Training this week:
Monday: 1 hr body weight strength session. 400 crunches/side, 2:45 plank, 105/95 adductor/abductor leg lifts on side, 30 pushups difficult, 2x65 single-leg quad dips, 100 lower leg extensors, 40 and 30 plank dumbell rows with 8lber, 4-way hip elastic band exercises, 45 Russian twist with 6lb med ball, 35 supermans, arm resitance band pulls.
Tuesday: 4 mi of Intervals at 1 degree of treadmill. 1 mi warmup in 8:08, 4x[1/2 mi @ 9mph (3:20), 1/2 mi @ 7.5mph (2:00). Wanted to get ready for the weekend's 5k.
Wednesday: 4 mi of Hills. 1 mi @ 3 degrees in 8:20, 1 mi @ 5 degrees in 8:20, 1/2 mi in 4:10 @ 7 degrees, 1/4 mi @ 2:05 @ 1 degree, 1/4 mi in 2:05 @ 3 degrees, 1 mi in 8:15 @ 5 degrees. Decided to try to build up hill strength for the 5k, which was na XC race. Not super hard, and pushed it about 85% effort.
Two days rest.
Saturday race...
(Photo credit: Milliken)
I always look forward to the XC races on Milliken's campus, because it's a rare chance to race in spikes. It had been raining overnight and into the morning, but right before race start, the rain stopped. The ground wasn't muddy, thankfully.
Mile 1 is always a little bit crowded compared to road race starts, but you can still get around alright. I still felt good at mile 2 (last time, I was already in pain by then). I started getting tired in mile 2.5, though. I had a good-effort finish, keeling over at the end, though. Result: 21:32, 6:57/mi ave. Not a PR, bubt happy with the effort, and got 3rd, 30s behind 1st and 2nd. The hard training week might've affected me some, but I'll be all the stronger for next week's trail run!
Got back to the US on Friday, after almost 6 continuous weeks of being abroad, in 5 continents and 6 countries...
24 hours later, on the starting line of the Seneca Half Marathon. I had signed up for it earlier that week. All week, I was looking forward to it. I had hoped to do a trail race, but its date was advertised incorrectly, but I found this HM instead. I had been wanting to do it for a couple of years (this is the 3rd annual), and this was my chance.
Because the previous week, I had run very little in Brazil, I was decently rested. Unlike in many races, where even 10 minutes before the start my legs feel heavy, my legs felt pretty fresh. I had 2 chocolate-covered expresso beans 1 hr pre-race, and 1 25mg caffeine Powerbar gel 15 min pre-race. The gel had worked really well during the Cowpens Run for the Grasshopper 5K, and I was wanting the boost again. Once again, it worked well.
Started pretty well. No doubts about whether my legs would be able to hold the pace. Just kept shuffling. It sometimes felt somewhat shuffly because the course was hilly, and you can't do much more than shuffling. But it was alright. I've been doing much more incline work in the months following Nov 2012's Philly Marathon, so I'm used to hill running strategy now, and I'm more comfortable and confident with it.
At the start, as many as 4 women were in front of me, but I caught back up with all but 1 within the first half mile. At mile 6ish, there was the first of three turnarounds, and I saw that the #1 woman was about 3/4 a mile ahead... 3/4 a mile, only 6 mi in!!! Also, the #3 woman was about another 1/2 mile back. I knew there probably wasn't that much I could do to catch up, and I didn't have to worry about being caught, so it was all just about putting in a good race effort and enjoying it. No pressure to push, which is good from a pressure standpoint, but not as good from a PR standpoint.
2 more turnarounds, and not much changed with the relative standings. Water stops every 2 miles. I was glad that I brought a gel for the course, since only 1 stop, hosted by the American Legion, had Gatorade. That blue gatorade tasted so good. I had 3/4 of the gel at about the 1/2 mark, and I didn't end up needing/finishing the rest.
I finished 2nd, as expected. I didn't need to bend over at the finish from being exhausted... just finished strong, that's all. 1:39:17. Not a PR by any means, but I'm happy with how it went, considering how relatively hilly it was, and how it's the longest I've run all year, I think. A good way to force myself to do a long run.
The race organizer and the volunteers were all super, super friendly. It's a nice small-town race, and I'm looking forward to going back next year.
It felt so good to squish into my bed again... so soft and gooey feeling compared to the beds at the hotel.
After coming back from Mexico, I had about 72 hours at home before it would be time to go out again.
Wednesday > Intervals: 1 mi wup in 7:58, 4x [1/2 @ 9mph = 3:20, ¼ @ 7.5mph = 2:00], 1 mi cooldown in 7:29. 36:48 for 5 mi, 7:22 ave. Legs speedy from start. Left outer knee felt like some cartelidge missing. Otherwise, the run felt pretty ez, given the long period since speed session. Altitude training in Johannesburg then Mexico City probably helped. Had to go to toilet for last mile, otherwise could’ve maybe kept going. 3 hrs of sleep last night.
Friiday > 6 mi in 47:29, 7:55 ave. 2 degree treadmill, = 7:36 effort. Splits> 8:32, 8:11, 7:58, 7:47, 7:41, 7:17. Hard to pull out of evening nap as usual, though not as bad as in the past. Legs felt good from the start, ez to be speedy. Mind tired, though body was really fine. Right back tight. Toilet emergency 10 min post.
Saturday > 60 min strength session.
SUNDAY, flew out to Brazil...
Monday, March 4. 7.1 mi in 1:01:38, 8:36 ave. Road run. Smoggy, mostly sunny, trafficy. Wore a visor, Saucony Paramount shoes (good for walking or running), Nathan ShadowPak, Paddington Bear, and my Camera. A bit stop-and-go due to picture taking, directions finding, and traffic. I went all the way to the jockey club just to have a special destination to go to. Unfortunately, they didn't look like they were letting visitors in. I wouldn't repeat the run, since it was so smoggy, but I had wanted to do it, despite the smog and the concrete, just to be able to say that I've run in Sao Paulo.
Tuesday, 40 min bike. Took 15 min to build up to level 7/16.
Thursday, 50 min bike. Lev 6/16.
SATURDAY, off to Argentina.... for the 7th time.
This would be my 6th week of travel in a 5-continent tour...
Saturday, 10PM, March 9th. Went form 11->12.9mph. 11k = 6.8 mi in 55:24, 8:06 ave. At 3 degrees of incline. Wore the Brooks Green Silence, Adidas compression socks, tight tech tee. Heavier arm workout afterwards. 695 cal, w/o weight entry (so it's really 1/2-2/3 of that). Treadmill wobbly. K Splits> 5:17, 13, 11, 09, 05, 02, 4:59, 56, 54, 46, 39.
Would’ve run Sunday night, but walked a lot that day, and didn’t feel up to it after a late Buenos Aires dinner. They don't eat until like 9-11pm. I normally eat at 5:30 or asap after I get home. Got to tour around a bit today. Caminito is one of my favorite spots in BA. The buildings are colorful because the people would use leftover paint from the shipyards to paint the houses. In these houses, one family would live in each room.
Monday, March 11, 6am, pre-breakfast. 8K = 5mi in 39:52, 8:01/mi. 2 degrees of incline. Warm. Green Ssilence w/ Adias compression socks. 10.5->14kph. Pushed it a bit because limited time before I had to go to breakfast and work, but still progressively faster. Splits> 5:20, 10, 03, 4:58, 56, 52, 50, 39. Used non-wobbly left treadamill this time.
Tuesday, March 12, 10pm. 1 hr after dinner – felt it - bleh. 11K = 6.8mi in 56:00, 8:12 ave. At 2 degrees. Legs had felt a bit sore in the ankles Mon night, but felt fine Tuesday morning. Would’ve run in the morning, except exhausted this week! Ready for home and trail running. Green Silence w/ Adidas compression sox. Signed up for a small 1/2 marathon last night. Not trained at all for LRs, and I prefer a trail LR, but still very excited to go home for this. Just need to somehow rest up. Did some arm dumbells after the run. Wish I had the time to train 2x/day… this is like having gym access... like it.
Wednesday - watched street tango at the intersection of Lavalle and Florida Streets. Amazing stuff!
I had about 24 hours back in the US (after a 16-hr flight from South Africa), before it was time to head out to Mexico...
Before the flight, I squeezed in an hour-long strength session in the early morning. Once I arrived in Mexico, I was craving a good workout. I fit in a 10K run in 54:34 (8:48 ave), at 3 degrees of incline, followed by 40 min of biking. Mexico City is at 1.5 mi of elevation, vs. Johannesburg's 1.1 mi, so I was already adapted from JB (didn't notice too much of a difference there), and I didn't notice a real difference in Mexico City, either... sweet.... altitude training.
Thursday, I did 5.6 mi in 46:22, 8:17 ave. Saturday, 2/23, 60 min of biking.
Saturday, my Mexican colleague invited me to spend the day with his family visiting a cool canal area, which was so kind of them. The canals used to be used to transport goods into the city long, long ago. Now, they're still used for transport by the locals, and the boats are also used to sell music (mariachi bands), souveniers, food, and photo ops to tourists. It was a really colorful area, with the boats and flowers and food and music, and it was a nice place to spend a beautiful day with a really nice family.
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Before that, we had ridden on horses around a park.
I started off my Sunday with a 7.4 miler in 1:05:58 at 6am, at 8:55/mi ave, at 2 degrees. Felt ez, and would've gone further, had it not been for a bathroom requirement.
I rode the bus into the downtown area. I spent a few hours at the large Anthropology Museum, which was nicely designed and not expensive compared to similar museums in other countries.
At first, I went slowly and studied the artifacts, but the place is so big, that by the end, I was just cruising through and only pausing at things that caught my eye. Once I left the museum, I came upon Flyers! Those guys climbed up a tall, tall tower without any safety ropes! Then, they twirled their way back down. One of the guys was playing a flute, and another was banging on a drum, the whole time, upside-down and swinging in circles from a great height.
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Then, I went to the Templo Mayor, Aztec ruins in the middle of the city. Over the course of 2 centuries it was expanded 7x by different kings, and you can see the layers that have been excavated.
Tuesday, 2/26: 10K in 54:39, 8:49 ave, at 2 degrees of incline. Felt harder than it should've been. Considered running the previous night, but legs were still a bit inflamed. Didn't have much water before the 6am run, since the gym's water cooler had run out, too. Had an apple before the run, but I think I prefer having chocolate or something non-insulin-spiking before the run. Went on 5 hrs of sleep, too, so all of those might've been factors.
The people in Mexico were so incredibly hospitable and friendly. It was a great week at work, and a nice weekend, too.
After Amsterdam, it was off to South Africa. Last year, there had been a chance that I was going to go to South Africa, but it didn't work out. I was disappointed, because I had been so looking forward to the continent of The Lion King. LK had been my favorite movie as a kid. This year, the dream became a reality - first time in Africa!
We stayed at a casinio complex, Emperor's Palace, the Las Vegas of Africa. It had lots of restaurant options, which is useful because you don't have to worry so much about the safety of getting around SA on your own.
At the gym, I was excited just to run next to Africans. I would love to go to Iten, Kenya, one day.
Monday, 30 min bike interval session: 30s on, 30s off, with a 5 min warmup andn 5 min cooldown on both sides.
Tuesday, 3.7 mi on the treadmill on my own, to get in a decent workout before going on a rare-for-me group run with 2 guys from work. We went for 3.3 mi outside, doing laps around the complex. It was good, and it's a good feeling when you can get in miles with ease while feeling like you had a decent workout. The sun in South Africa really does have a certain golden glow to it that illuminates things in a way that the sun in other regions doesn't.
Wednesday, 10 mi.
Friday, 50 min bike session, comfortably hard.
I really enjoyed the people in South Africa. Very friendly and good to work with.
Saturday, Safari! We went to Pilanesburg National Park. Cars pay a small fee to go in and drive along the many paths however you like. You look for animals along the way. It's like a treasure hunt, because the animals can be a bit camouflaged or far away sometimes. Many times, they're right next to the road, too, though.
(One of the park entrances)
(Antelope)
(Elephant)
(Giraffe)
(Water)
(Rhino)
(Wildebeest and Warthogs)
(Not my jeep - we were in a van... wish we had an open-air jeep)
(Zebras)
(Ostrich)
(.... aaaaand, Ostrich, which tastes great... like fillet mignon)
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Sunday, went to Soweto to get a different view of South Africa.
(Nelson Mandela's House)
Cool country.... would love to go back one day. I want to do the Comrades Marathon (really, 55-miler), although that will take some training. I also would like to go to the much larger Kruger National Park, maybe with a jeep. That would make a nice trip, huh? Run a lot, then spend a few days in Kruger driving around while resting your legs.
Spent the day in Amsterdam during a long layover on my way to Asia. Started the pre-sunrise morning walking along the canals of the Jordaan neighborhood, in the snow. Toured Anne Frank's house. Amsterdam is a really cool city, when it comes to city history and layout. I love that. It's below sea level, and they have a series of canals for transport and defense purposes. I had lunch at the place pictured below, the Waag, or old weigh house where goods being brought into the city were weighed. Walked through the Red Light District. Did a canal boat ride. Strolled past the museums and Vondel Park. A packed day, soaking in as much of the city as I could. Even the airport at Amsterdam is awesome, with its own mini-museum (an extension of the Rijksmuseum), multi-lingual library, lounge areas, impressive cafeteria, and cocktail education area.
Next, it was off to a certain Asian country, although I didn't make it past immigration because we found out that my visa was expired once I got there... so it was back to Amsterdam. Worked Asian hours, but on a couple of evenings, I went out to take in more of the city.
Monday - did 6.8 mi in 57:39, 8:28/mi on ave.
Wed - did 9.3 mi in 1:23:54, 9:00/mi on ave.
Heinekin Museum, where I poured my first beer from the tap.
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Also went to the Amsterdam Historical Museum, which was really cool and had lots of everything.
Saw the Van Gough exhibition at the Hermitage Museum, went to Rembrandt's house, did another boat tour...
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Visited a windmill, and helped to turn it to face the wind (I didn't know those things could turn - ingeneous!).
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Visited one of the canal houses owned by an aristocrat from the 1800s, visited the Canal House museum that told you the history of the city with really cool show-exhibits. Went onto one of the boats, which was turned into a museum to show you how people live in it.
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There are interesting bridges spanning the canals, with nice photo ops everywhere. If you ever go, I recommend getting the I AMsterdam card, which gives you free access to most public transport options, plus free entrance to many museums. The savings you get on the public transport alone is huge. However, the cost vs. the benefit may be kind of even if you get the 24-hr version. I got the 3-day version, and that definitely made it worth it.
People bike all over the city, which is really cool. In all kinds of weather, they bike. Eco-friendly and active... my kind of thing. I fell in love with Amsterdam. London and Amsterdam are my favorite cities so far. I like how easy it is to get around on public transport. I like how there's so much culture and history there, too.
Saturday - 5.6 mi. Deleted the time before I could record it.
Marathontalk is one of my favorite podcasts, and I like listening to it while I run. It's hosted by two British guys who are really funny, and on my runs, you may see me burst out laughing randomly sometimes. They're fun running companions. It's also fun to get a little bit involved in that running community. Every week, in addition to sharing racing news, they have a "listeners' podium", where they list the top 5 mens and womens performances for the week. They also have a spring motivation challenge, where there are different goals you set for mileage/distance/time for Jan, Feb, and March. This is Jantastic. Next come Febulous and Marchvelous.
My Jantastic goal wasn't too hard, set at 3, but the next highest option would've been 4 runs/week, and that's a bit of a push, even during marathon training. I wish it could be higher than 3, but eh...
JAN 20, SUNDAY
6.1 in 50:57, 8:18 ave. Sunset run in the park. Woke up feeling mentally blah, and ended up sleeping like crazy until 3pm! Got in a run while I could. Fearing the onset of some sickness, I had lots of green tea and garlic and usual good nutrition. Both knees still a bit yoinky in the middle of the run, but better later on and overall felt good, and would’ve done more with more light. Used headlamp for last lap when got darker, but would’ve been hard in complete darkness. Liked the previous night’s cannonball cooldown for improving bloodflow and recovery.
JAN 21, MONDAY
60 min strength session. Head hot and throat dry today, but not too bad. Now discovered why I was sleepy yesterday. Drinking quickly helped throat heal.
JAN 22, TUESDAY
4.0 in 34:26, 8:37 ave. Treadmill hills. 2 mi warmup in 8:45 and 8:33 @ 1 degree, 2x[1/2 in 4:18 @ 7mph, ¼ in 2:08 @ 10 degrees, ¼ in 2;08 @ 1 degree] (=7mph). Wanted to bike, but it wouldn’t turn on, and wanted workout desperately after being stuck inside and sedentary all day. Would’ve done a long run, but people were in line for the treadmill, so I turned it into a hill session to get bang for buck.
JAN 25, FRIDAY
5.0 in 41:19, 8:15 ave, at 3 degrees. My legs always feel ready to run again the day or two after workouts, but once I get to 2+ days of rest, running is a shock to the legs again…. Inertia. Craved vitamin C today. Kinda getting better, though the run made my head feel hot again.
JAN 27, SUNDAY
6.0 in 51:05, 8:30 ave, at 4 degrees. Head still felt hot-ish (just perception, not absolute temps, based on the thermometer reading). But needed a workout. Fairly challenging. Also in a mood to go long today.
JAN 28, MONDAY
60 min strength session.
>>> 14 hrs in the office on Tuesday, so no workout.
JAN 30, WEDNESDAY
6.0 in 48:59, 8:09 ave, 2 degrees. No trace of sickness, I realized. Another long workday. Run felt more effort-ful than it should’ve been, probably because I was tired, and the gym was set at 76 degrees, vs. the usual 71. Surprised I made it to 6, when 4 seemed a challenge at first.
FEB 1, FRIDAY
4.0 in 32:53, 8:13 ave. Tread hills, to get in a workout in the morning before long flights. 1 mi warmup in 8:23, 2x[ ½ @ 5 degrees, ½ @ 3 degrees] @ 7.3mph (8:16), 1 mi cooldown @ 2 degrees in 7:56.
