The heat got me today.
I was supposed to do 5x2k. It was 74F (23.3C) with 50% humidity. It FELT like more than 50% - overcast, oppressive, and threatening rain. Hot.
I warmed up for 1600m (9:20ish) with some strides and did dynamic stretching. I started off conservatively (I thought), aiming for 11:20 for each 2k. The first one was 11:17 with ave HR 157.5, and I felt good. I was hopeful. The second one started to hurt - I did 11:18 with ave HR 163, and I was feeling heavy-legged. On the third one I noticed how HOT I was, but felt in control and did 11:23 - but my HR averaged 166, and the lowest it got during the 2 min rest was 122. Usually it will be sub-110 for intervals; even toward the end it will be sub-120 for sure. Obviously I was feeling the heat. The fourth one HURT. A lot. I only managed 11:39, and I'm not sure what my ave HR was - the monitor says 181 but it looks spiky on the graph. I'd guess that it was more like 170, which is pretty high for this workout.
Toward the end of the interval I considered what was happening - my speed was tanking, my HR was escalating, and I felt lousy. Hot hot hot. I knew I *could* do one more, but at what cost? I was cooked. Done for. I didn't want to totally waste myself or I'd be no good for the workouts the rest of the week. I decided, reluctantly, that it was best to quit. I just hoped that my coach would agree I'd made the right call.
I'm concerned that I can't seem to adjust to the heat - it's not THAT hot here (low 70s is warm, sure, but not terrible for summer!), and it's been hot for a while, and I still don't seem to be handling it well. The 40K has potential to be quite hot, and it is SURE to be humid only a few blocks from the ocean. Well, I'm doing the best I can and if I don't adjust there is nothing I can do.
Garmin data here.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
12k
12K was on the agenda today. I felt decently recovered from the 1/2 marathon disaster after yesterday's rest day. Nothing was terribly sore, thankfully.
The weather was still warm. 73F (23C) and 46% humidity. Not that humid, but warm for sure. I started off fast and feeling great, but slowed a bit at 6km and felt a bit tired. I paused briefly at 6.6km to refill my water bottles and splashed some cool water all over from the fountain in Liberty Park. That felt great, and I was much rejuvenated. I continued on nice and fast after that and finished well. My legs felt good today.
Total time: 1:13:17 for 6:06/km with ave HR about 150. HR monitor was mostly behaving but it did spike a bit.
Garmin data here.
***
Tomorrow is 5x2km. Hope I'm up for it...nervous...
The weather was still warm. 73F (23C) and 46% humidity. Not that humid, but warm for sure. I started off fast and feeling great, but slowed a bit at 6km and felt a bit tired. I paused briefly at 6.6km to refill my water bottles and splashed some cool water all over from the fountain in Liberty Park. That felt great, and I was much rejuvenated. I continued on nice and fast after that and finished well. My legs felt good today.
Total time: 1:13:17 for 6:06/km with ave HR about 150. HR monitor was mostly behaving but it did spike a bit.
Garmin data here.
***
Tomorrow is 5x2km. Hope I'm up for it...nervous...
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Timpanogos Half Marathon
Almost titled this post "S*** Happens"...but decided that this race was better than that. The race itself, well, yes...but pre-race and post-race hanging out with friends, the views during the race (beautiful!), and the weather (perfect!) made me glad I did the race despite the problems.
Had to get up at 2:45 am (!) to drive to the bus loading, which was from 3:35-3:55 (for us - we drew early tickets). We went up the canyon and arrived at the race start around 4:30 am, 90 min before the race. Sarah was doing 20 miles today, so she went off to do 4 miles before the race started. Meanwhile, I hung out with Nancy (from the Wasatch Walkers), Cindie, and Jen before the race. It was quite chilly, which was welcome after the hot summer we've been having. Of course, at 1955m of elevation, you'd expect that. The stars were beautiful, the reservoir was lovely, and it was a good time. I sort of didn't want to race! But after a quick warm-up, I was excited to go.
I did well for the first 10km. Things felt fantastic, and with the amazing amount of downhill I was cruising - got to 10km in 56:07 (a PR!) but was well within myself with HR in the low 150s. And then...the wheels fell off. Major GI distress ensued, and I had to stop at the porta potty at mile 7 (~11.25km). I was lucky to make it...and then had to wait SIX MINUTES because there were 2 porta-johns and about 10 people in line :(. By the time I was on the road again, it was 8 minutes after I'd stopped. Ughhhhhh. For obvious reasons, my legs did not work so well after that. I was really hurting. I had to stop again at 15km but at least there was no waiting this time. My goal changed from racing to finishing. I did finish, but it was ugly. Very ugly. I had to just casual walk a few times in the next few miles, as my legs were toast. I managed to pick it up a little at the end, keeping a 6:37/km pace for the last 1.1 miles; before that, I'd been doing low 7/km. Ouch.
I'm proud to say I finished. That's all that can be said about this one.
Total time: 2:19:44 (hey, it was faster than my first half marathon...and if you subtract 10 min for potty stops it wasn't too bad at 2:09:44; beats my PR from 2010 anyway. Ave HR = who knows? My HR monitor went nutso. It was probably about 140, if that. I wasn't working very hard even though I felt awful.
Analysis: I'm trying to figure out dietary reasons for the GI distress. Jim sent me a list of foods that contribute to runner's trots, and it's helpful. However, I was not sure if gluten the day before a race was a problem, and it seems maybe it is. I had a large turkey sandwich for dinner last night with a delicious roll (white bread - low in fiber, chosen on purpose). Seemed like a safe choice. I'm thinking NOT. Chalk this one up to a learning experience. Some runners who do not have Celiac's disease still have problems with gluten prior to a long run or race, and it appears I may have this problem. It's hard to be so careful about my diet, but obviously I need to figure this out a bit more. Good thing I have a few more long days before the 40K.
Post-race: I accompanied Sarah for 3 more miles --- but I rode my bike :) which I'd brought specifically for that purpose. Then we went for a lovely breakfast at Johanna's Kitchen in Sandy. I highly recommend that restaurant! Great food, great service, and though it was crowded there was no wait at 10am on a Saturday.
I'd love to do this race again, because of the huge PR potential. Maybe next year...but meanwhile, well, I have to work on the GI problems.
Garmin data here.
Had to get up at 2:45 am (!) to drive to the bus loading, which was from 3:35-3:55 (for us - we drew early tickets). We went up the canyon and arrived at the race start around 4:30 am, 90 min before the race. Sarah was doing 20 miles today, so she went off to do 4 miles before the race started. Meanwhile, I hung out with Nancy (from the Wasatch Walkers), Cindie, and Jen before the race. It was quite chilly, which was welcome after the hot summer we've been having. Of course, at 1955m of elevation, you'd expect that. The stars were beautiful, the reservoir was lovely, and it was a good time. I sort of didn't want to race! But after a quick warm-up, I was excited to go.
I'm proud to say I finished. That's all that can be said about this one.
Total time: 2:19:44 (hey, it was faster than my first half marathon...and if you subtract 10 min for potty stops it wasn't too bad at 2:09:44; beats my PR from 2010 anyway. Ave HR = who knows? My HR monitor went nutso. It was probably about 140, if that. I wasn't working very hard even though I felt awful.
Analysis: I'm trying to figure out dietary reasons for the GI distress. Jim sent me a list of foods that contribute to runner's trots, and it's helpful. However, I was not sure if gluten the day before a race was a problem, and it seems maybe it is. I had a large turkey sandwich for dinner last night with a delicious roll (white bread - low in fiber, chosen on purpose). Seemed like a safe choice. I'm thinking NOT. Chalk this one up to a learning experience. Some runners who do not have Celiac's disease still have problems with gluten prior to a long run or race, and it appears I may have this problem. It's hard to be so careful about my diet, but obviously I need to figure this out a bit more. Good thing I have a few more long days before the 40K.
Post-race: I accompanied Sarah for 3 more miles --- but I rode my bike :) which I'd brought specifically for that purpose. Then we went for a lovely breakfast at Johanna's Kitchen in Sandy. I highly recommend that restaurant! Great food, great service, and though it was crowded there was no wait at 10am on a Saturday.
Garmin data here.
Friday, July 27, 2012
cross-training, 10K, race tomorrow
Yesterday I ended up cross-training; I was still a bit sore from the race, and my coach said it would be better to do the 10K today instead. So I did the elliptical for 45 min and called it good.
***
Today I did the 10K, and it was quite warm. It was 77F (25C) when I started and 79F (26C) when I finished, and it was also humid. The weather website said it was only 40% humidity, but there is no way that was right --- it was very humid; in fact, it drizzled on me during the 10K on and off. Not enough rain to cool me off much, though. I felt good through 7 km, and then my legs felt heavy, and I took it easy through 10km. Nothing serious, just a bit of tired legs, but I didn't want to work too hard because I have a half marathon tomorrow :).
I'm doing the Timpanogos Half Marathon with my friend Sarah. It's very scenic, and has a huge downhill - almost 2000ft from start to finish. Crazy! I hope the downhill won't kill my legs, but I think it'll be OK. Sarah plans to do another 7 miles after the race to get in 20, since she is training for a marathon in September; I plan to bike with her for that last 7 miles, fingers permitting. I haven't been on a bike since breaking them, but I think I'm ready. They are still sore and I definitely do not have as much range of motion in that hand yet, and it's quite weak. I've been working on it, and there's been a big improvement, but it's going to take some time to fully rehab from this disaster. Looks like my ring finger is never going to be quite the same, but as long as I have full function I don't mind too much.
Anyway, back to today's workout - I finished the 10K in 1:02:33 for 6:15/km with ave HR 141. Good for tired legs for the last 3km, I think.
Garmin data here.
***
Other randomness: I'm thinking of growing my hair long again, to donate to Locks of Love. It looks cute short and I like it this way, but it's fun to have long hair too, and maybe it's time for a change? Opinions wanted...
***
Today I did the 10K, and it was quite warm. It was 77F (25C) when I started and 79F (26C) when I finished, and it was also humid. The weather website said it was only 40% humidity, but there is no way that was right --- it was very humid; in fact, it drizzled on me during the 10K on and off. Not enough rain to cool me off much, though. I felt good through 7 km, and then my legs felt heavy, and I took it easy through 10km. Nothing serious, just a bit of tired legs, but I didn't want to work too hard because I have a half marathon tomorrow :).
I'm doing the Timpanogos Half Marathon with my friend Sarah. It's very scenic, and has a huge downhill - almost 2000ft from start to finish. Crazy! I hope the downhill won't kill my legs, but I think it'll be OK. Sarah plans to do another 7 miles after the race to get in 20, since she is training for a marathon in September; I plan to bike with her for that last 7 miles, fingers permitting. I haven't been on a bike since breaking them, but I think I'm ready. They are still sore and I definitely do not have as much range of motion in that hand yet, and it's quite weak. I've been working on it, and there's been a big improvement, but it's going to take some time to fully rehab from this disaster. Looks like my ring finger is never going to be quite the same, but as long as I have full function I don't mind too much.
Anyway, back to today's workout - I finished the 10K in 1:02:33 for 6:15/km with ave HR 141. Good for tired legs for the last 3km, I think.
Garmin data here.
***
Other randomness: I'm thinking of growing my hair long again, to donate to Locks of Love. It looks cute short and I like it this way, but it's fun to have long hair too, and maybe it's time for a change? Opinions wanted...
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Photos from Deseret News 10K
Official race photos :). I like these! You can see how hard I'm working, and also you can see that my knees are straight as an arrow.
10K
I took it easy this morning, and only pushed a little :). I am pretty sore from yesterday's race - abductors and right hamstring, and obliques. However, that didn't seem to slow me down much this morning.
The weather was noticeably cooler. It was 70F (21C) and still 60% humidity, but I swear that 3 degrees cooler than yesterday felt much better. I felt like I got a breath of cooler air now and then.
The walk went well - I didn't get tired and was able to keep pretty good pace. Total time 1:01:52 with ave HR 142. Used to be I'd do 1:05 with ave HR 140ish, and now look! Much better. I am obviously fitter than I used to be. Thanks, coach!
Garmin data here.
***
People: I saw baseball-cap-guy walking his dog, jacket and long pants guy, pajama stripe guy, Henry, and the 2 ladies who are always walking and talking. It's entertaining to see the same people day after day.
***
I think I forgot to post that on Sunday I rested, on Monday I cross-trained (elliptical) and did core work with Lisa.
Tomorrow I'll do another easy 10K, and Friday cross-training. Saturday I'm racing the Timpanogos Half Marathon with my friend Sarah :).
The weather was noticeably cooler. It was 70F (21C) and still 60% humidity, but I swear that 3 degrees cooler than yesterday felt much better. I felt like I got a breath of cooler air now and then.
The walk went well - I didn't get tired and was able to keep pretty good pace. Total time 1:01:52 with ave HR 142. Used to be I'd do 1:05 with ave HR 140ish, and now look! Much better. I am obviously fitter than I used to be. Thanks, coach!
Garmin data here.
***
People: I saw baseball-cap-guy walking his dog, jacket and long pants guy, pajama stripe guy, Henry, and the 2 ladies who are always walking and talking. It's entertaining to see the same people day after day.
***
I think I forgot to post that on Sunday I rested, on Monday I cross-trained (elliptical) and did core work with Lisa.
Tomorrow I'll do another easy 10K, and Friday cross-training. Saturday I'm racing the Timpanogos Half Marathon with my friend Sarah :).
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Deseret News 10K - 2012 edition
I usually do this race; I like the course (downhill, through the University and downtown, ending at Liberty Park) and the fact that it goes through the Pioneer Day parade route, so there are lots of spectators cheering for the runners. Last year I did it right after getting back from World Masters, and I did a 56:31. I figured I could beat that this year. I remembered the weather not being too bad last year, but honestly, it wasn't much cooler than today. It was 71F last year and humid; this year it was 73F (23C) and humid (60%). Oh yay.
I'm in better shape than last year - at least I think I am - so I thought I'd be faster. It didn't work out that way.
I warmed up fine; my GI system was acting up a bit and I was pretty concerned about that. I knew I'd have to go out conservatively because of the heat, and I figured if worst came to worse I could just quit racing it and take it easy. Thankfully, my stomach settled and I had no trouble.
Mile splits: mile 1 8:37, mile 2 8:54 (17:31), mile 3 9:19 (26:50), [~27:45 for 5K], mile 4 9:14 (36:04), mile 5 9:16 (45:20), mile 6 (slightly uphill) 9:46 (55:06), mile 6.2 1:51 (56:57).
Surprisingly, I didn't feel totally trashed at the end. I was working really hard, and it was hot, but I felt OK. I had enough to push hard to the finish line. My average HR for the race was just 159, despite my HR monitor spiking a bit in the middle of the race. Hmmmm - maybe I should have pushed harder? That seems low, but remember that it was HOT. At least for me it was hot. (I hope it's not too hot for the 40K in New Jersey on Sept 9th...I just don't race well in heat).
So, I suppose I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't faster than last year, but oh well! Not every race can be your best, and I have been doing more distance work and less short speed work. Still, this was a fast effort and I should do better at the half marathon on Saturday, weather permitting.
Garmin data here.
I'm in better shape than last year - at least I think I am - so I thought I'd be faster. It didn't work out that way.
I warmed up fine; my GI system was acting up a bit and I was pretty concerned about that. I knew I'd have to go out conservatively because of the heat, and I figured if worst came to worse I could just quit racing it and take it easy. Thankfully, my stomach settled and I had no trouble.
Mile splits: mile 1 8:37, mile 2 8:54 (17:31), mile 3 9:19 (26:50), [~27:45 for 5K], mile 4 9:14 (36:04), mile 5 9:16 (45:20), mile 6 (slightly uphill) 9:46 (55:06), mile 6.2 1:51 (56:57).
Surprisingly, I didn't feel totally trashed at the end. I was working really hard, and it was hot, but I felt OK. I had enough to push hard to the finish line. My average HR for the race was just 159, despite my HR monitor spiking a bit in the middle of the race. Hmmmm - maybe I should have pushed harder? That seems low, but remember that it was HOT. At least for me it was hot. (I hope it's not too hot for the 40K in New Jersey on Sept 9th...I just don't race well in heat).
So, I suppose I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't faster than last year, but oh well! Not every race can be your best, and I have been doing more distance work and less short speed work. Still, this was a fast effort and I should do better at the half marathon on Saturday, weather permitting.
Garmin data here.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
30K
Weather: hot and hotter. 73F (22ishC?) at the start and 83F (28C) when I finished. Yup, the low last night was 73. It was also 57% humidity to start and 40% when I finished. I was sweating like mad. Lots of salt crusted all over when I finished...that shower sure felt good! I drank a lot: 140 oz or about 3.9 liters. I did lose 2.2 lb (1 kg), so I guess I should have drunk more. I think I was well-hydrated, though, as I had to stop twice to use the restroom. I do like summer, but this one has been pretty hot, even for me.
How I felt: I felt kind of stiff and out-of-sorts for the first 5-7km or so, and then I did feel better until about 12km, when my legs just got really tired. I thought I was a goner, but sometimes you do get a second wind, and I felt better around 18km. I was pleased to be able to finish today. I just didn't feel good - I felt kind of lousy, but at least it wasn't really bad. I was able to hold my pace OK after the slow third 5K, and even sped up a bit. I was slower than last week, but it was hotter, and it wasn't cloudy, so the sun was beating on me after about 15km. Anyway, I'm just glad I finished, and my time wasn't so awful considering the conditions.
5km splits: 30:56, 31:29, 31:54, 31:27, 31:11, 31:21 for 3:08:18 total. Amazingly, I negative split this even though I was feeling crummy at 13.5 km! My first 15km was 1:34:19, and my second 15km was 1:33:59! Go figure. Heart rate monitor was particularly annoying today - spiking high for no reason. However, overall it appears I was in low 140s to start and upper 150s-low 160s at the finish. Average was around 150; maybe a bit less.
Garmin data here.
***
Next week will be fun! Two races on tap: a 10K race on Pioneer Day (July 24th; unique Utah holiday), and then the Timpanogos Half Marathon on July 28th. Throw in a couple 10Ks easy, and that's my week. Nice to do the hard workouts as races with lots of people - easier that way for sure; always a runner to chase and pass :).
***
People: I saw pajama guy (he wears stripy shirts and shorts that look like PJs!), matching baseball cap and shirt guy walking his dog, my walking friend Henry, jacket-and-long-pants guy (really...even in this weather!), and ponytail guy walking his dog. I also ran into my friend Leah from the Wasatch Walkers at 26km, but paused only for a few seconds to say hi and then moved on - I just wanted to finish!
How I felt: I felt kind of stiff and out-of-sorts for the first 5-7km or so, and then I did feel better until about 12km, when my legs just got really tired. I thought I was a goner, but sometimes you do get a second wind, and I felt better around 18km. I was pleased to be able to finish today. I just didn't feel good - I felt kind of lousy, but at least it wasn't really bad. I was able to hold my pace OK after the slow third 5K, and even sped up a bit. I was slower than last week, but it was hotter, and it wasn't cloudy, so the sun was beating on me after about 15km. Anyway, I'm just glad I finished, and my time wasn't so awful considering the conditions.
5km splits: 30:56, 31:29, 31:54, 31:27, 31:11, 31:21 for 3:08:18 total. Amazingly, I negative split this even though I was feeling crummy at 13.5 km! My first 15km was 1:34:19, and my second 15km was 1:33:59! Go figure. Heart rate monitor was particularly annoying today - spiking high for no reason. However, overall it appears I was in low 140s to start and upper 150s-low 160s at the finish. Average was around 150; maybe a bit less.
Garmin data here.
***
Next week will be fun! Two races on tap: a 10K race on Pioneer Day (July 24th; unique Utah holiday), and then the Timpanogos Half Marathon on July 28th. Throw in a couple 10Ks easy, and that's my week. Nice to do the hard workouts as races with lots of people - easier that way for sure; always a runner to chase and pass :).
***
People: I saw pajama guy (he wears stripy shirts and shorts that look like PJs!), matching baseball cap and shirt guy walking his dog, my walking friend Henry, jacket-and-long-pants guy (really...even in this weather!), and ponytail guy walking his dog. I also ran into my friend Leah from the Wasatch Walkers at 26km, but paused only for a few seconds to say hi and then moved on - I just wanted to finish!
Friday, July 20, 2012
recovering
I'm feeling SO much better now! This week of cross-training plus the 15K kickdown is just what I needed. I'm feeling much more normal - not tired, just feeling good again. It's a relief! Tomorrow I have 30K, but I feel rested and ready to go. It's a nice feeling. My coach was so right to change my schedule and get me "freshened up" as he says in Aussie-speak.
I did the elliptical today and yesterday, and finished a fluffy but entertaining crime novel. Now I'm reading a spy novel that is much better written. I do enjoy my elliptical time!
Hoping for good weather for the 30K tomorrow, but looks like it'll be warm. Though it's only forecast to get up to 93F today (34C), it's only supposed to get down to 75F (24C), which is pretty hot for 30K. Well, I'll just have to stay hydrated and see what I can do. Was thinking to do the Jordan River trail again, but I think it's not shaded enough for 75F. Will pick somewhere cooler, I think.
I did the elliptical today and yesterday, and finished a fluffy but entertaining crime novel. Now I'm reading a spy novel that is much better written. I do enjoy my elliptical time!
Hoping for good weather for the 30K tomorrow, but looks like it'll be warm. Though it's only forecast to get up to 93F today (34C), it's only supposed to get down to 75F (24C), which is pretty hot for 30K. Well, I'll just have to stay hydrated and see what I can do. Was thinking to do the Jordan River trail again, but I think it's not shaded enough for 75F. Will pick somewhere cooler, I think.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
15K kickdown
The weather was better today. 68F (20C) when I started, and 70F (21C) when I finished. The humidity was about 40% when I started, which I think is pretty average here for mornings; it felt fine - not too humid, probably because there wasn't much cloud cover. It's supposed to get up to 95F (35C) today, which is a pretty normal late July day.
True confession time: I'd been dreading this workout a bit. I did a 4-split 15K kickdown in the summer of 2011 and it was 1:31:37, which was good for me at the time. Then I had a very disastrous 3-split 15K kickdown in late December 2011, right before the 50K race. I'd been swimming for x-training the day before and did a bit too much for my legs. It hurt...and I still remember that! I did 1:31:34 and barely broke 30 min on the last 5K! Ouch! Even though my legs were fresh this morning, I still had a bit of apprehension about it.
Coach said to do 6:10/km for the first 5K, 6:00 for the second 5K, and then all-out the last 5K. I followed his instructions really well, I'm happy to say! I did have to stop briefly to drink a bit/refill water bottles - though it was not as hot as it's been, I decided I needed to drink and I'm really glad I did. Despite drinking 36 oz, I still lost 32 oz in sweat during the workout!
I felt pretty good today. The first 5K felt totally fine; a nice easy pace. The second 5K was moderately hard, and the last 5K was a hard effort. Splits: 30:54 (ave HR 139), 29:45 (HR 154, 1:00:38 for 10K), 28:49 (HR 164). Total: 1:29:27 for the 15K, 2 min faster than my previous best (though since my previous best was lousy, that's not saying much?!?). Still, I'm happy with the workout, and relieved it's over.
Garmin data here.
True confession time: I'd been dreading this workout a bit. I did a 4-split 15K kickdown in the summer of 2011 and it was 1:31:37, which was good for me at the time. Then I had a very disastrous 3-split 15K kickdown in late December 2011, right before the 50K race. I'd been swimming for x-training the day before and did a bit too much for my legs. It hurt...and I still remember that! I did 1:31:34 and barely broke 30 min on the last 5K! Ouch! Even though my legs were fresh this morning, I still had a bit of apprehension about it.
Coach said to do 6:10/km for the first 5K, 6:00 for the second 5K, and then all-out the last 5K. I followed his instructions really well, I'm happy to say! I did have to stop briefly to drink a bit/refill water bottles - though it was not as hot as it's been, I decided I needed to drink and I'm really glad I did. Despite drinking 36 oz, I still lost 32 oz in sweat during the workout!
I felt pretty good today. The first 5K felt totally fine; a nice easy pace. The second 5K was moderately hard, and the last 5K was a hard effort. Splits: 30:54 (ave HR 139), 29:45 (HR 154, 1:00:38 for 10K), 28:49 (HR 164). Total: 1:29:27 for the 15K, 2 min faster than my previous best (though since my previous best was lousy, that's not saying much?!?). Still, I'm happy with the workout, and relieved it's over.
Garmin data here.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
cross-training and rest
My coach has given me an easier week to try and recover a bit from the heat. Sunday, I took a rest day (as usual), and Monday and today I cross-trained on the elliptical. It has been a nice change of pace, though of course the weather has improved since I'm taking it easy! Murphy's Law or something.
Tomorrow I'm to do a 15K kickdown, so the plan for tonight is to get to bed early and be ready for a good fast workout!
Tomorrow I'm to do a 15K kickdown, so the plan for tonight is to get to bed early and be ready for a good fast workout!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
30K
Things finally went really well today!!! It was still hot, but the extra rest yesterday, better hydration, and maybe getting used to the heat made today much better.
It was 71F (22C) and 60% humidity when I started this morning. It felt really sticky to me - we're used to low humidity here. It's not going to be that hot today, because the monsoonal moisture came through last night and we're having a monsoon pattern for the next few days. That's great, but the nightly lows are not going to change much due to the cloud cover. It was overcast for much of my workout, though the sun did bake me a bit from 18-23km. By the time I finished, it was 81F (27C) and still 50% humidity. I'm surprised the weather didn't crush me today, but perhaps I'm getting used to it.
I drove to Liberty Park to work out, and decided to do six 5K loops from the N end of the park down to Garfield Ave and 600 E and back. I wanted frequent access to water, because my coach told me to drink more this time. The hydration experiment was a success - I drank 164 oz (4850 ml) of water/zipfizz (zipfizz is a very low calorie electrolyte replacement) and I actually weighed 1 lb (16 oz; 0.45kg) MORE when I got back then when I started! I guess that means I drank just a little too much, but it was close. Staying well-hydrated did mean 2 potty stops, but that was OK. It also meant a lot of stops to refill my three 8-oz water bottles. I filled them either from the fountain at the SE corner of the park or from a bottle I kept stashed in my car at the north end of the park.
Perhaps it was the hydration, or perhaps it was that I was feeling good today, but I was fast and consistent. My 5K splits were fantastic: 30:51, 30:49, 30:50, 30:59, 30:45, 31:03! Top that! Ha! (I admit to being slightly bummed that they weren't all sub-31, but hey, it was close).
My heart rate was a mystery, as my heart rate monitor was acting up. It does that when it gets too salty, which probably happened today due to the heat and humidity. When it appeared to be reading correctly, my HR was mostly in the high 140s-low 150s. I also took my HR manually when I stopped, and it was 148. I'd guess my average was high 140s.
Total: 3:05:17 for 6:11/km. Fastest 30km ever, except for the first 30km of the Mesquite Marathon, which was downhill a LOT. So this is my fastest FLAT 30K ever :).
Garmin data here.
***
I stopped for slightly extended periods (3-8 min???) twice, at 9K and just shy of 10K, because I ran into 1) Leah from the Wasatch Walkers, and stopped to talk to her for a few minutes, and 2) Donna from Bear Lake, who is interested in our club. She had read on the website that we were having a 5K race today at 8 am at Liberty Park, and she was looking for us. She saw me racewalking and stopped me to inquire about the race. I explained that we had rescheduled it for yesterday because more people could attend. She was happy to see us anyway, though, and she asked me a bunch of questions about racewalking; Leah came by shortly and I introduced her to Donna. Donna wanted a little RW lesson right then and there, and thankfully Leah volunteered to do it, because I was getting antsy to get back to my 30K again!
I got started again, and then my coach called me just shy of 12km to see how things were going. Great, coach :). Only let me finish my workout! I chatted with him a couple min and got going again.
I also saw many of the usual people at the park today. I thought I'd mention them since I do see some of the same people over and over. I only know the name of one of them, though. His name is Henry and he's probably in his 70s, but he is out there every day walking and he always says hi to me and yells some encouragement as we pass. The other people I see I have nicknamed :). There's the lean-forward walking guy, who walks with long arms and leaning forward, and always wears jeans, even today in the heat. There's the cool-as-a-cucumber runner who always wears a baseball cap, long pants and a jacket, even in the heat. There's the guy with matching hat and shirt (a red beret and red shirt the other day, and green baseball cap & shirt today) who walks his little beagle mix dog. There's the ponytail guy, who lives in the apartments at 1700S 600E and who walks his dog every morning. There are the 2 ladies who walk together every morning. There might be more...but now I don't remember.
My brain is mush now, and my legs are VERY tired. But I'm happy :).
It was 71F (22C) and 60% humidity when I started this morning. It felt really sticky to me - we're used to low humidity here. It's not going to be that hot today, because the monsoonal moisture came through last night and we're having a monsoon pattern for the next few days. That's great, but the nightly lows are not going to change much due to the cloud cover. It was overcast for much of my workout, though the sun did bake me a bit from 18-23km. By the time I finished, it was 81F (27C) and still 50% humidity. I'm surprised the weather didn't crush me today, but perhaps I'm getting used to it.
I drove to Liberty Park to work out, and decided to do six 5K loops from the N end of the park down to Garfield Ave and 600 E and back. I wanted frequent access to water, because my coach told me to drink more this time. The hydration experiment was a success - I drank 164 oz (4850 ml) of water/zipfizz (zipfizz is a very low calorie electrolyte replacement) and I actually weighed 1 lb (16 oz; 0.45kg) MORE when I got back then when I started! I guess that means I drank just a little too much, but it was close. Staying well-hydrated did mean 2 potty stops, but that was OK. It also meant a lot of stops to refill my three 8-oz water bottles. I filled them either from the fountain at the SE corner of the park or from a bottle I kept stashed in my car at the north end of the park.
Perhaps it was the hydration, or perhaps it was that I was feeling good today, but I was fast and consistent. My 5K splits were fantastic: 30:51, 30:49, 30:50, 30:59, 30:45, 31:03! Top that! Ha! (I admit to being slightly bummed that they weren't all sub-31, but hey, it was close).
My heart rate was a mystery, as my heart rate monitor was acting up. It does that when it gets too salty, which probably happened today due to the heat and humidity. When it appeared to be reading correctly, my HR was mostly in the high 140s-low 150s. I also took my HR manually when I stopped, and it was 148. I'd guess my average was high 140s.
Total: 3:05:17 for 6:11/km. Fastest 30km ever, except for the first 30km of the Mesquite Marathon, which was downhill a LOT. So this is my fastest FLAT 30K ever :).
Garmin data here.
***
I stopped for slightly extended periods (3-8 min???) twice, at 9K and just shy of 10K, because I ran into 1) Leah from the Wasatch Walkers, and stopped to talk to her for a few minutes, and 2) Donna from Bear Lake, who is interested in our club. She had read on the website that we were having a 5K race today at 8 am at Liberty Park, and she was looking for us. She saw me racewalking and stopped me to inquire about the race. I explained that we had rescheduled it for yesterday because more people could attend. She was happy to see us anyway, though, and she asked me a bunch of questions about racewalking; Leah came by shortly and I introduced her to Donna. Donna wanted a little RW lesson right then and there, and thankfully Leah volunteered to do it, because I was getting antsy to get back to my 30K again!
I got started again, and then my coach called me just shy of 12km to see how things were going. Great, coach :). Only let me finish my workout! I chatted with him a couple min and got going again.
I also saw many of the usual people at the park today. I thought I'd mention them since I do see some of the same people over and over. I only know the name of one of them, though. His name is Henry and he's probably in his 70s, but he is out there every day walking and he always says hi to me and yells some encouragement as we pass. The other people I see I have nicknamed :). There's the lean-forward walking guy, who walks with long arms and leaning forward, and always wears jeans, even today in the heat. There's the cool-as-a-cucumber runner who always wears a baseball cap, long pants and a jacket, even in the heat. There's the guy with matching hat and shirt (a red beret and red shirt the other day, and green baseball cap & shirt today) who walks his little beagle mix dog. There's the ponytail guy, who lives in the apartments at 1700S 600E and who walks his dog every morning. There are the 2 ladies who walk together every morning. There might be more...but now I don't remember.
My brain is mush now, and my legs are VERY tired. But I'm happy :).
Thursday, July 12, 2012
8K fartlek
Hot again. Not much relief in sight; though the daily highs are predicted to ease a bit from the current >100F (>38C) temps, the overnight lows are still predicted to be warm. It was 77F (25C) when I started this morning, and 82F (28C) when I finished. It's supposed to get to 104F (40C). The one saving grace was a breeze and the sprinklers at the track. The sprinklers were on the grass outside the oval, and that plus the breeze kept it a little cooler, though not much once the sun peeked over the mountains.
I warmed up well, feeling pretty good, with 9:41 for 1600m and ave HR 135. That included a couple 100m strides. Then I did my dynamic stretching and got going. I knew from the heat that it would not be fast, but what matters is that I got it done. Still, I started out well enough, with 2:45 fast 500m intervals for a while. I got to 3km in 16:58; not bad. At 4km, my legs were feeling really beat-up, though. By 5km, which I reached in a pretty reasonable time of 28:34 (hey, that's good, considering!), I was HOT. As per coach's orders, I did bring water to the track and stopped each 2km for a quick drink ~30 sec?) before continuing on. I drank 20 oz (~600ml) but this was not enough, as I still lost 1.8 pounds (~0.8kg). I'll bring 2 bottles of water next time. I pushed really hard on the 7th km and my fast interval was 2:48, but then I was wasted. My medium 500 was 3:07 and my last 500m fast was only 2:53.
Total time: 46:23 with ave HR 160 (the ave HR was lower due to the water stops, even though they were quick! Total time for the 3 stops was 1:57).
Garmin data here.
***
Because of the heat and the difficulty I've had with the workouts, my coach has had to change my schedule. I am really glad that he did, because originally I was slated to do a 12K fartlek today. I am sure I would not have been able to do it very well at all - I would have had to go MUCH slower and even then I'm not sure I would have finished it. Tomorrow I was to do 10K, but he changed it to cross-training to get me inside out of the heat - I'd swim but I can't with my hand all messed up. Swimming would be nice and cool! I'll probably just do the elliptical. Saturday I'm still going to do the planned 30km, but next week he's cut back the workouts to the minimum: just a 15K kickdown on Tues or Wed and then 30km (instead of the planned 35km) for the next Saturday. I don't like that we've had to cut things back, but it was absolutely necessary. Coach said my legs were getting "trashed" from the heat, and it's true. I feel like I did a 12K fartlek this morning, not just 8K. My legs are quite sore.
This has also made the schedule much more do-able in terms of quality of life, and I feel more balanced. It helps that I've gotten a good night's sleep for two nights now :). I ate very well yesterday and exercised good self-control. We seem to be at a turning point, I hope!
I warmed up well, feeling pretty good, with 9:41 for 1600m and ave HR 135. That included a couple 100m strides. Then I did my dynamic stretching and got going. I knew from the heat that it would not be fast, but what matters is that I got it done. Still, I started out well enough, with 2:45 fast 500m intervals for a while. I got to 3km in 16:58; not bad. At 4km, my legs were feeling really beat-up, though. By 5km, which I reached in a pretty reasonable time of 28:34 (hey, that's good, considering!), I was HOT. As per coach's orders, I did bring water to the track and stopped each 2km for a quick drink ~30 sec?) before continuing on. I drank 20 oz (~600ml) but this was not enough, as I still lost 1.8 pounds (~0.8kg). I'll bring 2 bottles of water next time. I pushed really hard on the 7th km and my fast interval was 2:48, but then I was wasted. My medium 500 was 3:07 and my last 500m fast was only 2:53.
Total time: 46:23 with ave HR 160 (the ave HR was lower due to the water stops, even though they were quick! Total time for the 3 stops was 1:57).
Garmin data here.
***
Because of the heat and the difficulty I've had with the workouts, my coach has had to change my schedule. I am really glad that he did, because originally I was slated to do a 12K fartlek today. I am sure I would not have been able to do it very well at all - I would have had to go MUCH slower and even then I'm not sure I would have finished it. Tomorrow I was to do 10K, but he changed it to cross-training to get me inside out of the heat - I'd swim but I can't with my hand all messed up. Swimming would be nice and cool! I'll probably just do the elliptical. Saturday I'm still going to do the planned 30km, but next week he's cut back the workouts to the minimum: just a 15K kickdown on Tues or Wed and then 30km (instead of the planned 35km) for the next Saturday. I don't like that we've had to cut things back, but it was absolutely necessary. Coach said my legs were getting "trashed" from the heat, and it's true. I feel like I did a 12K fartlek this morning, not just 8K. My legs are quite sore.
This has also made the schedule much more do-able in terms of quality of life, and I feel more balanced. It helps that I've gotten a good night's sleep for two nights now :). I ate very well yesterday and exercised good self-control. We seem to be at a turning point, I hope!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
25K
Well, it's done. I'm very tired. Whew.
It was 70F (21C) when I started, cooler than it has been but still quite warm for me. By the time I finished, however, it was 80F (27C) and I was hot. The route I used today was pretty shady, as the streets here are tree-lined, but by the end the sun was high enough that it was only maybe 50% shaded. Hot.
I was supposed to do this workout fast, i.e. low 6-min/km. I knew I wouldn't be able to do that. Weak, I know. I feel mentally weak lately. Today when I got to 12km I was sorely tempted to quit. My legs felt tired and I was hot, and well, I felt a bit like a failure. The negative thinking was kicking in. I did manage to make that voice shut up and I did finish the walk pretty well, considering. I don't know how I did it, but the last 12.5km (1:20:09) was only a little slower than the first 12.5km (1:19:33). That's good given my state of mind. After cutting 2km off of yesterday's workout and doing today's 20 sec/km slower than I was supposed to, it's tough to stay positive.
Fueling: ate a banana before I left, and took Clif Shot Bloks at 10km and 18km. Drank 92 oz (2721 ml) of water/electrolyte replacement, and still weighed 2.4 lb (1.09 kg) less when I got back. That's a total of 8.15 pounds (3.8 kg) lost through sweat/potty stop (just one; no GI problems today). Better than on Saturday, when I drank 112 oz (3312 ml) and weighed 3.2 lb (1.45 kg) less than when I started (10.2 lb or 4.6 kg lost!). This weather is a killer. At least it's dry here. Humidity would make it much worse. It was 49% humidity when I started, but down to 27% when I finished. Now it's only 15% (at 2 pm) but it's 100F (38C). Hot.
Total: 2:39:41 for 6:23/km with ave HR 142. It felt harder than the HR shows. 5K splits: 31:27, 31:50, 32:26, 31:50, 32:08. Not too bad.
Garmin data here.
***
I'm hoping my workouts will turn a corner soon and that I'll start feeling better. It's not very fun to do them when you put in a lot of effort each time and the results are not good. Adding miles plus doing them in hot weather does make it tough, but I'm still hoping that my body will adjust soon. It had better, or I'm not sure I'll be able to keep this up.
It was 70F (21C) when I started, cooler than it has been but still quite warm for me. By the time I finished, however, it was 80F (27C) and I was hot. The route I used today was pretty shady, as the streets here are tree-lined, but by the end the sun was high enough that it was only maybe 50% shaded. Hot.
I was supposed to do this workout fast, i.e. low 6-min/km. I knew I wouldn't be able to do that. Weak, I know. I feel mentally weak lately. Today when I got to 12km I was sorely tempted to quit. My legs felt tired and I was hot, and well, I felt a bit like a failure. The negative thinking was kicking in. I did manage to make that voice shut up and I did finish the walk pretty well, considering. I don't know how I did it, but the last 12.5km (1:20:09) was only a little slower than the first 12.5km (1:19:33). That's good given my state of mind. After cutting 2km off of yesterday's workout and doing today's 20 sec/km slower than I was supposed to, it's tough to stay positive.
Fueling: ate a banana before I left, and took Clif Shot Bloks at 10km and 18km. Drank 92 oz (2721 ml) of water/electrolyte replacement, and still weighed 2.4 lb (1.09 kg) less when I got back. That's a total of 8.15 pounds (3.8 kg) lost through sweat/potty stop (just one; no GI problems today). Better than on Saturday, when I drank 112 oz (3312 ml) and weighed 3.2 lb (1.45 kg) less than when I started (10.2 lb or 4.6 kg lost!). This weather is a killer. At least it's dry here. Humidity would make it much worse. It was 49% humidity when I started, but down to 27% when I finished. Now it's only 15% (at 2 pm) but it's 100F (38C). Hot.
Total: 2:39:41 for 6:23/km with ave HR 142. It felt harder than the HR shows. 5K splits: 31:27, 31:50, 32:26, 31:50, 32:08. Not too bad.
Garmin data here.
***
I'm hoping my workouts will turn a corner soon and that I'll start feeling better. It's not very fun to do them when you put in a lot of effort each time and the results are not good. Adding miles plus doing them in hot weather does make it tough, but I'm still hoping that my body will adjust soon. It had better, or I'm not sure I'll be able to keep this up.
Monday, July 09, 2012
10K w/2x5' @20K pace
I was supposed to do 12K w/2x5' @20K pace, but I overslept a little and only had time for 10K. I toyed w/the idea of going to work a bit early and doing the 12K at work, but the weather dictated otherwise. It was already 76F (24C) when I headed out at 6:45 am, and it was 81F (27C) when I finished. This week is supposed to be very hot; it's not atypical for the highs to be around 100F (38C) or above in July, but what is weird is that the lows are so high. Upper 70s for a low is definitely toasty.
Yesterday I took a rest day after the 30K on Saturday, but my legs still felt tired today. I didn't push too hard, as I have 25K tomorrow. Needless to say, I wasn't very fast today. My fast segments were from 3-4km and 5-6 km, and were good enough, at 2:55ish and 2:49ish for the 1st fast 500m of each. By the end of the workout I was slogging it, though, with a 500m as slow as 3:33.
Total time: 1:03:10 for 6:19/km with ave HR 147.
Garmin data here.
***
Today it's back to work after my staycation. I like my job, so I don't mind too much. I just have to get back into the swing of things again, schedule-wise. Training for the 40K is a big commitment and I haven't taken it seriously enough by going to bed earlier and taking good care of myself. I've not gotten enough sleep, stayed up late relaxing, but then felt tired the next day, overeaten, and regretted it. Repeat cycle. Not good. Result: bad mood, weight gain, general irritation and lack of motivation.
I have not bought my plane tickets yet for the 40K or Portland-to-Coast. I think I have some ambivalence about the 40K now, mostly because I haven't properly addressed the schedule changes I will have to embrace to make it work. Is it worth it? I asked Loren if he thought I was too obsessed with walking and he said no, which is a good sign. I try to keep my training from interfering with family life as much as possible by doing it early in the day. And it's not as time-consuming as triathlon training where you are focusing on several sports. Still, I have to carefully consider everything. 25K tomorrow morning is a lot for a weekday. Is it worth it? Am I taking on too much? Am I staying in balance? There's not a lot of wiggle room, but it's only for 2 more months. All the same, again I ask, is it worth it?
Yesterday I took a rest day after the 30K on Saturday, but my legs still felt tired today. I didn't push too hard, as I have 25K tomorrow. Needless to say, I wasn't very fast today. My fast segments were from 3-4km and 5-6 km, and were good enough, at 2:55ish and 2:49ish for the 1st fast 500m of each. By the end of the workout I was slogging it, though, with a 500m as slow as 3:33.
Total time: 1:03:10 for 6:19/km with ave HR 147.
Garmin data here.
***
Today it's back to work after my staycation. I like my job, so I don't mind too much. I just have to get back into the swing of things again, schedule-wise. Training for the 40K is a big commitment and I haven't taken it seriously enough by going to bed earlier and taking good care of myself. I've not gotten enough sleep, stayed up late relaxing, but then felt tired the next day, overeaten, and regretted it. Repeat cycle. Not good. Result: bad mood, weight gain, general irritation and lack of motivation.
I have not bought my plane tickets yet for the 40K or Portland-to-Coast. I think I have some ambivalence about the 40K now, mostly because I haven't properly addressed the schedule changes I will have to embrace to make it work. Is it worth it? I asked Loren if he thought I was too obsessed with walking and he said no, which is a good sign. I try to keep my training from interfering with family life as much as possible by doing it early in the day. And it's not as time-consuming as triathlon training where you are focusing on several sports. Still, I have to carefully consider everything. 25K tomorrow morning is a lot for a weekday. Is it worth it? Am I taking on too much? Am I staying in balance? There's not a lot of wiggle room, but it's only for 2 more months. All the same, again I ask, is it worth it?
Saturday, July 07, 2012
30K
Today's workout: 30K (18.6 miles). My legs were a little tired from the hiking and racewalking I'd already done this week, so my goal today was just to finish and not worry about the time.
I started off very conservatively out of necessity, doing 31:41 for the first 5K with HR of only 134. I think this saved my bacon at the end! It was warm - 73F (23C) to start and 83F (28C) at the end, and so going slowly was a must. Jim called me at 9.28km to see how it was going, and I told him I felt OK but that it was going to be a slow one. He was OK with that, and I think he mostly wanted for me to just finish it if possible. He did point out that he was relaxing in bed watching the Tour de France and Wimbledon. Grrr! But I'd rather have been training, even though it's tough.
About 1.5km after Jim called me, I ran into Nancy (who Jim also coaches) on the trail; she was with Cyndie, Kathy, and Shelly - all members of the Wasatch Walkers. Naturally we stopped to chat for a few minutes :). I also saw my friend Sarah twice on the trail, and saw Nancy and Cyndie again when they were finishing up. In addition, when I took at gel at 16km (also took one at 8km and 24km), I stepped off the trail next to a runner who was also taking a gel, and we chatted a bit. There were LOTS of runners, walkers, and bikers on the trail today! I had to be careful to stay to the right to avoid the bikers.
Speaking of bikers, a woman on a bike watched me carefully and then yelled out, "WOW! You're good!" I really appreciated that, and kept it in mind as I walked. It actually helped me to stay motivated despite my tired state.
Other interesting things seen on the trail today: the usual plethora of ducks, quail and other birds, and pelicans! There were two pelicans just floating along the Jordan River. I didn't know we had pelicans here, which strikes me as pretty lame since I've lived here 13 years and hadn't seen any. Guess I wasn't paying close attention. I snapped some photos w/my phone but I was not close enough so they're lousy. Here they are anyway :).
5K splits (ave HR): 31:41 (134), 32:06 (138), 32:11 (150), 32:34 (145), 32:27 (145), and 32:14 (152). Given the heat and my general tiredness, I think this is pretty good. It was not a meltdown at the end like the 25K a couple weeks ago. Yes, my legs were tired, but they still had something in them and continued moving on command. Total time: 3:13:12 for 6:26/km with average HR 144.
Garmin data here.
I started off very conservatively out of necessity, doing 31:41 for the first 5K with HR of only 134. I think this saved my bacon at the end! It was warm - 73F (23C) to start and 83F (28C) at the end, and so going slowly was a must. Jim called me at 9.28km to see how it was going, and I told him I felt OK but that it was going to be a slow one. He was OK with that, and I think he mostly wanted for me to just finish it if possible. He did point out that he was relaxing in bed watching the Tour de France and Wimbledon. Grrr! But I'd rather have been training, even though it's tough.
About 1.5km after Jim called me, I ran into Nancy (who Jim also coaches) on the trail; she was with Cyndie, Kathy, and Shelly - all members of the Wasatch Walkers. Naturally we stopped to chat for a few minutes :). I also saw my friend Sarah twice on the trail, and saw Nancy and Cyndie again when they were finishing up. In addition, when I took at gel at 16km (also took one at 8km and 24km), I stepped off the trail next to a runner who was also taking a gel, and we chatted a bit. There were LOTS of runners, walkers, and bikers on the trail today! I had to be careful to stay to the right to avoid the bikers.
Speaking of bikers, a woman on a bike watched me carefully and then yelled out, "WOW! You're good!" I really appreciated that, and kept it in mind as I walked. It actually helped me to stay motivated despite my tired state.
Other interesting things seen on the trail today: the usual plethora of ducks, quail and other birds, and pelicans! There were two pelicans just floating along the Jordan River. I didn't know we had pelicans here, which strikes me as pretty lame since I've lived here 13 years and hadn't seen any. Guess I wasn't paying close attention. I snapped some photos w/my phone but I was not close enough so they're lousy. Here they are anyway :).
5K splits (ave HR): 31:41 (134), 32:06 (138), 32:11 (150), 32:34 (145), 32:27 (145), and 32:14 (152). Given the heat and my general tiredness, I think this is pretty good. It was not a meltdown at the end like the 25K a couple weeks ago. Yes, my legs were tired, but they still had something in them and continued moving on command. Total time: 3:13:12 for 6:26/km with average HR 144.
Garmin data here.
Friday, July 06, 2012
10K really easy
This morning I did 10K really really easy. I just did not push at all and did 1:04:33 with ave HR of 140. My legs were a little tired, but they felt decent at the end, which was my goal.
Garmin data here.
***
Then I had to get stupid and hiked with my mom and Calvin. We took it nice & slow, and supposed to be only 4 miles, but it was almost 5 miles. Oops. My legs did not feel quite so fresh. This might make 30K tomorrow miserable, but oh well. I really wanted to do this with my family!
Garmin data here.
***
Then I had to get stupid and hiked with my mom and Calvin. We took it nice & slow, and supposed to be only 4 miles, but it was almost 5 miles. Oops. My legs did not feel quite so fresh. This might make 30K tomorrow miserable, but oh well. I really wanted to do this with my family!
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Grandeur Peak hike; 5K fartlek
Yesterday was the 4th of July, and to celebrate, Calvin and I climbed a mountain :). Grandeur Peak is one of the mountains surrounding Salt Lake City, and it's a great hike for beginners who want a view. It's pretty steep, gaining 900m (almost 3000ft) in 5km (3.1 miles) from the road at Church Fork in Millcreek Canyon.
We had a great time and the photos are here. Calvin was amazing, not complaining at all and just enjoying the insects, geckos, butterflies, and bees.
On the way down I slid going around some people on the trail and did this to my legs. Ouch. Just surface scratches incurred from getting on the wrong side of a scrub oak, but very painful later in the day to sit down! It scratched my left inner thigh and right back thigh.
Garmin data here if you want to see where the hike was.
Despite all that, a fun day of x-training. Later in the day we saw the movie Brave (2 thumbs up!) and had friends over to our house for a bbq and watching fireworks at SugarHouse Park.
***
Today I woke feeling lousy. Legs were sore and a bit stiff from the hike (glutes mainly), and I was tired from being up too late at the fireworks display. Add in the fact that it was 80F (27C) at 6:30 am and I was not a happy camper. I was supposed to do a 12K kickdown, but I got on Facebook and chatted w/Jim about it because I knew that was gonna be ugly. Jim decided that with the weather and how I was feeling that a 5K fartlek would be a much better option, because I have 30K (18.6 miles) planned for Saturday, and that is an important one to get in since I'm training for the national 40K on 9/9. I love having a responsive, caring coach who can work with you when things need adjusting.
I put on some longish spandex shorts with liberal amounts of Vaseline to coat my painful scratches. It was somewhat painful on the scratches to RW but not too awful. I could stand it for a 5K fartlek.
I warmed up for 1600m quite slowly, in about 10:09. My legs felt lousy to start but loosened up as I went. Still, this was not going to be a banner day. It was more about getting out there and giving the fast-twitch muscles something to think about. Plus it was HOT and I don't do well in heat. My fast 500s were 2:47-2:52 and recoveries 3:01-3:06. Slow but I actually don't mind. It was just hard to get it done, and today I'm pleased that I did it and did not quit. Total was 29:19 w/ave HR 159. Slow, but done.
The A/C in the car felt SO GOOD on the way home from the track. I cranked it up and basked in the coolness of it!
Garmin data here.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
DNF 20K :(
20K this morning was rough. Through 10K it was OK, but my legs tired by 6K and it just got harder and harder. It was ugly. I started early enough to finish in time for Michelle and I to make our 9 am dr appt, but that was assuming I had a normal speed 20K. NOT. I stopped for the restroom 2x, texted Jim once to whine, talked to him on the phone 30 min later, stopped to eat clif shot blocks at 8K and 14K, stopped to fill water bottles...and plus I was super slow. Glacially so. I was doing 6:13/km at 10.65 km but by 18K when I stopped due to time constraints (had to get to dr) it was 6:29/km. The less said about this one the better. It was my worst 20K in a long, long time. Ugh. Feeling a bit discouraged. Weight is up (154...ouch!), not eating well, tired, lousy workouts, and pesky fingers slowing my life down too much.
edited to add: warm this morning. 75-82F, not too humid at about 30%.
***
Speaking of fingers, I went to the orthopedist today and they removed my cast and gave me a splint. I had hand therapy and got some exercises to do. They hurt. Fingers are stiff and sore as all-get-out. They say that the mobility will return soon. I hope so. I'm using them to type now but it's a bit stiff and awkward. Nice to have them back for something like that though! My hand is still bruised and a bit swollen - see pics below. Reaching for the bottom line on the keyboard is good hand therapy though!
Garmin data here.
***
We are enjoying a nice staycation - week off of work. Used some extra time yesterday to pick apricots from the neighbor's tree and process them in my food mill that my mom bought me for my birthday. Awesome! It worked very well. Jam-making tomorrow!
***
Today I took Calvin bowling while Loren took Michelle to the local amusement park (Lagoon). I had to bowl left-handed but still managed an 87 for the last game! A bit below my RH average of about 125, but not too bad.
Tomorrow morning, early, Calvin and I plan to hike Grandeur Peak for a little fun and cross-training.
edited to add: warm this morning. 75-82F, not too humid at about 30%.
***
Speaking of fingers, I went to the orthopedist today and they removed my cast and gave me a splint. I had hand therapy and got some exercises to do. They hurt. Fingers are stiff and sore as all-get-out. They say that the mobility will return soon. I hope so. I'm using them to type now but it's a bit stiff and awkward. Nice to have them back for something like that though! My hand is still bruised and a bit swollen - see pics below. Reaching for the bottom line on the keyboard is good hand therapy though!
Garmin data here.
***
We are enjoying a nice staycation - week off of work. Used some extra time yesterday to pick apricots from the neighbor's tree and process them in my food mill that my mom bought me for my birthday. Awesome! It worked very well. Jam-making tomorrow!
***
Today I took Calvin bowling while Loren took Michelle to the local amusement park (Lagoon). I had to bowl left-handed but still managed an 87 for the last game! A bit below my RH average of about 125, but not too bad.
Tomorrow morning, early, Calvin and I plan to hike Grandeur Peak for a little fun and cross-training.
Monday, July 02, 2012
10K w/2x5' @ 20K pace
First, the rest of last week: Friday & Sat x-trained each day; 45 min elliptical.
Sunday: rest day.
***
Today: awakened early by child who wet the bed :(. Went for my 10K racewalk anyway, despite being totally sleepy. Did OK; 1st 5K good but then legs tired; it was hot at 75F when I started, and a bit humid for here (i.e. >10% ha!). All I know is that I was sweating buckets. Despite that I threw in some nice fast 5 min intervals at a bit faster than 20K pace - more like 10-15K pace, as they were 2:47-2:50. Paid for that at the end as my legs were quite tired heading up the slight hill.
Total: 1:00:47 for 6:05/km average pace with a high ave HR of 156. I was working hard today and could really feel it. The heat took something out of me for sure.
Garmin data here.
Sunday: rest day.
***
Today: awakened early by child who wet the bed :(. Went for my 10K racewalk anyway, despite being totally sleepy. Did OK; 1st 5K good but then legs tired; it was hot at 75F when I started, and a bit humid for here (i.e. >10% ha!). All I know is that I was sweating buckets. Despite that I threw in some nice fast 5 min intervals at a bit faster than 20K pace - more like 10-15K pace, as they were 2:47-2:50. Paid for that at the end as my legs were quite tired heading up the slight hill.
Total: 1:00:47 for 6:05/km average pace with a high ave HR of 156. I was working hard today and could really feel it. The heat took something out of me for sure.
Garmin data here.
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