Thursday July 24, 2008

July 24, 2008 By 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: , , , , , ,

Sense-sations: Why I Run Outside

July 23, 2008 By 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: , , , , ,

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

July 22, 2008 By 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: , , , , , , ,

Swimming: The Good, The Bad and the Snotty

July 22, 2008 By 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: , , , , , , , , ,

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

July 20, 2008 By 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: , , , ,

Floating on Air-This Run Rocked

July 19, 2008 By 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: , , , , , , , ,

Taking a Day Off from the Cardio

July 18, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I was going to do some cardio this morning, but my husband and I decided to have a few glasses of wine and sleep in instead!

It’s always nice when that happens, though I do feel a wee bit of guilt for not getting up! However, I know that running and biking today would be too much. I can feel my knee a little. I think it is the flip flop obsession I have developed. Today I”m off to the store to find some regular sandals with some cushion. I think the flip flops are wrecking my knee (I’m going to post about that separately later).

Today I’ll do abs and arms as the girls nap and have quiet time. That will mean 5 days of cardio this week. I think that’s good. I don’ t want to get to the point I was last time and burn out. I have a tendency to really focus on cardio sometimes, I love that ‘feel’ when it is over, but then I get really tired after a few weeks. I think that has been happening lately.

I’m going to try to get to the gym to do my swim on Sunday. Husband has to go into work, but if I can get there right when it opens I can get back in time. That means my nine miler tomorrow, and then I will do a ten minute bike and a thirty minute swim on Sunday.

Hope everyone has a great running weekend! I’m ready for my nine tomorrow! I can’t wait to get back up to 13 miles. That was my favorite a while back, when I was steadily running 13.

Filed Under: Biking/Cycling, July 2008, Long Distance Running, Reflections on Running, Swimming, Training for a Marathon, Triathlon Training Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Tri, Tri Again!

July 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Today I was supposed to get up at 5, head to the gym, do ten to twenty on the bike, twenty on the treadmill and then twenty in the pool.

However, life got in the way.

Last night my youngest woke up several times and had difficulty even getting to sleep in the first place.

My oldest woke up at 3 and, for some reason, could not go back to sleep. I ended up sleeping with her for a while.

When I woke at 5:10 I thought ok, I’ll give myself five more minutes of rest time. I woke up at 5:40.

Instead I went for a run. I did 2 1/2 and then did some sprinting. Unbelievably, this was the best run of the week! No sleep, tired, a little bit of knee pain . . . and it was the best one I had. I could have done four miles but that knee is scaring me. I don’t want to blow it and not make it to Long Beach this October.

So, tomorrow is another day. My plan now: Head to the gym for a short bike and swim. No running since Saturday is my nine miles. I’m worried what the bike may do to the knee. I hope it stays strong through this. I may have to look up some knee strengthening exercises.

If I don’t do the gym tomorrow, I’ll work on arms and abs and take it easy with the cardio. Maybe that’s what I need: A day off of cardio, since I have been so tired.

Well, the kids are up from nap and it is time to go do something.

Hopefully tomorrow morning will be better for the work out!

Filed Under: Biking/Cycling, July 2008, Long Distance Running, Racing, Swimming, Training for a Marathon, Triathlon Training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Running Through the Fog

July 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I don’t know what is going on with me this week! I can’t seem to get out of this ‘fog’ that I am in when it comes to my running.

I thought maybe I was just having an off day on Monday, but today was the same. I started off feeling heavy and as though my breath wasn’t together-like I couldn’t get it together. I stopped at 1.6 miles and shook it off, I hoped, but still had difficulty finishing up the 3.3 miles.

After that I did my sprints and, guess what, had no issues running fast and short. I got into the 6 minute mile range. That wasn’t hard. The regular run was.

If I’m going to get to the Long Beach Marathon in October, which is just a few months away, I have to fix this fog! I hope it is just an off week.

So tomorrow I begin my tri training in full swing. I will do the bike for ten, running for twenty and swimming for I hope thirty.

There is also a class at the gym that focuses on ab work. I’d like to do this, but am not sure how to fit it into my schedule. They do have a Friday class, but my youngest daughter isn’t real keen on other people watching her. I’m afraid she will scream the entire time she is in daycare! But we will see.

Happy Running!

Filed Under: July 2008, Long Distance Running, Racing, Swimming, Training for a Marathon, Triathlon Training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Swim, swim, swim!

July 15, 2008 By 4 Comments

Today I got up and went to the gym to begin my new swim routine.

I picked up a great new bathing suit at TJ Maxx the other day. A Nike for just $20! It worked perfectly. I did half an hour.

I forgot how much I love to swim, and can you believe it is a great calorie burner? Not only that but after the brutality of running on my ankles, legs and feet, swimming is just, well, easy! It’s like running in that I feel I’m on another world, alone in the water, no other sounds. I like that.

Found this fun calculator to use to see how many calories you’re burning while doing a variety of exercises.

For me, at 135 pounds, it says that half an hour of swimming can burn over 200 calories! I’m not sure how accurate it is though. It says 10mph runs will burn almost 600 calories; in my experience, and according to my forerunner, it would be closer to 300.
http://www.self.com/fitness/activity/calculators/running/result?weightPounds=135&duration=30&activity=&met=16.0&submit.x=83&submit.y=20&submit=submit seems a little closer to the calories burned.

Tomorrow I’ll do a four mile run and then abs and arms, and then on Thursday I’ll begin my triathlon combo! I’m excited about this routine. I’m going to start off with a 10 minute bike, 20 minute (or two miles, so a bit less) all out run on the treadmill and then a 20 minute to half hour run. Eventually before the race I’ll hope to get close to what I’ll be doing for that tri, which is a half mile swim, 14 mile bike and 4 mile run.

I’m a little nervous about the swim portion of the tri. I’m a strong swimmer, I think. Not fast, but strong. Yet I’m worried about all of the other people around me. How does it work that you don’t choke on the water or get kicked in the face!?

Ah, but I guess once you are there you figure it all out!

Happy Workouts Today!

Filed Under: July 2008, Long Distance Running, Racing, Swimming, Training for a Marathon, Triathlon Training Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »