Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday track workout
Tuesday night = TNT track workout. I was NOT in the mood for a hard workout tonight. I was out of sorts and had eaten 1/2 a slice of cheese at lunch and a bunch of Goldfish crackers for a snack, so I was worried that the lactose would be a problem (I forgot to take the lactase, too). But once I got started I felt fine, and things went well tonight. I warmed up for 4 laps, stretched a bit, and then did 6x800 with 90s active recovery. My 800s were in 4:27 (!fast!), 4:34, 4:36, 4:34, 4:36, and 4:33. Not bad at all, considering that it was on the warm side (mid to upper 70s) and humid, for Utah anyway (40% on my home weather station). I cooled down and drove home, and felt SO good on the way home for having worked out hard. Seriously, racewalking is the best mood elevator EVER.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Cross training
Today I biked to weight training (on Loren's bike, since mine still has a flat from last week) and did squats, cable crossovers, dead lifts, upright rows, lat pull-downs, calf raises, bicep curls, and skull crushers (tricep extensions). It was a great workout.
Later I got more exercise picking fruit for a few hours :)!
Later I got more exercise picking fruit for a few hours :)!
Free Fruit!!!
Today I scored a major fruit find, with the help of my friend Sarah.
First, I went to her house and picked the rest of her peaches from her peach tree. She couldn't get them down, and I have a fruit picker, so it was no problem. I am going to can them and/or make jam, and will give her some, of course.
Then, she told me about a local Catholic parish that has TEN (yes, TEN) pear trees that are dropping fruit and NO ONE is using it. Wow. That's a lot of fruit. I went over there, and it was amazing. As an added bonus, there was a playground right next to the trees. So, my kids played in the playground very happily for an hour while I picked fruit. I got 3 huge bags FULL - 72 POUNDS in all! And the trees are still heavy with fruit. I would have taken more, but there is a limit to how much even I can use. We'll eat some of it, and I'll can the rest. We'll be eating pears all winter! I'm so excited!
Here's all the fruit in the back of our car.
First, I went to her house and picked the rest of her peaches from her peach tree. She couldn't get them down, and I have a fruit picker, so it was no problem. I am going to can them and/or make jam, and will give her some, of course.
Then, she told me about a local Catholic parish that has TEN (yes, TEN) pear trees that are dropping fruit and NO ONE is using it. Wow. That's a lot of fruit. I went over there, and it was amazing. As an added bonus, there was a playground right next to the trees. So, my kids played in the playground very happily for an hour while I picked fruit. I got 3 huge bags FULL - 72 POUNDS in all! And the trees are still heavy with fruit. I would have taken more, but there is a limit to how much even I can use. We'll eat some of it, and I'll can the rest. We'll be eating pears all winter! I'm so excited!
Here's all the fruit in the back of our car.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Walking and hiking
This morning I racewalked a very easy 3.9 miles around Liberty Park in 41:05. My legs were fairly tired at the start, but I knew I needed to walk today to loosen up after yesterday's 22 miles. After about a mile I felt better, and I really haven't been sore at all today. I did have trouble pushing myself at all this morning, so I didn't :). I kept my HR around 130-135 and that was just fine.
Later on, I had the opportunity to go hiking w/friends from church. We hiked from Silver Lake at Brighton to Lake Solitude and back; 3.5 miles. Calvin came along and he LOVED it - he did very well hiking and I only had to carry him for a little way. He enjoyed looking at the trees and he picked up some yellow aspen leaves to take home and show to daddy (who was home with Michelle, both sleeping!).
The trees are in their best fall colors right now up there at almost 9000 feet. It was a gorgeous day for hiking - sunny and clear with fluffy clouds, and maybe 65 degrees (maybe only 60?). Towards the end of our hike it got a bit cloudy and rained just a little, but it was still so beautiful. I took a lot of pictures with my small digital camera and was pleased at how well they came out. I'm so glad we went!
By the way, Calvin took the picture that is 3rd from the bottom.
Later on, I had the opportunity to go hiking w/friends from church. We hiked from Silver Lake at Brighton to Lake Solitude and back; 3.5 miles. Calvin came along and he LOVED it - he did very well hiking and I only had to carry him for a little way. He enjoyed looking at the trees and he picked up some yellow aspen leaves to take home and show to daddy (who was home with Michelle, both sleeping!).
The trees are in their best fall colors right now up there at almost 9000 feet. It was a gorgeous day for hiking - sunny and clear with fluffy clouds, and maybe 65 degrees (maybe only 60?). Towards the end of our hike it got a bit cloudy and rained just a little, but it was still so beautiful. I took a lot of pictures with my small digital camera and was pleased at how well they came out. I'm so glad we went!
By the way, Calvin took the picture that is 3rd from the bottom.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Rewards
Walking 22 miles has its benefits. This is my favorite - Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae with peanut butter & chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla. It has at least a million calories :).
22 miles!
Today was the big one, and I was a bit anxious. Turns out I had nothing to fear. It was a great morning, and I have such a joyful feeling of accomplishment. If you would have told me 4 years ago that I'd be doing this, I would have said you were crazy. But here I am, amazingly enough.
The team was "only" doing 20 miles, so I arrived early and did 2 miles before the team workout. It was pitch black when I started at about 6:20 am, with just a little sliver of moonlight over the mountains. Pretty!
The team assembled and we had a few announcements, and Meg read a letter from a man whose daughter died of cancer at age 10. It was very moving, and a fresh reminder of why we are doing this. I imagined one of my kids suffering that way, and it was a terrible thought. The research that has been done in the last 30 years has brought us a long way, but there is still a long way to go.
The team members walked/ran the Jordan River Parkway today. It's beautiful, as the path winds along by the river, but the scenery is pretty much the same and it does get boring after a while. I was mostly by myself today, as I didn't want to try and keep up with the runners, though later on I did pass some of them (more on that to come).
Here is one of my favorite parts of the trail:
The aspens are just barely starting to turn yellow:
Back to the racewalking details now. I started off very conservatively, keeping my HR between 130 and 135 for the first 10 miles or so. I tried not to push at all, and just relaxed and enjoyed the cool air. It was pretty chilly at the start; I was fine in my singlet and shorts but my hands were a little cold. However, after the first hour with the team, it was warmer and my hands were OK. I'm glad I didn't bring gloves, because then I didn't have to carry them (it did get pretty warm by the end - probably about 70 degrees, and it felt hot in the sun). I allowed my HR to get up between 135-140 from miles 10-13, because I was feeling pretty good. We had a turnaround point at mile 13, and I had about 2:20:xx on my watch. I decided that since I was still feeling really good that I could go faster. So, from miles 13-16 or so, I kept my HR about 140-145, and from miles 16-20 it was more like 145-150. My legs were starting to get a bit tired, but I really felt pretty awesome, considering. At the last aid station, about mile 20, I decided to push harder and kept my HR above 150 to the end. My right leg had a bit of soreness behind the knee, both hamstrings were very tired, and I had a slight bit of chafing under my right arm (I had Body Glide but it wasn't bad enough to stop for, really), but overall, there were no serious problems. My GI system gave me NO trouble whatsoever - not even one cramp! YEAH!!!!! That was a huge relief. I was able to push harder than I thought and it all worked out.
Here I am at the finish of our workout, with the carved wooden bear at 7800S and 1100W.
My total time for the 22 miles was 3:54:50, not including stops, for 10:40 per mile average pace. My average HR was 139. When I include the stops, my time was 4:02ish, but this is a bit misleading because in a race I would have probably had about half that time in stops - at the aid stations here I had to stop to fill the small cups several times, and it took several minutes by the time I added up all the stops. I did have to make 2 pit stops, but that didn't take long :), thankfully. If I have a good day, my finishing time could be under 4:45, or maybe even faster? But y'know what? I am going to be SO happy just to finish; a fast time is icing on the cake. I hope I have a good race and don't have GI trouble, because it will be a lot of fun if I'm feeling good.
Only 3 weeks and 1 day until the marathon!
The team was "only" doing 20 miles, so I arrived early and did 2 miles before the team workout. It was pitch black when I started at about 6:20 am, with just a little sliver of moonlight over the mountains. Pretty!
The team assembled and we had a few announcements, and Meg read a letter from a man whose daughter died of cancer at age 10. It was very moving, and a fresh reminder of why we are doing this. I imagined one of my kids suffering that way, and it was a terrible thought. The research that has been done in the last 30 years has brought us a long way, but there is still a long way to go.
The team members walked/ran the Jordan River Parkway today. It's beautiful, as the path winds along by the river, but the scenery is pretty much the same and it does get boring after a while. I was mostly by myself today, as I didn't want to try and keep up with the runners, though later on I did pass some of them (more on that to come).
Here is one of my favorite parts of the trail:
The aspens are just barely starting to turn yellow:
Back to the racewalking details now. I started off very conservatively, keeping my HR between 130 and 135 for the first 10 miles or so. I tried not to push at all, and just relaxed and enjoyed the cool air. It was pretty chilly at the start; I was fine in my singlet and shorts but my hands were a little cold. However, after the first hour with the team, it was warmer and my hands were OK. I'm glad I didn't bring gloves, because then I didn't have to carry them (it did get pretty warm by the end - probably about 70 degrees, and it felt hot in the sun). I allowed my HR to get up between 135-140 from miles 10-13, because I was feeling pretty good. We had a turnaround point at mile 13, and I had about 2:20:xx on my watch. I decided that since I was still feeling really good that I could go faster. So, from miles 13-16 or so, I kept my HR about 140-145, and from miles 16-20 it was more like 145-150. My legs were starting to get a bit tired, but I really felt pretty awesome, considering. At the last aid station, about mile 20, I decided to push harder and kept my HR above 150 to the end. My right leg had a bit of soreness behind the knee, both hamstrings were very tired, and I had a slight bit of chafing under my right arm (I had Body Glide but it wasn't bad enough to stop for, really), but overall, there were no serious problems. My GI system gave me NO trouble whatsoever - not even one cramp! YEAH!!!!! That was a huge relief. I was able to push harder than I thought and it all worked out.
Here I am at the finish of our workout, with the carved wooden bear at 7800S and 1100W.
My total time for the 22 miles was 3:54:50, not including stops, for 10:40 per mile average pace. My average HR was 139. When I include the stops, my time was 4:02ish, but this is a bit misleading because in a race I would have probably had about half that time in stops - at the aid stations here I had to stop to fill the small cups several times, and it took several minutes by the time I added up all the stops. I did have to make 2 pit stops, but that didn't take long :), thankfully. If I have a good day, my finishing time could be under 4:45, or maybe even faster? But y'know what? I am going to be SO happy just to finish; a fast time is icing on the cake. I hope I have a good race and don't have GI trouble, because it will be a lot of fun if I'm feeling good.
Only 3 weeks and 1 day until the marathon!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Easy 4
This morning I did an easy 4 miles in 41:xx (maybe 30 sec?). My stomach was quite upset this morning, and still is. I'm not sure why exactly. I did eat some beans last night, and a little cheese. Probably not the best choice, but usually it would not be this upset. I really hope things will be OK for my long walk tomorrow. I am being VERY very careful about what I eat today.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday tempo time
Today was a 75-minute acceleration tempo workout. I started with 10' of heart rate at 135-140, then 10' at 140-145, then 10' of 145-150, then 10' of 150-155, then 10' of 155-160, and finally 18' of 160+. Then I did a 7' cool down for a total of 75'. Whew. I was really fast today - no surprise, given the high heart rates I had to maintain. The whole workout was 7.65 miles (SugarHouse and Liberty Parks) and took me 1:14:52; average pace 9:47 per mile, and that included the slow stuff!
Yesterday I did about 4 miles easy in about 43 minutes, before my weight training class.
Tomorrow I plan to do 4 easy miles. Saturday is the BIG day - 22 miles planned. Yikes! Hopefully it will go smoothly for me.
Yesterday I did about 4 miles easy in about 43 minutes, before my weight training class.
Tomorrow I plan to do 4 easy miles. Saturday is the BIG day - 22 miles planned. Yikes! Hopefully it will go smoothly for me.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Forgot to mention this
Had a fun thing happen at Saturday's TNT workout. We all did introductions because a new team is joining us. They are starting to train for the PF Chang marathon in Arizona in January. Anyway, Paul, who is one of the running coaches for the PF Chang team, talked to me just before we left on our workout. He told me he saw me at the Deseret News 10K on July 24th, and that it took him until mile 3 to catch me! He seemed quite impressed with my walking speed :).
A two workout Tuesday
Yeah, I was a glutton for punishment today! The truth is that I decided that even though I had a TNT track workout tonight, I really needed some exercise this morning to warm up for a day of watching my kids plus Sarah's 2 kids too. So, I did an easy 4 miles from my house to Liberty Park, around the park, and back home.
The track workout was great, too. I did 4 laps warm-up, some flexibility drills, and then 6x800 with 400 recovery. My 800s were 4:32, 4:33, 4:30, 4:32, 4:32, and 4:29! Yowza! That last one I was really pushing very hard, but I wanted to finish strong.
Good thing I did those workouts, because I made peach pie today (yes, again; the photo is of last week's pie, though) with peaches that Sarah brought me from her tree, and it was SO GOOD that I HAD to have 2 pieces. Gulp. I'm still within my points for the week, though. I have no idea how I would maintain my weight without all the racewalking. I like to eat!
My husband, who of course is not biased or anything, says that no one makes pie as good as mine. I'm sure someone makes better pie, but I really thought this one was amazingly good.
The track workout was great, too. I did 4 laps warm-up, some flexibility drills, and then 6x800 with 400 recovery. My 800s were 4:32, 4:33, 4:30, 4:32, 4:32, and 4:29! Yowza! That last one I was really pushing very hard, but I wanted to finish strong.
Good thing I did those workouts, because I made peach pie today (yes, again; the photo is of last week's pie, though) with peaches that Sarah brought me from her tree, and it was SO GOOD that I HAD to have 2 pieces. Gulp. I'm still within my points for the week, though. I have no idea how I would maintain my weight without all the racewalking. I like to eat! My husband, who of course is not biased or anything, says that no one makes pie as good as mine. I'm sure someone makes better pie, but I really thought this one was amazingly good.
Monday, September 22, 2008
wacky workout
Today was, well, interesting. The weather was windy and cloudy when I got on my bike to ride to weight training. About 2/3 of the way there, it got very, very windy, and started raining sideways. Oh boy. By the time I got to class, I was quite wet and cold. Class was great, because we got some new machines that are AWESOME, but the whole time I was wondering how the ride home would go. To my relief, when I walked out the door, it was merely drizzling a little. I had my jacket, so I felt OK about the ride home. Well, about 1/3 of the way home, I realized that my front tire was going flat. I really couldn't ride on it, so I started walking my bike. And yes, the rain began increasing again, of course. I knew I couldn't racewalk with the bike, but I wanted to get home faster than a regular walk, because Loren was waiting for me to get home so he could get ready for work. I decided to try to run, and surprisingly, it wasn't so bad, even pushing my bike with the flat tire. I had about 1.5ish miles to run, and it went fine. I got home about 10-15 min later than usual, and I was kinda wet. But it wasn't so bad, and now I've had an adventure already today!
Yesterday - I racewalked around SugarHouse Park at a fairly easy pace in 38:27, for about a 10:15-10:20 per mile pace. Funny, I didn't feel like I was going that fast.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
12-miler
Here's a picture of our Nike Women's Marathon team this morning before our 12-miler. I'm in the back on the right side of the photo.
This morning I was to do 12 miles at marathon pace. I decided I'd try for heart rate about 140-143 and see how fast it was and how I'd feel. I figured that would be about 10:30/mile.
It ended up being a bit faster than that! I covered the 12 miles in 2:04:18, for an average of 10:22/mile. HR was about 140 for most of that time. I felt very good for all of it, except at the VERY end (last 0.1 mile) when I did get one pretty bad intestinal cramp, which resolved very quickly. 1.5 hrs later, I've had no more trouble.
I do think my pace was a bit too fast. It was fine for 12 miles, and for a half marathon, I could have gone even faster, I think, and still made it to the finish line in one piece. However, I doubt I could do the marathon that fast. I think I was on the edge of some serious GI problems, as evidenced by the cramp at the end.
But this was a good experiment. I think I have a better idea after today of how fast I can push things before I have problems. That's what the training is all about!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Easyish 7.65
7.65 miles is an odd number, but it happens to be the distance from my house to SugarHouse Park, around the park, back past my house, over to Liberty Park, around the park, and back to my house again. It's one of my favorite routes, and it's what I did this morning.
The weather was warm (61F - perfect!) and the full moon was out when I started. It was light by the time I finished, 1 hr 19 min and 1 second later. Average pace: 10:20/mile, and average heart rate about 140. I think my technique is continuing to improve, because earlier this year, my goal was to do the Salt Lake 1/2 marathon at a 10:15 pace (which I did, in April). I pushed really hard to finish the 1/2 at that pace. This morning, I did a 10:20 pace and it was easy to moderate, pushing just a little. Granted, it was only 7.65 miles, not 13.1, but still, I feel like I am more efficient and things are easier than they used to be. This somehow surprises me, like I shouldn't still be making gains in my efficiency at this point. I mean, I don't feel like my training is any harder than it used to be (though I have been putting in more mileage, which does make a big difference). Anyway, I am still making progress - and I'm happy about it!
The weather was warm (61F - perfect!) and the full moon was out when I started. It was light by the time I finished, 1 hr 19 min and 1 second later. Average pace: 10:20/mile, and average heart rate about 140. I think my technique is continuing to improve, because earlier this year, my goal was to do the Salt Lake 1/2 marathon at a 10:15 pace (which I did, in April). I pushed really hard to finish the 1/2 at that pace. This morning, I did a 10:20 pace and it was easy to moderate, pushing just a little. Granted, it was only 7.65 miles, not 13.1, but still, I feel like I am more efficient and things are easier than they used to be. This somehow surprises me, like I shouldn't still be making gains in my efficiency at this point. I mean, I don't feel like my training is any harder than it used to be (though I have been putting in more mileage, which does make a big difference). Anyway, I am still making progress - and I'm happy about it!
Team Cookbook!!!
In case you missed it ;), I'm doing a marathon with Team in Training on October 19th. The purpose of this race is to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. One of our team members, Danielle, put together a super cookbook for us to use as a fundraiser. We got the cookbooks last week, and they are quite nice - spiral bound, heavy cardstock cover, and tons of fun features inside (substitutions, measuring aids, index by contributor, etc.). These books have the team members' favorite recipes in them - everything from appetizers to desserts. I personally contributed a bunch of the recipes (about 25?); a lot of the other recipes look really awesome, and I'm looking forward to trying them (in all honesty, there are a few that look like duds to me, but most of them look pretty darn good!). In all humility ;), it is worth the purchase price of the book just to get my recipe for Peppermint Stick Torte - my favorite holiday recipe!!!
I bought 25 of these from Danielle, and I am going to be selling them with 100% of the proceeds going to LLS (yes, I am donating the cost of the books - so whatever you pay for the book is going straight to the society). This is where YOU, the reader of my blog, come in. It seems like about 30-40 of you read this every day (!wow!), and I would love it if you helped me out by purchasing a cookbook for $15.
So, if you want one of these, or if you have questions about the cookbook, please e-mail me at tammy (at) kaminy (dot) net, and I'll be happy to get you one. If you need it mailed, please consider donating $5 to cover the cost of shipping, to make a total of $20 for the book (if you buy more than one, I'll ship them both for $5). These would make a great Christmas/holiday gift, especially for a recipient who not only enjoys cooking but giving to a good cause as well.
If you hate cooking and don't know anyone who likes to cook, you can still donate to LLS here.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Wed & Thurs walks/weights
Wednesday - walked 40 minutes easy before my weight training class. Was going to do 60 minutes, but got up too late. Oops. Oh well; still got in just under 4 miles (3.8ish?). Felt pretty sluggish and was still a bit sore from Monday's weight training session, but by the end of the walk I was feeling more upbeat.
Today - was going to do a 60 minute tempo walk, but again, I got up a bit late and was feeling really grouchy and not in the mood to walk. What's with that? I'm not sure why I've been feeling this way this week, but whatever. I decided I'd just do some easy walking, so I took the dogs. After 10 minutes of easy warming up, I felt much better and decided to get in whatever tempo walking I could before I had to get home to take care of the kids. So I did 35 minutes fast, at heart rate ~160. I felt SO good, and I wished I had left earlier so that I could have done the whole 60 minutes I had planned. Oh well! I cooled down for about 5 minutes. Total time about 49.5 minutes for 5.1 miles. Lesson learned! When I don't feel like going, I might have the best walk of the week!
Added later - AND, I passed 2 runners in the park today. I love passing runners :).
Today - was going to do a 60 minute tempo walk, but again, I got up a bit late and was feeling really grouchy and not in the mood to walk. What's with that? I'm not sure why I've been feeling this way this week, but whatever. I decided I'd just do some easy walking, so I took the dogs. After 10 minutes of easy warming up, I felt much better and decided to get in whatever tempo walking I could before I had to get home to take care of the kids. So I did 35 minutes fast, at heart rate ~160. I felt SO good, and I wished I had left earlier so that I could have done the whole 60 minutes I had planned. Oh well! I cooled down for about 5 minutes. Total time about 49.5 minutes for 5.1 miles. Lesson learned! When I don't feel like going, I might have the best walk of the week!
Added later - AND, I passed 2 runners in the park today. I love passing runners :).
Plum marmalade
My friend Lani sent me this awesome plum marmalade recipe, and I knew it would be great when I read it. It is!!! Our golden plum tree is bursting with ripe fruit and so I made 2 batches of marmalade. The first batch didn't set very well (my error) but the 2nd batch did. They both taste GREAT, though!
Here's the recipe as Lani sent it:
1 pound plums
1 dried ancho chili *
3 cm fresh ginger or 1 Tablespoon ground ginger *
1 vanilla bean *
0.85 cups (6 oz) jam making sugar blend
2 Tablespoons dark rum *
1. Rinse, pit, and dice the plumbs. I do not peel them because I am too lazy. It all turns to mush anyhow.
2. If you're using the chili, soak it for a few minutes in warm water, then remove the seeds and chop finely.
3. If you're using fresh ginger, peel it and chop finely.
4. If you're using the vanilla bean, cut it lengthwise and scrape the inside with a sharp knife to loosen the seeds. (Cook the plums with both the seeds and the bean pod, but fish out the bean pod at the end.)
5. Put the plums and your choice of flavorings (except the rum) in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature and simmer for 15-30 minutes until the plums turn to mush.
6. Raise the heat, add the sugar blend, and cook at a rolling boil for 2-3 minutes.
7. Skim carefully.
8. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Fish out the vanilla bean and add the rum.
10. Pour into jars.
11. It's best to let it sit for a few days to allow the flavor to develop before tasting.
My modifications:
1. I DID peel my plums. They have really tough skins and it just ruins jam.
2. Instead of a dried ancho chili, I used 1/4t ancho chili powder (from Penzey's) per lb of plums.
3. The first time I used fresh ginger, and the 2nd time I used ground ginger, but since the Penzey's ground ginger is very strong, I used 1/2 tablespoon per lb of plums.
4. I used Penzey's vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean (it was what I had on hand) and I used 2t/lb plums.
5. Lani lives in Sweden where you can get "jam making sugar blend". Here, you can't. So, I used 3/4c sugar per lb plums, plus 1/2 pkg of pectin for low/no sugar recipes per lb plums (this was for the batch that actually set :)!). I had 4 lb plums, so used 3c sugar and 2 pkg pectin.
Farmer's Market, again!
The last Farmer's Market at the U was so great that we just had to go again. Here's the bounty:
1 box peaches
4 ears corn
7 ripe beefsteak tomatoes
1 enormous green pepper ("Bertha")
1 pint cherry tomatoes
a whole lot of green beans
carrots for stew later in the week
2 large squash
1 pint blueberries
a few pears
It's 4:00 pm and we've already eaten most of the blueberries, the cherry tomatoes, and a peach :). Yum!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Mile repeats
This morning our schedule called for 4x1 mile repeats (well, actually 1600m repeats at the track). I didn't feel like going to the track. Was just not in the mood to racewalk in circles today, so I decided to do my repeats in the neighborhood. I have a pretty flat course marked out for 1 mile, so I did them there. I walked over and back for warm-up and cool-down (about 7-8 min each way; a little short but OK).
I wanted to do each one a little faster than the last. However, I started out pretty fast, so it was a challenge! I did the first one in 9:18. Wow! But I felt great, so I decided to really push myself. I did the rest in 9:16, 9:12, and 9:08! Pretty darn speedy, and my heart rate after the last one was only 167, not too bad considering how hard I was pushing. Recovery in between each was about 1-2 min - long enough for my HR to get down below 120. Average HR including recoveries and warm-up was 150. All in all, a fabulous workout, and no GI distress :) (I really do think maybe I had some sort of a virus last Tuesday).
I wanted to do each one a little faster than the last. However, I started out pretty fast, so it was a challenge! I did the first one in 9:18. Wow! But I felt great, so I decided to really push myself. I did the rest in 9:16, 9:12, and 9:08! Pretty darn speedy, and my heart rate after the last one was only 167, not too bad considering how hard I was pushing. Recovery in between each was about 1-2 min - long enough for my HR to get down below 120. Average HR including recoveries and warm-up was 150. All in all, a fabulous workout, and no GI distress :) (I really do think maybe I had some sort of a virus last Tuesday).
Monday, September 15, 2008
Hiking, etc.
Pete, Kristin, Tammy, Brian
Yesterday I felt great with no soreness at all after my 21-miler, so I decided to go hiking with some friends from church. We hiked the Lambs Canyon trail, starting at Elbow Fork in Millcreek Canyon and going up to the ridge and back. It was 4 miles total, and it took us about 1 hr 45 min. It was quite enjoyable getting out for a hike and some good conversation; nice change of pace from solo racewalking workouts, and good cross-training.
Today I went to my weight training class as usual, and then after class I took the kids to Liberty Park for a walk with the Wasatch Walkers. We did a very easy 3x around the park, and then I took the kids to the playground for an hour. They loved it, and so did I! We came home and did some coloring, laundry, and miscellaneous stuff. Now it's naptime :) which means I can catch up on some other things!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Congrats!
Congrats to all the 40k finishers from Saturday's national championship race in New Jersey. The weather was apparently hot, humid, and miserable, so special kudos to all of you.
Photo story http://www.racewalk.com/PhotoStory200840KNationals/200840KNats_01.asp
Results:
MEN - NAT 40 KM
Place Name Team Age Time
1 Ray Sharp Varsano's Choc 48 3:58:52
2 Theron Kissinger Conn Racewalkers38 4:03:55
3 Leon Jasionowski Pegasus AC 63 4:17:30
4 Max Walker Indiana RW Club 61 4:29:37
5 Tom Quattrocchi Shore AC 57 4:49:06
6 Rod Craig Pegasus AC 50 5:05:34
7 Eduardo Sorrenti Park Racewalkers65 5:06:38
8 Peter Bayer Florida AC 70 5:12:05
9 Bruce Logan Park Racewalkers43 5:20:14
10 Marshall Sanders Pegasus AC 67 5:21:26
11 Don Knight Pegasus AC 62 5:24:41
12 Eliot Collins Shore AC 56 5:43:21
MEN SHORTER DISTANCES
Dist Name Team Age Time
30km Ben Ottmer FARC 74 4:18:16
30km Tom Hartman Shore AC 66 4:20:11
28km Hartley Dewey Tidewater Striders60 3:44:21
28km John Backlund Racewalkers NW 68 3:44:36
20km Luc Bussieres Unatt, Canada 49 2:13:42
20km Bill Vayo Walk USA 44 2:15:45
20km Ron Salvio FARC 59 2:21:46
20km Jack Starr Florida AC 80 2:26:47
20km WillIam Norton Shore AC 58 2:40:12
WOMEN - NAT 40 KM
Place Name Team Age Time
1 Solomiya Login SE Pa Athletic Club28 4:15:52
2 Jennifer Marlborough Unatt 36 4:46:16
3 Yvonne Allmaras World Class RW 47 4:51:06
4 Rebecca Garson World Class RW 44 5:00:25
5 Maria Paul Shore AC 42 5:11:31
6 Darlene Backlund Racewalkers NW 62 5:16:08
WOMEN SHORTER DISTANCES
Dist Name Team Age Time
28km Erin Taylor S Texas Walking Club30 3:09:43
20km Debbie Topham Pegasus AC 55 2:18:26
15km Panse Geer Shore AC 61 1:39:10
5km Pat Walker Indiana RW Club 61 0:41:03
Photo story http://www.racewalk.com/PhotoStory200840KNationals/200840KNats_01.asp
Results:
MEN - NAT 40 KM
Place Name Team Age Time
1 Ray Sharp Varsano's Choc 48 3:58:52
2 Theron Kissinger Conn Racewalkers38 4:03:55
3 Leon Jasionowski Pegasus AC 63 4:17:30
4 Max Walker Indiana RW Club 61 4:29:37
5 Tom Quattrocchi Shore AC 57 4:49:06
6 Rod Craig Pegasus AC 50 5:05:34
7 Eduardo Sorrenti Park Racewalkers65 5:06:38
8 Peter Bayer Florida AC 70 5:12:05
9 Bruce Logan Park Racewalkers43 5:20:14
10 Marshall Sanders Pegasus AC 67 5:21:26
11 Don Knight Pegasus AC 62 5:24:41
12 Eliot Collins Shore AC 56 5:43:21
MEN SHORTER DISTANCES
Dist Name Team Age Time
30km Ben Ottmer FARC 74 4:18:16
30km Tom Hartman Shore AC 66 4:20:11
28km Hartley Dewey Tidewater Striders60 3:44:21
28km John Backlund Racewalkers NW 68 3:44:36
20km Luc Bussieres Unatt, Canada 49 2:13:42
20km Bill Vayo Walk USA 44 2:15:45
20km Ron Salvio FARC 59 2:21:46
20km Jack Starr Florida AC 80 2:26:47
20km WillIam Norton Shore AC 58 2:40:12
WOMEN - NAT 40 KM
Place Name Team Age Time
1 Solomiya Login SE Pa Athletic Club28 4:15:52
2 Jennifer Marlborough Unatt 36 4:46:16
3 Yvonne Allmaras World Class RW 47 4:51:06
4 Rebecca Garson World Class RW 44 5:00:25
5 Maria Paul Shore AC 42 5:11:31
6 Darlene Backlund Racewalkers NW 62 5:16:08
WOMEN SHORTER DISTANCES
Dist Name Team Age Time
28km Erin Taylor S Texas Walking Club30 3:09:43
20km Debbie Topham Pegasus AC 55 2:18:26
15km Panse Geer Shore AC 61 1:39:10
5km Pat Walker Indiana RW Club 61 0:41:03
Beethoven
Last night we went to the Utah Symphony for an all-Beethoven concert. Garrick Ohlsson performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4, and the orchestra and chorus performed the Ninth Symphony. Briefly, I was quite impressed with Mr. Ohlsson's playing - definitely a cut above! It was one of the few times I actually agreed with the Utah crowd's standing ovation (they give standing ovations to EVERYONE, which defeats the purpose, in my opinion). I loved the intense & focused moments of communication between soloist and conductor; the intimacy of consummate musicians in tune with each other is something I would never tire of watching. Actually, truth be told, the only thing that is better is performing and feeling that connection myself. I miss it, but one can only fit so many things in a day, and caring for my children, racewalking, and blogging are taking up all my time :).
The amazing Dale Chihuly sculpture in the Abravanel Hall lobby. Other photos: our friends David & Jana, and also Loren with me.
Date nights are wonderful!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Baseball or football?
From the score, this looks like a baseball game...
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recap?gid=200809130078
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recap?gid=200809130078
21 miles!
I feel like a rock star! Yes, I completed my 21 miles this morning. And no, I did not have ANY GI problems whatsoever. It was a blast, and I feel terrific now! Here are some photos from my walk, and a description of how it went.
I got up 1 hour before I planned to leave the house so that I could take an Imodium caplet before my walk. I read for a little while, got dressed, and went out the door. The first 5-6 miles I took it very, very easy. I walked from my house to SugarHouse Park and met the team at the Lake Terrace parking lot at 7 am (I wanted to do 2 miles more than the team, so that's why I walked there; I ended up doing 3.2 more than the team workout of just under 18 miles, including the 1.6 each way to and from my house). We set out and went 1.5 times around the park and then headed north on 1500 East all the way to 900 S, then over to Guardsman way (slight right jog). Took that up to the U, then a left, past Rice-Eccles stadium, then right past the Trax station, up University Street, and up Virginia Street. Yes, we went up that HUGE hill. I racewalked all the way up but did stop for a minute to photograph the lovely flowers at the LDS ward near the top of the hill.
At this point I was still feeling really great and was careful to watch and keep my heart rate under 135. I was hopeful that maybe it was going to be a good day; I'd been out for 1:25 or so, and was optimistic that I'd continue to feel good. I felt relaxed and had no pain or cramping. At the top of the hill we turned left on 11th Avenue, and enjoyed the great view of the Salt Lake Cemetery and the city.
I love 11th Ave. It's one of the most awesome places to walk in the whole city. We followed it all the way to City Creek Canyon, and enjoyed the views along the way. This picture shows the cemetery with the University of Utah behind it, and then the mountains. It was a perfect day for walking - temps started at 50 degrees (10C) and warmed up to the mid-60s by the time I finished. I wore short sleeves, my Race Ready shorts (I love them SO much!), and a pair of gloves (my hands always get cold if it's under 55). I did remove the gloves and stuff them in my waistband after about 7 miles or so, and by the end of the 21 miles, I was pretty warm and was loving the shady spots.
Along 11th ave, at about 1:40:xx, I took my first gel, with lots of water. I just felt like I needed it about that point.
City Creek Canyon is so gorgeous, and I got this photo of the State Capitol building, from the start of the canyon road.
We walked the canyon road all the way to the State Capitol, then turned around and returned the way we came. I took another gel at the aid station on 11th Ave, and stuffed one in my pocket for later. It was a lot of fun coming down Virginia Street, though the hill is so steep it's tough to have good racewalking form. I did OK, though, except for one teeny part that I cut the corner on the sidewalk and went over about 10 feet of grass; I ran that part :).
Once I got down to University St, I stopped at a water fountain in the park. Continuing on, there was an aid station by the Pioneer Theater, so I stopped for another gel, lots of water, and a few pretzels. I was still feeling really good at this point, about 3 hours into my walk. Yeah!!!
There was some sort of National Guard something going on at Rice-Eccles stadium. There were a ton of Guardsmen in uniform (Sarah W would have loved it!), helicopters in the parking lot, and lots of large army vehicles. It was entertaining to watch all of the goings-on, though I'm not quite sure what they were doing. Probably recruiting. I took this photo of Rice-Eccles stadium from Guardsman Way.
As I retraced my route along 15th East, I was enjoying how nice it was to feel good on a long walk. I decided I could speed up a little at the end, since I was feeling pretty decent. My legs were a little tired, and I had some slight chafing under my arms (note to self: bring some Body Glide next time), but other than that I felt good. I sped up to make my heart rate about 140-145. I stopped at the aid station at 1300S and 1500E, and they were out of gels. Drat. So I had some water and some Gatorade, and a few more pretzels. Shortly after this, I saw these helicopters in formation, right overhead! I assume they were associated with whatever the National Guard was doing at the stadium.
I went on to SugarHouse Park, stopping for a quick pit stop at Einstein's Bagels (I did have to stop 3 times for brief restroom breaks, because I was well-hydrated :)!). Around the park once, stopping at Lake Terrace to sign out from the team workout, and then all the way back home. I was going to walk the last mile slowly, but I felt so good I decided to racewalk the whole way. Don't tell anyone (hahahaha! I'm blogging this, so now everyone knows!) but I did use my headphones for a good part of the way (Team in Training doesn't officially allow them on team workouts, but no one was walking/running at my pace today, so there was no one to report me :)!). Music makes a huge difference to me in lifting my spirits and keeping my going. I wonder if that's part of the reason today went so well?
I finished in 3:56:57, including the pit stops and quick water stops. Not including stops, it was 3:52:51. Including stops, I did an 11:17 pace (more like 11:05 without stops). OK, it's slower than I would prefer to be for the marathon, but 1) this is a training walk, not a race, and 2) I had NO GI TROUBLE. I may have to do the marathon this slowly to avoid GI problems. If so, well, I'm OK with that. We'll see what happens on the 22-miler in 2 weeks. If I feel good on that one, I'll pick up the pace a little sooner and see how my system handles it. Since I changed a lot of variables today (lactose, pace, no eating after 6 pm last night, and Imodium this morning) I am not sure which one is responsible for the improvement, so I'll need to be cautious about the pace.
The two best things about this morning? 1) No GI problems, and 2) when I was done, I was sure I could have done 5 more miles if I had had to. I really feel confident now that I can finish a marathon!!!!! Wooooo hoooooo!!!
I got up 1 hour before I planned to leave the house so that I could take an Imodium caplet before my walk. I read for a little while, got dressed, and went out the door. The first 5-6 miles I took it very, very easy. I walked from my house to SugarHouse Park and met the team at the Lake Terrace parking lot at 7 am (I wanted to do 2 miles more than the team, so that's why I walked there; I ended up doing 3.2 more than the team workout of just under 18 miles, including the 1.6 each way to and from my house). We set out and went 1.5 times around the park and then headed north on 1500 East all the way to 900 S, then over to Guardsman way (slight right jog). Took that up to the U, then a left, past Rice-Eccles stadium, then right past the Trax station, up University Street, and up Virginia Street. Yes, we went up that HUGE hill. I racewalked all the way up but did stop for a minute to photograph the lovely flowers at the LDS ward near the top of the hill.
At this point I was still feeling really great and was careful to watch and keep my heart rate under 135. I was hopeful that maybe it was going to be a good day; I'd been out for 1:25 or so, and was optimistic that I'd continue to feel good. I felt relaxed and had no pain or cramping. At the top of the hill we turned left on 11th Avenue, and enjoyed the great view of the Salt Lake Cemetery and the city.
I love 11th Ave. It's one of the most awesome places to walk in the whole city. We followed it all the way to City Creek Canyon, and enjoyed the views along the way. This picture shows the cemetery with the University of Utah behind it, and then the mountains. It was a perfect day for walking - temps started at 50 degrees (10C) and warmed up to the mid-60s by the time I finished. I wore short sleeves, my Race Ready shorts (I love them SO much!), and a pair of gloves (my hands always get cold if it's under 55). I did remove the gloves and stuff them in my waistband after about 7 miles or so, and by the end of the 21 miles, I was pretty warm and was loving the shady spots.
Along 11th ave, at about 1:40:xx, I took my first gel, with lots of water. I just felt like I needed it about that point.
City Creek Canyon is so gorgeous, and I got this photo of the State Capitol building, from the start of the canyon road.
We walked the canyon road all the way to the State Capitol, then turned around and returned the way we came. I took another gel at the aid station on 11th Ave, and stuffed one in my pocket for later. It was a lot of fun coming down Virginia Street, though the hill is so steep it's tough to have good racewalking form. I did OK, though, except for one teeny part that I cut the corner on the sidewalk and went over about 10 feet of grass; I ran that part :).
Once I got down to University St, I stopped at a water fountain in the park. Continuing on, there was an aid station by the Pioneer Theater, so I stopped for another gel, lots of water, and a few pretzels. I was still feeling really good at this point, about 3 hours into my walk. Yeah!!!
There was some sort of National Guard something going on at Rice-Eccles stadium. There were a ton of Guardsmen in uniform (Sarah W would have loved it!), helicopters in the parking lot, and lots of large army vehicles. It was entertaining to watch all of the goings-on, though I'm not quite sure what they were doing. Probably recruiting. I took this photo of Rice-Eccles stadium from Guardsman Way.
As I retraced my route along 15th East, I was enjoying how nice it was to feel good on a long walk. I decided I could speed up a little at the end, since I was feeling pretty decent. My legs were a little tired, and I had some slight chafing under my arms (note to self: bring some Body Glide next time), but other than that I felt good. I sped up to make my heart rate about 140-145. I stopped at the aid station at 1300S and 1500E, and they were out of gels. Drat. So I had some water and some Gatorade, and a few more pretzels. Shortly after this, I saw these helicopters in formation, right overhead! I assume they were associated with whatever the National Guard was doing at the stadium.
I went on to SugarHouse Park, stopping for a quick pit stop at Einstein's Bagels (I did have to stop 3 times for brief restroom breaks, because I was well-hydrated :)!). Around the park once, stopping at Lake Terrace to sign out from the team workout, and then all the way back home. I was going to walk the last mile slowly, but I felt so good I decided to racewalk the whole way. Don't tell anyone (hahahaha! I'm blogging this, so now everyone knows!) but I did use my headphones for a good part of the way (Team in Training doesn't officially allow them on team workouts, but no one was walking/running at my pace today, so there was no one to report me :)!). Music makes a huge difference to me in lifting my spirits and keeping my going. I wonder if that's part of the reason today went so well? I finished in 3:56:57, including the pit stops and quick water stops. Not including stops, it was 3:52:51. Including stops, I did an 11:17 pace (more like 11:05 without stops). OK, it's slower than I would prefer to be for the marathon, but 1) this is a training walk, not a race, and 2) I had NO GI TROUBLE. I may have to do the marathon this slowly to avoid GI problems. If so, well, I'm OK with that. We'll see what happens on the 22-miler in 2 weeks. If I feel good on that one, I'll pick up the pace a little sooner and see how my system handles it. Since I changed a lot of variables today (lactose, pace, no eating after 6 pm last night, and Imodium this morning) I am not sure which one is responsible for the improvement, so I'll need to be cautious about the pace.
The two best things about this morning? 1) No GI problems, and 2) when I was done, I was sure I could have done 5 more miles if I had had to. I really feel confident now that I can finish a marathon!!!!! Wooooo hoooooo!!!
Farmer's Market
I have been inspired to eat more locally grown food after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. So, we went to the Farmer's Market at the U on Thursday and got this bunch of amazing fruit and veggies. The kids had SO much fun picking out what they wanted to eat.
Bath time!
The bath is still a favorite activity. If I'm tired, and don't feel like doing much after dinner (i.e. chasing them around) then sometimes this is a good way to pass the time. Calvin looks like he's in pain in the one picture, but he's splashing and having a good time :).
Zoo fun
The kids just love the zoo. They cannot get enough of it! Here are some pics from our latest outing on Thursday.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Yeah! A great workout!!!
I'm so thrilled w/my workout this morning. I did a speed workout at the track. Warmed up and then did 6x800m. I was going to do 10k pace (4:42) but felt so good that I went faster. I did them in 4:31, 4:32, 4:33, 4:33, 4:34, 4:30. I felt great the whole time and I'm sure I could have done a few more if I needed to. I had no GI trouble whatsoever, and I feel SO relieved. I am becoming more convinced that I had some 24 hr virus earlier this week, because what happened Tuesday night is not typical for me, even when I am having problems.
Well, regardless of the cause of Tuesday night's troubles, we are moving on to the next challenge. Tomorrow is 4 miles easy + weights (the weights because I skipped them on Wednesday and want to get them in!) and then Saturday I'm doing 20 miles easy. My strategy for Saturday is to 1) stay off lactose today & tomorrow, 2) eat a light meal Friday night and not eat after 6 pm, 3) use gels, gatorade, and water on Saturday morning (no breakfast), and MOST importantly, 4) SLOW down to no faster than 11:00/mile and HR under 135 the whole way.
Well, regardless of the cause of Tuesday night's troubles, we are moving on to the next challenge. Tomorrow is 4 miles easy + weights (the weights because I skipped them on Wednesday and want to get them in!) and then Saturday I'm doing 20 miles easy. My strategy for Saturday is to 1) stay off lactose today & tomorrow, 2) eat a light meal Friday night and not eat after 6 pm, 3) use gels, gatorade, and water on Saturday morning (no breakfast), and MOST importantly, 4) SLOW down to no faster than 11:00/mile and HR under 135 the whole way.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Not again...
Last night at my hard track workout I had big GI trouble. I was doubled over in pain starting 45 min into the workout, and had to quit after 51.5 min. I did manage to get in the car and drive home OK, though.
Other than that, the workout was going well. I was to do a 75 min acceleration tempo workout. I started slow and easy and increased my heart rate every 10 min. Here's a chart of what I did:
Time HR mile splits
0-10 min 135-140 1st mile in 10:12
10-20 min 140-145 2nd mile in 10:06
20-30 min 145-150 3rd mile in 9:54
30-40 min 150-155 4th mile in 10:01 (I started having some pain here)
40-50 min 155-160 not sure of split - I hurt too much, but it was about 10 min
50-51.5 min who knows? terrible pain!!!
After 51.5 min I gave up and walked slowly around the track twice. I still had pain but it was better.
I did eat a yogurt in the afternoon because I read that the active cultures make it OK for many people to eat even if they are lactose intolerant. I'm wondering if this was my problem? Or was it the popcorn (fiber?) or the fiber one bar? I commonly eat all these things and haven't ever had pain this bad at a track workout.
When I got home I headed straight for the restroom. I didn't eat anything at all last night, and felt horrible (chills, sweats, etc.). I wonder if maybe I have a virus? I feel OK today, so I honestly have no idea what is going on. Maybe it was my snack? Maybe I've got some bug?
I fell asleep about 8:45 last night (still in my clothes, with my books and computer on my lap!), woke at 10:30 and got in my pajamas. At about midnight I had to get up to use the bathroom (again...). At 3 am, Michelle lost her binky and I had to go get it for her. Let's just say it was not the most restful night. I intended to get up at 5:00 and be on the road at 5:30 for an easy 60 minutes before weight training, but I gave up on that plan because I was just not up for it. I didn't even get to the weight training class, because honestly, I felt lousy. I do feel better now. My appetite has returned and I seem fine.
I'm getting really apprehensive about whether I will be able to complete the marathon or not. Well, I suppose I am going to be able to finish; I just might be very very slow, which would be a huge disappointment. We'll see how my remaining long walks go and then I can re-evaluate my race strategy. I was in tears after last night's workout. To come this far and have GI stuff stopping me is so difficult and frustrating.
Other than that, the workout was going well. I was to do a 75 min acceleration tempo workout. I started slow and easy and increased my heart rate every 10 min. Here's a chart of what I did:
Time HR mile splits
0-10 min 135-140 1st mile in 10:12
10-20 min 140-145 2nd mile in 10:06
20-30 min 145-150 3rd mile in 9:54
30-40 min 150-155 4th mile in 10:01 (I started having some pain here)
40-50 min 155-160 not sure of split - I hurt too much, but it was about 10 min
50-51.5 min who knows? terrible pain!!!
After 51.5 min I gave up and walked slowly around the track twice. I still had pain but it was better.
I did eat a yogurt in the afternoon because I read that the active cultures make it OK for many people to eat even if they are lactose intolerant. I'm wondering if this was my problem? Or was it the popcorn (fiber?) or the fiber one bar? I commonly eat all these things and haven't ever had pain this bad at a track workout.
When I got home I headed straight for the restroom. I didn't eat anything at all last night, and felt horrible (chills, sweats, etc.). I wonder if maybe I have a virus? I feel OK today, so I honestly have no idea what is going on. Maybe it was my snack? Maybe I've got some bug?
I fell asleep about 8:45 last night (still in my clothes, with my books and computer on my lap!), woke at 10:30 and got in my pajamas. At about midnight I had to get up to use the bathroom (again...). At 3 am, Michelle lost her binky and I had to go get it for her. Let's just say it was not the most restful night. I intended to get up at 5:00 and be on the road at 5:30 for an easy 60 minutes before weight training, but I gave up on that plan because I was just not up for it. I didn't even get to the weight training class, because honestly, I felt lousy. I do feel better now. My appetite has returned and I seem fine.
I'm getting really apprehensive about whether I will be able to complete the marathon or not. Well, I suppose I am going to be able to finish; I just might be very very slow, which would be a huge disappointment. We'll see how my remaining long walks go and then I can re-evaluate my race strategy. I was in tears after last night's workout. To come this far and have GI stuff stopping me is so difficult and frustrating.
Monday, September 08, 2008
How well-informed are you?
I took the Pew News Quiz (thanks, Ollie, for calling it to my attention!) and got 11/12 correct. About what I expected, since I'm reasonably well-informed, all things considered. However, what was scary to me was the average scores of most Americans. Women averaged only a little better than 5/12 correct. Yikes! You don't have to be a political junkie to have a basic knowledge of what's going on, and it frightens me that such ill-informed people are going to be deciding on the next president. Hmmm, I guess that's how we got into our current mess.
Anyway, take the quiz, and let me know what you think.
Anyway, take the quiz, and let me know what you think.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Who's Polar?
My Nike+ iPod is a handy gadget that records my mileage via a shoe sensor and receive that plugs into my iPod nano. You're supposed to have special Nike shoes to use it, but I just tuck the sensor in my shoelaces, and that works perfectly. Anyway, there are prerecorded messages of encouragment from big name athletes on there that play at the end of your workout, for example, "This is Lance Armstrong. Congratulations, you've just recorded a new personal best for the mile." The other one I hear a lot (because there is some software bug that plays this message too frequently) is "Hi, it's 'Polar' again. Congratulations, you've covered another 500 kilometers", in a female voice with a British accent. For the longest time, I could NOT for the life of me figure out who "Polar" was. Well, I figured it out (a while ago)and just now am getting around to blogging about it. "Polar" is, of course, Paula Radcliffe, the famed marathoner. I have to laugh at myself that it took me so long to figure it out - but I swear, it still sounds like she's saying "Polar" to my Yankee ears :)!
Today's workout was an easy 4 miles (might have been 4.1 or 4.2) in about 43 minutes. It was a crisp 54 degrees and beautiful, with the mountains pinkish in the sunrise. Now I'm looking forward to church followed by some serious football watching.
Today's workout was an easy 4 miles (might have been 4.1 or 4.2) in about 43 minutes. It was a crisp 54 degrees and beautiful, with the mountains pinkish in the sunrise. Now I'm looking forward to church followed by some serious football watching.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Things I saw this morning, part 3
The LDS temple in Bountiful was our start/finish for today. I do think that the Mormon temples are beautiful, though my husband opines that the architecture is a bit creepy, especially the Salt Lake Temple. However, there's something about the tall spiky wrought iron fence around the Bountiful Temple that sends a bit of a mixed message to me.
I finished my 12 miles in 2:05:34 for about 10:28 per mile. That's just about where I wanted to be; my schedule said to do 12 miles at race pace. If I have a great day, then 10:30 is a good race pace (not counting stops; that will add at least 10-20 min to my time, depending on my GI stuff). But I'm betting that my actual race pace will be more like 10:45 w/o stops or 11:00 with stops. Anyway, for training, 10:30 is a good estimate for a day when I'm pushing a little harder. My heart rate was in the low 140s for most of the time this morning, and other than that 1 stop, I think it was a pretty darn good day.
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