cross-training; 4x1km

Yesterday: 30 min elliptical; 15 min stationary bike; 10 min core strength (planks included); then bike to work! Felt good but was glad for a x-train day.

Today: At track at 6 am to meet Kelly, and it was only 46F (7.8C) but no wind and was actually pretty nice. Warmed up 1600m plus strides then did 4x1km. I was not feeling that great on the first one (legs a bit tired? tight? something?) but did pretty well, and was nervous to do 2nd one, but Kelly cheered me on! Then I started feeling a bit better on the other three and was able to keep my speed. I wasn't fast, but wasn't slow either. I'll take it. I was consistent, and Kelly said my form looked the best she's ever seen it. That made me feel good because I've been working hard on it.

Legs are feeling a bit sore now in the glutes, maybe some weird soreness??? But I feel pretty energetic and OK otherwise. I am a bit nervous about 12km tomorrow. I have a feeling that will be really hard, but hopefully my body is up for it.

Here are my times for the 1kms, with 3' rest in between.

2:49.3

2:51.2 = 5:40.5

2:48.0

2:50.5 = 5:38.5

2:48.9

2:49.0 = 5:37.9

2:49.1

2:48.8 = 5:37.9

this week so far

Monday: Workout was 8K plus 5x200m intervals. What I actually did: 6K. I started off and my legs were just not feeling fresh and ready to go. In fact, they felt tired. I had a bit of soreness on Sunday after the 8K Saturday; not sure if that was from the 8K or from the carpet cleaning I did for a couple hours on Saturday helping a friend who was moving. It was quite vigorous cleaning involving stairs, hauling around a heavy cleaner, running up and down stairs with lots of water, etc. I don't know if it caused the soreness, or if I was just tired, but I was. My 6K was slow, and I actually listened to my body and tried not to push too hard, which is one thing I've learned from what I've been going through in the past year and a half. Time was 39:31 for 6:35/km with ave HR 142. Garmin data here.  Oh, and fall weather is definitely here. The air was crisp but it felt good at 52F (11C). The days are clearly shorter and it's getting light a lot later.

Tuesday: Cross training. I did 35 min elliptical, 10 min of core work with Kelly, and then rode my bike to work. Felt good to do the core work. I am a bit weak but not as bad as I thought I might be.

Today: 5K fartlek. I was short on time as I had a bit of trouble getting up (stayed up too late reading last night...sigh...I could use a little more down time!), and so I did only 1200m warm-up with strides. I felt pretty good, though. Definitely better than on Monday! The weather was quite nice at 48F (9C), and I wore capris and a long-sleeved shirt with light gloves, which I took off during the last couple km of the fartlek. The fartlek went pretty much exactly how it's been going all summer - OK, but not great. My legs felt decent, my wind felt decent, but yeah, not great. I just don't have very speedy 500m medium effort recoveries, and while we're at it, my 500m fast aren't that fast either. Time and more training should cure this eventually. I focused on just trying to be positive and happy that I could be out there training, and not judge myself for the results. That worked pretty well, mostly :). My time was 29:46, with ave HR 159; fast intervals 2:50.6-2:53.8 and medium effort 500s 3:06.8-3:09.9. Garmin data here. 

12K

Yesterday: 35 min elliptical + lots of core exercises with Lisa. My legs felt pretty tired from the yoga and the Wed-Thurs workouts, but they were just fatigued with very little of the weird soreness.

***

Today: 12K. I met Stevie at the Jordan River Trail and the weather was surprisingly warm :). It was 40F (4C), though quite windy. We definitely had some headwinds from 3k-9k that slowed us down in spots, plus there is still a very icy spot on the trail, but mostly the conditions were very good. It didn't even rain on us, though it did threaten to.

I felt pretty good today. Yes, I got a bit tired on the last few km, but Stevie and I had a quite interesting conversation and that distracted me a bit from tired legs? Either that, or I'm getting stronger, or both. This is not to say that it was easy today - it's just that it wasn't very hard as it has been. It was challenging, but not ridiculously so. I stopped at 6K for a few minutes to apply Aquaphor for chafing, which helped; stopped at 9K for a bit of stretching (slightly tight in piriformis - better than last week, though!). Other than that, we kept moving.

Technique felt solid and pretty good. I had Stevie watch me a bit, for what that was worth. I am pretty confident that the changes I've made are holding.

Totals: 12K in 1:18:03 for 6:30/km with ave HR 150.

Garmin data here.

Jim said I can increase my mileage next week! First increase since I've been training again - finally, I have managed to get through the week's training in good form and feeling pretty good, so it's time to increase. We are still staying with 4 days/wk of racewalking for now - that will increase later as I'm able.

core, yoga, 8K

Yesterday morning after my 3K fartlek I did a bunch of core work: sit-ups on exercise ball, Russian twists with 8-pound medicine ball for obliques, V-sits, and planks + side planks.

In the afternoon after work, I did my yoga DVD again - it was a bit easier this time but still challenging and it definitely left me a bit sore.

***

This morning I woke with some well-deserved soreness from the 3K fartlek + yoga. Mostly normal muscle soreness; possibly a bit of the weird soreness mixed in - hard to tell. That's good - if it wasn't hard to tell then I probably overdid it, but as it is, I think I got it about right. I knew the yoga + core would tire me a bit and make me slower on my 8K this morning but I also know that I need the strength more than the speed right now. Jim says I need to focus on my technique most of all and not worry about the speed, as it will come. I repeated that to myself this morning and thus had a lovely workout even though my legs were sore and I was obviously a bit slower than I'd like. I kept telling myself "I have to do this technique work and strength work so that I'll be a better 50K walker down the road, so I won't get injured, and so I can walk half marathons in a few months."

I worked VERY hard on my technique today. Posture #1 - remembering all the great posture stuff from my yoga DVD and incorporating into my RW. Then, weight back, allow hips to rotate, keep arms from sideways motion, drive arms back, don't "play the piano" by allowing arms to be too far in front, and then back to posture. Oh, yes, and widen stance a bit, be sure to get a good toe-off, watch those knees, etc. Quite the task of concentration, let me assure you. It's one of the things I love and hate about racewalking!

Anyway - some totals. 8K in 53:32 for about 6:41/km with ave HR146. And how did I feel? Legs sore and a bit heavy, but felt decent until the last 1-1.5km when it became a bit tougher and I just allowed myself to go slowly and focus focus focus on technique.

Garmin data here.

10K

I was a bit sore this morning after yesterday's fartlek and weight training! Kelly and I had 10K scheduled and I knew it wouldn't be fast. We have 20k tomorrow, so we didn't want to push too hard.

The weather was SO warm this morning! It was 48F (9C) and a bit windy. It was amazingly lovely for November 30.

We got walking and I felt all right, though definitely a bit sore and tired. Kelly was even more sore and tired, but that didn't make me feel any better! I just felt bad for her. She's coming off of a long time of not training, and her iron levels are pretty low. I know how that feels, and it hurts! She was hurting pretty badly today - she said it was even worse than that Wednesday a few weeks ago when we were pretty slow for about 8K? 10K? Not sure, but regardless, she was hurting. I told her that was normal for the day after a hard track workout, and that she might rebound by tomorrow for the 20K. However, it might hurt...I told her to text or call Jim and see what he says.

By 5K she was hurting more, but then she started to feel a bit better around 6K or so. I think it might have had something to do with her form - I noticed her left knee was pretty bent today and I started teasing her, saying I was going to give her a red card. I told her to see if she could get to the end without me giving her three red cards. She made it to 9K before she got her 3rd red card from me, but she was feeling better (and looking better) at least. We had a good laugh about it, stretched, and did the last 1km, during which I gave her two more red cards :).

I felt tired but could definitely have gone a little faster today - not that I minded staying with Kelly, because I didn't at all - I love the company.

Total time: 1:04:10 for 6:25/km with ave HR 140.

Garmin data here.

***

After our walk, I drove to the gym and did some core work and some step-ups, but not too many as I have 20K tomorrow.

***

Food: yesterday was pretty darn good. The scale is being nasty to me, but I feel a bit bloated. I'm sure it's just water. I'm feeling more in control and continue to work hard on more sleep, etc. Seems to be going well.

15K

Good thing my coach is so good. He knew today would be tough. I was assigned 20K, but he told me on Thursday that if I didn't have it not to do the full 20K, and that it wouldn't matter much for the 30K race. Well, he was right, and it was really hard today. My legs were still very sore from Thursday's workout, and by 6.5k they were not only sore but really tired, too. I still managed a better pace than Tuesday's 12K, so it could have been worse! Plus, it was a lovely morning (50F or 10C to start, sunny, clear) and it was SO nice to be outside. I enjoyed that much even if the walk itself really hurt. I *could* have done 5K more, but with the week ahead...yeah, not a good idea. It would have really hurt - I was slowing down quite a lot and my legs were done.

5K splits: 31:38, 32:07, 32:53 for 1:36:38; 6:27/km average pace; ave HR 138.

Garmin data here.


***

Yesterday: cross-training (elliptical), abs/core/stretching with Lisa, plus biking to work.

***

Also of note - my mom was hiking yesterday in Little Cottonwood Canyon with my aunt, who's visiting from Dallas, TX. My mom fell and fractured her tibia badly; it took the paramedics almost 8 hours to get her down from the trail. They were on the Red Pine trail and were several miles from the trailhead when she fell, and she had to be carried down since she couldn't walk (of course!). She had surgery at 3:30 am this morning and is doing OK now. She'll be in the hospital a few more days, so I'm off to visit her soon.

cross-training Friday; 32km (20 miles) Saturday

Yesterday: 20 min stationary bike, then core/glutes, then biked to work and back home. Felt nice to bike again! My fingers are just now up to biking again, though it feels weird/stiff to grab the handlebars.

***

Today: 32km (20 miles). I got up at 4 am to watch the last part of the men's 50k walk in the Olympics. I loved watching Jared Tallent from Australia claim the silver medal - he walked so strong. So when I went out for my walk, I think I channeled my inner Jared :) and had a great walk! Seriously, I thought of Jared and how I'd seen him walk and how efficient he looked. I kept technique in my mind the whole time, and I felt strong.

I started off fast, but I felt well within myself and kept the pace well considering the heat. It was quite warm, as it has been. It was 69F (21C) to start, and 75F (24C) when I finished; that is not THAT warm but it was more humid than it has been - 60% to start and 50% when I finished. I felt pretty hot from 5km onward and when I refilled my water bottles at the fountain in Liberty Park I doused myself liberally with cold water. It helped but it was still hot. Despite the heat, I was strong through 30km (3:04:10) and then the last 2K was hard - I felt a bit lightheaded and just focused on finishing - I was a bit worried I'd collapse, actually. My legs were quite spent; no way I could have done 8k more today, but that's OK. I will be well-rested for the 40K and will be able to handle it better. This week I've had a lot of hard workouts so not surprising that after an effort like this morning's I'd be quite tired!

OK - I'm totally glued to the TV (just watched men's 5000m after watching women's 20K racewalk - 2 fabulous races!) - so need to finish this up.

Splits: 5K: 30:16, 30:27, 30:56, 30:48, 30:42, 30:59, last 2km 12:29. 8K: 48:36, 49:21, 49:01, 49:40.

Total: 3:16:38 for 6:09/km. No HR data because my monitor would not even register a signal :(. Good think I have a new one on order, but it won't be here for a week or so. I did check my HR manually a few times when I stopped to refill my water bottles, and it was about 150-156, where I'd expect for that effort in the heat.

This is my fastest 20-mile workout ever. I have done the distance faster in one race, the Mesquite Marathon, but that was a SERIOUS downhill and today was flat. I'm feeling really confident now! I hope the weather will cooperate and that I can walk a great 40K in less than a month now.

Garmin data here.

strength training; hilly 10K

Last night I did some glutes/core exercises for 30 min while the kids had figure skating lessons. I'm at least getting those in 2x/week now, which is better than none! I did 3 different glute exercises, repeating each several times. I also did 3-4 different core exercises, including plank, ball crunches, and ball passes.

***

I just had 10K easy today, so I decided to do a hilly route to help prepare for my hilly Portland-to-Coast legs in a few weeks. I think I did all right! It was 72F (22C) this morning when I left, but it was only 38% humidity. I got a bit warm, but not too bad.

The route I chose was essentially uphill for 5km then back down, and I felt good until maybe 7-8km, when my legs did get a little tired. I was faster coming down but not as much faster as I maybe should have been. Regardless, it's OK. I did 33:55 for the uphill 5K (155m uphill!) and 29:31 for the downhill 5K for a total of 1:03:26 (6:20/km).

My heart rate monitor is still wacky, but looks like it was low 150s-mid 150s uphill, and probably a bit lower on the downhill is my guess. I'm ordering a new heart rate monitor today, and I am NOT getting the crappy soft-strap model that came with this watch (Garmin Forerunner 210). I'm getting the old model w/more plastic, because it's obviously better. This is the second HRM that I've had with this watch because they replaced the first one that only lasted 3 months. Clearly a design flaw here, so I'm going back to the old style.

Garmin data here.

cross-training; weights

Today was a cross-training day. The weather was the coolest it's been in a while for morning - 67F. Too bad I didn't have a walking workout scheduled.

I did 45 min on the elliptical and was hoping to watch the Olympics; however, on the NBC affiliate there was nothing but news :( despite the fact that there were live events available. Very annoying. Fortunately, I did bring a book to read instead.

Then I did some more glute exercises and core exercises and even a few arm exercises. I had woken up a bit early for once and had a bit of extra time to lift. My fingers are not well enough for much more than 10-12 lb dumbbells right now, but that worked out all right. I did triceps skull crushers, bench press machine (that was fine since you don't have to grip too strongly), and lateral raises for arms. For legs, I did step-downs, forward and back lunges, and one-legged getting up from a chair. I did two sets of the arm stuff and three of most of the leg things. I followed all that up with a good set of core exercises with Lisa.

Tomorrow: 32km. Have been very careful about my diet today. Hoping that will work out OK.

15K; dietary thoughts

Last night I decided I'd really better get my butt in gear. Literally. I need to do my glute strength training and since my broken fingers incident I've been back in survival mode again and haven't done anything :(. So, at the gym while Michelle and Calvin were ice skating, I watched them from the balcony and did my glute exercises. I did 4 exercises: 1) prone on ball, cross legged, lift leg while pushing on other leg; 2) on my side on the ball bring leg back and forward to work gluteus medius and abductors; 3) forward and backward lunges; 4) one-legged getting up from chair (much easier w/my right leg...sigh...that's why I'm supposed to do these).

I also did core work: plank, russian twists with 10lb medicine ball, sit-ups on ball, and something else I don't remember now :).

***

I was a bit sore this morning but not too bad (yet). This morning's workout was 15k. It was hot; 75-77F (24-25C) and humid for here at 45% humidity. Tolerable, but definitely warm. I filled my water bottles and headed out. The first 5K (slight downhill) went great at 30:29; then I did tire a bit and oh, have I mentioned that it was warm? The next 5K was 31:38 and the last 5K (slight uphill) I managed a 31:41, which was good considering that my legs were quite tired, and oh, have I mentioned the heat?

Total: 1:33:49 for 6:15/km with ave HR 143. I drank 7 bottles = 56 oz or 1.568 liters, and still weighed 1 lb (.45kg) less than when I left, which was pretty good I think.

GI: a few cramps during the workout; when I got back home it was not pretty...

***

Dietary thoughts: So I've been trying this low FODMAP diet that a nutritionist did for one of Jim's other racewalkers, and it's supposed to help with GI distress. Plus I'm doing no dairy/lactose (as usual) and trying cutting out gluten as well. After a couple days of this I can say that it's not an easy diet to follow. I can't eat much variety. Plus it doesn't seem to be helping (yet), given today's issues. I'm going to give it some more time though. I don't seem to have many other options. Any suggestions are welcome.

Garmin data here.

10K

I took it easy this morning, and only pushed a little :). I am pretty sore from yesterday's race - abductors and right hamstring, and obliques. However, that didn't seem to slow me down much this morning.

The weather was noticeably cooler. It was 70F (21C) and still 60% humidity, but I swear that 3 degrees cooler than yesterday felt much better. I felt like I got a breath of cooler air now and then.

The walk went well - I didn't get tired and was able to keep pretty good pace. Total time 1:01:52 with ave HR 142. Used to be I'd do 1:05 with ave HR 140ish, and now look! Much better. I am obviously fitter than I used to be. Thanks, coach!

Garmin data here.

***

People: I saw baseball-cap-guy walking his dog, jacket and long pants guy, pajama stripe guy, Henry, and the 2 ladies who are always walking and talking. It's entertaining to see the same people day after day.

***

I think I forgot to post that on Sunday I rested, on Monday I cross-trained (elliptical) and did core work with Lisa.

Tomorrow I'll do another easy 10K, and Friday cross-training. Saturday I'm racing the Timpanogos Half Marathon with my friend Sarah :).

slow 10K

I'm just slow this week. Good thing I have a 5K fartlek tomorrow to work on those fast-twitch muscles and kick everything into gear. I'm not looking forward to it, oddly enough...first speed work in a while always hurts. But it will kick-start things, and that's what I need.

This morning the weather was very nice for February. It was 34F (1C) and calm and slightly overcast. It felt very warm compared to the 20s. I enjoyed walking w/o fleece! My legs were pretty tired by about 4km, but I finished fine - just slowly. Still, it's a lot faster than coming off my layoff last year, so I'm not complaining.

Total time: 1:04:13 for 6:25/km with ave HR 141. Garmin data here.

After my walk, I drove to the gym and got in some hip abductors on the machine, tricep extensions, assisted pull-ups, bench press, and something else that I can't remember now. Plus I did a bunch of core stuff with Lisa.

I was going to write some other stuff, but it's late, I'm tired after a very long day, and I can't remember what I was going to write.

what I've been up to

Tuesday afternoon I did indeed manage 2.4 miles racewalking on the treadmill before Kindermusik and figure skating that afternoon/evening. Then Michelle fell and did this to her chin at figure skating, requiring 6 stitches:

***

Wednesday I did the elliptical for around 45 min, and ditto for Thursday. I had planned to racewalk Thursday, but the weather was iffy - it was snowing lightly and it looked slippery; in hindsight, I could have done it, but the gym was warm and the elliptical was not slippery :).

***

This morning I took a spinning class. It's been a while since I've done any sort of hard workout, and I figured that spinning might be a good way to ease back into it. Today we did standing sprints, and that was just right. Challenging enough to keep me going and get my HR up into the high 150s.

After spinning I actually lifted weights. Yup, it's been a while...and I feel bad about that. I need to lift to stay strong for racewalking. I did some dumbbell bench presses, walking lunges, lat pull-downs, one-legged hamstring dead lifts, calf raises, and tricep extensions. Then Lisa and I did a good hard ab set including ball crunches front and oblique, plank, and V-sits.

***

It looks like my rest is over, though. Coach says we start up again on Monday. I'm OK with that, as long as we start gently. He offered another week off, but honestly, I'm ready to train as long as it's not vigorous to start with. It will be good to ease back into the groove.

aftermath

Sunday: rest day...travel day...arrived home around noon. Definitely fairly stiff and starting to get sore, but it just feels good somehow :). My 2nd toe on my right foot had a large blister, and the toenail is quite bruised. I might lose it. Oh, I guess it wasn't a TOTAL rest day, as I took a little hike (about 40 minutes) with my mom, nice and easy. It helped me stay loose. The weather was quite cold and there is still snow from the snowstorm on Saturday (which I'm happy to say I missed!). Welcome back to winter...

Monday: Woke up stiff and quite sore, especially in the arms. My legs are sore too, mostly in glutes, hammies, and adductors, though also in the right shin and calf. Toward the end of the race my right shin (the one I injured in the spring) was really feeling it, but it's apparently OK despite the abuse. I think it's a technique thing - I'm still overstriding a smidge w/my right leg and bringing my right knee and hip through a bit too high. I will have to work on that. Anyway, I decided that a little bit of elliptical this morning would loosen things up, so I did 6.4 miles on the elliptical in 45 min, and then did some core work with Lisa and then some stretching. It all felt great, actually, and I would say that my soreness is relatively minor. It feels like I just had a pretty good total-body weightlifting session.

The bee sting is actually more noticeable than the muscle soreness. I took this photo this morning, and if anything it's more swollen now; it's itchy too.

8K fartlek - 14 second PR!

I liked last week when I got to work out in the daylight. But, we're back to work and school and all that good stuff, so it was out to the track for a dark 8K fartlek. The weather wasn't bad for Jan 4th though: 25F (-4C) and calm. I warmed up and felt smooth and fast today. I did 1600m in 9:55 and then some dynamic stretches. Then I tossed off my fleece jacket (didn't need it - just the long-sleeved shirt and tights with shorts and T-shirt underneath was enough, along with gloves and hat) and got started before I could get cold. I surprised myself with the first 1km in 5:24, and I felt great. Nice. When my first 500m medium effort was a 2:54 and my first 500m hard effort was 2:43, I knew it would be a great day. It was. I got to 5K in 28:04, just 6 sec shy of my 5K fartlek PR, and feeling strong. 8K came at 45:15, 14 seconds faster than my previous PR for an 8K fartlek. I felt really strong on the last 500m hard effort, doing it in 2:43! All my hard efforts were 2:43-2:46, and my medium efforts were 2:54-2:59. Very nice. I feel very confident and ready to take on the 50K.

Total for 8K: 45:15, 5:39/km (9:06/mile) with ave HR just 159. I was working hard, but the HR was not as high as it was on Saturday for the 10K fartlek.

Afterward, I went to the gym and did core exercises with Lisa. After the 50K I'm going to get back to some serious lifting again to stay strong for upcoming races :).

Garmin connect data here

***

Also, a HUGE shout-out to my mom, who reached her goal today in Weight Watchers. I forgot to ask her what her total is, but it's in the neighborhood of 35 pounds, and she looks FANTASTIC! Way to go, mom!!!!!

aftermath; cross-training

I'm still sore, though not as sore as I was the day after the race. My glutes and abductors are sore, with adductors slightly sore. I actually feel pretty darn good, surprisingly. I only had a little chafing during the race, which is already all better. I rested on Sunday, and this morning I got up early to cross-train. I thought I'd attend the spinning class. I got there right on time, but all the bikes were already taken. Bummer! So I did the elliptical for 45 min and the stationary bike for 15 min, and then did core and stretching with Lisa. I'm glad today was a x-training day - originally I was to do 10K today, but Jim wisely changed it. I am sure I'll be much more ready to do 10K tomorrow than I was today.

Here are the official race results from the marathon. I was 94th of 187 in the race (men AND women), and 4th of 9 in my age group. Not too bad, considering they were all runners! Even my friends that walked most of it did do some running.

lazy

Got up a bit late. Only did 25 min on the elliptical, and then core work with Lisa. I was lazy today...

12K

It was really cold this morning. Though it was 27F (-3C), same as yesterday, it felt colder today. I'm not sure why, as it wasn't windy. Maybe it was more humid?

I started early so I could go to the gym afterward and lift with Lisa. However, once at the gym I ended up talking to someone I hadn't seen in a while, and then I talked to Lisa, and so I ended up just stretching and doing core work. I really ought to lift more...and do Pilates...but I'm not a full-time athlete and it's hard just fitting in the 50K training, never mind all that stuff too.

Anyway, I felt OK this morning. Not great, not bad, just OK. My legs got fairly tired around 6-7k, but I perked up a bit about 8.5k on the very slight downhill back to Liberty Park. Now, at lunch time, I feel very sleepy (a very boring/incomprehensible Research In Progress talk did not help matters much) and a bit stiff. I hope my legs recover, because I have 30K tomorrow. It's supposed to be very icky out, too - cold and rainy, turning to snow by afternoon, with lots of wind. It's possible that I'll do the 30K indoors if it's really bad. There's a 442m track around the Utah Olympic Oval (speed skating venue from the 2002 Olympics) that is a possibility if necessary.

Totals: 12K in 1:14:44 for 6:14/km (10:01/mile) with ave HR 141.

Garmin connect data here.

optional day

Today is an optional day. My left ankle/foot (lateral, just below and behind fibula) is still bothering me - it was really bad for the first few steps I took around the house, but after walking around a bit it's OK. I went to the gym and did some PT exercises, some light weights, and some core exercises. After I warmed up thoroughly, I racewalked one lap around the ice rink, and the ankle/foot felt fine. Hopefully with a few more days' rest, ice, anti-inflammatories, etc., it will be OK.

cross-training

Today was a cross-training day. I needed the change of pace! I did 30 min on the elliptical, then did some core exercises. Finally, I biked to work and back. It felt nice to use muscles besides my racewalking muscles.

I've been super busy at work and that will continue. I worked on Labor Day, and I have to work tomorrow for a few hours. So, if my blog isn't too interesting these days, and is a bit terse even with my racewalking posts, that's why. It's survival mode here - just trying to keep my head above water until the grant deadlines in early October. The boss did promise lunch or dinner out when this is all over, though, and that was nice. In addition, I'm enjoying the extra molecular biology work I've been asked to do - it's a lot of fun to do the gene jockey thing again! I don't mind working a bit extra when I'm enjoying myself, though the timing with the marathon training is not the best. Still, I'm hanging in there, and the training will be lighter after tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I have a tough track workout to do early (before Calvin's soccer game) so I'd better get some rest!