35K - last one!

Today's task was 35K - last really long one before the 50K!

The weather was decent for December; it was 20F (-7C) and foggy with lots of frost on everything (including my eyelashes!). By the end of my 35K it had warmed up to 33F (1C). I started out wearing shorts (the ones I plan to wear for the 50K - testing them out) under tights, with fleece pants on top. I wore 2 shirts and a fleece top, with my balaclava, hat, and gloves. I stayed warm enough in that, though my feet were a bit numb until about 8K when they finally thawed out. At 25K when I stopped at my car to refill my water bottles, I took off the balaclava and the fleece top, and that worked out well.

Frost photo - taken a few days ago, but the grass looked like this today too:


I felt good today - much better than last Saturday. I got tired, yes, but it was a normal tired for 35K and I felt that I could keep a decent pace today. I did have one 500m that was 3:18 but that was because of a very slippery spot on the plastic boardwalk on the trail. Anyway, I did feel that I could have kept going when I finished. Did I WANT to do another 15K? No, I didn't, but I felt I could have continued for at least another 5-10K without totally wasting myself, so that was good. I am still intimidated a bit by the distance, but I figure I've done 42.2K (marathon) enough times that I've got the distance in there somewhere. One thing I'm sure of: it's going to hurt. A lot. But that's part of the insanity of it all!

Interesting things I saw on the trail: 1) a woman pushing a dog in a stroller (have seen this before...yikes! Spoiled little dogs), 2) a guy wearing shorts (brrrrr!), 3) between 4500S and 3900S they are laying pipe that is about 2 ft across; I had to step over it going each way, 4) my friend Diane and another woman (who is a new member of our walking club) at 13K and then again at 23K - of course I stopped to talk to them :). Diane was very encouraging and reminded me that they are all so excited that I have a shot at the American record for my age group.

5K splits: 30:30.9, 31:27.8, 31:11.4, 31:10.3, 31:39.3, 31:29.9, 31:27.0
Total: 3:38:56, 6:15/km (10:04/mile), ave HR 152.

Garmin connect data here.

35K

Weather: 20F (-6.7C) to start, and 38F when I finished; no wind or snow, so it was a good weather day for December.

How I felt: Felt rested and fresh to start, but around 10K-14K I really felt fairly lousy. I wondered how I'd finish. Jim called me 3 times, once at 8K (I didn't answer), once between 8K and 14K (I didn't answer), and then once at almost 14K (I finally did answer). I was so annoyed with how I was doing that I really needed to talk to him. He said what I expected: that I was a bit flat from so many km this week and not to worry, and to stop if my legs really died. Well, lucky for me they didn't. I felt a bit better within a few km; Jim called again about 18K and I told him I was doing OK. Then I figured I'd be able to finish. From 14K-the end, I made it my goal to think positive thoughts and not dwell on any negative ones that crept in (i.e. how the heck am I going to do 50K when I can't even do 15K?). I thought about the cute drawings my kids made for me this morning, and about how nice the weather was (cold, but nice for December), about how I was going to finish and get this one in the books, how happy I was that I had no GI issues, no chafing or blisters, etc. It actually helped - yeah, I know it's cheesy, but it did work.

Totals: Though I stopped multiple times for phone calls (thanks, Jim! sorry I was ranting at you at 14K!), nutrition, water bottle refills (ugh...at 29.5K I really needed H2O and the bathroom on the trail was locked! Grrrr! Had to wait until 32.5K to get water - wow, that was the best water I've had in a while!), stretch breaks, etc., I pushed stop on my watch, so my actual moving time was 3:41:44 for 6:20/km (10:12/mile) with ave HR 154. That's not bad considering I wanted to quit at 14K. 5K splits: 30:48.7, 31:47.7, 31:57.2, 31:21.4, 32:01.3, 31:32.2, 32:16.5. A bit variable, but that was how I was feeling today - variable.

Miscellaneous: My water bottles froze up again. I have got to remember to make my water and zipfizz with HOT water so that they don't freeze. Fortunately I had larger bottles in my car, and I was able to stop at 16K for a refill and it thawed out my bottles a bit and I didn't have any more trouble (also, it got warmer!). Around 31.5K, I met a couple ladies on the trail who shouted to me, "Hey we know you from Weight Watchers!". I stopped for a couple minutes to talk to them - they had met me last week when I got my key for another year at Lifetime, and I had told my story, including how I am going to do the 50K. They said that I was really inspiring. Standing there all sweaty and feeling icky tired I didn't feel very inspiring, but it did buoy my spirits to talk with them. They said they really want to know how the race goes, so of course I'll have to show up at my meeting after the 50K to tell everyone. Also, I saw at least 3 guys out there today in SHORTS (they had long-sleeved shirts and gloves on, but still...). Pretty crazy. One of the guys is someone I've talked with before - last year he did the Top of Utah marathon and then 2 weeks later did the St. George Marathon, so yeah, he's hardcore.

I'm glad this one's on the books. It's a hard week ahead (Jim just sent me my schedule until the 50K) with another 35K next Saturday, but I have tomorrow to recuperate and reset. One day and one step at a time, I will get there. I'm determined.

Garmin connect data here.

Here are the pictures my kids drew for me.

30K

Brrrrrr! 25F (-4C) but at least it was calm and clear. To combat the chill, I decided on mid-thigh shorts with tights over the top, a long-sleeved shirt, fleece jacket, fleece hat, and gloves. That was just about right; I did have to push up the sleeves on the fleece jacket (by the end of my walk it had warmed up to 37F), but I was glad I was wearing it. I brought along some water bottles with zipfizz and water, and they FROZE. I had to stop for a while to drink because the top of the bottles (the part that pulls out to drink) got frozen first and so I had to unscrew the lids to actually drink. My gels were very thick and goopy, too. The joys of winter. Yay. Can you tell it's my favorite season?

The walk itself went quite well this morning. I started off a bit slow and sluggish (a couple 3:10s for 500m) because my adductors (especially the left one) were very sore initially. I think it might be from ice skating! But they loosened up quickly and didn't give me any more trouble. This was another one of those really consistent walks where I found a good pace and rhythm and was able to hold it. My 5K splits were: 31:02, 31:09 (1:02:11), 30:48 (1:32:59), 31:02 (2:04:00), 31:02 (2:35:03), 31:13 (3:06:19).

The bad part? Well, about 28K, my right knee started to hurt. Not too bad, but bad enough that I thought it might be a problem. At first I could not identify the pain precisely, but after I finished and visited the restroom (so glad Liberty Park has restrooms!) I was walking down a couple stairs and OUCH it HURT! I knew EXACTLY what was wrong...yeah, the ol' IT band was acting up. I could not figure out why for a little bit, but then I remembered that after the Cold Turkey race on Thursday that I had run about 5 minutes DOWNHILL with my work colleague after the race. She came with me walking uphill to my car to get my jacket while we waited for the awards (she won her age group!), and then when we started back toward the finish line she suggested we jog a little. I didn't think twice about it (dumb, I know, but I really didn't think!) and ran with her. I had no pain after that but today it's two days later, and the 30K of racewalking was enough to bring it out. I'm pretty sure that's what did it, and if that's the case, then a couple days off (which I have now because this week is an "easy" week), ibuprofen, ice, and foam roller should do the trick. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I have promised Jim that I will not run even ONE more step before the 50K!

I also got quite tired today by the end - the last 5K was a bit tough, and I will confess that today's walk was more like an 80% effort than an easy walk. I figured that would be OK since I have an easy week coming up, and overall I felt quite good today, so I wanted to see how I'd do pushing it a little. However, I am pretty sure that today I could NOT have held that pace for another 20km. That makes me a little worried, except that 1) I'm only one week out from the marathon, and 2) I still have a good 4 weeks of training to give me a little more staying power.

All in all, it was a good day. I'm icing my knee now and I'm going to relax this afternoon!

Edited to add totals: 3:06:19, 6:13/km (10:00/mile), ave HR 147.

Garmin connect data here.

30K

In a hurry so this will be brief. Weather: 36F (2C) to start; 40F (4C) when I finished. It was clear, calm, and fair. A bit chilly, but warmer than yesterday and overall pretty nice walking weather. It was dark for the first 15K but at least then it was light for the rest of the workout.

I felt pretty good today but not great like last weekend. At 7.5K I had to stop to take a few puffs from my inhaler, as I was coughing a fair amount. It seemed to help; I took a few more puffs when I finished, and despite that I still had a giant coughing fit when I got home. Anyway, at 8K I stopped for the restroom (no GI trouble, just hydrated well I guess!). I was feeling good and moving well for the whole workout for the most part. I took candy or gels at 10K, 17.5K and 25K, along with some water and electrolyte solution. My legs were definitely feeling it the last 5-10K, but I wasn't overly sore, just the normal amount of tired from going so far.

My 5K splits were nice and consistent: 31:06, 31:15 (1:02:21), 31:07 (1:33:28), 31:11 (2:04:39), 30:59 (2:35:38), 31:11 (3:06:52); my HR rose throughout the workout since I kept a steady pace.

Total time: 3:06:52, 6:14/km (10:01/mile), ave HR 148.

Garmin connect data here.

awesome 25K

I ate a few questionable things last night (not TOO many, but a few, and not too much, which matters as well) so I was hoping that it would be OK on my long walk today. I know, that wasn't smart, but sometimes...yeah, well. I got away with it though. No GI problems whatsoever. In fact, this walk was almost easy and it felt fantastic.

I started off a bit later than I have lately, because I didn't have to rush at the end to pick up the kids, or get to work, etc. That was a luxury. I'm telling you, training time is something that is not that easy to come by as a working mother. I'm glad I work, as I really enjoy my job, and I love my kids too, but it forces me to be ultra-organized to pack it all in. It was nice this morning to get up at 6 am instead of 4:30 am to do a long walk.

Of course, it was still dark at 6 am (it stays pretty dark until almost 7:30 these days), and it was colder than I thought. At my house it was 46F (7.8C) but at the Jordan River Parkway it was 42F (5.6C), and I'd forgotten my gloves. Uh-oh. Serious bummer. My hands were pretty cold for the first 20K, and then it did warm up a bit with the sun (it was 52F (11.1C) when I finished), and they felt better by the end. But if that's the only complaint I have about this walk, that's pretty minor.

As usual, I was a bit apprehensive about how I would feel and how the walk would go. It's really not fun when you're doing a long one and you start to tank! My first 5K split was nice and fast (30:43) but I felt great and was taking it pretty easy, so I figured it was all right. By 10K (30:48, 1:01:32) I knew things were going well; I still felt fast and smooth and concentrated on my technique and on using my glutes as much as possible.

I stopped briefly to take a gel at 10K, as my hands were really cold and opening one on the run (on the walk?!?) was almost impossible. Side note: I got a whole bunch of gels at about a 50% discount (in bulk) through my friend Nancy, and I was eager to try them. First up today was GU tangerine flavor, which was pretty good, and the second gel was GU Roctane pineapple flavor, which was about as good as a gel gets. Seriously, the toothpaste consistency doesn't help them much at all.

I figured if I made it to 15K feeling fast I would be pretty sure of a good day, and my split of 30:39 (1:32:12) was definitely reassuring. I wished my heart rate monitor was working, because I really don't feel I was pushing all that hard, and yet I was still fast. I felt like it was a 75% effort for most of the walk, with maybe an 80% effort for the last 5K. Now that it was light out, I really enjoyed the beautiful fall weather (chilly, yes, but calm, sunny, and generally gorgeous!), the scenery on the trail, the changing leaves, and seeing the many people out on the trail running, walking, and bicycling. This walk was quite fun! I think it also helped that I allowed myself to listen to my iPod. Usually I don't, as you are not allowed to wear headphones in USATF races like the 50K that I'm training for, but today I decided that a few "This American Life" podcasts and some music (starting at 17.5K) would be just the thing. Yes, at 17.5K I stopped briefly to take another gel (hands still freezing) and change my playlist. Then I was off again, and got to 20K in my fastest split, 30:20 (2:02:32). Wow! I decided to push a little for the last 5K, because I felt so good and I knew I could do it with a rest day coming tomorrow. It wasn't hard to push; my legs were tired, yes, but I still felt pretty fresh. I finished up with a 30:40 for 2:33:11 total; 6:08/km or 9:52/mile. Nice!

Garmin connect data here.

slow 20K

I was to do 20K today. My legs were tired. It was warm (72F, 22C and 60% humidity). I was slow.

I knew by 5K that this was going to be a bad day. By 7.5K I was wondering how I was going to do 20K. But I just kept on going, and was very slow, and my legs hurt a lot. I finished. That's about all I can say about this. I really struggled today. It was not my heart rate - that was relatively low. My legs were just so tired and heavy, and I felt terrible. It was ugly, and it hurt. I hope after a cross-training day tomorrow that I will feel better.

My friend David must have read my mind, because about 10km he sent me a text that read, "Tough times never last tough people do that's why you're an awesome athlete XOX." Nice. It did help keep me going though it didn't make it any less tough!

The workout is on two watches because I gave my old 305 one last chance, after a hard reset. About 400m in, it lost the satellite signal. Grrrrr. So I switched to the new watch and did the other 19.6K on that one.

First watch 0.44km in 2:41.
Second watch 19.60km in 2:09:11 for 6:35/km with ave HR 140.

Garmin connect is down so the link here is for the Plus 3 Network instead.

32K again

The weather was not cooperative this morning. I'd rather have it like this than a snowstorm, but it still wasn't ideal. It was about 72F (22C) and extremely humid this morning at 5:25am at the Jordan River Trail. When I say extremely humid, I mean it. It was literally FOGGY, and I could see my breath. UGH. And as the morning progressed, it got warmer of course. By the time I had done 16K (10 miles), it was 76F (24.4C), and it was 78F (25.6C) when I finished. I was sweating unbelievable amounts - my clothing was soaked through by the time I finished. In addition, I chafed in places I have never chafed before, and never want to chafe again. Fortunately, I had my body glide with me, and applied it liberally and frequently. It helped enormously but didn't completely prevent the chafing. I also drank an enormous amount - 96 ounces (3 lb !!!) and still weighed 1.2 lb less when I got home than before I left. Good thing I drank some zipfizz (electrolyte solution) in addition to water, and ate sports beans with electrolytes, as my body was caked with salt when I got home. Ewwwww. It was nice taking a shower to clean all that off, except for the pain from the chafed areas (yeah, should have put more body glide on before the shower, but I forgot).

Because of the heat, this workout was tougher than last week. I was almost as fast, but my HR was almost 10 beats higher, with an ave of 154. Yeah, I was pushing it. Especially after 20K, I just really wanted to be done and get in my air-conditioned car and come home to take a cold shower. Besides, I have 3 weeks until the race, so I have plenty of time to recover and I think I'll recover quickly enough, since I'm in good shape. By the time I finished though, my legs were pretty much screaming. I slowed down the last 2K but not intentionally. I just had nothing left because of the heat. (Thankfully, the race itself is unlikely to be this hot). Riding home in the car my legs were horribly sore - I could not wait to get out! Now, a few hours later, they are tired and sore but OK; they don't feel worse than normal after a 20-mile walk.

I had one watch "oops" at 28.8K - I stopped my watch for about 20 sec to get a real drink (mostly I drink while walking but once in a while...) and forgot to start it again for what looks to be 58 seconds or so based on the distance when I got back to my car and my pace at the time (about 3:13/500m).

Here are my splits:

5K 31:06
8K 50:09
10K 1:02:36 (31:30 for second 5K)
15K 1:34:30 (31:54 for third 5K)
16K 1:40:55 (50:46 for second 8K)
20K 2:06:40 (31:50 for fourth 5K)
24K 2:31:53 (50:58 for third 8K)
25K 2:38:00 (31:20 for fifth 5K)
27K 2:50:30
30K 3:10:27 (32:27 for sixth 5K...ouch...)
32K 3:22:55 (32:25 for the 5K from 27-32K...yeah, I was hurting; but the last 8K wasn't too bad at 51:02)

Total 3:22:55 for 6:20/km with ave HR 154.

I'm glad this workout is done. It was really tough there at the end. The heat really got to me.

New Garmin forerunner 210 watch thoughts: I like that the satellite actually works :). I like the ease of use and simplicity of buttons, etc. I wish I could see my HR and my time on the same screen; it's a bit annoying to have to push a button to see the HR screen. After 1 hour, the numbers for the seconds are fairly small, and my over-40 eyes can read them but just barely. However, the lap splits are nice and big and that is what's really important. Also, I wish the beep was a bit louder for the auto lap feature. So, I like it for the most part though there are a few annoying issues. Still, not worth paying $80 more for the next model up, especially since it has that touch bezel, which is SOOOOO annoying if you wear gloves 2/3 of the year like I do.

Garmin connect data here.

32K (19.89 miles)

Today the workout was my long day: 32K (19.89 miles). I was still a bit sore from Friday's 15K kickdown, plus some new muscles were sore from yesterday's trail run. Oh well! I figured it might be OK anyway. After 5K I knew it would be way better than last week's 30K.

The weather was very nice. It started out in low 60s (probably about 16C) and ended up at 70F (21C). Of course, since I'm in Seattle, it was humid. However, I don't think the temperature bothered me much; I was a bit warm at the end, but not too awful.

The trail was lovely. My high school friend Glen (actually, he pointed out we've known each other since elementary school) told me that the Sammamish River Trail was perfect for what I wanted, and it was. Flat, paved, scenic, with water and bathrooms. Lots of bikers & runners using the trail, but it wasn't crowded. In fact, when I first started out just before 6 am, it was deserted and very quiet. I got a few interesting comments, as usual. From a cyclist, "That looks like so much fun!". By the time I thought to yell back "It is!", he had passed of course. A runner yelled out "speed walker" as he passed me. Some other runners said, "Wow, you're fast!". I saw lots of wildlife, too - rabbits mostly (cute!), but also lots of birds.

I started off feeling strong, and pretty much felt strong throughout, though my legs did get quite tired by the end. I think about 20K they were pretty tired, but I was able to push them and they responded, tired or not. Training is a good thing :). I'm very proud of my nice even splits. My heart rate increased throughout, correspondingly, but I didn't go harder than I knew I could handle all the way to the finish. Yes, I was pushing at the end, but it felt good and I wanted to be done. I'm very pleased with this. I am pretty sure it's my fastest 20-miler ever.

Edited to add a few details: stopped at 10K and 20K to refill my water bottles, and brief pit stop at 10K. Ate sports beans at 10K, gummy peach candies at 17.5K, and more sports beans at 25K. I had no GI problems. Yay!!!

Splits:
5K 31:14
10K 1:03:02 (31:48)
15K 1:34:46 (31:44)
20K 2:06:36 (31:50)
25K 2:38:13 (31:37)
27K 2:51:01
30K 3:10:02 (31:49)
32K 3:22:22 (12:20 last 2K; 31:21 last 5K!)

Totals: 3:22:22, 6:19/km, 10:10/mile, ave HR 147. (This pace would get me 4:27:15 for the marathon, if I could hold it).

Garmin connect data here.

30K in Park City

This workout didn't start well. First, it was pouring rain when I awoke at 5:20 am to go out. Um, not good. It does that sometimes in the mountains in the summer. Fortunately, after I waited around for a while it stopped raining and during the 30K it was mostly overcast, with an occasional shower. No biggie. The temperature was OK, ranging from 60-64F (15.6-17.8C). It was really humid, but at least the temperature was cool enough that I didn't feel too terribly hot. The unknown factor was the altitude, ranging from 6460ft (1940m) to 6549ft (1996m) along my route. That's considerably higher than my usual workouts in Salt Lake, which are about 4300ft (1310m).

The first 5K was fine. I took it really, really easy because I knew I had a long way to go. I finished it in 32:36, and it included some gently rolling hills. However, as has been usual lately, km 6-10 were not easy for some reason. I had a bunch of stomach cramps nothing came of them at all, thankfully, but they did HURT) and even stopped at 7.3km for a few minutes to try and let my stomach settle. It didn't. I kept going anyway. But by 10k, it got better, and I was able to go a little faster to 15K. I did a giant loop for the first 15K and stopped at my car to refill my water bottles. I had planned to do the loop twice, but I was worried about being that far out from my car if things went really bad. It seemed like I was doing better, but I wasn't sure how my system would hold up. So, I started doing short loops around the shopping center and Newpark condos/townhomes in Kimball Junction. There was a very nice paved loop around the shopping center and homes, which was about 2.75km. I ended up doing that loop 5 times plus a little for the last 15K.

Interestingly, though my legs were quite tired and heavy (especially from 20k onwards), I felt much better for the last 15K. Maybe part of it was that I was interested in watching them set up for the Tour of Utah bicycle race, which started at the shopping center about an hour after I finished my workout. Each time I went around there were new things to look at. On the back side of the route, by the condos and townhomes, I was right next to a nature preserve, which was really beautiful. After I got to 20K, I thought I could pick up the pace a bit. I felt pretty decent and I wanted to just get done and get my legs some rest. I went just a little faster, and then when I had 5K left I figured I could go a little harder still. I didn't push hard (my HR was about 150 for the last 5K - not very high at all, and I felt comfortable), and my last 5K was the fastest at 31:53. Not bad! I was glad to be done, though, as my legs were very sore. While this was still a pretty slow 30K, the coach did say to take it easy, and so I'm not worried about the time. For the altitude and for how fast we've been increasing my mileage, it seemed about right.

Splits: 5K 32:36, 10K 34:25 (1:07:01), 15K 33:19 (1:40:20), 20K 32:48 (2:13:08), 25K 32:34 (2:45:42), 30K 31:53 (3:17:35).

Totals: 3:17:35 for the 30K (6:35/km) with average HR 139.

Garmin connect data here.

almost 20K

19.57km, to be exact. I fell asleep before setting my alarm last night (!duh!) and so I didn't wake up until 5:55am. Oops! I was supposed to be back home from my 20K by 8:00 am, and that meant I had to leave the house by about 5:45 am. Loren nicely agreed to be a bit late to work but I'd have to be home by 8:20 am at the latest. I got on the road at 6:10 am, and with stoplights, it took me until 8:20 am to do 19.57km. Close enough.

My legs were fairly sore this morning from the 10K fartlek yesterday. I guess I pushed it too hard. Oh well. Live and learn. The first 5K today felt really good, but after that it was a slog, especially from about 7-12K. About 12K it got a little better for some reason - I was still hurting and still slow, but it didn't feel as bad.

This was definitely not one of my better workouts, but it did feel better than the really awful 15K and awful 20K a week ago and 10 days ago, respectively. I just felt tired today, but not horrible or anything. My legs are definitely sore now, but after a day of cross-training I'm sure I'll be ready for the 12K kickdown on Friday. I am not going to do that one too hard, though, because I have 10K Saturday with 2x8' at 20K pace, and 30K on Sunday. I have to pace myself, and Jim has been very clear on that. I thought I went easy enough on the fartlek yesterday, but now I know I have to take the speed work even a little easier for now.

It's a bit frustrating. I am starting to worry if I'm going to adjust well enough fast enough to finish strong in the marathon. I was encouraged by Sunday's 25K and my 10K fartlek yesterday, but today has me a bit down again. It's hard to stay mentally strong. Well, the body is going to do what it's going to do, and I can't control that. I have to just get out there and do what I can and the rest is not up to me.

Total time for 19.57km = 2:07:22 for 6:30/km (I told you it was slow...). Ave HR 143. Splits 5K 31:00, 10K 1:03:33 (32:33), 15K 1:36:27 (32:54), 19.57K 2:07:22 (30:55; 6:46/km...wow...uphill, but still....ouch!).

Garmin connect data here.

25K easy

I was a bit apprehensive about doing 25K (15.5 miles). It's been a while, and my 20K last weekend hurt a lot. However, my last couple workouts have been good, so I figured it might be good.

The weather was nice, at 68F (20C) and 35% humidity. It was a little warm, but there was a breeze and it didn't feel terribly hot. I got to the Jordan River trail early (about 6 am) to take advantage of the morning cool air. It's been in the low 90s (typical summer weather here) so one definitely does not want to go any later than necessary.

I was careful about what I ate yesterday, and took imodium last night and this morning, and I had no GI problems. Yay! I ate starting at 10K, taking sports beans first, then gummy peach rings at 15K, and tootsie rolls at 20K. Hey, a good excuse to eat candy :)! I drank quite a bit - I had three water bottles (8 oz each, about 240ml) and drank them and refilled them several times. I love the Jordan River trail because 1) it's flat, 2) it has numerous restrooms, and 3) it has lots of water fountains as well, and 4) most of them are open in the winter, too.

The one bad thing about today was my Garmin...it was losing the satellite reception a lot. Mostly it found it again quickly and was able to extrapolate my distance accurately, but a few times it was longer...grrr. I still think my distance was pretty close overall, for numerous reasons. But it was still quite annoying. I'm going to try a hard reset and see if that helps. It's been doing this for a while and seems to be getting worse, so perhaps it's time for a new one? It's not quite 2 yr old yet :(. However, I rely on it a LOT and would feel pretty lost w/o it at this point, so hopefully the hard reset will fix it. I don't really want to lay out $$$ for a new one right now.

Anyway, I started off nice and slow and easy just like my coach said to do, and I felt OK for the whole workout. It was fairly slow, but I got through it at a pretty consistent pace, and I didn't feel overly tired at the end. I'm sure I could have pushed the pace at the end if I had needed to, but the coach was pretty specific about taking it easy for now, which is wise and I agree with it totally. I was glad I didn't have to pick it up :). We're increasing mileage rapidly and so we have to keep it easy. Next weekend is 30K...but I digress.

Total time 2:41:03, with ave HR 141 (very easy, like I said) and ave pace 6:26/km. 5K splits (approximate due to Garmin problems - the 15K split is too fast and the 20K split too slow): 5K 32:04, 10K 32:13 (1:04:17), 15K 31:06 (1:35:23), 20K 33:12 (2:08:35), 25K 32:28 (2:41:03). Close enough anyway - you get the idea. I kept a relatively steady pace for the whole thing, and didn't slow too much.

My muscles felt just a bit sore to start, and I did notice soreness in the glutes which increased throughout the workout. It never got that bad, though. I'm a bit stiff now (several hours later) but otherwise I feel good. The workout didn't feel too hard or too terribly long, and it was pretty nice to be out this morning. It was a LOT better than last week's 20K. I wasn't fast, but I also wasn't pushing it at all, which was a welcome relief. Just the distance is enough for now.

I saw a lot of runners out there who were clearly doing some long distances as well - they had their water bottles and their iPods. Here, most people do their long day on Saturday so the trail was not as busy this morning, but there were still a lot of people out there walking dogs, running, biking, etc. One woman was pushing her "kick-me" dog in a baby stroller...yeah...I know. I saw her last week, too. It was hard not to laugh!

Ahhh, now I get to relax a bit - hopefully read the paper, nap, and do not a lot of anything until our church BBQ get-together tonight.

Garmin connect data here.

slow, but I finished

Today I was to do 20K. Haven't done that since the race a couple weeks ago, and knew it would be a toughie. It was.

First, it was hot by our standards, and humid. It was overcast, and here that means humid in the summer; humid here is a mere 60%, but believe me, it's enough to make one miserable. It was a very warm morning, too - 74F (23.3C) at the start of my walk and 77F (25.0C) at the finish. That's about as warm as mornings ever get here. I drove over to the Jordan River trail because it's flat and pretty, and I haven't been out there in a while (the river was the highest I'd ever seen it, BTW, and looked like it had been higher in the past few weeks!).

Secondly, I foolishly ate a rather large frozen yogurt treat last night. I thought that will all the probiotics I'd be OK. NOT. I had horrible GI trouble this morning, cramping and having to stop twice for the bathroom.

By 6.5km, I was pretty worried. I was so tired already! I wondered if I'd be able to finish. Good thing I did an out-and-back route or I would have been tempted to throw in the towel. Fortunately, I perked up a bit when I turned around at 10K, and then at 16K got a bit of a second wind after seeing another racewalker (of course I knew her!) and stopping to talk with her.

I took jelly beans (sports beans) at 10K and 15K, and that helped, and I drank a LOT of water. Needed it in the heat. When I finished my face was crusted with salt. Good thing I had the sports beans.

Regardless, my legs were tired today, I generally felt fairly tired and crummy, and I was just glad to be done. I had to stop a lot for restrooms, water, etc. :(. My time is quite slow compared to other 20Ks this year, but it's one of the faster ones I did last year, so that shows my improvement that a slow time now is my former fast time.

My coach said it would be tough building back up again and I knew he was right. He always is! I'm glad he told me to take it a bit easy and not worry too much about the time. For now, what matters is getting my mileage base back up there for the marathon, which isn't too far off.

Pet peeve of the day: slower walkers taking up the entire 2m-wide pathway. One guy with his two dogs on retractable leashes was hogging the whole thing and of course didn't hear me approach. Another couple and their dog managed to block the whole thing as well. Grrrr. At least the bicyclists were polite and pretty careful this morning.

Summary: total time 2:09:36, ave HR 146, 6:29/km pace. Splits: 5K 31:35, 10K 32:48, (1:04:23), 15K 32:50, (1:37:13), 20K 32:23 (2:09:36). Could be worse, I guess. At least the splits were fairly even.

I am SO tired now. Nap time!!!!!

Garmin connect data here.

nice fast 20K

Today I was to do 20K. The weather was chilly but otherwise nice, at 33F (1C), calm, and sunny. The forecast this week actually includes very little rain! YAY! I hope they are right.

I felt really good today. I got a bit tired around 9-10K but after taking some Clif shot blocks I felt better, and then felt really great for the rest of the workout. Of course my legs were a bit fatigued at the end, but not bad. SO much better than 20Ks I did last year with low iron! I did push the last 5K (slight uphill last 2K) because I saw I was close to 2:05 and wanted to squeak in under that time. I did!

Total time 2:04:49, ave pace 6:14/km, ave HR 149. Nice! 5K splits were equally nice: 30:51 (slight downhill), 1:02:12 for 10K (31:21), 1:33:20 for 15K (31:08), and 2:04:49 (31:29, slight uphill - nice!). Wow, those are really good for me. I'm quite happy with this! And the 1:33:20 for 15K predicts good things in the 15K race I have on May 15th. I'm definitely looking for sub-1:30 but secretly hoping for sub-1:29 :).

Garmin connect data here.

solid 20K

My legs were quite tired yesterday, but the day of cross-training (though hard) seemed to allow some recovery. They felt good today, and only slightly tired at a couple points during the walk.

I had to get up quite early to start, because it's Easter Sunday and I'm playing the organ for church. That meant practicing from 8-8:30, because that was the only slot I could get. The band needed 8:30-9:30, and then at 9:30 I'm to practice with the vocal soloist and euphonium soloist. Busy morning! So I got on the road by about 5:30 am. The weather was quite nice - 36F (3C) and calm and partly cloudy. It's supposed to rain today, but later on :).

I felt good today, but not great. I knew after 5K that this would not be a really fast day, but that doesn't matter at all for a long day. I just wanted to do the workout in a solid time with a good HR to work on my endurance. My foot was warmish/slightly achy but under control. I did focus quite a bit on my technique to keep it happy, and that seemed to work well enough.

Here are my 5K splits: 31:07 (slight downhill); 31:52; 32:10, and 31:46. Nice! I was pushing that last one a bit, but it's slightly uphill at the end, and I really wanted to be as consistent as possible on my 5Ks. I'm happy with the way they came out. Total time: 2:06:55 for 6:20/km with ave HR of 149.

If you haven't noticed, I haven't had any GI problems recently in my workouts. Why? I've been taking an imodium the night before and one the morning of my longer workouts (>10K). It has made all the difference in the world. Jim has warned me that in hot weather that can be dicey, but I'm hoping that the 20K will be early in Sacramento so that it won't be too hot, because I HAVE to take the imodium, or I will lose 5 minutes to the porta-potty and it won't be pretty. I'm just happy that it's working because I've felt SO MUCH BETTER!

Training alone all the time is a bit of a bummer, but happily I do have virtual training partners. I love following my friends' training on their blogs/facebook...notably Erin T. from New York, Sarah R. from Canada & Nyle S. from New Zealand, though there are others as well :). It's really fun to encourage each other in our training.

Garmin connect data here.

20K, Pilates

The quick version - late to church so have to type fast :)!

Weather: 33F (1C) and overcast, no wind.

GI system: iffy. Pain from 7k-12k when I stopped in Liberty Park to use the restroom. I felt much better after that and it was not a problem the rest of my walk. I have to remember to take an imodium before these longer walks.

Legs: actually felt pretty good, which surprised me since I did a hard workout yesterday. I perked up quite a bit after taking some nutrition at 11k.

Nutrition: speaking of nutrition, I forgot my water bottles but there is a natural spring fountain running year-round in Liberty Park so unfortunately I had to stop to eat, briefly. I ate some licorice candy (hard as a rock from being cold - need to keep it closer to my body!) just shy of 11k and then some jelly beans at just after 15k, washing both down with copious amounts of water. That seemed to work well for me.

5K splits: 31:51, 32:39, 32:39, 32:20. Nice and consistent.

Total time (not including nutrition & restroom stops) 2:09:29 with ave HR 146, a 6:28/km pace.

I feel good about this workout; other than the GI pain it went pretty well. I wondered how I'd do since it was a while since I did 20K, and I wasn't fresh, coming off a hard workout yesterday. Given all that, it was good. I still have a long way to go, though.

Garmin connect data here.

***

Oh, and yesterday afternoon I did a Pilates video, because I didn't make it to class. It was an Aussie guy, Alan Menzenes (spelling?) who led the workout and it was OK. It actually wasn't hard enough but it was the intermediate one, and I have the advanced one too (both from the library) so will try that next time.

painful 15K

This one hurt. No two ways about it.

The temperature was cold for this time of year (30F, -1C) and it had snowed a few inches, but the roads were clear with small slush puddles. Good! I would be able to walk outside this morning! It was beautiful with the snow on the trees, and I took my camera to take a few shots for this post. All the photos were taken in Liberty Park; sorry for the blurry ones - I had my small camera, and frankly, I wasn't feeling well and didn't concentrate on getting good photos.

My legs were still feeling pretty sore from the last week's intense workouts, but I figured I was up for 15K, and I think I would have been except for the GI problems that I had. I have to get back to watching the amount of fiber I eat the day before longer walks. I already watch my dairy amounts, but the fiber is critical too I think. I ate a big salad at lunch yesterday and a nice bowl of strawberries & mangoes. Then what I believe was my fatal mistake: I had a bag of popcorn as an evening snack while reading Harry Potter to Calvin. I will NOT do that again.

I got dressed to walk, and opted for tights and fleece on the bottom and a long-sleeved shirt and fleece on the top, with gloves and a headband. That was too much. I was overdressed and I should have known better. I got walking, and about 2K I had to tie my shoes (I love the NB 205s but the laces SUCK and are always always coming untied! Note to self: must double knot before EVERY walk grrrrrr!), and then at 3K I was way too hot and had to take off my fleece. That's a bit of a project, as I wear a reflective vest over the top which has to be undone, and I have to take off my gloves and pepper spray (it has an elastic band so you just wear it over your hand) to undo the vest and then unzip the fleece and tie it around my waist. It was worth it though, as I immediately felt better and was able to crank out some nice kms.

Other than my legs being way more tired than usual, kilometers 1-10 were mostly uneventful. I got to 5K in 31:47, and to 10K in 1:04:17 (2nd 5K was right at 6:30 pace, at 32:30). By 10K though, my legs were most unhappy. I feel sure that if it weren't for the GI problems which started about then, that I still would have been able to finish at about 6:27 or 6:28/km pace. However, that was not to be. I got some nasty cramping around 10.5km and it really slowed me down. Thankfully, I had wondered if this might happen and decided to stay around Liberty Park (and near the restrooms!) for the last part of my walk. I was so relieved to stop for the restroom at 11.6k. I'll spare you the details. I wondered how I would manage to finish, as I felt just lousy. But I got out and kept walking, though I wasn't able to push much at all, and my HR was lower for the rest of the walk. I felt weak and wobbly and just wanted to be done. About 13K, I was leaving Liberty Park to head home when it started to snow lightly. I still felt rotten and was pulling off lousy times (last 500m splits were 3:20, 3:26, 3:23, 3:24, and a horrible 3:42), and the snow got harder and harder, mirroring the ugliness of the walk. By the time I had only 500m to go, it was snowing very, very hard (it actually was very beautiful this morning with the snow on the trees, but I didn't care much because it all hurt so much!). Yeah, my last 5K was a very slow 33:45 for a total of 1:38:02 for the 15K, a 6:32/km pace with ave HR of 150. Actually, if the last 5K had been even 33:00 that would have been OK...and except for the GI issues, it probably would have been. Oh well.

I was very relieved to reach home (and the bathroom!). I'm proud that I finished. It was ugly, but I really don't care. The thing that matters is that I got out there and did it.

Garmin connect data here.

cross-training; very easy 15K

Yesterday I cross-trained - the weather was originally supposed to be bad, but then it was beautiful. Had I been paying closer attention, I would have racewalked a bit I think, but that's OK. Instead I did an hour on the bike and 30 min on the elliptical, adn finished one book for book club (Taroko Gorge by Jacob Ritari - it was OK), and started another book, The Lazarus Vendetta, a fluffy-ish techno-thriller a bit like Robin Cook but better written. You need something kind of fluffy to keep your mind occupied when cross-training, I think!

***

Today I just wanted to get out there today and do the distance. It's been a couple weeks since I did 15K, and there is a half marathon (21.1K) that I want to do nice & slow on April 16th, so I need to keep some long days under my belt.

The weather was great today - 40F (4C), overcast, and calm. Very nice. I just wore a long-sleeved shirt and tights, and gloves. I carried water because I knew I'd be out a while - knew I would be slow, and that was fine. It felt great to be out there, and I thoroughly enjoyed my slow walk. I ended up taking a different route - just randomly went some places - and so it turned out to be 15.34k (9.5 miles). Total time 1:49:14 for 7:07/k. Garmin connect data here.

windy 15K

Before my 15K I did some weight training with Lisa. I focused on arms mostly so as not to tire out my legs for the 15K. I did bench press (35 lb dumbbells - heavy, could only do 3x8 reps)/foot PT bouncing ball standing on dyna disk; one-legged dead lifts (PT for foot) w/35 lb/row (70 lb); one-legged calf raises/hammer curls (15 lb ea arm); tricep rope pull-downs (25 lb)/military press (20 lb ea arm). Then core: plank (only 90 sec today), ball curls, ball pendulums (obliques), hip-ups (lower abs), stretching.

***

I met some friends from my walking club at the Jordan River Trail. Today is my Friday off, and Michelle wanted to go to her preschool, and Calvin is at school, too, of course. AND my regular Friday morning piano students canceled. Wow, some time to myself! Anyway, I met my friends and we chatted for 10 min or so before starting out. I'm younger than them (and hence faster) and so I knew I'd just see them at the start and on the way back. We all commented on the wind before we left. It was warm this morning at 41F (5C) but very, very windy. South wind at 20 mph (32 kph) with gusts of 25 mph. It felt pretty cold - so I dressed as if it were 20F outside: long-sleeved shirt and fleece on top, and tights and fleece on the bottom. The wind was steady and unrelenting. I headed south (into the wind) to start. At first I couldn't figure out why my legs felt like sludge and my times were so slow for the HR and effort. Duh! About 5km in it occurred to me that maybe it was the wind...so I looked forward to the turn-around at 7.5k. Sure enough, once I turned around, my times improved.

I saw my friends on the return and stopped for a couple minutes to chat again. I told them it was easier once you turned around! It was a hard workout because of the wind. Seriously, it's like hills. You don't gain going downhill what you lose on the uphill, and with the wind you don't gain with the tailwind what you lose with the headwind. I ended up with a 1:38:18 for 6:33/km with ave HR of 155. That is more than 2 minutes slower than last Saturday with a higher heart rate, but I don't think it's a reflection of my conditioning at all, just the wind. I mean, I might have been slower than last week without the wind, but who knows? It felt much harder today, but again, how can you compare? Anyway, I'm pleased that I got out there and did a pretty good pace despite the conditions. I had a nice negative split - 49:26 on the way out and 48:52 on the way back. Thanks, tailwind!

One down side was that I had to stop a couple times on the way back for intestinal cramps. Darn. Those haven't plagued me in a while. I wonder what it is that I ate yesterday? I wish I could figure that out. Well, it just added to the challenge today. It wasn't really a fun workout, but I'm glad I did it.

Garmin connect data here.

awesome 15K!!!!!

I felt really great today, and it showed.

We're vacationing this weekend in Mesquite, Nevada. It's a border town that exists to have a few casinos close to Utah, or something like that (gambling is legal in Nevada but not in Utah). Technically, it is on the Arizona/Nevada border, but it's only about 40 miles from Utah, all the same. It is also known for its many golf courses. However, we don't gamble, and we don't golf. We just want to get WARM! It's supposed to be 70F (21C) here today...ahhhhhh.

I took two puffs of albuterol before starting my walk, just in case. I checked my peak flows before and after my walk and they were about 460. I felt like I was breathing a LOT better today in the warmer air, and I didn't cough as much while I was out or when I finished. It was about 35F (2C) when I started my walk, but it was sunny and it felt great. I waited until the sun came up, because I had the luxury of doing so today. My parents are watching the kids so we can have a weekend alone :). I wore tights and a long-sleeved shirt and gloves. The gloves came off after about 2-3k, and I wished I'd worn shorts. Seriously! I am used to the cold now, so I get hot easily, and it was 46F (8C) when I finished.

This is the route that I chose. I wanted something mostly flat, and it was - mostly. It was a good downhill to start, and a good uphill at the end (the uphill on this loop was steeper than the downhill). It's pretty flat in the middle, but there was a hill from 5-6K that slowed me down a bit. I started off fast, with two sub-6:15 kms, and my slowest km was on the way back up a big hill between 12-13 km (the freeway overpass), at 6:41. I'm so pleased that 6:41 was my slowest today, since this was the longest I've gone in a while. I felt a bit tired from 10-15k, but not too bad at all considering the hills. My legs were pretty fresh until 10-11K, and now that I'm done I feel a little stiff, but overall I feel pretty good.

Total time was 1:35:53 for 6:23/km with ave HR 153. Yeah, I pushed harder than I originally intended, but I was doing SO well that I just got in a groove and went for it :). Garmin connect data here.

25K (20K + 5K "race")

Today I was to do 25K. My club had a 5K race planned, so I decided to do 20K first and then meet them for the 5K race. I get points just for showing up and doing it, even if I'm last (which I was, because it's handicapped), and besides, on the last 5K of a long one it helps to have some added motivation.

I had a lousy day today mentally. The only thing that saved my bacon was that my friend Sarah was doing 10 miles (16K) and met me at Liberty Park. With the extra back and forth I do while she is walking (she does Galloway run:walk 5:1) I was up to 17.2K by the time she left me. She really helped me get through a rough patch today. I just was NOT there mentally - did not want to push at all to try to achieve any sort of time. I'm not sure why, either. Physically I felt OK, and my foot was good, so I should have been happy, right? But I wasn't. I was in a MOOD. I think part of it is that I didn't sleep well and haven't slept enough for the past few nights. That starts to add up. Plus I'm definitely discouraged by my slow workouts since changing my technique. I know I should just be happy that I can work out again without pain, and I AM happy about that. And I do know that I will get faster again, but meanwhile, it's still discouraging. At one point during our workout, I actually almost burst into tears. Yeah, I should get more sleep!

I think my iron is probably still low, too. I am sure it's better than it was, but I have the feeling it's still not great. I have a doctor appointment Monday to get it checked again, so we'll know soon. Meanwhile, I will just do the best I can in workouts and try not to be too hard on myself.

Anyway, my 20K was in 2:12:29 for 6:37/km overall and ave HR 146 (see, I just couldn't push myself today...pathetic!). Garmin connect data here for the 20K.

Continuing on was interesting. I finished the 20K at 7:48 am and then met my friends (the race was to start at 8 am). It's a handicapped race, so I had to stand around for 14:32 after the first person started. The weather was relatively warm at 50F (10C) but it started drizzling right at the race start and I got pretty cold. Add that to stiffening up after standing around for about 30 min, and it was an UGLY start. Every leg muscle whined and complained for the first 200m or so, but after that I was fine. My left hip flexor was bothering me a bit on the 20K, and it bothered me more on the 5K. I knew I'd be slow, and figured I'd push just a little but not so much that I hurt anything. I thought maybe I'd do 32:30 or so for 6:30/km, but turns out I had a little more in me than that. I did the 5K in 31:25 with splits of 6:22, 6:11, 6:19, 6:16, and 6:14 and ave HR of 153 (Garmin connect data here). And yes, that meant I finished last in the race, since I was about 2 min slower than my handicap time! But I really didn't care that much at that point. It was just nice to hang out with my friends.

After the race, I took an ice bath. Not my favorite thing, but usually when I do more than 15 miles or so I take one, especially if I'm a bit sore like I am today. I have new admiration for my co-worker, who swims in Pineview Reservoir from May-September each year. She will swim (with a wetsuit) for 1.5-2 hr in it when the water temperature is as low as 59F. Today my ice bath was about 60F, and that was COLD! I was only in it for 15 min, so I can't imagine swimming in water that cold for as long as she does, even with a wetsuit.

My coach just called to see how I'm doing. We are reconsidering the 50K in light of my technique change. He thinks it may be unwise to do so many km with the new technique, because it's a lot for my body to handle. In addition, my most important races next year are 20K, and we don't want to jeopardize the training for those. I'll be disappointed if we have to postpone the 50K to next year, but if my coach decides it's the wise thing we'll do that, because he is always right. Seriously...he's really good, and if I didn't follow his advice I'd be a fool.

Edited to add: Total for the day = 25K in 2:43:54 for 6:33/km on average.