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

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.

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 :).

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

feeling better; 6K

I'm feeling better mentally & physically. Mentally, because I'm working on the stuff I need to work on to get ready for Perth. Weight management, doctor visit, getting organized so others can help around the house, etc. Physically, because for whatever reason my pain in the butt is feeling better.

I did 6K today outside....slowly....it was icy. I'd have been slow anyway, but the ice slowed me down probably another 10-15 seconds/km. It wasn't icy everywhere but over maybe 10-20% of the route it was dicey. It was beautiful though, and I took a bunch of photos in Liberty Park and a few from our front porch when I got home. It snowed about an inch or two last night and it was just gorgeous on the trees. I'm not a fan of winter, but I'm trying to enjoy the parts that are nice, and it IS beautiful.

6K at 7:04/km with ave HR 137, pain in the butt only 0-1/10, some slight pain in left knee (3rd day of this; better today than Friday) on the medial side when extending the knee (it kind of "pops" a little and hurts, not all the time, but sometimes).

cross-training; Weight Watchers

Today I woke up pretty sore in the hamstring - I think from sitting a lot at dinner and the symphony last night. In addition, it was snowing outside and the roads were a mess. So racewalking was pretty much out of the question. Instead, I did the elliptical for 40 min and then went to my Weight Watchers meeting, as I had outlined in my plan to get ready for Perth this October.

It was good to be back at Weight Watchers. They have changed the food plan a bit but it's simple enough to do the new points system with the app for my phone. The new meeting place in Foothill Village is very nice and quite an improvement, plus it's closer to my house. I am planning to attend weekly until I get back to my goal weight, which should only take a month or two if I am diligent. I posted the Perth 2016 poster on my fridge to motivate me and keep me out of trouble :).

In other news, we put up a basketball net for Grace (and the rest of us). I think we might have to wait a bit to use it though...snow!

8K; doctor visit

This morning I did 8K, slowly, but with very little "pain in the butt". The pain was maybe 1/10, and though I went slowly, I enjoyed myself and felt better than yesterday. I took both dogs, and Powder was a bit skittish and sometimes slow, but mostly behaved herself. They need the exercise, so it's good to take them out. I didn't try at all to push my pace, but I did do my glute exercises before starting and thought a lot about using the right muscles and having the right posture, for what it's worth. Garmin data here. 6:58/km with ave HR ~138 according to my Fitbit (forgot to wear my Garmin HR strap).

At 8:45am I had my doctor appointment. Dr. Powell (sports medicine doc) remarked that it's been 3 years since I've seen her, and congratulated me on staying out of her office :). I had to admit that it was mostly because I haven't been able to train hard because of the fatigue/muscle soreness issues. Oh well. Anyway, she examined me and said she thinks it's one of 3 things: 1) proximal hamstring tendinopathy (what I think is most likely), 2) bursitis (there is a bursa near the ischium), or 3) stress fracture. The treatment is different for all three: 1) run clinic, 2) cortisone shot, 3) rest. So she has ordered an MRI to see which it is so that we can get moving on training again soon. The MRI is scheduled for next Wednesday, so stay tuned. Hopefully I can get this behind me quickly, pun intended :).

game plan; 6K

I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself. It's time to take action.

New game plan:

1. Visit sports medicine doc tomorrow at 8:45am (already made the appointment) to get a referral to the run clinic to treat my persistent pain in the butt.
2. Go to Weight Watchers meetings on Saturdays at 10am (that should work for most training, even the longer ones). I have to get my eating back under control.
3. Write a schedule incorporating the yoga for runners DVD as well as some strength training; it'll probably start with my PT exercises when I get them.
4. Already discussed this with Loren and told him if we were going to prioritize going to Perth/Australia on vacation as well as for the WMA competition, then I need his help a bit more around the house so that I have time to train, do PT, Weight Watchers, etc. I am also going to draft a schedule for the kids so that they know when they have to help clean, do dishes, etc. I'm sure they won't like it, but too bad. They are old enough to help out, and last time I checked they wear clothing, eat our food, and dirty the house.

Meanwhile, yesterday I did the elliptical and this morning I did 6K racewalking; forgot to restart my Garmin at a stoplight and lost a few minutes, but I was slow, at just under 7 min/km with ave HR 139. I focused a lot on proper technique. My pain was at most 1/10 so that's good. I'm planning on racewalking again tomorrow morning so that I have recent and detailed info to report to the sports medicine doc on where the pain is. I do feel it's been better this week since taking last week off; of course I've also been taking my anti-inflammatory on a regular basis too. Maybe I should ask the doc for a prescription one again...hmmmm.

I was feeling so motivated and excited about things that I cleaned the fish tank at work :). I hope the feeling of motivation sticks around for a while, but also that as it fades I can still keep my long-term goal in mind.

slow is OK; fast not so much

I racewalked outside today, very slowly. When I tried to push a little faster, even for short periods of time, it started to hurt more, so I backed off. Slowly, at 7 min/km, it was OK, with pain not exceeding 1/10. That's something, anyway. It seems like it's been so long that I wonder if I'll ever feel "normal" again. It's hard to even get out there and walk, knowing that it will probably just hurt and leave me discouraged. I want to get ready for Perth and build a good, solid base. I want to do a marathon or a 50K again.

Oh well.

Today's slow walk: 7:06/km with ave HR 135; only did 4.45km. It was cold at 19F (-7C) with wind chill of 9F (-13C). The dogs both came along and Powder actually behaved herself :).

not much is up

Haven't blogged much because not much is happening. I've been resting my sore rear end, doing elliptical daily (except Sunday, when I took a day off for the first time in 2 weeks), and hoping that the tenderness would improve. Mostly. On Friday our lab played tennis and went to lunch for our post-holiday holiday party :). The tennis was fun, but I did strain my injury site a bit.

After ART last Tuesday, I think that my hamstring tendon near the top is the pressing issue at the moment. That's bad news because it's hard to heal (not much blood supply) but good news because the ART practitioner says it's a very small spot, about the size of a quarter to half dollar coin. Either way, I needed to rest it, and as of this morning it felt a lot better. Better enough that today I decided to try a little racewalking. I hopped on my treadmill at home (icy outside, and I was worried that the turns on the gym track might be aggravating it - maybe not, but maybe?) and managed 30 min pretty much pain-free. I stopped a couple times to massage just to be safe, but it felt decent.

The rest of the day it didn't bother me much, so I'm going to try to walk outside for 5km or so tomorrow; maybe 6km if the mood strikes. I will probably take the dogs... :). It's going to be cold in the morning, at 21F (-6C) but 5-6km is not so far, so if I dress warmly it'll be no biggie. Here's hoping I can do it!

trying to stay positive; 5.5km

Yesterday: Well, Sunday evening my pain was definitely worse even though the 6K itself was pretty low pain. Had Loren massage it but I think that might have made it worse? So yesterday I just did 40 min elliptical.

Today: I really wanted to RW and the pain was better so I went and did it. Pain levels were 1-2/10 (as they have been) while walking and so far it doesn't feel worse afterward (it's lunch time now). I don't know if walking on it is a good idea, but I can't stand not walking. On the other hand, if it's slowing my recovery I shouldn't do it. I just don't know. I am going to the ART guy again today and that should help.

I was kind of slow today, but some of that was due to icy conditions. It was deceptive. It looked fine out there but there was a lot of black ice. For those in warmer climates, black ice is icy spots on black pavement, and you just cannot see them. It's very dangerous when driving and also when walking. It was slick enough in a lot of areas that I didn't have good toe-off. Otherwise it was OK; if I'd have known I would have walked indoors but even with the ice it was good to be outside. It was 30F (-1.1C) so it wasn't horribly cold and that helped. Of course I was also only out for 40 minutes or so.

Total time 37:56 for 5.5km for 6:53/km with ave HR 142.

I'm feeling a bit down. First world problems, I know, but...still problems. Pain in butt, can't train, cold icky weather, weight gain, eating too much. I should work on the food because that'll help me feel better long term, but it's challenging and more so when I'm feeling down because I tend to comfort eat. I probably need more sleep, too...hubby's alarm clock went off at 5:30 am (he forgot to turn it off from Saturday when he had to get up early for Calvin's First Lego League competition) and that was annoying. Arrrgh.

OK...what can I do to help? 1. Eat well. 2. Sleep well. 3. Do some Pilates and/or my Yoga For Runners DVD. 4. Try to go easy on myself. 5. Think positive and long-term instead of negative and short-term.

Thursday - Sunday

3 steps forward, 2 steps back, 3 steps forward...at least I'm moving forward.

Thursday's workout, which I expected to be great, was not. I wonder if it was because I was still sore from the ART? I felt OK, but when I started to RW it wasn't good. I stopped every few laps to roll on the ball/foam roller/get the kinks out, but it wasn't really working. After 46 minutes of walking slowly, I gave up. 46:14 for 6630m; that's just under 7 min/km, and with pain level 1-2/10. Bummer.

Friday and Saturday I did the elliptical and just tried not to think about it too much. I will admit to being discouraged.

Today I took advantage of the nice weather - it was 46F this afternoon (7.8C) and it felt so warm in the sun. It was lovely!!! I was glad I hadn't gone in the morning. I took Sugar around Liberty Park and it was awesome. My pain level was 0-1/10, and though I was a bit out of breath (geez, losing fitness...) I felt pretty good. I feel like the technique is starting to gel - the changes I've made are starting to become more natural, slowly. I still have to concentrate, but it's better. I felt good for 4k, then a bit tired for the last 2k, but the pain in the butt wasn't too bad. Whew. These things take a while, and I know that, but it's still hard to get through.

I did 6K in 38:40 for 6:27/km with ave HR 147. I'll take it.

5K, elliptical; ART

I did 5K this morning on the indoor track. It was OK; nothing special. 17 laps, and stopped at laps 6 and 12 to massage with my torture ball. 4974m in ~32:40 (had a watch error - didn't stop it while I paused when my headphones got unplugged!) which is a bit over 6:30/km (6:35?). Pain level was pretty tolerable, at about 1/10. That's good I guess. Then I did the elliptical for a bit to get in some extra exercise. That doesn't hurt at all :).

Was very happy to get my ART (Active Release Technique) therapy today. I had Derek check for any back involvement and he says there is none. He is impressed by my flexibility (go me!) and says that in general things are pretty darn good. I have some tenderness in my left TFL and a little in my adductors; piriformis is surprisingly not too tender - only in spots - and what seems more tender and bothersome is the sacrotuberous ligament, but just the part near the attachment at the ischium. He was extremely thorough and checked everything out, and said that really my problem isn't too severe, which was a relief to hear. I mean, I guess I knew that on some level because I can still RW without horrible pain, but it's hard to be objective about oneself which is why you have a coach, a PT, an ART person, etc. He also checked my hamstring and pronounced it 100% fine (whew). I made another appointment with him for next Tuesday and will probably keep going on some sort of regular basis for a tune-up until I'm 100%. Even then I think I might go monthly to keep any problems at bay. I must say that it's nice to have someone work on you for an hour, even if it is somewhat painful in a hurts-so-good way.

So....now.....will touch base with my coach and make some new plans.

resting up

After my icky 10K on Saturday, I decided I had to do things differently.

I took a rest day Sunday (which I usually do). Then I got a cold :(. I still have the cold, and have been making it to work but have had to nap every day to get through things. Fortunately I'm 30 hr/wk so I get off early on M-W and can take a nap w/o taking sick time.

But I still have been exercising. Monday I did 30 min elliptical and some casual walking, and today 35 min elliptical and casual walking. Plus taking naproxen and sleeping extra. My piriformis is still tender but is a lot better. Go figure.

I made an appointment with Derek Parkes of Salt Lake Sport & Spine, who does ART (Active Release Technique). He fixed my piriformis very nicely last time it was like this, and he can also check my back for any issues, as my coach wonders if there's something going on there.

icy and sore 10K :(

It was icy (but not too cold; about 32F/0C). My butt hurt. Kelly was nice company for the last 7K. I was supposed to go 15K, but after 2K knew I couldn't do that today. I could only do 10K at 7:12/km. Stupid piriformis. Part of it was the muscle soreness; part was the icy spots. I have no idea why it's flared this week but it is just not letting up. I'm discouraged. I ate too much tonight :(.

Maybe I shouldn't even try for Perth. Geez. I'm really bummed. I probably should go to sleep instead of staying up late blogging. I'm sure I will feel better in a couple of days. First world problems...

Garmin data here. 

9948.6m indoor track

I drove to the JRP at 6 am this morning to meet Kelly to RW. We couldn't even WALK on the sidewalk because it was covered with a thin film of ice. The asphalt path was a little better but was still very, very slick. Um, nope! Bummer. So we agreed to meet up at the U indoor track at 1pm instead.

That worked out much better. As boring as it can be to do lots of laps, it beats the heck out of the treadmill or trying to walk on ice. I did my glute activation exercises and started walking, and my piriformis was quite tight today. I don't know why it was more bothersome; all I did yesterday was elliptical, but I felt I did a good amount of sitting yesterday, and that was annoying in a painful way, so maybe that was it? I don't know. I do know that a bit of elbow from Kelly was a huge help - stopped for massage at lap 10, lap 20, and at the end (lap 34). OUCH! But the good kind of ouch :).

I did OK. 1:05:07 for 9948.6m = about 1:05:26 for 10k which is 6:32.5/km or thereabouts. I had to sit in lab meeting after and that was a bit painful. Hoping a cross-training day will set it right before I try to do 15K on Saturday.

Garmin data here. 

better today; 5x585m

Today I woke up feeling better. I definitely think the x-c skiing was the culprit behind the problems yesterday and Friday. What a relief!

I was going to meet Kelly at the Olympic Oval this morning, but last night I remembered that then I'd have to do more counterclockwise laps, and that the track at the U would be clockwise today, so I texted her to see if she could meet me there. It's a longer drive for her but she very nicely agreed after I bribed her with the promise of a homemade latte after the workout.

So we met at the U and did glute activation and some elbow (ouch! Kelly has a sharp elbow!) on the piriformis, then 5 laps warm-up, nice and slow for 3 and then gradually speeding up. I did some dynamic stretches and got going on the speed work. 

I was to do 5x2 laps (585m) at 85% effort, concentrating hard on posture. I did that, but I think my last 2 or 3 were probably a harder effort. Sorry, coach....of course, Kelly was there and it helped to have her watch my posture; she ran while I RW and so she could concentrate to check it. She looked very critically at my hips to make sure there was no anterior tilt, and she said it looked good. HA! Still holding it. I can tell, too. I was a bit sore but the discomfort was mostly a 1/10 on the pain scale, and the elbow afterward helped too. 

I wasn't fast but it wasn't terrible either. I'll take it for now. Times for 2 laps were 3:21.0, 3:22.9, 3:24.2, 3:24.0, 3:24.7 (tired on the last one!). Those are equivalent to 2:51.7-2:54.9 for 500m, so not too awful, all things considered. Still, this is 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. Would be nice to make even progress for once, but I guess I will take what I can get!!! I'm relieved to be feeling better and no more x-c skiing for now. Not until my butt is 100%.

Edited to add: Garmin data here. Notice HR at 170 on the last few. Darn it. A bit of fitness lost...oh well!

7900m indoor track; tough going

This was tough going, but I got it done.

Saturday I did the elliptical for 30 min and walked the dogs in the neighborhood. Sunday I cross-country skied with Calvin for 1 hr 20 min; he is not fast yet so we only did 6K, but it was fun. I do think that it fatigued my glutes though, because they were tired today. Well, as long as I can still get my RW workouts done, it's OK I guess. Though I probably won't do much skiing for a while since we're back to school/work/etc. and I won't have time.

Today my legs just felt "off" for the first several laps, and my piriformis and other muscles were particularly whiny in my left side. It wasn't acutely painful; maybe 1-2/10 at most, but it did bother me no matter what I did. I concentrated very hard on my form and went really slow, so that much was good, and it doesn't seem to be any worse now for having done it. But I will admit I'm concerned that it's not feeling good today. If things aren't feeling a good deal better by the end of the week I may have to consider taking a few more days off RW to let it heal up, though like I said it may be exacerbated by the x-c skiing, so I want to give it this week to get better first.

I felt pretty down when I realized that my injury was still nagging so much. I tried not to let my mind wander but will admit I kept thinking that I might have to rest for 6-8 weeks like last time I hurt my piriformis. I really hope that doesn't happen. I need to just keep my mind in the present and try to let the rest go.

With stopping for massage and glute activation exercises, I managed to get through the 8K without a significant increase in discomfort. But I was slow. Oh well.

Total time: 7900m (27 laps) in 54:05 for 6:51/km. Geez. Sloooooowwwwww. Oh well. It's better than nothing.

Happy New Year! New Year's Revolution Run 2016

On the first lap I knew this was going to be a tough day. I don't know why, but my left piriformis/other muscles were quite annoyed today without any racewalking. My best guess is that the cross-country skiing I did yesterday afternoon with the kids aggravated it? I didn't feel it hurting but who knows? I did fall once going downhill, 'cause I stink at skiing :). But the fall was gentle and I didn't have any pain afterward. I'll probably never know. 

I really, really wanted to do the half marathon though. About lap 20 (of 47, in lane 2 (448.3m/lap) - that's 21.07km but I did walk one lap slowly at the end to ensure a full half haha!) I thought maybe it wasn't gonna happen. But with massage and glute activation every 9-10 laps, and stopping briefly to grab snacks in the latter half of the race (ate a Gu and also some cheez-its (yummy! and no tummy problems!), water, gatorade) I made it. If the pain got bad I would have stopped - but it never really got bad. It hovered at about a 1-2 of 10 the whole time, pushing a 3 at the end, but not enough to make me stop. Some of the discomfort, honestly, seemed to be in my glutes themselves, as I know those muscles are adjusting. 

I am sure I had really good posture and used my glutes for the whole race. I worked very, very hard to concentrate and hold it, which I am sure also contributed to the difficulty. This was my slowest half marathon ever, but I did the whole darn thing. 

The kids did great too - Grace did 5K and Calvin did 10K, running some and walking some. My friend Sarah did a half as well, and Diane and Nancy were there too. Diane did a half, and Nancy went farther, doing 15.87 miles (over 25K). Go Nancy!!! She looked good, too. She's been working hard on her form. 

Total time was 2:26:24 for 6:57/km (hey, it was under 7 min....slow but I'll take it, with good form).

10K on indoor track

I could've gone outdoors; I was able to go midday when it wasn't as cold, and though it was snowing a bit this morning it was clear by late morning and the roads were OK. However, I wanted to get cross-country skis for the kids and the rental facility is in the same building as the track. Besides, I thought a soak in the hot tub post-workout would be relaxing. Finally, the indoor track is less distracting and I need to concentrate hard on my form right now.

So I went up to the track and did all my glute activation exercises and got started. 10K is just over 34 laps of the track, and I figured that 9948.7m would be enough :). I decided to do 9 laps and massage/do activation exercises, then 8 laps + same, then 9 laps, then 8 laps. I'm doing much better, but it still helps to re-activate several times during a workout. As for my injury, today it only bothered me a little bit on and off. I felt I was really good at maintaining my posture and using my glutes more. Hopefully in the long run this will pay off with fewer injuries and more speed. I am noticing that my glutes are fatiguing by the end of the workout, so I can tell I'm doing something differently.

While I was at the track I noticed that I was in the company of greatness. Nobel-prize winner Mario Capecchi was there doing a bit of running and some ab exercises. For 78 years old, he's in good shape, though I did pass him racewalking...and then he passed me back :). I haven't seen him there before but I also don't usually work out at the lunch hour. I recognized him because I've heard him give a number of very good talks and also see him occasionally on upper campus near our lab.

Back to my workout...I did very well. Total time was 1:04:28 for the 9948.7m, which works out to 1:04:48 for 10k. Yay! I did 6:29/km :). Still slower than pre-injury, but working my way back.

Post-workout, I wanted to soak in the hot tub, but it was closed :(. They have closed the pool for a few days for maintenance :(. Then I went to get skis for the kids. Well...didn't matter that I know their height, weight, and shoe size. They needed to try on the skis in person to be sure of the proper fit. Geez. More complicated than I thought. Hmmph. Maybe I should've worked out outside? Oh well :). I brought the kids back later and got the skis rented. We plan to have some fun cross-training tomorrow.

Garmin data here. 

7x292.6m

Today my coach told me to do 5x400m @85% effort. Well....the track is under snow. And the Olympic Oval is a 25 min drive away. Soooooo....I went to the indoor track at the U instead. It's only 292.6m, so 2km is a bit less than 7 laps. I decided that 7 laps would do the trick.

I did a nice easy warm-up - super slow on the first 2 laps, concentrating. Plus I did lots of glute exercises and massage with the ball before starting on the workout.

I felt pretty good! My piriformis was bothering me a bit on the first warm-up lap, but then it was fine as I got my technique under control. Then again at the end it was a little annoying, but after the workout it felt just fine. I think I had pretty good technique throughout and was concentrating very hard.

And guess what? My speed was decent. I did mostly 1:40 laps, with one 1:42 and the last one 1:38 or so. 1:40 per lap is 5:42/km, which I think is great for 85% effort for now with injury recovery. I'm very pleased. HR was maxxing out at about 160.

Garmin data here. 

10K with Calvin!

Yesterday: rest day....felt a bit fatigued from all the house guests (though it's fun!!!!!).

Today: 10K easy with Calvin. He ran, I racewalked. I started off pretty fast (slight downhill) and maybe shouldn't have; my piriformis is a little more sore and I know I wasn't concentrating quite as much as I should have. I slowed down in the second half and that helped. Calvin wanted to stop and rest a bit 4-5 times during the walk because this was his FIRST 10K ever! He's done a good amount of running but has only run 8K as his longest distance. He did a great job today and it was perfect for me because then I could stop and massage and loosen things up periodically.

I wish I had a picture of the two of us out there today. It was great fun.

Garmin data here. 

Total time 1:05:48 for 6:35/km with ave HR 151.

doing better :)! x-country skiing, then 10166m at the Olympic Oval

Yesterday: cross-country skiing in SugarHouse Park while the kids sledded and my mom snowshoed. Excellent!!! I am really a terrible skier but I do enjoy it a lot. I hate downhill (too fast, too cold!) but love x-country, because I don't get cold, and the technique is quite similar to racewalking in some ways. I skied for about 45 min; went around the park but then went up and down the hill by the sledding hill while I watched the kids sled.

Today: 23 laps at the Olympic Oval for 10166m. Ashley met me there because it was super cold out at 13F (-10.5C) and she had some speed work while I did my easy 10K. I did do one fast lap with her and it felt OK :). I feel like things are starting to click. However, I did have her take some video and I'm hoping I look better. I think my posture looks better but my arms are still too far in front and my right arm (as usual) is very tense. Geez. It's always something. But the key question is: am I using my glutes more? I sure feel like I am, and I do think I can see it on the video. I am hoping my coach agrees. My piriformis seems much better - it only bothered me a little; I stopped every 6 laps to massage it with the rubber ball torture device, which helped :).

It took me 1:08:00 to do the 10166m, for 6:41/km. Really slow, but MUCH faster than I have been, so I am encouraged that I am starting to get it...as long as the video looks good.

Here's a link to the video in my dropbox.

Here are some photos of yesterday & today.

Christmas Eve edition

Monday: elliptical

Tuesday: rest day

Wednesday: glute exercises and a bit more than 5K at the indoor track; all feeling good; last lap was 1:50 which is 6:15km :). Total time was about 6:50/km on average :)!

Today: I went on the JRP with Ashley from Portland, who is visiting her in-laws for Christmas. We had an awesome time together and she was more than willing to walk a bit slowly for me because of my injury. I was able to go 7:02/km for 13km!!! OK, so that's slow, but it took 1:31 and change, and it was super snowy & icy in spots and we had to run a bit and/or slow down. I know I'm still slow, but it seems to be getting better. Not much pain, though I did stop and massage it a few times. It was cold...27F (-2.8C) and a steady breeze of 6-7 mph (11kph) which doesn't sound like much, but when it's that cold it's very unpleasant. But my new Nike fleece-lined base layer made it a lot more comfortable - no cold rear end today :)!

Garmin data here.

made it 10K! Outside!!!

Yesterday: 1 hr elliptical

Today: Glute exercises and then racewalking. It was supposed to snow, but when I woke it was only raining very lightly, so I decided to try to walk outside! Yay! Missed that a lot. It was also nice and warm this morning at 37F (2.8C) and I can't tell you how wonderful it was to walk outdoors. Loved it.

I was very, very slow, just like a couple days ago, but guess what? I made it 10K!!!! Yep! Pain was minimal, from 0-2/10. Stopped and massaged a couple times but basically felt pretty good. I worked super hard on my posture and activating glutes and I think it's working.

Garmin data here. 

feeling better!

My injury is feeling better gradually. I have piriformis syndrome, but might also have another nagging "something" in the butt. Regardless, it is all improving.

I'm doing lots of strength training for the glutes as well as planks. Then I'm racewalking very sloooowwwwly to give myself time to focus on actually USING them WHILE I racewalk. Revolutionary...I know, right? It seems to be what I've been missing. I can tell it's a very different feeling. I'm not 100% sure it's 100% right, but I am 95% sure that it's a LOT better.

Monday I managed only a few laps RW before the pain kicked in and I had to do the elliptical. Tuesday I did 7-8 laps, and it didn't hurt too much, but I was nervous so got on the elliptical. Wednesday I managed to do 5K!!!!! I stopped every 2-4 laps to do massage with a small massage ball (tennis-ball sized, but harder - ouch! but good!), which helped a lot. It was about 35 min for the 5K, which is super slooooow, but it felt OK.

Yesterday I took a rest from racewalking to make sure things aren't getting overtaxed, and did the elliptical. Then I was ready to try RW farther today - and guess what? I did 27 laps (292.6m track) = 7900m!!! It was very slow at 56:09 (just over 7 min/km) but it felt good and I only stopped twice, after 9 laps and after 18 laps, to do a little massage.

I'm happy to be getting back on track. Sad that I can't do the 1hr postal tomorrow, but oh well! That's how my year has been. Next year is going to be better though :).

injured but fighting back

Sorry I haven't been around. I should blog about this so I can learn from it, or someone else can, or for therapy, or something :).

I thought I had pulled my hamstring, but it turns out after much poking, prodding, etc. by Loren and Kelly (helps to know an M.D. and a P.T.), it turns out it's piriformis syndrome. Oh yay. Well, at least I know how to deal with that.

Down side:
1) I'm injured, just when I was getting back into good training.
2) I've gained weight from traveling and from feeling sorry for myself and overeating (duh!). Lame, but at least remediable.
3) I'm grumpy about it. I'm not depressed, thankfully, just grumpy and feeling like that black space is looming if I am not careful. The eating has a lot to do with that - eat too much, and the black space beckons with self-condemnation and negative thoughts.

Up side:
1) I am motivated to get my eating in gear again, after a week of feeling sorry for myself and realizing anew that the food doesn't make it better. I'm not the same person I was when I was obese, but I still have to fight those tendencies. The fight does get a little easier with time, though it's still a struggle.

2) I am happy to be working on activating my glutes while racewalking. I have been doing lots of exercises that my coach gave me, plus had Kelly watch me do them to be sure I'm using the right muscles. I am :). But those exercises have to translate into using my glutes while walking, which is the tricky part. It means for now that I have to slow down a bit and really concentrate on my technique. Go slow to be faster. I tell people this, and often they don't want to comply, and I do understand why, but I want to go to Perth next fall and that's not going to happen unless I (literally) get my butt in gear.
3) I am also working on correcting the anterior tilt of my pelvis (see graphic). My posture has always been an issue while racewalking, and though it's gotten better, it's not quite there. But I think I really really understand now, in a much deeper way, exactly how this works, and not just in my head, but in my body. I can feel what it feels like to walk with anterior tilt, and how I can't use my glutes, and how it feels tilt the pelvis properly and to use them while walking. I'm optimistic.

Meanwhile, I have been doing the elliptical, doing my exercises, doing the stationary bike, and racewalking just a tiny bit. The first day I only did one lap of the indoor track before calling it quits. Today I made it 5 laps, which is progress. I doubt I will be able to do the 1 hr postal on Saturday though, but it's minor in comparison with getting healthy, getting my head on straight, and training for Perth. It's also minor in comparison with being a good mom, good employee, good wife, and enjoying Christmas with my family. So, here goes!

6K on treadmill, 3x200; 20K aborted due to hamstring

Yesterday: 6K on treadmill. I noticed that my left hamstring was sore, probably from 1) sitting endlessly in meetings (6 hr Thursday, and another 6 hr Friday) at the USATF annual meeting, and 2) the treadmill, which does really weird stuff to your gait, especially when RW. I did the 6K in 38:20, which was reasonable given that it was on the 'mill, and then headed out to the parking lot across the street for 3x200m @ 85% effort; did the first one in 1:04 then screwed up my watch so I have no idea how fast the second two were.

Garmin data here. 

Today: 20K. Not :(. I felt a little sore in left top hamstring (I think it's hamstring - doesn't seem like piriformis) the first 500m or so but then loosened up and felt really, really great. My first 12k was awesome. There's a beautiful walkway in Buffalo Bayou that goes right next to downtown Houston, and it was so perfect this morning. Low 40s and calm and clear (about 5-6C?). SO pretty. Kathy, who was with me on a rented bike, took a photo of downtown with the sunrise...gorgeous.

But then about 12.3km I felt something pull or spasm in the sore left butt, and I had to stop. I tried to stretch and casual walk it off, and then racewalked another 0.3km, but then it really pulled and I just couldn't continue. I think and hope that it is only a spasm and that it'll be fine in a couple of days. I curled up on the sidewalk and had a good cry. Kathy was very sympathetic as she is a racewalker too. Fortunately, we were close to the conference venue at that point in the walk, and I was able to ride the bike back. I can walk OK as long as I don't racewalk or try to walk briskly. It's definitely quite sore. I am very, very disappointed as I really needed to get in a long walk prior to the 1 hr postal in 3 weeks, and I felt SO GOOD this morning before this happened. SO FRUSTRATING and SO ANNOYING. I was doing 6:20/km before that happened - seriously good! Arrrgh!!!!!!!!!!!

I took an 800mg ibuprofen and am icing it now. Will take tomorrow as a rest day (planned anyway) and then re-evaluate. If I feel good I'll do my planned 10K fartlek on Tuesday. If not, I will rest more and go from there. If it's just a spasm, I should feel good in a few more days.

Garmin data here. 

5x1km

Yesterday: was supposed to cross-train but spent all day on the plane to Houston for the USATF (USA track and field) meeting (yep, the Utah Association actually sent me here as a delegate!); when we arrived we were starving and ate, then had to rush to the 5-7pm opening session of the convention. After that Kathy (the Utah Association RW chair) and I had dinner with her nephew and didn't get back until 11:30pm...so yeah, no cross-training other than walking around downtown a lot.

Today: 5x1km. Went to a small park near our hotel and did ~1km loops around the park, as measured by my Garmin, which was wildly inaccurate on those loops. I honestly don't know exactly how far it was, since every time it measured differently :(. BUT the good news is that I got in a good hard workout and felt good and am recovering well. Garmin data here, and my estimated 1km times were 5:38.7, 5:18.3, 5:17.7, 5:34.4, and 5:41.8. Ummmm yeah...that was how my watch measured the 1km. Not accurate at all. The truth is probably somewhere in the average of those times. Maybe! My HR was maxxing out at 168 on the last few, so I know I got a good workout. I have no idea how fast I actually was, which was somewhat freeing. Sorry, coach, but when one travels it's unpredictable what kind of workout conditions you'll have. Tomorrow I'm going to have to do the treadmill because we have to go early, and for safety reasons we will stay indoors. I hate the treadmill...but it's only one day.

The good news is that after that hard workout my legs felt good, even though we SAT in the SAME ROOM from 11am-5pm with only one 30 min break. I didn't have any problems with that, and that would've killed me with pain 12-18 months ago, so at least progress is happening. Yay! The meeting has been pretty interesting and informative, for the most part, though like any meeting it's had its dull moments. Still, I'm learning a lot and thinking of things we can do to promote RW in Utah when we return.

3x2k; 10k

Monday: rest day

Tuesday: 3x2k. Went to the track with Kelly, who was doing 60 min easy, but she agreed to meet me there anyway. It was dark and cold (21F, -6.1C), as usual, but I got some fleece-lined long underwear (Champion, Target - very good!) and that helped. Winter is brutal, but warm clothes help. I have a balaclava for my head and wear lots of layers (feel like the Pillsbury Dough Boy when I go out sometimes! 3 layers on top, 2 on the bottom) but I still get cold, sort of. It's weird. Warm underneath and my core is warm, but my skin is cold, especially on my face and on my rear end. Seriously. It's a strange sensation, being warm and cold simultaneously, and not very pleasant, but...well...we do what we have to do.

I warmed up and felt pretty good, so I can't explain why the workout wasn't that good. In fact, it was pretty terrible. I worked really hard and felt like I was going backwards. Granted, it's the first time I've done 2K intervals in 3 years, but I did 1.5km intervals a couple wk ago just fine, so I guess it was just an anomalously bad workout. My 2Ks were 11:39, 11:52, and 11:56. Ouch.

Today: I was worried that today might be really tough after yesterday, but it actually went just fine. It was cold again today (21F, -6.1C like yesterday, with a slight cold breeze), and it took me a while to put on all those layers, but I was glad for them. Met Kelly at the JRP and she was only doing 45 min, so I had to do another 3km after she left (we did 7km in the first 45 min). It went pretty well, and though I could tell my legs were a little tired, they weren't terribly tired and I got through it in good time with a reasonable HR.

Total: 1:03:37 for 6:22/km with ave HR 147.