change of plans

This morning I got up and checked the weather and air quality. It was 33F, foggy, and PM2.5 was 34, just under the unhealthy 35 and up range. I was happy I'd get to walk outside! So I got all dressed and was opening the door to set my Garmin out to acquire the satellites while I put on my reflective vest and blinkies, when I noticed that it was raining pretty hard. Hmmmm...cold AND rainy? Maybe not so much. I don't mind cold with a light snow as much as cold with a steady rain. I decided that the treadmill was the better option. I went back downstairs, changed into shorts and a sports bra, and hopped on the treadmill. I was SO very very slow today that I'm not even going to post the times. It was really bad...however, I actually enjoyed the workout, even though it was on the treadmill. I watched some mindless TV (Today Show) and talked to Calvin on and off, as he was hanging out downstairs too. I felt pretty good when I finished, and my muscles aren't too sore, even though I managed to do a whole hour on the 'mill. Next time I won't dread it quite so much. Though I prefer to go outside, today the treadmill was indeed the better option.

catching up

I haven't blogged in a few days...sorry! And now I'm in a hurry, so quickly:

Thursday - REST day (trying to take it easy like the doctor told me!)

Friday - 1 hr cardio - 30 min bike, 30 min elliptical

Saturday (today) - 5K RW on treadmill in 32:56, which is a decent time (slow, but not dreadfully so) but I was pushing fairly hard and my HR in the last km was about 160, which is high for how slowly I was going. Ave HR about 152? Then I got on the elliptical and did another 2K or so very easy, for a 45 min workout.

***

Weight Watchers - lost 2.4 lb this week (weighed in at 150.6) but surely a good amt of that is H2O, as I drank lots of coffee last night at a nice dinner out and it's a pretty good diuretic. After using the restroom at 1:40 am I had trouble going back to sleep and read a book until about 3:30. I'm going to be tired today, but not much I can do about that except catch a nap :).

cross-training

Today I did the elliptical for 30 min, keeping the workout short to minimize stress on my body. Then I did weight training: chest flys 65 lb/walking lunges 30 lb; one-legged dead lifts (20,25,30 lb)/lat pull-downs(70 lb); one-legged calf raises/bent arm lat raise (12 lb). I got to the gym a bit late (left my shoes at home by mistake and didn't realize it until almost at the gym) so that was all I had time for before doing some core exercises with Lisa: sit-ups on ball, oblique crunches on ball, back extensions on ball, plank (90 sec, building back up to 2 min).

I'm not as fatigued as I have been in general; that seems to be improving a bit even if my racewalking times are still lousy. One step at a time I guess.

very cold morning

It was really cold this morning: 8F (-13C). I wore my ski mask, but my eyelashes got all frosty and frozen from the moisture from my breath condensing on them and then freezing. The picture was taken about 30-45 seconds after I walked in the door, so the ice on my lashes, hair, hat, etc. was starting to melt, but you get the idea. I actually was only a little chilly; racewalking warms you up a lot!

I went around Liberty Park. The sidewalk is totally covered in packed snow & ice, but the park road just inside the sidewalk is dry. Fortunately, there aren't many cars there at 6:45 am.

I was really slow again today, but that was OK. I am just keeping it nice & easy - I'm finding that these shorter (5-6K) workouts with a HR about 140-145 are easier on my body than the 10Ks at HR of 150. For now, I'm just going to have to be patient with it and be glad I can be out there. One of the faculty in the department I work in is in the hospital with an infection secondary to terminal colon cancer, which puts things in perspective for me. I'm lucky to be in good enough health to racewalk at all.

Garmin connect data here.

***

I've been a lot more careful with my diet this week, and it feels good. I'm glad to be back in the swing of things. Hopefully I'll take off a few pounds by the time I'm feeling healthy again.

still slow, but still out there

My 5K this morning was embarrassingly slow. OK, there was some snow on the road for part of the route (1/3 of it?) but overall the conditions were good enough to be reasonably fast, say 6:45/km. Well...I did 7:10/km. I didn't push at all, as I'm trying to just take it really easy. I have no idea why I was so slow, because I felt OK, but it's just more of the same. At this point, I've basically given up on racing for a good long time. I'm trying to just enjoy the exercise, eat right, and de-emphasize my racewalking identity. Perhaps this is all for the good - I mean, I probably have gotten too tied up in my identity as a racewalker, and it might be time to just enjoy some other things in life a bit more. One thing is for sure - right now I can't racewalk fast, so I might as well put my focus elsewhere for a while.

Garmin connect data here.

After the 5K I went to the gym and lifted weights and did some core work. Dumbbell bench press (30 lb each arm)/one-legged squats (body weight only); hamstring curls (only 40 lb - hamstrings sore)/upright row (17.5 lb each arm); leg extensions (60 lb)/lateral raises (10 lb each arm); bicep curls (15 lb each arm)/tricep extensions (12.5 lb each arm). Core: plank, wood choppers w/8 lb medicine ball, toe toucher situps w/medicine ball, raising/lowering straight legs (lower abs).

Snowy!

This morning there was about 3-4 inches of fresh white fluffy stuff outside. There was a little less on the road - maybe 2 inches. The gym doesn't open until 10 am on Sunday, so my choices were: 1) strap on the Yaktrax, or 2) treadmill. Hmmmm, not a hard choice! I decided that the Yaktrax would be good. It was actually in the 20s this morning, an improvement from the teens of the last 7-10 days or so, and it wasn't actively snowing. The Yaktrax help a lot in the snow but the toe-off is still not very powerful, so I was slow. Besides, I'm slow right now due to the mystery virus, so what's a little slower? I averaged only 7:23/km for the hilly 5.8ish km around SugarHouse Park, but it was the nicest walk I've had in a while. I felt good, my muscles didn't hurt, and I thoroughly enjoyed being outside, believe it or not. It was dark the whole time (as you can see from the blurry photo of a Mormon church along my route) and cold, but the snow was beautiful and I was happy to not be stuck in the gym.

slow and achy, but still here!

This morning's workout wasn't so good. I racewalked a mile on the treadmill at the gym, because the pollution was horrible outside, and the doc has advised me to avoid being outside when it's like that :(. I hate the treadmill, but the gym w/the indoor track wasn't open today until 9 am (it's at the U and it's still break for the students), so I was stuck with the 'mill. After one mile I was DONE...my legs were tired and achy already, after a relatively slow 10:55 for the mile. I switched to the elliptical, and did 4 more miles pretty easily on that in 35 min (usually this takes me 31-32 min, so this was slow too, but at least it didn't hurt). My legs seem to tolerate the elliptical much better than racewalking right now :(, especially racewalking on the treadmill.

Tomorrow morning I'll probably racewalk outside - the weather is supposed to clear up a bit because a storm is coming through to break up the pollution-trapping inversion. We're not supposed to get too much snow, so I should be able to walk outside, if my legs can tolerate it.

***

On the bright side, I am uninjured and able to work out. Yeah, I'm slow, and I'm fatigued, and my muscles hurt, but I'm still exercising and it does feel good (mostly). I'm going to cut back as needed and try to respect my body's limits for the moment, but I'm hoping to return to full strength sometime, even if that takes a few months. I'm not happy about that, but I can't change it, so I need to accept it and move on.

Also, I was down 0.8 lb today in Weight Watchers. I'm still about 8 lb over where I'd like to be, but things are moving in the right direction and I've had a couple good days in a row, eating-wise. Might as well get the weight under control while I'm not training hard.

a bit of rest is in order...

I rested yesterday. I needed it. Sad, but true. I haven't done that much, but my body is just not up to it right now. I've been really fatigued in the afternoons again, indicating I have been pushing too hard. The rest helped, but probably not enough.

***

Today I cross-trained. I just didn't want to racewalk, because right now every time I racewalk my leg muscles get pretty sore, and that's getting old fast. I wasn't in the mood to fight the cold and the soreness, so I did the bike & elliptical for an hour, and then did some easy weight training. I say easy, because I only got in 2 sets of weights plus core; I saw a couple people at the gym that I haven't seen in a while and spent too much time chatting with them. All of the January-only types are crowding the gym, as well...sigh...it's really crowded.

***

I went to my family doc again today to try and figure things out. He thinks there probably isn't anything else going on, just residual problems from the nasty virus I had. He said it is a bit unusual for it to go on this long, but there are plenty of cases of people in really good health getting felled for months by these things, and I apparently got lucky. He did a thorough exam and history, and did uncover something else though: mild asthma. My peak flow was about 25% lower than he thought it should be, and so he prescribed some medications to help with it. He also told me to stay indoors when the pollution is bad in the winter (like it is whenever there's a high pressure system here in the winter). Right now it's pretty bad, so I guess I'm stuck with the indoor track or the treadmill until tomorrow night when a storm system is coming through to clear things out. This is not fun, but I'm actually glad to have at least one reason for my sub-par performance lately.

So, I wait...and wait some more...and give up on my plans to do the National Masters' 20K in March. I won't be ready enough to spend the money to go do it. Oh well.

still slow but still out there

Today's and yesterday's workouts got combined on the Garmin. Doesn't matter. They were equally crappy. Total of 14.37k in 1:38:20 for 6:50/km with ave HR 150. Yeah, not good. Everyone is telling me to go to the doctor and see if there is something going on that could explain the continuing fatigue, sore muscles (unusually sore for the workouts I'm doing, especially my legs), poor performance. I know something is still not right. I should not be feeling this way. I just don't know what could be wrong.

Garmin connect data here.

***

After racewalking this morning (about 40 min), I lifted weights and did some core exercises. Everything is a bit sore from Monday, since I haven't been regular about lifting weights. My abs are hurting...so I did some sit-ups on the ball to try and whip them into shape.

***

I'm not in a good mood. Between winter, my mystery illness, weight gain, and how tired I've been, it's hard to stay upbeat. I'm trying, though...it beats the alternative!

cross-training

I thought I'd best give my muscles a little change from racewalking, so I did the bike and elliptical today, plus a good hard set of weights. I did bench press with dumbbells/abductor machine; hamstring ball curls/calf raises; lat pull-downs/one-legged squats (with good form this time, and no knee trouble!); bicep curls and tricep skull-crushers; back extensions on ball, then a good ab set including oblique crunches and regular crunches on the ball, ball passes (prone, from feet to hands and back again), plank, and hip-ups. Stretching at the end felt good.

6.3K better than yesterday but still slow...

Today I did 6.3K, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The first 200m hurt, as my muscles are definitely sore from yesterday (only 10K made me sore...how pathetic!). I figured I was doomed, but my first km was in 6:25 (downhill) and no km was over 7:00, even the uphill ones at the end. I felt pretty decent for most of the walk, despite the muscle soreness and the temperature. While warmer than yesterday, it was still chilly at 17F (-8.3C), but it didn't seem to bother me.

I did 6.3K in 42:17 for 6:42/km. Garmin connect data here. Edited to add: last 3 times I did this route around Liberty Park (in early December) I did 43:14, 43:06, and 43:55, so this is an improvement.

I was looking over my year-end stats from last year and realizing just how far my racewalking has sunk. Really, I was doing 10K all the time in 1:04:30 without thinking twice about it (at ave HR 140ish), and now with HR of 150 I can barely do 1:09. Ugh. I know it's probably just the illness, but it's kind of hard to stay upbeat when I can't train and my performance is so rotten every time I go out. It's made even worse by the fact that I know plenty of other racewalkers who are training very well right now. On the flip side, at least I am out there and able to exercise. It beats last year when I was injured and limited to bike, elliptical, and swimming.

***

Some amusing notes: I had a really neat pair of gloves with fingertips exposed and a wind flap to cover them (for daily life, not for RW), and thought I lost one. For several weeks I did without them. Then I found the missing one - I have a large hole in the liner of my winter coat pocket, and it slipped in there and I couldn't feel it! Duh! I was really happy to find it again, as I love those gloves.

The other day I was talking with my coach, and we discovered there was a 51C temperature discrepancy between us. In Melbourne, Australia, they were having a very hot day at 42C (108F). Here, it was -9C (15F) and snowy. I think my coach had the better end of that deal, somehow. I used to hate the heat when I was fat, but now I actually like it. Go figure.

racewalking year in review

2010 was a tough year, with some bright spots.

January-March I was dealing with my foot injury (peroneus longus tendonitis at the insertion into the first metatarsal) and not able to walk much at all; I did only 118 miles total for all 3 months.

At the end of March, Jim Leppik started coaching me, which has been great. Though my foot injury improved with PT and stopped hurting eventually, I was pretty darn slow from not racewalking all winter PLUS being low on iron and not aware of it. My workouts were not very good, I had a few bad 10K races, and it was a bit discouraging. In addition, I struggled with ingrown toenail problems throughout April, and calf spasms in May. A bright spot was doing the Salt Lake Half Marathon in very nice weather in April (April can be dicey here, so that was good).

We figured out the iron problem in time to get a few good workouts in before the USATF National Masters' Outdoor Championships in Sacramento in July. In fact, just a few weeks before that, I set a PR in the 5K of 27:57 on a nice downhill course on the Provo River Trail (accurately marked every 100m). I was only 3 seconds off my track PR at the Masters' Championships, doing a 28:39 in the 5K. The 10K a couple days later was slow, due to low iron and lack of hard enough training at the distances required for a good 10K.

I had some really nice workouts from late August - early October, enjoyed cruising the Little Grand Canyon Half Marathon with Sarah and Jessica, and in general things were looking up. In our handicapped 5K series for our racewalking club, I came in 3rd overall after all 7 races, which wasn't bad considering the things I struggled with this year.

October started off with a bang, with a fast PR in my 8K fartlek workout. I was feeling like things were great...and then my foot started to hurt again. Jim figured out my foot problem and tweaked my technique, but then my hip couldn't handle the change and gave me fits all month. Fortunately, after a bit of rest it was more than fine for a nice PR of 2:11:18 in the Two Cities Half Marathon in Fresno on November 7, one of the bright spots of the year. Unfortunately, 3 days later I caught some horrible viral illness which still has me feeling sluggish and slow. I only did 63 miles in November and 54 in December, due to my illness.

Mileage total for the year was low, at just 1028 miles. But this was due to injury and illness, not due to any lack of motivation, so I'm hopeful for 2011. The World Masters Championships are in Sacramento this summer, so there are some great races ahead when I'm healthy.

Happy New Year!

Photo of me dressed for the cold today.

I felt lousy (fatigued) this morning but decided 10K might make me feel better. It did, sort of, for a little. Now I'm just really tired and need a nap :(. I'm not sorry I went, but it definitely took a lot out of me. My muscles are sore, and I'm very fatigued now. From the first km I knew I'd be slow, as my muscles just felt wrong. I can't explain it any better, but they have felt this way for many of my recent workouts - just slow, like the fast-twitch fibers are not working at all, like I'm racewalking in mud. Oh, and I haven't mentioned this up until now, but my left foot has been bothering me a bit for the last 10 days or so :(. It's just a little achy, and I've been watching my technique to keep the left hip back and push all the way off my left toe, but that doesn't seem to be the problem. It's not bothering me a lot, so I hope that it will just go away. Wishful thinking maybe.

It was really cold out there this morning, even for me, and I'm used to working out in the cold. It was 5.5F (-14.7C) at my parents' house (we stayed over here for New Year's Eve). The good things about this morning? I was glad to be out there, slow or not. I was thinking about how it was great that I could be out there walking, despite everything. About 3-4km into the workout a car with an elderly couple drove by me, and both gave me thumbs up :). You know it's cold when even the locals think you're brave or crazy for being out there. But I think the cold was a non-factor in the workout; I felt warmly dressed enough. My legs were a little chilled on the surface but I really didn't feel cold. I was just tired. Another positive? My splits, while slow, were at least consistent, and I was able to maintain my speed for the whole workout. It took me 1:09:41 for the 10K, or 6:58/km. That's 30 seconds slower than what I usually can do at that same or lower HR of 151.

I think I've been pushing too hard and need to back off, get more sleep, and not do so much at home. If the house is dirty, so be it. I don't have work on Monday (holiday) and I was originally planning on going in anyway, but I am not going to do that. My one New Year's resolution that I think will affect everything else positively is to get more sleep :).

Garmin connect data here.

skate skiing, indoor cardio, indoor track

Been busy with family and holiday stuff, sorry! I'm still here (if anyone is still reading besides Ollie, Nyle, Jim, and Lani!).

Monday I needed a break from racewalking, so I went nordic skiing with my brother Alex and his wife Erica. Erica is pretty good at skate skiing and taught me how to get started. I was really frustrated/freaked out for the first 30 minutes, but after a while I started to get it and it was fun! It did make me pretty sore - lots of muscles I'm not used to using that way. It's fabulous cross-training and very aerobic, especially at 9000 ft at the Solitude Nordic Center.

Here's a fairly amusing video of me once I was (mostly) getting it:


***

Tuesday I felt really tired and so opted for more cross-training. I did the bike & elliptical, and was pleased to note that both were back up to the normal speed & resistance that I was doing pre-illness! Yay!

***

Today I was exhausted, but decided to try a workout anyway. I couldn't do it in the morning because I had breakfast w/the family, and then worked from 11 am-4 pm. So I went at 4 pm, which is not my best time. That plus how tired I was = disastrous RW. I went to the indoor track because it was snowing really hard outside. It's a 211m track, so 1:22/lap is a 6:30/km pace, more or less. I decided to try to do as much as I could, up to 10K, at that pace. Well, I made it for about 2k, and then slowed down, despite pushing hard and keeping my HR in the upper 150s. I slowed to 1:23/lap, then 1:24, then 1:25, 1:26, and even one lap at 1:27. Ugh. I gave up after 24 laps (just over 5K) and did the stationary bike for 20 more minutes to get some more cardio. Garmin connect splits here.

One of these days I'll be feeling decent again. It looks like it's going to be a while though. I actually FEEL fine except for being tired, but my athletic performance is still in the toilet. Oh well...

still very slow

Well, I spoke too soon about being back to myself. I'm actually FEELING fine, but my racewalking is terrible. The only thing I've noticed is a dry cough while RW, which I attributed to some exercise-induced asthma, though now I'm not so sure. I'm pretty tired, but I've been doing a LOT between Christmas preparations and the big day, so that's not surprising. I haven't been sleeping well, either - a combination of staying up too late (11 pm is too late for me!) and anxiety waking me at 5-6 am each morning.

So, my racewalking is just dismal. I am doing it anyway because I need the exercise and I still love it, even if I am slow. Oh, and the gym was closed yesterday and open minimal hours on Sunday. And I'm trying not to worry about the slow part. I did 5K yesterday to try and take it a bit easy with all the other stuff going on for Christmas Day, and this morning I did a quite hilly 10K. I am too ashamed of my times to post them...let's just say it was truly pathetic. However, I very much enjoyed being out there, and I didn't feel that tired when I finished today. I would never have known except for looking at my watch that I was so slow. Makes me want to toss the watch and just get out there and have fun.

Someday I'll be better and will be able to train again. Right now, I'm slow, but I'm having fun and part of me doesn't care at all about how slow I am. Most of me still does, but I'm trying to quiet that part, because there's nothing I can do about it. When I'm better, I'll be better, and until then, I just wait.

sooooo slowwwwww

Today I had a few issues: 1) tired from yesterday, 2) damp air bothered me more than usual and caused exercise-induced asthma, and 3) muscles sore from Wednesday's weight training. I suspect I'm still not 100% from the crud, either.

I racewalked with my friend Sarah, who was doing 11 miles. I started with her at mile 3.3, so I'd only do about 7.7 miles, which I thought would be fine. It wasn't, really - I got pretty tired after an hour (which is how long my workouts have been since being sick), and ended up walk-racewalking at 1:4 like she was walk-running (before that, I racewalked while she walked, going back, then forward to catch her at the end of her minute walking). I thoroughly enjoyed the workout though, because it was so awesome to chat with Sarah for such a long time uninterrupted by kids.

I did 12.65km at a 7:24/km pace (ugh!) with ave HR of 141. Not very good. But I do think I'm getting better overall - the asthma was kind of bad. I was coughing a lot (dry cough) and couldn't figure out why, until I got home and Loren pointed out that it was probably exercise-induced asthma. I realized then that I was a little tight and wheezy, and it all made much more sense. This doesn't happen to me often, but when it does, it can be ugly, like at the end of my first marathon in 2008.

My hamstrings are pretty sore, and I'm quite tired now. Will probably sleep well tonight! I do plan to RW in the morning, because the gym is closed. My muscles will hate me, but they need to get used to RW more often anyhow, so I'll just take it slow & easy, and they'll be OK.

My heart rate monitor is working again! Yay for new batteries!

Garmin connect data here.

Oh, and my knee is doing fine now - just little twinges.

FINALLY!

I'm finally getting back to normal. I racewalked 10K this morning in 1:05:57. Not sure what my avg HR was because my HR monitor died about halfway through the workout. Through 5K, my avg HR appears to be close to 150, which is pretty normal for this workout. I did get a bit slower at the end, but I still felt strong going back up the hill at the end of the route. I am really quite happy with this workout and hoping it means I'm going to be able to start training again. I'm still a bit slower than I was before the layoff, but that seems commensurate with the fact that I haven't been training hard. Hopefully I haven't lost too much fitness.

Oh yeah, the weather...it was 38F and raining lightly; for this time of year that's pretty nice and I'll take it.

Garmin connect data here.

ouch

Things were looking up. I did my bike & elliptical, and was pleased to have more than enough energy to lift weights for the first time in a while. I had a great set of lifting...but tweaked my right knee doing one-legged squats (I know the right form, so I have no idea what happened) and now it really hurts :(. Hopefully some ice and ibuprofen will do the trick, and I'll still be able to racewalk tomorrow.

quiet blog

A friend of mine said my blog has been quiet of late. I guess it's true. I have been pretty busy getting ready for Christmas, and in addition work has been busy. Add to that getting a new hot water heater (tankless!) bid on and installed, and well, I suppose the blog has gotten a bit neglected.

My health has been better. I don't have a sore throat any more, and my energy level seems pretty much normal. I'm perhaps a little bit tired. However, my racewalking (as of Sunday) is still slow. But Sunday was weird...I went out planning on about an hour of RW, however far that got me. I made it to 5.5km before I had the most horrible nausea I have ever had while walking. I actually had to stop and just regular walk for a while. I alternated that with racewalking, but about 6 km I couldn't even RW any more. In fact, I could barely walk. I had to stop and thought I was going to throw up, but didn't. I made it back to my parents' house (we were visiting for the afternoon), collapsed on the couch, and then ran to the bathroom. I never did throw up, but I wished I could have. It was ugly. I finally fell asleep and when I awoke I was a lot better, though I really didn't eat much the rest of the day. Garmin connect data here, for what it's worth...

Monday & today I felt fine (no nausea) but didn't want to RW. I did the bike & elliptical instead both days. It's hard to get motivated to racewalk right now, because I am SO slow and it just doesn't feel good or right. I can't really explain it. I just feel tired and heavy when I walk. I think tomorrow I will cross-train again and maybe try to RW on Thursday? We'll have to see how it goes.

***

Time now for some relaxation! I'm going to give the new water heater a workout and fill up the tub in one pull - we have a jetted tub (70 gal) that we had to fill in 2 separate pulls off the old 40-gallon water heater. The new water heater never runs out of hot water...can't wait to try it :)!

update from last 3 days

Thursday was insanely busy. I actually didn't work out because I simply did not have time. I had to be on the confocal microscope from 6-7 am, practice the organ from 7:15-8 am, shower & dress and be at Calvin's school for a 9 am field trip which lasted until 12 pm. Then back to work until 2:15 pm, pick up Calvin from school, back to work again with Calvin until 3:45, then pick up Michelle and home for a guy to give an estimate on a water heater at 4 pm. Then made a salad for potluck dinner, supervised piano practice and homework, did a load of laundry, and oh yeah, went to potluck from 6-8:30 and then crashed hard. Whew.

***

Friday I decided to racewalk 10K. I was hoping I'd be faster, because I've actually been feeling better this week. The sore throat is gone, and the fatigue is a lot better (I'm at about 90%, fatigue-wise). But after 3-4k I knew it was going to be ugly. I was the same speed as I was on Wednesday, and this time the pavement was dry. Ugh. By 7.5k or so, I was so upset about it (I know, stupid, but it is what it is) that I actually was crying as I racewalked, and that made my throat tighten up and my airway got all funky and wheezy. That km was a miserable 7:25. I finished the 10K in 1:10:45ish (but didn't stop the watch right away), slower than Wednesday in the slippery snow. Yuck. Someday I'll be better...maybe. Garmin connect data here.

I was in a rotten mood after that and had to go to work, but that actually helped get my mind off of things. After work, the lab had a bowling party followed by pizza. The bowling was a lot of fun; I hadn't bowled in about 10 years, and I was terrible, but it was still a good time. I was quite tired by the time it was over, though.

***

Today I did some cross-training on the bike & elliptical for about an hour. Then I went to my Weight Watchers meeting. I managed to drop 0.8 lb this week to 153.8 for the official weigh-in this morning. Glad I lost a pound, but I'm still way over where I want and need to be. They changed the program and I've had to adjust it for my needs, so after gaining 4 lb I'm starting to lose again I hope. This is a hard time to lose weight - too many things going on - but I have got to try. The alternative is not acceptable.

I'm a bit worried about my racewalking fitness after this illness. I'm still not back where I want to be. My coach seems to think it will return but I think he's a bit concerned too. I am not able to train hard yet and I have an important race March 13th. If things don't improve soon I may have to consider not doing that one, which would be a big disappointment, but there's nothing I can do about it.

All in all, fairly discouraging. But the important things in life are still good, so I'm trying not to sweat the small stuff. Trying.

10K in the snow

I should have taken some pictures. It was pretty, but it was dark outside, so they probably wouldn't have been so good.

I did the 10K in a very slow 1:10:19 with ave HR of 150. However, I lost at LEAST 15 sec per km because of the snow and slush. At least half of the route was quite slippery which meant very little toe push if any. It was actually a great drill - walk on snow and slush, feel how little toe push you get, and then on the spots of merely wet pavement, get a ton of push and see just how much it really helps your walking. It was awesome! I felt so strong on the wet pavement spots. I'd recommend this drill to anyone needing more toe push --- but you need the weather to cooperate. Anyway, I think I could have done 1:07 for sure if not for the snow.

It wasn't that cold out, at 30F (-1C), and it was snowing lightly most of the time I was out. I don't care for the snow much, but today it was really beautiful, and because it wasn't so cold, it was actually really nice to be out there. Much better than the gym or the treadmill or the indoor track! Plus the added benefit of the toe push drill :).

I think I'm feeling better. Don't want to jinx myself by saying that, but I feel I'm finally on the mend for real. I felt strong this morning until the last 2K, and then I was a bit tired, which is natural since I haven't done 10K in a little bit (wow, how pathetic is that?!?). But I was a minute faster than this 10K which was NOT in the snow or slush, with good toe push, just a few weeks ago. So, I'd venture to say that things are looking up. We'll see how it goes in the next week or so, but maybe I'll be able to start training for the 20K in March. That's my next race - 20K Masters Nationals in Huntington Beach, CA.

Garmin connect data here.

better today...will it last?

I'm feeling a bit better today. I worked out for 45 min on the bike & elliptical, and I didn't feel totally thrashed at the end. I'm still feeling good now, at lunch time, but how long will it last? Will I feel decent tonight after work and a busy afternoon? I'm planning to make Christmas cake with a friends' recipe, take Calvin to Kindermusik & go to Diva's Cupcakes with Michelle, do some laundry, make dinner, and take Michelle to sign up for ballet lessons. Just the usual...but lately it's been too much to do the usual activities. I know I'm not 100% yet, but I do feel there has been an overall positive trajectory over the past few weeks. Maybe I just think that because today is a bit better? Time will tell.

still not 100%

Sunday night I felt pretty rotten. I'm a little better today; against my better judgment I went to the gym and did 45 min of cardio on the bike and elliptical. That was plenty. I was soooooo very tired at work, but actually have made it through the late afternoon and evening OK. Groceries, bank, Costco, making dinner, giving kids a bath (they are in there right now playing!). Whew. I'm going to bed early and hoping that today's activity was not too much.

Tomorrow I'll probably put in some time at the gym again since I need to practice the organ from 7-8 am and that's right across the street from the gym. I could racewalk; I might do that, but it's easier to stop at the gym if I get too worn out.

I debated today whether to call the doc or not but decided not to. We'll see if that was a wise decision or not...

10k shortened...

I felt decent so I thought I'd do 10K. After 3-4K I realized it would be better to shorten the workout a bit; I ended up doing 8.56 km instead. I was still slow, and my legs were a little tired.

I finished in 58:20 (sloooooow at 6:49/km) but with ave HR 151, so it's not like I was out for a Sunday stroll. I was actually trying to have a decent workout. Yeah. Forget that.

The way I'm going I might be better in 3 years or so.

Garmin connect data here.

challenges ahead

OK, it's crunch time. Went to Weight Watchers this morning and it was ugly: 154.6. That's the highest my weight has been in 4 years. They started a new program last week, and I think there might be some issues for lifetime members with the new program. I followed it diligently this week and gained 1.6 lbs! OK, one week is not the be-all and end-all, as you can easily gain water weight even if you are doing the right thing eating-wise. However, I felt like on the the new program I was eating much more food - and had points for more rich desserts than usual. Alarm bells went off in my head, but I checked and re-checked my points and I wasn't calculating anything wrong.

This week I'm going to make a few adjustments and see if that helps. I have to do something fast or I'll have to start paying - I've been a free lifetime member for 4 years, but if my weight goes above 157.0, I have to pay. Never mind the fact that if my weight gets that high I'm going to be extremely distressed. I'm already distressed enough about the 154.6! This is going to be challenging. They've said not to reduce your points, but I'm going to have to, or I'm going to have the same problems this week. I consulted with my leader and am going to try an experiment this week and see if it helps. It's not making it easier that the holidays are here, but there are always challenges ahead no matter what time of year it is, so I'm going to continue the same way I have been for the last 5 1/2 years since I joined WW, and I WILL succeed. I have no choice - going back is NOT an option. Life was not good with my old eating habits.

***

I felt decent this morning; not normal, but decent. So I racewalked a measly 5K to see how I'd feel. I'm feeling fine so far, but after the rest of the day's activities, we'll have to see. The mornings have been fine, but the evenings are not good if I push too much.

The walk felt pretty good, and I finished the 5.1k at a pace of 6:37/km, the best pace I've done since getting sick. Of course, it's the shortest workout I've done in a while, too, so that helps. I was pushing a little today and the ave HR was 150. I'm still at least 10-15 sec slower per km than before getting sick, but that is better than the 30-45 sec/km slower that I have been previously. Maybe I'll try to go a little farther tomorrow, but only if I'm feeling good tonight and get enough sleep.

I'd post my Garmin Connect link but it seems to be having issues uploading at the moment. Will try again later and edit this post if I can get it to work.

Kept trying - no dice. Here is is on the Plus 3 network instead.

rest day

I overdid it I guess. I started to feel horrible again last night. Sore throat, fatigue, slammed.

I rested today. I didn't exercise, and I didn't work (fortunately, I had the day off anyway). I did take a nap, and take care of the kids. Calvin was sick with a fever, and he didn't go to school.

slow improvement

I made it through the whole day yesterday, including my evening piano students, without feeling like I was going to keel over from fatigue. That's progress I think.

Had to wake up early this morning to get my workout in. I have a lot to do at work today and had to get in early to finish it all before taking Michelle to Kindermusik. So, I was out the door by 5:45 am for my walk.

I did the same route as on Sunday and Tuesday, around Liberty Park. I started off much slower today, because I was feeling a bit nauseous for some reason. Some stomach thing is going around and I hope I'm not getting it (I don't think so, though, because I'm feeling fine now). But by 3K I felt better and was content to just keep going, albeit slowly. Around 4K it occurred to me that I was feeling decent, so I decided to pick it up a bit. I finished in 43:14 today, slower than Tuesday, but still faster than on Sunday. However, my average HR was lower than on Tuesday, at just 142, and my last 2 full km were only 6:58 and 6:47 (better!) even with the uphill. So, if I'd felt decent at the start today I probably would have shaved at least 30 sec off of Tuesday's time. I think I'm slowly getting better.

Garmin connect data here.

holding steady; some more good news

I'm holding steady - feeling a little better each day. I'm still not 100% - was very tired last night after probably doing too much yesterday. I will try to take it a bit easier today (yeah, right...hahahaha).

I tried a different strategy this morning - did only 30 min of cardio (elliptical) and THEN did weights, but only 30 min of weights & core. I did one-legged squats with abduction on opposite leg on the way up/bench press w/dumbbells; hamstring ball curls/lat pull-downs; calf raises/military press; then core - ball crunches, Russian twists, plank, and ball passes from feet to hands. I used lighter weights than usual but my heart rate was still pretty high even on the weight training. Still, easing back into it seems to be helping. I didn't feel too wiped out when I finished.

***

Good news! I am lucky to be in an age group without too much competition, so...despite the fact that I had a lot of setbacks this year, my races in Sacramento were good enough to garner an award:

USATF Race Walking Age-Group Awards

35-39 Susan Armenta Tim Seaman
40-44 Tamara Stevenson John Soucheck
45-49 Teresa Vaill Dave McGovern
50-54 Maryanne Daniel Jonathan Matthews
55-59 Deb Topham Bill Reed
60-64 Marianne Martino Chris Schmid
65-69 Darlene Backlund Leon Jasionowski
70-74 Louise Walters James Beckett
75-79 Shirley Dockstader Jack Bray
80-84 Claire Elkins Jack Starr
85-89 Miriam Gordon Charles Boyle

slightly better?

Same route as Monday, but 43:06 instead of 43:55. Same exact average HR of 150. The splits were the same through 5K, but the last 1.25ish km was faster today. Not sure if this means anything or not. I am feeling a bit better; not normal yet, but better. Still a bit tired for sure, but I'm glad to be out training. I did feel tired again today while training, but not as tired as on Monday. This could be just natural variation, but I'm hoping it means I'm actually starting to feel a little better?

Garmin connect data here. (Monday's data here).

good news!

It's not mono :). Apparently I've had it before (though I didn't know it). That's pretty common, as 95% of people my age have had it, and most don't remember having it.

So, it's probably just a series of really nasty cold viruses, and once I'm feeling 100% again I can get back into training. The doctor did caution me against training hard again before I'm feeling back to normal. Gee, how did he know to say that :)?

hanging in there

Went to the gym this morning and did an hour on the bike & elliptical. I was thinking to do some weight training afterward, but I was actually a bit wiped out by the hour of cardio :(. I think I may have pushed it too hard. I've been feeling decent doing 45 min on Saturday & Sunday, but maybe the hour was too much on top of that. I'm feeling tired now but otherwise mostly OK. The sore throat is gone/minimal, and the congestion is still there but has eased up quite a lot. I think I'm mostly on the mend, but we'll see how it goes for the rest of the day. I work until 2 pm, then get the kids and have grocery shopping to do, oh, and laundry. Hopefully all of that won't be too much.

walk around Liberty Park - 6K+

I racewalked this morning! It was 33F (1C) but calm and foggy. Nice morning for a walk :). I wore tights, 2 long-sleeve shirts, and gloves and a hat. I ended up ditching the hat - too hot.

I was super slooooooow but at least I was out there. I got pretty tired around 3K and I think my muscles are going to be a bit sore. Wow, pathetic. Oh well, I can't do anything about that; it is what it is.

I did my 6.32k in 43:55 for 6:57/km. Yeah. Slow. Splits were 6:36, 6:35, 6:46 (downhill 2K, then flat 1K), 7:02, 7:09, 7:16, (flat 1K, uphill 2K) then 2:32 for the last 0.32k uphill. Well, at least I'm up to getting out there.

cautiously optimistic?

I started to feel a bit better on Friday. I made it through a whole day of work without being completely wiped out, and then actually didn't go to bed until 10:30 pm. My throat was still a bit sore, but I was definitely better.

This morning I actually worked out for the first time in a week. I went to the gym and did 45 min total: 20+ min on the bike, 20+ min on the elliptical, and 3-4 min on the treadmill racewalking for 45 min total. I did the 3-4 min on the treadmill because I wanted to see how my toe was doing. It's much better, and hurts just a very little bit when I walk. It didn't seem to bother me much while racewalking. The rest of the workout did wear me out a little, so I took a nap this afternoon, and I feel pretty good. I'm cautiously optimistic. I am thinking I might try to walk 5K tomorrow morning.

***

In random news, Thursday was not a good day. It started off at 7 am when I got to the microscopy core and discovered that the password on the computer had changed. Not good. I needed to use the confocal microscope, and the computer basically runs the thing, so I was out of luck. I called the core director, but he didn't answer and it was about 45 min before he called me back...by then I had totally changed my plans for experiments. Frustrating! Then I went to the doctor. I had left my car in a metered spot before I went, because it's a 10 minute walk from my usual parking lot into work, and I didn't want to walk it four times in a 5-hour work day. When I returned from the doctor I was not allowed to park in the usual lot. This oil spill (yes, the second this year in our city) was literally right next to where I usually park. Not only that, but they closed some of the largest parking lots at the university medical center, so there was a serious parking spot shortage. I ended up having to park waaaaaay out there and take a shuttle in to work. It cost me an extra 45 min to park, and then I had a terrible time getting back to my car after I finished work and fighting traffic to get Michelle to Kindermusik, so we were 10 minutes late for her class. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Friday was better. I had two experiments work :). One I've been working on for several months, with various problems cropping up that I had to troubleshoot. Well, it finally worked. Another was a new experiment this week, but I wasn't sure how well it would work. It looked great - was just very very cool!

Day 22 of the crud and counting

Today is day 22 of whatever this is. I'm still fatigued, have a terrible sore throat, congestion, and swollen lymph nodes.

I went to the doctor today. His differential diagnosis included: 1) common cold, but perhaps 2 different viruses in sequence (lucky me!), 2) strep throat (ruled out with a throat swab in the office) and 3) mono. Yeah, I'm probably too old to get mono, but it's possible. He thought it was somewhat unlikely, but likely enough to draw some blood and get the EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus) panel. If it's mono, that's not good at all for my training. I'll find out the results of the test on Tuesday or Wednesday, as it takes a while for them to complete them.

Meanwhile...I wait...and feel ill...and wait some more. And take another rest day (if it is mono, exercise is contraindicated).

rest day #5 in a row

I don't think I've taken this many rest days in a row since I joined Weight Watchers 5 years ago. Thing is, I'm definitely not up to exercising. I finally have a doctor appointment for 9 am tomorrow, and hopefully some relief will be in sight. My sore throat is incredibly painful, and the pinkeye likewise. Never mind the runny nose, cough, horrible fatigue, etc. You get the picture.

The one bright spot is that my toe is a LOT better today. I think if I ever get rid of this illness, I might be able to racewalk again soon.

I've also been keeping my eating in check pretty well, surprisingly. Hopefully that will continue.

x-rays

I had my toe x-rayed today. It's not broken, which is good. However, it still hurts a lot to walk on it, never mind racewalking. I'm under orders to "let pain be your guide". I can probably do the exercise bike. I might be able to do the elliptical - maybe. But no racewalking for at least a week or two. Oh well :(.

***

I'm still quite sick. I did work today, though I didn't work out. I felt fine for about 3-4 hr, but then I found myself flagging. Now I'm completely trashed. My sore throat is in full bloom again, my pinkeye is "nasty-looking" according to my husband, and I'm going on 3 weeks tomorrow of this nonsense. I know I said I'd call the doc on Monday, and I didn't because I was feeling better. Well, enough of that. I'm calling tomorrow. I have to get better.

Uh-oh

It's worse than I thought. Boy, do I feel stupid :(. I'd kick myself, but that might just make it worse. Debating whether or not to get it x-rayed. Guess this earns me some more time off :(.

lots of snow...

We got a huge dump of snow yesterday. Looks like at least a foot (30cm). There are more pictures here.

***

I can't racewalk right now anyway, so the snow is actually kind of pretty and I'm sort of enjoying it. I spent most of yesterday lying around doing nothing, and am planning the same today. I do have to get some groceries or we won't have anything to eat, but otherwise, I'm not moving off the couch. I was thinking of going to the doctor, but really, what's he going to do? I have a cold, and it's a virus, and there's not much to be done about it. The one thing I haven't done, which I am doing now, is to REST.

Oh, and there's one more reason I can't racewalk. This is embarrassing, but I might as well admit it. I got irritated with Loren for something trivial yesterday and kicked the stove (I know, totally stupid...yes, I should take anger management or get medicated or something...). Well, I hurt my big toe, and am now limping. Brilliant. I don't think it's broken or anything; it's swollen a bit but not bruised, and seems marginally better than last night. Looks like it will be the bike & elliptical for me for a while though, if I ever get over this cold.

I'll have some work to do in the scale department as well. I've gained 5 pounds since last Wednesday. Ugh. Most of it is probably water weight, but I'm sure some of it isn't. I haven't been eating well, and I've been sitting around. This is all pretty depressing. I should focus on the positive: this is only a cold and eventually I'll get better. My toe will probably be OK in a few days. The kids and Loren are healthy. Loren and I both have jobs that are pretty secure at the moment. I get to stay home and rest today. The snow is really beautiful especially now that the sun is coming out.

ughhhhh

Didn't get to rest as much as I should have today. Result? Feeling terrible. Pinkeye in left eye, coughing a lot, total fatigue, sore throat/swollen lymph nodes, oh, and did I mention that my ear hurts? I woke up in the middle of the night last night with a terrible earache which did improve with the ingestion of NyQuil. Speaking of NyQuil, I just took some more, and I'm going to bed now...

I'm doing as little as possible tomorrow. I do have one commitment but after that it's rest for me.

relapse #2...or continuation of same?

This is dragging on unbelievably. This morning I had pinkeye in my left eye, a horrible cough, and zero energy. I'm taking another rest day, and maybe two. I wish my appetite would do the same; for some reason when I'm sick I generally am just as hungry.

I think I really need to just lie in bed for a couple days. Not really possible, but Loren has said he'd help out a bit so I don't have to do so much. I have to get over this thing. I have a full work week ahead and don't know how I'll manage unless I start feeling better.

Cold Turkey 6K, and miscellaneous

The miscellaneous - really busy with Thanksgiving and the aftermath so this will be fast. I thought I was getting better and did feel better until last night (Thursday night) when I crashed hard after dinner. Still managed bike & elliptical this morning as well as on Wednesday morning. Will this cold EVER end??? Fatigue, sore throat, coughing, congestion, etc. It sucks.

***


Photo: Diane and I before the race.

Cold Turkey 6K - Thanksgiving Day race here. It was predicted to be -5F but was actually 9F (-13C) so I was happy with that! It was sunny, too, which helped. However, it's a hilly course, and it was pretty icy in many spots up the canyon, plus it was crowded with all the runners vying for the non-icy spots on the road. Hard to pass on the uphill (the first 3K of the race). I was going to do this as a 6K kickdown and start easy then accelerate, but I ended up starting out moderately hard and then going harder as the race progressed. You can't tell at all from my times that I was working hard, but I was...this illness is really slowing me down, but I'm thankful it's only temporary (I think!). Splits here. I did my slowest time ever for this race, at 39:09 (+/- a few seconds - that's my watch time). The course was a little different than usual - not as much downhill at the end, so that accounts for 30 sec or so, plus the ice and crowding (more than usual) accounts for maybe another 30 sec - 1 min. Even so, if I subtract 1.5 min it's still my slowest time on this course. Oh well. I was sick, and at least I was out there and I did have fun. At the end I went back for my friend Diane and finished the race with her (she's a fast walker - at age 70 she did this course in 53 min!). Age-graded, she usually beats me quite soundly :).

The weather ended up being a non-factor. I dressed warmly (too warm, actually - got hot and had to take off my gloves at the end, and wished I could remove my jacket but the bib was pinned on it and was over the zipper!), and Diane and I remarked that the cold was much better than rain. She did the race one year when it was pouring and said it was just miserable.

I got lots of photos of the loons out there wearing Native American loincloths and nothing else (brrrrr) and the funny turkey hats, etc. It's always a pretty fun race, and this was no exception, despite my illness and slow time. Oh, and I did win the walking division, so I came home with some more hardware for my brag rack in the hall.

more photos and some video here - including what I wore for the race and other randomness

a little improvement, but feeling down

OK, I'm facing reality. I'm still sick. But I'm gradually getting better, at least I hope so. My workout was slow again today, and I'm definitely lacking energy. I was wondering this morning if I'll ever feel normal again, and also realizing that it's going to take a while. That discouraged me. This whole season has been so hard. Definitely three steps forward, two steps back. Actually, it feels more like two steps forward, three steps back. I wonder how long it will take me to regain my fitness after this illness? I really don't want to have to fight so hard to get fit again like I did in the spring. That was awful. But I'm afraid that this is going to be that way as well.

Sorry for the downer post. It's just hard - my virtual training partners (Jim's other racewalkers) are all doing so well with their training, and then there's me. I'm going backwards :(. It doesn't help that it's winter and that gets me in a negative frame of mind as well.

Today: 8.69K in 59:45 for 6:52/km, ave HR 151. Yeah. Slow. Better than Saturday, but still very slow for that heart rate. I meant to do 10K but realized I was still pretty tired and decided to cut it a bit short.

Garmin connect data here

dragging on

This cold is unbelievable. It's still dragging on. This morning I woke feeling crappy but still managed 30 min each on bike & elliptical. I was really beat by the time I finished, but still managed to go to work, pick up kids from school, grocery shop, prepare dinner, and do some laundry. Now I'm really feeling it.

I am still hoping to racewalk tomorrow morning, but we'll see. If worst comes to worst I can at least get in 5K, but 10K would be nicer.

Tomorrow night we're supposed to get a huge winter storm. They're saying 3-7 inches of snow with 40mph winds and arctic temperatures - the high on Thursday for the Cold Turkey race I'm doing (a 6K) is supposed to be 16F (-9C). In the morning it might be as cold as 8F (-13C). Brrrrr. I'm going to have to dig out my full face mask and polyester long underwear and fleece pants. 3 layers on the bottom: polyester long underwear, tights, fleece pants. 3 layers on the top: long underwear, long sleeve shirt, and fleece top. Add full face mask, hat, and ski gloves, and it'll be a miracle if I can still move let alone racewalk :). Just kidding...I know I can racewalk in full gear but it's been a while, so it will be interesting.

my excuse for today

that, and I'm still coughing and need rest after yesterday's 10K

unbelievably slow...but at least I could work out!

I felt better this morning. OK, I'm still coughing, and I do feel tired, but it's LIGHT YEARS better than the last 2 days. I was just dying to get out for a racewalk, and a big snowstorm is headed our way, so I thought I'd better do it this morning or I'd be stuck inside on the dreadmill or indoor track.

I was supposed to do a 5K fartlek. I knew that was out of the question - it would have provoked the biggest coughing fit ever, I'm sure. I figured I could manage an easy 10K. Well, OK, so I really knew I could manage an easy 5K, but I wanted to do 10K, even if it wasn't smart. So I did do 10K, and yeah, it was the slowest I've done 10K in a long, long time. I looked at my watch in disbelief and was almost laughing at the splits. I knew right away that I was slow, even though I felt OK, because my first downhill split was 6:35. Normally I'd do a 6:15-6:20 on my first 1K towards Liberty Park, but not today. It got worse from there...many were 7:00+ including one 7:40 (uphill, gently). By 7K I was really tired but I was determined to finish all 10K, and I'm not sorry I did. I did cough quite a bit when I was done, though. Total time 1:11:17 for 7:07/km with ave HR 146. Yeah, definitely sick. Garmin data here.

After that I still felt good and managed to go to Weight Watchers (weight 150.6; I'm about back to where I was before vacation), pick up the kids from my parents' house (they had them overnight, thankfully), help my parents drop their car off for repairs, and do several errands, including picking up my bib for the Cold Turkey 6K race on Thursday (Thanksgiving, for my international readers) and purchasing some pepper spray and a new blinky red light to help keep me safe on my early morning walks. It's quite dark when I work out, and I used to take my dogs with me, but they can no longer keep up :(, hence the pepper spray. The blinky light is because my old one is starting to go off, and it's a cheapie w/o a replaceable battery. I like to be safe with a reflective vest and the light to really help the cars see me in plenty of time.

I'm now pretty tired so think a short nap is in order before tackling the rest of the day's projects, including a piano student in a couple hours.

still sick

Woke up still feeling nasty with a bad cough. Not the ideal for a workout. I think I can make it through the day at work, but it's another rest day for me :(.

My mood isn't so great either. Hopefully when I feel better and can work out again, my mood will improve as well.

rest/sick day

I'm still sick. I did manage to drag myself into work, but today's a short day since I have to leave early to take Michelle to Kindermusik, so I figured I'd manage.

I didn't do the 6K kickdown I was supposed to do today. When just getting out of bed is difficult, the workout isn't going to happen.

sick... :(

I'm STILL sick. In fact, it seems to be getting worse.

I felt OK this morning. Not great, but OK. I managed 1 hr on the bike + elliptical, followed by weight training: chest fly on exercise ball/lateral walk w/band; hamstring curls on ball (ouch! top of hammies are really hurting from RW!)/row; calf raises/lateral raises; lots of abs.

Work went all right until after lunch, when I just started to feel terrible. But tomorrow we're having a little party for the boss' birthday, so I had to come home and make a cake and cookies, as well as making dinner for the family and supervising the children's activities. By the time I was sitting down to dinner I was DONE. I had to call and cancel tonight's piano students and now (at 6:45 pm) I'm lying in bed with pajamas and warm robe on and thinking that maybe I'll just go to sleep now. I have this feeling I'm not doing the planned hard workout tomorrow.

10K

I still am suffering from the cold. I was so unbelievably tired last night, and was pretty cross with the kids, my husband, etc. :(. Still, I only had 10K to do this morning, so I thought "no big deal". It turned out to be a pretty good effort to do it at 6:30/km. Maybe I should have taken it easier, but I didn't.

I'm working on some small technique tweaks to help me get faster and ease the strain on my left hip. My coach wants me to think about bringing my left leg straight through (when bringing it forward) and be sure the knee doesn't drift inward. I thought about that a lot; when I do it, it seems to make the hip hurt slightly worse, probably because I'm using muscles differently. He also wants me to put more weight on the front foot - to do that, I think a bit about leaning forward NOT from the hips but from the ankles. Not sure I'm getting that one, but it does feel different and smoother, and my calves are a bit sore, so maybe I'm doing it right.

My glutes (left AND right) are both sore, the left a little more than the right, and my hamstrings are sore too. Plus I'm just really, really tired - more tired than I ought to be from just a measly 10K. I'm thinking the cold must be hanging on and affecting my energy level and stamina.

I did finish the workout in 1:05:07 for 6:30/km, but the last few km my HR was 155+, which is pretty high for that workout.

It's lunchtime, but I really would just like to take a nap now. That's not going to be an option, unfortunately.

Garmin connect data here.

muddling through

It's Monday. I still have a cold. Though it's better, I now have a really nasty case of laryngitis :(. I'm just muddling through today I guess. Laundry and groceries do not stop, and someone has to cook dinner.

Today I cross-trained in spite of it all. Stationary bike & elliptical; the usual, for 1 hr. I planned to do an hour of weight training but managed only 30 min. I did some of the ball exercises my coach sent, plus some inner quad exercises, abductor stuff, and a few upper-body sets. Not as much as I'd like, but I'm going to be doing weights 3x/wk during my off season so I'll be stronger and faster when I start up again. Hopefully.

I'm also thinking about my eating habits. They need an overhaul. I need to lose at least 7 lbs by March 20th. I intentionally let things slide a bit on vacation and gained 1.5-2 lb, on top of the 5 lb I already wanted to lose. I'll post more about this later, but I've been reading a book that I believe is going to help...so stay tuned.

weekend activities

Yesterday I did some more cross-training, just to give my legs an extra recovery day. I did the bike and elliptical for a bit over an hour.

Today I was supposed to racewalk 8K (5 miles). I was excited to be racewalking again, and I chose one of my favorite routes, to SugarHouse Park, around the park twice, and back. It's fairly hilly - especially the first hill up to 15th East; my first km was over 7 minutes! But I did the whole route in 52:53 for 6:36/km, which is good on that hilly route. Ave HR was 146. The weather was chilly (35F, 2C) and overcast, with the occasional light snow/rain sprinkle. It was actually pretty nice for this time of year, and the trees still have some color left. The fall colors were particularly vivid this year, so I enjoyed them on my walk this morning. I also saw a very large flock of Canadian geese honking and splashing down in the pond in the park. Awesome. It was nice to be out.

My coach gave me a new schedule for the next 4 weeks, and it's a nice recovery schedule, with short speedwork 2x/wk to keep my legs fast while still giving me a break. I get to take it easy until Christmas, since my next important race isn't until March, when I plan to do the National Masters 20K in California. I'm excited to do that race, because they usually have prize money :) and depending on who shows up, I actually have a shot at it.

My cold is still hanging around, and I'm still tired, but seem to be on the mend. Luckily for me, no hard speed work until Thursday, and even then it's just a 6K kickdown. Nice.

Garmin connect data here.

Catching up

It's been a while since I've posted. Busy vacation...sort of...

We left Yosemite on Tuesday morning and drove to Bakersfield, CA to visit Loren's family there. I decided to take a rest day, because I felt I really needed it. My muscles were really achy and I was tired. I was sore in the glutes, hamstrings, and calves, but it felt just like normal soreness from a hard race effort and not like soreness from injury. A day of rest would help.

On Wednesday, I felt pretty good and was recovering well. My aching muscles were much better and I was eager to get out for an easy walk. I decided to do a nice easy 10K. Probably that was a bit over-ambitious, as I did tire a lot by 7K, but it was nice to be out there and I didn't mind being tired too much. I was slow (1:07:02) but didn't care at all :). Garmin connect data here.

The hotel we stayed at had a broken router and so Internet connections were iffy, which is why I didn't blog. Add into that a somewhat stressful visit with family (Loren's dad is quite ill with what is most likely emphysema), and I just didn't have time either.

Wednesday night I started to feel a bit sick - sore throat, tired, etc. By Thursday morning I had a full-blown nasty cold and besides, we had an 11-hour drive ahead of us from Bakersfield to Salt Lake City, so I took another rest day. I felt completely rotten most of the day and did manage to get to bed at a reasonable hour when we got home.

This morning I woke feeling better, though still congested and definitely not at my best. Still, I really wanted to work out. I thought about racewalking but my hip was a little sore from sitting in the car all day long, so I decided to do the bike and the elliptical instead, for 1 hr or so. Garmin connect data here.

It's nice to be home, despite the fact that I had to work today (I worked 5 instead of the 8 hrs I'd planned, due to being tired/sick/needing to catch up on stuff at home) and do a mountain of laundry which isn't finished. Speaking of that...maybe I should go work on it.

rest day, funny video

I'm taking a rest day today. With the vacation and the extra food I could probably use the workout, but on the other hand, I really do need to give my body a rest. I will probably gain a pound or two this week, but it's nothing that can't come off with some diligent effort when I return. At least that's what I'm telling myself. I am still about 5 lb below where I need to be to keep my Weight Watchers lifetime membership, so no worries there.

***

My racewalker friend Erin posted this on her facebook page, and then later it came through the Yahoo! racewalking group list. It's pretty funny, and while I concede that there is an element of mockery here, at least the racewalker is a superhero. Besides, it did make me laugh!

easy walk/run in Yosemite National Park

It is so beautiful here. Cold, but beautiful. The high today was 44F (6.7C). Yeah, that is the HIGH. But it's sunny and clear, and oh-so-amazing.

I wanted to racewalk a bit today to get the blood flowing through sore, achy muscles. Nothing is horribly sore, but I'm definitely a bit sore in my hamstrings and glutes and calves. Everything else feels fine. I know from experience that a little activity post-race can help things feel better. At least it seems that way!

Besides, it's so nice here that I couldn't resist walking on the paved bike path (I hear there are 13 miles in Yosemite Valley) and shooting pictures while I was out. After 2 miles of walking, I decided to run for a mile to change things up. Then I walked a mile, and finally, ran 0.5 mile to get back to the hotel room. Total time: 46:12 for 4.5 miles; 6:22/k.

This morning we hiked to Mirror Lake with the kids, and now, before dinner, we're going to hike around Lower Yosemite Falls.

More pictures here of this morning's hike.

More pictures here of this afternoon's walk/run.

Garmin connect data here.

Cute kid videos

Calvin and Michelle meet their cousin Karis, age 4 months.

Part 1

Part 2

Spinning in the swing

Two Cities Half Marathon

(Photo at mile marker 12). Readers of my blog know that I was a bit apprehensive about this race; I haven't been able to train well for the past month due to foot problems (which my genius coach figured out) and then glute problems due to the technique change we made to help my foot. Still, I knew it was possible that I could come out with a good race. I'd trained very well prior to the injuries and it wasn't THAT long ago, so presumably some fitness carried over. It did.

The conditions were perfect for the race. It was overcast and 53F (11.7C), with a gentle breeze. Nice. I wore shorts and my Wasatch Walkers shirt, and enjoyed the many comments from runners as usual. "Hey, that speedwalker is beating us!" and "How does she do that" and in this race, "Aw, that's the SECOND one of those powerwalkers that has passed me". One of the reasons I wanted to do this race is that it has a walking division that attracts other racewalkers. It's not judged, but everyone I saw was following the rules. They do say that if the officials see you running they will DQ you, so I guess the threat is enough, for the most part.

The race was to start at 7:30 am. I warmed up for about 10 min, starting at 7:15 (7 min walking plus a few min stretching), and thinking I'd be back in plenty of time. I was, but the race started early! Yikes! Thank goodness for chip timing! Still, that meant I didn't see any of the other racewalkers at the start. In fact, I didn't catch any of them until mile 6, but that's another story.

I started well, doing the first mile in 9:37 and feeling good. My left hip felt a little sore but not too bad, and I felt I was moving smoothly. My pace goal was 6:09/km (9:55/mile) and so that was a reasonable speed; a little fast, but I was settling in well. The second-fourth miles felt pretty good, and I did them in 9:59, 10:00, and 9:51; a little slower on average than I needed to, but it was pretty close to my desired pace. My hip started to feel better and didn't really bother me too much during the race. I noticed it, but it didn't hinder me a lot that I could tell.

Miles 5-6 weren't so great. It was still pretty flat (there were a few small gradual hills on the course, and one large hill, but that was at mile 8), but I just felt it was hard to keep my speed - my HR dropped a bit, and then it occurred to me after that maybe I ought to take some GU - I think I was a bit low on carbs. I took the GU about 54 min in (mile 5.5 or so) and did miles 5 and 6 in 10:05 and 10:14. I was getting a bit nervous about maintaining my pace when I spotted another racewalker (found out later her name is Diana). She was moving well and looked fit, and I thought I'd really better turn on the speed. I'm so glad I saw her and the other walkers in the next few miles - that spurred me on to work much harder than I would have otherwise. It came at the perfect time. A little competition is a good thing!

I got to 10K in 1:01:27, right on pace for the sub-2:10 I wanted. I thought it might be hard to hold that, as the last 5 miles included the largest hill plus some smaller hills, but I figured I still had a pretty good shot at a new PR (my old PR was 2:11:57). I walked as fast as I could down the hill and got to mile 7 in 9:39 :). Around mile 7.5 I saw 2 more racewalkers (found out later they were Art Klein and Lila), and one of them had a Junior Olympics shirt on. I was a bit intimidated, but they weren't moving fast enough that I couldn't overtake them. I just worried that they'd catch me later if I tired. I waved at them and said "good job" and kept going. Then I saw yet ANOTHER racewalker just ahead (James on his bib). He was moving very well at that point, but I passed him and hoped I could hold on. I also figured that if I couldn't, well, at least he was a guy so it didn't matter too much. I got to mile 8 in 9:53, and was feeling tired but decent. I thought "8K to go...I can do this" and was repeating one of my favorite race mantras that I learned from Jeannie Harms, a Canadian racewalker, "the longer I go the stronger I go" as I tackled the big hill.

It was a pretty nasty hill, but I felt strong and knew I had to take it quickly if I wanted to stay ahead of the other walkers. I managed to do a 10:11 up to mile 9, going up that big hill! I felt elated. I knew if I could just hold that pace I'd have a new PR and probably the win as well. By this time everything was starting to hurt a bit - my legs were quite tired, and I felt they were the limiting factor rather than my wind. Usually it's the other way around, and I know this time that was due to the lack of hard training in the last month, but I figured I could hold it for a little bit. I reached mile 10 in 10:11 also, which was a bit slower since it was a much more gradual uphill. I was still pleased. My watch said 1:39:45, so to PR I just had to do the last 5K in 32:12 or less. I thought I could do a 31:xx for sure --- I felt at least as good as when I did the 5K race after the 20K a few weeks back, and doing that gave me the confidence to push to the finish. I'm glad I did that workout!

I sped up a bit and got to mile 11 in 10:05, but then I tired just a bit and hit an aid station, slowing me down a little. Everything HURT now. My legs, my left hip, and even my obliques. I thought my form wasn't going to be so great for the video Loren was going to take at mile 12, but I really didn't care. I just wanted to be done! I made it to mile 12 in 10:17, and when I saw the split I decided I had to do better for the next mile. I saw Loren and the kids not long after, and they cheered for me a lot - it made me smile and I picked it up as best as I could. I knew that I only had about 11 min left to go. I got to mile 13 in 10:08 (ave HR only 165, but I was really working --- like I said, my legs gave out before my wind this time), and the last 0.1 felt like forever, even though it was 1:03. My watch said 2:11:20 at the finish, though my official chip time when I picked up my award was 2:11:18. The last 5K took me just 31:33, which I think is 9 sec slower than the 5K I did after the 20K a few weeks ago. Not bad at all!

I was SO relieved to finish and just walked slowly for about 10 min. I only had one GI cramp during the race, at mile 10, but when I crossed the finish I knew I'd have to find a bathroom soon. Thankfully, at the end of the finishers area there were lots of porta-potties. I continued to have problems for most of the day :(. Maybe I'll have to seek some medical advice for this, as I've tried lots of different dietary modifications with not much luck yet.

Garmin connect data here.

Official race results here.

Video at start of mile 13 here.

With Michelle after the race:


With my award:


More pictures here (mostly of the family afterward)

pre-race outing

I was supposed to do about 15 min easy RW w/strides. I went faster. Oops. I was feeling awkward from not RW for a few days and was pushing a little for the 1st km, and figured I'd slow down. But then I started feeling better, and my hip was doing OK, so I just kept going, finishing 3K in 18:22 with a little push at the end.

That's 6:07/km which is pretty close to race pace goal of 6:09 if I want a sub-2:10. Not sure I can do that pace for 21.1 km...we'll see tomorrow!

Garmin connect data here.

My goals? In order of likelihood: 1) Have fun and break the course record of 2:28, 2) win the walking division, 3) get a new PR (sub-2:11:57), 4) get sub-2:10:00.

Mostly I just want to love being out there. That's what it's about.

Oh, which race? Just in case you didn't know, it's the Two Cities Half Marathon in Fresno, CA.

cross-training and a long drive

I cross-trained yesterday, only managing 30 min on the bike & elliptical before it was time to go, because a 10-hr drive awaited. Surprisingly, the drive didn't seem to aggravate my muscles too much, as I had a tennis ball to help :). We drove to Davis, CA to see my brother and his wife and their 4-mo-old baby for a quick visit.

***

Today? A short racewalk with some strides is on the agenda for later this morning, and then this afternoon a drive to Fresno, where the race is.

better?

My coach called me last night and had a few ideas to try, so he asked me to walk 6K this morning. He suggested leaning forward from my ankles about 3-5 degrees (not forward from the waist though!) which should take a little stress off the hips.

Well, I left my Garmin at work this morning (went in early before walking/gym) and didn't realize it until I was at the gym. ARRRGH! So I just went by time. I only walked approximately 18 minutes, because I could feel my hip starting to tighten up a little bit and didn't want to risk anything. I just checked the distance on the map, and I did about 2 miles (3.2 km), so I guess it was closer to 20 min (but all I had was my analog watch so I really don't know exactly!) Even though it hurt a bit, it definitely did not hurt as much as yesterday, and I felt that what he told me to do did help. I think I could have done the whole 6K with relatively little pain, but I am a bit of a nervous Nellie right now and definitely afraid to do anything that might stress it more.

I walked on the sidewalk outside the gym. It's relatively flat but has a gentle uphill one way and a gentle downhill the other. One thing I noticed is that the uphill definitely hurt more than the downhill. I was almost pain-free going downhill. A clue, for what it's worth, I suppose.

***

Then I went inside and did 20 min on the elliptical and finished with a 2-min run on the treadmill at a 9:15/mile pace, nice and easy. Running actually hurts much less than racewalking, though it does hurt a little bit.

I finished up with core exercises with Lisa on the exercise ball, and some serious stretching.

Halloween pictures :)

 
The kids were super cute for Halloween! Here are some pictures:

Calvin's class (parade at his school)
Michelle's class (trick or treating at the VA nursing home)
Trunk or treat and trick or treat on 10/30 (yeah, here in Utah if Halloween is on Sunday, we do it on Saturday...)

nagging injury

My glute/hip problem has now progressed to being a nagging injury that is hindering any training. I tried to do a hard workout today, but only got through the warm-up before realizing it really wasn't going to happen. The first 400m really hurt, and though it did feel better on the rest of the 1600m warm-up, it didn't feel good. It still hurt. The 1600m warmup took me 11 minutes, about 30-45 sec slower than usual. I even tried one 200m faster segment, and was shooting for 1:10 or so but only made it in 1:15. Really really ugly.

I called my coach for advice, and basically I need to rest, massage, ice, stretch, NSAIDS, etc. My sciatic nerve is getting pressure from one or more muscles - possibly including lateral rotators, piriformis, and hamstring. I am still doing the race on Sunday, but my goals have now changed. I just want to finish unhurt. If things go OK at the start I may try for a faster time, but we'll have to see. Resting it until then may be enough to get me through at a fast pace, with race day adrenaline and all. But if it hurts a lot, all bets are off - then I just want to finish. The course record is 2:28, so hopefully I can at least break it.

Until then? Rest, cross-train, a short walk on Saturday, and hope for the best on Sunday.

cross training; cross-cultural education :)

Yesterday my glutes were SO very sore, especially on the left side. My coach thinks it's good. He's right of course, but it's not particularly fun.

Thankfully, I got to cross-train today. I did the stationary bike for an hour and finished the book "The Great Influenza". Then I did some weight training, but only had time for a few sets. I basically did chest press lying on the ball (exercise my coach sent, but I've seen it before too) and rowing machine (weights, not the aerobic one), and alternated those with the glute machine and some glute exercises on the ball. I wanted to figure out which muscles are hurting and which exercises target those muscles so that I can do some more strengthening exercises. It didn't take long to figure out a couple exercises that would do the trick. On the glute machine, pushing down and then back with my left leg was definitely activating the sore muscles. I did 3 sets, and seriously, my muscles felt much better after working them. Then I did one on the exercise ball that Jim told me about a while ago - put chest on ball, knees on floor, and kick back and then around to the side. It works glutes and abductors, and the glute part was definitely hitting the sore spots. Now, at lunch time, my rear end feels vastly better than yesterday.

I'm hoping that I'll be up for tomorrow's very hard workout: 10K fartlek. It's the first 10K fartlek I've done, so I confess I'm nervous about going the distance, especially with my glutes acting up. If the pain gets too bad, I'll stop though.

***

Cross-cultural education was also on the agenda yesterday. My coach is from Australia, where horse racing is very, very popular. I happen to really enjoy horse racing, though it's not like I get to watch it often, and I'm certainly no expert on the sport. Anyway, the Melbourne Cup was yesterday, and it's the biggest race of the year - kind of like the Kentucky Derby plus the Superbowl all in one. So, my coach set up his Skype so I could watch on his TV (albeit VERY fuzzy, though the sound was OK) and follow along. I had picked Americain to win the race, partly because he was Kentucky bred, partly because he'd be having some good races, and partly because of his name since I'm an American. I couldn't see very well, but heard the announcer shouting my horse's name at the end and though maybe I'd won - sure enough, I did! Lucky break for me, and a lot of fun.

Speaking of sports, Loren's favorite baseball team, the Giants (he's been a fan forever), won the World Series last night, ending a 50+ year drought for them. It was awesome. Really a great sports night!

***

Time zone wackiness has been on my mind as well. Last night at 11 pm when I am definitely not at my best mentally, my coach was telling me that after this weekend we'd be 18 hours different instead of 17. Somehow I had it in my mind that our going to standard time would make us 16 hours different again...but in my sleep-deprived idiocy I forgot that because it is SPRING there and FALL here that we are going back but they are going forward. Somehow I thought they had gone back an hour and that we'd be back to the same time difference we were at during our summer. But no, it's weirder than that...during our summer (their winter) we are 16 hours apart, but in our winter (their summer) we are 18 hours apart. Way too much for my mind to grasp at 11 pm, though this morning it all made perfect sense. Good thing I work in the mornings and early afternoons - my brain is definitely not terribly functional after dinner!

back to racewalking :)

I was happy to be back to racewalking today, though the workout wasn't the best. I was to do 14K with two faster segments of about 10 min each. I decided for simplicity's sake to do 2x2k fast segments - these were to be at 1/2 marathon pace (6:09/km is my goal pace) but as you can see I couldn't pace myself to save my life this morning.

My glutes let me know that I was racewalking right away. They were definitely still a bit sore, even though I felt OK when not racewalking. Still, they held up fine for the whole workout, though now (at lunch time) they are very sore and I'm cursing myself for forgetting to bring my tennis ball for a little massage.

I started off feeling fresh, fast, and strong. I did some downhill km at 6:19 and 6:17, then a flat km at 6:22. I was ready to go! I sped up for km 4 & 5, doing my first fast segment. I didn't push quite hard enough and ended up with a 6:11 and 6:15. Hmmm, not so good in the pacing department. I relaxed for km 6 & 7 and then did km 8 & 9 harder, doing 5:57 (!oops! too fast!) and then despite keeping up a reasonable pace (so I thought) the next km was 6:15. Darn. I was definitely disappointed with this.

I finished the whole workout in 1:30:49, for 6:29/km average, with ave HR 151. Really not my best. I have to admit I'm a bit discouraged about my prospects for Sunday. I talked to my coach briefly and he tried to cheer me up by telling me that my big races are next year. Nice way to basically say that yeah, I don't have much of a chance to do well on Sunday. I know it's true, but I should look on the bright side - my foot is well enough to walk, even if my glutes aren't up to speed yet with the technique changes. It's just frustrating since I've wanted to do this race for a while (several years) and I was hoping for a really nice PR. I could still PR, as my previous PR is on the slowish side from a hilly course, but it's not looking good for the sub-2:10 I'd really like to have. Well, you just never know. Everything could just click on Sunday morning. So I'll try to remain positive and hang in there, but it's challenging.

Garmin connect data here.