10K

Yesterday I took a rest day. I was supposed to cross-train, but I didn't feel well at all. I had a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes and felt really fatigued. I decided with the race so close (10 days from yesterday!) that I should rest instead of pushing it.

Good decision, I think, because I feel better today. We did attend the Utah football game last night, but it was early enough (5:15 pm kickoff) that I could get to bed at a reasonable hour. Plus it was a pleasure watching the (expected) 41-0 manhandling of U of Northern Colorado :). I'm sure it will be much more challenging vs. the Pac12 teams than the Big Sky though, so we'll see how we do against a serious opponent.

This morning I had 10K to do, and though I felt better than yesterday, I still didn't feel great and wondered how it would go. Turns out I needn't have worried. I was pretty fast, and felt strong the whole time. My hip started to niggle a tiny bit around 6km, but then it stopped after I tweaked my technique a little, making sure I was landing straight on my right foot rather than with it turned out. Hopefully that is the fix? That plus rest before the big race should keep the pain at bay, I hope.

Total: 1:00:20 for 10km for 6:02/km with ave HR 150.

Garmin data here.

Portland-to-Coast photos

Full set here (>200)!

My favorites:

cross-training; 3x2km w/3' rest

Yesterday I cross-trained. I rode my bike to work uphill, and then in the evening while the kids were at skating practice I did the elliptical for 45 minutes. My hip felt fine.

***

Today I had 3x2km with 3' rest (instead of the usual 2'). I like the taper...shorter speed workouts with more rest :).

Weather: Hot. 75F and overcast and 52% humidity. Not nice at all. I was really glad I only had 3x2km so I could make it through. I was very sweaty at the end, that's for sure.

I warmed up for 1600m with strides in a very fast 9:16 (!). I was sure I was legal, and I was being careful. I felt great. I did some dynamic stretching and then got going on the workout.

My hip didn't hurt at all, but it is still a bit tight (later, after the workout). I need to foam roll/tennis ball and stretch later. Got to remember.

I felt like the first one was a moderately hard effort, and I tried to keep it the same for the second but pushed very hard and then did slow a bit on the third...oops. I was really all-out on that last one. However, it is my fastest set of 2kms ever! OK, it was only three of them, and I wouldn't have been able to do 4 or 5 that fast, and I did have 3' rest, but it's still great.

Here are my times: 10:54.4, 10:51.8, 11:01.7. My HR was up to 172 at the end of the second one and 174 on the last one.

I am sure my technique was solid and that my knees were straight. I could feel it and was concentrating on it. (When I post my Portland-to-Coast pics you can see the straight knees as well; no video because my batteries were too low, sadly).

Garmin data here.

rest day; 20K

I'm still catching up on my blog after Portland-to-Coast! I got really behind on life in general and when I returned I did things with my kids, so I'm actually behind on more than just my blog. Oh well. I'll catch up somehow.

Sunday I took a rest day; I flew back to Salt Lake, took the kids ice skating, went to book club and then to a church bbq. Hmmm, not very restful, but fun. I didn't exercise other than the skating, which wasn't much as I was mostly helping the kids skate.

Monday I had to do 20K, and I had to get the kids to school by 8 am. I woke up at 4:20 am, and started my walk at 4:57 am. I felt really good when I started. It was quite warm, as it has been all summer. It was 73F (22.8C) with 50% humidity. Wheeeee. I am used to it now, so it actually wasn't so awful, even though I did feel hot. (Incidentally, it set a heat record for the date, getting up to 98F...or was that yesterday? It's been hot).

I was fast to start, getting through 10k in 1:00:43. But then I had to slow down a little - my right hip started to hurt like it did on my 30K a week ago :(. It wasn't awful but I didn't want to aggravate it. It's a fairly sharp pain in my hip itself and it comes and goes - it'll jolt me and then be fine for several minutes. I suspect it's the piriformis, as when I stretch that muscle it seems to help and I feel better for a bit. I stopped and stretched frequently and slowed my pace a little and made it to 20K just fine (I'd been concerned that I should stop). The last 10K was going to be a bit slower anyway, since it was slightly uphill at the end.

I finished in 2:02:31 for 6:08/km with average HR of 147. Wow, you know, a few years ago I thought 2:02 was likely a 20km RACE pace. My coach Jim is awesome! He has really helped me get faster!!!

Hopefully with the taper my hip will be rested and I'll be OK to make it through 40K.

Garmin data here.

Portland-to-Coast 2012 edition

Earlier this year, the team that wins Portland-to-Coast almost every year asked me to be part of their 2012 team. How could I say no? So I became part of "Racewalkers Northwest: What Were We Thinking?".

The race was just two weeks before the 40k, but my coach said it would be fine to do two legs as speed work because there was plenty of time to recover. The race is 24 legs (#13-36 since #1-12 are Hood-to-Coast only) with 12 walkers who do 2 legs each.

The team met in Portland at 8:45 am, one hour before we were scheduled to leave at 9:45 am. Teams had been leaving since 2:30 am, and we were the very last team to leave. The Sierra Racewalkers, our nearest competitors, were assigned a 9 am slot, so we got to cheer them on (and some other teams) as we prepared for the race.

Van 1 got started immediately at 9:45 am, with Nana as our first walker. Van 1 had Nana, Carmen, Kelly (who just moved from Oregon to Utah!), Louie (from Washington), Jo Ellen (from Canada), and Andy (from North Carolina). I was in van 2, with Rob, Katie, Ron, Lisa, and Pat (all from Oregon unless mentioned otherwise). We enjoyed following van 1 through one exchange, but then we took off on our own and drove to the fairgrounds, where the first van exchange would take place. Van 1 does 6 legs, then van 2, then van 1, then van 2 finishes the race.

On the way to the fairgrounds we stopped at Safeway (grocery store) to get water for the van and also to eat lunch. The guys picked up deli sandwiches, and Katie and I elected to get some white rice and pretzels, and I had some deli turkey (just plain). I had to be careful to avoid GI trouble! Of the 6 in our van, I was second to go and thus had to be ready.

We took the food to the fairgrounds and spread out a tarp on the grass and relaxed in the sun and chatted with each other. I have to say that I really enjoyed the time to sit and do a bunch of nothing (I enjoyed the time on Thursday after I arrived in Portland, too). It was lovely to not have to worry about the kids!

At just after 3 pm it was time to get going. When the other van arrived, they told us about some excitement - on leg 17 our walker was narrowly ahead of a detour caused by a large fire at the Les Schwab tire store! The Hood-to-Coast runners all had an extra 1.7 miles on that route.

Once I had changed into my race clothes and started cheering Rob on his leg, I felt ready to go. We drove along with him, and I warmed up as I helped to give him water. I had leg #20, which has its own nickname: Pittsburgh Hill. I did it last time I did this race, in 2009. It's quite something - 500 feet up, then down a little, then gravel road starts at 3 miles, with another ~400 feet up, and finally downhill to the exchange at 5.75 miles. Gravel and uphill - not a good combination for racewalking. But I felt SO strong on this walk. It was warm - about 75F (24C) and sunny - but Katie sprayed me with water several times both before and during my walk, and I dumped water on my head and drank a lot of water, and I actually felt fine. I didn't feel overheated at all. I just felt strong and good. Yes, I was working very hard to power up the hill, but as I looked at my Garmin, the average pace was very fast for that hill. I was much faster than I'd expected. I had hoped to do 6:27/km, but could see I was going to do better. I was very excited! I worked it hard to the finish, and got there in 57:33, almost 3 minutes faster than the 1:00:23 I'd done last time (and what I'd predicted on the team pace spreadsheet). That works out to 6:16/km (10:01/mile) if the race course distance of 5.75 miles is correct, and 6:18/km (10:05/mile) by my Garmin. (Garmin data here). One more note - I passed about 25 or so walkers on this leg - lots of "road kill"!

After my leg, I was elated, fist-bumping my teammates and jumping back in the van to continue the journey. It felt SO good to do well for the team and to know that I was going to perform well. What a relief!

Lisa's turn was immediately after me. It was her birthday, so we sang to her along the route as we gave her water, and then got the next exchange to sing Happy Birthday to her as she came in! That became a running joke in our van, as we shouted "Happy Birthday" to each of our walkers as we gave them aid for the rest of the way. It sounds dorky, but it was actually very funny, especially in the middle of the night when tired.

We got through leg 24, turned the race over to the other van, and then drove to a local high school where we could get showers and some sleep. We paid $2 for a shower in the locker room (group shower...ugh......dislike! I could write several paragraphs on group showers and the fact that they are much better now that I have lost weight but still make me uncomfortable; there were quite a few really large women there, interestingly) and $2 for a spot on the hard gym floor for our sleeping bags, but it was nice to rest for all of 2 hours before we had to get on the road to make it to the next van exchange - #30. We arrived and tried to contact the other van via radio (no cell service) but they were not close enough (5 mile radius) and didn't answer. We had seen Kelly on leg 28, so we knew they were pretty close to on schedule as of then. But we didn't hear from their van and didn't hear and didn't hear. We wondered what was going on! We got Rob ready to walk but he kept his sweats on until their walker arrived, since it was quite chilly (48F, 9C). Suddenly, about 2:10 am, there was Louie! He yelled at Rob to get going and we helped Rob take off his sweats and get walking; we lost a minute here helping him (he later laughed about how fun it was to have women ripping off his clothes!). Louie didn't know why we weren't ready, but he did say he didn't know where the van was and that he'd received no support from them. Uh-oh. We told him to pile in our van because we couldn't leave him there alone, with no warm clothes! We got him in the van and gave him a towel; later I gave him my extra jacket and pants. More on the van saga later...

Four miles later it was my turn again, for a 4.09 mile (6.58km) leg in the middle of the night on a very dark road. I got a brief warm-up at the exchange and was glad to be going again and finishing. My goal was 40:13 for 9:50/mile (what I'd done at the last PTC, on an injured foot and as my 4th leg), but I also figured I should beat that since I am healthy and only did 2 legs this time. I started off on a gentle downhill and was going very fast; about 5:05-5:10/km! That didn't last as there is quite a bit of uphill on this one too (though overall it was a net elevation loss; 49m uphill but 75m downhill according to my Garmin). I was able to get to 5km in 28:00 and finished in 37:38 with my Garmin saying 5:35/km. (Garmin data here). I was VERY pleased with that! I just felt SO good and SO strong, and it made me very confident in my fitness level going in to the 40k. I don't think I've ever been this fit or this fast.

Several walkers thought I was a runner along the way because I was so fast; they thought the Hood-to_coast runners where passing already! I told them I was a racewalker and they got it (I think), since they said "ohhhhhhh" each time. I only passed 14 walkers on this leg; it was shorter, and we were getting close to the front of all of the teams by this point. By the time we got to the finish we were the 5th team to cross the finish line! We had passed all but 4 teams, who had probably started much, much earlier than we did.

You are probably wondering what happened to the other van. We were too. We didn't find out until exchange 35 - the very last exchange. We were sitting there in the van (it was cold) waiting for Katie to come in, and suddenly there was a knock on the van window! It was Andy, from van 1, with our team clipboard! We were very happy to see him. He told us the whole scoop - Carmen had been driving the van at exchange 29 after letting Louie (the walker) out of the van to proceed to exchange 30. Carmen drove over a pile of gravel/asphalt that she could not see in the pitch black at 1 am, and the van got stuck on one side, high centered on the pile of gravel. Yes, really, I am not making this up. They tried to get people to lift the van off the pile, and tried everything else they could think of, to no avail. They were stuck. Because of the race, no tow truck companies were willing to come up there; well, not many --- some Good Samaritan had driven downhill to where there was reception and called about 20 companies before finding one that would come. It took until late morning to get the tow truck out there, though. When Andy came to us at around 6:30 am he said a tow truck was on its way and that we should finish the race and eat and relax. We did that; however, by 11 am there was still no sign of the other van and no phone contact. We all became worried. Andy (who had gotten to us by hitching a ride downhill with some volunteers headed to the beach) and Louie (their other van-mate) drove up to see what was going on. Meanwhile, Rob and Katie and I went to the beach to get radio contact if possible (the race officials had ham radio connections). We were unable to find out anything, but not long after that we got a call that they had gotten out and would be at the beach soon. It was about 2 pm before they got to the hotel. They'd been at exchange 29 for 11 hours. Ugh! They were in pretty good spirits, though, and after a shower they made it to the post-race picnic that Racewalkers Northwest set up for us.

Back to exchange 35. We were waiting for Katie to come in when Andy knocked on our window. Shortly after seeing Andy we all got out of the van to greet Katie and send our last walker, Pat, off on the final leg. We waited and waited and waited - finally, about 15-20 min late, Katie showed up. She looked fine, but tired - there had been a huge snafu and a volunteer on a motorcycle had misdirected about 20 walkers (in the first group of teams) to go back because they'd missed a turn. Well, they hadn't. They ended up doing about 2 extra miles, Katie figured. She was VERY irritated, as it was already a 7.2-mile leg on gravel.

Finally, Pat started on the last leg, and we drove to the beach. We parked and walked to the finish line to meet Pat, where 8 of us (van 1 plus Louie and Andy) crossed the finish line together. We wished the other 4 teammates had been able to be there! Afterward we enjoyed breakfast at Pig N Pancake (PTC tradition) and then went to the hotel for a shower and nap, and then woke up to go to the beach to try to find out what happened to van 2. Later, after van 2 got back in town, we went to the post-race picnic on the beach and attended the awards ceremony before Rob, Kelly, Katie and I drove back to Portland that evening.

Wow...eventful race! I have LOTS of pictures but I've been SO very busy since getting home that I will have to post them later today (hopefully). I had a great time, though, and if I had unlimited funds I'd do it every year.

Want to join the race next year? Race homepage here.

not quite 10K

Sorry coach. I got up a bit late, plus it was the first day of school. I didn't quite have time for 10K. Besides, it was quite warm (73F) and rather humid and it felt nasty...and after about 7km my body had enough. I started pretty fast, but by the end was crawling. No matter.

Total: 8.38km in 50:59 for 6:05/km with ave HR 148.

Garmin data here.

***

Up late packing for Portland-to-Coast. Tomorrow am: x-train then catch the flight to Portland! The race is Friday and Saturday; I have legs 20 and 32 on the Racewalkers Northwest team. I have no idea how much internet access I'll have...so I'll post later if I can. If not, I'll post when I return on Sunday.

rest; x-train; 5x1km w/3' rest

Sunday was a rest day, and Monday I cross-trained by doing 30 min on the elliptical and then biking to work and back.

***

Today the weather was awesome for my track workout: 66F (19C)! Finally, under 70F for my workout. Of course, today it didn't matter so much as it was a shorter one - this is my easy week - but it was still nice to have good weather.

I warmed up in lane 3 going backwards, as the running club was at the track and heavily using lanes 1-2. I still did my 1600m (+) in 9:40ish with strides, and felt great. Then I did dynamic drills and got started on the 5x1km. The first one was quite slow - not sure why, but my legs just felt sluggish and unresponsive. Maybe I was just not quite all the way awake despite my warm-up? I don't know, but I only did 5:33.5 on that one, and was kind of annoyed with myself. I did enjoy the extra minute of rest today - 3 minutes instead of 2 - as part of my easy week/taper :). I was motivated to do better on the next one, and I did - 5:22.1 (note to coach - the 500s are off on that one - pushed the stopwatch slightly late on the 1st one). The next three were also pretty good at 5:24.7, 5:20.4, and I saved the best for last at 5:19.6. My heart rate was low 170s at the end of the last few intervals. I was super happy with the last two, and actually felt I could have done more. So nice that it was cooler!

And in case you are wondering, I did pay very close attention to my technique. I am sure I was legal. The knees were straight - I could feel it.

So, I'm feeling fast and confident. Portland-to-Coast relay is this Friday & Saturday and I'm excited for that. Just a couple more workouts until I go!

Garmin data here.

30K - and so begins my taper! Yay!

Can you tell I'm excited about the taper starting? I have worked SO hard this summer. I know my coach has had to reduce a few workouts because of the heat, and I haven't been able to finish all of the interval workouts, but I still feel I've worked very hard and done the best job I could. And after three hard weeks, I'm ready - more than ready - for an easy week. Yeah, my easy week does include the Portland-to-Coast relay, but I'm only doing two legs this time instead of four, so as our team captain Rob said in his e-mail to us, "It's like a 24-hour party with a couple hard workouts thrown in". :)!

But I digress. Back to this morning. It was warm...what else is new? It was pretty dry today, though, which helped. It was 70F (21C) when I started at 5:30 am but only 33% humidity, thankfully. I didn't feel terribly hot until maybe 20-22km into the workout, so that's not too awful. I guess. It was 76F (24.4C) when I finished. Yeah...a bit warm.

Despite how warm it was, I did really well this morning. I thought I might have trouble because my legs felt a bit tired/sore from the week's cumulative workouts. But I was fast...very fast. I got through the first 7.5km (I did four 7.5km loops) in just 45:39, but I wasn't feeling I was pushing very hard, so I just continued and tried to relax and focus on my form. The second 7.5km was a bit harder; felt a little tired in the middle of it, but I told myself I'd get a second wind. I did, and actually it was a tad faster at 45:38. The third one was critical - I was thinking "Don't push it...just maintain...you still have another loop to go" - and I walked a very fast 45:11! Where did that come from? I don't know. The final loop I admit being pretty tired, plus it was warming up, and I did slow down, doing 46:04.

5K splits: 30:30.2, 30:15.7, 30:31.2, 30:18.9, 30:08.9 (wow - that was fast), 30:47.3 (yup, got a bit tired after that fast couple of 5Ks!).

Since I was pretty fast today, part of me wonders if my form was 100% OK (knees, not lifting). I certainly thought about it a lot. I'm pretty sure I was legal; after all, I wasn't going that fast, and in the past I've only had trouble on those fast 800/200 track workouts. I think I'm OK, though I noticed in my shadow (once the sun came up) that I was leaning a bit more from the waist than I'd like, which is usually a possible harbinger of knee problems. I was able to straighten up all right when I was thinking about it, so that makes me feel better. But given that the race is close, of course I'm a bit anxious about facing the judges, which is only natural. I'll just focus on form a lot this week in my shorter workouts and be sure I'm careful, and all should be well. I do know what legal form feels like and I need to rest in that confidence.

One more thing - I had some hip pain from 20K to the end of the workout. It wasn't awful, but it was a sharpish pain every now and then that eased with a little stretching. If I had to guess I'd say IT band, as the pain was in my right hip and the right knee occasionally bothers me on long workouts, but I suppose it could be piriformis. I stopped to stretch it every time I had a drink and that helped me get through; interestingly, from 26K to the finish it seemed slightly better.

Total: 3:02:32 for 6:05/km with ave HR 147.

Garmin data here.

***

After my workout I went to Weight Watchers. I have been eating better overall, though still allowing careful indulgences :). I have to say that one of the perks of going long so much is that I get to eat more. I do NOT walk so far just to eat though - that would be scary! I walk far because my coach says I need to in order to do well at the races, and a nice side benefit is that I get to enjoy some treats now and then. Anyway, my weigh-in was one of the lowest of the year, and my home scale said 150.2, which was awesome. I'd like to be about 148 for the race, but that might or might not happen. I just have to watch the food this week as my mileage will be less.

But today, I can enjoy a little treat, right? Loren and I took Michelle to Leatherby's for ice cream. I watch my dairy very carefully before a long walk (to avoid GI distress) but afterwards I like to indulge!

***

Oh, and why am I blogging so late? Well, because I'm insane, after I did the 30K I had to go to work briefly. Then we took the kids to Seven Peaks Salt Lake for a bit of waterslide action! We stayed there for about 4-5 hours and then I had to get home to teach a piano lesson. Whew. Then to dinner and Leatherby's for dessert! Busy day...but I feel pretty loose now, thanks to all the exercise at the water park (climbing stairs, swimming, chasing kids!). I think I'll sleep well tonight.

10K w/2x5' @20K pace

It was warm this morning. 73F (almost 23C). What else is new?

I felt decent, but the last 2km my legs were a bit tired/heavy. Still, my 5-min speed bursts were quite fast (a little TOO fast perhaps, at 2:48ish for 500m, even with slight downhill) and it was warm.

This one went fine. One more long one tomorrow - 30km (18.6 miles). Hoping it won't be too hot. I'll have to hit the road early.

Garmin data here.

12K fartlek

Running off to lab meeting - this will be quick (work busy today - no time for lunch blogging!).

Weather: 73-76F (22.8-24.4C) and about 40% humidity. Too warm for me :(.

Warm-up: 1600m with strides in 9:37; felt OK, but legs still tired from Tuesday's 15K for some reason. Did dynamic stretching too.

Workout: Took it very conservatively to start and still couldn't quite hold the pace. 2:48, 2:49 for first 1km fast; then my fast 500s were 2:49-2:54 except the last one (2:56...died...tried really hard but nothing left). My medium effort 500s were 2:57-3:08. 5km split in 29:00, 10km at 58:51 (29:51 for 2nd 5km), and last 2km was pretty slow :( so total was 1:10:53. HR monitor - got my new one! - said ave HR 160. I was working plenty hard. Stopped every 2km after 4km for quick water breaks (very quick) because I had to stay hydrated.

This one hurt. Glad it's done. It actually might have been a good one if it wasn't so hot and if my legs weren't tired.

Garmin data here.

***

Oh, and yesterday I cross-trained (elliptical).

15.028km

Yes, you read the title correctly. I overslept this morning and didn't have time for my 15k before work, so after work I picked up the kids and drove to the Olympic Oval. It was 95F, so doing the 15K outside was out of the question. The Olympic Oval's 442m track is beautifully air-conditioned all year long for the speed skaters, to keep their ice nice. It's 63-65F in there, and it felt glorious. If only my workout had been as glorious...

With the kids more or less happily ensconced at a table next to the track (with books, iPods, snacks to entertain them), I walked 34 laps of the track, or 15.028km. I started off very well - the first 7.514 km was in 46:00 flat, and I felt good. Then the hammer dropped, and my legs just felt terrible. I'm not sure why, but no matter. I just was trying to finish at that point. I finished in 1:34:48 (6:18/km), for 48:48 for the last 7.514 km...ouch...my laps slowed from 2:41 at the beginning to upper 2:50s at the end. My legs had nothing today; perhaps residual from the track workout in the heat? I stopped before it got too ugly but maybe it was enough.

Regardless, I did the workout, and that's what matters. Tomorrow is cross-training, thankfully. Whew. I just feel SO tired. Work has been a bit stressful (just really really busy) and I'm sure that doesn't help a bit.

Garmin data here.

rest day; intervals in the heat...another epic fail....

Sunday: much needed rest day.

***

Monday: 8x1km with 2' rest was the scheduled workout.

Despite the title of this post, I'm not really concerned about the fact that this workout ended poorly. It started off VERY well, and I felt very good. I think I'm in top form, and the only reason things went bad today was that it was so hot. And for once, that is not bothering me at all mentally! I know I'm capable of fast times right now, and the first intervals show that. I was feeling good and moving well until I got overheated.

The weather: yeah, not good. One website said it was 77F (25C), and another said 79F (26C) when I left my house to head to the track. It wasn't very humid - about 40%? - but it felt oppressive to me anyway. It was overcast, and any time it's overcast here in the morning, it's generally on the humid side. Regardless, it was not ideal weather for a track workout, even at 6:30 am.

My calves were VERY sore from Saturday's 32km both last night and this morning. They felt SO tight, like piano strings. I was worried enough about it to ask my coach if he thought I was OK; I guess I knew I probably was but just wanted some reassurance (in hindsight I'm sorry I asked him about it because he has better things to do right now than deal with a neurotic master's walker who is a bit sore; he was kind and reassured me but I feel bad for bugging him about something stupid). I massaged them with the stick, and it helped, but I was pretty concerned when I could barely walk from my bed to the bathroom this morning.

Fortunately, as is usually the case with sore muscles, moving a bit loosens them up and then they function all right. When I got to the track to do the warm-up I was surprised that they didn't hurt much while racewalking. I warmed up well, doing 9:37 for 1600m with some nice fast 100m strides.

I was optimistic now and actually feeling great. I did my dynamic stretching, including some for my calves, and got started. I left 2 water bottles at the 200m marks so I'd have one on whichever side I ended up on. I might get hot, but I'd be hydrated!

Remembering that I was to do eight of these, I started off at what felt to be a conservative pace. Every 100m I checked my watch and WOW was I going fast! I was then a bit concerned that it was too fast, but it felt fine. Then I was worried my form was bad but I did a head to toe check and it felt fine too. Knees were straight, butt tucked under, arms not going sideways, etc. I felt relaxed and strong...for four repeats: 5:21.7, 5:22.8, 5:21.7, 5:21.1. After the 3rd and 4th ones I noticed I was pretty hot (face felt red), but I drank a lot and just focused on the task at hand. Then all of a sudden, during the 5th interval, everything felt wrong. I just tightened up and couldn't relax, and my pace was crazy slow. Arrrrgh! The heat was getting to me so early :(. Actually, it was getting to me at the same point it got to me last time I did intervals - about 5km in. I thought maybe doing 1km intervals would help me stay cooler, but it was just too hot today for me to stay cool. The 5th interval was 5:37.9 - and the 500m splits are more telling - 2:46 and 2:52. I slowed a LOT on that 2nd 500m. I was cooked, literally.

Since I have other important workouts this week, I knew it was time to throw in the towel. At least I got in some good fast speed work, even if it wasn't as long as it could be. No matter. I will get in the endurance work on Thursday (12k fartlek) and Saturday (30km). For now, this was enough. If it wasn't enough, it will have to be. I'm in great shape, but my body just doesn't like this heat.

Garmin data here.

cross-training Friday; 32km (20 miles) Saturday

Yesterday: 20 min stationary bike, then core/glutes, then biked to work and back home. Felt nice to bike again! My fingers are just now up to biking again, though it feels weird/stiff to grab the handlebars.

***

Today: 32km (20 miles). I got up at 4 am to watch the last part of the men's 50k walk in the Olympics. I loved watching Jared Tallent from Australia claim the silver medal - he walked so strong. So when I went out for my walk, I think I channeled my inner Jared :) and had a great walk! Seriously, I thought of Jared and how I'd seen him walk and how efficient he looked. I kept technique in my mind the whole time, and I felt strong.

I started off fast, but I felt well within myself and kept the pace well considering the heat. It was quite warm, as it has been. It was 69F (21C) to start, and 75F (24C) when I finished; that is not THAT warm but it was more humid than it has been - 60% to start and 50% when I finished. I felt pretty hot from 5km onward and when I refilled my water bottles at the fountain in Liberty Park I doused myself liberally with cold water. It helped but it was still hot. Despite the heat, I was strong through 30km (3:04:10) and then the last 2K was hard - I felt a bit lightheaded and just focused on finishing - I was a bit worried I'd collapse, actually. My legs were quite spent; no way I could have done 8k more today, but that's OK. I will be well-rested for the 40K and will be able to handle it better. This week I've had a lot of hard workouts so not surprising that after an effort like this morning's I'd be quite tired!

OK - I'm totally glued to the TV (just watched men's 5000m after watching women's 20K racewalk - 2 fabulous races!) - so need to finish this up.

Splits: 5K: 30:16, 30:27, 30:56, 30:48, 30:42, 30:59, last 2km 12:29. 8K: 48:36, 49:21, 49:01, 49:40.

Total: 3:16:38 for 6:09/km. No HR data because my monitor would not even register a signal :(. Good think I have a new one on order, but it won't be here for a week or so. I did check my HR manually a few times when I stopped to refill my water bottles, and it was about 150-156, where I'd expect for that effort in the heat.

This is my fastest 20-mile workout ever. I have done the distance faster in one race, the Mesquite Marathon, but that was a SERIOUS downhill and today was flat. I'm feeling really confident now! I hope the weather will cooperate and that I can walk a great 40K in less than a month now.

Garmin data here.

10K kickdown - PR!!!!

It was really hot yesterday, setting a record at 103F (39.4C). So, as you might imagine, it was hot this morning too. 79F (26C) at 6am, to be precise. Thankfully, I'd chatted with Jim last night on Facebook and he told me to cut my workout from 15k kickdown to 10k kickdown. I was so grateful, especially with the temps this morning.

Oddly, though, it cooled off a bit between 6am and 6:30, when I arrived at the track. It was only 73F then but still felt warm and humid. By the time I got to 5km, it was 75F, and when I finished it was 78F (25.6C). I felt hot, for sure, but the sprinklers at the track and a slight breeze kept me from dying. That, and stopping briefly each 2k for a quick drink of water.

Despite the heat, I felt good and I did really well today. I had a moment about 6K when I wondered if my body was going to hold up - I felt like it could go either way - but then I got a second wind and felt strong to the end.

2.5K splits were 15:14, 14:57, 14:34, and 14:08! Total time 58:53. I have no idea what my heart rate was - my monitor is dead. I ordered a new one but it won't arrive until 8/18.

The high school football players were out there today (as they were on Monday) at the track, but they were mostly respectful and mostly stayed out of lane 1. Mostly...sigh...for 14-18yo boys they were pretty good.

Garmin data here.

RW Grand Prix Standings and 50K list

2012 USATF Womens Grand Prix Standings as of August 7, 2012
Name Points Club
Lauren Forgues 31 NYAC
Miranda Melville31 Unattached
Maria Michta 30 Walk USA
Erin Gray 26 Bowerman AC
Katie Burnett 21 Unattached
Erin Taylor-Talcott 21 Shore AC
Tamara Stevenson19 Wasatch Walkers
Susan Randall 16 Miami Valley TC
Joanne Dow 12 Unattached
Teresa Vaill 10 Pegasus AC
Kathryn Grimes 9 Racewalkers Northwest
Darlene Backlund8 SoCal Track Club
Abby Dunn 8 Maine Racewalkers
Dawn Tenney 8 Racewalking Arizona
Jill Cobb 7 Miami Valley TC
Marianne Martino7 High Altitude Racewalking Team
Tina Peters 7 Miami Valley TC
Rachael Tylock 7 Mansfield University
Solomiya Login 7 SE Pennsylvania TC
Sandra DeNoon 7 Florida Athletic Club
Meghan Keetley 6 Unattached
Mary Baglin 6 Pacific Racewalkers
Maite Piedra-Moscoso 6 Florida Athletics Club
Katie Smith 5 Pegasus AC
Lindsey Herman 5 Unattached
Nicole Court-Menendez 4 Maine Racewalkers
Debbie Topham 4 Pegasus AC
Janelle Brown 4 Unattached
Susan Mears 4 Pacific Racewalkers
Stephanie Casey 3 Unattached
Diane Brandt 3 Racewalking Arizona
Caitlin Lardaro 3 Unattached
Erika Shaver 3 Unattached
Cheryl Armstrong3 Raleigh Walkers
Rachel Zoyhofski2 Unattached
Kelly Clark 2 Unattached
Jenna Monahan 2 Walk USA
Wendy Clark 2 Unattached
Kristi Licursi 1 Unattached
Jamie Kootz 1 Unattached
Kristin Ugrob 1 Unattached
Pansuluta Geer 1 Shore AC

********************

2012 Master's Women RW Grand Prix Standings as of August 7, 2012

Marianne Martino38 High Altitude Racewalking Team
Debbie Topham 25 Pegasus AC
Panseluta Geer 19 Shore AC
Sandra DeNoon 15 Florida Athletic Club
Ann Harsh 15 Florida Athletic Club
Tamara Stevenson 13 Wasatch Walkers
Kathryn Grimes 10 Racewalkers Northwest
Joan Terry 10 Unattached
Donna Green 10 Chicago Walkers
Cathy Mayfield 9 Pegasus AC
Darlene Backlund 9 So Cal Track Club
Jill Cobb 9 Miami Valley TC
Mary Baglin 9 Pacific Racewalkers
Dawn Tenney 8 Racewalking Arizona
Diane Brandt 7 Racewalking Arizona
Ellie Kallal 6 Racewalking Arizona
Lynn Tracy 6 Parkside AC
Janet Higbie 5 Unattached
Doris McGuire 4 Unattached
Susan Mears 4 Pacific Racewalkers
Ali Bahr 3 Parkside AC
DaBeth Manns 3 TNT International
Lou Kaelin 2 World Class Racewalking
Wendy Clark 2 Unattached
Erika Graves 1 Miami Valley TC
Kristin Ugrob 1 Unattached

********************

Finally, the 50K list:

Below is a list of American Women 50k performers - in ranked order. I may have missed a couple - so if you are one, I am sorry - but get the result to me.

For those women who have finished at least one - please continue to do 50k's. For those women who haven't tried one - please train and take one on. You are tough enough, and I would love to add you to the list.

Performer Time Athlete Date Location
1 4:33:23 Erin Taylor-Talcott 22-Jan-12 Santee, CA
2 4:39:45 Susan Armenta 17-Feb-02 Chula Vista, CA
4:41:36 Erin Taylor-Talcott 11-Sep-11 Asbury Park, NJ
4:49:57 Susan Armenta 23-Jan-11 Manassas, VA
4:57:11 Erin Taylor 7-Feb-10 Surprise, AZ
5:11:04 Erin Taylor-Talcott 23-Jan-11 Tustin, CA
3 5:12:56 Cheryl Rellinger 10-Nov-02 Hauppauge, NY
4 5:16:20 Tamara Stevenson 7-Jan-12 Houston, TX
5 5:17:22 Jeanne Bocci 26-Aug-79 San Fransisco, CA
6 5:19:34 Sherry Brosnahan 31-Mar-01 Manassas, VA
7 5:19:52 Kathryn Grimes 7-Jan-12 Houston, TX
5:20:37 Kathryn Grimes 23-Jan-11 Tustin, CA
5:21:51 Sherry Brosnahan 2-Sep-02 Ocean Twp, NJ
8 5:25:18 Daniela Harabedian 8-Apr-90 Atlanta, GA
9 5:26:30 Beverly LaVeck 7-Jun-81 Seattle, WA
5:27:28 Beverly LaVeck 21-May-83 Monterey, CA
10 5:29:04 t Anne Vanderhoff 10-Feb-80 Seattle, WA
5:30:35 Jeanne Bocci 21-Feb-88 Research Park, NC
Split in 100k 5:31:37 Jeanne Bocci 20-Dec-87 Houston, TX
Split in 100k 5:31:54 t Beverly LaVeck 5-Nov-83 Arlington, VA
11 5:34:12 Heidi Hauch 12-Feb-06 Clermont, FL
Split in 100k 5:34:38 t Beverly LaVeck 5-Nov-83 Arlington, VA
5:37:10 Kathryn Grimes 7-Feb-10 Surprise, AZ
5:38:09 Cheryl Rellinger 19-Oct-03 Hauppauge, NY
5:40:28 Jeanne Bocci 10-Sep-78 Detroit, MI
5:42:55 Heidi Hauch 28-Jan-07 Chula Vista, CA
12 5:43:26 Jill Latham 8-Apr-90 Atlanta, GA
13 5:44:23 Diane Mendoza 21-May-83 Monterey, CA
14 5:47:35 Dorit Attias 13-Feb-05 Clermont, FL
15 5:47:56 June MacDonald 10-Sep-78 Detroit, MI
5:52:21 Jill Latham 5-Mar-89 Atlanta, GA
5:54:51 Heidi Hauch 6-Jan-08 Houston, TX
16 5:56:32 Monetta Roberts 31-Mar-01 Manassas, VA
17 5:56:40 Jennifer Marlborough 19-Oct-03 Hauppauge, NY
6:10:20 Dorit Attias 31-Oct-04 Hauppauge, NY
6:11:19 Erin Taylor 3-Feb-05 Clermont, FL
6:12:17 Dorit Attias 22-Feb-87 Carmel, CA
18 6:15:23 Jeanne Dorton 31-Mar-01 Manassas, VA
19 6:15:48 Lo-An Flettreich 12-May-85 New York, NY
6:19:31 Jennifer Marlborough 31-Oct-04 Hauppauge, NY
20 6:21:01 Karen Karavanic 28-Jan-07 Chula Vista, CA
21 6:22:04 Lida Askew 26-Nov-77 Houston, TX
6:24:00 Jill Latham 22-Feb-87 Carmel, CA
6:24:22 Karen Karavanic 15-Feb-09 Santee, CA
22 6:26:44 Darlene Backlund 12-Sep-10 Ocean Twp, NJ
23 6:31:52 Cathy Mayfield 6-Jan-08 Houston, TX
24 6:33:57 Dora Choi 28-Jan-07 Chula Vista, CA
6:40:00 Darlene Backlund 13-Sep-09 Ocean Twp, NJ
25 6:43:25 Ann Marie Bruning 28-Jan-07 Chula Vista, CA
6:45:09 Darlene Backlund 7-Jan-12 Houston, TX
26 6:45:34 Charlene Marion 8-Apr-90 Atlanta, GA
27 6:48:03 Eileen Druckenmiller 10-Nov-02 Hauppauge, NY
28 6:50:15 Elizabeth Petterson 5-Mar-89 Atlanta, GA
29 7:06:13 Isabella Stuper 8-Apr-90 Atlanta, GA
7:06:24 Lida Askew 12-Dec-76 Houston, TX
30 7:11:22 t Lori Maynard 11-Dec-77 Woodside, CA
31 7:27:49 Marie Henry 21-Feb-88 Research Park, NC
32 7:45:51 Dee Dee Walker 5-Mar-89 Atlanta, GA
33 8:18:48 Beverly Kramer 5-Mar-89 Atlanta, GA

Road WR 4:10:59 Monica Svensson (Sweden) 21-Oct-07 Scanzorosciate, Italy
Track WR 4:55:19 t Svetlana Bychenkova (Russia) 27-Jun-98 St. Petersburg, Rusia

interesting statistic!

My racewalking friend and fellow Jim Leppik athlete Erin Taylor-Talcott texted me today and told me to call her, because she had good news for me. So I did. Her hubby Dave keps the RW stats for the USA, and he had been looking at the women's 50K. Turns out that my 50K race in January earned me the title of 4th fastest woman at 50K in the United States - ever! Erin, Susan Armenta, and Cheryl Rellinger have all posted faster times that me. I have the 8th fastest time; Erin owns #1,3,5, and 6, Susan owns #2 and #4, and Cheryl owns #7.

OK, I know that this is only because not many US women have done the 50K, but it's still pretty cool :) and I wanted to share!

strength training; hilly 10K

Last night I did some glutes/core exercises for 30 min while the kids had figure skating lessons. I'm at least getting those in 2x/week now, which is better than none! I did 3 different glute exercises, repeating each several times. I also did 3-4 different core exercises, including plank, ball crunches, and ball passes.

***

I just had 10K easy today, so I decided to do a hilly route to help prepare for my hilly Portland-to-Coast legs in a few weeks. I think I did all right! It was 72F (22C) this morning when I left, but it was only 38% humidity. I got a bit warm, but not too bad.

The route I chose was essentially uphill for 5km then back down, and I felt good until maybe 7-8km, when my legs did get a little tired. I was faster coming down but not as much faster as I maybe should have been. Regardless, it's OK. I did 33:55 for the uphill 5K (155m uphill!) and 29:31 for the downhill 5K for a total of 1:03:26 (6:20/km).

My heart rate monitor is still wacky, but looks like it was low 150s-mid 150s uphill, and probably a bit lower on the downhill is my guess. I'm ordering a new heart rate monitor today, and I am NOT getting the crappy soft-strap model that came with this watch (Garmin Forerunner 210). I'm getting the old model w/more plastic, because it's obviously better. This is the second HRM that I've had with this watch because they replaced the first one that only lasted 3 months. Clearly a design flaw here, so I'm going back to the old style.

Garmin data here.

15K

I was worried about today's 15K. Thought it might be really hard after yesterday's track FAIL. However, it went all right. The weather was OK at 72F (22C) and 50% humidity. I brought lots of water, and stayed hydrated. I felt pretty good through 8km, and then my legs got tired, but I still managed a decent time.

Total: 1:33:20 for 6:13/km. Heart rate probably about 150 but that monitor is practically useless the way it keeps spiking.

5K splits: 30:24, 31:01, 31:55. Yup, tired at the end, but understandably so.

Garmin data here.

3x2k; 4x500

Another interval FAIL today. Sigh...these workouts just have my number. I had a great attitude going in, and felt wonderful to start, but then crashed hard. Frustrating, but there was nothing I could do about it. My body just would not do this one today.

I was supposed to do 4x2K; 4x500. The weather was the usual: 73F (23C) and 50% humidity to start, and 75F (24C) when I finished. Yeah, it's warm. Good heat training for the 40K in New Jersey, where it's very possible that it will be hot enough to kill me (OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's how I'm feeling now!).

I warmed up in 9:35 for 1600m with strides, and felt good. I did some dynamic stretching and got started. I went out what felt very conservatively, but in retrospect was probably too fast? I don't know...it felt easy and comfortable for the first 2K, which I did in 11:10. The next 2K did not feel so good, and I knew then I'd be in trouble, because it also took 11:24. Uh-oh. My legs and my wind felt rotten on that one. The third 2K just felt awful. My legs were heavy and wooden and I was breathing too hard. It took 11:38 with the last 500m in 2:59. Ughhhhh. Terrible.

I knew I'd have to cut the workout short - no way another 2K was happening plus 4x500. I was SO angry that I had to do that. I felt like a failure and was so mad that this workout was kicking my butt again. Rotten intervals. But I knew I had to just do the 500s and call it a day. So I did.

The first 500 felt OK - it was nice to only go 500. But I was not fast; I did it in 2:48. The second 500 was harder but was still tolerable, in 2:48. The third 500 hurt more, and my legs just felt stumpy and awkward, but I still pulled off a 2:49. The last 500? Um, yeah...nothing left. I tried really hard, but my legs were dead and I did 2:51.

Well, it's done now.

Garmin data here.

rest day; funny; week in preview (gulp!)

Today's a rest day :). This afternoon I'm parking my behind in front of the TV/live streaming on computer and catching as much of the track and field action as possible!

***

A funny from yesterday that I forgot to post: while I was walking past the slowest walkers at the end of their 5km race, I heard one say to a friend, "I think that lady (me) did the race twice!". Hahaha, if she only knew....

***

This week's schedule (gulp!). I hope the weather cooperates. I hope my body cooperates! Two more weeks hard training for the 40K race left.

MONDAY 4x2km, 4x500;
TUESDAY 15km;
WEDNESDAY 10km;
THURSDAY 15k kickdown;
FRIDAY x-train;
SATURDAY 32km

32km (20 miles)

Today and the next 2 Saturdays are 32km (20 miles). This is the heart of my 40K training and I'm trying hard to do a good job. The weather was thankfully very cooperative! It was 66F when I started (with 46% humidity) and it felt SO nice and cool. It did get hot the last 8km or so, but it only went up to 75F with 40% humidity, which is a lot better than it has been at 9 am! I just can't say enough about how much cooler I felt today. I drank a lot less, and that was fine - I still stayed hydrated and all was well.

I felt good today, and that was a relief. No GI problems, my legs felt good, and it was an interesting day. I decided to do four 8km loops around Liberty Park and down 600E. On the second loop I noticed that Salt Lake Running Company was setting up a 5K race on 600E! I thought, "Wow, this could be fun!". I was racewalking back down toward the race start right as they were about to start! I had to go by on the sidewalk as I was still going south and the race was going north. I reached my turn-around and ended up walking past the start after they'd been going for 2 min 30 sec or so. I had a LOT of fun picking off all the walkers and the slower runners and by their turn-around at 2.5km I was almost with the middle-of-the-pack runners. Fun! It gave me more energy for that 3rd 8km for sure.

I did pay for that a bit in the last 8km, especially since it was hotter. What was particularly funny was that after I went around Liberty Park (2.25 km), filled H2O bottles at the fountain, paused briefly to eat some Clif Shot Blocks, and headed back down 600E toward the 5K turnaround (another 0.5-1km?), I was not far behind the last walkers in the race. I actually caught a bunch of them before the finish line, and the race photographer took my photo, hahaha! I told him I wasn't in the race but he said that was OK :). It was great entertainment and then after I turned around I only had 4km left to walk alone. I wish they had a race like that every week!

Splits: 8km - 49:19, 50:11, 49:03, 50:02 (hmmm, yes, that 5K race was definitely in the 3rd 8km!). 5km - 30:23, 31:33, 31:25, 30:50, 30:28, 31:27, and last 2km 12:31.

Total time: 3:18:36 for 6:12/km (9:59/mile) and my ave HR was a black box...I think my HR monitor is dead. It was reading about 150 when it was reading, so I'd guess 150ish? I was working moderately hard for a distance day, but I was fast :) so I was happy with that.

Garmin data here.

cross-training; weights

Today was a cross-training day. The weather was the coolest it's been in a while for morning - 67F. Too bad I didn't have a walking workout scheduled.

I did 45 min on the elliptical and was hoping to watch the Olympics; however, on the NBC affiliate there was nothing but news :( despite the fact that there were live events available. Very annoying. Fortunately, I did bring a book to read instead.

Then I did some more glute exercises and core exercises and even a few arm exercises. I had woken up a bit early for once and had a bit of extra time to lift. My fingers are not well enough for much more than 10-12 lb dumbbells right now, but that worked out all right. I did triceps skull crushers, bench press machine (that was fine since you don't have to grip too strongly), and lateral raises for arms. For legs, I did step-downs, forward and back lunges, and one-legged getting up from a chair. I did two sets of the arm stuff and three of most of the leg things. I followed all that up with a good set of core exercises with Lisa.

Tomorrow: 32km. Have been very careful about my diet today. Hoping that will work out OK.

10K fartlek

It was still warm this morning, but not as hot as Tuesday's track workout and less humid for sure. It was 72F (22C) and 40% humidity when I left to go to the track this morning; the sun came over the mountains about 2-3km into my 10K fartlek and by the time I finished it was 77F (25C). Fortunately, the sprinklers were on at the track and that cooled the air a bit, and even cooled me directly, as they sprayed me a couple times. Normally that annoys me, but on a warm day like today, it just felt good.

I am still pretty sore from Tuesday night's glute exercises, but sore doesn't mean you can't do well, so I tried not to worry about it. I warmed up for 1600m with strides, and felt a little sluggish. I think it took me about 9:35 or so. My legs were just feeling a little uncoordinated - don't know how to explain it. After my warm-up I did some dynamic stretching and started on the fartlek.

For the first 500m I felt awkward. My legs just didn't feel smooth, like the fast twitch muscles were not coordinated properly. I wasn't slow, but definitely wasn't feeling good. I did 2:46 and 2:50 for the first two fast 500s, which was OK for the start of a 10K fartlek. I knew I had to be a bit conservative given the distance and the heat. I just went by feel after that, and after 3 or 4km was pretty concerned I'd tank; I was feeling tired and didn't think I could hold the pace. Interestingly, I could and did. This was one of the more consistent fartleks I've done, and I even had a bit left for a fast finish (2:46).

Edited to add: paused for <30 sec after each 2k to drink - needed it, and didn't want to carry bottles. This made some of my recoveries perhaps a tad faster (3-5 sec). 02:46.4, 02:49.7, 02:59.0 (med), 02:48.8, 02:58.0 (med), 02:50.4, 03:02.5 (med), 02:49.7, 02:58.0 (med), 02:49.7, 03:02.3 (med), 02:49.9, 02:58.9 (med), 02:48.4, 03:02.2 (med), 02:50.3, 03:02.0 (med), 02:49.7, 03:02.7 (med), 02:45.9 The first 5K was 28:52 and the second 5K 29:12 for a total of 58:04, my second fastest 10K fartlek ever. I don't know the average HR, because after 5K my HR monitor started going wacky. I am going to have to get that thing replaced (grrr!). Anyway, my HR was pretty high I'm sure - the last fast interval that seemed correctly recorded was average 164 and max 168 on the 10th 500. I'm sure my HR only went up from there. I was working hard today. Everything hurts now, in a good way. Legs are quite sore (ouch!). Good thing I have a couple days to recover for my 32km (20 miles) on Saturday. Garmin data here.

15K; dietary thoughts

Last night I decided I'd really better get my butt in gear. Literally. I need to do my glute strength training and since my broken fingers incident I've been back in survival mode again and haven't done anything :(. So, at the gym while Michelle and Calvin were ice skating, I watched them from the balcony and did my glute exercises. I did 4 exercises: 1) prone on ball, cross legged, lift leg while pushing on other leg; 2) on my side on the ball bring leg back and forward to work gluteus medius and abductors; 3) forward and backward lunges; 4) one-legged getting up from chair (much easier w/my right leg...sigh...that's why I'm supposed to do these).

I also did core work: plank, russian twists with 10lb medicine ball, sit-ups on ball, and something else I don't remember now :).

***

I was a bit sore this morning but not too bad (yet). This morning's workout was 15k. It was hot; 75-77F (24-25C) and humid for here at 45% humidity. Tolerable, but definitely warm. I filled my water bottles and headed out. The first 5K (slight downhill) went great at 30:29; then I did tire a bit and oh, have I mentioned that it was warm? The next 5K was 31:38 and the last 5K (slight uphill) I managed a 31:41, which was good considering that my legs were quite tired, and oh, have I mentioned the heat?

Total: 1:33:49 for 6:15/km with ave HR 143. I drank 7 bottles = 56 oz or 1.568 liters, and still weighed 1 lb (.45kg) less than when I left, which was pretty good I think.

GI: a few cramps during the workout; when I got back home it was not pretty...

***

Dietary thoughts: So I've been trying this low FODMAP diet that a nutritionist did for one of Jim's other racewalkers, and it's supposed to help with GI distress. Plus I'm doing no dairy/lactose (as usual) and trying cutting out gluten as well. After a couple days of this I can say that it's not an easy diet to follow. I can't eat much variety. Plus it doesn't seem to be helping (yet), given today's issues. I'm going to give it some more time though. I don't seem to have many other options. Any suggestions are welcome.

Garmin data here.