I’m sick..again. I have managed to stay pretty much sick free all winter and now in the last 2 weeks I had a 24 hour flu…complete with vomiting and me calling into work for like the second time in 10 years…and now as of yesterday morning…I have a hellacious sore throat and head cold. Oh well…better now then in a week right? And this will insure I don’t blow my taper because I feel too awful to train hard…HA! God knows what he’s doing I suppose…and knows me all too well.
I ran with Lori this morning…a beautiful VERY windy 6 mile with the last two barefoot. The boys ended up having to help their dad move this weekend and since they failed to mention their race to their Dad I made them go and help him…and not race. I kind of felt bad about doing it…but if I don’t teach them responsibility…who will? And 5K’s are a dime a dozen around here…there’s always another one.
So with a week before my marathon I’m feeling burnt. I don’t get the taper tantrums that you read so much about…maybe just because I’m too damn tired to care…and now sick to boot. I feel like I may have over trained…and like I peeked weeks ago and I’m going to blow my race. But hopefully these is just my VERY overactive mind dickin with me. I also dreamed last night that my race was in Paris and I lost my pace group when I went into a place to pee…and never found the race again. Weird. There are no pace groups for my marathon and it’s in Kenosha..
6 days
Showing posts with label marathon training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marathon training. Show all posts
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
21 Miles Brings the Taper
Anyways…so it’s over…the hard part..except the race of course. I planned 20 for today, finished 21 because I just hadn’t had quite enough of the 38 degree weather and howling winds. What the hell is wrong with me anyways? But for miles 9-12 there was a stellar dude making the same laps I was doing in the park….but in a wheel chair. And I thought to myself…how can I complain…even in my head…when that dude would probably kill to be able to run this 20 miles I’ve tied myself to for today.
Long runs make me grumpy. Skip being gone, my physical exhaustion and my kids being…well..themselves is just a recipe for a bad time. I have a pretty low bullshit tolerance to begin with and when they act like morons when I’m already tired…it’s not pretty. But tonight rejuvenated all of us. I took everyone down to Kenosha so V could play in the band with Papa at a nursing home. Dominic stayed with them and hung out with Grandma and lil T and I went to see her oldest friend. I don’t know that I’ve ever mentioned her…but there is a very wonderful woman that has been in my life since I was 15 and her name is Jackie. I got pregnant with lil T while Jackie was pregnant with Marty…so they were destined to be friends you see. And they have been. Jackie babysat for lil T from the time she was very small until she went to preschool at 3 years old…and our babies were stuck like glue the entire time. Lil T used to pick out Martys clothes every day when she got there and she has always led him around like a puppy…not in a mean way…..she adores Marty and he her. Circumstances being what they are and life just getting in the way…well..the kids haven’t seen each other in at least a year…and tonight we remedied that. T was a bit shy at first…but not Marty. After about 10 minutes it was like the last year or so didn’t exist and they were the same loving little kids that they always were to each other. Just beautiful to see…and I’m resting so happily tonight.
So the taper…yeah…I haven’t really tweeked that out yet…but I am sooo ready for a break…at least from the big ones. The totals you ask…or not? Two 20 mile runs, one 21 mile run, one 22 mile run and a 24 mile run. Total miles for this cycle…438.86…with 3 weeks left. Five runs at 20 plus miles…yeah..I think I’m ready.
22 days
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
38 Days and an Unwonked Foot
I don’t feel like blogging. I also don’t feel like cleaning, driving, taking care of my family or working. I think I’m going to give all these things up for the remainder of lent. I’m not Catholic…can I still do lent?
I ran a whopping 10 miles over the course of this weekend. And I felt pretty ok. I could still feel my foot..and although it didn’t hurt at all…it felt different from the other one. So I waited again…and ran 3 miles today…and they felt incredible….and I’m fairly sure I’m fixed. I have a 15 miler on Thursday and that will be the true test…but in my gut…I feel that it’s going to be ok. Tomorrow night I have a running clinic thingy that is being put on by the PT department from my work and medical director for my marathon…and I’m going to sit down with the good Doctor…who seeing as he is the medical director of my marathon…has a moral obligation to get me to the starting line injury free and awesome. He’s also the dude that got me back up and going after blowing my knee out two summers ago…he’s a runner...and he’s pretty adorable. They are also speaking on barefoot running…and I am very curious to see what they have to say about it. The one who is speaking on that is an Athletic trainer and fellow runner…his name is Kevin…and I will look at him in a whole new light if he speaks favorably. And if he does not..I know what he drives and will slash his tires..:).
My second half marathon is a little over a week away. I’m not particularly excited about it as I am treating it as a marathon pace run. I think I’ve convinced Skip to stay home because the more attention that is paid to this race the more likely I am to blow it and hurt myself. I’m good for that kind of dumb shit. I’m hoping to get a little better idea of a finishing time for my marathon. I’m been taking it real easy on my training runs so I’m not 100 percent that I’ll be able to hit and keep that pace going for 26 miles. This will help me know if I can do it for at least half. We’ll see.
And on a final note..I ‘think’ I may have found my latest running conquest. I’m not going to say anything else about it right now because I don’t want to jinx it…but there it is.
Hope everyone is having a great week!
38 days
I ran a whopping 10 miles over the course of this weekend. And I felt pretty ok. I could still feel my foot..and although it didn’t hurt at all…it felt different from the other one. So I waited again…and ran 3 miles today…and they felt incredible….and I’m fairly sure I’m fixed. I have a 15 miler on Thursday and that will be the true test…but in my gut…I feel that it’s going to be ok. Tomorrow night I have a running clinic thingy that is being put on by the PT department from my work and medical director for my marathon…and I’m going to sit down with the good Doctor…who seeing as he is the medical director of my marathon…has a moral obligation to get me to the starting line injury free and awesome. He’s also the dude that got me back up and going after blowing my knee out two summers ago…he’s a runner...and he’s pretty adorable. They are also speaking on barefoot running…and I am very curious to see what they have to say about it. The one who is speaking on that is an Athletic trainer and fellow runner…his name is Kevin…and I will look at him in a whole new light if he speaks favorably. And if he does not..I know what he drives and will slash his tires..:).
My second half marathon is a little over a week away. I’m not particularly excited about it as I am treating it as a marathon pace run. I think I’ve convinced Skip to stay home because the more attention that is paid to this race the more likely I am to blow it and hurt myself. I’m good for that kind of dumb shit. I’m hoping to get a little better idea of a finishing time for my marathon. I’m been taking it real easy on my training runs so I’m not 100 percent that I’ll be able to hit and keep that pace going for 26 miles. This will help me know if I can do it for at least half. We’ll see.
And on a final note..I ‘think’ I may have found my latest running conquest. I’m not going to say anything else about it right now because I don’t want to jinx it…but there it is.
Hope everyone is having a great week!
38 days
Thursday, March 17, 2011
50 Days Left and 24 Miles
The Good
-I don’t have to this again till next month.
-It was gorgeous out today despite the wind.
-I fueled properly…I need more fuel in the second half of my run.
-My SPI belt didn’t drive me nuts the entire time.
-I discovered that my MP3 has over 4.5 hours of music on it.
-I didn’t cramp at all and am recovering nicely.
-I met an awesome guy filling the underground gas things at a gas station that told me to get my ass moving because he’d already done his 20 for the day. People love a tired runner girl.
-I ran into one of my patients out on 4 mile road and he recognized me…and I haven’t seen him in over a year…AND we were over twenty miles and two towns away from where I work…isn’t that funny?
-They were doing firefighter training down on North Beach…and they were sexy
The Bad
-I had my first encounter with being a breath away from getting flattened by an asshole in a minivan. I seriously smaked his hood with my hand. Have I mentioned that I hate minivans?
-The wind.
-My left foot feels wonky and I don’t like it.
-I have a sunburnt face and legs.
-24 miles is a long freakin way and 26.2 miles is 2.2 miles longer then that!
So the good far outweighed the bad this time around. I felt pretty incredible until the very end and that’s as it should be I suppose. I hope my wonky left foot gets un-wonky because it’s too late in the game for shit to go wrong.
And because I haven’t done it in awhile…
70 days, 6 hours, 3 minutes and 6 seconds smoke free.
1405 cigarettes not smoked.
$385.00 and 10 days, 17 hours of your life saved.
Your quit date: 1/6/2011 12:59:00 PM
50 days
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Yasso 800's and V's 15th
So in keeping with my training plan my monster mileage buildup is over and now it’s on to speedwork. Don’t get me wrong..I still have big ass long runs coming up…but not like the buildup of the last two months. There’s a method to my madness…we shall see if it holds come race day.
I decided this time round to try those Yasso 800’s that I’ve read so much about. Last time I did mile repeats as my interval/speed stuff and I HATE those….so I was looking for something different…easy if you will. Now for me to run a sub 4:30…lofty I know…marathon….I need to be able to run 10*800 at a rate of 4:12-4:28 per repeat. On Thursday I did 6 of them with an average of 4:10. Could I have done 4 more? Probably…but my pace would have been dropping at the end I’m sure. Either way I am happy with these results for my first time out. Now I will only do these every other week when I’m not doing a huge long run….and I’ll add another repeat every time out. So next time I’ll run 7 of them…trying to fall in that same time range…then 8…etc etc. I like the simplicity of this…and though it’s really supposed to work…I don’t see how being able to complete 10* 800 meter repeats at a certain pace predicts marathon time. And it is HARD! I didn’t realize how much! With recoveries in between intervals my run was almost 8 miles! Good though…and lord knows I am not afraid of work.
And now on to fun stuff. Here are a few pics of my little darlings from Vincents 15th birthday.
I decided this time round to try those Yasso 800’s that I’ve read so much about. Last time I did mile repeats as my interval/speed stuff and I HATE those….so I was looking for something different…easy if you will. Now for me to run a sub 4:30…lofty I know…marathon….I need to be able to run 10*800 at a rate of 4:12-4:28 per repeat. On Thursday I did 6 of them with an average of 4:10. Could I have done 4 more? Probably…but my pace would have been dropping at the end I’m sure. Either way I am happy with these results for my first time out. Now I will only do these every other week when I’m not doing a huge long run….and I’ll add another repeat every time out. So next time I’ll run 7 of them…trying to fall in that same time range…then 8…etc etc. I like the simplicity of this…and though it’s really supposed to work…I don’t see how being able to complete 10* 800 meter repeats at a certain pace predicts marathon time. And it is HARD! I didn’t realize how much! With recoveries in between intervals my run was almost 8 miles! Good though…and lord knows I am not afraid of work.
And now on to fun stuff. Here are a few pics of my little darlings from Vincents 15th birthday.
V and lil T
V and Papa....two peas in a pod there
My brothers and my boy...
Oh yes I did make him that ghetto cake and he LOVED it.
Can you tell how happy they are to spend time anywhere near me? Please please let us get away from our mom!!!!!!!
I love her sparkling eyes
Today and yesterday I was on my own. Lori was having some mad back pain after knocking out a 25 miler this week preparing for her ultra the end of this month. Yesterday I did 4 miles easy and this morning I ran 8.5 miles..6 of those at marathon goal pace and 2 at sub 9’s. I was feeling amazing and kicked off the shoes at the end and did a half mile barefoot. I am about to come out of my skin for spring and back to barefooting!!!!!!
I hate these shoes...I really do.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
22 mile Train Wreck
Actually it wasn’t too bad. This was the text I sent Skip when I got home.
*22 miles, I hate running, I’m dropping the marathon and never doing this again.*
He didn’t even flinch. Skip rocks my world...soo accustomed to my nonsense.
This has been a good week. Tate and I did a 45 minute Tae-bo on Monday followed by a 15 minute Ab Yoga thing from OnDemand on tv…it was HORRIBLE!! My abs are still sore and it’s Thursday!! I will definitely give that another go.
Tuesday I ran after work at the hospital..nice easy paced run and I found a wallet! It must have been buried under a snow bank for a really long time because I couldn’t even salvage one thing from it and also couldn’t figure out whom it belonged to. No money..unreadable i.d.
Yesterday was a rest day and that brings us to today. I knew I had to knock it out fairly early because lil T had a half day and would be home right after noon. So as soon as I put her on the bus I headed out. I got my SPI belt in the mail Tuesday and I loaded it up last night and wore it today….and I have to say…I didn’t love it. It bounced..and I had to dink with the damn thing for 22 freakin miles. Maybe it works if you’re a dude and don’t have hips…or maybe I just have to get used to it…because I’ve never run with anything around my waist before. Ah well…I’ll try it again before I decide. So I had 21 miles on my schedule and ended up with 22. At about mile 15 I checked my watch and realized I was going to really have to shove the shit along if I was going to make it home by the time lil T got off the bus. I got there right behind her as it was and she was PISSED! It was a decent run…recovery wasn’t bad…certainly better then the last two 20’s I’ve done….so it’s working..I’m getting used to it…just like Vincent said…LOL.
So that brings me to roughly two months or 9 weeks left till the marathon. The long runs for the remainder of this training session are as follows.
26.2 miles
15 miles
14 miles *half marathon race instead this week*
26.2 miles
13 miles
You will notice that there are not 9 runs there…only 5. The other weeks include the taper and step back weeks to recover. Another thing is those 26.2 mile runs may not happen. 24 maybe..but I don’t think the 26 is necessary. I know I said I had to know….but pushing myself up over 20 multiple times is going to be sufficient I think. When all is said and done I will have done 5 or 6 runs in the 20 plus mile range…and I think that’s plenty. If I feel like doing the full 26 miles..I will…if I don’t…I won’t.
I just don’t want to be house bound and unable to walk for 2 days after my marathon. I have a life to lead and shit to do.
And my ADD thought for the week are…
*I’m only working a half day tomorrow and I won’t be sorry to see that place in the rearview come 12 o’clock tomorrow.
*Vincent is turning 15 next week…how is that even possible?
*I am running my first virtual 5K this weekend…I’m excited!
*I wish I could run with Lori on long runs…I bet they would suck considerably less.
*I told my mom today that my dad better be at the finish line because I think this is the only marathon I will do…too damn time consuming.
*I’m still not smoking..and I miss it every day…I wonder when that will stop?
Happy Thursday!!!
*22 miles, I hate running, I’m dropping the marathon and never doing this again.*
He didn’t even flinch. Skip rocks my world...soo accustomed to my nonsense.
This has been a good week. Tate and I did a 45 minute Tae-bo on Monday followed by a 15 minute Ab Yoga thing from OnDemand on tv…it was HORRIBLE!! My abs are still sore and it’s Thursday!! I will definitely give that another go.
Tuesday I ran after work at the hospital..nice easy paced run and I found a wallet! It must have been buried under a snow bank for a really long time because I couldn’t even salvage one thing from it and also couldn’t figure out whom it belonged to. No money..unreadable i.d.
Yesterday was a rest day and that brings us to today. I knew I had to knock it out fairly early because lil T had a half day and would be home right after noon. So as soon as I put her on the bus I headed out. I got my SPI belt in the mail Tuesday and I loaded it up last night and wore it today….and I have to say…I didn’t love it. It bounced..and I had to dink with the damn thing for 22 freakin miles. Maybe it works if you’re a dude and don’t have hips…or maybe I just have to get used to it…because I’ve never run with anything around my waist before. Ah well…I’ll try it again before I decide. So I had 21 miles on my schedule and ended up with 22. At about mile 15 I checked my watch and realized I was going to really have to shove the shit along if I was going to make it home by the time lil T got off the bus. I got there right behind her as it was and she was PISSED! It was a decent run…recovery wasn’t bad…certainly better then the last two 20’s I’ve done….so it’s working..I’m getting used to it…just like Vincent said…LOL.
So that brings me to roughly two months or 9 weeks left till the marathon. The long runs for the remainder of this training session are as follows.
26.2 miles
15 miles
14 miles *half marathon race instead this week*
26.2 miles
13 miles
You will notice that there are not 9 runs there…only 5. The other weeks include the taper and step back weeks to recover. Another thing is those 26.2 mile runs may not happen. 24 maybe..but I don’t think the 26 is necessary. I know I said I had to know….but pushing myself up over 20 multiple times is going to be sufficient I think. When all is said and done I will have done 5 or 6 runs in the 20 plus mile range…and I think that’s plenty. If I feel like doing the full 26 miles..I will…if I don’t…I won’t.
I just don’t want to be house bound and unable to walk for 2 days after my marathon. I have a life to lead and shit to do.
And my ADD thought for the week are…
*I’m only working a half day tomorrow and I won’t be sorry to see that place in the rearview come 12 o’clock tomorrow.
*Vincent is turning 15 next week…how is that even possible?
*I am running my first virtual 5K this weekend…I’m excited!
*I wish I could run with Lori on long runs…I bet they would suck considerably less.
*I told my mom today that my dad better be at the finish line because I think this is the only marathon I will do…too damn time consuming.
*I’m still not smoking..and I miss it every day…I wonder when that will stop?
Happy Thursday!!!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Updates
I’ve been finding my joy in running all week this week. I feel good and look forward to every run….this doesn’t happen on my monster weeks…but my kick back weeks are so very very pleasant.
This morning I got up before anyone in the house and snuck in 4 snowy miles before heading up to Milwaukee for Dragonboat practice. And tomorrow I have big plans to run 7 miles with Lori…..and I can’t wait.
So here’s my jumbled thoughts on a Saturday night.
Marathon Training- It’s going extremely well. I feel good with the distances that I’ve achieved already and I am feeling no burn out. I’m looking forward to March which starts my third month of training and brings back the speedwork and repeats. I need to look at my plan again and see if I need to do some more tweeking. My big runs for March are a 22 plus miler this Thursday and a 26.2 mile two weeks from this Thursday. I think I would be comfortable if that 26.2 ended up being a 24…but we’ll have to see. This is my first but hopefully not my only run of race distance. I have another right before I start my taper. My taper should be interesting. My kick back weeks are indeed pleasant but I find myself a little crazy on Thursday s when I don’t have hours and hours that I need to run.
Family- They’re holding their own through this training cycle. I’ve stated many times how I strive to keep the impact of MY training on THEM minimal. I figured it out and I take roughly 2.5 hours away from them per week. All the rest of my training is done on my time either before they wake up…or while they’re at school and work. I am extremely proud of this because it was one of my BIG worries before I started training….wondering if I could juggle it all and not ruin their lives over something I had to do.
Me- I’m holding my own as well. I started taking the Synthroid two days ago and feel fine. I felt fine before though. The medicine insert states that it may be a couple weeks before I start feeling better…I wonder what will happen if I never felt bad??? HA! I have also really been trying to clean out my diet. Lean protein and more veggies and fruits then humanly possible. I just finished roasting a huge pan of sweet potatoes, red and green peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and onions to eat through the week. I am also kicking some Popeye ass in spinach consumption. Taking care of me and giving proper fueling a go.
Skip- Always holds his own. They requested him to do a 3 month detail in D.C. I didn’t say much about that but I did ask him if he’d be able to be home for my marathon. I don’t say it…but his support is a big part of me being able to do what I do…and him being at my races is HUGE to me. I could do it without him there…but it means the world to me that he IS there. Anyways…so he tells me that he would be at my marathon if he had to RUN home from D.C. to be there. And he told me how he appreciated all I did to not impact the family with training but that in spite of that…races are a FAMILY event and that they love to see me run. Isn’t that incredible?
Kids- Are good. I’m keeping my yap shut about V running spring track but I’m hoping with all my heart that he does. Lil T is rocking kindergarten and loving her friend Daja. Dom is not doing well in school. Skip and I lowered the boom on his ass this week and told him that if he doesn’t have his shit pulled together by the next report card that we would be looking into pulling him out of his Magnet school and sticking his ass where there is a little more structure. I HATE the thought of doing that but my child that has been a straight A student his entire life is now getting C’s and D’s in his big classes. The school he goes to gives them a lot of responsibility and he’s not handling it with the grace I thought he would. Tons of that stems from him being a social butterfly…but sorry Charlie…studies first..butterflying second.
Barefooting- I am amazed how much I’ve been able to do through this winter. On Thursday this week at the end of my long run I was able to do another half mile. I am pain free when I do this and am SO happy. I am about 10 miles away from having run 100 barefoot miles…how cool is that?
Anyways…I’m off to snuggle that rotten little girl of mine…hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend….and that you are ALL finding your joy in something this week.
This morning I got up before anyone in the house and snuck in 4 snowy miles before heading up to Milwaukee for Dragonboat practice. And tomorrow I have big plans to run 7 miles with Lori…..and I can’t wait.
So here’s my jumbled thoughts on a Saturday night.
Marathon Training- It’s going extremely well. I feel good with the distances that I’ve achieved already and I am feeling no burn out. I’m looking forward to March which starts my third month of training and brings back the speedwork and repeats. I need to look at my plan again and see if I need to do some more tweeking. My big runs for March are a 22 plus miler this Thursday and a 26.2 mile two weeks from this Thursday. I think I would be comfortable if that 26.2 ended up being a 24…but we’ll have to see. This is my first but hopefully not my only run of race distance. I have another right before I start my taper. My taper should be interesting. My kick back weeks are indeed pleasant but I find myself a little crazy on Thursday s when I don’t have hours and hours that I need to run.
Family- They’re holding their own through this training cycle. I’ve stated many times how I strive to keep the impact of MY training on THEM minimal. I figured it out and I take roughly 2.5 hours away from them per week. All the rest of my training is done on my time either before they wake up…or while they’re at school and work. I am extremely proud of this because it was one of my BIG worries before I started training….wondering if I could juggle it all and not ruin their lives over something I had to do.
Me- I’m holding my own as well. I started taking the Synthroid two days ago and feel fine. I felt fine before though. The medicine insert states that it may be a couple weeks before I start feeling better…I wonder what will happen if I never felt bad??? HA! I have also really been trying to clean out my diet. Lean protein and more veggies and fruits then humanly possible. I just finished roasting a huge pan of sweet potatoes, red and green peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and onions to eat through the week. I am also kicking some Popeye ass in spinach consumption. Taking care of me and giving proper fueling a go.
Skip- Always holds his own. They requested him to do a 3 month detail in D.C. I didn’t say much about that but I did ask him if he’d be able to be home for my marathon. I don’t say it…but his support is a big part of me being able to do what I do…and him being at my races is HUGE to me. I could do it without him there…but it means the world to me that he IS there. Anyways…so he tells me that he would be at my marathon if he had to RUN home from D.C. to be there. And he told me how he appreciated all I did to not impact the family with training but that in spite of that…races are a FAMILY event and that they love to see me run. Isn’t that incredible?
Kids- Are good. I’m keeping my yap shut about V running spring track but I’m hoping with all my heart that he does. Lil T is rocking kindergarten and loving her friend Daja. Dom is not doing well in school. Skip and I lowered the boom on his ass this week and told him that if he doesn’t have his shit pulled together by the next report card that we would be looking into pulling him out of his Magnet school and sticking his ass where there is a little more structure. I HATE the thought of doing that but my child that has been a straight A student his entire life is now getting C’s and D’s in his big classes. The school he goes to gives them a lot of responsibility and he’s not handling it with the grace I thought he would. Tons of that stems from him being a social butterfly…but sorry Charlie…studies first..butterflying second.
Barefooting- I am amazed how much I’ve been able to do through this winter. On Thursday this week at the end of my long run I was able to do another half mile. I am pain free when I do this and am SO happy. I am about 10 miles away from having run 100 barefoot miles…how cool is that?
Anyways…I’m off to snuggle that rotten little girl of mine…hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend….and that you are ALL finding your joy in something this week.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
3 Years Post Gastric Bypass, New Drugs and Another Race
So I decided to incorporate a mid week semi long run on my step back weeks…since I have the time on Tuesdays and it won’t take any additional time away from my family. I did 8 miles on Tuesday…and 8 for my long run again today. My pace is picking up…I don’t want to jinx it so that’s all I have to say about that.
In other news…I had my 3 year post gastric bypass appointment with my surgeon today. The long and short of it is I am up 3 pounds from last year…don’t care..I’m in marathon training…I hear this happens. And my thyroid is finally wacked out enough that they want to treat me for hypothyroidism. I’ve always run on the high end of normal…now I’m just high...or low..depending on how you look at it. So he gave me a script for a months worth of Synthroid and told me to have my labs retested in 3.5 weeks and see where we’re at.
I tried to talk him out of it…gave him my whole thing about always being a little high…and he responded with “then don’t you think it’s about time we fix that?”. So I’ll take it and see what happens..I mean..what’s one more damn pill in the big scheme of things? I already take mutli vitamins, calcium, b12, sleeping pills....what’s one more? The funny thing is…I don’t feel bad…I read about all the crazy thyroid bullshit and I’m just not there..unless the hairloss is from that..which I suppose it could be. But I’m not sluggish, tired…my weight is up but not much…blah…whatever.
I also signed up for my next race….The South Shore Half Marathon. It’s a month before my full and I’m using it as a training run to gauge my fitness…not to mention that my long run for that week is 14 miles…how’s that for perfect? I’m also hoping to run at least part of it with Katie!!!!! My virtual training partner for both of our first half marathons last year. I am so completely excited about this I could bust. We’ve never met in person and I can’t WAIT to finally meet her!!!!
That’s it…all I’ve got on a quiet Thursday night. All my children are off school tomorrow so all the cleaning I did today will be shot down the tubes shortly. Have a great week!!
In other news…I had my 3 year post gastric bypass appointment with my surgeon today. The long and short of it is I am up 3 pounds from last year…don’t care..I’m in marathon training…I hear this happens. And my thyroid is finally wacked out enough that they want to treat me for hypothyroidism. I’ve always run on the high end of normal…now I’m just high...or low..depending on how you look at it. So he gave me a script for a months worth of Synthroid and told me to have my labs retested in 3.5 weeks and see where we’re at.
I tried to talk him out of it…gave him my whole thing about always being a little high…and he responded with “then don’t you think it’s about time we fix that?”. So I’ll take it and see what happens..I mean..what’s one more damn pill in the big scheme of things? I already take mutli vitamins, calcium, b12, sleeping pills....what’s one more? The funny thing is…I don’t feel bad…I read about all the crazy thyroid bullshit and I’m just not there..unless the hairloss is from that..which I suppose it could be. But I’m not sluggish, tired…my weight is up but not much…blah…whatever.
That’s it…all I’ve got on a quiet Thursday night. All my children are off school tomorrow so all the cleaning I did today will be shot down the tubes shortly. Have a great week!!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Build It and it WILL Come
I texted Lori last night and asked her when the hell 20 miles wasn’t going to suck so bad..unfortunately…she didn’t really have an answer….just a little commiserating…yeah it sucks kinda thing. Oh well. I keep thinking its going to get easier and I know it will…and I’m half sorry I didn’t top off with the 20 one time like so many plans and be done with it…because then I’d have never really known till race day how much harder that last 6 was going to be!
This run was not awesome for a number of reasons. For starters…I wasn’t planning on doing the whole 20 when I left…actually it was supposed to be 22…but that’s not really the point anymore. You see…the kids ended up not having school yesterday due to the grownup temper tantrum that the Unified employees are having….so I was going to cut the run down to 15 miles so I could get back to them. And since the run was only going to be the 15 miles…I started and continued to run faster then I would have if I had planned on the whole 20. The decision to tack another 5 on the end came around mile 12 when I was near my friend Dawns and I knew I could get more food and a bathroom break. This run was also not awesome because it ended on the path near my house…and due to the fact that we had a HUGE melting session this week…a big ass section was underwater…and there was no getting around it…there was only going through in my brand new shoes…duh. And again…much like last time…the only part of me that felt bad was below the knees. And as I sat in an ice bath afterword…..nursing my protein coffee and wondering aloud how the hell I was ever going to run 26.2 when the 20 was kicking my ass……my almost 15 year old put it all in perspective by saying ‘you just have to get used to it Mama’. Leave it to my child to remind me to have patience…endure...struggle though. Build it and it will come. And it reminded me…of how bad 13 used to feel while training for my half…and how now…13 is a sweet spot…a regular walk in the park. The thought of 13 miles doesn’t scare me…or hurt me to do…it doesn’t even bother me anymore. So I just have to focus…keep my eye on the prize…and keep doing that 20 till it doesn’t scare me..or hurt me to do....or even bother me anymore. If I can make that happen with other miles…I can do that with 20. I just hope I can do it in enough time to make that 20 into 22 or 24 before having to knock out that 26.2 on race day.
And next week…ahhh next week…is a stepback week…with my long run only 8 miles. Today I had a cross training date with Billy Blanks that I was able to do before the kids got home. An easy..or as easy as any of his workouts are…45 minute session with a 10 minute stretch on the end…felt incredible. I’m still sore today but not horribly so. Tomorrow is 3 to 5 easy followed by 6 or so on Sunday. Depending on how I feel I may flip flop those.
So that’s my week in a nutshell. Skip and Dom are at Skips bowling league…yeah..I’m married to that dude. V is over at his friends house to be picked by grandma in the morning because I gave him away for slave labor for the weekend. And me? I have no real plans outside of running..which sounds just about perfect.
This run was not awesome for a number of reasons. For starters…I wasn’t planning on doing the whole 20 when I left…actually it was supposed to be 22…but that’s not really the point anymore. You see…the kids ended up not having school yesterday due to the grownup temper tantrum that the Unified employees are having….so I was going to cut the run down to 15 miles so I could get back to them. And since the run was only going to be the 15 miles…I started and continued to run faster then I would have if I had planned on the whole 20. The decision to tack another 5 on the end came around mile 12 when I was near my friend Dawns and I knew I could get more food and a bathroom break. This run was also not awesome because it ended on the path near my house…and due to the fact that we had a HUGE melting session this week…a big ass section was underwater…and there was no getting around it…there was only going through in my brand new shoes…duh. And again…much like last time…the only part of me that felt bad was below the knees. And as I sat in an ice bath afterword…..nursing my protein coffee and wondering aloud how the hell I was ever going to run 26.2 when the 20 was kicking my ass……my almost 15 year old put it all in perspective by saying ‘you just have to get used to it Mama’. Leave it to my child to remind me to have patience…endure...struggle though. Build it and it will come. And it reminded me…of how bad 13 used to feel while training for my half…and how now…13 is a sweet spot…a regular walk in the park. The thought of 13 miles doesn’t scare me…or hurt me to do…it doesn’t even bother me anymore. So I just have to focus…keep my eye on the prize…and keep doing that 20 till it doesn’t scare me..or hurt me to do....or even bother me anymore. If I can make that happen with other miles…I can do that with 20. I just hope I can do it in enough time to make that 20 into 22 or 24 before having to knock out that 26.2 on race day.
And next week…ahhh next week…is a stepback week…with my long run only 8 miles. Today I had a cross training date with Billy Blanks that I was able to do before the kids got home. An easy..or as easy as any of his workouts are…45 minute session with a 10 minute stretch on the end…felt incredible. I’m still sore today but not horribly so. Tomorrow is 3 to 5 easy followed by 6 or so on Sunday. Depending on how I feel I may flip flop those.
So that’s my week in a nutshell. Skip and Dom are at Skips bowling league…yeah..I’m married to that dude. V is over at his friends house to be picked by grandma in the morning because I gave him away for slave labor for the weekend. And me? I have no real plans outside of running..which sounds just about perfect.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Making 20 my new 16
My second 20 mile run took place this morning. It was supposed to happen on Thursday but for the first time like ever..I bailed due to bad weather. I took lil T to the bus stop that morning…and after about 8 minutes outside was so frozen I said screw it to the 20 I had planned. Instead I subjected myself to a 1.5 hour long weighted Tae Bo session….the 20 would have been easier.
So this morning promised to be in the mid 20’s heading up towards 30 by the time I was to be done. I geared up and headed out the earliest I’ve been out in a long while. Something happens to me when I long run that just doesn’t when I’m just going out for 5 or 6 miles…it’s a different mindset. I have time to take in my surroundings…pay attentions to sights and smells like the Kerry Seasoning plant I smelled for miles and miles today..smelled just like pickles. Anything to keep your mind off the fact that you’re doing something that humans really weren’t designed to do. I fueled perfectly for a change…Hammer Espresso gels on the 5’s and Margarita shot bloks on the 2.5’s. And honestly the only thing that felt bad was my lower legs the last 4 miles or so. I wasn’t tired…my legs were just sore. But I remember how 16 miles used to sound so flippin huge to me…and I couldn’t get my head around it..well that number is now 20 miles….and hitting 16 isn’t that big a deal any more. What I am hopping will happen is that eventually…20 won’t be that big a deal…and after that…22 won’t be a big deal…and so on and so forth. You see…I just don’t like to leave much to chance. I want to know that 26.2 well before race day…because honestly..right this second..I could never have made it another 6.2 miles…no freakin way. Two miles I could let myself get away with….because I can do anything for 2 miles….but 6.2….no…I don’t think so.
So I’m supposed to do 22 miles this coming Thursday but am thinking about bumping that to next weekend to give myself a full week between long runs. After that my last long run of February is a mere 8 miles..I so look forward to those step back weeks.
That brings us to March…can you believe it? March is my first month that I do full race distance. I have two step back weeks this month..one the week before my 26.2…and one the week after. This is also the month that I reintroduce speedwork into my plan. I will probably do this on the weekends because I don’t want to do it too close to my long runs. April will follow pretty much the same routine that March has with another full race distance and speedwork….and I start my taper the last week of April. That brings us to May….and my marathon which falls on the first Saturday of May. I am actually looking forward to March and April because it means less crazy long runs and switching to speedwork..which oddly enough I have missed.
Anyways..I think I need a nap. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
So this morning promised to be in the mid 20’s heading up towards 30 by the time I was to be done. I geared up and headed out the earliest I’ve been out in a long while. Something happens to me when I long run that just doesn’t when I’m just going out for 5 or 6 miles…it’s a different mindset. I have time to take in my surroundings…pay attentions to sights and smells like the Kerry Seasoning plant I smelled for miles and miles today..smelled just like pickles. Anything to keep your mind off the fact that you’re doing something that humans really weren’t designed to do. I fueled perfectly for a change…Hammer Espresso gels on the 5’s and Margarita shot bloks on the 2.5’s. And honestly the only thing that felt bad was my lower legs the last 4 miles or so. I wasn’t tired…my legs were just sore. But I remember how 16 miles used to sound so flippin huge to me…and I couldn’t get my head around it..well that number is now 20 miles….and hitting 16 isn’t that big a deal any more. What I am hopping will happen is that eventually…20 won’t be that big a deal…and after that…22 won’t be a big deal…and so on and so forth. You see…I just don’t like to leave much to chance. I want to know that 26.2 well before race day…because honestly..right this second..I could never have made it another 6.2 miles…no freakin way. Two miles I could let myself get away with….because I can do anything for 2 miles….but 6.2….no…I don’t think so.
So I’m supposed to do 22 miles this coming Thursday but am thinking about bumping that to next weekend to give myself a full week between long runs. After that my last long run of February is a mere 8 miles..I so look forward to those step back weeks.
That brings us to March…can you believe it? March is my first month that I do full race distance. I have two step back weeks this month..one the week before my 26.2…and one the week after. This is also the month that I reintroduce speedwork into my plan. I will probably do this on the weekends because I don’t want to do it too close to my long runs. April will follow pretty much the same routine that March has with another full race distance and speedwork….and I start my taper the last week of April. That brings us to May….and my marathon which falls on the first Saturday of May. I am actually looking forward to March and April because it means less crazy long runs and switching to speedwork..which oddly enough I have missed.
Anyways..I think I need a nap. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
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