Today I was to do a 10K fartlek. I woke up feeling decent, health-wise. I still have a touch of a cough but the sore throat is gone and the fatigue is slight. The weather has been terrific this week - lovely spring weather that we hardly ever get here in Utah (usually it's either snowing or raining and cold in the spring!). This morning as I went to the track it was 46F (8C) with a good breeze, though not enough wind to slow me down on the track.
I was glad that I got to do this workout today, and that I felt good enough to attempt it. I knew it would be slow, and while that part was a little disheartening, I know I'm faster than I was last spring, and that once I am fully recovered and training again for a few weeks I will be faster again. It's hard to take steps backward in fitness, though.
After a brief (1200m - running late again...sigh...) warm-up with strides and some dynamic stretching, I got started. The first km was a bit slow in 5:35, and I knew then that it really would be a slower day. During the workout my legs did get pretty tired (and they were really wasted after about 8 km), but I didn't feel like death warmed over, and felt strong enough to push a little. My fast 500s were 2:50-2:55, with one 2:56, and my medium 500s were 2:59-3:10 - pretty slow. Total time was 59:38, with average HR of 161, so it's not like I was taking it easy. I guess I should just be happy that I was able to be out there and get it done. Hopefully I still have time to improve my fitness significantly before the 15K in May.
Garmin connect data here.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
feeling a bit better: 8K
I felt terrible yesterday. I woke up and fully intended to do my assigned 15K. I made it to 3.25K before realizing that it was just not going to happen. I just did not feel good at all. I quit racewalking and walked about 1K back home, and decided that I really didn't feel good enough to work a full day either. I debated calling in sick, but remembered that I had some fish that I had to finish genotyping because they'd been off the system for too long. Grrrrr. So I went in and did a few things, then left and took the kids to school, and went back to finish up.
I also called the doctor for an appointment to get a throat culture, since I've had a sore throat for so long. The throat culture was negative, so I left with Rx for rest. Bummer. I did rest for a good bit yesterday and I think it did help.
Garmin connect data for 4K yesterday
Today I felt pretty tired when my alarm went off, so I ignored it and the 10K that I was supposed to do. I went to work a bit early, right after dropping the kids off at school, and I brought my racewalking gear so that I could walk if I felt better later in the day. Turns out that after being at work a few hours, I perked up and felt like walking. I only had about 50 minutes to walk, but that was better than nothing.
My Garmin couldn't find the satellites right away (probably due to the tall buildings) and so I walked a while before it kicked in, adding probably 0.4-0.5km to my walking distance. I am not 100% sure of the total time, for the same reason, but it was a good walk today. Most of my 500s were 3:00-3:06, with the exception of one in the middle and the last two, which had uphills (and the first 500, during which the Garmin wasn't tracking yet). My average for the 500s where the Garmin was tracking, not including the last two (uphills) was 3:04.6, or about 6:09/km, so that is pretty good. I'm happy with that, and I know it wasn't 10K like I was supposed to do (with the 5' fast segments), but it was what I could do today given the circumstances.
Tomorrow I think I will be able to do the 10K fartlek that I've been assigned :) I hope :). I might be really slow, but hopefully I can do it.
Garmin connect data here for 8K today
I also called the doctor for an appointment to get a throat culture, since I've had a sore throat for so long. The throat culture was negative, so I left with Rx for rest. Bummer. I did rest for a good bit yesterday and I think it did help.
Garmin connect data for 4K yesterday
Today I felt pretty tired when my alarm went off, so I ignored it and the 10K that I was supposed to do. I went to work a bit early, right after dropping the kids off at school, and I brought my racewalking gear so that I could walk if I felt better later in the day. Turns out that after being at work a few hours, I perked up and felt like walking. I only had about 50 minutes to walk, but that was better than nothing.
My Garmin couldn't find the satellites right away (probably due to the tall buildings) and so I walked a while before it kicked in, adding probably 0.4-0.5km to my walking distance. I am not 100% sure of the total time, for the same reason, but it was a good walk today. Most of my 500s were 3:00-3:06, with the exception of one in the middle and the last two, which had uphills (and the first 500, during which the Garmin wasn't tracking yet). My average for the 500s where the Garmin was tracking, not including the last two (uphills) was 3:04.6, or about 6:09/km, so that is pretty good. I'm happy with that, and I know it wasn't 10K like I was supposed to do (with the 5' fast segments), but it was what I could do today given the circumstances.
Tomorrow I think I will be able to do the 10K fartlek that I've been assigned :) I hope :). I might be really slow, but hopefully I can do it.
Garmin connect data here for 8K today
Monday, March 12, 2012
3x2K
Yesterday was a rest day. I didn't feel well at all (sore throat, fatigue) so I was glad for it and spent most of the day doing as little as possible, including a 2 hr nap. That didn't help me adjust to daylight savings time.
This morning I was supposed to do 3x2k/3x1k with 2' rest. I wasn't sure how it would go since I'd felt bad yesterday, but when I woke up I felt OK so I figured I'd give it a try. However, I woke up late because of daylight savings, etc., and all I had time to do was 3x2k. I decided that was better than nothing. I did a short warm up of 1200m w/strides; the weather was really nice - it was 42F (6C) and breezy but clear. So warm for a March morning!
The workout went better than I thought it might, given how I felt yesterday. I did 11:33.1, 11:29.3, and 11:27.8 for the 2Ks. I didn't feel great doing them, but each one was a little faster, and when I finished I was a bit disappointed I didn't have time for the 1Ks, because I felt that I could have finished the workout had I had more time. But maybe it's better that I didn't do it, as I'm still not feeling 100%.
Garmin connect data here.
***
I have to confess I felt really unmotivated this morning and wondered why I cared about doing the workout. I'm still glad I got out there and did it. While I was warming up I thought about things, and I know at least part of the problem is that my eating habits have been terribly out of whack lately and I've gained about 4lb (2kg) since the 50K. Add in being sick twice in February, my grandma dying, my dad being in the hospital, and the usual over-busyness of my life, and I'm a bit overwhelmed with it all. The place to start is with the one thing that I can control - the desserts. Time to cut back. It will make me feel better, and that is important right now.
This morning I was supposed to do 3x2k/3x1k with 2' rest. I wasn't sure how it would go since I'd felt bad yesterday, but when I woke up I felt OK so I figured I'd give it a try. However, I woke up late because of daylight savings, etc., and all I had time to do was 3x2k. I decided that was better than nothing. I did a short warm up of 1200m w/strides; the weather was really nice - it was 42F (6C) and breezy but clear. So warm for a March morning!
The workout went better than I thought it might, given how I felt yesterday. I did 11:33.1, 11:29.3, and 11:27.8 for the 2Ks. I didn't feel great doing them, but each one was a little faster, and when I finished I was a bit disappointed I didn't have time for the 1Ks, because I felt that I could have finished the workout had I had more time. But maybe it's better that I didn't do it, as I'm still not feeling 100%.
Garmin connect data here.
***
I have to confess I felt really unmotivated this morning and wondered why I cared about doing the workout. I'm still glad I got out there and did it. While I was warming up I thought about things, and I know at least part of the problem is that my eating habits have been terribly out of whack lately and I've gained about 4lb (2kg) since the 50K. Add in being sick twice in February, my grandma dying, my dad being in the hospital, and the usual over-busyness of my life, and I'm a bit overwhelmed with it all. The place to start is with the one thing that I can control - the desserts. Time to cut back. It will make me feel better, and that is important right now.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
10K
I actually felt good today on my walk! Yay! I'm still coughing a little bit, but mostly I feel decent. I did hack and cough some on the walk this morning, but it wasn't too bad.
The weather was pretty decent; 28F (-2C) and clear and calm. We're going into a warming trend this week and will maybe have some nice spring weather! We had a very mild winter and for that I'm thankful. Hopefully spring will be mild as well.
I started off pretty quickly, feeling good, and made it to 5K in about 30:30. The first 5K is a slight downhill and the 2nd a slight uphill, and so I was pleased to do the 2nd 5K in 31:07 for a total of 1:01:37 for the 10K. My average HR was in the upper 140s but I'm not sure what it was because my HR monitor went a bit nuts at the end of the walk. This HR monitor isn't as good as my previous one that came with the Forerunner 305; it's more comfortable to wear but it has issues if you don't rinse out the chest strap frequently, and even then it still sometimes doesn't work so well.
Garmin connect data here.
The weather was pretty decent; 28F (-2C) and clear and calm. We're going into a warming trend this week and will maybe have some nice spring weather! We had a very mild winter and for that I'm thankful. Hopefully spring will be mild as well.
I started off pretty quickly, feeling good, and made it to 5K in about 30:30. The first 5K is a slight downhill and the 2nd a slight uphill, and so I was pleased to do the 2nd 5K in 31:07 for a total of 1:01:37 for the 10K. My average HR was in the upper 140s but I'm not sure what it was because my HR monitor went a bit nuts at the end of the walk. This HR monitor isn't as good as my previous one that came with the Forerunner 305; it's more comfortable to wear but it has issues if you don't rinse out the chest strap frequently, and even then it still sometimes doesn't work so well.
Garmin connect data here.
Friday, March 09, 2012
cross-training
I am feeling better yet. I am close to feeling 100% again; I have a slight residual cough and hoarseness but it's barely noticeable now, unlike earlier in the week when I sounded like a frog :).
Today I did 7.54 miles on the elliptical in 55 minutes, which is a bit slower than usual, but I felt good. I have 10K tomorrow, which will be a better test of my health. I'm glad this was an easy week so that I could rest a bit and be ready for next week - it's a tough one with intervals Monday, 15K Tuesday, 10K w/5' fast segments Wednesday, 10K fartlek Thursday (I think ...this is from memory), cross-train Friday and 25K on Saturday. Whew.
***
Tonight - birthday dinner with my husband :) and a movie - John Carter of Mars. I read the books as a kid and LOVED them so I can't wait to see it on the IMAX in 3D!
Today I did 7.54 miles on the elliptical in 55 minutes, which is a bit slower than usual, but I felt good. I have 10K tomorrow, which will be a better test of my health. I'm glad this was an easy week so that I could rest a bit and be ready for next week - it's a tough one with intervals Monday, 15K Tuesday, 10K w/5' fast segments Wednesday, 10K fartlek Thursday (I think ...this is from memory), cross-train Friday and 25K on Saturday. Whew.
***
Tonight - birthday dinner with my husband :) and a movie - John Carter of Mars. I read the books as a kid and LOVED them so I can't wait to see it on the IMAX in 3D!
Thursday, March 08, 2012
4x2km
I woke up feeling better than I have in a while; I'm still coughing a bit but my congestion is less and I'm feeling more energetic. Still, I wasn't sure how this would go. It turned out to be hard, not surprisingly.
The weather was cooperative; a bit chilly at 28F (-2C) but with just a slight breeze and clear. Yesterday's snow had melted and the track was dry. There was a beautiful moonset just as I left for the track - big, yellow moon right on the horizon. Lovely!
I warmed up with 1600m in 10:02, including 2x100m strides on the last 400m. I didn't feel very smooth or fast on the pick-ups, so I was a little concerned. Rightly so. I was not fast today. I started off at what I thought was a very conservative pace: 11:23.9 for the first 2km. I only had 2 min rest today between the 2Ks, but still, I was way slow. I knew during the 2nd one that this was going to be tough today. I was working too hard for the pace I was moving at :(. The 2nd 2km was 11:32.7, and then I knew the other two were going to really hurt. Darn it! I had tried to be conservative, but due to illness perhaps or the altitude (my 5x2km where I was 11:14-11:19 on all of them was much lower, in Mesquite, NV) I was much slower today. The 3rd 2km was 11:39, and I was really hurting, but hey, there was only one left. The last one I mustered all my strength for and surprised myself with 11:33.6. I was truly working harder than I did in Mesquite - my HR was up to 167 and 168 on the last 2 intervals, but I just had no speed. My legs didn't feel THAT tired, and I think it was really my lungs that didn't have it today.
After the workout I did have some GI trouble for a few hours :(, but it cleared up by 11am. Whew.
Oh well...it's my birthday, and I gave a good journal club at work (at least people said it was good and I felt like it came off well), and I enjoyed working out hard even if I wasn't that fast. How many people are out there doing a track workout at age 42? I'm just happy that I can do it, and that I'm in great shape and enjoying life. Now I get to enjoy pizza and ice cream cake with my birthday twin Sarah :).
Garmin connect data here.
The weather was cooperative; a bit chilly at 28F (-2C) but with just a slight breeze and clear. Yesterday's snow had melted and the track was dry. There was a beautiful moonset just as I left for the track - big, yellow moon right on the horizon. Lovely!
I warmed up with 1600m in 10:02, including 2x100m strides on the last 400m. I didn't feel very smooth or fast on the pick-ups, so I was a little concerned. Rightly so. I was not fast today. I started off at what I thought was a very conservative pace: 11:23.9 for the first 2km. I only had 2 min rest today between the 2Ks, but still, I was way slow. I knew during the 2nd one that this was going to be tough today. I was working too hard for the pace I was moving at :(. The 2nd 2km was 11:32.7, and then I knew the other two were going to really hurt. Darn it! I had tried to be conservative, but due to illness perhaps or the altitude (my 5x2km where I was 11:14-11:19 on all of them was much lower, in Mesquite, NV) I was much slower today. The 3rd 2km was 11:39, and I was really hurting, but hey, there was only one left. The last one I mustered all my strength for and surprised myself with 11:33.6. I was truly working harder than I did in Mesquite - my HR was up to 167 and 168 on the last 2 intervals, but I just had no speed. My legs didn't feel THAT tired, and I think it was really my lungs that didn't have it today.
After the workout I did have some GI trouble for a few hours :(, but it cleared up by 11am. Whew.
Oh well...it's my birthday, and I gave a good journal club at work (at least people said it was good and I felt like it came off well), and I enjoyed working out hard even if I wasn't that fast. How many people are out there doing a track workout at age 42? I'm just happy that I can do it, and that I'm in great shape and enjoying life. Now I get to enjoy pizza and ice cream cake with my birthday twin Sarah :).
Garmin connect data here.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
cross-training
Today was a cross-training day, which I enjoyed. I intended to do an hour on the elliptical, but the kids and my residual illness conspired to cause me to sleep in a bit later and then get delayed getting to the gym. So, I only managed 35 min. However, I did crank out 7:02/mile pace, which is pretty close to my normal pace when I'm not ill, so that was encouraging. Lately I've been much slower on the elliptical!
Tomorrow I have a 4x2km track workout, so I truly hope I'm really feeling better. I'd like to nail it!
***
We are taking another session of figure skating. I'm in adult level 4 now, and I was working on 3-turns last night. I fell twice, but I practiced more this afternoon and I think I'm starting to get them. The kids are both doing well - Calvin is in Basic 2, and Michelle is in Basic 1. Loren is taking Hockey 1!
***
Just for fun - spring is trying to poke its way through the snow:
Tomorrow I have a 4x2km track workout, so I truly hope I'm really feeling better. I'd like to nail it!
***
We are taking another session of figure skating. I'm in adult level 4 now, and I was working on 3-turns last night. I fell twice, but I practiced more this afternoon and I think I'm starting to get them. The kids are both doing well - Calvin is in Basic 2, and Michelle is in Basic 1. Loren is taking Hockey 1!
***
Just for fun - spring is trying to poke its way through the snow:
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