Oh, and some good news: pain level today was frequently ZERO, though it was also 1/10 for a good part of the walk. Still, it's better. I am working hard on technique every time I'm out there.
Garmin data here.
Monday, February 29, 2016
decent 8K
Yesterday: Yoga for runners, the hard version, followed by lounging at Seaport Village and Coronado Island. Tough day ;). Flew home last night and managed to get to sleep by 11pm, which isn't too awful, but it was later than I'd have liked.
Today: when the alarm went off at 5:50-ish I wasn't at all ready to get out of bed (darn time zone thing - that is 4:50-ish in San Diego!). But I managed to get up and get out the door for 8K with Calvin and the dogs. That part was awesome. I love having company, and since Kelly isn't training with me much with all her wedding preparations, it is nice to have Calvin along (and we put on the SAME shirt, coincidentally! (our Cold Turkey 2014 shirts)). The weather was great too - warm! 6.1C (43F) and calm and cloudy. My legs were feeling a bit sore in the glutes from the yoga (good!) but it didn't seem to hurt my workout at all. In fact, Calvin noticed I was speedier today, and I was. Not that I was fast, but finally I did 6:30/km again! I did the 8K in 52:04 with ave HR 144; however, the HR would've been higher had I not had to stop FOUR (yes FOUR) times for dog poop pickup. Geez. Stupid dogs! It was like they saved up all weekend for me to come back and take them racewalking or something.
Oh, and some good news: pain level today was frequently ZERO, though it was also 1/10 for a good part of the walk. Still, it's better. I am working hard on technique every time I'm out there.
Garmin data here.
Oh, and some good news: pain level today was frequently ZERO, though it was also 1/10 for a good part of the walk. Still, it's better. I am working hard on technique every time I'm out there.
Garmin data here.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
15K
Yesterday: rest day, though I walked around San Diego a lot - both on the beach, in La Jolla, and downtown where we are staying for Kelly's bachelorette party, which has been a lot of fun. I also did too much sitting: 1.5 hr for lunch, and even longer at the dinner/show we went to.
Today: 15K. Sore and stiff at the start from sitting, and things hurt a bit in the first few km. However, after a bit (4km?) I started to feel better; pain never got more than 2 and was mostly 1/10, even to the end of my walk. I was super slow, but my coach assures me that is OK at this stage and that it will improve. I hope so.
I was tiring near the end but got a boost from striking up a conversation with a runner, "Sally", that I happened upon. I passed her (barely going faster than her) and we started talking, and she was great to talk with. We chatted for about 15 min and it helped both of us finish the hardest part of our training for the day.
Total time was 1:41:51 (! so slow!) for 6:47/km with ave HR nice and low at 143.
Today: 15K. Sore and stiff at the start from sitting, and things hurt a bit in the first few km. However, after a bit (4km?) I started to feel better; pain never got more than 2 and was mostly 1/10, even to the end of my walk. I was super slow, but my coach assures me that is OK at this stage and that it will improve. I hope so.
I was tiring near the end but got a boost from striking up a conversation with a runner, "Sally", that I happened upon. I passed her (barely going faster than her) and we started talking, and she was great to talk with. We chatted for about 15 min and it helped both of us finish the hardest part of our training for the day.
Total time was 1:41:51 (! so slow!) for 6:47/km with ave HR nice and low at 143.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
yoga; 3K fartlek
Yesterday: After my 10k in the morning I did yoga in the afternoon with a new DVD I got. It was shorter, which is good, because my current one is about 1 hr 25 min and is just tooooooo looooonnnnng for me to do all the stretches at the end every time, though I do all the strength moves and can finish that part in about an hour. The new DVD was OK; the instructor didn't have nearly the explanations and directions of how to hold the poses correctly, and it wasn't as challenging as my other DVD. It was short though...20 minutes, with 3 different routines (each 20 min) one for pre-run, one for conditioning/strength training, and one for post-run. So it could be useful when I'm crunched for time, but otherwise the other one is a lot better.
Today: 3K fartlek. I didn't do the workout until late morning because I had to decorate my co-worker's bench and desk for his 40th birthday :). I got in really early to do it and then went home to help the kids get to school, then back to work to finish the job. The photos show the final product, which I thought was hilarious! Finally, after I did some "real" work and saw his amused reaction, I went to the gym on campus to use the indoor track. The weather was so very nice (50F? 10C?) that I wished I could use the outdoor track, but as usual, lanes 1-4 were blocked off for public use. Grrrr. But the indoor track was OK.
First I warmed up carefully: PT exercises, glute activation, then 5 laps gradually increasing speed on each lap. My hamstring felt pretty good.
I did the usual for a 3K fartlek there: 2 laps fast, 2 medium, 2 fast, 2 medium, 2 fast for 10 laps, or 2926m. My times were: 3:22.3, 3:40.6, 3:28.0, 3:42.9, and 3:25.8 which equates to 2:52.8, 3:08.5, 2:57.7, 3:10.4, and 2:55.8 for 500m equivalents. Total time: 17:40, which would be 18:07 for the full 3K. My average HR was low at 157; I gave it a hard effort but I think I'm just not neuromuscularly efficient right now. And hey, that's not as dreadfully awful as I was expecting. My hamstring hurt a little, with pain 1-2/10 about like my walks lately; a little more pain than yesterday, but really, not a big deal. I kept a little mantra going to help me remember to have good technique: "stand tall - go to Perth" (reminds me to keep posture straight, with strong core and no anterior pelvic tilt), "walk wide - go to Perth" (reminding me to keep stride width), "quick steps - go to Perth" (reminding me to keep a quick cadence). It must be working 'cause the pain was less, and when I went to PT a couple hours later, the treadmill with sensors revealed my stride is a bit wider (6 cm instead of 3 cm) and my cadence a little quicker. I still need to work on both, but it's better. He gave me new exercises to do - they're good, and tough.
Garmin data here.
First I warmed up carefully: PT exercises, glute activation, then 5 laps gradually increasing speed on each lap. My hamstring felt pretty good.
I did the usual for a 3K fartlek there: 2 laps fast, 2 medium, 2 fast, 2 medium, 2 fast for 10 laps, or 2926m. My times were: 3:22.3, 3:40.6, 3:28.0, 3:42.9, and 3:25.8 which equates to 2:52.8, 3:08.5, 2:57.7, 3:10.4, and 2:55.8 for 500m equivalents. Total time: 17:40, which would be 18:07 for the full 3K. My average HR was low at 157; I gave it a hard effort but I think I'm just not neuromuscularly efficient right now. And hey, that's not as dreadfully awful as I was expecting. My hamstring hurt a little, with pain 1-2/10 about like my walks lately; a little more pain than yesterday, but really, not a big deal. I kept a little mantra going to help me remember to have good technique: "stand tall - go to Perth" (reminds me to keep posture straight, with strong core and no anterior pelvic tilt), "walk wide - go to Perth" (reminding me to keep stride width), "quick steps - go to Perth" (reminding me to keep a quick cadence). It must be working 'cause the pain was less, and when I went to PT a couple hours later, the treadmill with sensors revealed my stride is a bit wider (6 cm instead of 3 cm) and my cadence a little quicker. I still need to work on both, but it's better. He gave me new exercises to do - they're good, and tough.
Garmin data here.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
cross-training; 10K
Yesterday: cross-training, coach's orders. I did 45 min elliptical.
Today: 10K. Not even 500m into the workout I tripped (over the dog? over my own feet?) and went down, hard. I put my hands down (duh! - but in my defense it happened SO fast) but thankfully was wearing gloves (which didn't even rip - yay!) and also hit my right kneecap pretty hard. I didn't rip my tights though :) and the only residual problem is a bruise, amazingly enough. I got up and shook it off and was able to do the whole 10K, no problem.
Calvin came with me for the first 8K, as he is training for the Canyonlands 5-miler in March. I'm doing the half marathon (easy pace), assuming that my hamstring is up for it. I think it will be. I hope it will be. We brought along both dogs, and they were super well-behaved. We did have to make a pit stop for Calvin in Liberty Park, and I nearly froze waiting for him to use the porta-potty. It wasn't unusually cold, but after you've been working out for 20 min your clothes are sweaty and stopping makes you more cold! It was -2.2C (28F) with a little breeze, and my face was very cold. After you've been out a while in that weather your face muscles get a little numb and you slur your words a bit at times. It's amusing :).
A bit past 5K we found a sandwich, purchased from a store and wrapped, right in the middle of the road. Bummer for the person who lost it! The dogs thought it was super interesting and Calvin tortured Sugar a bit with it, but then I made him throw it out in a nearby trash can. Our dogs tend to get overweight so we can't feed them that much people food.
Good news: other than my knee, nothing hurt too much. My hamstring was a lot better today, and pain was 0-1/10. Sometimes it hurt a little bit, and sometimes not at all. I worked hard on my technique and continue to do my PT exercises. I thought a lot about stance width, cadence, using my glutes, and keeping my posture upright using my abs. I think it helped.
Total time 1:06:27 for 6:39/km with average HR just 144. Not fast, but I'll take it, with the pain levels better :).
Today: 10K. Not even 500m into the workout I tripped (over the dog? over my own feet?) and went down, hard. I put my hands down (duh! - but in my defense it happened SO fast) but thankfully was wearing gloves (which didn't even rip - yay!) and also hit my right kneecap pretty hard. I didn't rip my tights though :) and the only residual problem is a bruise, amazingly enough. I got up and shook it off and was able to do the whole 10K, no problem.
Calvin came with me for the first 8K, as he is training for the Canyonlands 5-miler in March. I'm doing the half marathon (easy pace), assuming that my hamstring is up for it. I think it will be. I hope it will be. We brought along both dogs, and they were super well-behaved. We did have to make a pit stop for Calvin in Liberty Park, and I nearly froze waiting for him to use the porta-potty. It wasn't unusually cold, but after you've been working out for 20 min your clothes are sweaty and stopping makes you more cold! It was -2.2C (28F) with a little breeze, and my face was very cold. After you've been out a while in that weather your face muscles get a little numb and you slur your words a bit at times. It's amusing :).
A bit past 5K we found a sandwich, purchased from a store and wrapped, right in the middle of the road. Bummer for the person who lost it! The dogs thought it was super interesting and Calvin tortured Sugar a bit with it, but then I made him throw it out in a nearby trash can. Our dogs tend to get overweight so we can't feed them that much people food.Good news: other than my knee, nothing hurt too much. My hamstring was a lot better today, and pain was 0-1/10. Sometimes it hurt a little bit, and sometimes not at all. I worked hard on my technique and continue to do my PT exercises. I thought a lot about stance width, cadence, using my glutes, and keeping my posture upright using my abs. I think it helped.
Total time 1:06:27 for 6:39/km with average HR just 144. Not fast, but I'll take it, with the pain levels better :).
Monday, February 22, 2016
8K
In a hurry - so this is quick but:
Did 8K this morning, and screwed up my watch a bit so I don't know exact pace but was about 6:38/km or so. I probably went closer to 8.5K given the watch problem. Anyway, pain level was mostly 1 but was near 2/10 at the end of the walk. I'm having a little sciatica but not bad at all, just a touch with sitting but not like it was when it was really bad and I could only sit for 10 minutes. Took some naproxen and that should help. Did my PT before going out and got glutes good and warmed up.
It was raining/snowing lightly and 2.2C (36F).
Garmin here for what it's worth.
Did 8K this morning, and screwed up my watch a bit so I don't know exact pace but was about 6:38/km or so. I probably went closer to 8.5K given the watch problem. Anyway, pain level was mostly 1 but was near 2/10 at the end of the walk. I'm having a little sciatica but not bad at all, just a touch with sitting but not like it was when it was really bad and I could only sit for 10 minutes. Took some naproxen and that should help. Did my PT before going out and got glutes good and warmed up.
It was raining/snowing lightly and 2.2C (36F).
Garmin here for what it's worth.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
not at the 50K; yoga, elliptical
The 50K racewalk was in Santee, CA today, and I wasn't there. Again. Le sigh. Maybe in fall 2017.
It did motivate me to cross-train and do what I can now to get better so I can eventually do it again. I did my yoga DVD (it's getting easier, though still challenging and still leaves me a bit sore) which is awesome for strength, especially in hips, but all over. After coffee with my friend Sarah, I went to work and also to the gym and did the elliptical for 45 min. Came home and made dinner (leftovers) and am doing laundry; also helped Grace practice the violin. Haha, all this on my day "off".
It did motivate me to cross-train and do what I can now to get better so I can eventually do it again. I did my yoga DVD (it's getting easier, though still challenging and still leaves me a bit sore) which is awesome for strength, especially in hips, but all over. After coffee with my friend Sarah, I went to work and also to the gym and did the elliptical for 45 min. Came home and made dinner (leftovers) and am doing laundry; also helped Grace practice the violin. Haha, all this on my day "off".
Saturday, February 20, 2016
12K; making slow progress
I made it 12K this morning on a hilly route; the pain was a bit more than it has been, just like yesterday, but it wasn't terrible. It was a 1-2 mostly, and maybe once or twice was pushing 3 (which is the place where I have told myself I will stop). I did my glute activation and PT exercises before going out, I focused on a wider stance and faster cadence, and thought a lot about good posture. That was great until 10km or so, when I had an uphill slog and it was all I could do to hang on and think about posture. I got tired! Geez. So out of shape. But it'll never get better unless I persist. Many of my good RW friends are doing the 50K tomorrow in San Diego, and I'm jealous. I wish I could do it too. On the other hand, it's supposed to be hot, and so maybe I don't wish I was doing it :). OK, back to today's workout - it was nice here, for February, at 2.8C (37F), and Calvin and both dogs came with me for the first 6km. Then I did the rest with just Sugar, and Calvin and Powder stayed home.
My time was OK, considering the hills and my pain level. 1:20:08 for 6:40/km with ave HR 150. I'll take it.
***
Good news. I went to Weight Watchers this morning and after only losing 0.2lb last week after a good eating week, I lost 3.0lb this week :). Sometimes water weight does a number on you. I'm down 4.8lb (2.2kg) since rejoining on January 30, which is awesome. I am just 1.8lb away from my goal weight of 155.0, but really I want to be 150 or less for racing, so I have a ways to go, but I'm on the right track. It's been hard, but good. Last night I took Grace to a concert (Salt Lake Choral Artists!) and then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. With the new Smart Points system the ice cream is very, very, very high in points, and I decided it wasn't worth it. I had 3 small bites of hers and came home and made myself a skinny mocha latte for 3 points instead. Go me!!! I can't believe I resisted, but I think the goal of Perth 2016 is pushing me to accomplish good things.
My time was OK, considering the hills and my pain level. 1:20:08 for 6:40/km with ave HR 150. I'll take it.
***
Good news. I went to Weight Watchers this morning and after only losing 0.2lb last week after a good eating week, I lost 3.0lb this week :). Sometimes water weight does a number on you. I'm down 4.8lb (2.2kg) since rejoining on January 30, which is awesome. I am just 1.8lb away from my goal weight of 155.0, but really I want to be 150 or less for racing, so I have a ways to go, but I'm on the right track. It's been hard, but good. Last night I took Grace to a concert (Salt Lake Choral Artists!) and then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. With the new Smart Points system the ice cream is very, very, very high in points, and I decided it wasn't worth it. I had 3 small bites of hers and came home and made myself a skinny mocha latte for 3 points instead. Go me!!! I can't believe I resisted, but I think the goal of Perth 2016 is pushing me to accomplish good things.
Friday, February 19, 2016
8K? nope 7K
I basically ran out of time today; that, and pain a bit more than I've been experiencing over the past couple of weeks, and I decided to call it quits at 7km.
I procrastinated getting out of my warm bed. It is back to seasonal February temps in the morning (though right now it's nice and warm at 50F = 10C), and this morning it was 1.1C (34F) which isn't that cold, but it felt chilly because there was a little wind. My iPhone listed the wind chill at 21F.
Anyway, because I got up later than I should have, by the time I got to 4.5K it was a bit later than I wanted, so I turned around and called it at 7K instead of 8K. That wasn't the only reason though - yesterday at PT (which I'll discuss in a minute) I had a little pain while on the treadmill, and I also walked around a lot during the day - including in snowy slippery slush - and I think I aggravated things a bit.
In addition to all that, my Garmin couldn't find the satellites for about 1km of my walk. I stopped and waited for it for a few minutes (that I didn't have) and finally gave up, figuring I roughly know where 8km is anyway. Argh!
Total time was approximately 46:50 for approximately 7km for approximately 6:41/km. Whatever. Close enough.
Garmin data here.
***
Yesterday: I had my first PT appointment at the run clinic. As usual, they were awesome. I say "as usual" because I saw this PT in 2013 when I had piriformis syndrome and he was really helpful. He actually moved away and then moved back here, and I didn't even know it! He's only been back for 2 weeks, so I was lucky to see him again.
I got on the treadmill for him and he recorded me with video and also used the analysis software on the treadmill, which records a ton of data about your gait. My anterior pelvic tilt is still there but he said it wasn't too bad. He still gave me some home exercises to do related to that. He's also concerned about 1) my stance width - my feet are too close together, though how close we aren't sure until he asks the treadmill people about how they calculate it, and 2) my cadence (too slow). So I have treadmill exercises for 1) with a mirror or video so that I can fix it with visual feedback, and am supposed to work on 2) with a metronome or my watch.
There's probably more I should mention, but I have a nasty cold (again! ugh!) and I'm tired and can't remember anything.
***
Oh, and on Wednesday afternoon I did yoga like I was supposed to :), but yesterday I didn't cross-train --- other than a LOT of walking. I take the bus to work, and then walked to my PT appt which was a good 20-min brisk walk in slushy snow, and then I walked back to the bus stop, which was another 10-15-min walk. I took a lot of steps, so I don't feel bad about sleeping late and not cross-training; my cold made me extra tired so I probably needed the rest.
I procrastinated getting out of my warm bed. It is back to seasonal February temps in the morning (though right now it's nice and warm at 50F = 10C), and this morning it was 1.1C (34F) which isn't that cold, but it felt chilly because there was a little wind. My iPhone listed the wind chill at 21F.
Anyway, because I got up later than I should have, by the time I got to 4.5K it was a bit later than I wanted, so I turned around and called it at 7K instead of 8K. That wasn't the only reason though - yesterday at PT (which I'll discuss in a minute) I had a little pain while on the treadmill, and I also walked around a lot during the day - including in snowy slippery slush - and I think I aggravated things a bit.
In addition to all that, my Garmin couldn't find the satellites for about 1km of my walk. I stopped and waited for it for a few minutes (that I didn't have) and finally gave up, figuring I roughly know where 8km is anyway. Argh!
Total time was approximately 46:50 for approximately 7km for approximately 6:41/km. Whatever. Close enough.
Garmin data here.
***
Yesterday: I had my first PT appointment at the run clinic. As usual, they were awesome. I say "as usual" because I saw this PT in 2013 when I had piriformis syndrome and he was really helpful. He actually moved away and then moved back here, and I didn't even know it! He's only been back for 2 weeks, so I was lucky to see him again.
I got on the treadmill for him and he recorded me with video and also used the analysis software on the treadmill, which records a ton of data about your gait. My anterior pelvic tilt is still there but he said it wasn't too bad. He still gave me some home exercises to do related to that. He's also concerned about 1) my stance width - my feet are too close together, though how close we aren't sure until he asks the treadmill people about how they calculate it, and 2) my cadence (too slow). So I have treadmill exercises for 1) with a mirror or video so that I can fix it with visual feedback, and am supposed to work on 2) with a metronome or my watch.
There's probably more I should mention, but I have a nasty cold (again! ugh!) and I'm tired and can't remember anything.
***
Oh, and on Wednesday afternoon I did yoga like I was supposed to :), but yesterday I didn't cross-train --- other than a LOT of walking. I take the bus to work, and then walked to my PT appt which was a good 20-min brisk walk in slushy snow, and then I walked back to the bus stop, which was another 10-15-min walk. I took a lot of steps, so I don't feel bad about sleeping late and not cross-training; my cold made me extra tired so I probably needed the rest.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
10K with little pain :)
This morning I did 10K. With little pain :). And not just any 10K, but a HILLY 10K. I wasn't trying to challenge myself, but I did have to check in on a friend's house and bring in their newspaper and feed the cats, so I did a different route so I could swing by while I was out. It's a route I did a lot when I was healthier and fitter, so it was fun to go that way again.I went slowly up the hills and kept my form well in check, and the result was that my pain was 1/10 at most. I brought Sugar with me (but not Powder, who drives me a bit crazy with her skittishness and vehicle paranoia), and took some fun pics in SugarHouse Park; note that the pond is still FROZEN solid. The weather was decent for February at 2.8C (37F), but I did wish I'd worn thicker tights. Still, I didn't get too cold, and enjoyed the warmer than usual weather.
It wasn't even dark when I finished :). Of course, I started a bit late.Total time was 1:06:32 for 6:39/km with ave HR 145. With those hills, I'm pleased with the workout. The total elevation change (up) was 95m (311ft) so it wasn't trivial.
This afternoon I am going to do yoga, and tomorrow I will cross-train in the morning and then have PT in the afternoon. Still hoping to do 12km on Saturday; I felt good today on the 10km so I think that's very likely assuming nothing changes between now and then.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
5K
After sleeping in (well, until ~7am) all weekend, I couldn't drag myself out of bed early this morning. I decided to just do 5K; walked the kids to school and then went from there to Liberty Park and back home. It was another lovely morning, warm and sunny (2.8C, 37F), and I enjoyed it a lot. I took both dogs, who were sort of a pain, and I messed up my watch while dealing with the leash for one of them. Oops.
Anyway, I did the 5K in approximately 33 min, which is kinda slow, but I had good form and almost no pain :)!!!!
Later today I plan to do a little treadmill because I need my gait to feel somewhat comfy on there for the PT appointment on Thursday.
Bad Garmin data here.
Anyway, I did the 5K in approximately 33 min, which is kinda slow, but I had good form and almost no pain :)!!!!
Later today I plan to do a little treadmill because I need my gait to feel somewhat comfy on there for the PT appointment on Thursday.
Bad Garmin data here.
Women's 50K winners; national 50K this weekend
Dave Talcott posted this to the RW Yahoo! group. Sigh....I wish I could do it this weekend, but it'll be at least late next year before I can do it. Still, I did win in 2012 :). Happy memories.
| 1978 | Jeanne Bocci | 5:40:28 | |||
| 1979 | Jeanne Bocci | 5:17:22 | |||
| 1980 | |||||
| 1981 | Bev LaVeck | 5:26:30 | |||
| 1982 | None | ||||
| 1983 | Bev LaVeck | 5:27:28 | |||
| 1984 | ??? | ||||
| 1985 | Lo-An Flettreich | 6:15:48 | |||
| 1986 | None | ||||
| 1987 | Dorit Attias | 6:12:17 | |||
| 1988 | None | ||||
| 1989 | Jill Latham | 5:52:21 | |||
| 1990 | Daniela Harabedian | 5:25:18 | |||
| 1991 | None | ||||
| 1992 | None | ||||
| 1993 | None | ||||
| 1994 | None | ||||
| 1995 | None | ||||
| 1996 | None | ||||
| 1997 | None | ||||
| 1998 | None | ||||
| 1999 | None | ||||
| 2000 | ??? | ||||
| 2001 | Susan Armenta | 4:49:42 | |||
| 2002 | Susan Armenta | 4:39:40 | |||
| 2003 | Cheryl Rellinger | 5:38:09 | |||
| 2004 | None | ||||
| 2005 | Dorit Attias | 5:47:35 | |||
| 2006 | Heidi Hauch | 5:34:12 | |||
| 2007 | Heidi Hauch | 5:42:55 | |||
| 2008 | Heidi Hauch | 5:54:51 | |||
| 2009 | Karen Karavanic | 6:24:22 | |||
| 2010 | Erin Taylor-Talcott | 4:57:11 | |||
| 2011 | Erin Taylor-Talcott | 5:11:04 | |||
| 2012 | Tamara Stevenson | 5:16:20 | |||
| 2013 | Erin Taylor-Talcott | 4:50:40 | |||
| 2014 | Erin Taylor-Talcott | 4:38:11 | |||
| 2015 | Erin Taylor-Talcott | 5:02:48 |
Monday, February 15, 2016
8K
Today it was so warm and lovely out. Haha...for me anyway, after a cold winter (which isn't over; we just had a break in the weather). It was 41F (5C) and cloudy, but the inversion has been clearing out (YAY! Clean air!). I only had to wear one pair of tights (no long underwear!) and one long-sleeved shirt (no jacket!). I even took off my gloves at about 7km because I got so nice and warm.
My legs were sore from yoga (the good kind of sore) but I figured that was a good way to make sure I was using the right muscles. I wasn't fast but also wasn't deathly slow, and best of all, my pain was 0-1/10 for the whole time. It felt pretty good! I focused a lot on posture and using my glutes, enjoyed the scenery in Liberty Park, and had a good time.
Total time: 53:07 for 6:38/km for 8k with ave HR 149. I even did about 100m at a hard effort at the very end, with no problems.
My legs were sore from yoga (the good kind of sore) but I figured that was a good way to make sure I was using the right muscles. I wasn't fast but also wasn't deathly slow, and best of all, my pain was 0-1/10 for the whole time. It felt pretty good! I focused a lot on posture and using my glutes, enjoyed the scenery in Liberty Park, and had a good time.
Total time: 53:07 for 6:38/km for 8k with ave HR 149. I even did about 100m at a hard effort at the very end, with no problems.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
yoga; elliptical
Cross-training today!
I know I need to do some strength training, so today was my second day of the "Yoga For Runners" DVD. It has some tough strength moves (lizard pose is really challenging; plus lunges, planks, warrior pose, etc. - with the instructor emphasizing good form and using your various hip muscles a LOT; lots of great stretching too - pigeon, etc.). Terrific. I felt worked again when I finished it, but still made myself go to the gym and do the elliptical for 45 min for some good cardio. Tomorrow: more racewalking, I hope! My hamstring was a little tender after the yoga, just like last time, but after the elliptical workout it felt totally fine. So all is well there. It was annoyed with me a bit this morning for sitting at the piano in church, but it was less bothersome than a few weeks ago, so that's progress.
When I got home from the gym, I made a terrific dinner (if I do say so myself!) for hubby, as my parents have the kids tonight. Steak (filet for me, NY for him) with mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, asparagus with hollandaise sauce (I went light on that - watching my points!), and best of all, mini coconut cream pies for dessert. Mmmmmm! Good, saved lots of $, and peaceful and quiet in our new home; no restaurant crowds for the introverts :).
I know I need to do some strength training, so today was my second day of the "Yoga For Runners" DVD. It has some tough strength moves (lizard pose is really challenging; plus lunges, planks, warrior pose, etc. - with the instructor emphasizing good form and using your various hip muscles a LOT; lots of great stretching too - pigeon, etc.). Terrific. I felt worked again when I finished it, but still made myself go to the gym and do the elliptical for 45 min for some good cardio. Tomorrow: more racewalking, I hope! My hamstring was a little tender after the yoga, just like last time, but after the elliptical workout it felt totally fine. So all is well there. It was annoyed with me a bit this morning for sitting at the piano in church, but it was less bothersome than a few weeks ago, so that's progress.
When I got home from the gym, I made a terrific dinner (if I do say so myself!) for hubby, as my parents have the kids tonight. Steak (filet for me, NY for him) with mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, asparagus with hollandaise sauce (I went light on that - watching my points!), and best of all, mini coconut cream pies for dessert. Mmmmmm! Good, saved lots of $, and peaceful and quiet in our new home; no restaurant crowds for the introverts :).
Saturday, February 13, 2016
10K
Guess what? I made it 10K today!
I wasn't even that slow. OK, so I wasn't fast, but it wasn't dismal either. I did 1:06:14 for 6:37/km with ave HR 149. My hamstring felt pretty good for the most part, with no pain to 1/10 for most of the walk, but the last couple km with the slight uphill hurt a bit more, at 2/10. But it wasn't bad, and I was focused a lot on form and posture and on using my glutes. Hopefully when I go to PT I will get some more pointers, but I think I've made a lot of corrections already.
The weather was icky, but since it's Saturday at least I could go when it was light instead of dark out. We still have the nasty inversion and so the air quality is bad and it's just really foggy for most of the morning. It isn't that cold for February, though at -1.1C (30F). I mean, it's not warm, but it could be a lot colder, so I'm grateful for that much.
I went to Weight Watchers this morning too and weighed in. I lost 0.2lb. OK, that's not much, but it's something, and I didn't gain. Weight is a funny thing and it fluctuates a lot, so I'm not too discouraged. I had a pretty good food week, and I'm happy with that. It's good to have the accountability of weighing in each week and the camaraderie, such as it is - I don't know many people in the group yet; our center changed locations and we got new leaders, etc., so there's been a lot of turnover. But I'm starting to recognize some faces and it's good to be back.
Garmin data here.
I wasn't even that slow. OK, so I wasn't fast, but it wasn't dismal either. I did 1:06:14 for 6:37/km with ave HR 149. My hamstring felt pretty good for the most part, with no pain to 1/10 for most of the walk, but the last couple km with the slight uphill hurt a bit more, at 2/10. But it wasn't bad, and I was focused a lot on form and posture and on using my glutes. Hopefully when I go to PT I will get some more pointers, but I think I've made a lot of corrections already.
The weather was icky, but since it's Saturday at least I could go when it was light instead of dark out. We still have the nasty inversion and so the air quality is bad and it's just really foggy for most of the morning. It isn't that cold for February, though at -1.1C (30F). I mean, it's not warm, but it could be a lot colder, so I'm grateful for that much.
I went to Weight Watchers this morning too and weighed in. I lost 0.2lb. OK, that's not much, but it's something, and I didn't gain. Weight is a funny thing and it fluctuates a lot, so I'm not too discouraged. I had a pretty good food week, and I'm happy with that. It's good to have the accountability of weighing in each week and the camaraderie, such as it is - I don't know many people in the group yet; our center changed locations and we got new leaders, etc., so there's been a lot of turnover. But I'm starting to recognize some faces and it's good to be back.
Garmin data here.
Friday, February 12, 2016
8K
Wednesday afternoon: I did my "Yoga For Runners" DVD. It's awesome but challenging. It really works your postural muscles - back, abs, glutes - and left me sore in a good way (I'm still sore today). I plan to keep doing this on Wednesday and on the weekend. Twice a week to stay strong! I'll add in a Pilates video too, soon I hope.
Thursday: elliptical for 40 min.
Today: Thankful for the small things: I did 8K today with pain of only 1/10, and felt really solid about my posture. Things clicked really well today. I was slow, but at least I was focused even though I was outside (in the icky murky polluted air - we've had the worst air quality in the US the past few days - ughhh!). I felt a moment of peace about things while I was out there, when the technique was clicking well, and I thought "hey, everything is going to be OK". I don't know if this is true or not, obviously, but it made me feel better to think it, so I'm going with it. I still have the Perth 2016 poster up on my fridge at home and at my desk at work to keep me motivated. The hardest part right now is mental.
Both dogs came along and so there were a few distractions, but that was OK. They entertain me and I always get a lot of looks with two big white dogs in tow.
8K in 54:53 for 6:51/km. Yeah, that's slow, but it is what it is. I am not giving up even if feel lousy. Must. Keep. Going. Garmin data here.
Tomorrow I'll walk again. Maybe I can make it 10K? Not worried about pace, just good posture, good form, and getting my hamstring better ASAP. I can tell it's better than it was a couple weeks ago because the sciatica is gone. No more confusing referred piriformis pain :). So, that's something. I'm choosing to think that is progress.
Weight Watchers is tomorrow. I have had a decent food week; not sure if the scale will move, but eventually it will if I keep on track. It will be good to attend the meeting anyway.
Thursday: elliptical for 40 min.
Today: Thankful for the small things: I did 8K today with pain of only 1/10, and felt really solid about my posture. Things clicked really well today. I was slow, but at least I was focused even though I was outside (in the icky murky polluted air - we've had the worst air quality in the US the past few days - ughhh!). I felt a moment of peace about things while I was out there, when the technique was clicking well, and I thought "hey, everything is going to be OK". I don't know if this is true or not, obviously, but it made me feel better to think it, so I'm going with it. I still have the Perth 2016 poster up on my fridge at home and at my desk at work to keep me motivated. The hardest part right now is mental.
Both dogs came along and so there were a few distractions, but that was OK. They entertain me and I always get a lot of looks with two big white dogs in tow.
8K in 54:53 for 6:51/km. Yeah, that's slow, but it is what it is. I am not giving up even if feel lousy. Must. Keep. Going. Garmin data here.
Tomorrow I'll walk again. Maybe I can make it 10K? Not worried about pace, just good posture, good form, and getting my hamstring better ASAP. I can tell it's better than it was a couple weeks ago because the sciatica is gone. No more confusing referred piriformis pain :). So, that's something. I'm choosing to think that is progress.
Weight Watchers is tomorrow. I have had a decent food week; not sure if the scale will move, but eventually it will if I keep on track. It will be good to attend the meeting anyway.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
6K
Met Kelly at the JRP for 6km of racewalking. Meant to do 8km, but my legs got really tired and I didn't want to risk pushing distance at all and losing form with my hamstring problem. That is SO lame. I just really suck right now :(.
It was foggy/hazy/polluted (ick!) and -2.2C (28F) but not too uncomfortable. And my hamstring was OK too; it was 0-1 on the pain scale (out of 10) but pushing 2 at some spots, and then it got better after 3-4km. It was essentially fine, but I'm so deconditioned now and quite discouraged. Well, I will just not think about it too much and keep going.
Time was slowish; 6:39/km for 39:58 for the 6km. HR averaged 147. High for how slow I was :(.
Garmin data here.
It was foggy/hazy/polluted (ick!) and -2.2C (28F) but not too uncomfortable. And my hamstring was OK too; it was 0-1 on the pain scale (out of 10) but pushing 2 at some spots, and then it got better after 3-4km. It was essentially fine, but I'm so deconditioned now and quite discouraged. Well, I will just not think about it too much and keep going.
Time was slowish; 6:39/km for 39:58 for the 6km. HR averaged 147. High for how slow I was :(.
Garmin data here.
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
Elliptical, sick, 5K easy RW at indoor track
Saturday: 50 min elliptical.
Sunday: sick :( didn't walk or do much of anything.
Monday: sick...still...
Today: feeling a bit better. Managed to get to the gym in time to do a short walk. It actually went OK! I did 4974m in 32:20 for 6:30/km with ave HR 147. Pain was 0-2/10. It felt really good after not RW since last Thursday, but of course the minute I started RW again it started to hurt. I was concentrating very hard on technique, which is one advantage of the indoor track: no distractions. Well, not many anyway, compared with outside. My mind wanders less at the track, because there's not much to look at. More boring, but better to maintain good form and not injure myself more. I did my glute activating exercises and I'm sure I had good posture. I can watch myself in the windows as when t's still dark out and the reflection is visible in many places on the track.
I am feeling the usual sick of winter blahs. It's cold and dark in the mornings which is just such a downer for training. But spring is coming soon, so I just have to hang in there. Being sick this week didn't help. But I've been eating a lot better for the most part, despite some home stress and one chocolate binge :(, and I lost 1.6lb last week. Hoping to lose another pound this week.
I still have to schedule in yoga/strength training sessions. I've got the household chores going pretty well with the kids and myself, and have been eating better and sleeping better. I have my diagnosis and have my PT appointment. Now all that's left is the yoga. Planning to do some this afternoon.
Garmin data here.
Sunday: sick :( didn't walk or do much of anything.
Monday: sick...still...
Today: feeling a bit better. Managed to get to the gym in time to do a short walk. It actually went OK! I did 4974m in 32:20 for 6:30/km with ave HR 147. Pain was 0-2/10. It felt really good after not RW since last Thursday, but of course the minute I started RW again it started to hurt. I was concentrating very hard on technique, which is one advantage of the indoor track: no distractions. Well, not many anyway, compared with outside. My mind wanders less at the track, because there's not much to look at. More boring, but better to maintain good form and not injure myself more. I did my glute activating exercises and I'm sure I had good posture. I can watch myself in the windows as when t's still dark out and the reflection is visible in many places on the track.
I am feeling the usual sick of winter blahs. It's cold and dark in the mornings which is just such a downer for training. But spring is coming soon, so I just have to hang in there. Being sick this week didn't help. But I've been eating a lot better for the most part, despite some home stress and one chocolate binge :(, and I lost 1.6lb last week. Hoping to lose another pound this week.
I still have to schedule in yoga/strength training sessions. I've got the household chores going pretty well with the kids and myself, and have been eating better and sleeping better. I have my diagnosis and have my PT appointment. Now all that's left is the yoga. Planning to do some this afternoon.
Garmin data here.
Thursday, February 04, 2016
MRI; cross-training; 6K
Yesterday I cross-trained on the elliptical.
In the afternoon I had my MRI and got it looked at. The U Orthopedic staff is so efficient - I had the MRI at 2:30 and was discussing it with my doc at 4pm and out by 4:30. Awesome. It's also awesome to know the results. OK, yeah, I'm injured, but at least now we know what it is: hamstring tendinitis. On the good side, my SI joint, pubic symphysis, and everything else in the pelvis seems normal.
Here are the photos. They are mirror images, so L is R and R is L. My L hamstring (at R in photo) is lighting up white in this MRI, indicating inflammation. It is a moderate to severe tendonitis, with some tearing. Oh yay. No wonder sitting hurts :/.
The doctor said that I can continue doing what I am doing, letting pain be my guide. If it hurts, back off. If I can do it with little pain, it's OK. She referred me to PT with the running clinic (hey, Shane, here I come! He was my PT before, and I'm sure he will be happy to see me again haha).
I asked her about my long-term prognosis, since hamstring injuries like this can be a real pain (pun intended) for a long time. She said that most people do recover well from them, but a minority of people will have long-lasting problems. I hope I'm not in that group. I would like to think that if I fix my technique/posture with the help of the running clinic, that I will be in the former group and will not have recurring trouble.
This morning I went out to do 6K; I thought about going longer but I had done enough sitting that I was a bit sore in general, so I thought 6K would be enough. I brought Powder and Sugar along; Powder has been behaving much better on the leash on walks, and she needs the exercise. They're so cute together, too :). I went around Liberty Park and back, and it was beautiful but cold this morning at -5C (23F). It started to snow partway into my walk, but not hard, and the sidewalks had enough salt on them that it wouldn't be slippery until we got a bit more accumulation.
I took it very easy, mindful of my injury and a bit anxious. My HR was pretty low at this pace, and I did the 6K in 42:14 for 7:02/km with ave HR 140. When I'm in shape I can do 6:05-6:10/km at that HR...sigh......but for now I am going to focus on what I *can* do. At least I can get out there, however briefly.
Oh, and I found out why the pain was masquerading as piriformis syndrome. The inflammation of my tendon is right near the sciatic nerve, which is transmitting pain signals to other places higher up, i.e. the piriformis. But the real culprit is that darn hamstring tendon.
Garmin data here.
In the afternoon I had my MRI and got it looked at. The U Orthopedic staff is so efficient - I had the MRI at 2:30 and was discussing it with my doc at 4pm and out by 4:30. Awesome. It's also awesome to know the results. OK, yeah, I'm injured, but at least now we know what it is: hamstring tendinitis. On the good side, my SI joint, pubic symphysis, and everything else in the pelvis seems normal.
Here are the photos. They are mirror images, so L is R and R is L. My L hamstring (at R in photo) is lighting up white in this MRI, indicating inflammation. It is a moderate to severe tendonitis, with some tearing. Oh yay. No wonder sitting hurts :/.The doctor said that I can continue doing what I am doing, letting pain be my guide. If it hurts, back off. If I can do it with little pain, it's OK. She referred me to PT with the running clinic (hey, Shane, here I come! He was my PT before, and I'm sure he will be happy to see me again haha).
I asked her about my long-term prognosis, since hamstring injuries like this can be a real pain (pun intended) for a long time. She said that most people do recover well from them, but a minority of people will have long-lasting problems. I hope I'm not in that group. I would like to think that if I fix my technique/posture with the help of the running clinic, that I will be in the former group and will not have recurring trouble.
This morning I went out to do 6K; I thought about going longer but I had done enough sitting that I was a bit sore in general, so I thought 6K would be enough. I brought Powder and Sugar along; Powder has been behaving much better on the leash on walks, and she needs the exercise. They're so cute together, too :). I went around Liberty Park and back, and it was beautiful but cold this morning at -5C (23F). It started to snow partway into my walk, but not hard, and the sidewalks had enough salt on them that it wouldn't be slippery until we got a bit more accumulation.
I took it very easy, mindful of my injury and a bit anxious. My HR was pretty low at this pace, and I did the 6K in 42:14 for 7:02/km with ave HR 140. When I'm in shape I can do 6:05-6:10/km at that HR...sigh......but for now I am going to focus on what I *can* do. At least I can get out there, however briefly.Oh, and I found out why the pain was masquerading as piriformis syndrome. The inflammation of my tendon is right near the sciatic nerve, which is transmitting pain signals to other places higher up, i.e. the piriformis. But the real culprit is that darn hamstring tendon.
Garmin data here.
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
6.4km on indoor track
Woke up late :/ but did still make it to the track; it's just as well. I planned to do 8K and could've, but it might have been unwise. My pain in the butt was fine (1/10 after sitting a lot last night doing computer upgrade) but my glutes tired quickly today, perhaps because it was actually my third day in a row racewalking. That's good! But bad that I got tired. Well, we will fix that in a hurry. More workouts, better fitness, less tired.
After doing my glute activation exercises diligently and carefully, I did 22 laps on the track, stopping twice to roll on the ball (more preventative than anything; I didn't have much pain). I forgot to stop my Garmin the 2nd time so it's off a bit. Total time for 6437m was about 42:00 spot on, for 6:31/km. Hey, that's pretty good, except that my HR was quite high doing it. It was a moderately hard effort and my HR was in the upper 150s/low 160s at the end. My fitness will return if I can train, so I'm trying not to be at all concerned about that part. The good part is that I could train.
Weight Watchers is going pretty well. I am adjusting to a few changes in the program, but that's going fine. My biggest challenge (as usual) is not eating too much after dinner. I did well for a couple nights but not as well last night; still, I am within my points. I just need to watch it more carefully tonight. I can do this!
In other news, I made a house cleaning plan and the kids now have a schedule for their responsibilities, as do I. So I've done everything I set out to do almost a week ago except figure out how to fit in strength training. That schedule is coming soon, so stay tuned. But I've 1) gone to the doctor, 2) gone to Weight Watchers, and 3) made my household cleaning schedule. That's a start. I feel a lot better mentally tackling all of this rather than just feeling sorry for myself.
After doing my glute activation exercises diligently and carefully, I did 22 laps on the track, stopping twice to roll on the ball (more preventative than anything; I didn't have much pain). I forgot to stop my Garmin the 2nd time so it's off a bit. Total time for 6437m was about 42:00 spot on, for 6:31/km. Hey, that's pretty good, except that my HR was quite high doing it. It was a moderately hard effort and my HR was in the upper 150s/low 160s at the end. My fitness will return if I can train, so I'm trying not to be at all concerned about that part. The good part is that I could train.
Weight Watchers is going pretty well. I am adjusting to a few changes in the program, but that's going fine. My biggest challenge (as usual) is not eating too much after dinner. I did well for a couple nights but not as well last night; still, I am within my points. I just need to watch it more carefully tonight. I can do this!
In other news, I made a house cleaning plan and the kids now have a schedule for their responsibilities, as do I. So I've done everything I set out to do almost a week ago except figure out how to fit in strength training. That schedule is coming soon, so stay tuned. But I've 1) gone to the doctor, 2) gone to Weight Watchers, and 3) made my household cleaning schedule. That's a start. I feel a lot better mentally tackling all of this rather than just feeling sorry for myself.
Monday, February 01, 2016
40 min on treadmill
It was snowy outside and too slippery to RW; because I'm just trying to regain my fitness and am a bit paranoid about the turns on the indoor track, I did the treadmill.
I did 3.65 miles (5.87 km) in 40:08, all the time I had this morning (woke up late). I started off very slow, at 5mph (7:27/km) for a few min to warm up, then increased to 5.3mph (7:02/km), which still felt easy. So after a few minutes I increased to 5.5mph (6:47/km) and that was quite comfortable for an easy pace. Geez. I've lost so much fitness...but, well, that's life and I have to go from here. After I'd been on the treadmill for about 30 min, I tried 5.7mph (6:33/km) and that was moderately hard, pushing my heart rate to about 155, so I backed off and finished the workout at 6:47/km.
I did get off twice to massage on the small, firm ball that I have for that purpose, but didn't feel like I really *had* to do it; the pain was minimal, at 0-1/10. Yay!
Hopefully tomorrow it'll be a bit better and I can go outside, though it is supposed to be very, very cold. It might be too icy after the snow today. Maybe I might just try the track at the gym, now that my injury is feeling better.
I did 3.65 miles (5.87 km) in 40:08, all the time I had this morning (woke up late). I started off very slow, at 5mph (7:27/km) for a few min to warm up, then increased to 5.3mph (7:02/km), which still felt easy. So after a few minutes I increased to 5.5mph (6:47/km) and that was quite comfortable for an easy pace. Geez. I've lost so much fitness...but, well, that's life and I have to go from here. After I'd been on the treadmill for about 30 min, I tried 5.7mph (6:33/km) and that was moderately hard, pushing my heart rate to about 155, so I backed off and finished the workout at 6:47/km.
I did get off twice to massage on the small, firm ball that I have for that purpose, but didn't feel like I really *had* to do it; the pain was minimal, at 0-1/10. Yay!
Hopefully tomorrow it'll be a bit better and I can go outside, though it is supposed to be very, very cold. It might be too icy after the snow today. Maybe I might just try the track at the gym, now that my injury is feeling better.
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