2008 July

Thursday July 24, 2008

July 24, 2008 By Kathy 1 Comment

Today I started my Thursdays of incorporating bike, run and swim. It went well! I did the bike first, then the run, then the swim. I can’t d them in order and have enough time, since I’d have to shower after the swim if I want to go up and get on the bike. Or come home and get on the bike. I don’t have time for that. As it is, I got in around 6:30 and the first of my two got up at 7 on the nose. So, enough time to walk in the door, drop my stuff, and have a quick cup of coffee!

Today I did:

bike: 3 miles/10 minutes
run: 2 miles, 19 minutes (about a 9:30 pace)
swim: 20 laps, or 500 meters, in a little over 20 minutes

The pool is 25 meters long so I have to figure out how quickly I am going now.

The RPM on the bike was about 100, or 70 something when I was making the resistance harder. I have to figure out how that calculates to MPH.

I hate biking inside. I’ll write a separate post about that, but just wanted to put that out there. HATE IT! I don’t understand the idea of working at a gym anyway, unless the weather is bad. I guess if you do the weights and so forth it makes sense, but for me, I”d rather run outside.

Gotta go get the little one out of bed. She sounds so pitiful in there calling, “Mommy, mommy!”

Filed Under: July 2008, Racing, Training for a Marathon, Training Journal July 2008, Triathlon Training Tagged With: Biking/Cycling, cycling, Long Distance Running, running, Swimming, training for a triathlon with two kids, Triathlon Training

Wednesday July 23 2008

July 23, 2008 By Kathy 1 Comment

Today I did a 4.3 mile run. Calories burned according to my forerunner:

It was a fantastic run. Again. I’m psyched, because I felt so burned out last week. I’m not sure what is going on though. I’ve been really tired lately. I’m wondering if i have increased my workouts but not my calories enough so I think from now on I will start keeping track not only of the calories expended but the calories taken in as well to make sure I’m getting enough. Maybe that’s why I’m tired.

Or it could be because I have two young children, I work from home, and I don’t sleep enough!

Anyway, I had no issues increasing mileage today to 4, even going a little bit over at the end since I had gone out too far. I did abs and arms this morning.

Food Journal:
I have not been keeping close tabs today; I know I will forget to do this. But, here goes anyway.

breakfast: bowl of oatmeal, mango, half a bagel, 2 cups coffee with milk

lunch: salad with one hard boiled egg, two slices turkey meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, cuke, o and v dressing, handful of nuts

snack: crackers (where was my protein???) , cup of coffee w/milk (I know, I know!)

dinner: one and a half chicken tortillas w/salsa and sour cream (reduced fat), side of rice and beans, carrots – oh and a green pepper from our garden, delicious!!

drinks for the day: water plus 3 cups of coffee

dessert: yogurt

Filed Under: Training Journal July 2008 Tagged With: abs, arms, increase mileage runs, running

Tuesday July 22 2008

July 23, 2008 By Kathy Leave a Comment

Today I went to the gym and did ten minutes on the bike and half an hour in the pool.

I’m using a calculator here to determine calories burned.

Swim: 246

Bike: 82

The biking went well. I hate using indoor gym equipment. Couldn’t figured out how to get the miles per hour to show, opr how to just go at the pace I wanted to go without hitting a level on the bike. I’ll have to try the other type of bike next time.

Swim was great. I need to count laps so I can see how far I am going. I have no idea! And I don’t think I’m going very fast either, but I still just love swimming. It is so easy on my body! And I love the solitude of it all. I can really think about things when I’m in the pool.

Filed Under: Training Journal July 2008 Tagged With: Biking/Cycling, cycling, Swimming

Monday July 21

July 23, 2008 By Kathy Leave a Comment

So I’m going to backtrack here to start off these posts in the right order.

Today I ran 3 miles and worked on abs and arms.

Running calculator says I burned ____ calories.

The run was a strong one. I was surprised since last week was so tough for me. I could have gone on and done some extra but since I’m going to increase mileage on Wed. of this week I decided against it. Great run!

Filed Under: Training Journal July 2008 Tagged With: exercise calculator, training run journal

Sense-sations: Why I Run Outside

July 23, 2008 By Kathy 2 Comments

This morning I:

Smelled-
1) Someone’s shampoo as they showered (no, I was not standing beneath their bathroom window playing peeping Tom, just running by!)
2) A walker’s shirt’s detergent as he sauntered by at high speed
3) Coffee. Oh. My. Gosh. Let me just say this: When I smell coffee on a run my stomach dances in circles. It anticipates finishing up the workout, turning on the pot, and sucking down that java juice. Can you say a-dict-ted?

Saw-
1) A car wrapped in Saran Wrap. Yes, saran wrap. Strange, very strange indeed.
2) An early morning fitness group meeting at the park. The trainer swept while the clients did some ab work.
3) Trash. This kills me. Don’t people understand it doesn’t get up and walk away when they toss it on the ground?

Tasted-
1) Salt from my sweat. I love this taste. That means I’m working. Hard.
2) Bugs. A few flew into my mouth twice. I ate them. What the hell-lots of protein, little calories right? (Only kidding, but I’m sure I did swallow a bug brain or two!)

Heard-
1) My music. I knew it might be a tough run. I don’t usually travel with tunes unless I’m doing a long run-over 6 or 7 miles or so-but this morning for my four mile run I decided to take the tunes along and it was great.
2) Car tires against the street
3) People waking for the morning. One man talking. A person’s alarm clock going off

Felt-
1) Good
2) Strong
3) Alive

That’s why I run.

Filed Under: July 2008, Long Distance Running, Racing, Reflections on Running, Training for a Marathon Tagged With: Long Distance Running, running outdoors, running outside, training for a race, why I run, why I run outside

Mama Bought a New Pair of Shoes: Far From Sexy, But Knees Feel Great

July 22, 2008 By Kathy Leave a Comment

I posted earlier about needing a new pair of shoes, something that was not a flip flop. After months of knee pain, I realized that part of what was going on was my stride in the flip flop, which was tightening my leg muscle (back) and causing the side of my knee to hurt. It wouldn’t happen after a 9 miler; it would happen after I had been walking around in flops all day.

Anyway, I stopped at the mall on Saturday. That was a day! A 9 mile run, then I took my daughter to ice skating class (try doing that after 15 years of not skating AND sticking your foot in a skate when your feet are swollen from a run!). I picked up a pair of Skecher’s. They are similar to this pair and I love them! They’re like sneakers, with laces, only cuter, and brown, with a lace pattern on the side.

I wore them for the past three days and guess what? No knee pain! Are you kidding me? This is all it would have taken over the past few months?

I told my husband I really liked them, even though they weren’t the sexiest shoes I owned. “You’re right,” he said, nodding about the sexy part.

Hey, I’m a runner. What do I want more: To look good or to be able to do that Long Beach Marathon in October? I’ll take both, of course. I want to look good; it’s not that I don’t. However, I’d much prefer my knees to stay in shape. Sorry sweetheart.

Anyway, if you are having knee pain, or foot or heel pain, and you frequently wear flip flops, I’d suggest checking out something else for a while to see if it puts an end to that pain.

My only issue: These won’t look good with the dresses I own, so until the end of summer I definitely need to find a cute pair of sandals.

Filed Under: July 2008, Long Distance Running, Training for a Marathon, Uncategorized Tagged With: flip flops hurting knees, knee pain, long beach marathon, Long Distance Running, marathon, running and knee pain, shoes that are comfortable, skechers

Swimming: The Good, The Bad and the Snotty

July 22, 2008 By Kathy 2 Comments

So I spent the first ten minutes of my official start of tri training biking, which I will write about later.

Then I did my swim.

I’ve been swimming for a year or so now. That’s why I originally joined the gym. I really love swimming. I love the solitude of it all. It is so quiet in the water, and it really gives me time to think, reflect, consider, imagine, dream.

I love the way that my body feels weightless, and every ache and pain that I have from running, biking or just living goes away. I have done something to a muscle in my back, and it hurts now as I type. In the water I didn’t feel it at all, even though I was using my arms to swim.

I love swimming. I have no idea how fast I go, though I know from the way the other guy was passing me I don’t go very fast at all. This is the down side. I guess I could figure out how long the pool is-aren’t they all about the same, if they are Olympic sized?-and then how far I go in the half hour , how many laps, but for now I just swim.

The only down side I find is the snot. The water seems to work as a snot softener, creating lots of it, which ends up, well, in the pool. No, let me say, first it ends up on my face, and then in the pool.

Now, shudder as you may, this is definitely a gross thing. But my snot, and my kids’ snot, well, I can deal with that.

It’s when I see floaters that don’t belong to me that I shudder.

At this time, the snot issue is the only thing I really don’t like about swimming. I try to remember that’s what chemicals are for.

The morning routine went well. I did the ten minute bike, but the damn thing was stuck on RPM, not MPH, which I wanted. I am going to wear my forerunner next time to figure out how fast I am going. Thursday I will do a ten minute bike, ten minute all out run and probably twenty in the pool. My plan is to increase that.

I don’t want to increase too far, too fast though. Since the marathon is first, I really need to focus on staying injury free through October. But, I figure if I build up just a tiny bit over time it will all work out. I only need to do a 5K in this tri. The running will be my strong point as long as my legs don’t go too wobbly from the bike.

Day one of tri training has officially begun and I feel good. I can do this! It’s all in my head anyway, right?!

Filed Under: Biking/Cycling, July 2008, Long Distance Running, Racing, Swimming, Training for a Marathon, Triathlon Training Tagged With: Biking/Cycling, cycling, distance swimming, Long Distance Running, marathon, speed swimming, Swimming, tri, triathlon, Triathlon Training

Becoming a Physical Fitness Trainer

July 21, 2008 By Kathy 5 Comments

So I’ve been battling with the idea of becoming a fitness trainer.

I have a plan in mind, a long term goal that I’d like to reach. Mainly it deals with working with parents and their children to develop a healthy lifestyle and exercise routine. So, the focus, I guess, is the family.

My reasons for not following my plan are really, maybe, rather stupid: my age.

I’m almost 40.

I’m in good shape, I have owned a business (and still do) so I know how this all works. I don’t have any fears of studying for or passing the exam.

I’m stuck on my age.

I keep asking myself this question: Are there people out there who would be interested in having a 40 year old and older woman as a personal trainer?

Isn’t this a job for the younger group? At 40, shouldn’t I be more focused on doing something behind the scenes?

Then I know the truth: If I were to go to a trainer I’d want someone who resembled my own type as closely as possible. Someone who had kids and knew the problems associated with pregnancy and working out, post-pregnancy bodies, losing weight after having kids, and fitting in exercise when you are so busy you can barely sleep, much less jog.

So, I’ve come here with this dilemma and am asking this of you: Would you hire a personal trainer, or attend a class run by a personal trainer, who was a 40 year old or older woman?

Or would you think, Dang, she’s old! I want someone young and fit!

My future career is hanging on your words of wisdom. Not to pressure you or anything (wink wink-just a joke!)

Filed Under: Reflections on Running Tagged With: becoming a personal trainer, hiring a personal trainer, personal trainer, personal training

Flip Flops Be Gone: Shedding the Flops, for My Knees’ Sake

July 20, 2008 By Kathy 2 Comments

I live in Southern California and I wear flip flops.

Sounds like the beginning of a Shoe Aholic Meeting, yeah? Believe me, if you live in So Cal, you own your share of flops, and you purchase them in every color at the beginning of summer since your feet don’t see another type of shoe for months on end.

In fact, in my parts it is common to wear them year around.

But my love of flip flops has come to an end. Now that my knee has begun to hurt, I believe one of the primary reasons could be my love for these sandal-like shoes.

I’ve worn them completely, totally and absolutely for the past several years. Unless I have on my running shoes, my feet are adorned in flip flops.

No sandals. No slip ons. Very rarely a pair of ballet flats. Flip flops it is.

This study shows, though, that the stride you take when wearing a pair of flip flops can harm your ankles, soles and feet. I believe, too, it has hurt my knee. I can feel it when I’m walking in one particular pair of my favorites, a brown Old Navy. They are simple yet cute and they get me everywhere.

Rather, they did.

Today I’m taking my daughter to the store and we are searching for a pair of good, comfy, probably potentially very dorky looking cushioned sandals. I have to save my knees. I have a marathon to run.

Bye bye, flip flops. It was fun while it lasted.

Filed Under: Equipment, Health and Running, July 2008, Long Distance Running, Reflections on Running, Running Gear, Training for a Marathon Tagged With: comfortable shoes for runners, flip flops bad for the feet, flip flops cause problems, Running Gear, shoes that are bad for runners

Floating on Air-This Run Rocked

July 19, 2008 By Kathy Leave a Comment

Don’t you love it when you have one of those runs?

I knew it would be good the moment I woke up this morning.

The minute I put on my shoes.

The second my foot hit the pavement.

I knew.

I did nine miles. I could have done another one, but I held back. Still worried about that knee. It did hurt a bit when running, but in an odd way. Almost as though it begins in the bottom of my foot and radiates up to the knee, on the side of my knee.

It better hold off for Long Beach!

Last night I got out my marathon book. I have 12 weeks until the race, but I’m on week 11 of training, so a week behind.

If all goes well, I figure I can increase my mileage by half a mile more a few times and still be on target for that run.

Today, according to the book, I should have done 10. I did 9.

I think the key to my good running this morning was resting a lot last night. I went to bed at 8:30, fell asleep at 9:30. But before that, even, I just rested.

So , here is to Long Beach. I’m going to go ahead and pay for the race tomorrow. Once I get a hundred bucks in I won’t back out! I don’t care if I have to hobble to the finish line!

Filed Under: July 2008, Long Distance Running, Reflections on Running, Training for a Marathon Tagged With: adding distance runs, adding miles to runs, great long distance run, long beach marathon, Long Distance Running, nine mile run, sleeping well before a marathon, training and sleep, Training for a Marathon