Yesterday: rest day. Hadn't taken one in a couple weeks, so it was time.
***
Today: 8K. Weather was beautiful; 64F (17C) and sunny and calm. Woke a bit on the groggy side but once I'd racewalked a couple km I felt much better; was apprehensive before starting out but my body responded well. I felt good this morning and didn't have any weird soreness or any other problems, other than the dog getting tired around 5km and having to stop a bit to give her a rest. Not sure what was up with that, as usually she is good to go for 10km no problem. Annoying.
It is wonderful to simply be able to train and not worry about how my body is going to do. Today's walk went really well, and though I was a little tired coming up the slight hill at the end, I kept my pace pretty well. Total was 50:32 for 6:19/km with ave HR 147.
***
After my walk I had to ride my bike to work. Was going to ride with Calvin but we both forgot that we left his bike at the U on Friday. I was going to get it this weekend but I forgot to do it when I went up to work on Saturday to do a couple things, so it wasn't in the garage and we were mystified until I remembered where we'd left it. So I drove him to Club U, then drove home and rode my bike up to work so that we can bike home together. Needless to say, my legs were a bit tired while riding my bike to work, pre-fatigued by the 8km racewalk. I didn't push hard at all, just hard enough to get up the hill, and since I am not having any weird soreness or severe fatigue, I think that was all right. Not ideal maybe, but OK.
Plans for the week: 10km on Wednesday and then 5K race on Friday for the 4th of July holiday. I'm going to be just terribly slow for the race, but it's a good way to get my speed work in for the week, and we were due to increase it by a couple km this week anyway. Being conservative, I will not do 12km this week; coach wants me to save that for next week now. Good idea. I don't want to relapse again and since we have no idea what was wrong or what triggers this we have to be careful.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Saturday, June 28, 2014
10K
Yesterday: 25 min elliptical; bike to work and back.
***
Today: 10K again! Yay! I felt GOOD today, and the weather was wonderful, and it was just a lovely outing. Add to that being super busy today, and I have managed quite well. I am definitely feeling so much better than in late April/early May. I made it to the bike shop, up to work briefly, then home to prep for a birthday party for Grace. After the party, I taught a piano lesson and cleaned up a bit. Now I'm going to take the kids to the park, as we also have my friend Sarah's kids AND another friend's 2 1/2 year old. Whew! But I'm feeling OK, and so I have the energy to do it, I think :).
More details on my 10K:
Weather was great, at about 60F (15C) and a slight breeze and sunny. Just right! I love summer. I brought the dog, as usual. I was a bit stiff/off kilter for the first 1km but then settled in just fine and felt good and strong for pretty much the whole walk, though I tired a bit at the end. I felt I could have done another 2km for sure, though maybe not very fast. Still, I'm confident that we can continue to very gradually and carefully increase my mileage and speed work.
Total: 1:03:24 for 6:20/km with ave HR 151. Nice and fast compared to last week! :)
Garmin data here.
***
Today: 10K again! Yay! I felt GOOD today, and the weather was wonderful, and it was just a lovely outing. Add to that being super busy today, and I have managed quite well. I am definitely feeling so much better than in late April/early May. I made it to the bike shop, up to work briefly, then home to prep for a birthday party for Grace. After the party, I taught a piano lesson and cleaned up a bit. Now I'm going to take the kids to the park, as we also have my friend Sarah's kids AND another friend's 2 1/2 year old. Whew! But I'm feeling OK, and so I have the energy to do it, I think :).
More details on my 10K:
Weather was great, at about 60F (15C) and a slight breeze and sunny. Just right! I love summer. I brought the dog, as usual. I was a bit stiff/off kilter for the first 1km but then settled in just fine and felt good and strong for pretty much the whole walk, though I tired a bit at the end. I felt I could have done another 2km for sure, though maybe not very fast. Still, I'm confident that we can continue to very gradually and carefully increase my mileage and speed work.
Total: 1:03:24 for 6:20/km with ave HR 151. Nice and fast compared to last week! :)
Garmin data here.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
6K
I haven't done two days in a row of racewalking in a while, but both my coach and I thought I was ready to give it a shot. He said not to worry too much about times right now, which I think is good advice. Just get the workouts done and as I get stronger we'll focus more on time.
All the same, I was hoping I wouldn't have too embarrassing of an outing today. I knew I'd be a bit tired from the fartlek and bicycling, so I was apprehensive. Despite that, it went decently.
It was very warm (bizarrely warm, even for a summer morning) here this morning at 78F (25.5C), with cloud cover and a bit of humidity too. Blechhh. Calvin went with me and even he was sweaty when we finished (and he never seems to break a sweat!).
I enjoyed having Calvin's company again today. A mom could get spoiled by this! I am thrilled that he likes to run so much, and that he's willing to run slowly so he can go with me. Yeah, he runs a lot faster than I racewalk (his PR in the 1500m is 6:26 at age 9! proud mommy!), but he does respect racewalking. He tried it once for a short distance, and when he could not even come close to keeping up with me he realized how hard it is, so he never gives me too much grief about going slowly. Of course, we also brought along Sugar (the dog), and she is great company too.
I was glad for the company, because I definitely had some heaviness in my legs today. No weird soreness at all (yay!!!!) but I am not used to back-to-back training days yet.
I was slower than I'd like to be, but it was not a death march by any means. My total time for the 6K was 39:13 for 6:32/km with ave HR 144.
Garmin data here.
Oh, and I am using a new pair of New Balance 1400s (my current favorite shoe). I should take a photo to post. They feel just like my old pair - go figure, since those were also New Balance 1400s ;).
Calvin and I did bicycle to Club U this morning, but we took it very easy and I parked my bike and took the bus up the hill to work. I wanted to ride my bike, but I also decided that today it was better not to push things in the interest of caution on my first back-to-back workout in a while.
All the same, I was hoping I wouldn't have too embarrassing of an outing today. I knew I'd be a bit tired from the fartlek and bicycling, so I was apprehensive. Despite that, it went decently.
It was very warm (bizarrely warm, even for a summer morning) here this morning at 78F (25.5C), with cloud cover and a bit of humidity too. Blechhh. Calvin went with me and even he was sweaty when we finished (and he never seems to break a sweat!).
I enjoyed having Calvin's company again today. A mom could get spoiled by this! I am thrilled that he likes to run so much, and that he's willing to run slowly so he can go with me. Yeah, he runs a lot faster than I racewalk (his PR in the 1500m is 6:26 at age 9! proud mommy!), but he does respect racewalking. He tried it once for a short distance, and when he could not even come close to keeping up with me he realized how hard it is, so he never gives me too much grief about going slowly. Of course, we also brought along Sugar (the dog), and she is great company too.
I was glad for the company, because I definitely had some heaviness in my legs today. No weird soreness at all (yay!!!!) but I am not used to back-to-back training days yet.
I was slower than I'd like to be, but it was not a death march by any means. My total time for the 6K was 39:13 for 6:32/km with ave HR 144.
Garmin data here.
Oh, and I am using a new pair of New Balance 1400s (my current favorite shoe). I should take a photo to post. They feel just like my old pair - go figure, since those were also New Balance 1400s ;).
Calvin and I did bicycle to Club U this morning, but we took it very easy and I parked my bike and took the bus up the hill to work. I wanted to ride my bike, but I also decided that today it was better not to push things in the interest of caution on my first back-to-back workout in a while.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
cross-training; 3K fartlek
Yesterday: 30 min elliptical; ride bike to work
***
Today: in a hurry to blog! Weather was warm (for me); a bit too warm at 67F (19.4C) and humidish. My legs felt heavy on 1600m warm-up (with strides). Not awful but a bit heavy, for whatever reason. Still did the 3K fartlek and had no weird soreness but my time was definitely slow and legs were tired. Calvin came along and ran with me for part of it and cheered me on for part of it "You can do it Mommy! You are awesome! I love you so much Mommy!" That was the best part :). I love my boy!!!!!!
Total time was 18:03. Yup, slow… and medium intervals were 3:10 and 3:12 - shows you how crappy my fitness is right now. The fast (haha not fast) intervals were 2:53-2:56, which is not great but beats not being able to do the workout.
Garmin data here.
After the workout I showered and then rode my bike to work. Legs were OK with that, believe it or not. Maybe I'm getting used to it?
***
Today: in a hurry to blog! Weather was warm (for me); a bit too warm at 67F (19.4C) and humidish. My legs felt heavy on 1600m warm-up (with strides). Not awful but a bit heavy, for whatever reason. Still did the 3K fartlek and had no weird soreness but my time was definitely slow and legs were tired. Calvin came along and ran with me for part of it and cheered me on for part of it "You can do it Mommy! You are awesome! I love you so much Mommy!" That was the best part :). I love my boy!!!!!!
Total time was 18:03. Yup, slow… and medium intervals were 3:10 and 3:12 - shows you how crappy my fitness is right now. The fast (haha not fast) intervals were 2:53-2:56, which is not great but beats not being able to do the workout.
Garmin data here.
After the workout I showered and then rode my bike to work. Legs were OK with that, believe it or not. Maybe I'm getting used to it?
Monday, June 23, 2014
cross-training; 8K
Yesterday: a day of very easy cross-training. I rode my bike slowly, with Calvin on his bike (he is quite a trooper to tackle the hills), to the gym. We eagerly dove into the clear water, enjoying the refreshment of the post-bike swim. Calvin played and splashed and jumped off the diving board while I swam laps for 30 minutes. I worked very hard on breathing on both sides. I'm not a great swimmer, and find it much easier to breathe on my right side; I don't float as well on the right side so it's harder to breathe on the left. I know there are drills for that…but yeah, I'm lazy. And unless I decide to do a triathlon I guess I don't care much if I'm a slow swimmer.
Side note: Grace was still pretty sick yesterday, but was looking a lot better. This morning she actually went to camp; I hope that will be OK. Her fever was gone today and she looked pretty perky.
***
Today: 8K of racewalking! I got up sleepily, groggily threw on some workout clothes, grabbed the dog, my phone, and my Garmin and ran out the door. I love summer. I don't have to think about what to wear for a workout - I know it's shorts and a T-shirt. No gloves, no hat, no wondering if I have enough layers, and no blinking light or neon vest required. Just me and the dog, out for some exercise. And today it was a lovely morning - 61F (about 15C) with a cooling breeze and sunshine.
I felt good today - got to 5K at about a 6:15/km pace, and then of course slowed a bit on the uphill at the end. I finished in 51:09 for 6:24/km with ave HR 149. I did feel a bit tired the last 1-1.5km, but none of the weird soreness, and was glad for the exercise.
After that I did have to take Calvin to camp, and since I didn't buy a parking permit this year, and since he doesn't have a bus pass, that means bicycling. We gently rode our bikes to his camp, but then it's a huge uphill for me to get to work. My legs were whining a bit about that, but I didn't push too hard, and it only takes about 15 min to get up the hill. Now, at lunch, I feel pretty good, although my legs are tired going up and down stairs and walking around at work. Nothing out of the ordinary, though, and I'm very grateful.
Garmin data here.
Side note: Grace was still pretty sick yesterday, but was looking a lot better. This morning she actually went to camp; I hope that will be OK. Her fever was gone today and she looked pretty perky.
***
Today: 8K of racewalking! I got up sleepily, groggily threw on some workout clothes, grabbed the dog, my phone, and my Garmin and ran out the door. I love summer. I don't have to think about what to wear for a workout - I know it's shorts and a T-shirt. No gloves, no hat, no wondering if I have enough layers, and no blinking light or neon vest required. Just me and the dog, out for some exercise. And today it was a lovely morning - 61F (about 15C) with a cooling breeze and sunshine.
I felt good today - got to 5K at about a 6:15/km pace, and then of course slowed a bit on the uphill at the end. I finished in 51:09 for 6:24/km with ave HR 149. I did feel a bit tired the last 1-1.5km, but none of the weird soreness, and was glad for the exercise.
After that I did have to take Calvin to camp, and since I didn't buy a parking permit this year, and since he doesn't have a bus pass, that means bicycling. We gently rode our bikes to his camp, but then it's a huge uphill for me to get to work. My legs were whining a bit about that, but I didn't push too hard, and it only takes about 15 min to get up the hill. Now, at lunch, I feel pretty good, although my legs are tired going up and down stairs and walking around at work. Nothing out of the ordinary, though, and I'm very grateful.
Garmin data here.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
10K
Yesterday: 30 min elliptical; my legs felt tired and a bit heavy. I fell asleep on the couch at about 8:30 pm, and Loren tried in vain to wake me up, so I slept there until 3 am, when I woke and moved to bed. I slept in (well, for me…) until 7 am! I guess I was tired.
Today: I lounged around a bit and then remembered that I had to check on Grace, because she had a fever last night. I went into her room and checked her, and she had a 104.6 fever! Eeeeek! She felt really hot and looked like she was miserable. I gave her acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and put her downstairs with Loren so he could keep an eye on her. We thought maybe we should take her to urgent care, but I wanted to racewalk first. I asked Loren if he thought that'd be OK, and he said it was fine, so I grabbed the dog and went out the door.
Ugh! It was warm and a bit sticky (for here…midwest and east coast friends can laugh now haha) at 73F and 38% humidity. It was very pleasant if one was not racewalking, but I worked up a sweat very quickly. The other thing you have to remember is that I'm not used to even slightly warm weather at this point. So yeah, it was sweaty. And sticky.
I did 4km then looped back to close to our house to pick up Calvin, who wanted to do 6K with me. I didn't feel great this morning - I definitely had heavy legs and felt tired the whole time; it was one of those days where you know you are just not 100%. But the good news is that I had none NONE NONE of the weird soreness either during or after the 10K.
Calvin and I stopped briefly in Liberty Park to admire the British car show going on there - lots of cool antique cars, but it was $5 for adults and I had no money, so we kept going with our workout. I was definitely feeling it coming back around the park's south side and up the small incline towards home. But I finished pretty strong and was pleased with my time, considering that I didn't feel that great.
Time: 1:04:55 for 6:29/km with ave HR 147. Garmin data here.
I was glad I'd brought my anti-chafe stuff, because I chafed a lot. Ughhhhhh humidity. And must lose weight. Must get back in shape.
Today: I lounged around a bit and then remembered that I had to check on Grace, because she had a fever last night. I went into her room and checked her, and she had a 104.6 fever! Eeeeek! She felt really hot and looked like she was miserable. I gave her acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and put her downstairs with Loren so he could keep an eye on her. We thought maybe we should take her to urgent care, but I wanted to racewalk first. I asked Loren if he thought that'd be OK, and he said it was fine, so I grabbed the dog and went out the door.
Ugh! It was warm and a bit sticky (for here…midwest and east coast friends can laugh now haha) at 73F and 38% humidity. It was very pleasant if one was not racewalking, but I worked up a sweat very quickly. The other thing you have to remember is that I'm not used to even slightly warm weather at this point. So yeah, it was sweaty. And sticky.
I did 4km then looped back to close to our house to pick up Calvin, who wanted to do 6K with me. I didn't feel great this morning - I definitely had heavy legs and felt tired the whole time; it was one of those days where you know you are just not 100%. But the good news is that I had none NONE NONE of the weird soreness either during or after the 10K.
Calvin and I stopped briefly in Liberty Park to admire the British car show going on there - lots of cool antique cars, but it was $5 for adults and I had no money, so we kept going with our workout. I was definitely feeling it coming back around the park's south side and up the small incline towards home. But I finished pretty strong and was pleased with my time, considering that I didn't feel that great.
Time: 1:04:55 for 6:29/km with ave HR 147. Garmin data here.
I was glad I'd brought my anti-chafe stuff, because I chafed a lot. Ughhhhhh humidity. And must lose weight. Must get back in shape.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
cross-training; 6K
Yesterday: 25 min on stationary bike, then rode bike with kids to Club U, then rode up the hill to work.
Today: 6K racewalking :)! Felt good. Nice weather this morning after the rain and cold; it was still chilly for June at 48F (~9C) but I felt good in my capris and long-sleeved shirt. Didn't wear gloves and that was OK. Brought the dog, and she enjoyed it :).
Today was good - no weird soreness and finished my walk in good form and feeling decent. Happy!
Total time 38:06 for 6:21/km with ave HR 142.
Garmin data here.
Edited to add: after this I rode my bike to work. Probably shouldn't have risked it, but I'm feeling better and the weather is so lovely that I couldn't resist. I feel good now (lunch time) with no weird soreness at all, so I think that it was a risk worth taking.
***
Now if only I could keep my eating under control. After a good start to the week, Tuesday and Wednesday were not good :(. Grrrrrrrrrr. Am thinking I might start e-mailing Kelly my food for each day, so that I have some accountability. Not sure that will help, but I don't know…have to do something. I thought being able to train again and focusing on Portland-to-Coast would help, but so far I have not managed to get back in the mental groove. I know one thing: I do not want to show up and be a drag on my team! So I have to figure this out.
***
Had breakfast with my dad this morning for Father's Day (delayed), and really enjoyed it. I like seeing dad first thing in the morning, when we are both at our best for the day. Good times. It's not easy to pencil into my busy schedule but it's worth it. :)
Today: 6K racewalking :)! Felt good. Nice weather this morning after the rain and cold; it was still chilly for June at 48F (~9C) but I felt good in my capris and long-sleeved shirt. Didn't wear gloves and that was OK. Brought the dog, and she enjoyed it :).
Today was good - no weird soreness and finished my walk in good form and feeling decent. Happy!
Total time 38:06 for 6:21/km with ave HR 142.
Garmin data here.
Edited to add: after this I rode my bike to work. Probably shouldn't have risked it, but I'm feeling better and the weather is so lovely that I couldn't resist. I feel good now (lunch time) with no weird soreness at all, so I think that it was a risk worth taking.
***
Now if only I could keep my eating under control. After a good start to the week, Tuesday and Wednesday were not good :(. Grrrrrrrrrr. Am thinking I might start e-mailing Kelly my food for each day, so that I have some accountability. Not sure that will help, but I don't know…have to do something. I thought being able to train again and focusing on Portland-to-Coast would help, but so far I have not managed to get back in the mental groove. I know one thing: I do not want to show up and be a drag on my team! So I have to figure this out.
***
Had breakfast with my dad this morning for Father's Day (delayed), and really enjoyed it. I like seeing dad first thing in the morning, when we are both at our best for the day. Good times. It's not easy to pencil into my busy schedule but it's worth it. :)
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
cross-training; 3K fartlek
Yesterday I cross-trained. Did 30 min elliptical and then rode my bike with the kids to summer camp and rode on up to work from there. That's a huge hill…but I'm getting used to it.
My shins were a bit sore from Sunday's 8K, so I knew cross-training was the best option. Geez, when your shins get sore you know you are seriously out of shape as a racewalker. Sigh...
I'm finally almost over my cold. I'm still coughing a little but even that's a lot better.
***
This morning I wanted to racewalk. My shins were still a bit sore, but were feeling a little better than last night so I figured I was good to go, and besides, it's just the regular muscle soreness, which needn't keep one from doing anything. I knew I wanted to do some speed work this week, and so I thought today would be a good day to try.
I was surprised at the temperature - we had a cold front come through last night and it was chilly for June. It was only 50F (10C) and was misting very lightly, and calm. I grabbed a jacket for the quick drive to the track and my warm-up.
I did my usual 1600m warm-up, with 2x100m strides on the last 400m, and was pleasantly surprised that I felt decent. The warm-up was a bit slower than when I'm in good shape, at 10:07, but that's still better than it is when I feel lousy.
The track was wet and so I didn't get quite the toe push I would on a dry track, but I doubt it slowed me more than 10 sec over the 3000m. My muscles felt very good today and I was able to actually push my cardiovascular system, which showed its lack of conditioning :(. Arrrgh. I was breathing pretty hard and pushing hard today, and not going that fast for how hard I was working, but at least I could tell that it is only lack of fitness and not anything worse. I had none of the weird muscle soreness either during or after the workout (so far; it's lunch time - I doubt it will get worse).
My time was slow, but not terrible considering my lack of conditioning and the extra 12-15 pounds I'm carrying around (I was 162.0 lb this morning… racing weight is 147-150! In kg that's 73.5 now, vs. 66.6-68.0 for racing weight…bummer, but I have been conscientious about my diet this week and feel a positive direction coming on). It's about where I'd expect to be at this point. Hopefully now I will be able to build back up to where I used to be? Unless I relapse again. But I'm going to try not to worry about that, as it won't accomplish anything.
Total time was 17:50, with ave HR 164 (see, I was working hard!) and max 174. My 500s were 2:50, 2:53, 3:09, 2:56, 3:10, and 2:53. Hopefully coach will be happy with this.
Garmin data here.
I hope I am actually able to start training in earnest now. I'd like to be in decent shape for Portland-to-Coast at the end of August, and I think that's a reasonable goal if I don't relapse, eat right, and train smart.
My shins were a bit sore from Sunday's 8K, so I knew cross-training was the best option. Geez, when your shins get sore you know you are seriously out of shape as a racewalker. Sigh...
I'm finally almost over my cold. I'm still coughing a little but even that's a lot better.
***
This morning I wanted to racewalk. My shins were still a bit sore, but were feeling a little better than last night so I figured I was good to go, and besides, it's just the regular muscle soreness, which needn't keep one from doing anything. I knew I wanted to do some speed work this week, and so I thought today would be a good day to try.
I was surprised at the temperature - we had a cold front come through last night and it was chilly for June. It was only 50F (10C) and was misting very lightly, and calm. I grabbed a jacket for the quick drive to the track and my warm-up.
I did my usual 1600m warm-up, with 2x100m strides on the last 400m, and was pleasantly surprised that I felt decent. The warm-up was a bit slower than when I'm in good shape, at 10:07, but that's still better than it is when I feel lousy.
The track was wet and so I didn't get quite the toe push I would on a dry track, but I doubt it slowed me more than 10 sec over the 3000m. My muscles felt very good today and I was able to actually push my cardiovascular system, which showed its lack of conditioning :(. Arrrgh. I was breathing pretty hard and pushing hard today, and not going that fast for how hard I was working, but at least I could tell that it is only lack of fitness and not anything worse. I had none of the weird muscle soreness either during or after the workout (so far; it's lunch time - I doubt it will get worse).
My time was slow, but not terrible considering my lack of conditioning and the extra 12-15 pounds I'm carrying around (I was 162.0 lb this morning… racing weight is 147-150! In kg that's 73.5 now, vs. 66.6-68.0 for racing weight…bummer, but I have been conscientious about my diet this week and feel a positive direction coming on). It's about where I'd expect to be at this point. Hopefully now I will be able to build back up to where I used to be? Unless I relapse again. But I'm going to try not to worry about that, as it won't accomplish anything.
Total time was 17:50, with ave HR 164 (see, I was working hard!) and max 174. My 500s were 2:50, 2:53, 3:09, 2:56, 3:10, and 2:53. Hopefully coach will be happy with this.
Garmin data here.
I hope I am actually able to start training in earnest now. I'd like to be in decent shape for Portland-to-Coast at the end of August, and I think that's a reasonable goal if I don't relapse, eat right, and train smart.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
rest day; 8K
Yesterday: rest day. I didn't sleep well Friday night, and had a garage sale early Saturday morning. I was wiped, and still not 100% over the bug from the week.
***
Today: 8K with Calvin and the dog! Calvin wasn't sure he could go that far, but I knew he could, and encouraged him. He could easily have done 10K. For that matter, I felt I could have done more if I'd had to. I am probably ready for 10K next weekend, assuming that I continue to get over my cold. I only hacked and coughed a little bit today while we were out. I felt quite decent, and the weather was lovely - about 57F (13ish C) and overcast with the occasional raindrop, which couldn't even be called a light drizzle.
Otherwise, my walk went well today. I had very little (none?) of the weird soreness, and no problems at all afterward, even with sitting at the piano and organ at church for an extended period. I feel I'm on the mend. From what, I have no idea, but I am glad I'm feeling better.
Now training begins in earnest for Portland-to-Coast in late August, assuming that I continue to feel well. With that comes a renewed focus on eating well :). Day 2 and holding strong on that front. Gotta start somewhere…and I have a ways to go now, due to forced inactivity and comfort eating. I started off well last week but the illness got me down and I had low resistance. Sigh. Now that the cold is almost gone I feel stronger and hopefully will have a bit more willpower to deal with all of it.
Oh, and my total for today's walk? An average (for me lately) 6:27/km for the 8K for a total of 51:35 with ave HR 145.
Garmin data here.
***
Today: 8K with Calvin and the dog! Calvin wasn't sure he could go that far, but I knew he could, and encouraged him. He could easily have done 10K. For that matter, I felt I could have done more if I'd had to. I am probably ready for 10K next weekend, assuming that I continue to get over my cold. I only hacked and coughed a little bit today while we were out. I felt quite decent, and the weather was lovely - about 57F (13ish C) and overcast with the occasional raindrop, which couldn't even be called a light drizzle.Otherwise, my walk went well today. I had very little (none?) of the weird soreness, and no problems at all afterward, even with sitting at the piano and organ at church for an extended period. I feel I'm on the mend. From what, I have no idea, but I am glad I'm feeling better.
Now training begins in earnest for Portland-to-Coast in late August, assuming that I continue to feel well. With that comes a renewed focus on eating well :). Day 2 and holding strong on that front. Gotta start somewhere…and I have a ways to go now, due to forced inactivity and comfort eating. I started off well last week but the illness got me down and I had low resistance. Sigh. Now that the cold is almost gone I feel stronger and hopefully will have a bit more willpower to deal with all of it.
Oh, and my total for today's walk? An average (for me lately) 6:27/km for the 8K for a total of 51:35 with ave HR 145.
Garmin data here.
Friday, June 13, 2014
6K; cross-training
Yesterday I woke up and felt lousy. I am still getting over this virus, and I didn't want to move; in addition, I was grouchy and irritable about the Celiac's disease test results and some other things. I got on Facebook to touch base with my coach, and he told me to go for a walk, because I'd feel better. On the surface that seems pretty obvious, but I didn't think of it because I was too busy wallowing in my own garbage. Yeah. Sometimes you need a coach to remind you of the obvious.
So I went for a walk, and guess what? I did feel better. All day. Seriously, if they could bottle exercise and sell it like a pill, people would pay billions for it. But there is that energy of activation that one has to overcome to get out there, and for some reason it keeps people from trying it. It kept me a couch potato for 35 years. Now I know better, most of the time, but I still needed my coach to give me a kick in the seat of the pants yesterday.
My walk wasn't spectacular, but I felt lots better than Monday's 5K, and was a little faster. I did the 6K in 39:12 for 6:32/km with ave HR 141. I coughed a lot about every km, clearing crap out of my lungs, but otherwise felt OK. No weird soreness during or after my workout.
Garmin data here.
I am so glad it's summer and that it's light in the morning when I walk, and that it's warm. Otherwise this would be a lot harder.
***
This morning I felt sluggish again. I dragged myself to the gym, remembering yesterday that exercise helped. I did 30 min on the elliptical and it went really well - I did more than my usual mileage in the 30 min on that machine, so I figure this means my virus isn't so awful any more. However, after that I rode my bike to work, and by the time I arrived I was sorta trashed, so maybe I still need to take it easy? I'm hoping I'll feel better yet tomorrow. Not sure if I will RW a longer distance or not - am helping some friends with a garage sale, and we might have to get up really early, so I might put off a longer walk until Sunday? Just not sure.
So I went for a walk, and guess what? I did feel better. All day. Seriously, if they could bottle exercise and sell it like a pill, people would pay billions for it. But there is that energy of activation that one has to overcome to get out there, and for some reason it keeps people from trying it. It kept me a couch potato for 35 years. Now I know better, most of the time, but I still needed my coach to give me a kick in the seat of the pants yesterday.
My walk wasn't spectacular, but I felt lots better than Monday's 5K, and was a little faster. I did the 6K in 39:12 for 6:32/km with ave HR 141. I coughed a lot about every km, clearing crap out of my lungs, but otherwise felt OK. No weird soreness during or after my workout.
Garmin data here.
I am so glad it's summer and that it's light in the morning when I walk, and that it's warm. Otherwise this would be a lot harder.
***
This morning I felt sluggish again. I dragged myself to the gym, remembering yesterday that exercise helped. I did 30 min on the elliptical and it went really well - I did more than my usual mileage in the 30 min on that machine, so I figure this means my virus isn't so awful any more. However, after that I rode my bike to work, and by the time I arrived I was sorta trashed, so maybe I still need to take it easy? I'm hoping I'll feel better yet tomorrow. Not sure if I will RW a longer distance or not - am helping some friends with a garage sale, and we might have to get up really early, so I might put off a longer walk until Sunday? Just not sure.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
test results
Went to the track this morning and made it one lap. Coughing a lot. Legs thrashed. Obviously still a bit sick, though I did manage to bicycle to work (slow with the kids to President's Circle, then faster up the big hill to my work).
Test results are back. I am negative for tissue transglutaminase antibodies, which means I probably do not have Celiac's disease. This means that no one knows what is wrong. I think I'm going to cry now.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
feeling a bit better
I'm feeling a bit better today. Not normal, as I am still a bit wiped from whatever this virus was that I've caught, but at least improved.
Went to the gym and did 30 min on the elliptical; my legs were definitely not at their usual strength but I managed this without too much trouble. Then I biked with the kids to Club U (a miserable business this morning, as both kids were maximally whiny) and then up to work, and by the time I got to work I was quite tired. A brief rest, some water, and a little yogurt was enough to get me going again.
I think I'll racewalk again tomorrow…perhaps a 3K fartlek.
Monday, June 09, 2014
5K
This morning I did 5K. I felt OK beforehand, but in retrospect, I shouldn't have done it. It's hard to know how you really feel sometimes until you try to work out. Most of the time you feel better afterward; sometimes you feel worse. Today was one of the latter times.
There wasn't much of the weird soreness - no, I just had general overall fatigue. Pressing fatigue. Killing fatigue. I was slow, too. I did the 5K at 6:42/km pace (! slow !) and felt rather rotten when done. Bad enough that I emailed work and didn't go in. Bad enough that I slept 3.5 hours during the middle of the day. I felt better after my nap, but not great. I managed to make dinner and drag kids to swim lessons and do a load of laundry, but now I'm exhausted. Oh yeah, and coughing a lot. I seem to have gotten the family virus that has made Grace, then Loren, then Calvin all sicker than dogs.
Hoping I'll feel better in the morning.
There wasn't much of the weird soreness - no, I just had general overall fatigue. Pressing fatigue. Killing fatigue. I was slow, too. I did the 5K at 6:42/km pace (! slow !) and felt rather rotten when done. Bad enough that I emailed work and didn't go in. Bad enough that I slept 3.5 hours during the middle of the day. I felt better after my nap, but not great. I managed to make dinner and drag kids to swim lessons and do a load of laundry, but now I'm exhausted. Oh yeah, and coughing a lot. I seem to have gotten the family virus that has made Grace, then Loren, then Calvin all sicker than dogs.
Hoping I'll feel better in the morning.
Sunday, June 08, 2014
rest days; 8K; optimistic?
I took Friday and Saturday as rest days. Friday, because I was ultra-fatigued and took the day off work, and Saturday because I wasn't sure. Saturday ended up crazy-busy, as I went to work for an hour and then took the kids to a track meet in Provo (1 hr drive south), followed by a graduation party, driving Grace to a friend's house for a sleepover, dinner with the extended family (out), and hanging out at my parents' house with the extended family. Whew.
Here are a few photos from the track meet; this is the toughest competition in the state and Calvin's best was 4th of 6 in the 1500m with a pretty fast time of 6:33, despite being sick. He did a 6:26 a month ago, and I could tell today that he wasn't feeling well. I'm still proud of how well he did and mostly just thrilled that he enjoys running so much. Grace competed in the 400m for the first time ever, and while she was last (of only 5 girls), I was proud that she tried and was out there. We need to work on her fitness a bit, though bicycling to Club U this summer will be a huge help there.
Back to me: I thought I was sick on Friday, but now I'm not so sure. I think it was just the fatigue, perhaps? I was congested and felt "off" but other than sleeping an extra 3 hr in the middle of the day, I was OK. Needless to say, I took a sick day from work, and obviously needed the rest. I thought I might have what Grace had, and what Calvin now (apparently) has, but maybe not. Loren has it - sore throat, fatigue, malaise, etc., but I feel fine today.
This morning I met Kelly (yes! Kelly! my racewalking buddy!) at Liberty Park for 8K. She is not up to RW at my speed yet, so she ran and I RW. Poor Kelly's been through the wringer lately, and actually wasn't even up to running 8K. She did 5K (in 32:51; 6:34/km) with me and my dog, Sugar, before calling it quits and waiting for me to finish. I picked up the pace a bit after she stopped, surprising myself (19:25 for the last 3K, for 6:28/km). Overall it was still a pretty slow walk, but my legs felt pretty good until about 6K. Then I had a bit of the weird soreness, though it wasn't bad. It was just enough to notice, and happily didn't bother me one bit sitting at the piano at church today.
My total time today was only 52:17 (6:32/km) with ave HR ??? as I forgot to wear my HRM (it was on the kitchen table…duh!). The weather was a lovely 64F (18C) with a gentle cool breeze, and it felt SO VERY NICE to be outside RWing. After Kelly stopped, I was walking around the park alone with my thoughts and realizing with such clarity how much I love racewalking. I love the smoothness of it, the fact that I am propelling myself to observe my surroundings, the beauty of being outdoors, and the strength I feel from exercise. I have been so concerned lately about my weight gain, and this morning that moment of clarity spoke to me - I am NOT the same person that I used to be, and I am not going back to that lifestyle. Yes, I have gained weight, but that is not permanent. I have a choice for things to be different. The scripture from I Corinthians about how I am a new creation in Christ popped into my head, and hit me afresh…I pondered it quietly and thought about how God has not brought me this far to drop me like a hot potato and leave me floundering. Difficulty feels permanent, but experience tells me it is transitory.
The sermon at church reinforced what I was already thinking about, as the focus was on Pentecost and the work of the Spirit in breathing new life into us, and enabling us to serve and love others with that energy and life. I thought of Kelly and the hard times she is having, and how I am privileged to stand beside her and offer support. I think of others I may touch without realizing it, and of those who have supported me in my own difficulties. Sorry for the long-windedness here, but I just needed to get this down so I can go back to it when I need it!
Some concrete thoughts I had this morning about my own issues:
1) I have fresh motivation to move my eating habits in the right direction.
2) I have thoughts on replacing my bad habits with new habits, and some concrete ways to do that - books, music, walks with the family enjoying the summer evenings, etc.
3) I have decided to go gluten-free again after my blood test on Tuesday, because I really feel it made a big difference. I am definitely not feeling as good as I was in mid-May. It can't hurt, and might help, regardless of the results of the test. If I don't actually have Celiac's, I could have NCGS (Non-Celiac's Gluten Sensitivity), which is turning out to be surprisingly common these days from what I've read. If it keeps me feeling good then I will stick with it permanently; either way, I should be able to tell from how I feel in a few weeks.
4) I know I want to RW again, seriously. I want to train for Portland-to-Coast. I would love to do a 50K again, if not this year (very dubious), then next year or whenever I am feeling better. I want to do the weight training, the good eating, all of it. I feel better when I am training!
Right now, though, I want a little rest and relaxation with my Kindle and a good book, so I'll sign off. More tomorrow!
Garmin data here.
Here are a few photos from the track meet; this is the toughest competition in the state and Calvin's best was 4th of 6 in the 1500m with a pretty fast time of 6:33, despite being sick. He did a 6:26 a month ago, and I could tell today that he wasn't feeling well. I'm still proud of how well he did and mostly just thrilled that he enjoys running so much. Grace competed in the 400m for the first time ever, and while she was last (of only 5 girls), I was proud that she tried and was out there. We need to work on her fitness a bit, though bicycling to Club U this summer will be a huge help there.
Back to me: I thought I was sick on Friday, but now I'm not so sure. I think it was just the fatigue, perhaps? I was congested and felt "off" but other than sleeping an extra 3 hr in the middle of the day, I was OK. Needless to say, I took a sick day from work, and obviously needed the rest. I thought I might have what Grace had, and what Calvin now (apparently) has, but maybe not. Loren has it - sore throat, fatigue, malaise, etc., but I feel fine today.
This morning I met Kelly (yes! Kelly! my racewalking buddy!) at Liberty Park for 8K. She is not up to RW at my speed yet, so she ran and I RW. Poor Kelly's been through the wringer lately, and actually wasn't even up to running 8K. She did 5K (in 32:51; 6:34/km) with me and my dog, Sugar, before calling it quits and waiting for me to finish. I picked up the pace a bit after she stopped, surprising myself (19:25 for the last 3K, for 6:28/km). Overall it was still a pretty slow walk, but my legs felt pretty good until about 6K. Then I had a bit of the weird soreness, though it wasn't bad. It was just enough to notice, and happily didn't bother me one bit sitting at the piano at church today.
My total time today was only 52:17 (6:32/km) with ave HR ??? as I forgot to wear my HRM (it was on the kitchen table…duh!). The weather was a lovely 64F (18C) with a gentle cool breeze, and it felt SO VERY NICE to be outside RWing. After Kelly stopped, I was walking around the park alone with my thoughts and realizing with such clarity how much I love racewalking. I love the smoothness of it, the fact that I am propelling myself to observe my surroundings, the beauty of being outdoors, and the strength I feel from exercise. I have been so concerned lately about my weight gain, and this morning that moment of clarity spoke to me - I am NOT the same person that I used to be, and I am not going back to that lifestyle. Yes, I have gained weight, but that is not permanent. I have a choice for things to be different. The scripture from I Corinthians about how I am a new creation in Christ popped into my head, and hit me afresh…I pondered it quietly and thought about how God has not brought me this far to drop me like a hot potato and leave me floundering. Difficulty feels permanent, but experience tells me it is transitory.
The sermon at church reinforced what I was already thinking about, as the focus was on Pentecost and the work of the Spirit in breathing new life into us, and enabling us to serve and love others with that energy and life. I thought of Kelly and the hard times she is having, and how I am privileged to stand beside her and offer support. I think of others I may touch without realizing it, and of those who have supported me in my own difficulties. Sorry for the long-windedness here, but I just needed to get this down so I can go back to it when I need it!
Some concrete thoughts I had this morning about my own issues:
1) I have fresh motivation to move my eating habits in the right direction.
2) I have thoughts on replacing my bad habits with new habits, and some concrete ways to do that - books, music, walks with the family enjoying the summer evenings, etc.
3) I have decided to go gluten-free again after my blood test on Tuesday, because I really feel it made a big difference. I am definitely not feeling as good as I was in mid-May. It can't hurt, and might help, regardless of the results of the test. If I don't actually have Celiac's, I could have NCGS (Non-Celiac's Gluten Sensitivity), which is turning out to be surprisingly common these days from what I've read. If it keeps me feeling good then I will stick with it permanently; either way, I should be able to tell from how I feel in a few weeks.
4) I know I want to RW again, seriously. I want to train for Portland-to-Coast. I would love to do a 50K again, if not this year (very dubious), then next year or whenever I am feeling better. I want to do the weight training, the good eating, all of it. I feel better when I am training!
Right now, though, I want a little rest and relaxation with my Kindle and a good book, so I'll sign off. More tomorrow!
Garmin data here.
Thursday, June 05, 2014
workouts and some random thoughts
Yesterday: I felt fatigued and my muscles were a bit "off". I've not been sleeping as much as I should have this week, because my brother has been visiting and we've had a lot of family activities on top of the usual busyness. Lack of sleep could be the culprit, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's not the only problem. So I decided to just do 20 min stationary bike, plus I rode with the kids to Club U for the first day of summer camp.
We pretty much have to ride our bikes, because I didn't buy a parking permit this year, and the bus is $10 per day for both kids, which is completely ridiculous. I can get a summer bus pass for each of them for $99, but let's face it: we are all healthier if we ride our bikes, and it's not that far. It is uphill, but not as much as to my work, and I think once they are used to it that it'll be fine. Yesterday, Grace had a TOTAL MELTDOWN!!! while we were riding there. She was tired, and her legs hurt, and she was miserable, and wanted to make us miserable as well. In her defense, she'd just gotten over a week of illness, so she probably was weaker than normal. It was a bad mommy moment for me, and a bad moment for her, and probably best forgotten. She was much better today.
After dropping them at camp, I rode up the very steep hill to work, and felt OK. My legs were a bit tired and sore the rest of the day but nothing dreadful. Just noticeable.
Today: Woke feeling unrefreshed and sleep-deprived; I got 7 hours but I know that's not enough right now. I was to do a 2K fartlek at the track, and in my sleep-deprived brain I just "knew" that was 400m laps - 2 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard. Uhhhh, nope! That would be 2.4km, not 2km. I didn't figure it out until my last hard lap, when I realized my time was going to be over 14 minutes. Then I did the calculation and realized that my plan was for 6 laps. Oops!
Backing up a bit, I did an easy warm-up with 100m strides for a total of 1.2km (shortened a bit from my usual 1.6km warm-up). I felt lousy on the warm-up and was pretty slow, doing 6:30/km even with the strides. My legs just felt heavy and a bit sore. I decided I could do a 2K fartlek anyway, and I managed to get through it pretty well other than that I had a bit of the weird soreness, very heavy legs, and I was slower than sludge. Oddly, I didn't feel too bad about this. I am sort of happy - I am hoping this means that I'm relapsing a bit and that perhaps it is due to gluten. I would be SO very very thrilled right now if it was Celiac's disease, because I can do something to fix that! Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up, but I just want to feel better SO badly.
I've been in a bit of an eating slump because I have to eat gluten right now … and so I keep choosing crappy food (I know this is really just an excuse…gluten or no gluten, I can make better choices). Add in being tired, feeling like there isn't anything to train for (WRONG since I am doing Portland-to-Coast in August), and general malaise/moderate depression, and it's a recipe for crappy eating. I am really looking forward to getting the results of my blood tests late next week, so that I can re-jigger my eating and get a fresh start.
Back to my workout --- lap times:
2:19.3, 2:24.0 (both fast); 2:31.7 (medium); 2:22.0 (fast); 2:32.1 (medium); 2:20.1 (fast). My fasts are slower than my healthy 10K race pace :(. Ugh. Embarrassing. Ave HR only 152; max only 164. My legs were the limiting factor today - as I said, they felt heavy and a bit sore.
Recover tomorrow, then 8K on Saturday if I'm up to it. I hope I am. And I also hope I'm not, if it means I'm relapsing from gluten.
Garmin data here.
We pretty much have to ride our bikes, because I didn't buy a parking permit this year, and the bus is $10 per day for both kids, which is completely ridiculous. I can get a summer bus pass for each of them for $99, but let's face it: we are all healthier if we ride our bikes, and it's not that far. It is uphill, but not as much as to my work, and I think once they are used to it that it'll be fine. Yesterday, Grace had a TOTAL MELTDOWN!!! while we were riding there. She was tired, and her legs hurt, and she was miserable, and wanted to make us miserable as well. In her defense, she'd just gotten over a week of illness, so she probably was weaker than normal. It was a bad mommy moment for me, and a bad moment for her, and probably best forgotten. She was much better today.
After dropping them at camp, I rode up the very steep hill to work, and felt OK. My legs were a bit tired and sore the rest of the day but nothing dreadful. Just noticeable.
Today: Woke feeling unrefreshed and sleep-deprived; I got 7 hours but I know that's not enough right now. I was to do a 2K fartlek at the track, and in my sleep-deprived brain I just "knew" that was 400m laps - 2 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard. Uhhhh, nope! That would be 2.4km, not 2km. I didn't figure it out until my last hard lap, when I realized my time was going to be over 14 minutes. Then I did the calculation and realized that my plan was for 6 laps. Oops!
Backing up a bit, I did an easy warm-up with 100m strides for a total of 1.2km (shortened a bit from my usual 1.6km warm-up). I felt lousy on the warm-up and was pretty slow, doing 6:30/km even with the strides. My legs just felt heavy and a bit sore. I decided I could do a 2K fartlek anyway, and I managed to get through it pretty well other than that I had a bit of the weird soreness, very heavy legs, and I was slower than sludge. Oddly, I didn't feel too bad about this. I am sort of happy - I am hoping this means that I'm relapsing a bit and that perhaps it is due to gluten. I would be SO very very thrilled right now if it was Celiac's disease, because I can do something to fix that! Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up, but I just want to feel better SO badly.
I've been in a bit of an eating slump because I have to eat gluten right now … and so I keep choosing crappy food (I know this is really just an excuse…gluten or no gluten, I can make better choices). Add in being tired, feeling like there isn't anything to train for (WRONG since I am doing Portland-to-Coast in August), and general malaise/moderate depression, and it's a recipe for crappy eating. I am really looking forward to getting the results of my blood tests late next week, so that I can re-jigger my eating and get a fresh start.
Back to my workout --- lap times:
2:19.3, 2:24.0 (both fast); 2:31.7 (medium); 2:22.0 (fast); 2:32.1 (medium); 2:20.1 (fast). My fasts are slower than my healthy 10K race pace :(. Ugh. Embarrassing. Ave HR only 152; max only 164. My legs were the limiting factor today - as I said, they felt heavy and a bit sore.
Recover tomorrow, then 8K on Saturday if I'm up to it. I hope I am. And I also hope I'm not, if it means I'm relapsing from gluten.
Garmin data here.
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
Sunday-today
Sunday: 5.76 hilly km around SugarHouse park with Calvin! It was so very lovely - 56F (13C) and sunny and a gentle breeze. Awesome. I felt good on the hills, with just some slight bit of the weird soreness during and after. Total time was 37:33 for 6:31/km with ave HR 146.
Garmin data here.
Monday: rode my bike to work. That was all.
Tuesday: 6K around Liberty Park with the dog. Nice morning --- warmer than Sunday, at 68F (20C), but with a slight breeze I wasn't too hot. I was quite sweaty when I finished and enjoyed a quick cool shower though. My legs felt decent again today - some weird soreness from 3.5km on, and some later in the day, but not too bad. I wish it would just go away, but at least at this level don't mind it terribly too much. Total time was 38:20 for 6:23/km with ave HR 148.
Garmin data here.
Garmin data here.
Monday: rode my bike to work. That was all.
Tuesday: 6K around Liberty Park with the dog. Nice morning --- warmer than Sunday, at 68F (20C), but with a slight breeze I wasn't too hot. I was quite sweaty when I finished and enjoyed a quick cool shower though. My legs felt decent again today - some weird soreness from 3.5km on, and some later in the day, but not too bad. I wish it would just go away, but at least at this level don't mind it terribly too much. Total time was 38:20 for 6:23/km with ave HR 148.
Garmin data here.
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