Two Cities Half Marathon

Weather: about 50F (10C), or maybe upper 40s, calm, and clear. The promised showers never materialized, thankfully. Really perfect race weather. I wore my new arm-warmers for the first 3 miles or so then stuffed them in my shorts waistband because I didn't need them after that.

Warm-up: about 1500m with Diana, pretty fast, about 5:45/km. It was fun! We also hung out with Becky & Art Klein, Doreen, and Alex before the race (all racewalkers).

The race: It felt easy at the start to do a 5:45/k pace, so we started off at that speed, getting to the first mile in 9:21. Then the 2nd mile was a bit uphill, and my shoelace came untied because I forgot to double-knot the right one (and hadn't yet put lace locks on these shoes - bit mistake!). Diana went ahead, but after I tied my shoe I accelerated and caught her. Unfortunately, I pushed "stop" on my watch when I tied my shoe (habit from workouts...grrrrr) and then thought I hit start but actually didn't. I didn't notice for about 1km, until I got to 2 miles and looked at my splits in confusion. Uh-oh. How annoying! I felt very good through about 4-5 miles (Diana says our 5K was about 29:30ish; she was right behind me), and then I had to push a bit more to keep the pace. I was slowing, still, but after 10K (in about 59:30) I picked it up going down the nice hill and did a 9:14 mile. That helped my cadence increase a bit, and I felt able to push through the next mile (9:25) and then up the hill at a 9:50 pace, much faster than last year's pace up the hill. The hill seemed smaller this year, too, though the gradual incline after the big hill makes it hard to keep pushing to the finish. Still, I pulled off a 9:32, then a 9:36, and finally 2 miles in 19:07 (forgot to press lap at mile 12) and then 1:02 for the last 0.1 (slight uphill there).

Total time from the chip: 2:05:33 for 5:57/km (9:35/mile) and a new PR by almost 2 minutes! Jim figures that my 20K was just under 1:59 (seems right). I'm pleased that I walked a very consistent pace from start to finish (except for the hill) and that I felt so good pushing to the finish this year. Last year it was really tough those last 2-3 miles, but this year, while I was working hard, it was much better - I felt stronger and able to push, and kept my pace all the way to the finish.
Family photo post-race:

Awards: LOVE this race...post-race they give out sundaes, a hot breakfast, a finisher sweatshirt (in addition to the tech-T in the goody bag at the expo), AND great awards. For winning the 1/2 I got a gift certificate from a local running store for a FREE pair of New Balance shoes! I picked out these NB1400s (awesome shoes BTW). I also got a gorgeous charm necklace from www.endureshop.com, worth $68+. It has 2 charms, one that says XIII.I (13.1) and one that has the race logo on it.

Garmin connect data here.

elliptical

Today I did 30 min on the very lousy elliptical at the hotel. I wanted to do longer, but let's just say that the machine frustrated me, and the room was too hot. Enough said.

My legs are still quite sore from the driving on Thursday. I hope that I can still RW fast tomorrow for the 1/2 marathon.

I enjoyed a wonderful pre-race taco bar dinner with the walkers from the SF Bay Area. Very enjoyable to hang out, eat delicious tacos, and talk racewalking. It will be super to see everyone in the morning and walk with them!

10K with 2x6' at 20K pace

I felt stiff and very sore this morning. It really hurts to do a hard 8K fartlek and then sit in the car all day :(. I wasn't optimistic for this morning's 10K, but it turned out pretty well. I'm not so sure about the GPS readings this morning - sometimes when I went pretty easy my times were fast for 500s, and sometimes when going hard (on the 2nd fast 6' segment, for example) the times seemed slow. Who knows. Doesn't matter.

The weather was good - 50F (10C) and humid, with slight drizzles here and there.

The workout - started fast, with a few 2:59s for 500s, and then when I sped it up for the first fast 6' segment it wasn't much faster, at 2:55 and 2:52 from 2K-3K. Then I eased up a bit until 6K and my 2nd fast segment was 2:52 and 2:59 (? really? working harder than that...weird).

Total time 1:00:53 for 6:05/km (9:49/mile) with ave HR 147.

Now to rest up (x-training tomorrow) a bit before Sunday's race (Two Cities Half Marathon).

Garmin connect data here.

cross-training; 8K fartlek PR

Yesterday I cross-trained; 1 hr on elliptical and core exercises with Lisa, including a 2 minute plank :).

***

Today: 8K fartlek.
Weather: 35F (about 1.5C?), clear, and calm. Chilly.
Other: ate a banana before the workout and it sat like a rock in my stomach. I often have a banana so not sure what was up this morning; later in the workout I got a bit of a side stitch. Didn't seem to affect me too much.

I felt good and fast. 5:28 for the first km, then fasts were all 2:45-2:48 and medium 500s were 2:58-3:03. Total time - new PR of 46:07. Ave HR was 165 - working it good and hard. I'm tired now.

Garmin connect data here.

an off day

Yesterday I took a day off. Today I had an off day.

I was to do 12K. First, I overslept by about 15 minutes. Then, it was raining. And, I felt nauseated for most of the workout (Michelle had some stomach flu thing and threw up twice on Friday, and my stomach has been off since Sunday night).

As for the rain, at first there was not much - just drizzles, but during the last 4-5k of my walk it was raining pretty hard. I wore my baseball cap and my new waterproof jacket (works pretty well!); it was 40F (4C) and I was as comfortable as one can be in the rain I suppose. My legs got a bit chilled (wearing tights, but they did get wet) and though I started off reasonably well, with my first 5K in 30:40, but by about 7.5K I really lost it (think splits of 3:22, 3:23, etc), and my 2nd 5K was 32:20. I just could not keep my legs moving very fast. It felt weird. Between the rain and the nausea and the chilly legs I was fairly miserable and just wanted to be done. Plus I was late and had to get the kids to school. I gave up, and packed it in before I could finish the last 1.8K.

Total: 1:04:24 for 10.18K, 6:18/km, ave HR 145.

I forgot to bring my Garmin cable so no connect data right now.

I still feel icky. Wish I could get a nap this afternoon, but there's no way that's going to happen...sigh...

30K

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

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

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

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

Garmin connect data here.

USATF-Utah/Wasatch Walkers 3K race

Our club had our first judged race in 3 years, so I rearranged my training schedule to be able to do it; I'll do my scheduled 30K walk tomorrow instead.

It was cold (33F, 0.5C) but calm and fair at the 8 am start. My warm-up was short (just 1k) as I got to the race a bit late because I had to bring my husband (he was timing) and kids (Calvin took video, and Michelle just watched). I took off as fast as I could while keeping good technique, but I wasn't as fast as I wanted to be. I was hoping for perhaps a 5:20 pace, but my splits were 5:23, 5:27, and 5:33. Sigh...no fast twitch muscles right now, which is what happens when you are training for a 50K. I was working it really hard and there was just nothing there.

Still, it's a 23-second PR, so I can't be too unhappy with it, but I admit I was a bit disappointed. My coach said he was thinking I'd do low 16s...I thought that 16:30 was more likely, honestly, but I was hoping the coach was right. I was closer to the truth. Jim says my fast twitch muscles are just not properly activated, and that if I did another 3K soon it would be lots better.

When I finished I had a serious coughing fit. My exercise-induced asthma hates the cold. I've got to start remembering to bring my inhaler with me on the cold days. My face was also really cold and numb-ish. I noticed I had a bit of trouble talking just after I finished - the muscles around my mouth didn't work quite right! Funny, because it wasn't THAT cold, but I guess I'm not used to it after the nice warm summer and fall. Bummer...

The weather is supposed to be a bit warmer (41F, 4C) for my 30K tomorrow, for which I'm grateful. Now to figure out a convenient route near home.

Side note about the 500m splits: the watch automatically did the splits at 500m, 1.5k, and 2.5k; they were close but not exact - the 1k, 2k and finish splits I did manually at the marked splits, which were measured with a measuring wheel.

Garmin connect data here.

10K

It was cold again this morning, at 31F (-0.5C), and dark of course. I wanted to finish my 10K by 7 am so I could meet Lisa at the gym, but I was late getting out of bed and I was therefore quite late to the gym. I still went, and did some core work with her, but I wished I could have done more. Sort of :).

I was tired and heavy-legged this morning, and I knew after a few km that I wouldn't be fast. However, that's totally irrelevant, as I did a very hard 10k workout yesterday, and as my coach says, "The body is not a robot". No kidding. It has a mind of its own.

Total time 1:02:44 for 6:16/km (10:06/mile). Average HR 142.

Garmin connect data here.

10K fartlek - 39 second PR!

We had a cold front come through and it's quite chilly. While it's cold, it's not rainy or windy, so it wasn't too bad this morning. But I admit that getting up in the cold and dark to hit the track for a 10K fartlek is not easy at all. It was 31F (-0.5C) and there was a slight breeze at the track, which is not particular pleasant when it's that cold. However, I was warm enough; I wore tights, 2 long-sleeved shirts, the fleece Nyle gave me (just for 800m of the warm-up, at which point I was too warm in it), gloves, and a headband/ear warmer. Towards the end of the workout I even pushed the sleeves up on the shirts.

I felt good on the warm-up. I did the 1600m in 9:42, with some strides on the last lap. I stretched out a bit and got going.

Today's workout was strong and very consistent, and I'm proud of it. I focused a lot on keeping my technique smooth, bringing my knees and hips through low, and using my glutes. I worked hard on the last 4km to keep my pace up on the fast 500s, because I really wanted them all to be under 2:50. They were :), with almost all of them 2:48-2:49. And most of my medium effort 500s were about 3:02; the fastest was 2:57 and slowest was 3:05. It was a good workout, despite the cold and dark (it remained quite dark until the last 2km or so). I worked hard, but not excessively so. It's great to have my heart rate monitor back again! My ave HR was just 157, and my max 165, so I had a bit of room to spare. Mind you, I was not taking it easy at all though! I was just doing a good, hard, workout at a pace that was hard without bludgeoning myself.

Splits: 5K 28:47, 8K 46:24, 10K 58:09 (5:49/km; 9:22/mile).

Fun side note: there was a runner on the track too, and I lapped her about 5 times :). Yeah, she was slow, but still...I love passing runners!

Garmin connect data here.

cross-training

Busy day yesterday, so I didn't post. My cross-training consisted of the following: 1) 30' on the elliptical at the gym (4.22 miles), 2) weight training for 30 min + core with Lisa, and 3) biking up the hill to work (23' or so).

I was very tired and wanted to go to bed early, but I'm reading a friend's masters' thesis and was up a bit late working on it. I'm still not done and am meeting with her at 3pm today. Yikes! I'll fit it in somehow.

20K @80% effort

Sue and I at the 2008 Nike Women's Marathon (my first marathon)

Today's workout was 20K at 80% effort. It was a bit tough, for sure. I knew by 5K that I was working harder than on Saturday but wasn't any faster (in fact, I was a bit slower than on Saturday for the 25K). Darn. But what matters is getting out there and putting out the good effort.

The weather was decent; 48F when I started (9ishC?) and 46F when I finished - yes, a cold front is coming through and it might freeze tonight or tomorrow night. 48F is nice and warm for this time of year but it was a bit windy.

My legs felt heavy by 7.5K so I stopped for some Clif Shot Blocks and water, briefly. I was definitely working harder than on Saturday...ugh! I went on to 10K where I met my friend Sue, a talented runner (she's done the Boston Marathon), who had agreed to run with me/pace me for the last 10K. I was so glad to see her, as I was tired. She did help me to keep the pace; we stopped briefly at 15K for some more Clif Shot Blocks and also at 17.5K for a bathroom break (she needed it, but so did I as my GI system was acting up a little bit). My last 10K was about the same as the first 10K, despite how tired I was. Friends help. I wish I could train with Nyle...oh well...half a world apart.

5K splits: 30:33, 31:09 (1:01:42), 30:50 (1:32:32), 30:50 (2:03:22) for 6:10/km average and ave HR 145 (got my new HR monitor!).

Garmin connect data here.

almost 12K

Have to post quickly today - lots to do, sorry! I was to do 12K today, and I did 11.74 of it. My #$&@^ alarm clock didn't go off and I woke up late, so not only did I miss going to the gym w/Lisa, but I barely had time for a workout before taking the kids to school. I cut it a little short because I was so pressed for time :(. Oh well, close enough.

Weather - still really nice for late October. The computer (national weather service) said it was 50F (10C) so I dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, but when I got upstairs my thermometer said 44F (6.7C). Drat! I didn't have time to put on a long-sleeved shirt but I did throw on a pair of gloves. I was a bit chilly but not too bad, as it wasn't windy today. Calm and very beautiful by the end of my workout when the sun finally came up.

My 12K was to have 2x6' bursts at 20K pace. I've been improving a lot so I have no idea what 20K race pace is these days, but I figured it didn't matter much. I'd just push it nice and hard for 6 minutes and see what came out. My first 6' burst was 2:51 and 2:50 (fast!), and after that I did slow down a little. By the time I was about to do my 2nd burst, my legs felt sluggish and I pulled a few slower 500s (3:09). The 2nd burst was a little slower at 2:56 and then 2:51, but still a nice effort. It kicked my legs back into gear and I finished the workout pretty fast, even pulling some 3:08-3:09s up the hill.

Total time for 11.74km was 1:11:47 for 6:07/km (9:50/mile). I have no idea what my heart rate was, as the new heart rate monitor is not here yet; it will probably be a week or so before I have it.

Garmin connect data here.

awesome 25K

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

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

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

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

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

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

Garmin connect data here.

10K. Tired.

I'm tired. Don't know why I'm so tired, as this hasn't been a super crazy week, but I am. Maybe it's the mileage increase, unaccompanied by extra sleep. I have to try to do better on my sleep habits. It's almost as hard as working on eating habits!

I am still sore today from weights on Wednesday (shoulders, mostly) and my legs are a bit sore, too, probably from the fartlek yesterday. Still, I was able to do a decent job on today's 10K, finishing in 1:02:19 for 6:14/km. The weather was good (clear, calm, 46F (8C)), and there was nothing too remarkable about the workout.

After getting ready for work, I biked up to work again. I was really slow on the bike today - legs were just tired. I actually didn't feel much like working today, which is somewhat unusual for me since I like my job. But like I said, I'm tired.

Hoping for a good night's sleep to help me with my 25K tomorrow.

Garmin connect data here.

10K fartlek PR

It remains seasonably nice here. The days are beautiful, with highs around 65-70 (about 18-20C), and the fall colors are in full display. It was 43F (6C) this morning when I went to the track, and of course it was still pitch black out. But it was calm and really pretty nice. I wore gloves, tights, and a long-sleeved shirt, but ditched the gloves at about 6 or 7k into the fartlek.

I warmed up with 1600m in 9:53, with a few strides, followed by some dynamic stretching. I felt a bit sluggish on the warm-up, and that continued through the workout. My muscles are a bit sore from yesterday's rowing/weights/etc. but I'm not sure that's why I didn't feel 100%. Regardless, I never felt strong like I did last week, but I felt good enough to get it done and set a new PR. My legs felt quite tired even at 5K, and it was a hard effort to keep the pace, but I (mostly) succeeded. All my fast 500m intervals were 2:48-2:52, and my medium 500m intervals were 2:59-3:05 with one 3:07 (the last one). I screwed up my watch during the 6th km - forgot to push lap on time for my fast interval, and then pushed STOP when I realized my mistake and somehow didn't start it again until about 300ish meters had passed. Oops. My splits read 3:18 and 1:04 for that, but assuming they were actually more like 3:05 and 2:52, then my total for the 10K fartlek was 58:46. I'm happy with that, though I know on a day when I felt a bit stronger I could go faster. Gives me something to shoot for next week, I guess!

Splits: 5:33 (1K), 2:59, 2:49, 3:02, 2:50, 3:03, 2:52, 3:04, 2:52, 3:18 (probably 3:04 or 3:05?), 1:04 (probably 2:52?), 3:04, 2:51, 3:04, 2:52, 3:05, 2:52, 3:07, 2:50.

Other notes: The Army ROTC guys showed up at the track when I was halfway through my workout; however, they did some calisthenics and then played ultimate frisbee on the field, so they weren't in my way at all. Also, my heart rate monitor is still pretty much useless, but the good news is that Garmin is sending me a brand-new one! Yay! Good customer service this time. Finally, after I cleaned up and ate breakfast, I biked uphill to work. My legs were pretty much done when I got here! I'm feeling in need of a nap now, but I have to keep working for a bit longer.

Garmin connect data here.

cross-training

Rowing (10 min), elliptical (20 min), weight training and core (30 min). Then I biked to work (25 min).

***

It's my mom's birthday, so I made dinner for everyone to celebrate. Homemade whole-wheat spaghetti (yup, used my pasta machine!), salad, spaghetti squash, and chocolate chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert. Happy Birthday, Mom!

nice fast 20K

Today's workout was another 20K, but this time I was to shoot for 6:10-6:15/km. Basically, Jim wanted me to push it a little bit harder than usual. So I did, giving it probably 80% effort. Though my legs were a bit tired from yesterday, I was able to coax them into a good effort for a couple of hours. In other good news, I had no GI problems, and the weather was seasonably nice. By that I mean that it was chilly, but that it was a pretty nice morning for late October. It was 40F (4C) and calm and clear.

The first 5K was a bit harder than yesterday, but at 30:26 I wasn't complaining. The next 5K was definitely a bit harder, but I got in a good rhythm and was able to hold the pace, and finished it in 30:45 for 1:01:11 for 10K. Nice! I was a bit worried my legs would crash on me, as they were getting tired, but they didn't feel heavy and nasty and glycogen-depleted. I had forgotten my water (but not my sports beans, thankfully!) so I had to make sure I was in Liberty Park at the water fountain around 10K and 15K when I ate the jelly beans. That worked out fine, and I pushed to make it back to the park at 15K, with splits of 30:40 (1:31:50). I did tire during the last 5K; however, it's a slight uphill, and noticeable when your legs are tired. I still finished it in 31:11 for a total of 2:03:03. That's even faster than the fast 20K I did on Saturday :). Of course, I did push harder, so I'm glad I was faster. I think my heart rate was probably close to 150 most of the time, and more like 155 at the end. My HR monitor is still not really working, but it did have some readings at the end that looked OK. I'm waiting on Garmin customer support to get back to me.

I had a busy day at work, so I'm just now finishing this up at 3:30 pm, and I'm feeling decent. My legs are definitely sore and a little stiff, but it's not too bad. Tomorrow is a cross-training day, so at least they'll get a little rest from racewalking before my 10K fartlek on Thursday.

Garmin connect data here.

12K

The weather fooled me today. It looked overcast but dry; however by the time I got dressed and went out it started to rain, and it was 50F (10C). So I went back in and put on my new waterproof jacket and a baseball cap. It didn't rain very hard, but it rained moderately for about 20-30 min of my walk, so I was glad I had the jacket. Then it stopped and was clear. Not too bad, all things considered.

I felt good and walked pretty fast. I got to 5K in just about 30:10 (slight downhill). I figured this would be a good walk, as I was well-recovered from my 20K on Saturday (I took a rest day yesterday) and my legs were barely sore after the 20K anyway. About 10K I saw two girls with a kitten; I turned around just after seeing them (planned) and they were staring up a tree. The kitten had gone higher than they could reach. I asked if I could help, and they said yes. I got the kitten (easily within my reach) and asked if I could help them take it home. They said they were late to school for breakfast, and that their kitten had followed them and they were worried about it. They told me where they lived and I returned the kitten to their house (their uncle answered the door and was quite confused when I handed him the kitten - though he did figure it out!).

This must have been my day for adventures, because around 11K I crossed 700E and said hi to the school crossing guard stationed there. We chatted while I was waiting for the light and he asked me if I wanted a piece of gum...sure, why not? It turned out to be the new Extra dessert gum, mint-chocolate-chip flavor. Mmmmmm.

I went home a different way than usual, and it had a bit less uphill. I might do that again! It was nice!

Total time: 1:13:21 for 12K, 6:07/km and average HR is unknown (I finally have initiated a Garmin service request, so hopefully I'll be able to get a new HR monitor soon). If I had to guess I'd say my HR was about 150, but I really have no idea for sure. I'm feeling good about this walk and hoping for a good 20K tomorrow as well.

Garmin connect data here.

***

In other developments, I tried to give platelets again on Saturday. I haven't tried at all this year because of all the races/business/etc., and besides, I wanted my iron levels to have plenty of time to return to normal. Turns out that my hematocrit, which was as low as 35 last spring, is now 38 :). That's high enough to donate! However, I found out that ear piercing disqualifies you from donating for a year. I had mine pierced in June. Bummer. I was pretty disappointed about not being able to donate, but at least I know my hematocrit is better now.

a little video

Here's a video of me racewalking on Thursday afternoon; I'd done an 8K fartlek that morning so I was a bit stiff and hadn't warmed up all the way, but it looks all right despite that. Just a few minor form comments by the coach, so that's good.

fast 20K :)

Finally! A nice fast distance session!

Everything was great today - even the weather cooperated. It was 55F (13C) to start, and 61F (16C) when I finished. It was clear, with just a slight breeze, and really lovely. Fall here can be SO very nice. Of course, it can also snow randomly on you. Hopefully we'll get a few more weeks of nice weather.

I had no GI distress today at all. Zip. Zero. Nada. Now if only I could figure out why today was so good, and other days are so bad. I know that too much fiber is not good, and too much dairy is not good. But I'm thinking now that too much gluten also might be bad. Of course, too much food in general is not good either. Arrrrgh! Too many things to avoid. Seriously, I read somewhere recently (Runner's World?) that this one guy eats nothing but rice the day before a race. I'm thinking that might not be a bad idea!

I did the usual first 5K - 31:04, and was feeling good. I figured I'd tire soon enough; after all, I'd started out fairly sore from the last couple days of racewalking. But I was surprised to get to 10K in 1:02:07 (31:03), and stopped briefly for some jellybeans and water, and to refill my water bottles. My legs did get tired around 12-13K or so, but I was able to keep the pace and they never got heavy and slow like the last couple 20Ks. When I got to 15K in 1:33:10 (31:03) I was quite pleased and decided to push a bit to the finish to see if I could have a nice fast time. My last 5K was the fastest, in 30:59, which should total 2:04:09, but with rounding I guess it's not quite right, because my total was 2:04:06 :). Yay! That's the fastest 20K in a while. Actually, I just looked - it's my fastest 20K of the year besides races, and with really even splits too. Not too shabby at all! I'll take it!

Garmin connect data here.

10K

10K easy was on the agenda for today. I was definitely a bit sore this morning after yesterday's workout, and by 6K my legs were quite tired. I still managed a respectable time for the 10K, though. I finished in 1:02:58 for 6:18/km, and my HR was in the upper 140s (HR monitor still acting up of course...tried to change the battery but even my small screwdrivers aren't working on it...grrr!). My legs were really tired when I finished, but I still rode my bike to work. It was too nice out not to!

I'm enjoying the great fall weather. It's gone back to being nice and sunny and warm again, with highs in the upper 60s and low 70s, and lows in the upper 40s. This morning, it was 47F (8.3C) and clear and calm; I wore a T-shirt and shorts and was a bit chilly but it felt invigorating. It's supposed to stay nice through next week, though they really can't predict well more than 48 hours in advance here. Regardless, I'm enjoying it.

Yesterday my friend Nancy and I taught a racewalking clinic for our club in the afternoon. We got some good video of the club members and used it for instant feedback. With me behind the camera and Nancy giving everyone valuable tips, it was a lot of fun and everyone looked better at the end of the clinic. I think we may do this more often - it's not hard, and it was really enjoyable.

Hopefully I'll recover well and be ready for 20K tomorrow. If not, I'll be slow, but that doesn't matter. Time on my feet is what counts right now.

Garmin connect data here.

8K fartlek - 39 second PR!

Today's workout went fabulously well. I felt great, I was fast, and I felt strong for the whole thing. I needed the confidence boost, as I've been feeling a bit sore, slow, and even a little discouraged since the marathon.

The weather was quite nice, at 44F (6.7C), calm, and partly cloudy. I wore capris and a long-sleeved shirt, and wore gloves and a jacket for my warm-up. After a short warm-up (I was running late) of 1200m, I discarded the jacket and started the workout. I felt very strong for the first 3K (5:29.9, 2:56.7, 2:46.7, 3:00.2, 2:47.2) and realized that I was on track for a huge 5K fartlek PR. I then started to worry that I'd gone out too fast, and kept thinking that I'd fatigue and have to slow down a lot, but it never happened. I got to 3K in 17:01, and 5K in 28:38 - wow, that 28:38 is just 2 seconds off my previous track PR. Like I said, I thought I'd fatigue, but I didn't, and my fast 500s were all 2:48 or less. My recoveries were all from 2:56-3:04. Total time: 46:13, and yes, that's 39 seconds faster than my previous PR for this workout (46:52).

I'm really happy with this workout, obviously, and hoping that I didn't go so hard that I won't be able to do my 10km tomorrow and 20km on Saturday. I have no idea what my heart rate was, because my heart rate monitor is worse than useless at the moment - the graph of my HR is all over the place. I really need to call Garmin and get a new one, but I keep forgetting. It's hard to keep track of things for the whole family (for example, I forgot to send my kids to school with their forms for their school pictures today, and had to drive back over there with them later). Anyway, I digress. I'm not feeling terribly sore now (a few hours later, at lunch time), and hopefully I'll stay feeling pretty good.

Garmin connect data here.

***

Edited to add: Forgot to post yesterday, but I did 30 min on the elliptical, some weight training and core with Lisa, and then I biked to work. A good cross-training day.

slow 20K

I knew this one would be slow, and it was. I was still a bit sore from yesterday/Saturday/weight training/whatever. My coach even said it was OK to be slow today, but that didn't really make me feel any better about it. It's discouraging to feel like you're starting all over again! I know I'm not, that I have a good base, but still...ugh! Mentally I was fighting the discouragement for the whole walk, once I realized it wasn't going to go so well. I tried to think positively, but gave up after a while.

I started off fine, doing the first 5K in about 31 min, but then it got dicey fast. My legs just got tired. I felt a bit tired from 5-15K, and at 15K I just wanted to be done. The last 5K was ugly; my legs were heavy and tired. Oh well. I got it done. I'm glad tomorrow is cross-training.

On the bright side, the weather was OK (50F, 10C; calm and overcast with slight drizzle occasionally) and I had no GI problems at all :). And I discovered that the strawberry-banana GU is pretty tasty, well, as tasty as GU can be I suppose!

Total time: 2:09:23 for 6:28/km with ave HR in the upper 140s. My heart rate monitor is still acting up, though it was better on the last 1/2 of the walk. It said my ave HR was 153 but that is definitely wrong as it was spiking a lot in the first 5K.

Garmin connect data here.

12K

In brief...

Weather: 44F (6C) and calm and clear. Pretty nice out. I wore shorts but my legs got a little chilly; should have worn capris. Long-sleeved top and gloves worked out well, though.

The walk: I felt really good, and had no GI problems. I'm really trying to keep better track of what I eat exactly so that I can figure out the culprit(s). My heart rate monitor was going a bit crazy again, though it did work for a good portion of the walk. I did the 12K in 1:15:07 for 6:15/km, and I'm guessing my ave HR was in the low 140s. I forgot to bring my cable to download the watch data, though.

Post-walk: Took the kids to school, showered, ate, and took the car into the shop (oil change, front brakes). Then biked up the hill to work...ugh...it's even steeper from the shop on 800E and 200S than from my house. Now my glutes are sore!

17.5K instead of 20K...

GI trouble was the order of the day. Admittedly, I did not eat as well as I should have yesterday. Still...3 stops by 13K took its toll, time-wise, and I didn't have much time to lose. I arrived at 5:45 am to start my walk so I could finish before the 8 am club race that I was to be the timer for. I had to be at Winchester Park at 8 am...had to...so this limited things a bit. 3 stops took a while, and add in running into my friend Sarah (first person I saw on the trail this morning! the only other die-hard out there that early in the rain!) and going slowly after a while because of the GI problems, and you have a recipe for not finishing the workout.

The weather started off icky but got a little better. It was about 42F (5C?) when I started, with a light rain for the first 45 min or so. It did let up, and it was not windy, thankfully, but I my feet were wet, and it was quite chilly. I wasn't too cold when I was walking, but each time I stopped I got cold and it took a bit to warm up. Between the weather and the GI problems, the misery index on this walk was pretty high, say 7 out of a maximum of 10.

Oh well...it's done now, and the purpose of the walk was achieved - I just needed to have a good base for the training to come. Jim is e-mailing me my schedule in the next day or so, and it's going to be lots and lots of km, sounds like. That's what happens when you are training for 50K!

Total time: 1:52:25, ave pace 6:25/km, and ave HR???. My HR monitor was wonky the entire walk. I might put in a new battery. If I can't get it to work I'll have to call Garmin to see if I can get another one, because this is ridiculous.

Garmin connect data here.

cross-training; 10K

Yesterday I cross-trained with 30 min on the elliptical. I would have done more, but it was a tight squeeze fitting everything in; we had parent-teacher conferences in the afternoon so I had to leave work early. Hence, I had to get to work early and that left me less time to work out. Oh well! The kids did have fun at school yesterday, though - it was crazy hair day:

***

Today I decided to do 10K before meeting Lisa at the gym for some core exercises. The weather was lousy yesterday (it snowed! did not stick, but it snowed), but it was much better today. It was about 40F (4C) and calm, so for the first time this season I wore gloves, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. I got too hot, so ended up taking off the gloves and rolling up the shirt sleeves, but then I was fine. Better to have them than not to! I felt great today. Seriously great! The first 5K (contains slight downhill) was in 30:50 or so, and the 2nd 5K (slight uphill) was about 31:18 for a total of 1:02:08. Ave HR was 144 (though the HRM was spiking again so it's perhaps a couple beats lower).

Tomorrow our walking club has a 5K race. My coach said earlier in the week that he might let me do 20K on Saturday...so I think I'm going to do that (early) and then I have volunteered to time the race for the club. Someone has to do that, and they'll all appreciate it if I do. I'd rather do the 20K at this point than a 5K race - more in line w/my goals for the next few months (building to a 50K).

8.5K before the storm

It's supposed to rain for the next couple days, but early this morning it was nice. Upper 50s (about 14C), a bit windy and overcast, but great walking weather.

I decided on a quick 8.5K so I could get home and clean up and get a bit more ready for Calvin's birthday party this afternoon. I did it in 52:51, for 6:13/km with ave HR of 147. I felt really great this morning other than slight soreness in the glutes, which did not bother me at all while walking. Legs felt good and strong the whole walk.

Garmin connect data here.

Happy Birthday, Calvin!

My little boy is SEVEN! When did that happen? I find myself thinking back to the day of his birth. Wow, a lot has happened since then. When he was born, I was a miserable, overweight couch potato who had no idea what racewalking was. On the other hand, some things stay the same - work, other hobbies, etc. Anyway...I digress. Calvin is wonderful and I'm so thrilled to celebrate his seventh birthday with him :). He's really excited about it too, and it's so fun!!!

 

11.26K (7 miles) on treadmill...wheeeee!

I decided yesterday that I'd do 12K today. I woke up today to rain. Icky rain. Pouring rain. I'm ashamed to say that I wimped out and went to the gym and got on the treadmill. I figured since it's still a "rest" week that I don't HAVE to brave the elements if I am not in the mood, so I didn't.

I still hate the treadmill. I had to drive to and from the gym so then I was short on time (hence the 11.26K not 12K). By the time I finished it was merely drizzling and I was thinking I really should have gone outside, rain or no rain. It's warm in the gym (probably just 70F, 21C), so I was sweating profusely. The treadmill bores me to tears, so I did have some TV shows on my iPod, which helped. However, it was still not really that great.

The treadmill is in miles, of course. I know 12K is about 7.4 miles but like I said, I couldn't quite get there time-wise after driving to the gym because I had to take the kids to school. Anyway, converting it all to km, I did the 11.26km in 1:10:30 for 6:16/km with ave HR of 144. Seems about the same as I'd probably do outside. Outside would have been nicer I think...maybe...

Oh well, it's done.

Sunday & Monday

Sunday: rest day. Awesome.

Monday: 6.25K easy, and felt great. Just went around Liberty Park once (time constraints...got up late...lots of work in the lab). I was fast, though...38:37 for 6:11/km; it says ave HR 154 but it was more like upper 140s - the HRM was spiking again mysteriously. Grrrr!

After I walked, I went to the gym and did weight training stuff. Bench press, hip abduction on hip cybex, assisted pull-ups (did some with only 30 lb of assist...maybe someday I can actually do one unassisted?), hamstring one-legged dead lifts, plus a bunch of core exercises.

Then I biked to work, up the hill (great cardio!). After work I biked to the kids' school and then walked them home. A good exercise day :).

Garmin connect data here.

Feeling good again

I had a great walk this morning. I felt really good, and kept cranking out nice fast 500s along the way. I think I'm recovering well from the marathon. The chafing under my right arm is finally healing up as well. I am still enjoying the recovery walks, but think I'll be ready this week or next (whenever the coach decides) for some hard workouts again.

I decided to do 2 laps of Liberty Park today, plus the out-and-back from home. The weather is still picture-perfect; it was in the mid-50s this morning (probably 13C?) and calm and beautiful. Fall here has to be one of the nicest seasons, for sure, and this fall has been particularly spectacular for walking (except for the rain and hail during the marathon!). Loving it!

Today's totals: 8.5K in 52:34 for 6:11/km with ave HR of something less than 150. I say that because my heart rate monitor (HRM) is spiking again at the start of workouts, probably because I'm not getting it moist enough. In any case, it said the average was 150, but in reality I'd guess mid-140s.

Garmin connect data here.

Now for some serious housework - the fall decluttering, cleaning, and fix-it weekend continues.

12K

I'm taking the day off work to get stuff done around the house, so I'll be quick and to the point today.

Weather was gorgeous; 57F (14C) and calm. My GI system was ugly. Really ugly. I'm not 100% sure what I ate, but it was bad. Really bad. Thankfully, Liberty Park has several restrooms. Unfortunately, not all of them have toilet paper. That's all I'm going to say about that.

My legs felt good, though, and I did the 12K in 1:16:57 for 6:25/km despite the GI problems. It would have been several minutes faster otherwise, I'm sure, as my ave HR was only 138. I actually enjoyed the walk, other than the pit stops.

I was supposed to meet Lisa at the gym afterward, but I decided that proximity to a bathroom at home was a good idea. Turns out it was OK, but still...better safe than sorry.

My friend Nyle also had a 12K like this this week, only she was a bit faster despite her GI problems. Still...no one wants to have a walk like that.

Garmin connect data here.

cross-training

Today I was planning on 12K, but work got in the way. Long story. Anyway, I did manage 30 min on the recumbent bike at the gym, and then I biked to work as well. It was just as well, since my glutes are pretty sore from some one-legged ball squats I did yesterday. The cross-training was just the thing for that (ouch!) and hopefully tomorrow I'll feel a bit better. I would like to do the 12K in the morning, if possible. I am planning to meet Lisa at the gym at 7 am, so I'd have to finish before then, which means getting up pretty early. Worst case scenario? I'll shorten it and do a longer one on Saturday, when I have a bit more time.

It's a good thing things are flexible right now, because the rest of my life has been slightly chaotic, especially work. The good news? I asked the boss for tomorrow off so I could have a badly-needed 3-day weekend to clean my house and get the rest of my life in some semblance of order. I used to work 20 hr one week and 28 the next week (24 hr average per week), but over the last 4 weeks I've worked a lot more than that...my previous paycheck was for 70 hours (35 hrs/wk) so you get the idea. My new schedule is going to be more like 30 hr/week, which is MUCH more do-able. That extra 5 hours makes a big difference.

another easy walk

Today I was planning on 8K, but the route I picked turned out to be 7.36K, and I was actually pretty tired and late to meet Lisa at the gym, so I just didn't add anything on to the route. My glutes are a bit tired - not sure whether from biking to work or walking or both. Either way, they will get used to the workload again if I don't push it too hard. I'm probably still recovering from the marathon. Total time was 46:38 for 6:20/km with ave HR 140. Slowish, but my HR was low and I did not push at all.

After my walk, I took the kids to school and then biked to work. It's still glorious weather, and I'm going to bike as much as possible so I can enjoy it. It was 58F (14C) this morning and clear and calm - perfect for just about any kind of outdoor activity. It's supposed to be 87F (31C) today - pretty warm for late September, but I'm loving it as long as it lasts.

Garmin connect data here.

8K

Today I decided to do 8K again. Nice and easy, not too far to allow myself time to recover. I focused a lot on technique, and especially on using my right glutes more. I feel like I really made some progress in that area today, and it felt good and strong.

Jim called me when I was at 6.7K and we chatted for a bit. He said I'll get this week to recover some more and then we'll dig into a new program next week, which is fine with me. We have lots of time until the 50K, and so I want to enjoy the down time while it lasts. After all, I know what's coming, and it won't be easy at all.

The weather was gorgeous - 55F and calm and sunny. I walked a flatter route today, down to Liberty Park and on 6th east; the only hills are at the start (down) and finish (back up). Totals: 49:44 for 8K, 6:13/km, ave HR 145, and yes the heart rate monitor was working right today.

Garmin connect data here.

easy (hilly) 8K

I'm enjoying an easy week with no pressure. Today I did a route I usually eschew because of the hills. However, with no pressure to obtain any sort of time, I reveled in a walk around SugarHouse Park. I felt great for the whole walk; the only little niggling things are 1) chafing under my right arm is not healed yet, and 2) left glutes are a bit sore - whether from biking or walking I'm not sure.

I loved passing a few runners this morning - that's always fun. The flowers in SugarHouse Park are still beautiful, which I'm enjoying along with the beautiful weather. It was 60F (15C) this morning, perfect for a walk.

Total time was 50:33 for 6:19/km with ave HR 148. The heart rate is a bit iffy, however, because my HR monitor was acting up and spiking quite a bit. The actual ave HR is probably a bit lower, though I'm not sure.

Edited to add: After the walk I got ready for work and biked in. I've been biking to work almost daily because of the gorgeous weather. Besides, it's great cross-training!

Garmin connect data here.

easy 10K

I have missed racewalking this week! The elliptical's getting a bit boring, so I asked Jim if I could walk today, and he said yes :). He said to do 10K easy. Yay!

It's DARK outside now until 7 am. Bummer. I had to go early because I had to weigh in at Weight Watchers (lowest weigh-in of the year at 149.2 - that's good but I am still a bit above where I probably should be...sigh...) and then pick up the kids from my parents' house and take them to Calvin's soccer game, which is on the other side of town. Wheeeeeeeee.

At least it wasn't cold. It was 54F (12.7C) and calm. Very nice walking weather, indeed. September is generally lovely here, and I appreciate that. I'm enjoying the warm weather as long as it lasts, because I know what's coming. It won't be long until that 4-letter-word starting with s and ending with w appears.

My glutes were a bit sore from some aggressive biking this week :) but other than that and the residual chafing under my right arm (which ITCHES now), I was feeling good. I started off well and did tire a bit around 5K, but got a second wind and finished decently, all things considered. I can tell that I'm not back to 100% yet, but it felt good to walk. My legs were a bit heavy for the end of the walk, and now that I'm just sitting here they're a bit stiff/sore in the glutes. Probably should still take it kind of easy this week, but I do want to walk. We'll see what the coach says...it's nice to have a coach to give you good advice about this sort of thing.

I've got a lot to do today, including some baking :). I won't get to eat any of it, which is probably a good thing - I'm making a white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce for our church's campus ministry. I'm also getting a haircut, teaching two piano lessons, and picking some pears off of our tree for canning. The one thing I do NOT have to do today is work...whew. Work has been pretty busy/stressful lately, but I got a bit of a break for the weekend, which I'm happy about. I've had a lot of molecular biology projects to work on since the untimely death of my co-worker last month, and though I'm really enjoying them, it's been high-pressure as we have a couple grants due in the next two weeks, and my boss needs the constructs to test out for some preliminary data for the grants. Still, yesterday I got over the hump on one of the harder projects, so that was a relief. The others are coming along as well, so hopefully the stress will ease up soon.

Oh, and the summary for today's walk: 1:02:46 for 6:16/km with ave HR 146.

Garmin connect data here.

more cross-training

It's been a nice week of cross-training. I'm starting to want to racewalk again, which is good :). Everything feels recovered except for the chafing under my right arm, which is still pretty nasty-looking.

Wednesday I did the elliptical for 45 min and then biked to work. The weather is glorious, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts and getting in some extra exercise.

Thursday I had to be at the dentist at 7 am for a crown (ugh...#6...my mouth is full of expensive stuff!) and so I bailed on the gym; I was really tired and figured I'd be better off sleeping a bit later. I did bike to work, though, so it's not like I was a total couch potato.

Today I did the same as Wednesday: elliptical 45 min and biked to work.

I have to ask the coach if I can racewalk again easy now...I'm getting bored with the elliptical!

what I've been up to...

Since the marathon I've been taking it easy, exercise-wise anyway.

Sunday: rest day! I was so very, very sore. Basically, all of my leg and butt muscles except quads and calves were killing me.

Monday: 30 min elliptical, and I biked to work and back home. Muscles feeling a lot better.

Tuesday: 30 min elliptical, plus biking to work again. I got a new bike rack for my bike, so I don't have to borrow Loren's any more. Almost feeling normal again today :) with just a little residual soreness.

Coach says we'll take 10 days to 2 weeks off of the hard workouts, but then it's back to work again. Next race is the Two Cities Half Marathon in Fresno on November 6th.

***

Been meaning to post a few pictures from the state fair - I took the kids last week but just now getting around to it :).

More photos here.

Top of Utah Marathon

Where do I start? So much to tell, and so little time.

Weather: upper 40s and low-to-mid 50s (8-12C) for most of the race; warmed up to about 60F at the end (15C). Soaking downpour 5 minutes before the start left us cold and shivering! Then it stopped and we just had intermittent showers for 15.5K (9.5 miles). But then the heavens let loose and it poured on us until 19K; from about 17.5-18.5K it was hailing little BB-size hail. YUCK! Quite miserable! I was chilled but not too cold; and it stopped from 20-21K only to start up again with the pouring and hail. It stopped again pretty quickly and then was intermittent showers until about 3 miles (5K) to go, when it was partly sunny and warmed up quite a bit. Not ideal weather, but it could have been worse; hot would have been much worse.

The race: in a nutshell, I was on pace for a sub-4:25 PR until the last 10K, when my legs became glycogen-depleted (yeah, I "hit the wall" for the first time in a marathon) and I lost a lot of time. A lot. I finished in 4:29:07, which is still a 9-minute PR, so I'm very happy with it. Still...am a little disappointed that I couldn't keep it up. Well, when you ramp up the miles quickly to get ready fast for a marathon, these things happen. Details: I felt good (but not great) on the first 14 miles, which were a very nice downhill, interspersed with some flat and a few short uphills. I got to 10K in about 1:01:30 and felt good, and to 20K in 2:03-something, still feeling quite good. The half marathon (21.1K, 13.1 miles) came at 2:09:58, and I figured if things continued well I'd be sub-4:25 (my goal for today) for sure. I was able to keep the pace pretty well from miles 14-18, though I was tiring. Then came the uphill from mile 18-20. It wasn't a big hill (not steep) but it was long and took a lot out of me. I slowed quite a bit and was never really able to pick it up again; in fact, mile 21 to the finish was pretty much a disaster, as my splits which had been 9:50s and 10:00s per mile (my goal was 10:06/mile) suddenly spiraled out of control to 11:00+. Ouch. My heart rate decreased and I was not able to push hard. I didn't even want to...my legs were heavy and I just was in survival mode, wanting nothing more than to finish. About 35K (22 miles) part of me wondered if I was going to finish, as I felt nauseated in addition to the heavy legs, but still I knew I wouldn't quit. The only way I could push was by telling myself that the finish would be there sooner if I did; when I realized at mile 23-24 that I would not be sub-4:25 I lost the will to keep pushing. It's a very weird experience, hitting the wall...and quite unpleasant.

They called my name and city at the finish, and I managed a wave and maybe a smile. I was soooooo tired - when I crossed the finish line I walked slowly and felt VERY wobbly - someone asked me if I was OK, and I managed a "yes" but was not so sure. My legs could barely hold me up. They gave me my very cool moose-print medal, and I wobbled off to the bathroom (no GI trouble until about 35K, and then I was able to keep things in check until the finish).

I am SO proud of my friend Sarah, who did the race with me and her brother Tim and her brother-in-law Daniel. It was her first marathon, and she had a goal of completing it in under 5 hours, and she did a 4:57! Wow!!! That's faster than my first marathon (4:59:49). I'm really happy for her!!!

More pictures here.

Garmin Connect data here.

3x1km at 85% effort

I like the taper. It makes me feel a bit antsy, but it's nice to have short, easy workouts. Today's was 3x1km @ 85% effort. I warmed up for 1600m and had a fun conversation while doing so. I was going around the track counterclockwise as usual, while the high school x-country team went around clockwise after getting back from their workout. Their coach was going around with them, and he saw me and yelled to me, "You doing Top on Saturday?", referring to the Top of Utah marathon.

"Yes!" I shouted back.

"I'll see you there!" he said.

200m later we crossed paths again.

"Looks like it might rain," he said.

200m later:

"Yes, it does, but hopefully it won't snow or be really hot," I said.

200m later:

"You staying up there Friday night?" he asked.

"Yes." I replied.

After I finished my warm-up and dynamic stretching, I talked to him for a minute before starting my 3x1km. I introduced myself and he said, "Oh, I know who you are. I'm Bill Cobler, vice-president of USATF Utah." He said he was planning on doing a 2:40 marathon (he's in his early 50s I think) but that he was going to have to slow it down to maybe a 2:50 because he tore his MCL a few weeks ago. Wow, that's fast, regardless. I was a bit embarrassed to say I was shooting for a 4:25, but I told him anyway.

We talked a few minutes more and then I started my 1Ks. I felt great today. My ankle didn't bother me at all (more on that below). My foot feels better after a rest day, too. I did 5:42, 5:42, and 5:41 for my 1Ks, with 3' rest in between, and the effort was not bad, with ave HR 151, 150, and 155 for the intervals. I'm ready for a PR, if all goes well :).

I figured out why my ankle was hurting. It has nothing to do with racewalking. On Sunday evening we were at my parents' house and I misstepped between their house and garage, twisting my left ankle on the 3-inch step. It hurt quite a bit and I was limping for a few minutes, but then it felt OK and I promptly forgot about it. Then on Monday and Tuesday it bothered me in my workouts and at rest; yesterday it was a bit better even though I walked around the state fair with the kids. Today it felt totally fine at my track workout and I was pondering this when I remembered twisting it on Sunday. Ahhhhhh, that makes sense! It's not a racewalking injury, and so the track workout didn't make it worse. Yay! I feel SO relieved. I'm ready, in good shape, and more or less uninjured (slight L foot issues, but nothing at all I'm worried about).

Garmin connect data here.

optional day

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

12K

Today's agenda was a 12K walk. My left ankle was a bit sore last night and again this morning, on the lateral side about 2 inches above my heel just behind and below the end of the fibula. Once I started walking it was fine; however, now that I've been done for a few hours it is quite sore and achy. I'm very worried. I always seem to get injured just before a race. Hopefully this is nothing a little rest and ice and ibuprofen won't cure.

My foot was also bothering me a bit this morning (the left foot, the old peroneus longus tendinitis) but after 3K it seemed to settle in and felt better. Ironically, it is feeling fine right now, while my ankle is really annoying me at the moment.

Other than that, there was not much remarkable about my walk today. I was a little tired from yesterday's hard 5K fartlek, but not too bad. It didn't seem to slow me down much. I did the 12K in 1:14:14 for 6:11/km with average HR of 142. 5K splits were 30:25, 31:06, and the last 2K was 12:32 on the uphill. Pretty darn good. Now if my ankle would just stop hurting...

Garmin connect data here.

5K fartlek - 28 second PR!

Today I was to do a 5K fartlek. The weather was absolutely perfect at 60F (15C) and no wind. It's a gorgeous day here today, and I wish I could bottle it up and save it for January.

I went to the track a little later than usual; I had something at work that had to be done by noon and I also had a 9:40am dentist appointment that made things more interesting. So I worked from 6-7:15 or so and got to the track around 7:30.

I warmed up for the usual 1600m w/a few strides, in 9:54. I felt a bit tense/awkward on the first lap, but loosened up as I went on. I made sure to do some dynamic stretching to loosen up my legs a bit more. The left leg is still tight in the upper hamstring/lower glutes; Jim thinks maybe my lateral rotators.

Once I started, I felt very good and fast. Maybe not as smooth as my interval workout on Saturday, but I was still quite fast. I was surprised to hit the first 1K in 5:28! Then very fast medium 500m and even faster fast 500m ensued. I was pushing hard; my average HR for the workout was 161, but still, this was fast. When I got to 3K in 16:57 I knew I had a great shot to get a PR for this workout, unless I fell apart in the last 2K. I didn't.

Here are my splits ... total time was 28:30.

1 0:05:28
2 0:02:58
3 0:02:44
4 0:03:01
5 0:02:44
6 0:03:03
7 0:02:43
8 0:03:02
9 0:02:44

Garmin connect data here.

I feel SO ready for this race. Now I just have to stay healthy and eat carefully!

bike ride

Today was a cross-training day, and the weather was gorgeous this morning - 60F (15C) and overcast, with a little wind. It was chilly when I started out on my bike ride, but I warmed up quickly enough and it was perfect in my bike shorts and a tech T-shirt. I biked to do an errand (which failed...sigh...) but then biked from there up the new bike path in Tanner Park to the new bike bridge over I-80 at Parley's Canyon. I'd been wanting to try that route for a while. It's pretty steep, but I made it up OK and enjoyed the views on Wasatch Blvd. I headed up Millcreek Canyon a little ways but stopped to turn around at the base of the first really big hill past the gate house, as my time was short and I didn't feel like tackling it (it's pretty nasty!). I rode for a total of 71 min, and did 25.33 km for an average of 21.2 km/hr, which isn't bad considering how hilly that route was. But I'm also no cyclist, and I was riding my husband's rather heavy commuting hybrid bike (as usual). It was fun to get out and enjoy the fresh air and allow my legs to recover a bit from racewalking.

Garmin connect data here.

3K/2K/1K/2x500

It was windy again today, but not quite as windy as on Wednesday's track workout. The flag photo was taken on Wednesday, when the flags were snapping hard in the strong wind.

It was 64F (18C), and with the wind it was definitely not too hot. It felt great. I wish we could have these temperatures for a while longer, but sadly it's going to start getting cold again soon.

I was apprehensive about the 3K in this workout for some reason, but I shouldn't have been. It went fine. In fact, it went more than fine. About halfway through the third km, I realized I might actually be fast enough to get a PR for 3K! I sped up to make sure I nailed it. I figured if I was a bit tired for the rest of the workout that it would be more than worth it. However, I not only got the PR (16:47 (5:35, 5:39, 5:33) or 6 seconds faster than my previous PR), but I also still had the stamina to do a good job in the rest of the workout. I rested for 4 minutes, then nailed my 2K in 11:12 (5:36, 5:36). I only got 2 min rest before I was to do 1K, but still pulled off a 5:30 for the 1K! I kept expecting to feel heavy-legged and tired, but in fact I just felt stronger as the workout went on. I got 2 min rest and then 500m in 2:42, 2' rest and 500m in 2:41. Done!

Garmin connect data here.

After I finished, I was chatting with an older gentleman named Gordon Scheffler who plans on doing the Huntsman Senior Games in a few weeks. He's a long jumper, triple jumper, and sprinter, and he is often at the track working out when I'm there. He is always nice & complimentary about my racewalking and interested to learn more about the sport. I plan to see how he does in his competition.

***

This has been a year of PRs for me.

3K track, 16:47, 9/10/11
5K road, 27:48, 6/25/11
5K track, judged, 28:04, 7/7/11
10K road, downhill, 56:32, 7/25/11
10K road, judged, flat, 57:31, 7/12/11
15K road, judged, 1:29:03, 5/15/11
10 miles, 1:37:10, 4/16/11
20K road, judged, 2:00:37, 7/16/11
half marathon, road, downhill, 2:07:31, 4/16/11

Every PR I have set has been set this year, with the exception of the marathon. Hey, good thing I'm training for one now! Pressure's on for next weekend :). Actually, I feel sure I can PR as long as I don't have really bad GI problems or something else disastrous. Here's hoping for a great race!

cross-training

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

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

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

16K

Weather: 65F (18C) and windy. Not much of a factor today.

The workout: 16K easy.

How I felt: Great for 5K, then OK until 12K, and then my legs just gave out. Lungs were fine, but my legs got heavy and had nothing left, like my 20K last week. This didn't hurt as much, simply because it was shorter and my legs got heavy at 12K with only 4K to go rather than at 8K with 12K to go. I expected this workout might be tough because of the 8K fartlek yesterday, and it was, but it could have been worse.

Total time: 1:41:19 for 6:20/km with ave HR of 142. My heart rate actually got lower at the end when my legs had nothing left and I just couldn't push. 5K splits: 30:31, 31:19, 32:19. 8K splits: 49:20, 51:41. Clearly hurting at the end.

Garmin connect data here.

8K fartlek

I checked the temperature before I went outside today. 63F (17C). "Good, that should work," I thought. But the minute I opened the door I heard the wind. Oh boy. It was really, really windy! Well, at least it wasn't cold.

I drove to the track and got started. The nordic pole walker was there again, as were a couple runners who were (annoyingly) running the wrong direction in lane 1. Fortunately, they went around me as I worked out. I warmed up for 1600m in 10:00 with a few strides in the last 400m. I was feeling pretty good but perhaps a little tight in my left glutes. I did some dynamic stretching and that felt good.

I started out with 5:36 for the first km and wished it was a bit faster. However, my medium 500m were really good today, starting with the first one in 2:59. All except one were 3:05 or less (and the other one was a 3:07). My fasts were 2:48-2:52. It was a good, fast workout. I wondered if it would be a PR for this workout but couldn't remember how fast my PR was. I was tired for the last few km, but not too bad; however, I was REALLY tired of battling the wind by the end. Every time I came around the south end of the track the wind blasted me in the face full force, and I'm sure I lost a second or two on every lap because of it. Seriously, it was fierce.

Total time: 46:58 (NOT a PR, but close; my PR for this workout is 46:52) with ave HR 156 (this was LOW for this workout! I sure thought I was working harder than this). Ave pace 5:52/km.

Now I'm feeling a bit sore but otherwise fine. In fact, I rode my bike up to work after the workout :). I hope that I'll be OK for the 16km (10 miles) I'm supposed to do tomorrow. Last week when I had 20K after a track workout I was pretty flat, but it was a longer, harder workout, so maybe I'll be all right tomorrow. We'll see.

Garmin connect data here

easy & fast 10K

Today's workout was 10K easy. It was pretty nice this morning outside; 63F (17C) and clear, though a bit humid. It's getting a bit cooler in the mornings, and darker too - a portent of things to come. I have to say that I do prefer walking when it's light, but that only happens for a small part of the year. This morning I used my headlamp, rear blinky, and reflective vest.

I felt pretty sore on Sunday after the half marathon, but by last night I was feeling pretty good and figured this morning would be no problem. I started off fast, doing the first 5K in 30:11, with my heart rate in the 140s. Pretty good! Every time my watch showed the 500m splits I was thinking, "Am I really going that fast?". I thought the GPS might be wrong, but it was showing the splits in the usual spots by the usual landmarks. I concentrated to keep my cadence and form, and worked on using my glutes as I continued. I kept the pace pretty well coming back up the hill at the end, finishing in 1:00:38 for 6:04/km (and 30:27 for the second 5K). Wow! That's my fastest easy 10K ever, I think...and my average HR was just 144. Nice. We'll have to see how tomorrow's 8K fartlek goes.

Garmin connect data here.

rest, cross-training

Yesterday I rested. I was supposed to cross-train yesterday and rest today, but it worked out better to switch them, and I'm pretty sure that my coach won't care. In addition to resting, I went to our church smore-a-thon and consumed bbq-type food and a couple smores. Yum! I did NOT overindulge, though :).

***

Today I made up for the rest with some extra cross-training. I went to the gym and did the elliptical for 45 minutes at about a 7:03/mile pace, and then came home and got ready for work. Yeah, it's Labor Day, and I'm celebrating by working. Hahaha. Extra stuff to do to pick up the slack since we're down a person. Anyway, I rode my bike to work, because the weather was nice (overcast, low 60s) and I felt like it.

***

The new Blogger interface is making it impossible to make a new paragraph. Anyone else having this problem? Help! Meanwhile, sorry about the paragraph issues in my last few posts...

I went back to the old interface. Not as fancy-looking, but seems to get the job done better for the moment.

Salt Lake Half Marathon and Relay - the PR that got away

Perfect weather this morning for a half marathon. It was in the low 50s at the start (maybe 10-12C?), and my fingers were pretty cold until about mile 3 when they started to warm up nicely. By the finish, it was warm but not uncomfortably so, at about 65F (18C). I was feeling good, too, with legs just a tad sore from this long week. I've done a lot of km this week - the most ever in a week, I believe, at 94.7km. That's 58.9 miles. Wow. No wonder my legs are sore! But otherwise I'm feeling good and feeling strong. Also of note - I did 202 miles in August (325 km), which is also a record total for me for a month. Sarah and I drove to Research Park (the finish) and left my car there, and then drove her car to the start. It was great to see her and catch up and enjoy a morning run/racewalk with her. She is doing the marathon with me in a few weeks, and it's her first one. She's been training so hard and I'm so impressed with what she has done. It's great to be able to share this part of my life with my friend :).

We warmed up a bit to stave off the morning chill, and we both remarked on our cold fingers! The start was about 1000ft (300m or so) higher than the valley, so it was cold up there. Soon the race was underway. I was supposed to do this race at 85% effort, and I think that's what I did, more or less. My ave HR was 150, which is less than 85%, but with the uphill and the downhill my LEGS gave an 85% effort even if my lungs didn't need to.

This race is hilly and beautiful, too - it goes UP Little Mountain, starting at the Mountain Dell Golf Course, and then down Emigration Canyon and through Research Park to finish at the Research Park Marriott Hotel. It's 4 miles of UP and then 8 miles DOWN and one mile flat/slight uphill to the finish. I was a bit intimidated by the hills, as I've done little hill training this year, but they proved to be no problem. I managed a 6:36/km pace for the first 4 miles (6.44km) and was happy with that - they were big hills. I passed LOTS of runners going up the hill, but lots of runners passed me going back down the other side. That flight phase helps the runners on the downhill for sure, whereas I can increase turnover and get a bit more stride length but am limited by keeping one foot on the ground.

I felt really good and pushed on the downhill when it came, doing mile 5 in 8:27! After that I was a little slower, doing mostly low-mid 9-min miles, until mile 11. I had some cramping and GI distress by the aid station at Ruth's Diner (the 2nd relay exchange for the relay runners) and considered using the port-a-potty there. However, there was only one port-a-potty and three or four people in line, so I figured I could make it. After all, there was only 5K to go. By mile 11 I knew I was in trouble. There is a park at the mouth of the canyon across from the zoo, and there is a restroom there. However, it's back a bit from the road so I had to walk about a minute to get there; add 2 minutes in the restroom and it was approximately a 4 to 4-and-a-half minute detour :(. The mile before my stop I did a 9:30, and the mile after the stop I did a bit faster (last 1.1 in 9:35 - is that possible? I think the mile marker was off), but the mile of the stop took 13:49. Ouch. So probably 4 min 19 seconds or so were lost, or at least 4 minutes. Bummer. Big bummer. I would have PR'd big time (probably by a minute or so) if not for the stop. I pushed hard to the finish, comfortably hard, but still hard, and frustrated by the stop. Oh well. This was a training walk, not a race, so the time was mostly irrelevant. I say mostly because of course I like to have a PR as much as anyone. Still, it shows that I am in fantastic shape and as fast as I've ever been. Assuming my GI system holds up and that I don't have any other major issues, I should be able to PR in the Top of Utah Marathon in two weeks. Yup, it's only two weeks away.

Total time 2:10:49 for 6:12/km (drat...was averaging a 6:03 before I had to use the restroom) with ave HR 150. Garmin connect data here. Oh, and more photos here!

10K

I felt much better today. I was still sore from Wednesday's 20K, but not too bad. The weather was PERFECT. A cool front came through and it was 57F (14C). It felt so refreshing and cool the whole workout. I'm sure that helped my time. The only bad thing today was that I had GI issues and had to stop for the restroom at 7K or so. Then I was fine. Not sure what I ate yesterday but something was not so good. But I really did feel great other than that. I felt smooth and fast and strong again. Whew. After Wednesday's 20K I was a bit worried! But the combination of rest (cross-training yesterday) and lower temps was very helpful. Total time 1:01:32, ave HR 143, 6:09/km. First 5K 30:33 (downhill & flat), second 5K 30:59 (flat & uphill). Garmin connect data here.

elliptical

Today I went to work really early, because I had jury duty. The jury duty got cancelled (yay!) so I had a bit of time this aftenroon before picking up the kids to go to the gym and do the elliptical.

I haven't done it in a while, but it went well. I did 7:01/mile pace for 5 miles. Not bad at all.

After that we cheered on the Utes in their season opener vs Montana State.

slow 20K

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

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

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

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

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

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

3x2K, 2x1K, 4x500m

I was still feeling a little sore this morning and not sure how I'd do on this workout, but really, that doesn't matter. All that matters is that you get out and DO them. So I went.

It was a bit cooler today at 69F (21C) and much less humid. I would say the heat was not too much of a factor today, unlike Sunday's 32K. There was a slight breeze, which helped. I still drank quite a bit of water by the time I was done.

I got to the track at 5:35am, since I knew this workout would take 90 min and I had to get home in time to get ready for work and get the kids to school at 8. It was close...I should have gotten there 5-10 min earlier. Needless to say, it was pitch black outside but there were actually a few people there - the East High principal (who often walks there early), a nordic walker (yup, with poles), and a runner. 20 minutes later, the high school cross-country team showed up, but they weren't using the track - they ran down 15th East to Sugar House Park, did a loop around the park, and ran back (I heard the coach giving them directions). Later on, a triathlete and her coach showed up as well, but the track was still not too crowded.

I warmed up for 1600m in 10:14, enjoying the stars. I looked at the constellation Orion for a while because it was lowish on the horizon and easily visible every time I came around the curve at the south end of the track.

After some dynamic stretches, I was ready to go. I was consistent today but not fast. I think I was expecting to pull off some 11:00 times for the 2Ks, since I did that in Sacramento on my last track workout before the WMA 5K. However, 1) I have done very few interval workouts since then (if any?), and 2) that was at sea level, and this is not, and 3) I've been doing more long stuff so can't expect these to be great I guess. I felt pretty good though - I felt I was working hard but not too hard, and I had endurance today. My sore muscles felt much better when the workout was done, in fact.

Here are my splits:

2Ks:
5:41, 5:45 (11:26)
5:42, 5:49 (11:31)
5:43, 5:45 (11:28)

1Ks:
5:39
5:42

500s:
2:47
2:48
2:48
2:45

Garmin connect data here.

A few mood items, on a whim. I was really quite tired this morning when I went to the track; I need to get more sleep but it's been tough to get to bed early enough. So I was not in the best mood, and after my intervals were slower than I'd have liked (i.e. after the first 2K), I started to compare myself to faster walkers. Not good. I wished my intervals would improve more rapidly. DUH! I quickly tried to shift my perspective. I'm faster than I've ever been (not at this workout, but in general), I'm in good shape for the marathon, and I'm (for once) uninjured and able to train hard. Things are good! I have to keep reminding myself of this, because otherwise I can get in a ridiculous thought spiral. It started again when the triathlete showed up. She is a very fast and very petite woman who is clearly in tremendous shape. As she did her 400s, passing me over and over, I felt very big and slow next to her. I tried not to think about it, and shift my focus. It did work, mostly.

Now that it's been a few hours, I feel OK about this workout, and I'm glad it's done. I have 20K tomorrow and I need to rest a bit better tonight if possible!

32K again

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

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

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

Here are my splits:

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

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

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

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

Garmin connect data here.

trail run/hike with Calvin

Today I was supposed to cross-train. Calvin and I did a 50-minute trail run/hike together. We ran a good part of the way; unfortunately, my Garmin was not acquiring satellites (yet again...) so I have no GPS data and don't know how far we went. That's OK. We had fun anyway! I hope to do this weekly with him. We did it last week, and we'll do it next week too if possible.

I did buy a new GPS watch (a Forerunner 210) so hopefully I'll be OK for my 32K tomorrow. I tested it out and it seems to be working, and I think I know how to operate it well enough for tomorrow's walk. It's pretty simple, actually, compared with my 305. The 305 allows for more complex training, but frankly, I didn't use all those features anyway (like the virtual training partner, etc.) and I think the 210 will be more than adequate for my needs.

 

8K

It was warm this morning - 70F (21C) and kind of humid. Ugh! I only had to do 8K though, and it was pretty easy. I felt good. Not much to it, actually. The only problem was that my GPS acted up on me again, and so the splits are all wonky (well, at least 2-3 of the 500m splits are definitely OFF). I think my total was 8K-8.1K (maybe 8.1) but the watch said 8.2. Whatever. I ended up buying a new watch tonight (a Garmin Forerunner 210, with $50 rebate for turning in my old watch). I have just had enough with the crappy satellite reception. Too annoying (it did it to me yesterday on the bike, and on Tuesday as well. Enough is enough.).

Total according to watch: 50:21 for 8.2K with ave HR 146; ave pace 6:08/km. I was fast, but not sure I was that fast. Anyway. Good enough.

Garmin connect data here.