Yesterday: 30 min elliptical. My legs were tired. Not the weird soreness, thankfully, just tired. I was glad to have cross-training.
***
Today: 3K fartlek. I knew it would be very slow. I didn't expect it would be as slow as it was, but I am OK with it. I have to go slower to be faster. I have to fix my technique flaws or I'll be injured again, and I cannot afford that as I am trying to get back into the swing of things.
The weather was typical January, at 21F (-6C) and hazy. The air pollution has been getting really bad here, as it often does in the winter. The shape of the Salt Lake Valley causes a weather phenomenon called temperature inversion, when high pressure traps colder air lower and it's colder in the city than up in the mountains. Colder, and hazier. And as the high pressure traps cold air, it also traps pollutants from industry, cars, and homes (wood-burning, etc.). It's nasty. The secret to working out in it is to go in the morning, when the PM2.5 (particulate) levels are lower. They were only 11 this morning when I walked, which is in the "green" (non-hazardous) range. So, earlier is colder (and darker…pitch black before 7) but healthier on the lungs. Oh, and I had to go on the road because the track is still under snow.
I warmed up, working hard on technique. The first 500m felt awkward, and so I stopped, racewalked VERY slowly for a bit, and then gradually accelerated until I felt I had it again. After that I felt my technique was very solid. Feet a bit farther apart, weight back, tuck butt under, keep arms back, etc. I worked it hard the whole workout today. My warmup was just under 2km at a 6:30/km pace.
Then I got started and the fartlek was ridiculously slow - my fast intervals were 3:00, 3:00, 3:06, and 3:00. The medium efforts were 3:11 and 3:09. Total: 18:27 with average HR only 151. I FELT like my HR was MUCH much higher - perceived effort was hard on the fast intervals, and medium on the others. I swear I was working hard - but I think it's just the technique changes haven't gotten wired in to the nervous system yet so it's not really all working together well.
The good news is I did a fair amount of sitting this morning at work (injections) and had only a small amount of soreness/stiffness. I'm definitely on the mend, so I just have to keep telling myself that even if I am slow I am on the upswing now. Eventually it will get better. I have to be patient.
Garmin data here.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
8K slow technique work
Yesterday: rest day
***
Today I knew it was going to be a tough day. I had to work on technique, and my right shin is extremely sore (anterior tibialis muscle soreness - just sore muscles, clearly, and no injury thankfully) from Saturday's 12K. Obviously I have to fix my technique before something worse happens!
Weather: good for January at -4C (25F) and sunny and calm. Hazy and a bit polluted, but at least it was sunny.
I started off and could not get in a groove at all. I was trying lots of different things and getting discouraged. Feet wider, weight back, tuck butt under, allow hips to rotate front to back, etc. It just felt overwhelming. Every 500m I'd stop when my watch beeped and cry out of frustration and then tell myself I had to keep going - baby steps - must keep going - must fix this technique - one thing at a time - etc. At 2km, I ran into my Wasatch Walker friends (Nancy, Diane, Shelley, and Dawna) going the other way. I was so glad to see them. I started walking slowly with them, and just vented a bit to Nancy and Dawna, who were kind enough to listen and understood how I felt. I feel a bit foolish for venting like that, but sometimes you just need a good listening ear. I really appreciated their help. Nancy reminded me to just fix one thing at a time, and I knew she was right --- I had to prioritize and focus as best as I could.
After walking with them for 15-20 minutes, I resumed my own workout and though it was slow, I was able to focus a lot better. I worked on keeping my feet a bit wider (not allowing them to cross over so far) as that is the root of a lot of the other problems, and is probably causing my shin and piriformis trouble. The piriformis was fine today (whew!); the shin, not so much, but it was going to be sore no matter what I did. I also worked on keeping my weight back, and when I thought of it, tucking my butt under and allowing hips to rotate. I had to concentrate really hard, and the mental effort was considerable in my somewhat fragile state. I was very, very slow, but I told myself not to think about that at all. I am sure I was slow mostly because of the right shin and the technique work, and I know that once I get through all of this that will improve. It's just a matter of patience, and I'm not patient. But I'm learning. Or something.
Friends are asking me if I'm going to do the World Masters in France next year. I have no idea! Of course I'd love to go, but it's a giant investment of time and money and I have to wait and see how my body returns to shape, if it does.
The food stuff has been going pretty well the last few days. Refocusing and only eating WW Power Foods seems to be helping a lot. We'll see what the scale says after a week. It's hard to get back in the groove, but being able to train again gives me renewed motivation. Racewalking and eating well do seem to go hand-in-hand to an extent. I was thinking today on my walk how racewalking is an integral part of being able to treat my body well and living a healthy lifestyle that is balanced and comfortable. I'm glad to be able to do it again, even though it's going to be tough to get through the next few months.
Total: 53:34 for 6:41/km with ave HR 145.
Garmin data here.
***
Today I knew it was going to be a tough day. I had to work on technique, and my right shin is extremely sore (anterior tibialis muscle soreness - just sore muscles, clearly, and no injury thankfully) from Saturday's 12K. Obviously I have to fix my technique before something worse happens!
Weather: good for January at -4C (25F) and sunny and calm. Hazy and a bit polluted, but at least it was sunny.
I started off and could not get in a groove at all. I was trying lots of different things and getting discouraged. Feet wider, weight back, tuck butt under, allow hips to rotate front to back, etc. It just felt overwhelming. Every 500m I'd stop when my watch beeped and cry out of frustration and then tell myself I had to keep going - baby steps - must keep going - must fix this technique - one thing at a time - etc. At 2km, I ran into my Wasatch Walker friends (Nancy, Diane, Shelley, and Dawna) going the other way. I was so glad to see them. I started walking slowly with them, and just vented a bit to Nancy and Dawna, who were kind enough to listen and understood how I felt. I feel a bit foolish for venting like that, but sometimes you just need a good listening ear. I really appreciated their help. Nancy reminded me to just fix one thing at a time, and I knew she was right --- I had to prioritize and focus as best as I could.
After walking with them for 15-20 minutes, I resumed my own workout and though it was slow, I was able to focus a lot better. I worked on keeping my feet a bit wider (not allowing them to cross over so far) as that is the root of a lot of the other problems, and is probably causing my shin and piriformis trouble. The piriformis was fine today (whew!); the shin, not so much, but it was going to be sore no matter what I did. I also worked on keeping my weight back, and when I thought of it, tucking my butt under and allowing hips to rotate. I had to concentrate really hard, and the mental effort was considerable in my somewhat fragile state. I was very, very slow, but I told myself not to think about that at all. I am sure I was slow mostly because of the right shin and the technique work, and I know that once I get through all of this that will improve. It's just a matter of patience, and I'm not patient. But I'm learning. Or something.
Friends are asking me if I'm going to do the World Masters in France next year. I have no idea! Of course I'd love to go, but it's a giant investment of time and money and I have to wait and see how my body returns to shape, if it does.
The food stuff has been going pretty well the last few days. Refocusing and only eating WW Power Foods seems to be helping a lot. We'll see what the scale says after a week. It's hard to get back in the groove, but being able to train again gives me renewed motivation. Racewalking and eating well do seem to go hand-in-hand to an extent. I was thinking today on my walk how racewalking is an integral part of being able to treat my body well and living a healthy lifestyle that is balanced and comfortable. I'm glad to be able to do it again, even though it's going to be tough to get through the next few months.
Total: 53:34 for 6:41/km with ave HR 145.
Garmin data here.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
video from yesterday
A few technique videos, taken yesterday 6k into the 12k workout.
Picky things I noticed:
1) Left arm not going back far enough; arms coming a bit too far in front in general.
2) Right leg crossing the midline too far.
3) Right glutes appear a bit weaker, and right knee is drifting in.
4) I'm STILL leaning forward a teeny bit. Dang it.
5) Hips are too tight - not allowing free enough rotation (this is a consequence of #4).
What is good:
1) Knees straight.
2) Good toe-off.
3) Ahhhh, no more RW good stuff, but hey, I look fashionable in the cool Athleta jacket my mom gave me :).
4) Despite having gained weight I don't look too awful. Black tights are good haha.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
12K
Yesterday: 40 min elliptical (a bit crunched for time).
***
Today: 12K (7.4 miles). Weather: -7C (19F), sunny, calm. The inversion is building, so it was a bit hazy.
I met Stevie at Liberty Park for a good 12K together. His dad took some video of us in the middle of it, and I'll post it once he uploads it and e-mails me the link. Jim wanted to see some video to help with technique, which I'm happy about, though already I can tell it has improved since he gave me some suggestions the other day. Stevie was kind enough to give me some pointers today as well (arm stuff) and I helped him out the same way. No local coach = we have to look out for each other!
I was SO glad to have Stevie along. I was slowish today, and my legs got tired at the end, but I could tell my technique was a lot better and I had none of the weird soreness at all. The last few km I struggled to keep a reasonable speed, sinking to 6:45/km at times, but Stevie kept me entertained with stories from the racewalking camp in Texas, which helped me a lot. I was pretty worried that today would be really hard, but it wasn't that bad! It's been a pretty good week, aside from Wednesday's failed attempt at a 3K fartlek. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't do it, as I probably would have made the piriformis worse, and as it is, it is getting better now. I tend to err on the side of pushing myself too hard sometimes, and I'm trying to learn that sometimes less is more.
Total time: 1:17:51 (fastest at that distance or greater since 15K Nationals in May, believe it or not!) for the 12K with ave HR 150. I was reading over my blog to see when the last time was that I did that distance that fast, and WOW what a terrible year I had. I knew that, but it was good to be reminded of how bad I felt and to realize that even though I know I still have a VERY long way to go to be back in shape, at least I'm a lot better than I was, and I'm on the road to recovery.
In other news, I went to Weight Watchers today and the scale was not kind. OK, well, considering the holidays, it could have been worse. I weighed in at 163.2, which is 0.2 lb less than on December 14. Still - I am 8 pounds over my goal weight (gulp!) and about 15 lb over my racing weight. Time to get it together. No more excuses. I talked to my leader, and she suggested I try the Simply Filling technique for two weeks and see how that goes. Basically, you confine yourself to Weight Watchers Power Foods in amounts that leave you feeling satisfied, and you are also permitted to have 7 points of "indulgences" daily. I think this is just what I need to get back on track.
Garmin data here.
***
Today: 12K (7.4 miles). Weather: -7C (19F), sunny, calm. The inversion is building, so it was a bit hazy.
I met Stevie at Liberty Park for a good 12K together. His dad took some video of us in the middle of it, and I'll post it once he uploads it and e-mails me the link. Jim wanted to see some video to help with technique, which I'm happy about, though already I can tell it has improved since he gave me some suggestions the other day. Stevie was kind enough to give me some pointers today as well (arm stuff) and I helped him out the same way. No local coach = we have to look out for each other!
I was SO glad to have Stevie along. I was slowish today, and my legs got tired at the end, but I could tell my technique was a lot better and I had none of the weird soreness at all. The last few km I struggled to keep a reasonable speed, sinking to 6:45/km at times, but Stevie kept me entertained with stories from the racewalking camp in Texas, which helped me a lot. I was pretty worried that today would be really hard, but it wasn't that bad! It's been a pretty good week, aside from Wednesday's failed attempt at a 3K fartlek. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't do it, as I probably would have made the piriformis worse, and as it is, it is getting better now. I tend to err on the side of pushing myself too hard sometimes, and I'm trying to learn that sometimes less is more.
Total time: 1:17:51 (fastest at that distance or greater since 15K Nationals in May, believe it or not!) for the 12K with ave HR 150. I was reading over my blog to see when the last time was that I did that distance that fast, and WOW what a terrible year I had. I knew that, but it was good to be reminded of how bad I felt and to realize that even though I know I still have a VERY long way to go to be back in shape, at least I'm a lot better than I was, and I'm on the road to recovery.
In other news, I went to Weight Watchers today and the scale was not kind. OK, well, considering the holidays, it could have been worse. I weighed in at 163.2, which is 0.2 lb less than on December 14. Still - I am 8 pounds over my goal weight (gulp!) and about 15 lb over my racing weight. Time to get it together. No more excuses. I talked to my leader, and she suggested I try the Simply Filling technique for two weeks and see how that goes. Basically, you confine yourself to Weight Watchers Power Foods in amounts that leave you feeling satisfied, and you are also permitted to have 7 points of "indulgences" daily. I think this is just what I need to get back on track.
Garmin data here.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
slower to be faster
Technique work today after a chat with my coach online about what to do about my piriformis pain. Honestly, I know I need to fix a few things that have gotten lazy with all the time off etc. Coach said to work on posture and foot placement. I did just that, and felt like things were much improved. My piriformis still ached a bit, but I think it will take a day or two to settle down completely.
The bad side? I was a lot slower as I worked on that stuff. I only did 6:30/km for 51:59 total, with ave HR 146. The good? I felt smoother and felt less pain. Edited to add: 8K total (this is obvious if you calculate it, but nicer to have it down here for easy reference).
Mentally I was a bit better today, but I started off a bit down and had to remind myself that it is going to take a long time to get back where I was. Baby steps. Easy and slow. Keep going. One foot in front of the other.
Garmin data here.
The bad side? I was a lot slower as I worked on that stuff. I only did 6:30/km for 51:59 total, with ave HR 146. The good? I felt smoother and felt less pain. Edited to add: 8K total (this is obvious if you calculate it, but nicer to have it down here for easy reference).
Mentally I was a bit better today, but I started off a bit down and had to remind myself that it is going to take a long time to get back where I was. Baby steps. Easy and slow. Keep going. One foot in front of the other.
Garmin data here.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
cautious
Yesterday: 45 min elliptical.
***
My right piriformis was bothering me a bit yesterday and some this morning, too. I went out to warm up, and it just didn't feel quite right. I decided to be cautious and not do the 3K fartlek. Instead I did a very slow 3.2km (2 miles), focusing on form and on using my left glutes more. I can still feel it, later today (3:30pm) so I suppose I made the right decision… but I feel vaguely guilty. I probably *could* have done the workout. At least my muscles don't have the weird soreness going on.
Mentally, I'm a bit tired. Work is hectic, as we are still interviewing post-doc candidates, and I have a seemingly endless to-do list (good because it's job security and I like being busy, but bad because it's a bit stressful and there's some time pressure) and new people in the lab to train. Home has been crazy because of the head lice. We had to shampoo and comb again last night and wash all the kids' bed linens and coats and the like all over again. Add in a memorial service on Monday for a friend's husband who died too young (they have a son Grace's age and a daughter a bit older than Calvin) and some changes with the church music ministry (good overall, but still changes) that required an extra meeting this week, and I have maxxed my capacity for handling things with extra effort, like speed work when my leg is hurting. Oh yeah, and my Christmas tree is mocking me daily because it's still up.
I'm still struggling to lose the weight I put on, and not really getting the upper hand on things. It's not getting worse, but not better either. I'm hovering at about 161-162 pounds…ughhhhh. Yeah, it's better than 250, where I started, but it's not good.
I need to do some weight training to try to help my left leg pull its weight, but I'm a bit afraid to start weight training because I'm worried it will make my fatigue and/or muscle pain to come back. Logically, I don't think it will, but it's hard to be motivated when that is going on. Add in the mental tiredness and it's just not happening right now.
I wish I knew how to kick-start my motivation. Sometimes I think we just have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going as best as we can, and the motivation will return eventually. I hope.
***
My right piriformis was bothering me a bit yesterday and some this morning, too. I went out to warm up, and it just didn't feel quite right. I decided to be cautious and not do the 3K fartlek. Instead I did a very slow 3.2km (2 miles), focusing on form and on using my left glutes more. I can still feel it, later today (3:30pm) so I suppose I made the right decision… but I feel vaguely guilty. I probably *could* have done the workout. At least my muscles don't have the weird soreness going on.
Mentally, I'm a bit tired. Work is hectic, as we are still interviewing post-doc candidates, and I have a seemingly endless to-do list (good because it's job security and I like being busy, but bad because it's a bit stressful and there's some time pressure) and new people in the lab to train. Home has been crazy because of the head lice. We had to shampoo and comb again last night and wash all the kids' bed linens and coats and the like all over again. Add in a memorial service on Monday for a friend's husband who died too young (they have a son Grace's age and a daughter a bit older than Calvin) and some changes with the church music ministry (good overall, but still changes) that required an extra meeting this week, and I have maxxed my capacity for handling things with extra effort, like speed work when my leg is hurting. Oh yeah, and my Christmas tree is mocking me daily because it's still up.
I'm still struggling to lose the weight I put on, and not really getting the upper hand on things. It's not getting worse, but not better either. I'm hovering at about 161-162 pounds…ughhhhh. Yeah, it's better than 250, where I started, but it's not good.
I need to do some weight training to try to help my left leg pull its weight, but I'm a bit afraid to start weight training because I'm worried it will make my fatigue and/or muscle pain to come back. Logically, I don't think it will, but it's hard to be motivated when that is going on. Add in the mental tiredness and it's just not happening right now.
I wish I knew how to kick-start my motivation. Sometimes I think we just have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going as best as we can, and the motivation will return eventually. I hope.
Monday, January 13, 2014
8K with 3x3' at 10K pace
I felt mostly recovered this morning. I was looking forward to walking outside, as I couldn't all last week… but guess what? SNOW :(. Just a dusting, but it was VERY slippery. Then I didn't really want to go. It's hard to be motivated at the beginning of training. YES, I'm thrilled I can racewalk again, but it's still tough because I'm afraid of overdoing it, and I'm afraid of the weird pain. Yup. But I didn't let all that stop me this morning (pat on the back).
Indoor track: 37.9 laps. Wheeeeeeeee! I started off well, but around 6K or so my legs really got tired. My first two 3' bursts were decent, but my last one…not so much…it was 6:10ish/km? The first two were under 6' per km, which was good.
Still, it was a decent workout all in all. My time was 50:31 for 6:19/km with ave HR 154. My legs didn't have any of the weird soreness during the workout, but afterward they were bothersome, especially when sitting. It's eased up a bit now (4pm) and hopefully it won't bother me much more today. Tomorrow is x-training.
Garmin data here.
Indoor track: 37.9 laps. Wheeeeeeeee! I started off well, but around 6K or so my legs really got tired. My first two 3' bursts were decent, but my last one…not so much…it was 6:10ish/km? The first two were under 6' per km, which was good.
Still, it was a decent workout all in all. My time was 50:31 for 6:19/km with ave HR 154. My legs didn't have any of the weird soreness during the workout, but afterward they were bothersome, especially when sitting. It's eased up a bit now (4pm) and hopefully it won't bother me much more today. Tomorrow is x-training.
Garmin data here.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
12K - New Year's Revolution Run
Yesterday (Friday), I did the elliptical for 1 hour at the gym. My legs felt good.
***
Today was the New Year's Revolution Run at the Olympic Oval. Basically, you pay your entry fee and then you try to run/walk/whatever for as many laps as you can (442m per lap in lane 1; 448.3 in lane 2) between 8am and 1pm.
Jim wanted me to try for 12K today. I have to admit I wasn't sure I was going to make it that far, as I haven't done it since September, and it was a miserable slog then. But I am feeling better, so I figured it was worth a shot.
In lane 2, 12K is 26.76 laps. I started off a bit fast, and settled in by lap 3 or 4 (I was doing 6:01-6:05ish for the first 3 laps!). I wanted to do 6:15 or 6:20/km pace, but that was a bit optimistic I think. I ended up with 1:18:15 for 6:31/km with ave HR 152. My legs got heavy about 6 or 7km in, but they didn't feel awful. I was just slow. They never had that weird pain, thankfully - maybe it's going away, finally? The last couple km were harder, and my legs were quite tired, but it wasn't a death march. At the end I was doing about 6:45/km, but that's not THAT terrible, all things considered. Actually, this 12K was about a minute or a minute and a half faster than the last 12K that I did, back on the first weekend in September when I went to the Salmon Marathon with Sarah. And it felt a lot better today, too.
Afterward, Sarah and I enjoyed breakfast at the Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn. We split a veggie omelet and French toast, and it was lovely.
When I got home, I spent a couple hours vacuuming out the car and then cleaning the upholstery - the kids got head lice and it's been a nightmare… and today it was really WARM out - weirdly warm for January at 50F (10C) - so it was the perfect day to clean the car. That pretty much wasted me for the day, so now I'm going for a much-deserved nap.
Garmin data here.
***
Today was the New Year's Revolution Run at the Olympic Oval. Basically, you pay your entry fee and then you try to run/walk/whatever for as many laps as you can (442m per lap in lane 1; 448.3 in lane 2) between 8am and 1pm.
Jim wanted me to try for 12K today. I have to admit I wasn't sure I was going to make it that far, as I haven't done it since September, and it was a miserable slog then. But I am feeling better, so I figured it was worth a shot.
In lane 2, 12K is 26.76 laps. I started off a bit fast, and settled in by lap 3 or 4 (I was doing 6:01-6:05ish for the first 3 laps!). I wanted to do 6:15 or 6:20/km pace, but that was a bit optimistic I think. I ended up with 1:18:15 for 6:31/km with ave HR 152. My legs got heavy about 6 or 7km in, but they didn't feel awful. I was just slow. They never had that weird pain, thankfully - maybe it's going away, finally? The last couple km were harder, and my legs were quite tired, but it wasn't a death march. At the end I was doing about 6:45/km, but that's not THAT terrible, all things considered. Actually, this 12K was about a minute or a minute and a half faster than the last 12K that I did, back on the first weekend in September when I went to the Salmon Marathon with Sarah. And it felt a lot better today, too.
Afterward, Sarah and I enjoyed breakfast at the Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn. We split a veggie omelet and French toast, and it was lovely.
When I got home, I spent a couple hours vacuuming out the car and then cleaning the upholstery - the kids got head lice and it's been a nightmare… and today it was really WARM out - weirdly warm for January at 50F (10C) - so it was the perfect day to clean the car. That pretty much wasted me for the day, so now I'm going for a much-deserved nap.
Garmin data here.
Thursday, January 09, 2014
8K
Today I was to do 8K, back-to-back after my 3K fartlek yesterday. Even though by my previous standards these are "nothing" workouts, they are not right now, sadly. So I was apprehensive about how my legs would feel.
Turns out they felt fine! I was so relieved. None of the weird pain at all, and a bit of heavy-leggedness at the end (last 1km?) was my only problem. I felt pretty good.
It snowed more, so it was off to the indoor track as the roads were quite slippery. It's supposed to be stormy through Sunday, so it's going to be a lot of indoor work. This morning I had to get to work, so not enough time to drive to the Olympic Oval. The field house at the U is closer and the 211m track beckoned. 37.9 laps should do it!
Like I said above, things went pretty well. My Garmin data is here; I finished in 50:20 for 6:17/km with ave HR was 149, and I stopped twice briefly for a bit of water.
Tomorrow is a cross-training day.
Turns out they felt fine! I was so relieved. None of the weird pain at all, and a bit of heavy-leggedness at the end (last 1km?) was my only problem. I felt pretty good.
It snowed more, so it was off to the indoor track as the roads were quite slippery. It's supposed to be stormy through Sunday, so it's going to be a lot of indoor work. This morning I had to get to work, so not enough time to drive to the Olympic Oval. The field house at the U is closer and the 211m track beckoned. 37.9 laps should do it!
Like I said above, things went pretty well. My Garmin data is here; I finished in 50:20 for 6:17/km with ave HR was 149, and I stopped twice briefly for a bit of water.
Tomorrow is a cross-training day.
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
elliptical; 3.165K fartlek
Yesterday I was actually fairly sore from the 8K with bursts on Monday. Good thing I had a day to recover! I did some cross-training on the elliptical. I will admit I was a bit worried because I was sore. But I know better… this recovery thing is not linear and is 3 steps forward, 2 steps back.
***
Today I felt a lot better on waking. My muscles were well-recovered.
Unfortunately, it was snowing (and has continued to snow all day - we have at least 4-5 inches of the white fluffy stuff), so outdoors was out of the question. Fortunately, I have the indoor track at the U just a short drive away, so off I went.
I warmed up for 8 laps (211m/lap) for 1688m in 10:22 with ave HR 142. I felt pretty good, and felt strong. I focused on pulling my arms back, standing up straight, and using my glutes - especially my left glutes. Might as well work on technique!
After some dynamic stretching (they have a nice barre right next to the track - super for dynamic and static stretching), I got going. Since the track is 211m, all of my intervals are a bit long - the 1k is actually 1.055km, and the 500m are 527.5m. However, since my coach wants to know my 500m and 1000m times, I've converted them by dividing by 1.055, so the reported times here are the converted ones.
I got off to a great start with my first 1K in 5:29.5. Then my first 500m medium effort was only a 3:02.8. My next 500m was 2:47.6, then a medium effort in 3:07.3, and my final fast 500m was 2:48.6. Total time was 17:15.8 (actual time for the 3.165km was 18:13), which I'm pretty happy with. Average HR was quite high at 165 and my max was 176. I definitely gave this one a good hard effort. I felt my legs held up very well to the end - felt strong and able to push in the last 500m.
Garmin data here.
***
Today I felt a lot better on waking. My muscles were well-recovered.
Unfortunately, it was snowing (and has continued to snow all day - we have at least 4-5 inches of the white fluffy stuff), so outdoors was out of the question. Fortunately, I have the indoor track at the U just a short drive away, so off I went.
I warmed up for 8 laps (211m/lap) for 1688m in 10:22 with ave HR 142. I felt pretty good, and felt strong. I focused on pulling my arms back, standing up straight, and using my glutes - especially my left glutes. Might as well work on technique!
After some dynamic stretching (they have a nice barre right next to the track - super for dynamic and static stretching), I got going. Since the track is 211m, all of my intervals are a bit long - the 1k is actually 1.055km, and the 500m are 527.5m. However, since my coach wants to know my 500m and 1000m times, I've converted them by dividing by 1.055, so the reported times here are the converted ones.
I got off to a great start with my first 1K in 5:29.5. Then my first 500m medium effort was only a 3:02.8. My next 500m was 2:47.6, then a medium effort in 3:07.3, and my final fast 500m was 2:48.6. Total time was 17:15.8 (actual time for the 3.165km was 18:13), which I'm pretty happy with. Average HR was quite high at 165 and my max was 176. I definitely gave this one a good hard effort. I felt my legs held up very well to the end - felt strong and able to push in the last 500m.
Garmin data here.
Monday, January 06, 2014
rest day; 8K with 3x3' at 10K pace
Sunday was a rest day. My legs had that weird soreness on Sunday morning, especially when I was sitting playing the piano for rehearsal then sitting in church. Ouch.
***
This morning my legs were still a bit sore. I drove over to the Olympic Oval for 8K with 3x3' at 10K pace anyway. I went there because 1) my friends Nancy and Bonnie were working out there, and 2) I thought inside and warm sounded nice. It wasn't THAT cold out this morning, but one does get sick of it after a while, and the track at the Oval is SO much nicer than the indoor track at the Field House at the U. How could I resist?
My legs actually felt OK during the workout - they did get heavy and a bit slow the last km or so, but otherwise they were all right. No weird soreness until AFTER I stopped and drove home. Then they bothered me on and off until mid-afternoon. Now they feel OK; fortunately, tomorrow is x-training so they'll get a bit more rest.
Total time was 50:59 for the 8K for 6:21/km with ave HR 153. Yeah, a bit slow, but not too awful. My bursts were 1 lap each of the oval (442m), for 2:34, 2:34, and 2:40 (last one I was tired, clearly!). 2:34 works out to 58 min 10K pace so that's not too bad, actually.
I have a long way to go, and things could still get ugly again. But I'm trying to move forward at least!
***
This morning my legs were still a bit sore. I drove over to the Olympic Oval for 8K with 3x3' at 10K pace anyway. I went there because 1) my friends Nancy and Bonnie were working out there, and 2) I thought inside and warm sounded nice. It wasn't THAT cold out this morning, but one does get sick of it after a while, and the track at the Oval is SO much nicer than the indoor track at the Field House at the U. How could I resist?
My legs actually felt OK during the workout - they did get heavy and a bit slow the last km or so, but otherwise they were all right. No weird soreness until AFTER I stopped and drove home. Then they bothered me on and off until mid-afternoon. Now they feel OK; fortunately, tomorrow is x-training so they'll get a bit more rest.
Total time was 50:59 for the 8K for 6:21/km with ave HR 153. Yeah, a bit slow, but not too awful. My bursts were 1 lap each of the oval (442m), for 2:34, 2:34, and 2:40 (last one I was tired, clearly!). 2:34 works out to 58 min 10K pace so that's not too bad, actually.
I have a long way to go, and things could still get ugly again. But I'm trying to move forward at least!
Saturday, January 04, 2014
easy 6K
This morning my legs felt pretty good. My hamstrings were definitely a bit sore from yesterday, but it was mostly the normal muscle soreness, not that more piercing weird soreness I have been suffering from all last year. That was definitely reassuring, though sore is still sore, and I knew that walking the day after speed work would be tough, given my recent history.
I got ready to go, and Calvin said, "Mommy, I want to go with you!". So I waited for him to get ready and we set out together. It wasn't too cold at -3C (27F), calm, and sunny. It's a good thing we waited until late morning to go, because the roads were still snow-covered on the side streets and it was quite slippery in spots. There were a couple 500m stretches where I'm sure we'd have been at least 10 sec faster if not for the snow.
My legs were tired but none of the weird soreness until about 5K, when I could tell that yesterday's speed work was catching up to me. Even so, it wasn't too bad, and though I am somewhat sore now, it's not terrible.
Jim thinks I'm ready to try a 2-week schedule, so we've got 4 walks planned for next week, including another 3km fartlek. The long walk next week will be a 12K, and that's going to be interesting seeing as how I haven't gone that far since August. To motivate myself, I signed up for the New Year's Revolution Run at the Olympic Oval, where you have 5 hr to run or walk as far as you like, with electronic lap counting. I figure I'll do better if I have a crowd around and a party-ish atmosphere.
Totals for today: 6K in 37:49 for 6:17/km with ave HR 144.
Garmin data here.
I got ready to go, and Calvin said, "Mommy, I want to go with you!". So I waited for him to get ready and we set out together. It wasn't too cold at -3C (27F), calm, and sunny. It's a good thing we waited until late morning to go, because the roads were still snow-covered on the side streets and it was quite slippery in spots. There were a couple 500m stretches where I'm sure we'd have been at least 10 sec faster if not for the snow.
My legs were tired but none of the weird soreness until about 5K, when I could tell that yesterday's speed work was catching up to me. Even so, it wasn't too bad, and though I am somewhat sore now, it's not terrible.
Jim thinks I'm ready to try a 2-week schedule, so we've got 4 walks planned for next week, including another 3km fartlek. The long walk next week will be a 12K, and that's going to be interesting seeing as how I haven't gone that far since August. To motivate myself, I signed up for the New Year's Revolution Run at the Olympic Oval, where you have 5 hr to run or walk as far as you like, with electronic lap counting. I figure I'll do better if I have a crowd around and a party-ish atmosphere.
Totals for today: 6K in 37:49 for 6:17/km with ave HR 144.
Garmin data here.
Friday, January 03, 2014
8K, elliptical, 3K fartlek!
Wednesday morning (New Year's Day) I felt recovered, and so I did 8K. It was a bit of a slog, but not too bad. My legs held up well until about 6.5km, and after that the uphill and tiredness got me a bit. I still managed 8K in 50:31 for 6:14/km with ave HR 150.
Garmin data here.
***
Thursday I woke very tired and sluggish. I had thought about a 3km fartlek but decided it wasn't the day for it. I opted for 40 min elliptical in the afternoon after work.
***
Today I felt good when I woke up! Yes, really - good! So I decided that it was time for the 3km fartlek Jim wants me to do weekly to get back in shape. I was dreading it a lot, as I know what speed work can do to my legs if they aren't good, but actually it went well considering.
I had to do the workout on the street because the track is under snow. It was decent out for a January morning, at -8C (18F). Yeah, that's cold, but it felt all right with the right gear.
I warmed up on a nice downhill, and felt good, doing 2K in 11:38 with a HR of 141. Then I did some dynamic stretching (my right flutes are still a bit sore from the soccer mishap early last week), took a deep breath, and got started.
My first 500 was too fast in 2:39. OK, it was on a downhill, but I should have paced myself. Thankfully I didn't pay for that too much, as it was a short workout and I felt decent today. The next 500m was a slight uphill and I did that in a good time of 2:54. Then my 500m recovery was 2:59, which I was pleased with and a bit surprised to see (I figured my recoveries would be 3:10ish given my lack of RW fitness). The next 500m (flat/slight downhill) I pushed to get 2:45, recovered in 3:00 (flat), and the last (slight uphill) 500m fast was in 2:55, which I was pleased with - I was quite tired at the end and with the uphill I figured it might be 3:00. Total time was 17:14 with average HR 162 and max 172 - yup, pushing hard.
I cooled down with a slow racewalk uphill for 1km. I figured I'd be sore all day, but really I've just had a touch of soreness and feel pretty good. We'll see how the recovery is tomorrow. I plan to RW at least 6km, depending on how my legs are and how the weather is.
Garmin data here.
Garmin data here.
***
Thursday I woke very tired and sluggish. I had thought about a 3km fartlek but decided it wasn't the day for it. I opted for 40 min elliptical in the afternoon after work.
***
Today I felt good when I woke up! Yes, really - good! So I decided that it was time for the 3km fartlek Jim wants me to do weekly to get back in shape. I was dreading it a lot, as I know what speed work can do to my legs if they aren't good, but actually it went well considering.
I had to do the workout on the street because the track is under snow. It was decent out for a January morning, at -8C (18F). Yeah, that's cold, but it felt all right with the right gear.
I warmed up on a nice downhill, and felt good, doing 2K in 11:38 with a HR of 141. Then I did some dynamic stretching (my right flutes are still a bit sore from the soccer mishap early last week), took a deep breath, and got started.
My first 500 was too fast in 2:39. OK, it was on a downhill, but I should have paced myself. Thankfully I didn't pay for that too much, as it was a short workout and I felt decent today. The next 500m was a slight uphill and I did that in a good time of 2:54. Then my 500m recovery was 2:59, which I was pleased with and a bit surprised to see (I figured my recoveries would be 3:10ish given my lack of RW fitness). The next 500m (flat/slight downhill) I pushed to get 2:45, recovered in 3:00 (flat), and the last (slight uphill) 500m fast was in 2:55, which I was pleased with - I was quite tired at the end and with the uphill I figured it might be 3:00. Total time was 17:14 with average HR 162 and max 172 - yup, pushing hard.
I cooled down with a slow racewalk uphill for 1km. I figured I'd be sore all day, but really I've just had a touch of soreness and feel pretty good. We'll see how the recovery is tomorrow. I plan to RW at least 6km, depending on how my legs are and how the weather is.
Garmin data here.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
end of year
I'm glad 2013 is almost over. I know it's just another day tomorrow, nothing really new, but mentally I can pretend that a new year might mean something new and better?
Yesterday I walked at work in the afternoon, which is usually a sluggish proposition at best, and this walk was no exception. I struggled to push at all, and my legs felt heavy and tired. I did 6km in 37:22 for 6:13/km with ave HR 147. It is a slightly hilly route at work, and I'm sure that contributed to the heavy/aching legs, but some of it was the mystery illness I think.
This morning I woke feeling ugh-ish and opted for elliptical; after 30 min I'd had enough - my legs were tired. They have felt OK the rest of the day though - not too achy even though I drove a bit after work today, taking my mom shopping up to Park City and driving to and from Sandy.
I totaled my miles for the year --- pretty pathetic compared to my usual totals, but it was the best I could do given the circumstances. I did 614 miles (987 km), all of it hard-earned.
***Mileage update - forgot miles done in part of June & July that didn't make the blog. New total: 643.5 miles, or 1035 km.
I am hoping and praying for a better 2014 for racewalking and for health in general.
Yesterday I walked at work in the afternoon, which is usually a sluggish proposition at best, and this walk was no exception. I struggled to push at all, and my legs felt heavy and tired. I did 6km in 37:22 for 6:13/km with ave HR 147. It is a slightly hilly route at work, and I'm sure that contributed to the heavy/aching legs, but some of it was the mystery illness I think.
This morning I woke feeling ugh-ish and opted for elliptical; after 30 min I'd had enough - my legs were tired. They have felt OK the rest of the day though - not too achy even though I drove a bit after work today, taking my mom shopping up to Park City and driving to and from Sandy.
I totaled my miles for the year --- pretty pathetic compared to my usual totals, but it was the best I could do given the circumstances. I did 614 miles (987 km), all of it hard-earned.
***Mileage update - forgot miles done in part of June & July that didn't make the blog. New total: 643.5 miles, or 1035 km.
I am hoping and praying for a better 2014 for racewalking and for health in general.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
challenging week
It was a challenging week. Vacation is always interesting - with more opportunities, but also more difficulties.
The soccer game on Sunday with Calvin did change my week a bit. It definitely left me sore and off-kilter, and then I followed that up with a hilly walk Monday (which actually was good, in retrospect). After that I felt I needed a day off racewalking, so I used the hotel elliptical. Big mistake. It was so different from the ellipticals at my gym! I don't know what it was about the angle of the foot plates or something - but it used my calf muscles way way more than I am used to. By that evening they were screaming, and continued to be excruciatingly painful for several days. It hurt just to walk across a room. A lot. They were tender to the touch and extremely sensitive. This left me in a quandary. I wanted to exercise - let's face it, food was going to be difficult this week, and exercise was essential - but exercise was also painful.
If you have been reading this blog any length of time, you won't be surprised that I went out and exercised anyway. Mentally, I needed it. It was painful, but on Christmas Day (Wednesday), I race walked 6.86km at a slow 6:55/km pace. My average HR was only 136 --- you can see that the problem was my sore legs, not my cardiac conditioning! To make matters worse, I had consumed a fair amount of chocolate prior to going out (hey, it was Christmas!), and I got nauseated about 2/3 of the way into my walk. That slowed me even more, but I was still glad I went out. When I got back to my brother's house (we were visiting him in northern California), my mom wanted to go for a casual walk with me. I rested up for a bit and the nausea subsided and then enjoyed a very nice walk with her. The weather was SO lovely - mid 60s (17C) and sunny. I was almost hot on my racewalk, even though I wore shorts and a T-shirt. Ahhhhh. The warm weather was fantastic.
The next day, my calves were still screaming, but I knew I had to try to exercise. The elliptical was out of the question. The kids wanted to swim in the pool at the hotel, and I wanted to walk with my mom. Solution? The exercise room had a window to the pool, so my mom and I walked on treadmills in there while watching the kids in the pool. Awesome, except that I hate the treadmill. I lasted for 30 min of good racewalking at a very slow pace (5.5 mph - 10:54/mile, which is just under 7min/km --- keep in mind that RW on the treadmill is IMO ridiculously more difficult than RW on the street) before I quit. Later that day, because I am crazy? Stupid? Forgetful? I did a very hilly hike with my brother, his wife, and Calvin. It was an awesome hike and I'm glad I went, but it did make the calf problem worse for sure. We hiked up and then did some trail running on the way down. Calvin and Alex were waaaaay ahead of me but it was still a good time.
On Friday my calves were certainly not any better for having done the trail hike/run. So I race walked anyway! I enjoyed a somewhat painful racewalk on a lovely trail over to Discovery Park in Sacramento, near our hotel. I managed 6K in 38:01 for 6:20/km with ave HR 139, which was not bad at all considering the amount of pain I was in for the first 500m. You'll notice that split was rather slow… as was the 2nd 500m because of a hill up over a bridge. Mostly the route was flat (Sacramento is very flat) but there were a few inclines on the road due to overpasses etc.
Saturday I took a rest day, because I knew I had to sit in the car all day while we drove home (10 hour drive). My legs don't tolerate car rides after RW these days. They don't tolerate car rides much at all, come to think of it, though that seems to be improving slightly.
This morning I wasn't feeling much in the mood to work out. My calves were still fairly sore, believe it or not, and my mood wasn't the best. A week of eating a bit too much combined with muscular pain had me wondering if I'd ever feel back to normal again. It's been a long year. But I got out there anyway, and as usual, felt MUCH better for having done a walk. Today I did 6.27km total in a relatively speedy (for me, lately anyway) 6:13/km for a total of 39:01 with ave HR 151. My legs actually felt quite good for most of the walk, and the odd pain I've had the last 6 months only showed up at about 5km or so, and even then it didn't sap my strength much. I finished well and wasn't sore from sitting in church afterward, either. It was cold, though… sigh… I really miss the warm weather in CA. This morning it was 18F (-8C), which isn't too terrible for here in the winter, especially since it was calm and foggy-ish, with good footing.
I'm glad I am feeling OK today, and that my muscles seem to be recovering. I am hopeful that with my return to a more normal routine this week that I will feel good and continue my improvement despite last week's stall-out.
The soccer game on Sunday with Calvin did change my week a bit. It definitely left me sore and off-kilter, and then I followed that up with a hilly walk Monday (which actually was good, in retrospect). After that I felt I needed a day off racewalking, so I used the hotel elliptical. Big mistake. It was so different from the ellipticals at my gym! I don't know what it was about the angle of the foot plates or something - but it used my calf muscles way way more than I am used to. By that evening they were screaming, and continued to be excruciatingly painful for several days. It hurt just to walk across a room. A lot. They were tender to the touch and extremely sensitive. This left me in a quandary. I wanted to exercise - let's face it, food was going to be difficult this week, and exercise was essential - but exercise was also painful.
If you have been reading this blog any length of time, you won't be surprised that I went out and exercised anyway. Mentally, I needed it. It was painful, but on Christmas Day (Wednesday), I race walked 6.86km at a slow 6:55/km pace. My average HR was only 136 --- you can see that the problem was my sore legs, not my cardiac conditioning! To make matters worse, I had consumed a fair amount of chocolate prior to going out (hey, it was Christmas!), and I got nauseated about 2/3 of the way into my walk. That slowed me even more, but I was still glad I went out. When I got back to my brother's house (we were visiting him in northern California), my mom wanted to go for a casual walk with me. I rested up for a bit and the nausea subsided and then enjoyed a very nice walk with her. The weather was SO lovely - mid 60s (17C) and sunny. I was almost hot on my racewalk, even though I wore shorts and a T-shirt. Ahhhhh. The warm weather was fantastic.
The next day, my calves were still screaming, but I knew I had to try to exercise. The elliptical was out of the question. The kids wanted to swim in the pool at the hotel, and I wanted to walk with my mom. Solution? The exercise room had a window to the pool, so my mom and I walked on treadmills in there while watching the kids in the pool. Awesome, except that I hate the treadmill. I lasted for 30 min of good racewalking at a very slow pace (5.5 mph - 10:54/mile, which is just under 7min/km --- keep in mind that RW on the treadmill is IMO ridiculously more difficult than RW on the street) before I quit. Later that day, because I am crazy? Stupid? Forgetful? I did a very hilly hike with my brother, his wife, and Calvin. It was an awesome hike and I'm glad I went, but it did make the calf problem worse for sure. We hiked up and then did some trail running on the way down. Calvin and Alex were waaaaay ahead of me but it was still a good time.
On Friday my calves were certainly not any better for having done the trail hike/run. So I race walked anyway! I enjoyed a somewhat painful racewalk on a lovely trail over to Discovery Park in Sacramento, near our hotel. I managed 6K in 38:01 for 6:20/km with ave HR 139, which was not bad at all considering the amount of pain I was in for the first 500m. You'll notice that split was rather slow… as was the 2nd 500m because of a hill up over a bridge. Mostly the route was flat (Sacramento is very flat) but there were a few inclines on the road due to overpasses etc.
Saturday I took a rest day, because I knew I had to sit in the car all day while we drove home (10 hour drive). My legs don't tolerate car rides after RW these days. They don't tolerate car rides much at all, come to think of it, though that seems to be improving slightly.
This morning I wasn't feeling much in the mood to work out. My calves were still fairly sore, believe it or not, and my mood wasn't the best. A week of eating a bit too much combined with muscular pain had me wondering if I'd ever feel back to normal again. It's been a long year. But I got out there anyway, and as usual, felt MUCH better for having done a walk. Today I did 6.27km total in a relatively speedy (for me, lately anyway) 6:13/km for a total of 39:01 with ave HR 151. My legs actually felt quite good for most of the walk, and the odd pain I've had the last 6 months only showed up at about 5km or so, and even then it didn't sap my strength much. I finished well and wasn't sore from sitting in church afterward, either. It was cold, though… sigh… I really miss the warm weather in CA. This morning it was 18F (-8C), which isn't too terrible for here in the winter, especially since it was calm and foggy-ish, with good footing.
I'm glad I am feeling OK today, and that my muscles seem to be recovering. I am hopeful that with my return to a more normal routine this week that I will feel good and continue my improvement despite last week's stall-out.
Monday, December 23, 2013
made it through the week
Wow. About all I can say about this one is that I made it through the week. It was a bit over-the-top, with work insane, holiday preparations, getting ready to go on vacation, etc. I burned the candle at both ends for too long, and come Thursday & Friday, I had had it. I took rest days.
But let's back up a bit.
Sunday, Dec 15th: after my lovely 10K on Saturday, I decided a rest day was a good idea.
Monday: my legs felt rested and ready to go, but my 8K didn't feel good. It felt OK, but I was dragging a bit and my legs got pretty tired at the end. I still managed 50:45 for 6:20/km with ave HR147, and the good news is that later that day I felt OK and I recovered well.
Tuesday: I felt much better on Tuesday and cranked out a good 8K. 49:27 for 6:11/km with HR 150. Finished strong with a 3:01 and 3:07 for the last km. Awesome.
Wednesday: Here it began to go downhill… woke late because was up late working on holiday stuff and then only managed 30 min on the elliptical.
Thursday & Friday: tired/felt sickish (probably just from being sooooo tired)/didn't sleep enough/worked too hard. Didn't exercise. That was probably a mistake. I felt lousy.
Saturday: Got in a nice 45 min elliptical before we left on the long drive to California. We drove 12 hr from Salt Lake to Castro Valley where we visited our friends Dean and Debbie.
Sunday: played soccer with Calvin for 26 minutes before tripping and almost falling and pulled a muscle in my right glutes somewhere --- ouch. Definitely had to stop playing and was super annoyed because 1) I was having great fun even though Calvin was totally killing me, 2) I was worried about how bad it would be, and 3) darn it! I just want to be able to do stuff like this with Calvin! Walked it off and took ibuprofen and felt OK the rest of the day; a bit sore, but OK.
Monday (today): Decided to try to racewalk. I was slow and cautious and did not push at all, and in addition it is really quite hilly here, so it was a very challenging route. The good news is that I did almost 6K at 6:50/km with ave HR just 129. My right glutes were somewhat sore, but it didn't seem to do much except slow me down a bit, and they didn't get worse with racewalking. Good news. I might be slow for a few days but hopefully that's it.
Today it's on to visit my brother in Davis, CA. Hopefully I can bicycle a bit there, as well as racewalk/trail run/who knows what. My brother is a runner and it'll be fun to do some active things with him. Calvin brought his running shoes too, so perhaps the 3 of us can do a trail run.
In other news, I saw the rheumatologist (finally!) this week. They looked me over and aside from my Reynaud's phenomenon, they see no signs of autoimmune or rheumatologic disease. But because Reynaud's phenomenon is associated with some autoimmune disorders, they did some blood tests to rule them out. Interestingly, my anti-SSB/La titer was a bit high, which by itself means nothing, but does raise the index of suspicion. I have no other clinical signs of autoimmune disease though, so they just want to see me in 6 months for follow-up. There's nothing to worry about, but just need to keep tabs on things. The attending's conclusion was that I might indeed have protein deficiency - she thought my hypothesis was a good one. So I'll keep eating more protein and hope it helps. Other than the blip this week of overworking, I have continued to feel better overall.
But let's back up a bit.
Sunday, Dec 15th: after my lovely 10K on Saturday, I decided a rest day was a good idea.
Monday: my legs felt rested and ready to go, but my 8K didn't feel good. It felt OK, but I was dragging a bit and my legs got pretty tired at the end. I still managed 50:45 for 6:20/km with ave HR147, and the good news is that later that day I felt OK and I recovered well.
Tuesday: I felt much better on Tuesday and cranked out a good 8K. 49:27 for 6:11/km with HR 150. Finished strong with a 3:01 and 3:07 for the last km. Awesome.
Wednesday: Here it began to go downhill… woke late because was up late working on holiday stuff and then only managed 30 min on the elliptical.
Thursday & Friday: tired/felt sickish (probably just from being sooooo tired)/didn't sleep enough/worked too hard. Didn't exercise. That was probably a mistake. I felt lousy.
Saturday: Got in a nice 45 min elliptical before we left on the long drive to California. We drove 12 hr from Salt Lake to Castro Valley where we visited our friends Dean and Debbie.
Sunday: played soccer with Calvin for 26 minutes before tripping and almost falling and pulled a muscle in my right glutes somewhere --- ouch. Definitely had to stop playing and was super annoyed because 1) I was having great fun even though Calvin was totally killing me, 2) I was worried about how bad it would be, and 3) darn it! I just want to be able to do stuff like this with Calvin! Walked it off and took ibuprofen and felt OK the rest of the day; a bit sore, but OK.
Monday (today): Decided to try to racewalk. I was slow and cautious and did not push at all, and in addition it is really quite hilly here, so it was a very challenging route. The good news is that I did almost 6K at 6:50/km with ave HR just 129. My right glutes were somewhat sore, but it didn't seem to do much except slow me down a bit, and they didn't get worse with racewalking. Good news. I might be slow for a few days but hopefully that's it.
Today it's on to visit my brother in Davis, CA. Hopefully I can bicycle a bit there, as well as racewalk/trail run/who knows what. My brother is a runner and it'll be fun to do some active things with him. Calvin brought his running shoes too, so perhaps the 3 of us can do a trail run.
In other news, I saw the rheumatologist (finally!) this week. They looked me over and aside from my Reynaud's phenomenon, they see no signs of autoimmune or rheumatologic disease. But because Reynaud's phenomenon is associated with some autoimmune disorders, they did some blood tests to rule them out. Interestingly, my anti-SSB/La titer was a bit high, which by itself means nothing, but does raise the index of suspicion. I have no other clinical signs of autoimmune disease though, so they just want to see me in 6 months for follow-up. There's nothing to worry about, but just need to keep tabs on things. The attending's conclusion was that I might indeed have protein deficiency - she thought my hypothesis was a good one. So I'll keep eating more protein and hope it helps. Other than the blip this week of overworking, I have continued to feel better overall.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Feeling better!
I haven't blogged in a couple weeks, but it's only been because of busyness. I have been feeling much better overall, and have been walking a lot more. Though I'm still not feeling totally normal, it's much improved.
It's been ridiculously cold and/or snowy, so it's been hard to walk outside as much as I'd like. Good thing I have the option of the indoor track! Sometimes, I've walked outside anyway, and it's been slippery; hence, my times were slower those days.
Here's a summary of what I've been up to:
Wed, Dec 4: elliptical, 45 min
Thurs, Dec 5: 8.78km racewalking, slippery - outside, Garmin data here. 6:32/km w/ave HR 141. -13C with wind chill -18C. Cold!
Fri, Dec 6: 6km racewalking, hilly route - outside, Garmin data here. 6:32/km w/ave HR 141 again. -12C with wind chill -19C. Brrr...
Sat, Dec 7: elliptical, 45 min
Sun, Dec 8: snowshoeing with Calvin, 45 min.
Mon, Dec 9: 5K on indoor track, followed by 10 min elliptical. On the indoor track I tend to push harder for some reason. 5K took 30:33 for 6:05/km with ave HR 148. My legs had a bit of the odd soreness at the end, so I stopped.
Tues, Dec 10: 6.25K Liberty Park route. It was really cold again, at -13C (wind chill -18C). I felt tired, and did only 6:28/km with ave HR 145. My eyelashes and eyebrows froze… uncomfortable.
Wed, Dec 11: 30 min elliptical. I needed some recovery.
Thurs, Dec 12: 8K on indoor track in 49:14 (6:09/km) with ave HR 150. Didn't have the odd soreness until about 7km in to the walk :). My legs were feeling great the rest of the day!
Fri, Dec 13: Much warmer outside at just -8C. It was actually not too bad. My legs were tired from the 8K, and so I just did 6.25km at 6:25/km for total time of 40:13 with ave HR 142.
Sat, Dec 14: I felt pretty good this morning, so decided on a longer walk. The weather was decent, too - almost felt warm at -4C with no wind. I decided to try for 10km. I haven't walked that far in a long time. I know, it's a bit sad since that used to be an easy recovery, but I'm just glad to be getting back into things. At 8km I did get very tired, and the odd muscle soreness was bothering me, but I felt strong enough to make it to 10km! At about 5.3km I walked by a friend's house and she was taking out her trash, so I stopped to talk with her for a bit - nice to see her. The break helped me feel refreshed and able to do the 10km. Total was 10km in 1:03:38 for 6:22/km with ave HR 147.
Summary:
Week of Dec 1-7: 33.8km (21 miles)
Week of Dec 8-14: 35.5km (22 miles)
OK, so the mileage totals are pretty much laughable, but it's the most I've done since January, between illness and injury. I know it will increase as I continue to feel better. Edited: nope, I did more for some weeks in August… but it's the most since then for sure.
Meanwhile, I haven't been doing as well with my eating. It's a hard time of the year to be disciplined, and I have fallen down a bit this week. I lost 1.8 lb over 3 weeks, but then gained 2.2 lb this week. Sigh… I am still above my goal weight for Weight Watchers, so I have to pay weekly fees. You'd think that would motivate me, but it's been challenging. But being able to racewalk again is helping my mood, which will help with my eating, and hopefully start an upward spiral.
There's a lot of work ahead, with eating and with training. Time to get serious.
It's been ridiculously cold and/or snowy, so it's been hard to walk outside as much as I'd like. Good thing I have the option of the indoor track! Sometimes, I've walked outside anyway, and it's been slippery; hence, my times were slower those days.
Here's a summary of what I've been up to:
Wed, Dec 4: elliptical, 45 min
Thurs, Dec 5: 8.78km racewalking, slippery - outside, Garmin data here. 6:32/km w/ave HR 141. -13C with wind chill -18C. Cold!
Fri, Dec 6: 6km racewalking, hilly route - outside, Garmin data here. 6:32/km w/ave HR 141 again. -12C with wind chill -19C. Brrr...
Sat, Dec 7: elliptical, 45 min
Sun, Dec 8: snowshoeing with Calvin, 45 min.
Mon, Dec 9: 5K on indoor track, followed by 10 min elliptical. On the indoor track I tend to push harder for some reason. 5K took 30:33 for 6:05/km with ave HR 148. My legs had a bit of the odd soreness at the end, so I stopped.
Tues, Dec 10: 6.25K Liberty Park route. It was really cold again, at -13C (wind chill -18C). I felt tired, and did only 6:28/km with ave HR 145. My eyelashes and eyebrows froze… uncomfortable.
Wed, Dec 11: 30 min elliptical. I needed some recovery.
Thurs, Dec 12: 8K on indoor track in 49:14 (6:09/km) with ave HR 150. Didn't have the odd soreness until about 7km in to the walk :). My legs were feeling great the rest of the day!
Fri, Dec 13: Much warmer outside at just -8C. It was actually not too bad. My legs were tired from the 8K, and so I just did 6.25km at 6:25/km for total time of 40:13 with ave HR 142.
Sat, Dec 14: I felt pretty good this morning, so decided on a longer walk. The weather was decent, too - almost felt warm at -4C with no wind. I decided to try for 10km. I haven't walked that far in a long time. I know, it's a bit sad since that used to be an easy recovery, but I'm just glad to be getting back into things. At 8km I did get very tired, and the odd muscle soreness was bothering me, but I felt strong enough to make it to 10km! At about 5.3km I walked by a friend's house and she was taking out her trash, so I stopped to talk with her for a bit - nice to see her. The break helped me feel refreshed and able to do the 10km. Total was 10km in 1:03:38 for 6:22/km with ave HR 147.
Summary:
Week of Dec 1-7: 33.8km (21 miles)
Week of Dec 8-14: 35.5km (22 miles)
OK, so the mileage totals are pretty much laughable, but it's the most I've done since January, between illness and injury. I know it will increase as I continue to feel better. Edited: nope, I did more for some weeks in August… but it's the most since then for sure.
Meanwhile, I haven't been doing as well with my eating. It's a hard time of the year to be disciplined, and I have fallen down a bit this week. I lost 1.8 lb over 3 weeks, but then gained 2.2 lb this week. Sigh… I am still above my goal weight for Weight Watchers, so I have to pay weekly fees. You'd think that would motivate me, but it's been challenging. But being able to racewalk again is helping my mood, which will help with my eating, and hopefully start an upward spiral.
There's a lot of work ahead, with eating and with training. Time to get serious.
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
3 days in a row :)
This morning my legs felt a bit tired, but the weird pain wasn't bothering me, so I decided I'd have a go at racewalking. Of course, it was snowing as predicted, so I went to the field house and walked on the indoor 211m track. It always seems harder to me to walk there than to walk on a regular track or to walk outside. The tight turns, the warm building (warmer than I'd like for racewalking anyway), and the number of laps make it tougher. So I brought some music (which I don't usually do during workouts) and decided I'd try to enjoy it as much as possible.
My legs felt fine until about 3km, when they got tired, and yes, I had some of the odd pain. But it didn't keep me from working out well, though my HR was a bit high for the speed.
I did the 6K at 6:20/km in 38:02 with ave HR 154. Yay!
My legs felt fine until about 3km, when they got tired, and yes, I had some of the odd pain. But it didn't keep me from working out well, though my HR was a bit high for the speed.
I did the 6K at 6:20/km in 38:02 with ave HR 154. Yay!
Monday, December 02, 2013
Progress! (just before winter...)
I'm finally feeling sure that I am making good progress. Yesterday I did 5K easy, and today I did 8K easy. My legs hurt a bit today in that weird way, starting at 3.5K, but only a little - and it didn't hinder me from a decent time of 49:25 for 8K (6:10/km) with average HR of 149. Garmin data here.
Better yet, my legs only hurt a little bit today at work, even though I spent a good hour sitting at the microscope doing injections, and another hour sitting in a seminar. I feel fully recovered this evening, and in fact, I'd like to walk tomorrow, assuming the forecast snow dump doesn't stop me. I might just go ahead and walk at the field house on the indoor track. We'll see.
I'm really excited that I'm feeling better - finally! Too bad there's a huge storm coming tonight and winter is really here. No matter. I'm happy to be feeling decent at last. Not to say there won't be any more setbacks or problems, because after all I am still not sure what the problem was other than B12 deficiency (for sure) and protein deficiency (undiagnosed - possible not certain).
In other news, I have taken off a few pounds, weighing in at 158.6 this morning, which is the first time I've been under 160 in about a month (or so...not sure). That's not great, since my goal WW weight is 155, but it's progress toward recapturing my goal. Racing weight is lower still, but let's take baby steps toward that. I'll get back there - just have to get in the swing of training again, and continue being more disciplined with my eating.
Better yet, my legs only hurt a little bit today at work, even though I spent a good hour sitting at the microscope doing injections, and another hour sitting in a seminar. I feel fully recovered this evening, and in fact, I'd like to walk tomorrow, assuming the forecast snow dump doesn't stop me. I might just go ahead and walk at the field house on the indoor track. We'll see.
I'm really excited that I'm feeling better - finally! Too bad there's a huge storm coming tonight and winter is really here. No matter. I'm happy to be feeling decent at last. Not to say there won't be any more setbacks or problems, because after all I am still not sure what the problem was other than B12 deficiency (for sure) and protein deficiency (undiagnosed - possible not certain).
In other news, I have taken off a few pounds, weighing in at 158.6 this morning, which is the first time I've been under 160 in about a month (or so...not sure). That's not great, since my goal WW weight is 155, but it's progress toward recapturing my goal. Racing weight is lower still, but let's take baby steps toward that. I'll get back there - just have to get in the swing of training again, and continue being more disciplined with my eating.
Sunday, December 01, 2013
catching up again
I've pretty much been neglecting this blog. Weird, because I've been doing a bit better overall, but life has been more insane than usual. Namely, I got a terrible stomach flu in the middle of the night after Thanksgiving, and spent the entire night worshipping the porcelain god. Yeah, it was ugly. The next day, I had chills and hot flashes, had terrible muscle pain all over, and was weak as a kitten. The good news? I felt OK by Saturday and was able to enjoy that day with my family, cleaning up the house, getting the Christmas decorations out, making turkey soup, and attending the sing-along Messiah at Abravanel Hall with my mom and Grace.Since November 18, the last time I updated this blog, I've been racewalking a fair amount, and my legs have been holding up OK. I *might* be ready to start light training again soon. Maybe. I did a lot of cross-training from the 19th-23rd --- weather was nasty (cold rain) and I didn't have to racewalk, so I stayed warm in the gym. Last Sunday, the 24th, I did 6.25k in 39:25 for 6:19/km. On Tuesday the 26th, I did 8K (yay!) rather slowly, at about 6:27/km (missing 1km at the start, which was faster than the other km, so perhaps overall this might have been low 6:20s). I was a little tired and just took it easy.
Then on Thursday the 28th, I did the Cold Turkey 6K race, as is my Thanksgiving Day custom. The weather was cold at 33F (1C), but in the sun it felt warmer than that and I was good in just a long-sleeved shirt, tights, and gloves. I knew I wouldn't be able to race it hard, so I settled on doing it at a moderate-moderately hard pace. Garmin data here. I definitely worked it moderately hard, which is harder than perhaps I should have gone, but it was fun :). I did the race with Calvin (SO awesome!) and I knew he'd be able to go faster than me (running, to my out-of-shape racewalking). I saw him about 1.5-2 min ahead of me at the turn-around up the canyon, and it looked to me like he was in good position in his age group. I focused on being happy for him and not being unhappy for myself, since I was hurting going up the hill and knew I'd be slow. In fact, I wasn't as slow as the slowest I've done this race (when I was sick and it was icy, 2-3 yrs ago), and I was satisfied with my time of 38:11 for the 6.23km (yes, the race is longer than 6K, consistently each year) for 6:08/km with average HR 156. I felt a bit sore the rest of the day, but not terribly so. The next day I was VERY sore but I am sure that was from the flu, as by that evening I was a lot better and on Saturday, 48 hr after the race, I was well recovered with just a few sore spots from the race itself (shins a bit, and abductors).
The exciting part of the race was seeing Calvin cheer me on at the finish, and then waiting to find out that indeed, he had placed first in his age group (9-11)! He was first of 7 boys, and at age 9, one of the youngest, AND beat the next boy by almost FOUR minutes. I think he has some talent! I was SO proud of him! He was thrilled, too - and that was a kick to see. He seems excited to do another race, as well.This was the first race we've done together (besides a Wasatch Walkers 3K when he was 3, and I don't really count that...he ran it instead of walking, because at 3 he couldn't understand - though the club was nice and let him do it). Actually, I guess the VERY first race we did together was in 2005, when he was 1 - it was my first race too. I pushed him in the stroller and won a 3rd place ribbon for the female stroller division :), which got me hooked on racing right from the start. Hopefully Calvin's win will have a similar effect!
I did win the walking division, as well. One never knows about this, because it's not judged and sometimes runners misunderstand and enter and think run/walk is OK. But this year people were honest, and I was happy for the win :). Full results here.
Getting sick pretty much derailed any thought of a Friday or Saturday workout, but by this morning I thought I might manage 5K decently enough. I asked Calvin if he wanted to come with me, and he did! He seemed a bit off this morning, and actually struggled to keep up with me. I think he might have a touch of the stomach virus. We did 5K in an easy 31:33 for 6:18/km, and my average HR was only 133 - like I said, pretty easy, and I'd have been faster alone, but that was OK. I liked the company, even if he wasn't feeling 100%.
My legs are feeling good enough now that I think I will racewalk again tomorrow. That will be the first time I've walked 2 days in a row in quite a long time. I hope I feel good enough! I'm excited to walk again, and the weather has one more good day before we get really cold and snowy (forecast high for Tuesday is only 34F with snow... and it gets colder the rest of the week).
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