Salt Lake City 1/2 Marathon

Photo: Leah, Cindy, me, and Sandi at the start.

This was my 5th Salt Lake City 1/2 Marathon. In 2007 I did it as my first 1/2 marathon ever, in about 2:20. In 2008, I improved my time to 2:14 or so. In 2009, I did it coaching for Team in Training, and I actually did 26 miles that day, all on the 1/2 marathon course, but obviously not timed! In 2010, I did it as an easy training day, because I was coming off of my foot injury, and I did it in about 2:20 again. This year, it's only been a bit over a month since I miscarried, and so my expectations were not high. Still, I have had some really fast times in training this week, and the course is a very fast downhill course (except for one good hill from mile 11-12), so I figured I might actually be pretty fast. It was nice to go into a race with no pressure at all. Jim told me I should do it at about 85% effort, which I mostly complied with - actually, the first 10 miles were probably more like 75-80% effort, and the last 3.1 was 85% effort.

The weather was just about perfect. It was 50F (10C) and overcast, with showers threatening. It didn't actually shower at all until right after I finished, when it rained lightly for a few minutes. I wore capri tights and a short-sleeved shirt, with my long-sleeved shirt over the top and gloves. I took off the gloves and the long-sleeved shirt after a couple miles, and was quite comfortable the rest of the race. I wore a baseball cap in case of showers, but didn't really need it.

I started off at a comfortable pace; there's a particularly nice downhill in the first mile and I knew it would be fast. I got to the mile marker in 8:51 though, which seemed unusually fast. My Garmin said 0.94 miles so I doubted that it was really a mile. Anyway, my heart rate was nice and comfortable so I just kept the pace. The second mile is much flatter, but I didn't see the mile marker anywhere. So I pushed lap when my Garmin said 1.94 miles, and it said 9:53 for the second mile. Hmmmm, I had no idea what that meant! I just knew I felt good and my heart rate was fine. There's a lovely downhill (the steepest on the course) from mile 2-3, and I took it nice and fast, getting to mile 3 (where there actually WAS a mile sign) in 9:04, for a total of 27:50. That seemed fast, but again, my HR was 152, so I kept going. I looked carefully to see my 5K split at mile 3.11 - it was 29:15! Oh my gosh, that was fast for the start of a half marathon. I thought either I was going to have a banner PR day, or that I'd crash and burn later. I suspected the former, since I was feeling great. I got to mile 4 (again, no sign - lame!!!) in 9:49, and then to mile 5 (where there WAS a sign) in 9:33 for 47:13 total. Wow, that was fast - much faster even than the 49:xx the other day, and I still had 8 miles to go, but I was feeling good. The course was much flatter here, so my times were a little slower, though it's hard to know exact splits with the terrible signage.

There was an aid station about mile 5.75, and it was just awful. I really needed a drink by this time, and wanted to take some nutrition as well. However, I had to actually almost STOP at the gatorade table and ask where the water was, because the volunteers were unable to keep up with the demand. This race always has aid station issues...ugh! Seriously, I think I lost 30 seconds here, and my time from mile 5-6 was the slowest of the race at 10:31. Despite that, I arrived at 10K (6.22 miles) at 59:45 - wow, that is faster than my (admittedly lame) 10K in Sacramento last year (60:02)! I was still feeling good so at this point I allowed myself to think that I might get a PR. In fact, I figured I'd PR even if I tanked a bit at the end.

The course is only slightly downhill or pretty flat from this point until about mile 10.5. Still, I kept good time, getting to mile 7 in 9:22 (there was a sign there) for 1:07:07 total, to mile 8 (no sign) in about 10:00 (another really lousy aid station lost me about 15-20 sec here), to mile 9 in 9:47, (passing 15K along the way in approximately 1:30:14!!! - gives me great hope for my 15K race next month!!!) and then to mile 10 (I took more nutrition just before mile 10 (clif shot blocks); yet another lousy aid station - the volunteer actually dropped the cup of water and I went on to the next person and had to wait a few seconds for the handoff - grrr!) in 10:15 (there was a sign here!) for a total of 1:37:10, which is actually a PR for 10 miles! You can actually see on my HR data for the race where I stopped at the 3 aid stations. How annoying. Yet I know the volunteers did the best they could; I think there just weren't enough of them. I suppose I should shut up and actually volunteer myself for a race!

Now I just had 5K left from mile 10-13.1. I decided it was time to bump it up a bit and give it some more serious effort to the finish. I figured a heart rate of around 160 would be good; I stepped it up and got to mile 11 in 9:40, with ave HR of 157. Then came the biggest challenge of this course - the hill up State Street to South Temple. It's long and gradual with a nasty uphill right at the very last part, just before mile 12. I kept my cadence high and focused hard, knowing that the rest would be gravy once I got this part. It was hard, but I made it to mile 12 in 10:22 (not bad for that hill!). I made it to 12.43 miles (20K) in 2:01:08, which gives me great hope for breaking 2:00 this summer for 20K in Sacramento (though this course is downhill so I'll have to work a lot harder there). Then the descent to the Gateway mall, where there were lots of people cheering. That's one of the best things about this race - it really gets the city out in force to cheer, and it's quite loud at the end as you go on the brick pathway through the outdoor mall. I got to mile 13 in 9:13, and the last 0.1 in 1:09 for a finish time of 2:07:37 (by my watch; the chip time might be a few seconds faster). I was totally thrilled! My previous PR was 2:11:18, and much more hard-fought than this race. This time I was just cruising for most of it and only worked hard the last few miles.

I'm not sure where this speed came from, but I'm not complaining! My coach Jim is wonderful, though. I texted him at the end of the race, knowing he was asleep (it was 1:15 am there when I finished). I figured I'd hear from him later today. However, he called me at 10:30 am (2:30 am his time) to congratulate me! Crazy guy! He just had a few thoughts about why I was so fast: 1) my workouts have been quite good this week, 2) my iron levels are probably really good (since I've been taking iron tablets for a year now), 3) I have a really good base of strong workouts for the last few years, which can carry one quite a ways, and 4) oddly enough, he said that my brief pregnancy might have helped. Sadly, he said that it's thought the Russians used to have their distance athletes get pregnant and then have early abortions because it supposedly helped their speed improve. How awful! I don't know if it's true or not, but hey, at least something good came of that horrible experience for me? Regardless of why, I'm just quite happy with this race, and I'm going to dinner and the symphony tonight with my husband to celebrate!

After the race, I went to work to take care of a few things. Here I am at my bench in the lab with my finisher's medal.


Garmin connect data here.

cross-training

Today was extremely, crazily busy. I was in the lab before 6 am getting together things I needed to give a presentation on zebrafish to Calvin's kindergarten class. Then I made it to the gym to squeeze in just 30 min on the bike before I had to get home, shower, and get Calvin, myself, and the stuff (including a microscope and some fish embryos) to his school. The presentation and activities I had for the kids took from 8:15-9:30, and then I drove to work to return the (much-needed) microscope. I had to make it back home by 10 to teach 2 piano lessons, and then drove back to work to do about 30 min worth of work before picking up the kids, eating a quick lunch, and taking Michelle to Kindergarten orientation. Whew. This is the first chance I've had to sit down.

So yeah, I just did 30 min on the bike. Perhaps later I'll fit in some Pilates. I think it's good that I'm taking it easy today - my foot is a bit sore from the week, and needs rest. I have the Salt Lake City 1/2 Marathon tomorrow morning, and the weather is actually looking nice for that - 46 for a low, but 64 for the high. Hmmmm, might have to break out the shorts? We'll see. I'm supposed to do the race at just 85% effort, since I'm not ready for an all-out 1/2 marathon yet, and also this is not a big goal race so I want to save energy for the workouts this week.

Now for a nap before taking the kids to a birthday party!

awesome 12K

Before I get to the 12K, I forgot to mention yesterday that I went and did weight training with Lisa after my 10K. I skipped it on Monday, and won't be able to do it tomorrow (I'm going to Calvin's class tomorrow to talk about zebrafish research at 8:15!), so I'm glad I got one day in.

***

To use some Kiwi expressions, I want to let all my mates know that I am rapt with my flash walk today. Translation: I want to let all my friends know that I'm thrilled with my fantastic walk today :). I've been talking with my friend Nyle too much I guess!

I didn't get enough sleep last night because I was at work doing a hypoxia experiment until 10:30 pm. Ugh! When my alarm went off at 5:30 I wasn't sure I'd make it. But I got up and checked the weather. Last night it rained and snowed, and it was supposed to be showery this morning, and so I wasn't sure about walking outside. But I was in luck! It wasn't nice, but it was certainly tolerable, and way better than the treadmill or indoor track. It was 36F (2C) and overcast, with a stiff breeze. I wore two long-sleeved shirts and my tights and gloves, and a baseball cap in case of showers. About 7km into my walk it snowed a bit on me, stopped, and resumed from 9.5-12k. In fact, by the end of my walk it was snowing quite hard. It wasn't sticking to the road because it was too warm, but between the snow and the wind it wasn't exactly nice.

That didn't matter though. I felt great today! The first 2-3k was nothing remarkable, and my legs even felt a little tired. However, I kept cranking out really fast 500s with a reasonable heart rate of 145-150, so I just kept going. As I went on, I felt stronger and stronger. I reached 5K in just 30:53, and got to 8K in 49:39. That is faster than I did the Canyonlands 5-miler (same distance - 8K) last March. My time for that was 49:52; admittedly, that was after a long layoff for my foot injury - but still, that was a race, and this just a workout. I continued on, feeling good, and reached 10K in 1:02:11, with ave HR still just 148. That's the fastest 10K I've done in a long time, and with my heart rate so low - I'm really pleased! Then I just had the 2K slight uphill home, which I did quickly, realizing I could get under 1:15 for my 12K without too much trouble. I finished in 1:14:52 for 6:14/km with ave HR of 148. WOW! My slowest 500m was 3:13 on the slight uphill back home. Nice!

I'm feeling so much better than I was last week, when I was discouraged by the whole getting back in shape process. It just takes a few good workouts to start feeling much better. I'm grateful for that.

My foot was slightly warm today, but I watched my technique and am icing it now, and it's going to be fine.

Garmin connect data here.

PIlates, 10K w/2x6' at 10K race pace

Last night Lisa and I did a couple Pilates videos. The first one was good and hard, but it was only 25 min, so we popped in another one. We liked that one as well, but didn't finish it all, because we thought 45 min of core work was enough for one night. Our Pilates class is not meeting this week because the national figure skating championships are going on at our gym (it has 2 ice rinks, etc.) and so they have turned the spinning room/Pilates classroom into the officials' lounge. So, we decided to do our own workout, and it was good. I'll be glad to be back with our regular class again, though.

***

This morning I was to do 10K (only 10K!) with two 6-minute bursts at 10K race pace. 10K race pace, if I were to shoot for 58:30 (which would be a 13-second PR) would be 5:51/km, or 2:55.5/500m (sorry...had to publish this 3x to get my math right - duh!!!). I figured for simplicity's sake that I'd just do 2x1K @ 10K race pace because it's close enough to 6 minutes.

The weather cooperated again - lucky me! It's supposed to rain and snow tonight, and April is usually rainy/snowy, so I'm glad for every clear day I get. It was 40F (4C) with a slight breeze.

I started off on the 2K gentle downhill from home to Liberty Park. My heart rate wasn't that high and so I figured I wasn't going that fast, but my 500m splits were 3:06, 3:08, 3:03 and 3:00 for that stretch, which is about normal or slightly faster than normal. At Liberty Park, I started the first of my 1K bursts, from 2K-3K. My HR did go up significantly as I cranked out two 2:53s - just a tad faster than 10K race pace - perfect! I felt good as I continued, and stayed pretty close to 6:30/km pace until my next 1K burst at 6-7km. My HR got a bit higher on this one, as expected, but I still managed to do 2:52 and 2:53 for my 500m splits on that fast burst. Just right! Then I had 3km to go home, and did a respectable job up the slight hill.

Total time 1:03:35 for the 10K, w/avg HR 145 and pace 6:21/km. That's a big improvement from a month ago when I did a 1:04:40 10K with ave HR of 150. Moving in the right direction!

2x2K/4x500

The weather was much more cooperative today than on Saturday. It waited to start raining until I got back from my workout! It was 42F (6C) when I went out, overcast, and no wind. Pretty nice, actually. I wore tights, a long-sleeved shirt, and gloves, but ended up removing the gloves after my warm-up. I did put them back on for the cool-down though.

I warmed up for 2K, deciding to do the same route as Saturday on 800E rather than the track. It's Tuesday, and the runners might be there, and I'd rather do long stuff on the road anyhow. After a few dynamic flexibility drills, I was off.

The first 2K felt a bit odd, at least the first 1K of it. My HR seemed low for the effort and I felt I couldn't get moving. However, it must not have been too bad, because I got to 1K about 5:4x and then finished the 2K in 11:28, 3 seconds slower than Saturday. Then I took 4' rest and did another one. The second one was hard but felt better, HR-wise, as it seemed like I was able to crank out a good effort, finishing in 11:36, 2 seconds faster than Saturday. Another 4' rest, and my HR got nice and low today! On all the rest intervals, it was below 115, and often almost down to 110. Nice!

Then it was time for the 500s. I was expecting the first 500 to feel short and easy like it did on Saturday. Wrong. It felt a bit long. However, it was fast, in 2:42. My legs were starting to feel it. After 2' rest I did the next 500 in 2:45, and by now my legs were starting to feel a bit like jello. My HR recoveries were still good, though, and I managed the last two in 2:42 (! nice!) and then even the last slighly uphill one was 2:49, which I was pleased with.

My foot felt great today - no problems. I'd been a bit concerned because it was somewhat sore yesterday, but the day off helped, and I really focused on good technique today during the workout.

I had a few GI cramps during the last couple 500s but nothing too serious until I got home, when it wasn't pretty. Sigh...this sport and my intestines do not agree with each other. Oh well, I still love the sport!

Garmin connect data here.

rest day

I'm taking one. I needed it! I was thinking I'd lift weights, but I'm not even going to do that. I will do some foot PT exercises, however.

foot

Foot update: it's a bit sore tonight, but not too bad. It aches and so I'm icing it. But considering I've done 57km (35 miles) in the last 4 days alone, including 6 km of hard speed work, I think that's pretty good. Hoping after a rest day tomorrow I'll be right as rain.

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.

2x2K, 4x500

The weather was NOT cooperating this morning. It was cold for April at 33F (1C) and snowing moderately. It wasn't sticking to the road, but mentally I have been so tired of dealing with the icky weather, and I really don't like snow/rain in my face. OK, that's wimpy, but it was how I was feeling this morning. The weather says we've had the usual precipitation for the whole month already, and it's only April 9th. So I'm not imagining things when I'm whining about the weather.

I chatted with my friend Erin on FB and she was encouraging, and we agreed I should just suck it up and get out there, so I did.

I was NOT in the mood for the track, plus I was worried the snow might be sticking there since it's a higher elevation. So I did my workout on 800E, which is mostly flat but does go down gradually from 2100S to 900S, which was my first 2K. I did the first 2K in 11:25, which was awesome. That's a good time when I'm in shape (and I'm not in good shape quite yet), so I was pleased. Of course, that was the slight downhill. Then I was hoping for 11:30 for the 2nd, but didn't have it in me on that slight uphill back, and I finished in 11:38, which is still decent given my current conditioning, but not really that good. However, my HR during my 4 min recovery after each 2K was good - it got down to just below 120, which I was very pleased with. I wondered how the 500s would go. The first one felt fast and surprisingly easy after the 2Ks - it was actually almost fun, and I finished in a very fast 2:45 (slight downhill, but still nice!). The second one was even faster in 2:42! Then I got a bit tired, and the third was 2:48. Finally, the last one was a slight uphill, and apparently a tad longer (0.32 mi vs 0.31 for the others when I uploaded it on plus3) so I'm OK w/the slower time of 2:55 - I was really working it.

The times were good, though not spectacular. I am happiest, however, about my HR recoveries in between intervals. Last week for my 2K/1K/2x500 my HR was only recovering to 130 by the end of the workout. Today, it was down to 120 or less every single time, even on the 500s, which I only had 2 min rest for. Yay! Now THAT is progress I can see! I'm actually encouraged that things are moving in the right direction. I needed a good workout to feel a bit better.

Hopefully I didn't work too hard today, though - I have 20K to do tomorrow. I told myself to keep my HR in the upper 160s but couldn't help pushing a little harder and it was in the low 170s at the end of every interval. I'm hoping that won't hurt too much tomorrow. I think some Pilates and/or stretching might be in order.

Foot update: I forgot to post about it yesterday after the 12K, but it was doing OK. It was maybe a bit warmish during the 12K but not bad, and later in the day it felt like I needed ice, so I did manage to ice it about 3-4 times yesterday. Today it was a bit sore when I woke, but I really worked on concentrating on my technique during the workout, and it felt fine during and immediately after. I'm icing it now, but the real test is usually how it feels later in the day. I think it's going to feel all right though. Still, I'm taking naproxen (Aleve) and icing, etc.

Garmin connect data here.

Pilates, 12K, random ranting

I did Pilates last night with Lisa (yeah, I dragged her into the class...she liked it!). I think I'm getting a bit better at it. It is still challenging, though, and a good workout. I'm not sure how much it's helping my racewalking, but it's not hurting it, I don't think, and the coach wants me doing it, so it's good.

***



This morning the weather was lousy. But not so lousy I couldn't go outside. It was 33F (1C) and lightly snowing. Blech. That might be OK in January or February, but c'mon, it's April and I'm sick of it. Yeah, I know that spring in Utah = snow on a regular basis, but I don't have to like it. And this spring has been wetter and more annoying than usual.

My legs felt leaden this morning. Really. from 6-12K it just hurt to be out. Add to that some GI distress, and well, it wasn't a very comfortable walk. However, I did well enough. I wasn't fast, but my HR was lower today, so seems like I'm making some progress. Total time for the walk was 1:17:45 for 6:28/km with ave HR of 146. At least it's done. I hope my legs recover a bit so that I can do speedwork well tomorrow. I guess if I'm slow, I'm slow.

Garmin connect data here.

***

Speaking of slow...I really hate the time period in training where I'm ramping up again. It stinks. Everything hurts all the time, and I'm walking slow and just don't feel good mentally. There's no excitement from having a really fast workout, and it's just a slog. I know it's only temporary, but it's hard to get through these 2 months or so until I'm in better shape. It's mentally tough. When I got home this morning I told Loren "I'm SO done with racewalking." I didn't mean it at all, but you get the idea. It's just hard to get out there day after day and work your behind off and feel like you're just barely moving in the right direction.

***

More random ranting: the government shutdown. My husband is a federal employee, so I'm obviously biased here, but I am SO FED UP with the morons in Washington. If the government shuts down, there will be no paycheck for him...he won't have to work, either, but no paycheck. We'll be OK for a while, but it will eat up our savings and might wreak havoc on our summer vacation plans if it goes too long. Others will not be so lucky, though - those living paycheck-to-paycheck could lose their homes. Those in the armed forces at the front lines in the wars (too many stupid wars but don't get me started on that either) will not be paid either - they will at least get IOUs from the government so will get back pay later (my husband won't get this), but what good is an IOU when you are putting your life on the line for your country? How will it feed your family back home? I am furious. Congress needs to remove their collective heads from their behinds (that's a nice way of saying it...).

15K

I woke at 5:15, ready to go, and hoping my foot would hold up. Last night I was anxious about this walk because of the GI problems last time, but this morning I was just ready to go. It was nice and warm at 50F (10C) but very, very windy - sustained 20mph winds with gusts harder than that, out of the south. Still, not bad weather. 50 and windy is quite tolerable; I wore long sleeves and tights with my gloves, but ditched the gloves about 5K and didn't need them after that. It's supposed to pour rain today, so I wore a baseball cap and tied my rain jacket around my waist just in case, as I didn't know when the rain was coming.

I started out well, and felt pretty good the whole walk. No GI trouble at all. Yay! Now if I could just figure out why sometimes I have trouble and sometimes I don't. Anyway, my first 5K with the downhill 2K from my house was 31:29, and then got to 10K in 1:03:55 for 32:26 for the second 5K. Then my legs got a bit tired, even though I was pretty fresh to start off with today. I'm just not quite back in the endurance mode yet. Still, the last 5K, including the slight uphill 2K, was 32:45, for a total of 1:36:41 (6:26/km) with ave HR 153.

Interesting note: I went around Liberty Park 5 times, because I wanted to stay reasonably close to home in case my foot hurt, and also near the bathrooms in case of GI trouble. During my 2nd time around I saw people setting up for a small race of some sort. On my 5th time around the volunteers cheered for me as I went by, so I stopped to ask what the race was and chatted for a few minutes. Turns out it was a low-key 5K for the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, in town for a conference. I really enjoyed talking with them and we were all musing about how happy we were the rain held off for our workout/race. One of the women said, "How many times have you gone around the park? I saw you when we were setting up?". She seemed very impressed that I'd gone around 5x. I explained that I'm a bit crazy, as I'm training for the World Masters this summer. Then I was off on my way home, buoyed by the conversation. Sure wish I had some people to train with...sigh...

Garmin connect data here.

cross-training

Because my foot is hurting, I did some cross-training. I got up a bit late (was in the lab until 11 pm last night...ugh ugh ugh!) AND was talking to my coach about my injury so I only managed 30 min on the stationary bike.

Then I did some foot PT/weight training. 3 sets of balance on dyna disk w/bouncing ball/bench press (dumbbells 30 lb ea arm); calf raises/rowing (70 lb, machine); lunges on dyna disk/lateral raises (10 lb ea arm) then ran out of time and did core exercises with Lisa. We traded some Pilates moves - she found some on video, and I taught her some from class.

Depending on how my foot feels, I *might* try to do a little treadmill later. Why treadmill? 1) can do w/the kids up and about; 2) can get off any time if my foot hurts at all. If it hurts at work, I won't even try though. We'll see.

foot again

My foot hurts. It was fine this morning for my 6K fartlek. However, I tweaked it going up some stairs at work today and now it hurts. Quite a bit. Hoping it will feel better in the morning for 12K. My workouts have been going well, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Pilates

Tuesday night...Pilates with Greta. Good class tonight; lots of ab work and bridge work. My glutes will be thanking her tomorrow on my 12K. I was able to do almost all of the moves, and my balance on the ball is improving a little. It's going to take a while though before I am proficient.

***

The weather is turning for the worse again. It was warm today and windy, which means that a storm is on its way. The high today was about 68F (20C) but tomorrow and the rest of the week it's only supposed to be in the 40s (4-10C) for a high. Ugh. Spring here is so crazy that way. Because it was so nice, I took the kids to Red Butte Garden to run around for a while before our weekly Diva's Cupcakes and Coffee date. We all enjoyed it a lot - both Red Butte and Diva's! I forgot my small camera, so no pictures, sorry.

6K fartlek

The weather was good this morning. It was 41F (5C) and slightly breezy. I'm laughing a bit as I type that, because my friend Nyle in New Zealand was very cold at 8C (though I think it was windier). It's all in what you are used to! She can race with the best of them in the heat, though, which will help her in Sacramento. I digress.

I was in a bit of a mental funk this morning. No energy, and not wanting to do anything. But I just bought a $300 plane ticket to Riverside, CA to go do the 15K in May, so I knew I had to go do the hard workout!

I got to the track and did my 1600m warm-up in 10:07, and lots of dynamic flexibility drills. Physically I was feeling good - hamstrings are not so sore and feeling much better. I figured it could be a decent workout.

The running club was at the track so now and then I had to shift to lane 2 to let them pass. My boss was there (he's in that club) and he said hi as I warmed up. It was nice to see a familiar face, even if it's slightly annoying to have to keep moving aside for the runners (they are very kind and appreciative about it though).

I got started and my times were OK today. I did NOT push as hard as I did on Saturday - in retrospect, I thought maybe I pushed a bit too hard. HR in the mid-170s is on the edge, and in the upper 170s-low 180s is definitely for the hardest efforts only (i.e. races). I don't recover as well from harder efforts and it's not necessary to push it THAT hard to get a good training effect. 170 is plenty hard...plenty. (Actually, in Dave McGovern's RW clinic, he estimated my max HR at 191, so 170 is about 90% - pretty high). Today's effort was hard but not as hard as I sometimes do this workout. My ave HR was 161, with my average for the recoveries in the upper 150s and my average in the fast segments in the mid 160s. Plenty of effort to get results. I felt really mentally tired today, and that was all I could push; in addition, my legs felt like Jell-O for the last 3K. (I did get through the first 3K under 18:00 though, in 17:56). My recoveries are still slow; as my cardiovascular fitness improves, those will get better. And today, my fast segments were a little slower too - probably because I was a tad conservative, wanting to make sure I got through the whole workout. My last 500m was really hard, though! I wanted to make it as fast as the first, and I succeeded. Overall, very consistent workout, and about where I figured I'd be. Total time: 36:28.

Here are my splits:
1K fast: 5:45
500m med: 3:08
500m fast: 2:52
500m med: 3:15
500m fast: 2:54
500m med: 3:14
500m fast: 2:55
500m med: 3:17
500m fast: 2:54
500m med: 3:16
500m fast: 2:52

Garmin connect data here.

Cross-training

Today was a cross-training day. I went to the usual Monday morning spinning class from 6-7am. I was 5 minutes late because I had trouble getting out of bed :( but other than that, it was fine. The workout was challenging, as usual. We did two sets of 20 sec high cadence, 10 sec recovery (repeat for 4-6 minutes) and two sets of hill climbs (cadence about 70, gradually increasing resistance). It was a good interval workout and I felt I worked pretty hard.

After that I lifted weights with Lisa. I did 3 sets each of chest fly machine (70lb x 12)/lunges on dyna disk (15 ea side); calf raises (15 ea side, one-legged, body weight)/military press (20 lb ea arm x 12); hip abductor machine (80lb ea side x 12)/lat pull-downs (70lb x 12) and then ran out of time. Then we did core work: ball crunches, oblique crunches, V-sits, rows, and pulling up to pike position with feet on ball (tough!).

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.

2K/1K/2x500

I have forgotten to mention how glorious the weather has been the past couple of days. It was nice and warm on Thursday for my 15K (42F, 6C) and calm. Yesterday it got up to 70F (21C) in the afternoon, and it was sunny and just SO wonderful. This morning it was incredibly warm...hmmm, suspiciously warm, at 56F (13C). When it's that warm in the morning at this time of year, it's the "warm before the storm" and sure enough it will snow. Yup, tonight it is to be windy with 1 to 3 inches of snow, and a low of 33F (1C). I'm hoping it won't stick much to the road so I can do my 15K in the morning, but it might be icky enough that I wait to do it until the afternoon tomorrow, when the snow is supposed to stop and it's going to be about 40F (4C).

Enough of the weather report. Suffice it to say that it was NICE this morning. I even got up a little late (for me) and didn't get over to the track until about 7:30. It was light out (instead of pitch black like at 6 am when I usually work out) and even (gasp!) sunny! The cloud cover came in during the workout, presaging the storm later tonight. Anyway, I warmed up with a brisk 1600m in 10:11. I enjoyed passing the one runner on the track :). Then I did some dynamic flexibility drills, trying to loosen up my still sore hamstrings.

I got started on my 2K. I was planning on about 1:08/200m to give me an 11:40 (5:50/k); I figured I could do that. But I was pushing hard this morning and I was even faster! Yay! I got to 1K in 5:42, and then pulled out the second 1K in 5:48 for an 11:30! I was really pleased - if I'm in good shape, I can do several 2Ks at 11:30. I'm sure I would not have been able to do several at that speed (yet!), but I was happy to do one that fast to start. I had a 4 min rest, and my HR only got down to the low 120s. If I'm in really good shape, it will get below 120 in that time. Oh well. Moving on, I did my 1K, hoping for under 5:45. I worked it very hard, and got a 5:42! Then I had a 3 minute rest. During that rest, an elderly man arrived at the track, and I recognized him from last summer. His name is Gordon, and he does the Senior Olympics a lot, and he is training for 9 track and field events in Mesquite, NV, next week. He was quite complimentary on my racewalking, and I enjoyed chatting with him for a few minutes before I had to go again. I was hoping for low 2:50s for the 500s, since I was pre-fatigued, but I surprised myself, pulling out a 2:48 on the first one. After 2 min rest (where my HR barely dipped below 130...yeah, still out of shape), I really wanted to go even faster on the last one. I knew it would be close, and I sprinted the last 100m in only 30 sec (!) to get a 2:47. Yeah, pretty much gave it my all on that one, with HR 176 at the end. I was glad to be done. Whew.

Some fast times for my current state of not-quite-in-shape, but they need to be a lot faster by this summer. We'll get there. I just have to do each workout well and then the rest is not really up to me, but up to my body. I'm just going to do all I can do to make each one good.

Garmin connect data here.

***

OK, now for the crazy part. Immediately after I finished this workout, I drove straight over to the gym for a Pilates class. I figured I could always skip stuff if it hurt too much. The Saturday class has a different instructor and it's a bit easier than the Tu/Th class, but it was still tough after a hard workout. I'm glad I did it, though. I managed to do just about everything, despite the pre-fatiguing of the hard track workout. Whew.

Total for the week (Sun-Sat): 3 weight training workouts, 3 Pilates workouts, 2 spinning workouts, and 5 racewalking workouts totaling 48.2 km (30 miles). Not bad. Not bad at all. I'm on track to get in the best shape that I can.

In other good news, the eating has been better this week, especially the last few days. The scale said 150.2 lb (68.2 kg) this morning, down from 155 (70.5 kg) around the time of my miscarriage. Good...it's moving in the right direction. Now to lose another 5 lb or so of unneeded rear-end fat.

Spinning & weight training

Continuing with my theme of getting into the best shape possible by July, I worked hard on my cross-training day. I took the usual 6am-7am Friday spinning class, and it's good and hard. We have been doing aerobic threshold sets, and today we did them at either 1) high cadence and low resistance w/sprints, or 2) low cadence & high resistance. It hurt. For some reason, a heart rate of low 160s seems much more painful on the stationary bike than when racewalking - not sure why, but it does. On a road bike it's not so bad...maybe it's the scenery? RW with that high HR on a treadmill is equally painful as the bike. I don't know why the scenery should matter, but I guess it does. Anyway, the spinning workout was good and hard, and I felt it really work my glutes. Thankfully, the hamstrings got a bit of a break, as spinning is easier on them than RW.

***

Then it was on to weight training with Lisa. I started with some leg stuff but then did more arms to try and give my legs a rest. Note: for weights, I almost always do 3x10-12 reps for each set, alternating exercises in supersets. I needed to do my PT exercises for my foot, so I started with 1) balance L foot on dyna disk and toss medicine ball at the wall/lateral walks with resistance band (for abductors - to ward off IT band trouble), then 2) calf raises, one-legged, no weights/bench press 30 lb ea arm. Then 3) lateral raises 10 lb each arm/row w/70 lb, 4) bicep curls (15 lb ea arm)/lat pull-down (only 60 lb this week), 5) tricep skull-crushers (12 lb ea arm)/chest fly (20 lb ea arm). Finally, core work: sit-ups on ball (upper & lower abs), pendulums w/ball (obliques), Russian twists w/ball (obliques), and rows (lower abs). Then stretching.

Pilates

I went to PIlates again tonight. It was the same instructor as usual for Tu/Th, but it was HARD tonight. Not sure if it was because I'd done 15K this morning or what, but there was a bunch of stuff that was seriously difficult. It kicked my butt - literally! My hamstrings and glutes are still really sore...good thing I'm not racewalking tomorrow. I'm going to spinning class, which won't be easy, but at least the hamstrings will get a bit of a rest. Then some weight training. Got to work hard if I'm going to be competitive in July!!!

15K

I was apprehensive about this workout. I was quite tired (I bailed on my planned session with the video bike last night, because I was too tired), and everything was a bit sore. My hamstrings were VERY sore, but my calves & glutes were also sore. But you never know what is going to happen, and I ended up having a decent 15K.

I got a bit tired at 6-7k, but then got a second wind at 10K. I even managed the last 2K uphill at a 6:33 pace. Not bad! Everything still hurts, now that I'm done. I should stretch today, but probably won't find enough time. I'm going to Pilates tonight, though.

I'm late for work so no more details right now...gotta go!

Total 1:36:16 for the 15K, ave pace 6:25k, ave HR 152.

Garmin connect data here.

10K

Today was a recovery 10K. It actually felt fairly hard. My glutes and hamstrings were tired from yesterday - probably from the combination of the 5K fartlek and the Pilates. Anyway, my pace was erratic, and I had to really work to keep 6:30/km after about 4km or so. Oh well, at least it's done. Hopefully I haven't worked so hard that I have nothing left for the 15K tomorrow. Well, whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger, right?

Oh, and it was 1:04:30 for 10K for 6:26/km with ave HR 151.

Garmin connect data here.

***

I was late to the gym for weight training, and also had to renew my membership. It's actually a bargain - $269/year (University of Utah discount price) for a gold pass, which lets me work out at any of the county facilities and also allows me to take unlimited classes - Pilates, spinning, etc. Anyway, by the time I started I didn't have that much time left to work out. My foot was definitely achy after this morning's 10K, so I made sure to do some PT exercises: balance on the dyna disk w/medicine ball toss against the wall, calf raises. I also did one-legged squats (body weight only), hip hikes (for abductors to ward off IT band problems), and some tricep dips. Then some core stuff w/Lisa: plank w/feet on foam roller (learned that in Pilates!), sit-ups on ball, hip-ups, heel touchers (for obliques). Stretching...ahhhhh....my poor hamstrings!

Pilates

I went to Pilates again tonight. I really like it - it's definitely not much in the way of cardio, and not as directly intense on individual muscles as weight training, but it really works the whole body in a very synergistic manner, especially the core. Tonight we did a lot of bridge work - for glutes and back, mostly. Some of the more interesting moves: bridges with feet on a foam roller, and then calf raises on the foam roller in the bridge position. Also, plank with the feet on the foam roller, then the same alternately lifting each leg. There were some tough balance moves, which is probably my weakest area. Anyway, it was good - and somehow even though it's taxing, it's very relaxing at the same time - darkened room, soft music, nice & quiet. Ahhhhh. No kid noise :).

5K fartlek

It was cold this morning, for the end of March. 28F (-2C) and it was windy, too. Almost windy enough to affect my times, but overall I don't think it was a factor.

I hit the track for this workout. The running club was there, but I got there late enough that by the time I did my 1600m warm-up in 10:09 (not bad!) and some dynamic flexibility drills, they were cooling down, and left lane 1 open for me.

This workout went pretty well. I gave it my all, and was pretty consistent from start to finish. I hit 3K in 17:53 or so, which is 9 seconds better than last week, and then I went on to do 2 more km. I'm improving, but now it's going to be a fight for each 10-15 seconds. It's going to take a while and I have to be patient. I have 3+ more months so hopefully I'll be ready by then.

Here are my 500m splits (rounded UP manually, since the watch rounds down on the Garmin connect website):

2:52, 2:53 fast
3:11 medium
2:53 fast
3:14 medium
2:52 fast
3:15 medium
2:54 fast
3:16 medium
2:53 fast

Total 30:12. Wow, that was a seriously consistent workout.

My foot felt fine this morning. Yay! Hopefully it will feel good the rest of the day as well.

I'm planning on Pilates tonight. I'm going to do all I can to be in the best shape ever. That's all I can do - work hard, and the rest is not up to me. My body will do what it's capable of.

Garmin connect data here.

a non-racewalking post :)

It's spring in Utah. That means daffodils...and snow on daffodils. Here are a few more shots of our yellow beauties.


I've been enjoying taking the kids to Diva's cupcakes for a little one-on-one time weekly. Calvin and I enjoyed some time together in the greenhouse two weeks ago. Some more photos here.


On Saturday, I took Michelle to a princess tea party at the zoo. Yeah, somehow, without my encouragement, she's become enamored of all things princess. Oh well, it's awfully cute! Her tiara belonged to my mom when she was a little girl, and then to me, and now it's Michelle's. More pictures here.


And speaking of Michelle, she asked me for a big rainbow pancake...and she got it :). Too fun!

Finally, in one of my finer parenting moments, I let Calvin run too fast on the treadmill. I was right there, and pushed STOP immediately, but face meets treadmill is not a pretty thing. Oops :(.

cross-training

Today was an optional day, but I'm feeling good, so I decided to do some spinning and weight training. The spinning class was quite good, as usual. I pushed hard but not too hard - my HR was 155-160 in the harder segments but not higher. I want to save some energy for tomorrow's 5K fartlek.

Weight training: bench press (30 lb ea arm)/L foot PT dyna disk w/ball throws; calf raises (one-legged, body weight, 15)/lat pull-down (70 lb); lateral raises (10 lb ea arm)/lunges on dyna disk 15 each leg (foot PT); one-legged dead lifts 35 lb/tricep skull-crushers 12 lb ea arm. As you can see, I'm doing some foot PT. My left foot is ever-so-slightly achy and I want to stave off problems. I've been focusing on my RW form, too. Let's hope it stays manageable. I think it will.

12K - better today!

I'm feeling better. The cold is mostly gone. I woke with a nasty headache though, and it was snowing lightly. Yuck. I decided to go back to bed and walk in the afternoon, as the weather was supposed to be nicer. It was :).

This afternoon it was 46F (8C) and sunny when I left on my walk. Capris and a long-sleeve shirt were just right - too hot at the start, but later the wind picked up and it became overcast, even raining just a bit at the end, and so I was glad I had the long sleeves.

I started off feeling pretty fresh, despite the 6K kickdown yesterday. I was really fast for the first 2K (it IS downhill, but not that steep), with 500m splits of 2:48, 2:57, 2:55, and 3:02, but my heart rate wasn't that high, so I just kept going, figuring it was going to be a good day. For the next 2K I did about 6:20/k, but my legs were getting heavy for some reason, maybe because I was going too fast? I don't know, because my heart rate seemed OK. I just kept on going. Just before 6K I passed the house of one of Calvin's friends, and his mom was outside raking, so I stopped to talk with her for a few minutes. The rest perked me up and I was able to continue at a good clip until 8.3K when I passed her again. Between the first and second time I saw her I decided I should invite their family over for dinner this week, so I stopped to talk to her again...I confess I didn't mind the rest! My legs were tired but when I continued I was able to hold up really well and posted some fast times up the hill - the last 2K had 500m splits of 3:13 (!), 3:22 (OK), 3:16, and 3:19. That's actually pretty fast for me for that 2K, and I was even happier with the total time. I finished in 1:16:20, with ave HR of just 151, and 2.5 minutes faster than on Wednesday for the same workout (and same route). Nice!

Two good workouts in a row. I think my body is recovering from all the insults of this winter. I'm encouraged and hoping for some more improvements this week.

Garmin connect data here.

6K kickdown

I still have the cold, but I'm feeling about 90% of normal now, so I figured a hard workout would be fine (and besides, I did a hard workout in spinning yesterday and then worked all day, and that went all right). The weather was chilly at 32F (0C), but it was calm and there was no precipitation, thankfully.

Today I was to do a 6K kickdown. Normally my kickdowns have been 4 splits, but since this one was so short, it was to be 3 splits of 2K each. Jim didn't say how fast to go - just however I felt, and to start a little faster than usual since it was just a 3 split kickdown.

I took his advice to heart! I know I always start these too fast, and I tried not to, but it's been a long time since I've done one, so of course I started too fast. I did have the help of the slight downhill on the north side of Liberty Park, but then I kept going too fast :). Oh well! I'm still happy with the workout. Why? 1) I did go faster on each split. 2) I had a very fast 6K overall, and I felt strong until the last 1.5 km; even then, I still managed to pull out a strong finish on the last 500m despite being very tired. 3) I now have a much better idea of pace than I did before. This takes a while to work out, especially after a layoff like I've had.

I really died on the last 1.5 km (though like I said I did manage a good last 500m). It hurt a lot, but in a good way. I feel I got a great workout, and that's the point.

Here are my splits: 2K (4x500m)

12:30 (3:06, 3:07, 3:04, 3:13)
12:00 (3:02, 3:00, 2:58, 3:00)
11:42 (2:52, 2:56, 3:03, 2:51)

Total time was 36:17 (my watch rounds down for some reason, hence the extra 5 seconds). I'm proud of this effort. It is 3 minutes faster than the hilly 6K I did in November when I was sick (OK, so this route was flat, and I'm feeling decent now though not 100% over my cold). I got to 5K in about 30:20, which is quick considering I started off at a 6:15/km pace. I felt really strong until the very end, and the endurance will return. I got a nice sense of confidence that I still have some good speed in there.

Garmin connect data here.

Spinning

This morning I felt slightly better. I am still quite fatigued and have the runny nose and congestion, but I did feel better than yesterday morning, so there was no doubt in my mind that I'd work out.

Today I was to cross-train. I attended the 6-7 am spinning class at the gym, and it was very good. The instructor actually cared that our cadence matched the music - love that. As a musician, it drives me nuts when the cadence doesn't match. Anyway, the workout was hard and good - 5 x 5' aerobic threshold intervals. A little on the boring side, when you're on the stationary bike, but you're breathing hard and working it so it's not so bad. My HR was in the low 160s for most of the intervals, which was about right for aerobic threshold.

The weather has been so windy this week. I was glad I wasn't outside, as it was horrible this morning. It's supposed to snow a couple inches today, and maybe a bit more tonight. Looks like it could possibly be OK for an outdoor workout tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, as I have a 6km kickdown to do, and I'd prefer to do that outside if possible. Because it's spring break at the U, the indoor track won't be open until late tomorrow, so my only other option is the treadmill.

still sick; 10K

I am still sick today. However, I woke up feeling much better than I did last night. That's not unusual for me, as I generally feel worse at night when I'm sick. I was really on the edge of doing my workout or not. I have a dry cough, a runny nose, swollen lymph nodes, congestion, and fatigue. But I felt like I could get through a workout OK, and when I checked the weather it said it was a very warm 55F and not raining yet! I looked outside, and my thermometer was reading 45F but it wasn't raining. Cool! Decent weather! So I got dressed for outside and started down the street. It was gusty and windy, but then it started to rain. Ugh. I had this feeling if I continued that it was going to pour, as we were supposed to get quite a storm. And I hadn't brought my rain jacket, and I started to think about the fact that I was sick, and the treadmill started to look appealing. After all, I could stop at any time if I didn't feel well, I could do a load of laundry while I was on it, and control the environment, more or less. So, I turned around and headed back home.

I threw on my new shorts (the ones I bought for World Masters) and hopped on the treadmill. I figured it would be a disaster, but it went well! I did stop at 30 min for about 3 min to move the laundry from the washer into the dryer (multitasking at its best!), and then 15 min later for a drink of water (another benefit of being indoors), but other than that it was steady. I had done about 2/3km (0.4mi) outside, so I had 5.8 miles to go inside. I did most of the indoor part at 5.8mph, and the last 1.4 km at 5.7mph. The outside portion took me 4:30, and the inside part took 60:15, for a total of 1:04:45 with ave HR 149. Not bad! I'm glad I did the workout. However, I'm paying. I'm really tired, so I'm leaving work early to get a nap before I have to pick up the kids from school.

Garmin connect data here.

***

Treadmill ruminations - I wanted to see how my treadmill did in terms of calculating pace, etc. I timed it for 0.62 miles (1km) at 5.8 mph and it was consistently 6:24-6:25. That's pretty close. It should be 6:25.8. The one km I did at 5.7 mph was 6:32, also right about spot on. The one question I still have about my treadmill is whether it is actually flat. My basement floor is not very flat (hey, it's a 1940 house!), but I have it in a spot I think is flat. I didn't have time after my workout to run to the garage and get the level, but I'll do that this afternoon. I'm curious. I think it's pretty close, but I'm not sure.

sick again :( :( :(

I've been feeling worse and worse throughout the day today. Tonight I feel terrible. I had to come into work for a little to do an experiment but I'm headed right home to bed. I didn't go to the gym tonight for x-training, as I felt lousy. I'll be lucky if I feel good enough for my 10K tomorrow. I probably won't. I'm coughing now, which means it's in my chest, which is usually how I decide whether I'm working out or not. If it's in the chest, I bail out :(. I have had sore throat, runny nose, swollen lymph nodes, and now, the cough. UGH. Hopefully this virus won't last like the one last fall...

12K; other stuff

I figured today might be slow. It was, but not too bad, all things considered.

Weather: 32F (0C) and breezy. It was kind of chilly! I wore my fleece, and that seemed about right. It was clear, though, which was nice. March-May are the rainiest/snowiest months in SLC, so I'm glad for every day that is clear.

I started off well - 6:14 and 6:11 for the first 2km. But the 3rd km was 6:27 and I knew it would be a slog after that. I managed to keep the pace OK for the most part, though by 6km I wondered if I was going to be 6:45/km average! My legs were tired. However, I just kept trying to keep my cadence and that seemed to work OK. My HR was not that high, but my muscles were complaining and I just felt sluggish. I picked up a bit around 9 km and did a 6:31, and did decently on the last uphill, so it was really just from 5-9km that was quite slow.

Total time 1:18:50 for 6:34/km and ave HR 151. It's a decent start. I have another 12K on Sunday and I'll do better.

Garmin connect data here.

***

I did Pilates again last night from 5:30-6:20pm. The kids were at swim lessons so it worked out well. It was a good class and I'm the tiniest bit sore today in the abs. I noticed because I did weight training this morning after my 12K and the core part was a bit sore.

So far I'm doing well adding in the Pilates and some extra x-training. Hoping to make it to the gym tonight for some stationary bike time. My cold is still annoying me, though - I'm tired, not sleeping the best, and still have a runny nose. Grrrr!

3K fartlek

Last night when I went to bed, I noticed I had a bit of a sore throat. Loren is recovering from a fairly nasty cold that kept him out of work on Friday, so I wasn't that surprised. I hoped it wouldn't get bad enough to keep me from my workout. Plus, it was supposed to snow. I can always work out at the indoor track on weekdays, so at least I had a backup.

This morning I didn't feel great when I got up; I still had the slight sore throat and also a touch of a runny nose, but it wasn't bad enough to keep me from my workout. I was also a bit sore from weight training yesterday.

The weather was sort of cooperative. It was 35F (2C) and snowing lightly-moderately, but at least it wasn't windy. Definitely better than the indoor track! I thought that the outdoor track might have snow on it. There was quite a bit of snow on the grass, but none on the road, so I opted for a road workout.

I warmed up doing a mile (1600m) downhill in a nice fast 9:48. I didn't feel that great for the first 1/2 mile or so; my legs were heavy and mentally I wasn't into it. However, by the time I finished the warm-up I was feeling better.

I started off with a reasonably fast 1K, with 500m splits of 2:48 and 2:52 on the very slight downhill. My legs felt all right, though I knew I'd tire fast. My first recovery was a disappointing 3:16, but I redeemed that with a 2:52 for the next 500m fast. I managed a 3:15 for the next recovery, but knew I'd pay in the last 500m. My legs didn't have much left, nor did my lungs. I just wanted to finish under 3:00 on the slight uphill, and I did, in 2:57. My total time was 18:02, which is over 30 seconds faster than Friday. That's good. It's still a pretty slow time, though, but I guess I can't expect much better right now, and that's OK. I'm just going to have to be patient, which I'm not good at!

Ave HR for the whole workout was only 163, so I guess I could have pushed harder? I don't know - it felt very hard at the time. At least I got a good workout. Hopefully my cold won't get too much worse. I'm feeling fairly tired and out-of-sorts now, so I'll try to get to bed early if possible. I am supposed to do 12K in the morning, and will have to be up early to finish in time to meet Lisa for some weight training.

If I feel up to it this evening, I plan to go to a Pilates class from 5:30-6:20. I'd really like to go, but if my cold gets worse, I might not.

Garmin connect data here.

Cross-training

Today I was to cross-train. I took a nice hard spinning class for an hour, and then lifted weights. Everything is feeling pretty good, but my left foot is slightly sore again. Grrrr. Hopefully it will be OK if I watch my form and baby it.

I've been exercising well with my new determination, but the food part has not been so good. I weighed 155 this morning, which is about 10-12 lb above where I would like to be in July. Not good. Time to stop the stress eating (which doesn't help anyway) and find something to replace it with. That's this week's challenge. Ideas: read with a cup of hot tea, take a bath, play the piano. I'm going to try some of these this week.

an old favorite

I wasn't sure I'd get to walk today, as the weather was iffy. It did snow last night, but it wasn't cold enough to stick to the street, just to the grass, and it stopped before I got up. Yay! I decided to do my old favorite route, SugarHouse Park. It's quite hilly, and so usually I avoid it when I'm trying to keep a certain training pace, but I think hills are actually quite beneficial, so I may do it more. In fact, I did manage to keep less than a 6:30/km pace on the hills today, though not without a good amount of effort.

The first km is a killer, up the steep hill by my house. It's always slow, and this time I did it feeling heavy-legged, in 7:18. I thought I was going to have a hard time after that - my legs were quite tired, and hamstrings still sore from weights on Friday. But I picked up the pace as much as I could and the 2nd km (slight downhill) was 5:59! I have no idea where that came from. I was encouraged, and kept pushing. It was chilly at 35F (2C), but beautiful with the snow and the pink glow from the sunrise. I love SugarHouse Park.

Around the park I went, doing the hills in quite respectable split times of 6:25 and 6:19, and then still managing the slight uphill to the 5th km in 6:34. Then I got to coast down the nice big hill at a 5:42km pace for the last 0.8 km and finished in 37:14 for 6:25/km, with ave HR of 153. I thought my ave HR was higher, as at times I was really pushing. Overall I'd say it was a moderately hard effort, about like yesterday. It was therapeutic for sure.

Garmin connect data here.

***

I'm about to go to the gym and hop on the bike for some cross-training. Jim suggested that extra cross-training was a really good way to improve my speed, so I am going to take it to heart and do the extra work. I'll enjoy a good book while I'm there at least :).

by way of explanation

It is probably clear to the readers of my blog that something odd has been going on with me. I have gone back and forth a lot in my mind as to whether I should write about this or not. However, after discussing it with friends and a reader of this blog (you know who you are...thank you!), I decided that it might be good therapy to write about it, and that it has potential to help some others or at least open up a bit more what seems to be a taboo subject in our society. Why that is, I'm not sure, and I think it would be more healthy if it wasn't that way. So I'm going to do my small part to make a difference.

If you are squeamish or sensitive, you might not want to read this. I'm not going to be graphic, but it's not a tame subject. You've been warned. Otherwise, read on.

On February 22nd or so, I was wondering a bit why I hadn't gotten my period. It's quite regular at 26-28 days and it was day 28. Insert a bit of history here - I have a severe luteal phase defect (7 days on average instead of 14) and my two children were conceived with the aid of fertility drugs. I was at the grocery store with the kids and thought to get a pregnancy test just in case (though I highly doubted I could be pregnant, since we weren't trying or taking any medication). They didn't have any on obvious display and I was in a hurry so I skipped it. Two days later, I knew I'd better settle the question, because it was nagging me even more. I picked up some tests and hurried home and took one. I about passed out with surprise when it was positive. I was shocked, a bit angry, kind of freaked out, and in disbelief. I spent the day in a fog and arranged for a sitter so I could take Loren out to dinner and tell him. He was equally shocked, but to his credit, he took it much better than I did and was even happy about it. I started to relax and get a bit excited about the whole thing.

Over the next 10 days or so I took it easy with my workouts (no more speed work, fewer miles, etc.) and planned things out in my head. I knew I shouldn't get too excited, as the risk of miscarriage increases a lot with age, and I was almost 41. Still, it was impossible not to think ahead and anticipate things like how great my kids would be with a new baby, how much my parents would enjoy it, etc.

On Monday, March 7, the day before my birthday, I had a very small amount of bright red spotting. Uh-oh. I freaked out and was quite upset. Funny, since this had been unplanned, but I guess the mother instinct is very strong. The spotting stopped and I was relieved and thought maybe it was OK. But on Tuesday night when I was out celebrating my birthday dinner with my friend Sarah, it started up again. It wasn't that much bleeding, but I was concerned and called the doctor the next morning. He saw me right away and did blood work to check my HCG levels. The next day I checked in with him and the levels were really good at 25000 (I was 6 wk 2 days pregnant at that point). He scheduled an ultrasound to see if all was well, and it looked great. I saw the baby's heart beating, and it was SUCH a relief, and such a gift to see that little heartbeat. The doctor said that things were much more likely to be OK after seeing the heartbeat, and he said the small amount of bleeding I was having was most likely due to the placenta's location - it was probably a bit over the cervix and it would move as the uterus grew, and the bleeding would probably stop in 7-10 days. He did say not to exercise until the bleeding had stopped, and I had already been cautious enough to stop, reluctantly, but realizing the necessity. He is a great doc and didn't promise that things would be OK, but just said it was more likely after seeing the heartbeat on ultrasound, and that things looked good at that point.

Well, unfortunately, things didn't stay OK. It was quite a rollercoaster week, emotionally. On Saturday, March 12th, I awoke at 5 am with severe pain. I knew it was really bad within 10 minutes or so, and I woke Loren up, telling him I knew I was having a miscarriage. The pain was bad enough that I had to breathe through the waves, almost like being in labor. It continued like that for 2 hours, and of course the bleeding increased. It was terrible, physically and emotionally. I cried the whole 2 hours, both from pain and from terrible sadness at the profound loss. Thankfully, the pain abated after 2 hours, and I was able to sleep for a while. The rest of the day was spent a bit in a fog. I cancelled my piano students, didn't do anything else I'd planned, and we ate dinner out so I wouldn't have to cook. I mourned and cried, but also hugged Calvin and Michelle tighter, re-realizing what a gift they are.

I didn't go to the ER, because Loren (trained in family practice though not practicing medicine now) said it wasn't necessary. I did go to see my doctor right away on Monday morning. He and his office staff were wonderful. I need to send them a thank-you note. They handled it so professionally and with so much compassion. They got me out of the waiting room full of pregnant women ASAP, found a comfy room to sit me in, and gave me some bereavement materials to read while I waited for the doctor, who was quite busy that morning. He was great, though. He did have to examine me, and it was rather uncomfortable, but I wanted him to do his job to make sure I was healthy. The main risk is infection, especially when you have been bleeding before a miscarriage, and even more so if there is any tissue that is not expelled. He didn't find anything, but of course didn't probe too much either, as early on the body is pretty good at taking care of things itself. He did prescribe antibiotics for me, which I am usually loathe to take as I don't like increasing antibiotic resistance. However, this time I agreed that it was wise, and have been dutifully taking them and enjoying the lovely GI side effects (no more details needed).

It's been a week today since this happened, and it's been tough. I think maybe I'm over the worst of the emotional pain now, but I'm not sure. A lot of things remind me of the loss; seeing a 5-year-old holding her 1-year-old sister's hand in Diva's Cupcakes and Coffee nearly sent me over the edge on Tuesday. Similar things have cropped up all week. I knew we wouldn't try again for another child, so in a way I'm mourning that as well; we had thought our family complete until this happened, but of course now a small part of me wanted another child, even if it was impractical. I had so many mixed feelings. Mostly profound sadness, but also some frustration. I had been disappointed that I wouldn't get to do the World Masters, but I figured I'd go cheer my friends on, and that I'd have the reward of a beautiful child at the end. Now that wasn't going to happen. Yes, I could still do the races, but how would I get back in shape again? So many setbacks this year. My body has been through a lot and I wonder how hard it will be to get it back into racing shape. I know women do this all the time - Kara Goucher and Deena Kastor, world-class runners, have both recently given birth, which is much more than I went through this time, and they are going to try to get back in shape for the 2012 Olympics. Still...it's a daunting task, made more complex by the fact that I'm an emotional eater and I've gained 5-6 pounds through all of this. I'm getting distracted here; I was talking about my feelings. Anyway, most of my feelings were sadness and depression-type feelings, with a few small feelings of relief (mostly financial!) mixed in. It has been so weird. I sometimes don't even know how I feel. Mostly it's just been very, very hard.

Racewalking has been great therapy this week. I should say first that my doctor cleared me for all kinds of exercise on Monday. On Tuesday, I was feeling terrible, and racewalking helped me to snap out of the lousy funk I was in when I woke up. Of course, racewalking has been a bit of a mixed bag, as I struggled through a simple 3K fartlek workout yesterday. However, I was expecting that, and it didn't upset me too much; still, it was hard. Today was good, as I managed a decent 10K, though not a great one. Given my condition it was as good as could be expected, though. I think I did lose a fair amount of blood, and my hormones are probably going crazy, so what can I realistically expect?

Another great therapy this week has been planning ahead for the World Masters and a fun summer vacation with the family. I chatted with friends this week and arranged for the three other "coachees" of my coach Jim to stay with me at my brother's house just outside of Sacramento during the races. It's going to be a lot of fun rooming together and racing together. My brother is out of town then and graciously made his home available to us, for which I am really thankful. We plan for Loren and the kids to join me there a few days before the 20K (the last race), and then we are planning a family trip to Disneyland after that. Thinking ahead to good times, enjoying my kids, working out, and working hard at my job have kept me sane this week, along with the comfort of my friends and family and my faith.

Then there have been the more surreal aspects of this. I didn't think I'd have to be worrying about birth control. Hahahaha. Well, I had to talk to the doc and Loren about that and come up with some plans for what to do. It's been interesting, and I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say that we are doing all we can to be sure we don't go through this again. That makes me a bit sad, oddly enough, but I know it's the wise thing to do. We knew that since we weren't using birth control previously that this could potentially happen, but thought it quite unlikely given my history, and were willing to take the small chance that we could have another child. We discussed it a couple times a year to be sure we were still willing to take the small risk. But now we know that the risk might be slightly greater, so we really have to take action.

Well, that's the end of the story for now. I know it's going to be a while before I feel totally normal again, physically or emotionally, but I do feel I'm on the road to recovery. Writing about it has indeed been therapeutic, and I hope it benefits someone out there as well. At least my blog for the past few weeks should make a little more sense now to my readers. If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading and thank you for your support.

determination

I have a new sense of determination. I have been dealt some lousy cards, but I can choose how to deal with it. I can either feel sorry for myself, eat too much crap, dwell on my slow racewalking (currently slow but not permanently so!), and generally be miserable, OR I can work to turn things around as well as I can. I can't control all the circumstances, but I can do what I can to get back in shape, and even try to get in the best shape of my life.

This morning I woke determined to walk the best 10K that I could. (I was to do it tomorrow, but weather is dictating that I swap things around; if I can walk tomorrow, I will, but it's iffy). My hamstrings were a bit sore this morning from the weight training yesterday, but I figured that wouldn't matter too much. I started off trying to keep a nice fast cadence and settle into a quick rhythm. I was a bit disappointed in the 6:22 for the first km, which is half downhill and half flat. However, I just kept on going. The second km was a bit better, in 6:16, and I kept the pace for the third km, also in 6:16. I noticed my HR was a bit higher than I'd like, and I wondered how long I'd be able to keep a good pace. My legs were a bit tired by 3-4 km, as they have been this week, and I thought that the wheels might fall off sooner or later. However, it never happened. I kept pushing, and my body kept responding. I continued with the 4th km in 6:23, and worried about the 5th km which is often slow on this route (don't know why since the 5th km is flat), but I did it in 6:23 also. I still kept wondering how long I could hold the pace, and got into Liberty Park in the 6th km in 6:13 (nice downhill for part of that one). I was now beginning to hope I could go under 1:05 for the 10K. On this route, the last 3 km are the hardest. I got to 7km in 6:16, and then the real work began. The last 3km is a gradual though noticeable uphill. I did them in 6:36, 6:37, and 6:38! I was quite happy with that.

Total time 1:04:04 for the 10K; ave HR was pretty high at 157 because I channeled much of my recent frustration into this walk, and pushed moderately hard.

Garmin connect data here.

***

In keeping with my new determination, I have decided to figure out how to attend some Pilates classes. My coach keeps telling me it would really be helpful, and I keep thinking I don't have time. Well, I'm going to make time. I went this morning after my walk to the 8:30-9:15 am Pilates class at the gym. It was good - parts of it were quite challenging, and parts of it were just a nice good workout.

starting over yet again...3K fartlek

This was my first speed work since February 21st, and it showed. I knew it would be slow. I was hoping for 18:00-18:15, but that turned out to be overly optimistic.

I had a good warm-up; 1600m in 10:18 with ave HR of 147. I felt pretty good. The weather was OK; it was clear and 38F (3C) but quite windy, so it felt cold. I kept my fleece on for the whole workout. Every time I went around the one side of the track, the wind blasted me in the face. I don't think it slowed me down very much - maybe 10 seconds for the whole workout? No, the only excuse for today is that my body is recovering and I just have to be patient with it.

I did some dynamic drills after my warm-up and then quickly set about the workout. It was too cold to do much else, with the wind! The first km felt a little hard, but OK. I did it in 5:50, which is pretty slow for me, but I figured I'd be all right. However, I knew I was in trouble when I saw my first 500m recovery - it was only 3:18, at least 10 sec slower than usual. Ugh. Then the 500m hard was very hard indeed. My lungs were OK but the legs were not. There was just no gas in the tank. I wanted to go faster, but I just couldn't. I only did a 3:01 for that 500m, and then a very pathetic 3:26 500m recovery. Finally, the last 500m came, and none too soon. I was wiped (how sad is that?). I went all-out and managed a 2:59. Wow, that was slow.

Total time was 18:34 with ave HR of 165. I'm pretty sure that's the worst I've ever done for this workout. I'm trying to keep a good attitude, though. I can only get faster from here, right? It's just hard. This week has been extremely mentally challenging, and I don't feel I have a lot of reserve to draw on. I just have to keep going. The times will get better - I know that. I have to hang in there until they do, and just do the hard work without the payoff. The payoff will come eventually, but for now, I just have to do the work.

Garmin connect data here.

***

After the workout, I went to the gym and lifted for a while with Lisa. I did bench press (30 lb each arm)/abductor machine (80 lb); then military press (20lb each arm)/calf raises (one-legged, body weight), lat pull-down (70lb)/hamstring machine (60 lb); then core work. Sit-ups, toe-touchers, Russian twists all with medicine ball; 1 min plank, then repeat the medicine ball routine. Then we did rows and bicycles. It was a good hard set. I noticed that I am pretty weak after not lifting for a couple weeks. That too will return with time and more lifting.

rest day

I was up late last night doing a hypoxia experiment at work, and I felt I needed the rest, so I slept in (for me) until 6:30 am, lounged around reading for 30 min, and then got up. It felt good. I am supposed to start getting back in the groove tomorrow with a 3K fartlek, so the rest seemed appropriate. Not that a 3K fartlek is a long workout or anything, but I've been through a lot lately and it's better to err on the side of caution. However, this does mean I have to be more careful about what I eat! So far, so good :).

5K & elliptical

It was amazing outside this morning - the freak warm & windy spell that means a spring snow is on the way. I could do without the snow, but the warmth this morning was great. It was 60F (15C) and I wore shorts and a T-shirt! So nice!!! I woke a little late, as I'm still getting used to the time change, but I had time for 5K before I was supposed to be at the gym to meet Lisa.

I didn't start out that fast, considering the downhill and all - my first km was the second slowest, in 6:30. But I picked up speed as I went, and though my glutes and hamstrings were just slightly sore from yesterday's effort, I was able to do the other km in 6:27, 6:25, 6:17, and 6:40 (uphill) for 32:21 total. Ave HR was only 148, so I'm pleased with today's walk. Hopefully the improvement will continue and I'll be back in racing shape. It feels a bit like an uphill battle: 1) the mental aspect of regaining fitness, 2) the 5 lb I gained due to stress eating/physiologic factors, 3) the inactivity of last week. However, all of those can be overcome with time and effort. I've just got to try to stay positive and move in the right direction.

On a related note, I registered for the World Masters last night - I am signed up for the 5K, 10K, and 20K. Can't wait! I'm going to stay at my brother's house (he'll be out of town) with my friends Nyle (from New Zealand), David (from Australia), and Lis (from Colorado). I'm excited!

***

After the 5K I went to the gym to meet Lisa, who wasn't there. So I decided to do 20 min on the elliptical. I need a little extra cardio to get rid of that 5 lb...sigh. I did 2.5 miles in the 20 min - 8 min/mile pace. My legs were tired after the 5K but to still manage that pace on the elliptical was good.

Garmin data from 5K here.

moving forward

This morning I woke up feeling quite down. I woke up early, w/o alarm, at 5 am. I just sat there thinking and feeling a bit sorry for myself for an hour or so. I wasn't at all in the mood to racewalk, but I knew I had to do it in order to get out of my self-pitying funk. So I dragged my sorry behind out the door and as usual, was not the least bit sorry. By 2K into the workout I felt much, much better.

Then I started to push harder, because I was feeling a bit angry and it felt good to exhaust myself physically. I pushed hard and was well under 6:30/k at 4 km (about 6:18/km) before the uphill home. I was originally thinking to do 8.5k, but after 3k I knew I wasn't up to that physically, at least not today. So after one loop of Liberty Park, I tackled the uphill back home and the 5th km was in just 6:21 (!). I don't think I've done that km of that route faster even when I'm in great shape. Then I was tired and did the next one in 6:38, which is average for me for that km when I'm in good shape, so still fast for my current condition.

I finished the whole route in 40:29, for 6:25/km, with ave HR 156 (yeah, pushing...). The endorphins lasted for an hour before I started feeling a bit down again, but I have gotten through the day pretty well, which is much better than how I would have felt had I not racewalked. A good part of the mood lift was due to my speedy pace, which helped me have confidence that my speed will be back soon, with training, rest, and good nutrition.

Garmin connect data here.

cross-training

Easing back into things gradually...very gradually. Today I did 30 min on the stationary bike, and got some much-needed conversation with my friend Lisa in the process. It's good to have girlfriends to process things with! The bike felt fine - no big deal. I felt like I easily could have done another 30 minutes. In addition, I got official medical clearance today to exercise however I like :). Yay! I'm not going to overdo, though, but with the base I had before, it shouldn't take long to be back in the swing of things.

very slow, but back at it

After not exercising all week, I just had to get out and racewalk. It's going to take a while to get back in shape again after my latest setback...ugh. Hopefully I have enough time before the World Masters in July. Well, I will just do what I can to get as fast as I can, and that's all I can do. I have to say that this morning's performance was fairly pathetic, but I suppose that is to be expected.

I did the 6.3K Liberty Park route in 44:42, for a paltry 7:04/km. But average HR was 152, so I was working hard enough. I shouldn't be too hard on myself, as that is all my body will do right now. That will change, and I'll be back. It's just going to take some time, which is the one thing I don't have enough of. Too many setbacks this winter; very frustrating.

I'll be back soon

Sorry I've been gone for a few days. I've had some personal issues to attend to. Everything is going to be OK, and I don't want anyone to worry. Really! Anyway, I did have to take a little time off exercising this week, but I am going to be back in the swing of things soon, training hard for the World Masters in Sacramento! :)

rough couple of days...

It's been a rough couple of days. I did manage 15 min stationary bike + 45 min weight training yesterday, but today was definitely a rest day...and probably tomorrow too...

short recovery walk

After the longer distance of 15.3K (9.5 miles) yesterday I decided to do a shortish recovery walk today. I took it very easy and did the SugarHouse Park route (5.8 hilly km) in 42:22. Ave HR only 142 - kept it very slow & easy. I felt really good - my hamstrings were maybe slightly sore but everything else felt great. That's how I want to be feeling as I gradually add a few more miles/km until the 1/2 marathon I'm doing on April 16th.

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.

Wednesday & Thursday

Wednesday: I did an hour on the bike & elliptical (30 min each) followed by abs with Lisa. Meant to do weight training too, but got up late and it didn't happen.

Thursday: Up late last night for work (36 hour time point...sigh...), so I felt tired and a bit lightheaded this morning. I also had a few GI issues even before I went out. So I decided to go short and take it really easy. I actually enjoyed my walk a lot; it rained very lightly on and off but it was warm at 40F (4C) and it felt great to be out there. I got in a nice slow rhythm and just kept it there on this hilly route. Took me longer than the watch time because I hit stop and then forgot to start again at an intersection, and so I missed about 4 minutes. I did 5.8k at only 7:06/km, but hey, at least I was out there. Garmin data here.

Oh, I have some new shoes that were mentioned on one of the racewalking Yahoo! groups, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. They are New Balance 205s, and they are light yet supportive, and they just feel really good. I got them on sale for $30 or so at Joe's New Balance outlet. Nice! Today was the 2nd day I wore them, and they are fantastic.

still taking it a bit easy

I'm still taking it a bit easy, as I was feeling off on Saturday night/Sunday.

Monday: stationary bike 45', then weight training.

Today: 8.6k in Liberty Park at 6:35/km. I felt pretty darn good. I was thinking to do 8.5K (twice around the park, plus to and from home), then was thinking no, maybe 6.3K (once around the park). I felt good after once around, so I did twice. It was nice this morning - chilly, but nice. It was 30F (-1C) but calm and clear. It's supposed to get up to 50F (10C) today! Yay! The worst of winter is over. However, we will still have some quite cold & snowy days. Still, it's nice that it's warmer.