Oh man, I almost decided not to run the race. I signed up on Thursday night when I thought I'd be staying in town. I figured that it was an ideal week for a race, since I had some good workouts earlier in the week, including intervals on Wednesday. I'd take Thursday off and have some strength work with a free personal training session early Friday.
At the Friday session, pushups and assisted pullups, squats of various sorts, leg extensions, bit of ab work. Yoinked my inner left knee a bit while standing up, but it seemed to get back in place.
I started being sore on Friday during work... hamstrings, some inner/lower abs, and the yoinked knee seemed to cause my inner left achilles to get a little inflamed, which seemed to later spread to my left TAs. Early Friday, I still figured that I could be recovered enough by the next morning to race well. Later on Friday, though, with the TA issue and the knee and the achilles and the sore hamstring and the sore abs, I began to have doubts. Hated to lose the $11 entry fee, but better lose it than cause an injury that would wipe out my chance with the marathon. In any case, with the soreness, it wouldn't be a stellar perforance. And even if I did well, it's in an oddball distance, which I wouldn't run again except in this race, so a good time would not mean much and would not help me track my progress anyway.
Woke up still feeling very sore... worse. Hurt to sit down, with the sitting down motion. Hammies and abs sore. I debated for about 30 min but decided that I could just go and run super easy at my LR pace and make it like a warmup before adding another 12 or so miles after the race. That way, I get all the goodies from the race (t-shirt, chance at door prizes, race auora) while not hurting myself or losing the $11. Good plan.
When I got there, there were lots of high schoolers of different colors camped out on tarps and tents. It was exciting, bringing back memories of high school XC. Since I had been debating for so long, I got there w/ a/b 30 min before the race. I got my number, switched into my Brooks Trance 8's, and set off to do a warmup w/ 20 min left. I actually felt pretty good. The soreness was just there... not bothersome. So I decided to rac it.
Since it was cool outside (ideal weather), and since I was sore, I didn't mind a longer warmup. Went around the big grassy field where the race was to start then did a bit of dynamic stretching, ROM stuff, and striders. Then, time to line up. Earlier, before the soreness, I figured a 7:00 pace would be excellent, since that had historically been my target for the 5K but now I knew I could do 6:45 under ven non-ideal conditions. So 7:00 with an extra K would be reasonable and nice.
Set off. It was partially grass, partially dirt, partially sidewalk. Grass and dirt was sometimes uneven, almost a bit riskily so. Passed the 1 mile mark in what was announced as 6:35, but that was short, which others agreed with post-race. Some time before the 2, I noticed that my Garmin had shut down. Boo. Now, no idea of my time at all, since I hadn't set my normal watch. So I just went by feel, which worked fine. I went along, and it was kind of exciting. Didn't ever see any other girls, so I'd just be alongside guys every now and then, and it was exhilarating just pushing each other and pushing ouselves. Didn't mind if I got passed, didn't mind if I passed. Just ran my own race. Hit the 2 at 14:00.
Could feel that I was slowing down some afterwards. Normally, it would only be 1 mile left. Just kept it going. At the 2, I started my normal watch, so I have splits from then on and can derive my times from there. Hit the 3 at 7:25. The last bit was a second loop around the big field where we first started, which was wonderful b/c we were looping around the finish and could see our opponents and where to kick. Perfect. Good for audience members, too, to see a lot of the runners. Finished in 26:53. 6k = 3.73 miles. 7:13 ave. Not bad, considering the soreness.
Afterwards, cheered on those coming in. Always gives you joy to do that. Then, after refueling, getting an apron doorprize, and watching awards, got to watch the XC races... mens and womens, JV and varsity. It was fun. The varsity race were the best. Finishes are fun to watch, especially with last-min passing, watching people kick. It's also great to see fast runners with good form, like the mens' winner. Effortless speed. Wow. Watching all of them and hearing their times, I felt old and kinda slow. Really, I'm just 5-9 years older... so the 5, not much older, 9, a lot I guess. I guess I just don't have the genetics to be super fast. Or is part of it not working hard enough? Oh well, I may not be as young (what am I thinking... I'm only 23!) or fast, but I'm seasoned, I guess, to the extent that 1.5 years of more serious running makes one seasoned. Oh well, keep training. Then, see what January brings.
Even tighter after all that. Maybe should've done a cool-down, but I was busy watching the races. And it felt too hot to do the LR right after, and I kind of just wanted a mental break. So I went home. Good day, though. Glad it worked out.
5/100 women. 60/269 overall.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Oct 12
FIT:
Wobbly bobbly. Back on my made-up words track, at least for today.
TA's tight right now and could use some digging into. Iced them a few minutes ago. Finished an intervals session that started off as an intended longer run (8ish). I realized that the 6.0 from Monday plus 8 plus 15 would be... 29 - phew! Way too much of an increase. It had been a while since a running interval session, and my last race performance was kinda disappointing (although it was just announced that the 2.0 was perhaps really a 2.1, which would make my performance okay). Oh yeah... I had done an interval session the day before the race... that was the last time I had done one. Anyway, it seemed to make a lot of sense to turn the 8 into a 4 or so.
I did the 4 (1 mi warmup @ 6.8mph, 6x[1/4 on (9mph), 1/4 off (7.5mph)]), but since I felt decent and wanted to start pushing myself a little bit again (I've been too comfortable and taking it easy lately), I decided to just run it in through another mile, which ended up being progressiony, just b/c was eager to finish and get over and even alleviate some growing pains. Nothing bad. Worse was probably some blistering that began on my left toes. Probably the new insoles. Stung a lot. Lucky it didn't hit until the last mile.
5.0 in 38:35, 7:43 ave. Sox, n3's w/ Spenco, pak w/ iTouch... received the shuffle 4g today but thought it was broken so I didn't use it but it really was working... just involved reading the full-blown manual to figure out how to use it on podcasts. 78 degrees. Drank 1/3 bottle 1/3 diluted Cyotomax... much of the first few sips ended up on the treadmill, but the rest was okay. Swallowed significant air, prob, but at least I got the needed cool water.
Wobbly bobbly. Back on my made-up words track, at least for today.
TA's tight right now and could use some digging into. Iced them a few minutes ago. Finished an intervals session that started off as an intended longer run (8ish). I realized that the 6.0 from Monday plus 8 plus 15 would be... 29 - phew! Way too much of an increase. It had been a while since a running interval session, and my last race performance was kinda disappointing (although it was just announced that the 2.0 was perhaps really a 2.1, which would make my performance okay). Oh yeah... I had done an interval session the day before the race... that was the last time I had done one. Anyway, it seemed to make a lot of sense to turn the 8 into a 4 or so.
I did the 4 (1 mi warmup @ 6.8mph, 6x[1/4 on (9mph), 1/4 off (7.5mph)]), but since I felt decent and wanted to start pushing myself a little bit again (I've been too comfortable and taking it easy lately), I decided to just run it in through another mile, which ended up being progressiony, just b/c was eager to finish and get over and even alleviate some growing pains. Nothing bad. Worse was probably some blistering that began on my left toes. Probably the new insoles. Stung a lot. Lucky it didn't hit until the last mile.
5.0 in 38:35, 7:43 ave. Sox, n3's w/ Spenco, pak w/ iTouch... received the shuffle 4g today but thought it was broken so I didn't use it but it really was working... just involved reading the full-blown manual to figure out how to use it on podcasts. 78 degrees. Drank 1/3 bottle 1/3 diluted Cyotomax... much of the first few sips ended up on the treadmill, but the rest was okay. Swallowed significant air, prob, but at least I got the needed cool water.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Oct 11
FIT:
Oh man, missed realizing it was 10/10/10 when it was 10/10/10. I had made note of it like 2 weeks ago, but yesterday was just so exciting and not requiring dates that I missed it.
Anyway, today, did a trial of a gym. Fancy equipment, although with TV screens right in front of you, your eyes have no choice but to stare at the screen, on top of all the screen time I get during the day. They had some fancy twists on equipment, though. The bike lets you simulate a race, including steering with the handlebars. There's even a game mode where you collect coins and run into dragons.
The treadmill has a little picture of a 5K course... ended up being just watching a mark travel around the path, rather than making it look like you're actually running through a trail.
The elliptical-stair machine combo was nice, but I didn't use it for long b/c I had been going for 2+ hours by then. It links up to you iPod and lets you view videos/mp3s on the screen.
So my workout...
Bike, 2.9mi (hills), in 10:30ish
Run, 3.1mi (1 degree), 8:00/mi steadily, 24:48
Run, Hill training, 2.9mi, 8:34/mi, 25:00, level 15-20.
Bike, 6.3 mi (not sure if I believe), 20:00
Elliptical, 6 min stair elliptical, 10% incline, level 12.
Strength scattered throughout... rope climbing, box jumps (useless), 20-15 clapping pushups, roman chair, declined situp bench, deltoid pressups, pushupy pressouts, rows, hula hooping, pullups, stretching. Also got a hydromassage... water shoots up with a lot of pressure against a bed you lie on. I had to press down on my legs to keep the pressure, b/c otherwise, the water would just push them up. My hammies were waaaay too ticklish, and I had to essentially raise them up whenever the water went that way. Felt nice on my back and butt, though. Calves somewhat, but the pressing thing.
Had a banana, protein powder, and part of a grapefruit after the bulk of the workout. Got some good volume in by cross training. The bike made it really easy. A sitting-up bike is better than a recumbent bike... maybe it's just that my apt fitness room's recumbent is slightly misaligned... dunno.
Oh man, missed realizing it was 10/10/10 when it was 10/10/10. I had made note of it like 2 weeks ago, but yesterday was just so exciting and not requiring dates that I missed it.
Anyway, today, did a trial of a gym. Fancy equipment, although with TV screens right in front of you, your eyes have no choice but to stare at the screen, on top of all the screen time I get during the day. They had some fancy twists on equipment, though. The bike lets you simulate a race, including steering with the handlebars. There's even a game mode where you collect coins and run into dragons.
The treadmill has a little picture of a 5K course... ended up being just watching a mark travel around the path, rather than making it look like you're actually running through a trail.
The elliptical-stair machine combo was nice, but I didn't use it for long b/c I had been going for 2+ hours by then. It links up to you iPod and lets you view videos/mp3s on the screen.
So my workout...
Bike, 2.9mi (hills), in 10:30ish
Run, 3.1mi (1 degree), 8:00/mi steadily, 24:48
Run, Hill training, 2.9mi, 8:34/mi, 25:00, level 15-20.
Bike, 6.3 mi (not sure if I believe), 20:00
Elliptical, 6 min stair elliptical, 10% incline, level 12.
Strength scattered throughout... rope climbing, box jumps (useless), 20-15 clapping pushups, roman chair, declined situp bench, deltoid pressups, pushupy pressouts, rows, hula hooping, pullups, stretching. Also got a hydromassage... water shoots up with a lot of pressure against a bed you lie on. I had to press down on my legs to keep the pressure, b/c otherwise, the water would just push them up. My hammies were waaaay too ticklish, and I had to essentially raise them up whenever the water went that way. Felt nice on my back and butt, though. Calves somewhat, but the pressing thing.
Had a banana, protein powder, and part of a grapefruit after the bulk of the workout. Got some good volume in by cross training. The bike made it really easy. A sitting-up bike is better than a recumbent bike... maybe it's just that my apt fitness room's recumbent is slightly misaligned... dunno.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Oct 10
FIT:
A double day!
I think it's been a long time, since I've done a double run day. I've done double workout days a couple times this year maybe, but not double run.
Recap... bike intervals, then 2 rest days b/c I was busy recovering/having fun w/ my sis. Sunday morning, went out for a run. Explored the trails around campus. They were very turny with some mile hills, roots and logs to jump over, singletrack, scenic and fun. Took pictures on the 1.7miles out but just cruised and got in a challenging workout the rest of the time. Left knee got a bit yoinked jumping over a major ditch, and rolled an ankle pretty far but not far enough to be called an actual roll, bu everything seemed okay enough to continue running on. Just 55:48, b/c it was tiring and my ankles were getting worked with the uneven footing, and I had to just guess the distance... maybe 6.8 or less.
Rest of the day, tired and head felt kind of hot to myself, like I was getting sick. A mininap and coffee helped, though. Drove home.
Once back, felt surprisingly good and ready to run again! Dunno what did it. Glad to have fast recovery, though. So after dinner... 30 min after dinner, did the 1 degree treadmill for 3.1. Could've done more/faster if I hadn't eaten so recently, for sure. Tummy muscles had to work just to keep everything in there and not jiggling around too much. Held a 7.1mph pace the whole way.
Good stuff. Looking forward to another week of training.
FUN:
Toooonnns of fun this weekend w/ my sis:
Watched men and womens' soccer games, Trader Joe's shopping spree, HORSE in the gym, ping pong, boxing, Capoeira show, tried capoeira ourselves in the dorm, self-serve fro-yo, art museum, trail running, bookstore and university gift shop, The Sprout healthy cafe, coffee and biscotti, SET card game, movie, great fun.
A double day!
I think it's been a long time, since I've done a double run day. I've done double workout days a couple times this year maybe, but not double run.
Recap... bike intervals, then 2 rest days b/c I was busy recovering/having fun w/ my sis. Sunday morning, went out for a run. Explored the trails around campus. They were very turny with some mile hills, roots and logs to jump over, singletrack, scenic and fun. Took pictures on the 1.7miles out but just cruised and got in a challenging workout the rest of the time. Left knee got a bit yoinked jumping over a major ditch, and rolled an ankle pretty far but not far enough to be called an actual roll, bu everything seemed okay enough to continue running on. Just 55:48, b/c it was tiring and my ankles were getting worked with the uneven footing, and I had to just guess the distance... maybe 6.8 or less.
Rest of the day, tired and head felt kind of hot to myself, like I was getting sick. A mininap and coffee helped, though. Drove home.
Once back, felt surprisingly good and ready to run again! Dunno what did it. Glad to have fast recovery, though. So after dinner... 30 min after dinner, did the 1 degree treadmill for 3.1. Could've done more/faster if I hadn't eaten so recently, for sure. Tummy muscles had to work just to keep everything in there and not jiggling around too much. Held a 7.1mph pace the whole way.
Good stuff. Looking forward to another week of training.
FUN:
Toooonnns of fun this weekend w/ my sis:
Watched men and womens' soccer games, Trader Joe's shopping spree, HORSE in the gym, ping pong, boxing, Capoeira show, tried capoeira ourselves in the dorm, self-serve fro-yo, art museum, trail running, bookstore and university gift shop, The Sprout healthy cafe, coffee and biscotti, SET card game, movie, great fun.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Oct 7
FIT:
Knee issues today at work... is it the new shoes? the jumping during bball? mileage accumulation? Tried to run today, in the n3's w/ my new Spenco insoles, but my knees were too banged up. Some shin bone issues and medial knee general banging.
So I biked instead. Good, b/c I got in some interval work, wasn't hard, which is a good sign. Oh, forgot to look at the mileage, but it was a 45 min session. 10 min warmup, then 30 min of alternating [3min on (18.5-19.0mph), 1 min off (13.3mph), 3min on, 2 min off], 5 min cooldown after last 3 on. Didn't seem to sweat as much as normal. Watched The Office and then the 2nd half of Nikita. No water. Oxysox. Asics running singlet. Post 2 hr nap that was hard to wake up from.
Felt better afterwards, with the increased circulation. We'll see if my knees are any better tomorrow. TA's still tender (2nd day in a row... issue has popped up again).
Knee issues today at work... is it the new shoes? the jumping during bball? mileage accumulation? Tried to run today, in the n3's w/ my new Spenco insoles, but my knees were too banged up. Some shin bone issues and medial knee general banging.
So I biked instead. Good, b/c I got in some interval work, wasn't hard, which is a good sign. Oh, forgot to look at the mileage, but it was a 45 min session. 10 min warmup, then 30 min of alternating [3min on (18.5-19.0mph), 1 min off (13.3mph), 3min on, 2 min off], 5 min cooldown after last 3 on. Didn't seem to sweat as much as normal. Watched The Office and then the 2nd half of Nikita. No water. Oxysox. Asics running singlet. Post 2 hr nap that was hard to wake up from.
Felt better afterwards, with the increased circulation. We'll see if my knees are any better tomorrow. TA's still tender (2nd day in a row... issue has popped up again).
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Oct 6
FIT:
Logging miles, decently.
I had planned on running yesterday (following a 13.6, then 7.0, then strength), but another commitment went long, and the gym was closed, and I was exhausted, and I wasn't 100% fresh injury-wise, so it was a good night to bank as a rest day... save up for tomorrow. I figured I'd kill the next day b/c I was so run-ready.
It was a long day at work... pounding tiringly away. But got to come home. My TA's were very tender, probably from jumping around playing basketball and knockout with kids at an after-school program yesterday. Some massaging immediately before seemed to help free it up some, though.
The run went well. Tired, I think, but quality. 6.2 in 49:21, 7:58 ave. Ok, not fantastic, but I'm happy. It at least felt effective. 76 degrees, 1 degree treadmill. Oxysox, pak w/ iTouch. Did more arm-swing to help my leg movement to relieve the TA pressure. Effective. Takes energy, though. But since injuries are the limiting reactant, I'll take fatigue. It toughens you anyway. Could've used a little energy boost... I was tired from work, and I had to wait 30min for 2 ppl to use the treadmill before I got my turn, so my fueling timing was not what I had planned. Ok, though.
Wore the Saucony Paramount again - still pretty good. The stability insoles squeak a little bit in them, though, suggesting a bit of wasted energy. My left toes are really blistered, too. They'll adapt, though. Still a fan. My new Spenco insoles came today. They look big. Haven't tried them yet. Maybe I'll do that now. I'm finishing off icing while I fuel and type. Multitasking.
Splits> 8:14, 8:08, 7:59, (25:10 5k), 7:57, 7:50, 7:41, (49:21).
Logging miles, decently.
I had planned on running yesterday (following a 13.6, then 7.0, then strength), but another commitment went long, and the gym was closed, and I was exhausted, and I wasn't 100% fresh injury-wise, so it was a good night to bank as a rest day... save up for tomorrow. I figured I'd kill the next day b/c I was so run-ready.
It was a long day at work... pounding tiringly away. But got to come home. My TA's were very tender, probably from jumping around playing basketball and knockout with kids at an after-school program yesterday. Some massaging immediately before seemed to help free it up some, though.
The run went well. Tired, I think, but quality. 6.2 in 49:21, 7:58 ave. Ok, not fantastic, but I'm happy. It at least felt effective. 76 degrees, 1 degree treadmill. Oxysox, pak w/ iTouch. Did more arm-swing to help my leg movement to relieve the TA pressure. Effective. Takes energy, though. But since injuries are the limiting reactant, I'll take fatigue. It toughens you anyway. Could've used a little energy boost... I was tired from work, and I had to wait 30min for 2 ppl to use the treadmill before I got my turn, so my fueling timing was not what I had planned. Ok, though.
Wore the Saucony Paramount again - still pretty good. The stability insoles squeak a little bit in them, though, suggesting a bit of wasted energy. My left toes are really blistered, too. They'll adapt, though. Still a fan. My new Spenco insoles came today. They look big. Haven't tried them yet. Maybe I'll do that now. I'm finishing off icing while I fuel and type. Multitasking.
Splits> 8:14, 8:08, 7:59, (25:10 5k), 7:57, 7:50, 7:41, (49:21).
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Oct 3
FIT:
A couple of milestones with today's run!
First, how it was made possible...
After yesterday's LR, I iced and used the foam roller. Today during church, I did some deep tissue massaging of my TA's and calves. Felt pretty good in general, and considering the LR, great. I was excited to try the new Saucony Paramount, too. Sleep was average, aka not quite enough. Had a good amount of protein... 20g of whey powder, 25g of chicken, 20g of milk, 10g of almonds, 6g of peanuts, 10g of cheese, then maybe 15g more from grains and other sources. I normally have a decent amount, although maybe 25g less on average.
Inserted stability insoles because wearing it around the carpeted apartment, I felt like I was rolling in a lot just standing in the shoes. But the ride was excellent. They seem to be great shoes, a bit lighter than what I'm used to, and maybe what I'll end up using in the marathon. Yes, that good. We'll see the long term effects of the curved last, although the PT I talked to said that it's okay to have a curved last if you have insoles.
My inner right knee/lower quad had issues in the earlier miles once I got going. It went way when I tried to suppinate more, but in the late miles, the problem might've migrated to my achilles, which got strained. I kept going because I wanted to reach the milestone. I ended up doing less of forefoot b/c it felt like a softer landing. Dunno if it's b/c my usual forefoot muscles are tired from yesterday, or if somehow the shoe design made it feel better that way. Something to pay attention to in the future. Listened to an iPod and enjoyed the ride.
7.0 in 55:41, 7:51 ave. Splits> 8:13, 8:08, 8:07, (25:18 5K), 7:58, 7:48, 7:46, (49:37 10k), 7:37.
Oh yeah, the milestones. Dunno for sure b/c I don't have last year's log with me, but this may be the first time I've done 20+ miles within a 2-day period, and it's the first time I've hit 25 miles in a week this calendar year, I think. Yay.
So to make more great runs like these possible, I iced, and I'm refueling as we speak... type.
A couple of milestones with today's run!
First, how it was made possible...
After yesterday's LR, I iced and used the foam roller. Today during church, I did some deep tissue massaging of my TA's and calves. Felt pretty good in general, and considering the LR, great. I was excited to try the new Saucony Paramount, too. Sleep was average, aka not quite enough. Had a good amount of protein... 20g of whey powder, 25g of chicken, 20g of milk, 10g of almonds, 6g of peanuts, 10g of cheese, then maybe 15g more from grains and other sources. I normally have a decent amount, although maybe 25g less on average.
Inserted stability insoles because wearing it around the carpeted apartment, I felt like I was rolling in a lot just standing in the shoes. But the ride was excellent. They seem to be great shoes, a bit lighter than what I'm used to, and maybe what I'll end up using in the marathon. Yes, that good. We'll see the long term effects of the curved last, although the PT I talked to said that it's okay to have a curved last if you have insoles.
My inner right knee/lower quad had issues in the earlier miles once I got going. It went way when I tried to suppinate more, but in the late miles, the problem might've migrated to my achilles, which got strained. I kept going because I wanted to reach the milestone. I ended up doing less of forefoot b/c it felt like a softer landing. Dunno if it's b/c my usual forefoot muscles are tired from yesterday, or if somehow the shoe design made it feel better that way. Something to pay attention to in the future. Listened to an iPod and enjoyed the ride.
7.0 in 55:41, 7:51 ave. Splits> 8:13, 8:08, 8:07, (25:18 5K), 7:58, 7:48, 7:46, (49:37 10k), 7:37.
Oh yeah, the milestones. Dunno for sure b/c I don't have last year's log with me, but this may be the first time I've done 20+ miles within a 2-day period, and it's the first time I've hit 25 miles in a week this calendar year, I think. Yay.
So to make more great runs like these possible, I iced, and I'm refueling as we speak... type.
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