Week 2. Never Give Up.

I'm still here - game face at left needed for this week. It's been a completely insane week at work (summer, lots of new people in lab, people who can help new people on vacation, etc) and at church (search committee stuff wrapping up but lots of details) and at home (house guest) and with family (dad still sick though much better) and the usual amount of kid drama/kid stuff (violin lessons, soccer meetings & registration for new team, the missed piano lesson due to busyness).

Now I know these are minor things in the big picture - but it's just been a lot of, well, stuff. Too much stuff = stress and anxiety. I need a personal life declutterer. Haha. But just saying that makes me realize that I am my own personal life declutterer, and I've been neglecting simplification. Sometimes you can't simplify, and this may be one of those times, but I need to try. A practical step is probably going to involve scheduling in some "me" time on my calendar. Not sure where, but it's going in.

All that to say that though I overslept on Thursday and had to postpone a workout to Friday, I still did all of my workouts. HA!

Sunday: rest
Monday: 6K at 6:50/km (slow but done)
Tuesday: 4K  at 6:39/km (indoor track - pouring rain and I was wimpy), plus 3x200 @85% (which I did at more like 100% because I was in a mood!) in 1:01, 1:02, 1:00
Wednesday: elliptical - 30 min (at the gym)
Thursday: overslept
Friday: warm-up (10:45 for 4 laps - slow), 3K fartlek in 19:23 (slow and heavy legs but DONE anyway)
Saturday: 12K at 6:54/km - hilly route! Calvin and dogs did 6K with me.

I'm in need of more speed but otherwise I'm doing OK. My legs felt fine when I was done with 12K again so at least the endurance is better than last week, when the last 3km of 10km was not optimal, leg-wise.


My eating wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either. I did lose 2 lb. Home scale says 166.0, WW scale 167.2 (down 2.2 at WW). Keeping on track enough. For this week, am going to do better at menu planning and scheduling me time. I'm on it right now.

This time I really mean it. Resuming training, yet again. PTC training - week 1. Weight Watchers Summer - week 1.

My last post was entitled "Resuming Training". Um, yeah. That went well (not).

Fatigue has continued to be an issue, but at least in the last month I know it's because I was totally burning the candle at both ends with our pastoral search committee work for church. I made the deliberate choice to take another break and try again starting this week. Then my dad got really, really sick (bad bad bad GI bug) and my mom is vacationing in Spain, and yeah, that was stressful. I mentioned all this to my family doc, who has tried in the past to find answers to my fatigue, and she said we should try upping my anti-depressant/anti-anxiety meds - could be related to depression. OK, sure, why not? I will do anything. I just want to feel better.

I did all my workouts this week. They were slow, but whatever. I am telling myself that I am just happy to be out there at this point, which is (mostly) true.

Sunday: 6K trail run (not on the schedule, just did it with Calvin)
Monday: 6K 6:44/km
Tuesday: 4K 6:55/km plus 3x200m @85% in 3:21
Wednesday: elliptical 40 min
Thursday: 3K fartlek (19:34; legs like concrete; warm at 22.8C)
Friday: elliptical 40 min
Saturday: 10K 6:50/km (photo above - me & boy-o and dogs)

I also went to Weight Watchers today. Weight - an ugly 169.4. (At home - 168.0). That has to be down to about 160 by August or I might die of embarrassment when staying with my very fit friend Katie.

OK, have got my work cut out for me. Onward.

8K w/3x3' @10K race pace

Today: Legs a bit tired from yesterday, and I had some trouble getting out of bed :/ but I realized that I'd feel better if I did my workout, so out I went. It was lovely out this morning - calm, clear, 40F (3.9C).

My legs felt pretty tired and heavy, and after the 2nd faster 500m, they felt a bit shaky/Jell-O-like, which I think is totally expected given my lack of training. But they held up fine and I completed the workout without incident, and my 500s were a bit faster than last week at 2:59, 3:05, 3:03 for similar segments (slight downhill, slight uphill, slight downhill).

Total time was 52:21 for 6:32/km with ave HR 147. The HR is lots better than last week and the trace on Garmin connect looks like I'd expect for this workout. I can tell that even just in my second week of training that things are clicking in a bit. I know it's going to take months, but it's nice to have things looking up even a little.

Now if I could just get my diet a bit more under control. The chocolate has been winning, and that has to stop. I need to relocate my motivation --- not just in racewaking but also in life and what I really want my life to look like. Time for some thought (and I need to not be too busy to reflect). It's spring break for the kids and I'm going to take Thursday & Friday off work so that'll help.

Emigration Canyon 10-miler (16K), 6K

Busy week (as usual lately - too busy - am working to change this). Not proud of it and hoping things will calm down a bit.

Saturday I did the Emigration Canyon 10 mile race (16K) and enjoyed it a lot despite being slow and getting quite sore because of the large amount of downhill. It was uphill for 2k and then downhill for 13K and then more or less flattish for 1K. Tough course but so pretty. I finished in 1:46:01 for 6:33 per km (my watch said 16.2km), which is slow for that much downhill, but I don't care right now. Just glad I did it. That afternoon I worked very hard in the yard for 3 hr, getting rid of major weed problems. Yay spring :) for flowers but :( for weed eradication and the resumption of yard work. I'm not a fan.

Sunday I cross-trained 45 min on the elliptical followed by a soak in the hot tub at the gym to ease my muscles and help me relax. It felt great.

My muscles were still quite sore today and it really hurt to start racewalking but once I'd done about 500m it felt better, and though I was slow again, at least it got done. 6K in 40:22 for 6:44/km with ave HR 143. Yeah...slow...oh well. I'm heavy and out of shape, but hey, I got out there and got it done.

Now if I can just sleep enough to keep the fatigue at bay and help with weight management. I'm still attending my Weight Watchers meetings and am down over 7lb since January but still have a ways to go.

One of the things that's keeping me really busy is that I'm on the pulpit committee at church, helping us find a new pastor (our previous pastor got a great new job at a large church in New York City; we miss him). It's a ton of work and lots of meetings, but actually has been interesting and fun.

OK...got to run...lots to do :). Including SLEEP hopefully.

follow-up since St. George trip

After I got back from St. George, which was SO restful, it took about 2-3 days for me to totally crash and burn. The fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks, and I have absolutely no idea why. I didn't overload my schedule when I returned, so...? Thankfully it was only bad for about a week, and I think maybe now I'm starting to feel better?

I've done a lot of elliptical lately, since I bought a used one for my house :), and the weather has been cold and nasty with a lot of snow. Plus I'm trying to take it easy on my body, with the fatigue and all.

So....the upshot is that today was the first day I racewalked since going to St. George, and it felt like it :(. I did 5K in 33:15, with some rolling hills (~20m), which isn't bad, but I was breathing SO hard, and my HR was up in the 160s. Sigh...all fitness gone. But at least I got to walk.

In other news, I went back to my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday, after not going for 8 months. Yup, it was ugly. I had gained 15lb and am up to 174.0. Dang it. Well, what can I expect? I'm a recovering food addict and I have got to stay on track. So I'm back, and have work to do. I reset my goal weight to 160lb because I'm not walking competitively right now and that's a more realistic # given my fatigue. Back on the wagon - and I'm feeling great about tracking and monitoring food intake again :).

long break

I have had a long break from training, and from a lot more. From the end of July through the beginning of November, I pretty much felt lousy. Dizzy/off-balance, very fatigued, caught at least 4-5 colds/other viruses, and just felt rotten. Went to my family doc, who checked everything and found the same neuropathy I'd had 3 yrs ago when my B12 was low. She referred me to neurology, and when I finally saw them in November, they did an EMG which was totally normal. I still have some neuropathy type symptoms, but they are mild and nothing to worry about apparently. Soooo....still no idea what's wrong. My best guess is chronic fatigue of some type plus stress and viral illness = sick Tammy. I've been feeling pretty good for a few weeks now, though this week I've noticed the fatigue and dizziness a little. Still, I want to racewalk more, so I am cautiously adding in stuff.

Yesterday I did 6K at 6:35/km, which is pretty fast for me lately. Most of my workouts that I've been able to do have been more like 6:45-7:00/km, so 6:35 was good. So today I decided to do a 3K fartlek, even though I know I've been a bit "off" this week. I still want to try and get back to racewalking...carefully. I had to work out at the indoor track because outside there was a light dusting of snow on the track and it was slick. The indoor track is nice & warm anyway :) and it's dark out so late now, so indoor is kinda nice.

I did 5 laps to warm up, with some strides on the last lap. It felt surprisingly OK to walk fast on that last lap. I did some dynamic stretching and then started in on the fartlek. I felt pretty good for 5 laps (2 fast, 2 med, 1 fast) but then the 1 fast, 2 med, 2 fast to end were tougher. My medium effort laps were slow because I'm out of shape, but not as slow as I feared. My fast laps weren't as slow as I thought they'd be either. However, I was ***really*** out of breath and very tired at the end. But hey, I made it, and I was much faster than I expected.

My times (2 laps, 585m) were 3:25.9, 3:49.1, 3:30.6, 3:51.0, and 3:30.1 --- corrected to 500m that is 2:56, 3:16, 3:00, 3:17, 3:00. Total time 18:07, corrected to 18:34 for a full 3K (this was 2926m). That's not so awful. OK, yeah, slow...but of course! I haven't been training. But it's not deathly slow.

3K fartlek data here. 

***

I have gained about 10 lb too, from the recent problems. It's hard to keep weight off when you're chronically overtired and not exercising as much as you are used to. I am trying to take it back off now that I'm feeling better, but it's a slow process. Baby steps.

16K

Yesterday: elliptical & resisted urge to bike to work, since last time my hamstring didn't like it.

Today: 16K on the JRP; first 10K with Kelly and Sugar and last 6K with just Sugar. I ran into Sarah out there at a bit shy of 13K and it was nice to see her. The weather was amazing and my workout was great, too. Yay! Plus all the flowers are blooming and it's just gorgeous right now. Of course, this being SLC, it could snow tomorrow (and who knows, it might!). It was 13.9C (57F) and breezy, but not so windy that it messed up my walking.

Pain levels were quite good. They started off at mostly 1/10 with some 2/10, then as I went it was more 1/10 and even some kms with no pain. Yes!!!! This after sitting a lot at dinner and the symphony last night, so I'm quite pleased.

I didn't try to go fast. We started slowly and I didn't want to push anything. I got to 10K in about 1:06:xx and felt good. Happily, my legs felt good all the way to probably the last 500m, when they started to get tired. But that bodes well for next week's half marathon, and also for next week's training. Maybe I can ramp things up.

Weight Watchers: Um, yeah, I have had a lot of problems the last few weeks. I only gained 0.4lb from 2 weeks ago, but...yeah...it's time for some soul searching. Kelly and I talked about it and it was very helpful to have her support and her perspective, plus I went to my meeting today and also my church small group has been helpful. I am in a good frame of mind right now and realize that I need to 1) slow down a little so I can sleep a bit more, 2) focus on treating my body well. I'm feeling a second wind here; it probably helps that racewalking is going better this week.

Perth, here we come (I hope!).

Garmin data.

12K; making slow progress

I made it 12K this morning on a hilly route; the pain was a bit more than it has been, just like yesterday, but it wasn't terrible. It was a 1-2 mostly, and maybe once or twice was pushing 3 (which is the place where I have told myself I will stop). I did my glute activation and PT exercises before going out, I focused on a wider stance and faster cadence, and thought a lot about good posture. That was great until 10km or so, when I had an uphill slog and it was all I could do to hang on and think about posture. I got tired! Geez. So out of shape. But it'll never get better unless I persist. Many of my good RW friends are doing the 50K tomorrow in San Diego, and I'm jealous. I wish I could do it too. On the other hand, it's supposed to be hot, and so maybe I don't wish I was doing it :). OK, back to today's workout - it was nice here, for February, at 2.8C (37F), and Calvin and both dogs came with me for the first 6km. Then I did the rest with just Sugar, and Calvin and Powder stayed home.

My time was OK, considering the hills and my pain level. 1:20:08 for 6:40/km with ave HR 150. I'll take it.

***

Good news. I went to Weight Watchers this morning and after only losing 0.2lb last week after a good eating week, I lost 3.0lb this week :). Sometimes water weight does a number on you. I'm down 4.8lb (2.2kg) since rejoining on January 30, which is awesome. I am just 1.8lb away from my goal weight of 155.0, but really I want to be 150 or less for racing, so I have a ways to go, but I'm on the right track. It's been hard, but good. Last night I took Grace to a concert (Salt Lake Choral Artists!) and then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. With the new Smart Points system the ice cream is very, very, very high in points, and I decided it wasn't worth it. I had 3 small bites of hers and came home and made myself a skinny mocha latte for 3 points instead. Go me!!! I can't believe I resisted, but I think the goal of Perth 2016 is pushing me to accomplish good things.

10K

Guess what? I made it 10K today!

I wasn't even that slow. OK, so I wasn't fast, but it wasn't dismal either. I did 1:06:14 for 6:37/km with ave HR 149. My hamstring felt pretty good for the most part, with no pain to 1/10 for most of the walk, but the last couple km with the slight uphill hurt a bit more, at 2/10. But it wasn't bad, and I was focused a lot on form and posture and on using my glutes. Hopefully when I go to PT I will get some more pointers, but I think I've made a lot of corrections already.

The weather was icky, but since it's Saturday at least I could go when it was light instead of dark out. We still have the nasty inversion and so the air quality is bad and it's just really foggy for most of the morning. It isn't that cold for February, though at -1.1C (30F). I mean, it's not warm, but it could be a lot colder, so I'm grateful for that much.

I went to Weight Watchers this morning too and weighed in. I lost 0.2lb. OK, that's not much, but it's something, and I didn't gain. Weight is a funny thing and it fluctuates a lot, so I'm not too discouraged. I had a pretty good food week, and I'm happy with that. It's good to have the accountability of weighing in each week and the camaraderie, such as it is - I don't know many people in the group yet; our center changed locations and we got new leaders, etc., so there's been a lot of turnover. But I'm starting to recognize some faces and it's good to be back.

Garmin data here. 

Elliptical, sick, 5K easy RW at indoor track

Saturday: 50 min elliptical.

Sunday: sick :( didn't walk or do much of anything.

Monday: sick...still...

Today: feeling a bit better. Managed to get to the gym in time to do a short walk. It actually went OK! I did 4974m in 32:20 for 6:30/km with ave HR 147. Pain was 0-2/10. It felt really good after not RW since last Thursday, but of course the minute I started RW again it started to hurt. I was concentrating very hard on technique, which is one advantage of the indoor track: no distractions. Well, not many anyway, compared with outside. My mind wanders less at the track, because there's not much to look at. More boring, but better to maintain good form and not injure myself more. I did my glute activating exercises and I'm sure I had good posture. I can watch myself in the windows as when t's still dark out and the reflection is visible in many places on the track.

I am feeling the usual sick of winter blahs. It's cold and dark in the mornings which is just such a downer for training. But spring is coming soon, so I just have to hang in there. Being sick this week didn't help. But I've been eating a lot better for the most part, despite some home stress and one chocolate binge :(, and I lost 1.6lb last week. Hoping to lose another pound this week.

I still have to schedule in yoga/strength training sessions. I've got the household chores going pretty well with the kids and myself, and have been eating better and sleeping better. I have my diagnosis and have my PT appointment. Now all that's left is the yoga. Planning to do some this afternoon.

Garmin data here. 

6.4km on indoor track

Woke up late :/ but did still make it to the track; it's just as well. I planned to do 8K and could've, but it might have been unwise. My pain in the butt was fine (1/10 after sitting a lot last night doing computer upgrade) but my glutes tired quickly today, perhaps because it was actually my third day in a row racewalking. That's good! But bad that I got tired. Well, we will fix that in a hurry. More workouts, better fitness, less tired.

After doing my glute activation exercises diligently and carefully, I did 22 laps on the track, stopping twice to roll on the ball (more preventative than anything; I didn't have much pain). I forgot to stop my Garmin the 2nd time so it's off a bit. Total time for 6437m was about 42:00 spot on, for 6:31/km. Hey, that's pretty good, except that my HR was quite high doing it. It was a moderately hard effort and my HR was in the upper 150s/low 160s at the end. My fitness will return if I can train, so I'm trying not to be at all concerned about that part. The good part is that I could train.

Weight Watchers is going pretty well. I am adjusting to a few changes in the program, but that's going fine. My biggest challenge (as usual) is not eating too much after dinner. I did well for a couple nights but not as well last night; still, I am within my points. I just need to watch it more carefully tonight. I can do this!

In other news, I made a house cleaning plan and the kids now have a schedule for their responsibilities, as do I. So I've done everything I set out to do almost a week ago except figure out how to fit in strength training. That schedule is coming soon, so stay tuned. But I've 1) gone to the doctor, 2) gone to Weight Watchers, and 3) made my household cleaning schedule. That's a start. I feel a lot better mentally tackling all of this rather than just feeling sorry for myself.

cross-training; Weight Watchers

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

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

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

trying to stay positive; 5.5km

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

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

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

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

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

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

6K fartlek

This morning: got up early and met Kelly at the Taylorsville High track instead of my usual track (East High). It's close to Kelly's work, and halfway between our houses, more or less, so it's perfect. It has a very nice Mondo surface in fabulous condition, and convenient parking and easy access. The weather was beautiful this morning, and I'm savoring that while it lasts. It won't be shorts and T-shirt weather much longer. It was 11.1C (52F) and calm and clear, and the moon, Venus, and Jupiter were all lined up beautifully - a gorgeous sight!

I did the usual 1600m warm-up with strides, in 10:12; legs felt pretty good. Did some bridges for glute activation and then I got started on the workout. I felt really good for the first 3k and then I did get tired, but I'm still pleased with how I did, especially considering that I did 8K at 6:21/km yesterday. My fast 500s were all 2:50-2:53 except the last one, which was 2:55; I did get pretty tired at the end (though I continued to push very hard). My medium effort 500s started off well (3:06!) but then quickly degenerated to over 3:10...to 3:14. Still, I finished the workout in 36:08, which I am quite happy with.

I'm also happy because I've managed to maintain my weight through the move. I was 152.6 this morning, which makes me very pleased. Only a few more pounds to drop to be at racing weight :). Realistically, that might take a while, and the holidays are coming, so I have to be careful. But that's the lowest I've been in a couple years, since the mystery illness took hold. I'm so glad that I'm feeling better - it's amazing to be healthy, and I don't want to take it for granted.

Garmin data here. 

Here's a photo of the track as I was leaving.

5K fartlek

There's still been a lot of stress re: house selling efforts, but I'm mostly handling it pretty well. Mostly. My resting HR has remained at 52-53 which seems decent, so at least that's something. But it's hard having strangers tromp through your house and dealing with all the stuff that comes with selling a house. 

I didn't get enough sleep last night and wasn't feeling much like a workout but I'm glad I did it. Not that it went well, because it didn't really, but because I did feel better after I did it. 

The warm-up was a bit sluggish but not too bad, with a few strides thrown in. I had to do the workout on the road (mostly but not totally flat) because the gym was closed until 4pm for staff training (the U undergrads start next week, so they are preparing), so the indoor track wasn't an option. The outdoor track is close to being ready to use again (a week or two more?) but it is still not an option either. 

I started off and in the first km I knew it wasn't a good day. My first km was 5:51.5 (2:56, 2:56 essentially...) and it didn't get better. But it didn't get much worse, either, which is good. I was supposed to do a 6K fartlek, but when my last km was 3:09 (medium effort) 2:58 (very hard effort on slight uphill) I called it quits. I wasn't discouraged but wanted to be sure not to overdo. Am still feeling fine about things, and just figure that today was an "off" day. I can live with that.

My average HR was 165 during the workout, which is pretty high; 2 min recovery was 130, also pretty high. I have to keep an eye on this and see where it trends. It's a bit concerning. Stress reduction is needed, so will try to take good care of myself. 

Garmin data here.

Good news: the scale is moving! I've been tracking carefully with Fitbit and it said 154.0 this morning and it hasn't been that low in at least 18 months. I'm pleased, though I suspect some of that will come back on as water weight in the next day or two. Still, it was 165 this winter, so it's definitely going in the right direction :). 

5x1km

Yesterday: elliptical; got up late so only 25 min :/ but I guess that's better than nothing.

Today: 5x1km. Weather: lovely for training, at 11.1C (52F) and overcast. Perfect for shorts and T-shirt. I did a 1.5km warm-up, throwing in a few strides along the way, in a quick 9:31 (slight downhill at the end). I SO wish that the track was open...I miss it...but 800 East works OK in a pinch. It's not flat, but the inclines are slight. Slight and noticeable to a racewalker. Oh well!

Starting off on the intervals it was a slight downhill for the first km, then slight up for 500m and flat 500m. The third km was flat then slight downhill, and the 4th km slight uphill. For the 5th I did the slight downhill. You can tell from the times!!! My legs got pretty tired by the 3rd km, and then the 4th and 5th were tough going. My heart rate was unusually high today, both on the intervals and on the recoveries. On the last recovery it was only down to about 126; usually it's at least below 120 by 2 minutes. During the intervals it was in the mid 170s by the end of the 3rd-5th intervals, and it maxed out at 177 (! my max is supposedly 191!).

My legs felt OK, except that they tired fast. I did have possibly a slight (very slight) bit of the weird soreness this morning. I'm not 100% sure but am writing it down just as data.

Times: 5:36.8, 5:42.0, 5:42.4, 5:57.1 (uphill, slightly; tired), 5:45.3 (downhill, slightly, tired). Total 28:44 for the 5K. I'm still slow compared to what I used to be pre-illness, but I am improving slowly. I'm not sure I'll ever be as fast as I was pre-illness, but I just don't know what might happen. I will expect improvement and train for it and hope for the best.

Garmin data here. 

Side note: weight this morning was 157.8. I have lost about 6 pounds since January :). I've been working hard. This week I gained one back (lazy eating), as it had been 7. I'm going to buckle back down and keep working on this to get back to <150 a="" all="" and="" as="" been="" better="" but="" care="" challenging.="" discipline="" dogs="" eat="" energy="" for="" goals.="" happen="" hard="" has="" have="" helps="" hopefully.="" house="" husband="" i="" if="" involves="" it="" kids="" left="" lot="" my="" nbsp="" of="" p="" racing="" reach="" s="" sleep="" sleeping="" some="" takes="" that="" the="" time.="" to="" train="" want="" well.="" well="" what="" work="">

cross-training; 8K

Yesterday: I took it really easy. I was afraid of two things: 1) increasing any piriformis problems and 2) mystery illness relapse. I slept in a little and then only had time to do 21 min on the elliptical. That was enough; I am working hard on my eating and was quite careful. It was a co-worker's birthday and I did enjoy a very small piece of carrot cake (that I made for him) but had a very modest dinner of turkey soup to compensate. I feel good about how the eating is going now that I'm back from vacation.

Today: After going to bed early last night, I woke feeling better than I've felt all week. That's not saying much, but I did feel good. I went out for my 8K, and it was reasonably warm for February, at 36F (2.2C) and calm and overcast, with rain predicted. Well...they got that one wrong, as it's been snowing since about 9am! Glad I got my walk in early. The 8K went well; my piriformis felt OK, no weird soreness resulted, and I wasn't fast but wasn't slow either. It took me 51:44 for 6:28/km with ave HR 152. Sugar, my dog, sure enjoyed getting to walk with me again after a hiatus due to vacation and then bad weather on Monday.

Other minor items - I'm still a bit concerned that I could be having a little relapse of the mystery illness. It's hard to tell minor weird soreness from the piriformis issue; they are different, but there is some overlap. Also, I've been a bit fatigued this week but that could easily be attributable to 1) the time change from CA and 2) being back from vacation. Finally, I have lost a bit of the weight from vacation; probably some water, but hey, who cares? Scale's moving in the right direction. 162.4 this morning, down from 164.0 on Saturday. Hopefully it's a trend. I'm working hard. Need to get to a reasonable number by May to improve my 15K speed. Of course, being able to train will help equally. Hopefully we can increase the speed work one of these days. Seems like there are lots of roadblocks at the moment. I'm trying to remain positive and enjoy my workouts stress-free, but that's hard given that I'm worried about mystery illness and piriformis trouble.

Garmin data here. 

Below, snow as seen from work today.

cross-training; 8K on tired-ish legs

Sunday: weather was amazing for early February - low 60s and sunny - so couldn't resist some basketball with Calvin. Loren and Grace came to the park, too, and we all played HORSE for some shooting practice, and then Calvin and I played one-on-one half court for about 45 min. It was great exercise and a lot of fun, too! I'm a dismal shooter, so even though I am double Calvin's weight and a foot taller, he actually did pretty well against me. We were really breathing and worked up quite a sweat - Calvin's face was all red when we were done. He actually laid down on the grass and crashed when we finished. I regard it as a supreme accomplishment to have worn out my 10-year-old. I felt fine...yesterday...but today I'm quite sore :) (and Calvin is NOT!). 10-year-olds have some advantages!

Then last night the kids' youth group went ice skating and of course I couldn't resist coming along for the fun. I skated a lot and practiced all the moves I remembered from my classes. It was good to be back on skates again. My toe was very sore after the basketball and a bit sore after the skating as well; I iced it after each event.

Today: still nice weather. It was 54F (12C) and windy this morning. Not too windy to racewalk outside though. I wore lightweight tights and a long-sleeved shirt because of the wind; normally at 54F I'd wear short sleeves and shorts, but not today. I took the dog and tried holding the leash by draping it over my left arm and then holding the end in my fist, but it was too hard to RW that way, so I went back to tying her around my waist. I just hope she doesn't freak out randomly again.

My legs were pretty sore from yesterday's basketball and skating, and by 5km I was very tired. However, I still managed a decent time, and besides, time still doesn't matter. I just need to get out there and get back into it. I did the 8km in 52:20 for 6:32/km with ave HR 145. HR was lower than it has been - that might be a good sign.

Garmin data here. 

In other news, my boss got into the Wasatch 100 in the lottery. I think he's insane, but I admire it all the same. Our lab might set up some aid stations for him and cheer him on to the finish.

And finally, can't remember if I posted that I lost 1.6lb last week. I'm doing a bet on stickK.com, and welcome your support. I want to be at a decent weight for the 15K in May :).

Cross-training

Today was my cross-training day. It was bizarrely warm here yesterday (59F=15C!) afternoon, and it rained last night. Weird. This time of year it should be snow, not rain, not that I'm complaining. Anyway, it was warm this morning too, and so I got up a bit later, did only 30 min on the elliptical at the gym, and then rode my bike to work. In February!

Total of 52 min of good cardio :). That plus a large steaming mug of coffee made my morning a lot better. In addition, I've really been focused more on eating well, and that's made me happier and more optimistic. I know the weight loss will come when I have that kind of focus, and I need it to happen so I'm ready for a great 15K in May.

elliptical; 8K

Yesterday: optional day, but I decided to cross-train. I need to lose weight, and sitting around on my duff all day eating and watching football is not good for that. So I made sure that I got to the gym and did 45 min on the elliptical. I did watch football, and I did eat snacks, but I was careful.

Speaking of weight loss, please follow me on www.stickK.com to see how I do and to encourage me with my commitment to lose 8.6 pounds by May 9 (the weekend before the Riverside 15K). I want to be in prime racing shape!

Today: 8K. I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning, so decided to go in to work an hour late and then stay an hour later. No biggie; I'm 30 hr/week so there's some flexibility built in there. I got the kids off to school and then went for my racewalk. It was raining lightly (very light drizzle) but enough to get a bit damp; however, as it was a nice warm 42F (5.5C) I didn't mind too much. Sugar didn't seem to mind either. She enjoyed getting out and whining at all the other dogs on the route :). My legs started off very sluggish and the first km was about 6:45, but after that I started to feel better. The route I chose, along the new S line in SugarHouse, was a slight downhill from 1km to 4.1km, then slightly uphill back to 7km or so. That's reflected in my relatively fast splits (just over 3:00) from 1 to 4km. Legs did pretty well until maybe 6.5km, when I got tired. My toe was rather grumpy for the last 2km as well :(. Hopefully I won't have to back off because of that.

Totals: 8km in 51:34 for 6:27/km with ave HR 153.