on my bike.
Interesting...blogging is like a one way conversation. I'M TALKING TO YOU. So unlike an actual conversation where there is back and forth and questions being asked, on a blog, it's up to the writer to reveal whatever he/she likes, and then those readers who are into passing judgment can base their judgment on what the blogger chose to write.
So apparently Anonymous prefers "soft" people. I have no clue what Anonymous' definition of a "soft" person, but I can hazard a guess. If you are married with children, you get an automatic bye. If you have a lot of drama in your life and you write about it, you get an automatic bye. If you are struggling with your weight/station in life/career/personal relationships and you write about it, you get an automatic bye. If you are depressed, are or were addicted to controlled substances, you get an automatic bye. If you are good at small talk and you write it down in your blog, then you get an automatic bye.
So I guess I'm not soft. But I don't feel "hard" either, not that I would know how to define that. Maybe the word that Anonymous is looking for is unapproachable. Certainly my blog is open for anyone and everyone to comment on or even send me email. So I've left that option open. I've had a few good digs sent my way, and I am most happy to publish them.
What can I say about myself if I'm not soft?
- I am single
- I don't have children
- My life is, I'm afraid, bereft of drama
- I suck at small talk. I do try to be more of a people person, but small talk has eluded me my entire life.
- I don't struggle with my weight and to my knowledge have no major health issues (unless you consider trying to keep myself mechanically sound an issue)
- I'm OK with being part of the American middle class, living comfortably but by no means rich
- My career is thankfully stable
- My personal relationships are as good as they can be, considering the amount of effort I put into them and the fact that I am basically a loner
- I tend to immerse myself in whatever "project" is currently taking my fancy. In the past, I've immersed myself in academics, piano playing, crocheting, sewing, weight training and gardening. That is how I got good at them. That is how ANYONE gets good at something, isn't it? I should put a smiley face on that statement so I don't offend those of you who think I'm not "soft." My current project is triathlon and the (my) human body.
In 2005 and early this year, there were some things I experienced that were deeply personal to me, but I wrote about them here. I DNF'ed an Ironman race. I had a brief bout of mild depression. I euthanized my beloved cats. My Mom died. I broke off a relationship with a very close friend (I had hoped it was temporary, but alas, she wants no part of reconciliation). I guess in the big scheme of things these are not personal enough or infused with enough drama for some readers of this blog to feel that I am indeed a soft person with emotions? We all have problems of one sort or another, and we just do the best we can. Perhaps I don't make a big enough deal out of my own troubles. But then again, how would you, a reader of this blog, know that? Remember, this is not a conversation.
Here are some other things that might be of interest to those of you who've never had a chance to engage in actual conversation with me:
- I'm a bleeding heart liberal. Dubya is an idiot and sucks.
- I recycle everything I possibly can. If you don't, what's your excuse?
- I do not water my lawn or my flower beds in times of drought or just because I would like things to be a bit more green. Clean water is a precious commodity that we in the U.S. take for granted. If something can't live on whatever rainfall it receives, tough. I don't want to grow things that require extra water than what falls from the sky.
- I take very short showers. Considering that many days I am taking 2 of them, I am consuming plenty of water in the quest for cleanliness, so I may as well keep them as short as possible.
- I keep my hair cut short because I like it that way, but also it means I don't have to spend so much time in the shower washing it or use any electricity to dry it, and there are no aerosol products leaching CFC's or whatever they are now into the air.
- I am passionate about whatever currently holds my interest. Triathlon is like that for me, but more than that it's physical fitness and learning about my body. When in a M/F relationship, I am just as intense about that as I am about triathlon. Ah--there's that word--intense. To Anonymous, intense must be the opposite of soft. Soft is fine for some people. I like my intensity, though. I can be soft at times, but unless it's around someone who knows me VERY well, it might not appear to be very soft.
- I'm very analytical (gee, could you guess by the bullet points?).
- I like word puzzles--Jumble, crosswords and the like. I don't like Sudoku, though, because I was a mathematics major in college and was into theoretical stuff so pure numbers don't interest me much.
- Except for prime numbers. Those are cool. My Dad is obsessed (literally) with prime numbers and how they enter into all sorts of theorems. I suppose I inherited the prime number fancy gene from him.
- I love all the James Bond movies.
- My favorite movie is The Sound of Music, then The Wizard of Oz and then A Clockwork Orange.
- I was raised Catholic, and believe in a God of some sort (stuff has to originate somehow), but believe in evolution and that scientists are higher beings than politicians. I now consider myself Christian with some version of Buddhist thrown in there.
- Even though I sucked at it (one of the few things I sucked at in school), I still love physics. The stuff that nature pulls on us is way more fascinating than whatever we come up with most of the time.
- I am not afraid of bugs, and have no issue killing spiders in my house, but I tend to leave the white ones alone, and only destroy the dark colored varieties.
- I love eathworms, and will gladly carry those out in the open to dirt.
- The middle finger on my left hand has a broken tip from softball.
- My eyes are hazel.
- I am not a natural blond.
- I have never had stitches on my body.
- I had not broken a bone in my body until I was 38, and then I broke the radius in my right arm after I skidded on some gravel while rollerskating drunk (this was in the early stages of my divorce). I also suffered a concussion, and had some interesting blacking out episodes the next day.
- I was raped once and mugged once.
- I have had 2 abortions and vehemently support a woman's right to choose what to do with her body.
- I had some (for that decade) pretty wild sexual experiences in my 20's.
- I could not do a cartwheel until I was in the 7th grade.
- I did not go to prom in high school.
- I enjoy working hard at triathlon just to see how good I can get at it. But I also know I will move onto something else eventually.
- I have been fat--not obese, but still fat.
- I have been depressed. VERY depressed. I know what it's like, and exercise is a form of prevention for me. So is learning to live in the moment, as I believe it's impossible to be depressed if you are truly experiencing every moment (unless it's chemically based depression).
- I've done my share of recreational drugs. And yes, I DID inhale.
- I used to smoke cigarettes. For 10 years, then I quit for 10, then I took it up again for 2 and then I quit forever (in 1999).
- Love is a wonderful thing, but I have found that knowledge and acceptance of self transcends it.
And yes, I'm OK with not being judged soft.
Time to get on my bike.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Weekly Workout Totals 12/18/2006-12/24/2006, Dysfunctional Family Christmas and Feeling Good
First, accountability:
Swim: 7000 yards (3.97 miles) in 2.48 hours; 23% of weekly workout time; approx. 869 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 53.96 miles in 3.08 hours; 29% of weekly workout time; approx. 1662 calories burned Run: Approx. 23.8 miles in 3.54 hours; 33% of weekly workout time; approx. 1764 calories burned Strength: 1.68 hours; 16% of weekly workout time; approx. 420 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 81.73 miles in 10.78 hours; approx. 4715 calories burned
Sleep: 9.11 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.23 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
Bike: Approx. 53.96 miles in 3.08 hours; 29% of weekly workout time; approx. 1662 calories burned Run: Approx. 23.8 miles in 3.54 hours; 33% of weekly workout time; approx. 1764 calories burned Strength: 1.68 hours; 16% of weekly workout time; approx. 420 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 81.73 miles in 10.78 hours; approx. 4715 calories burned
Sleep: 9.11 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.23 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
Good week, training wise. Completed all workouts (a little light on the swimming, though), except for my Friday run. Since my calves were still fried from the Wednesday treadmill festival, I decided it wouldn't hurt to rest them. Had a good 1:30 ride on Saturday, and ran :30 on the track afterwards. Clearly, my legs prefer running NOT on a treadmill right now.
It was interesting on Saturday after a 2-hour workout that I didn't feel like I had "done" anything. Ah, the beauty of tapering and a shortened long-ish ride.
Sunday was reserved for baking a cake, watching the Bears almost lose, er...win, and cutting out 2 pairs of pajamas. I am using one pair right now, store bought, and I am tired of them and I need a spare. They will hopefully get sewn next weekend.
The cake was for today. Last Sunday I had lunch with my brothers, their wives, my dad and one of my nephews. My sister in law invited me and my Dad over for Christmas Day, or so I thought. So I thought I'd bring a nice dessert. I made a 3-layer coconut pecan cake. Yesterday I called my brother to confirm, and he insisted he hadn't invited us. Oh well, I wished him a Merry Christmas and hung up. He's been depressed and angry for years--since he lost his last "real" job--and he has some issues relating to my Dad (that's been going on for years, too--I have no idea exactly what the issue is). Since Tom (my brother) picked up the phone instead of his wife, Robin (who is extremely sweet), I guess he figured he could back out of it. That gave me a good cry--not because of not being invited, but it was typical behavior for Tom, and I am saddened that he can't bust out of his problems. If I was interviewing him for a job, I wouldn't hire him either, as it's completely apparent that he is angry with the world and feels put upon.
I called my younger sister, Lisa, and nobody answered the phone. She and her husband tend to screen calls (without call waiting--just wait to see who's voice leaves a message and decide whether to pick up or not), and I wasn't sure she was "talking" to me, so I chalked it up to she probably still didn't want to talk to me. She also is unemployed for several years and if you ask me, depressed as all get out, but just like Tom, not seeking professional help. God forbid it would help to talk to someone about your distorted feelings about yourself and the rest of the world! Hey--I've been there, done that, and while I still have my issues, I've learned that being angry doesn't accomplish anything.
The good news is that Lisa called me back later in the day, telling me she was "resting" from all the cooking (just for herself and her husband). Yes, she has such a hard life I guess that she needs a lot of rest from it! Anyway, we had a pleasant enough conversation, and it made me feel good that she was at least willing to communicate with me. Although she did let on that she couldn't come up here (she lives in Indianapolis) because she was still so distraught over my Mom's death that she can't bear to go into our childhood home. What the hell! How does she think my Dad feels? How does she think he feels to not see her for many, many months at a time, even though she doesn't work and is not suffering for creature comforts? Sure, she has issues--her husband's Mom is in a nursing facility suffering from Alzheimer's, and that puts a strain on her son and as a result, on Lisa.
We all have problems, don't we? Me--what do I have to show for myself? Spending another Christmas holiday alone for the most part. It is what it is. I wouldn't even notice it except for the fact that I am tapering for a race. But it does give me pause to consider how I got where I am today. I have plenty of acquaintances and even a few people I consider close friends. But alas, they are all married with children, and I am not the sort of person they would think about this time of year, which is fine. I tend to feel like a third or fifth wheel (depending on the family size). And it's not like I'm in the dating game.
Let me tell you it is no picnic being 50 and single. I am noticing the aging changes each year, and frankly, they SUCK. While I have very good muscle tone, my skin not so much. It's especially noticeable in the winter when my tan fades and all I'm left with is pasty-white, saggy skin. Gravity is good for some areas of the body--like the abs--in terms of the extra skin falling someplace else--but not so good for others like in my face. It's one thing if you've been with someone for years, so I suppose they wouldn't notice or care about such changes, but it's another thing if you're single. Oh well, another thing that there isn't much to do about it. And no, I am NOT considering Botox. I will look like what I will look like based on how I care for myself, and I think I'm doing the best that I can.
At one time I thought that maybe I'd meet someone (i.e., a GUY) doing something I loved, aka triathlon. Well, I have met and made plenty of friends, both men and women, but no single men that would be attracted to me. Perhaps it's true what someone said to me a year ago--that I am just too dedicated to training stuff and too competitive for most men's tastes. And then there's my age. Oh well, I should have been smart enough to know that taking up another hobby surely wasn't going to cure my social ills, and it hasn't. Some people who know me think I'm quite the extrovert, but what do they know? Sure, around my "game" and knowledge I am. But really, I'm the biggest social klutz. Don't take me to a party and leave me alone! I will fold up in a corner and drink myself to death!
But the way I look at it, at least I know this about myself. And I also know that feeling sorry for myself is not productive and that in the end, we all are alone. And I realize totally that there are so many people much, much worse off than me. I have a job, I have a roof over my head, I am not starving and I'm in good health. Things could definitely be worse!
So to those of you who think I never discuss anything personal here, there you have it. I am just not that "personal." If nothing else, I've learned that I am not my thoughts or feelings, and I just try to live in every moment as much as possible--whether that means doing the things that we must do to exist in this society or sometimes to ponder on my feelings.
After being shut out of my brother's today, I decided to go and see Casino Royale today with my Dad. It got him out of his house and me out of mine. I really enjoyed it, and Daniel Craig is H-O-T! Geez, what a physique on that man. I am asking Santa belatedly for one of those.
On the Goofy front, I'm feeling pretty good. The thought occurred to me today that if I can lollygag to 2:30 in the 1/2 and go 4:05 (Boston Qualifying time) or less in the full, then the sum is about the same as the sum of both race times last year. So it makes sense to me that if I go longer and easier in the half that I should have the gas left for the full. At least it is making sense to me today! My left calf is better in the sense that the outside part is no longer feeling like a problem, but the medial side is now tight, but that's OK, I'm working on things.
Today I lifted weights is all, and it felt good, since I did ZERO yesterday. I thought it would be prudent to have a protein shake afterwards since I had upped the weights (and besides, extra protein is good during a taper), so I put a scoop of egg protein powder into a glass and some glutamine and added water. Then I remembered I had bought a bottle of Bailey's Irish Creme to take to my ill-fated brother's house today, so I thought what the hell, put some of that in there. Turns out it was quite the tasty recovery drink! I can see having some Bailey's in my coffee this week, which is a bad thing to do, but I'm tapering and besides, I need to practice up in case I decide to have that beer if I locate the beer mile during the Disney marathon!
Life sucks AND it's great.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Keeping My Fingers Crossed
WARNING: ADULT LANGUAGE CONTENT
It's getting perilously close to Goofy showtime. While everyone else is enjoying their holidays by schmoozing, shopping and sleeping--me? I've been running. My legs, or more specifically, my left leg was majorly fucked up after Sunday's run--the calf has been in knots and there's been some weird tightness behind my knee--so I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to knock out today's run.
On Monday I really worked on my legs--I used all of my self-torture devices (after all, I am a masochist at heart) to do all sorts of things to them, including kneading, rolling on hard objects, digging with my thumbs, digging with pointy objects and actual stretching. Things felt OK yesterday before I got on my bike, but biking isn't exactly gentle on one's calves (especially since I pushed the envelope a bit by increasing my time spent at FT watts by 15', ya think that might have been dumb?), and afterwards things felt pretty well fucked up again.
But no worries, I worked on myself, emphasizing my calves, last night, honing in on what I thought might be culprit muscles--popliteal (behind the knee rotational thing) and plantaris. When I woke up this morning, things felt better, at least it felt like I was back where I was before I got on my bike on Tuesday. But for safety's sake, I decided to work on things a bit before I headed off to run.
I spent 2 hours on the treadmill, and I think because of my acute awareness of potential issues, I kept feeling various things telling me maybe I should stop. But the funny thing was that the faster I ran, the better I felt. I think that I have truly spent too much time on the treadmill. Oh well, I needed to get the run done. After 2 hours, I knew I could just stop, but I'd planned for 2:15 and thought I could complete it. So I ventured to the indoor track.
Wow! As soon as I began running NOT ON THE FUCKING TREADMILL, I felt great! Although my HRM stopped picking up for some reason (I wore the HRM today just to see where my HR was during the run--more on that later). I felt good enough to gently ask several walkers to move to the outside lanes of the track so's I could get my run on. I returned to the room with the treadmills and stretched about :15 on the mats. Boy, did that feel good!
I ran a few easy laps and then headed to the locker room to change for a swim. My swim plan was for 1500 yards minimum; more if I could stand it. I got in, and it felt great to swim! Probably because I hardly swam last week, and probably also because I took the day off from work so there was no concern about needing to get home quickly. I decided to do my drill workout, and everything felt just great. But I ran out of Gatorade, so I threw my bottle to the guard, asking him to fill it with water, since I needed some hydration.
I ended up doing 2300 yards, took a nice shower, got home, slammed some Endurox R4 and calculated how much I had run. 15.07 miles in 2:15, for 8:57/mile pace! I have never done that! My Boston Qualifying pace is 9:21/mile, for a marathon time of 4:05, and I'm beginning to think I can get it done, even with a 1/2 marathon the day before. My HR at that pace is about 118, which is 73% of my maximum HR. This is why I'm keeping my fingers crossed. In the last 8 days I've run 55 miles, today I ran faster for 2:15 than I did 10 days ago, and my HR is checking in at a nice low number! I spoke with my coach yesterday to let him know that I had decided I wanted to go for the marathon PR at Goofy, and we talked about what I should do in the 1/2. I will be walking a lot--my objective is to do a 2:30 (really, REALLY slow for me) 1/2 marathon on Saturday, ice up my legs, stretch, and hopefully cruise through a nice 4:05 marathon on Sunday.
After I ate lunch, I had a nice 1.5 hour massage, and I feel GREAAAAAAAAT! Well, much better than after my 16.5 mile run on Sunday. And I think my legs will come around. No running or biking tomorrow--just a nice swim.
I'm ready for Goofy now, all I need to do is stay healthy and we shall see!
It's getting perilously close to Goofy showtime. While everyone else is enjoying their holidays by schmoozing, shopping and sleeping--me? I've been running. My legs, or more specifically, my left leg was majorly fucked up after Sunday's run--the calf has been in knots and there's been some weird tightness behind my knee--so I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to knock out today's run.
On Monday I really worked on my legs--I used all of my self-torture devices (after all, I am a masochist at heart) to do all sorts of things to them, including kneading, rolling on hard objects, digging with my thumbs, digging with pointy objects and actual stretching. Things felt OK yesterday before I got on my bike, but biking isn't exactly gentle on one's calves (especially since I pushed the envelope a bit by increasing my time spent at FT watts by 15', ya think that might have been dumb?), and afterwards things felt pretty well fucked up again.
But no worries, I worked on myself, emphasizing my calves, last night, honing in on what I thought might be culprit muscles--popliteal (behind the knee rotational thing) and plantaris. When I woke up this morning, things felt better, at least it felt like I was back where I was before I got on my bike on Tuesday. But for safety's sake, I decided to work on things a bit before I headed off to run.
I spent 2 hours on the treadmill, and I think because of my acute awareness of potential issues, I kept feeling various things telling me maybe I should stop. But the funny thing was that the faster I ran, the better I felt. I think that I have truly spent too much time on the treadmill. Oh well, I needed to get the run done. After 2 hours, I knew I could just stop, but I'd planned for 2:15 and thought I could complete it. So I ventured to the indoor track.
Wow! As soon as I began running NOT ON THE FUCKING TREADMILL, I felt great! Although my HRM stopped picking up for some reason (I wore the HRM today just to see where my HR was during the run--more on that later). I felt good enough to gently ask several walkers to move to the outside lanes of the track so's I could get my run on. I returned to the room with the treadmills and stretched about :15 on the mats. Boy, did that feel good!
I ran a few easy laps and then headed to the locker room to change for a swim. My swim plan was for 1500 yards minimum; more if I could stand it. I got in, and it felt great to swim! Probably because I hardly swam last week, and probably also because I took the day off from work so there was no concern about needing to get home quickly. I decided to do my drill workout, and everything felt just great. But I ran out of Gatorade, so I threw my bottle to the guard, asking him to fill it with water, since I needed some hydration.
I ended up doing 2300 yards, took a nice shower, got home, slammed some Endurox R4 and calculated how much I had run. 15.07 miles in 2:15, for 8:57/mile pace! I have never done that! My Boston Qualifying pace is 9:21/mile, for a marathon time of 4:05, and I'm beginning to think I can get it done, even with a 1/2 marathon the day before. My HR at that pace is about 118, which is 73% of my maximum HR. This is why I'm keeping my fingers crossed. In the last 8 days I've run 55 miles, today I ran faster for 2:15 than I did 10 days ago, and my HR is checking in at a nice low number! I spoke with my coach yesterday to let him know that I had decided I wanted to go for the marathon PR at Goofy, and we talked about what I should do in the 1/2. I will be walking a lot--my objective is to do a 2:30 (really, REALLY slow for me) 1/2 marathon on Saturday, ice up my legs, stretch, and hopefully cruise through a nice 4:05 marathon on Sunday.
After I ate lunch, I had a nice 1.5 hour massage, and I feel GREAAAAAAAAT! Well, much better than after my 16.5 mile run on Sunday. And I think my legs will come around. No running or biking tomorrow--just a nice swim.
I'm ready for Goofy now, all I need to do is stay healthy and we shall see!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Weekly Workout Totals 12/11/2006-12/17/2006 and Too Much Time on a Treadmill
Here are my happy totals for the week:
Swim: 4200 yards (2.38 miles) in 1.42 hours; 11% of weekly workout time; approx. 496 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 65.91 miles in 3.77 hours; 29% of weekly workout time; approx. 1981 calories burned
Run: Approx. 39.62 miles in 6.17 hours; 47% of weekly workout time; approx. 2806 calories burned
Strength: 1.75 hours; 13% of weekly workout time; approx. 438 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 107.91 miles in 13.11 hours; approx. 5721 calories burned
Sleep: 9.39 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.07 hours. Massage: 0 hours
It turned out to be a pretty good week. I was shelled on Tuesday, so I skipped a swim and a bike, which is why my weekly hours are a little lower than planned (about 2.5, to be exact). But I executed every single run, which is the point of my training right now, so that was a good thing. I didn't get a massage (crap), and I need one. My calves are full of trigger points. I worked just on my calves for 10 minutes this morning! I kneaded them, rolled them on a TP massage ball, used The Stick on them, and they are still full of knots.
But look at that sleeping! I think I'm wired like ancestors of centuries ago, since I tend to want to sleep a lot in the fall/winter. I don't like getting up in the dark, and I avoid doing so whenever I can.
Pretty good stretching total there, too. The last 4 weeks have all been 3+ hours. Think it has anything to do with all the running?
Today was my longest pre-Goofy run. 2:30. And I ran all of it on a treadmill. During the 2nd of 2 quick breaks I took, one of the trainers asked me if I was doing all of it on the treadmill. Yes. Doesn't that makes your knees hurt? Nope. Just my brain. I explained that the treadmill is one of the softest things you can run on, and the mental monotony of it makes running 26.2 not seem so bad. REALLY!
I wore out a cheapo CD player this week (that I use when on the treadmill) that I had for maybe a year? So I went to buy a new one yesterday and picked up a couple of new CD's. I picked up 2 dance CD's that I had no idea what was on them, but the one I played today was pretty good. Good enough to motivate me after listening to Madonna's "Confessions on a Dance Floor" first, which is pretty good in my book.
After 1:30 on the treadmill (break #2), I decided I needed a little more cooling action, despite being positioned on a machine just below a ceiling fan. So I grabbed one of the small towels and soaked it in ice cold water from the filtered water dispenser. I wrung it out slightly, and then I wore it on my head for about 30 minutes. With the fan blowing on me, it was like a personal air conditioner! About 10 minutes after donning my new head gear, I switched from Gatorade to Ultra Violence, which perked me up even more. Yes, I plan on loading up my Fuel Belt with the Ultra Violence for Goofy Challenge both days, but won't use it before the halfway point of each race.
I don't remember the last time I ran 2:30 on a treadmill. Not last year, and not the year before (I checked--remember I keep records!). Actually I haven't done many 2:30 training runs in the last 3-4 years. The only reason I scheduled one this time is that I thought I should go for it. I doubt my coach would have scheduled a 2:30, but we will see what happens. My longest run last winter prior to Goofy Challenge was 2:10, unless you count the solo marathon I ran in October. So I won't have a marathon under my belt 3 months prior to Goofy this time, but I have been running a lot and solidly.
So my taper is officially beginning. On Wednesday, though, I'm running 2:15. I think I'll be as prepared as possible for Goofy, and I'm faster, so hopefully that will translate into race results. If not, well there are many, many beers waiting for me in Epcot the day after!
Swim: 4200 yards (2.38 miles) in 1.42 hours; 11% of weekly workout time; approx. 496 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 65.91 miles in 3.77 hours; 29% of weekly workout time; approx. 1981 calories burned
Run: Approx. 39.62 miles in 6.17 hours; 47% of weekly workout time; approx. 2806 calories burned
Strength: 1.75 hours; 13% of weekly workout time; approx. 438 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 107.91 miles in 13.11 hours; approx. 5721 calories burned
Sleep: 9.39 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.07 hours. Massage: 0 hours
It turned out to be a pretty good week. I was shelled on Tuesday, so I skipped a swim and a bike, which is why my weekly hours are a little lower than planned (about 2.5, to be exact). But I executed every single run, which is the point of my training right now, so that was a good thing. I didn't get a massage (crap), and I need one. My calves are full of trigger points. I worked just on my calves for 10 minutes this morning! I kneaded them, rolled them on a TP massage ball, used The Stick on them, and they are still full of knots.
But look at that sleeping! I think I'm wired like ancestors of centuries ago, since I tend to want to sleep a lot in the fall/winter. I don't like getting up in the dark, and I avoid doing so whenever I can.
Pretty good stretching total there, too. The last 4 weeks have all been 3+ hours. Think it has anything to do with all the running?
Today was my longest pre-Goofy run. 2:30. And I ran all of it on a treadmill. During the 2nd of 2 quick breaks I took, one of the trainers asked me if I was doing all of it on the treadmill. Yes. Doesn't that makes your knees hurt? Nope. Just my brain. I explained that the treadmill is one of the softest things you can run on, and the mental monotony of it makes running 26.2 not seem so bad. REALLY!
I wore out a cheapo CD player this week (that I use when on the treadmill) that I had for maybe a year? So I went to buy a new one yesterday and picked up a couple of new CD's. I picked up 2 dance CD's that I had no idea what was on them, but the one I played today was pretty good. Good enough to motivate me after listening to Madonna's "Confessions on a Dance Floor" first, which is pretty good in my book.
After 1:30 on the treadmill (break #2), I decided I needed a little more cooling action, despite being positioned on a machine just below a ceiling fan. So I grabbed one of the small towels and soaked it in ice cold water from the filtered water dispenser. I wrung it out slightly, and then I wore it on my head for about 30 minutes. With the fan blowing on me, it was like a personal air conditioner! About 10 minutes after donning my new head gear, I switched from Gatorade to Ultra Violence, which perked me up even more. Yes, I plan on loading up my Fuel Belt with the Ultra Violence for Goofy Challenge both days, but won't use it before the halfway point of each race.
I don't remember the last time I ran 2:30 on a treadmill. Not last year, and not the year before (I checked--remember I keep records!). Actually I haven't done many 2:30 training runs in the last 3-4 years. The only reason I scheduled one this time is that I thought I should go for it. I doubt my coach would have scheduled a 2:30, but we will see what happens. My longest run last winter prior to Goofy Challenge was 2:10, unless you count the solo marathon I ran in October. So I won't have a marathon under my belt 3 months prior to Goofy this time, but I have been running a lot and solidly.
So my taper is officially beginning. On Wednesday, though, I'm running 2:15. I think I'll be as prepared as possible for Goofy, and I'm faster, so hopefully that will translate into race results. If not, well there are many, many beers waiting for me in Epcot the day after!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Merry Christmas, Mom
I suppose as it draws nearer to Christmas, that anyone who has lost their mother goes through this thought process. It's been almost 8 months now, and the pain comes in very real doses every so often. I cry less often than a few months ago, but it's hard.
When I finished Ironman Brazil, I couldn't call my mom and tell her that I was OK.
When I got sick, I couldn't count on her to tell me it would be all right.
When I turned 50 this fall, it was my first birthday without her, and I thought back to when she was only 50.
When I won my age division in Miami, I couldn't call her and share my joy with her.
On Thanksgiving Day, I thought about her before, during and after the 5K race I ran, and I couldn't call her to tell her I set a PR. I roasted a leg of lamb that day for my Dad and me instead of turkey--I didn't tell him, but maybe he figured out that it was because to me, the lamb honored Mom. While she was very sick over Easter, I gave her a Beanie Baby lamb, Meekins. Since she was very religious and also had a sense of humor, I told her it was the "Lamb of God." Which made my youngest sister bust out in tears, as she and I both knew how sick Mom was. Mom held that lamb close every day, and I buried it with her. I bought one for myself and it sits next to my work computer to remind me of her every day. So that's why I made lamb instead of turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
I was the smallest child, and even into her 70's, Mom would let me sit on her knee and she would bounce me up and down--not with as much vigor in her 70's as in years past, but still, it was always a tender mother-daughter moment for me. Who else can make you feel like that?
Mom always thought that everything I did was because I was such an independent spirit. But behind it all, I always wanted to make her proud of me, and I knew she was. Was she hurt when I took up crocheting and became quite good (and fast) at it? No. She made me show my grandma how quickly and effortlessly I could do it. Was she jealous when I took up sewing and began turning out complicated dresses and even sewing for the rest of the family for a few years? No. She was happy that I enjoyed doing it, and I was happy to take a burden off of her. Did she compare herself to me when I took up cooking with a vengeance and spent my high school years cooking the family dinners? No. She told me how great everything was, and again I was glad to help her, following in the footsteps of my older sister who was off in college.
She sometimes told me she wished I wasn't so independent and stubborn. But she saw in it my drive for excellence, finishing things and setting a good example for others. Did she outwardly encourage the behavior in me or push me into things? Never. She was just always there to share the joy I took in learning new things, creating new things, and accomplishing things. She never really fawned over me, but she had this incredible memory for clothes I had made (she would request that I wear certain things for important family gatherings) and dishes that I had cooked. Sometimes I would get angry at her when she would ask me to make something for another person, but I know that she didn't ask me out of a sense of obligation but out of a sense of pride in that the other person would receive something very special.
I think Mom knew I was much stronger than I ever thought I was. As I write this, I don't feel so strong, yet I know that I am.
My brother, Tom, made a beautiful CD of some of Mom's favorite music, and it was played at her funeral. He gave all the kids a copy, and I just couldn't bring myself to play it until a few weeks ago. I put it on, had a good cry, and enjoyed the music and memories. Of course, now as I keep a classical music station on during the day softly while I work, I find myself hearing many of these melodies!
A few of my siblings and their family members are getting together this weekend. I know it is going to be hard for all of us to not have Mom physically with us this Christmas. But she's here in spirit with me every single day.
I love you, Mom, and Merry Christmas.
When I finished Ironman Brazil, I couldn't call my mom and tell her that I was OK.
When I got sick, I couldn't count on her to tell me it would be all right.
When I turned 50 this fall, it was my first birthday without her, and I thought back to when she was only 50.
When I won my age division in Miami, I couldn't call her and share my joy with her.
On Thanksgiving Day, I thought about her before, during and after the 5K race I ran, and I couldn't call her to tell her I set a PR. I roasted a leg of lamb that day for my Dad and me instead of turkey--I didn't tell him, but maybe he figured out that it was because to me, the lamb honored Mom. While she was very sick over Easter, I gave her a Beanie Baby lamb, Meekins. Since she was very religious and also had a sense of humor, I told her it was the "Lamb of God." Which made my youngest sister bust out in tears, as she and I both knew how sick Mom was. Mom held that lamb close every day, and I buried it with her. I bought one for myself and it sits next to my work computer to remind me of her every day. So that's why I made lamb instead of turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
I was the smallest child, and even into her 70's, Mom would let me sit on her knee and she would bounce me up and down--not with as much vigor in her 70's as in years past, but still, it was always a tender mother-daughter moment for me. Who else can make you feel like that?
Mom always thought that everything I did was because I was such an independent spirit. But behind it all, I always wanted to make her proud of me, and I knew she was. Was she hurt when I took up crocheting and became quite good (and fast) at it? No. She made me show my grandma how quickly and effortlessly I could do it. Was she jealous when I took up sewing and began turning out complicated dresses and even sewing for the rest of the family for a few years? No. She was happy that I enjoyed doing it, and I was happy to take a burden off of her. Did she compare herself to me when I took up cooking with a vengeance and spent my high school years cooking the family dinners? No. She told me how great everything was, and again I was glad to help her, following in the footsteps of my older sister who was off in college.
She sometimes told me she wished I wasn't so independent and stubborn. But she saw in it my drive for excellence, finishing things and setting a good example for others. Did she outwardly encourage the behavior in me or push me into things? Never. She was just always there to share the joy I took in learning new things, creating new things, and accomplishing things. She never really fawned over me, but she had this incredible memory for clothes I had made (she would request that I wear certain things for important family gatherings) and dishes that I had cooked. Sometimes I would get angry at her when she would ask me to make something for another person, but I know that she didn't ask me out of a sense of obligation but out of a sense of pride in that the other person would receive something very special.
I think Mom knew I was much stronger than I ever thought I was. As I write this, I don't feel so strong, yet I know that I am.
My brother, Tom, made a beautiful CD of some of Mom's favorite music, and it was played at her funeral. He gave all the kids a copy, and I just couldn't bring myself to play it until a few weeks ago. I put it on, had a good cry, and enjoyed the music and memories. Of course, now as I keep a classical music station on during the day softly while I work, I find myself hearing many of these melodies!
A few of my siblings and their family members are getting together this weekend. I know it is going to be hard for all of us to not have Mom physically with us this Christmas. But she's here in spirit with me every single day.
I love you, Mom, and Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
How to Shell Yourself, Part Two
The saga continues....
After a great run on Sunday, yesterday I thought I'd be fine since I took a day off from work. I felt tired, but not wasted, so around noon I decided to lift weights. Last week I did 2 sets of 12 reps, and this week I was scheduled to add another set, and so I did. The effort didn't feel bad, it just felt like a looooong workout, taking about 1:10. If you recall, I have all the weight equipment in my house, to I don't have to wait for someone to vacate machines or free weights or anything. In 1:07, I did 3 sets of 12 reps each of the following:
I think it would take me a lot longer to do all of that at a gym.
I felt tired after the workout, but I expected that. At 4:30 I headed to the Y to run. While I didn't really feel like running, I didn't want to not run until Wednesday, so I thought I'd see what I could do.
Clearly my legs were a bit toasted, so I dialed down the treadmill speed to what I would have done like 2 years ago! Easy, easy, easy. I had scheduled myself for :50, but decided to cut off :05, and I was still able to end the session with some strides. I followed up with some stretching, and didn't feel any worse for the wear, figuring a good night of sleep would fix me right up.
WRONG! I slept 10 hours last night, and I feel shelled today. I was going to swim in the morning, but wisely opted to sleep in, and even with all that sleep, I feel pretty fried. So probably no bike workout today either. Guess I didn't just need a day off from work--I needed a day off from workouts, too.
After a great run on Sunday, yesterday I thought I'd be fine since I took a day off from work. I felt tired, but not wasted, so around noon I decided to lift weights. Last week I did 2 sets of 12 reps, and this week I was scheduled to add another set, and so I did. The effort didn't feel bad, it just felt like a looooong workout, taking about 1:10. If you recall, I have all the weight equipment in my house, to I don't have to wait for someone to vacate machines or free weights or anything. In 1:07, I did 3 sets of 12 reps each of the following:
- 4 triceps exercises
- 4 pecs exercises
- 11 delts exercises
- 5 biceps exercises
- 4 lats exercises
- 10 leg exercises
- 16 abs/core/PT exercises (only 2 sets of 15 reps of these)
I think it would take me a lot longer to do all of that at a gym.
I felt tired after the workout, but I expected that. At 4:30 I headed to the Y to run. While I didn't really feel like running, I didn't want to not run until Wednesday, so I thought I'd see what I could do.
Clearly my legs were a bit toasted, so I dialed down the treadmill speed to what I would have done like 2 years ago! Easy, easy, easy. I had scheduled myself for :50, but decided to cut off :05, and I was still able to end the session with some strides. I followed up with some stretching, and didn't feel any worse for the wear, figuring a good night of sleep would fix me right up.
WRONG! I slept 10 hours last night, and I feel shelled today. I was going to swim in the morning, but wisely opted to sleep in, and even with all that sleep, I feel pretty fried. So probably no bike workout today either. Guess I didn't just need a day off from work--I needed a day off from workouts, too.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Weekly Workout Totals 12/04/2006-12/10/2006
Swim: 9000 yards (5.11 miles) in 3.15 hours; 20% of weekly workout time; approx. 1104 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 84.01 miles in 4.8 hours; 31% of weekly workout time; approx. 2529 calories burned
Run: Approx. 38.95 miles in 6 hours; 39% of weekly workout time; approx. 2730 calories burned
Strength: 1.5 hours; 10% of weekly workout time; approx. 375 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 128.07 miles in 15.45 hours; approx. 6738 calories burned
Sleep: 9.21 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.53 hours. Massage: 1 hours
It was a good week; it was a tough week. I tried to remember how I felt last year around this same time when I was training for Goofy Challenge. Tired! I have trouble understanding how ultrarunners can run so much every week. They must be built differently than me!
Yesterday I ran almost 15 miles in 2:15. That's the fastest I've ever covered that distance. I did 2 hours on the treadmill, and as I approached the 2 hour mark, considered whether I wanted to finish up on the indoor track or not. When I'm doing shorter workouts, I have a tendency to run faster than I need to when I run on the track. But having already covered 13 miles, I didn't think I was in danger of overdoing it today. The transition to the much cooler basketball court/indoor track area revealed that in fact, I stunk. Oh well, not much I could do about it.
As I started running, I noticed I felt almost weightless. At least I couldn't really feel my legs! I didn't feel like I was running that fast and I wasn't breathing too hard. There was a very tall, fairly large man on the track who was running much slower than me, and when we'd approach corners, he kept taking the inside lane. I think he probably didn't understand track etiquette--slower folks get outside lanes. Anyway, I enjoyed passing him, knowing how much ground I had already covered on the treadmill.
I ran a mile in 8:25. Not bad after 13 miles down! I finished out running 8:34, and then I took a nice, slow walk around the track, and then I went back into the cardio room and to lie down on a mat to stretch. I wanted to just curl up into a ball and go to sleep, but I decided to stretch about 10'. I couldn't spend more time, as I was out of Gatorade and needed to get some post-run nutrition in me quickly.
I showered, went home, slammed a bottle of Endurox R4, and then got to work on my pizza. I was tired, but knew that all I had to do was roll out the dough (which had been rising while I was running), bake the crust for 30', then cool slightly, fill and bake the final product. Good thing my appetite hadn't kicked in right away after running.
My dad arrived while the unfilled crust was baking, and he noticed I was pretty tired. Once the thing was finished, we each had a "slice" (about 1/8 of an 18" diameter 3.5" high pie) and enjoyed it. After which I cleaned up the kitchen just a bit, and then we moved to the living room, where I laid down on the big couch and my dad sat on the love seat, and we listened to some nice music for several hours and chatted. At some point, I was able to move off the couch and do some more stretching.
Today I am taking the day off from work, but I have the phone company coming to check out intermittent problems I've been having with my DSL line. Of course right now as I sit here writing this, there have been no problems today. Oh well, I just hope they come and go quickly so I can get on with the rest of my day, which will hopefully include a nap. I don't feel too badly right now, but I know that after I lift, I will need some quality rest time, and I am going to try and get in a run today.
This week's training will be tough again--long run up to 2:30, rides increase a bit more in duration and intensity, and strength training adds another set (ouch). This is my biggest week, and then I begin a much needed taper!
Bike: Approx. 84.01 miles in 4.8 hours; 31% of weekly workout time; approx. 2529 calories burned
Run: Approx. 38.95 miles in 6 hours; 39% of weekly workout time; approx. 2730 calories burned
Strength: 1.5 hours; 10% of weekly workout time; approx. 375 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 128.07 miles in 15.45 hours; approx. 6738 calories burned
Sleep: 9.21 hours avg./night
Stretching: 3.53 hours. Massage: 1 hours
It was a good week; it was a tough week. I tried to remember how I felt last year around this same time when I was training for Goofy Challenge. Tired! I have trouble understanding how ultrarunners can run so much every week. They must be built differently than me!
Yesterday I ran almost 15 miles in 2:15. That's the fastest I've ever covered that distance. I did 2 hours on the treadmill, and as I approached the 2 hour mark, considered whether I wanted to finish up on the indoor track or not. When I'm doing shorter workouts, I have a tendency to run faster than I need to when I run on the track. But having already covered 13 miles, I didn't think I was in danger of overdoing it today. The transition to the much cooler basketball court/indoor track area revealed that in fact, I stunk. Oh well, not much I could do about it.
As I started running, I noticed I felt almost weightless. At least I couldn't really feel my legs! I didn't feel like I was running that fast and I wasn't breathing too hard. There was a very tall, fairly large man on the track who was running much slower than me, and when we'd approach corners, he kept taking the inside lane. I think he probably didn't understand track etiquette--slower folks get outside lanes. Anyway, I enjoyed passing him, knowing how much ground I had already covered on the treadmill.
I ran a mile in 8:25. Not bad after 13 miles down! I finished out running 8:34, and then I took a nice, slow walk around the track, and then I went back into the cardio room and to lie down on a mat to stretch. I wanted to just curl up into a ball and go to sleep, but I decided to stretch about 10'. I couldn't spend more time, as I was out of Gatorade and needed to get some post-run nutrition in me quickly.
I showered, went home, slammed a bottle of Endurox R4, and then got to work on my pizza. I was tired, but knew that all I had to do was roll out the dough (which had been rising while I was running), bake the crust for 30', then cool slightly, fill and bake the final product. Good thing my appetite hadn't kicked in right away after running.
My dad arrived while the unfilled crust was baking, and he noticed I was pretty tired. Once the thing was finished, we each had a "slice" (about 1/8 of an 18" diameter 3.5" high pie) and enjoyed it. After which I cleaned up the kitchen just a bit, and then we moved to the living room, where I laid down on the big couch and my dad sat on the love seat, and we listened to some nice music for several hours and chatted. At some point, I was able to move off the couch and do some more stretching.
Today I am taking the day off from work, but I have the phone company coming to check out intermittent problems I've been having with my DSL line. Of course right now as I sit here writing this, there have been no problems today. Oh well, I just hope they come and go quickly so I can get on with the rest of my day, which will hopefully include a nap. I don't feel too badly right now, but I know that after I lift, I will need some quality rest time, and I am going to try and get in a run today.
This week's training will be tough again--long run up to 2:30, rides increase a bit more in duration and intensity, and strength training adds another set (ouch). This is my biggest week, and then I begin a much needed taper!
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