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February 27, 2005
Long Runs
I went to my club's Saturday Long Run yesterday for the first time in two months. It was so good to be back--I wasn't too pleased when my alarm went off, but once I was out there it was great. I was really nervous before the run--the route was 11 miles, which was 3 miles longer than I had gone the week before, and the longest I had attempted since New Year's weekend, when I ran 14. To calm my nerves, I promised myself that I wasn't worried about pace, that I had nothing to prove, that I just wanted to take it easy and finish feeling comfortable. I had to repeat those things to myself over and over as I let people pass me who are normally slower than me--it's not a race, it's not a race, it's not a race! I have to admit that I was kind of thinking of it like one, though-I had a feeling that if I just kept taking it easy at the beginning, I'd be able to pick it up and overtake the people who'd passed me. I was right, and I'm glad I ran smart--I felt really strong the entire run. On the way out, I was running 7:55's, and on the way back I hooked up with a group running 7:30's and ran the last 4 miles at that pace. I'm so happy with the run; I definitely didn't expect it to go as well as it did. It's a little weird to be thrilled about an 11 mile run, but I don't care-I'm thrilled!
After the track workout last Wednesday, I made both Thursday and Friday cross-training days since I wanted to run longer on Saturday. Thursday I went to the gym in the morning and did 40 minutes on the elliptical and 40 minutes on the bike. Friday I went to the gym after work and 40/40 again, and lifted and did abs. Today I ran to the gym (just over 4 miles round trip) and did 30 minutes on the bike, 30 minutes on the elliptical, and lower-body weights. I'm hoping I'm not too sore tomorrow; it's been a while since I've done any weights with my legs. It's so hard to time: it always seems like I've just run so my legs are tired; or I'm about to run, and I don't want my legs to be tired. I am planning to run tomorrow morning, but just an easy 5 or 6 miles, so I'm not terribly worried about fatigue. And I felt good on the way home from the gym, so I should be fine.
In non-workout news, Kansas won a very important game against Oklahoma State today-I'm relieved that the basketball gods seem to be smiling again. Maybe they can talk to the snow gods-they're predicting a "major storm" here (of course, in DC, flurries qualify as a "major storm." With an inch of snow, everyone flocks to the grocery store to stock up on milk, bread, and toilet paper, as if we're going to be trapped in our homes for a week. And if you were trapped, what on earth are you going to cook with bread and milk? You'd have scurvy by the time the plows came through.) (now back to the original sentence) and I would really love a day off from work. Let the snow dancing begin!
Posted by jessie at 8:55 PM | Comments (16)
February 23, 2005
Easy Runs
Hmmm...I might get used to this running-30-minutes-a-day thing. I can sleep until almost 7 and still run before work, my legs are permanently fresh, on a boring out-and-back it's time to turn around before I even know it...
Just kidding. I'm really looking forward to getting some endurance back, and to having 6 or 8 miles feel like an easy run instead of a long one. That being said, I am enjoying not feeling any pressure, and knowing that I don't really have any race plans until the fall. I feel very good about deciding to take the spring off--when summer comes, I'll be rested, healthy, and itching to train hard. That's the plan, anyway. I know I'm going have to reread this in a few weeks, when I'm starting to feel fit again and am tempted to start ramping up the volume and intensity.
Ah, to feel fit again. The track workout tonight was a humbling reminder of the fact that I'm not. But it wasn't terrible-I'm actually fairly encouraged by how it went. The workout was 6x800 at 5k pace, followed by 4x150 strides, but I quite after the 800s and opted for a longer cool-down instead. I certainly wasn't running 5k pace, but I didn't expect to, so I wasn't disappointed. The first two were 3:18, the second 2 were 3:17, and the last 2 I were 3:11. I'm more concerned with my effort than my times, or more precisely with my ability (both mental and physcial) to put in a good effort, and in that respect I'm happy with the workout.
In other news, I did 40 minutes on the elliptical at lunch today. Yesterday I ran 4 miles in the morning, and spent an hour on the bike and lifted after work. I plan to take tomorrow off from running, and go to the gym in the morning. I'd prefer to split my workout into an am and a pm session to alleviate the boredom, but I'm going out for Italian food with my dad tomorrow night. I think a big bowl of pasta is worth an interminable stint on the elliptical.
Posted by jessie at 9:31 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2005
Weekend Update
On a totally non-running related note, I need to express my extreme displeasure to the basketball gods. Kansas just lost its third game in a row, all of them to teams they should have beat, and they've almost definitely given up their number-1 seed in the tournament. They do this to me every year-they look great for most of the season, they get my hopes up, and then they choke-but at least for the last few years they've waited until the tournament to disappoint me.
Ah well. Basketball is actually tremendously trivial in the grand scheme of things. I saw the movie Hotel Rwanda tonight, and pretty much everything seems tremendously trivial in comparison. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it-I can't do it justice here, but it's incredibly powerful.
Anyway-on to the trivial. I've had some good workouts the last few days, and am still being smart and taking it slow with running. Friday I swam in the morning and did 30 minutes on the bike, 30 minutes on the elliptical, and abs after work. Swimming was tougher than normal because I was sore from lifting (finally!) the night before. I actually like being sore, though (as long as it's hard-workout-sore, not injury-sore); it's like a heightened physical awareness. I feel more connected to and aware of my body as a body, as a bunch of muscles and tendons and ligaments that are under my control, that I can push and mold to do things I never thought I'd be able to do. Not that every case of day-after aches is an occasion for philosophical musings about our corporeal existence...
Saturday I did my longest run since New Year's Day-a whopping 8 miles! It felt pretty good--I kept up a solid pace the whole time, and didn't feel completely spent when I was done. I contemplated adding another 2 miles to make it a nice round 10, but thought better of it and stuck to the 8 I had planned. Yes, I felt good and could have done 2 more, and hey, what's a couple of miles...but I'm at the point where a few extra miles presents a lot more risk that benefit.
I continued the "being smart" trend and made yesterday an all-gym day since I'd run "long" the day before. I did an hour on the elliptical and 30 on the bike, and lifted. Today I ran to the gym-it's just over 4 miles round trip-and did 30 on the elliptical, 30 on the bike, and abs. I'm going to run easy tomorrow too, just 4 miles, because I want to go the track again on Wednesday. It's coming along--I just have to remember to not get frustrated, and keep taking it easy, which will get me in much better shape in the long run than rushing it now. But it's hard not to be frustrated when it was just last fall that I was writing the exact same things about being smart and taking it slow--I'm really tired of coming back from injuries! I'll just have to displace all my frustration onto the poor KU basketball team.
Posted by jessie at 11:12 PM | Comments (18)
February 17, 2005
Tripped Up
So, there's nothing like starting your day by falling face first in the mud. It was definitely an eye-opener.
I ran my favorite trail this morning, and about 12 minutes into my run I tripped on a rock and landed flat on my face in a huge mud puddle. I went down so fast I didn't even have a chance to get my hands in front of me to break my fall. Luckily I wasn't hurt at all, just shocked--there are those few moments where your heart stops and you can't think at all, where you can't even register what's happened, and then the moments of fear when you realize you're laying on the ground instead of moving, as you try to figure out if anything hurts enough to keep you from getting up. And then the relief when you realize that all you have is a scraped knee and a fat lip, and you can shake it off and keep going. Once I realized I was okay, I was pretty annoyed that I was covered in mud, but actually I'm really glad that it was muddy--it made the ground soft. If it had been hard and frozen, like it was just a few days ago, I think I would have really banged up my face, or worse. I did get some funny looks once I got back to a populated area--mud-covered girls running down the street are not exactly an every day occurrence--but I don't care about my ego as long as my legs are fine.
Other than that adventure, I had a pretty good run. My pace was pretty close to normal, although I did get tired at the end. I can't believe that a 5 mile run wears me out, but I know my endurance will come back eventually. I did make it up my big hill today, so there's definite progress.
After work I went to the gym and biked for 40 minutes, and--ta da!--I finally lifted. I've lost some strength not lifting regularly the last few weeks, but just like running, I know it will come back. Feeling like a weakling is a great motivator to get serious again.
Tomorrow I plan to swim in the morning and go to the gym at night. After the gym, I plan to break one of my recent resolutions-it's girls night, and I am definitely going to drink some margaritas!
Posted by jessie at 9:50 PM | Comments (3)
February 16, 2005
There is Hope
I ran my first workout tonight, and it went much better than I expected it too. I wasn't running times I would have been happy with a few months ago, of course, but I am happy with my first attempt at running hard in 6 weeks.
The workout tonight was 2x12 minutes at tempo pace, with 90 seconds rest in between, followed by 3x300 meters. I went into it with absolutely no idea what I'd be able to run--I had been thinking maybe 7:15 pace, just something to stretch my legs a little bit and experience a little quicker tempo than my daily runs. I started out with a group that was planning to run 7 min pace, and decided to see how I felt. We went through the first mile in 7 flat, and I felt pretty comfortable. We picked it up for the last five minutes, to about 6:45 pace. That's the pace we started the second interval at, but I slowed a little after the first mile. The group I was running with kept up the pace, but I couldn't stay with them. I didn't feel terrible, just tired-I have zero endurance right now. I started the first 300, but quit after about 100 feet. I could tell that they were going to feel awful, and the only benefit I would have received would have been for my ego, which is a bad reason to push it when there's nothing at stake. It's pretty frustrating (and, I have to admit, a little embarrassing) to be slower than people I used to be faster than, but I have to remind myself that they've been training while I've been swimming.
Speaking of swimming, I planned to this morning, but I was way too tired to get out of bed when my alarm went off (I'm still recovering from my late night on Monday). Going to the gym takes less time in the morning, since I can shower there and it's right around the corner from my office, so I went back to sleep for 45 minutes and then went to the gym. I biked for 40 minutes and didn't have time to lift, but I will lift tomorrow, I swear! I'm planning to run in the morning and go to the gym after work. I should swim to make it a lower-impact day, but I don't like going to the pool at night because they close half the lanes for a water aerobics class. I'll probably make Friday a swimming-and-bike day, and then try to run a little longer, 8-10 miles, on Saturday.
Posted by jessie at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2005
Routine
It feels good to be getting back into my routine. And not just my routine of the last 6 weeks, but my REAL routine, my running routine. I was not happy when my alarm went off at 6 am (I'm a huge college b-ball fan, and I had to stay up until almost midnight to watch my team, the Kansas Jayhawks, lose in double overtime to Texas Tech) but it was nice to be out early in the morning again, to see the sun rise, to come back and stretch while watching Sports Center. The run itself wasn't great because I was tired, but it was okay. I ran 42 minutes, just over 5 miles, and pushed the pace a little at the end, although I chickened out and didn't run up my big hill. I'll tackle it next time.
After work I went to they gym and biked for an hour, and then did a good abs workout. It wasn't quite lifting, but I'm going to count it towards my resolution anyway. I did have less chocolate today, although a few hershey kisses after dinner are absolutely essential to my mental health. Tomorrow I'm going to swim in the morning, and then go to the track at night. I'm nowhere near ready to do an actual workout, but I'm looking forward to running (slowly) with the club again. Maybe some of the folks who just ran Austin will be there to jog at the back of the pack with me.
Posted by jessie at 8:08 PM | Comments (24)
February 14, 2005
Jet Setting
First, congrats to everyone who finished the marathon yesterday. And Happy Valentine's Day, even though my official position on the holiday the last few years has been "Bah humbug."
It feels good to be home...of the last 10 days, I've only been home for one of them. After the trip to Santa Fe for our board meeting, I turned right back around and went out to Seattle. That trip was for pleasure, and I had a wonderful time, but 2 cross-country trips have left me feeling less than energetic. They've left me feeling fat and out of shape too--even though Alison said a few days ago that it's not possible to gain 10 pounds in two days, I'm not sure I agree. Actually, I feel like I've gained 20 pounds. I was without access to a gym, bike, or pool in both Santa Fe and Seattle, so I wasn't able to supplement running with any cross-training. And since I'm just coming back, I was only running for about 40 minutes a day, which is less than half as much exercise as I usually get. We did walk a ton in Seattle, probably another 3 miles a day, but I don't think it was enough to compensate for the fact that I was definitely eating and drinking like I was on vacation! To be honest, it was kind of nice to not be worrying about getting in a long (or longish) run while I was away-I'll just have to get myself back on track now. Less chocolate and fewer margaritas will be a good start...
Today I went to the gym and ellipticaled for 40 minutes and biked for 40 minutes. I didn't run because my shins really hurt from running in Seattle-I was on pavement every day, and I was wearing nearly worn-out shoes. I'd left them out West at Christmas, knowing that I'd be back in a few months and figuring that I could get a few more miles out of them. In retropsect, not my best move, but my shins are feeling better now so I didn't do myself too much damage. (More imporantly, I saved enough room in my suitcase that I didn't have to check a bag.) Tomorrow I plan to run 5 or 6 miles in the morning, and go to the gym at night. I really need to get good about lifting again--it's officially an addendum to the "less chocolate and margaritas" resolution.
Posted by jessie at 9:22 PM | Comments (1)
February 8, 2005
Hurts So Good
[I wrote this entry from Santa Fe, NM on Sunday, and am very happy to be home with my non-dial-up internet connection. How did people live before high-speed?]
Actually I'm in a couple of kinds of pain right now. The first, excruciating, kind, is that I am taking minutes for a board meeting, listening to a bunch of alleged adults argue about the same petty issues they've been arguing about for two years. They go around and around and around until I want to put a fork in my eye just to make it stop. I cannot begin to describe how incredibly frustrating these people are, and I'm not going to try because the more I think about it, the more I want to yell, and I can't interrupt the presentation that's going on. Grrr.
But on to the good pain-I'm really sore because I ran for the first time in five weeks! I haven't run very far or very fast, but hey, it's a start. I got to Santa Fe Thursday night, and my first run was Friday morning. I was pretty nervous, but I felt much smoother than I expected to, and I didn't put any pressure on myself to do anything other than run easy, so when I started to feel tired I just slowed down. (It's easy to not feel bad about slowing down when you're at altitude-blame it on lack of oxygen instead of being out of shape!) On Saturday I only ran for 30 minutes, because I had a fever and didn't want to overdo it (I wouldn't have run at all, but I was desperate for fresh air and exercise after a 12-hour meeting). This morning I ran for 40 minutes and I could tell that if I wasn't sick it would have felt a lot easier than Friday. Hey, even imagined progress is better than no progress! Tomorrow I plan to run for 40 minutes as well, and then take a running-day off on Tuesday, when I'll be home and have access to a gym again.
Back to taking minutes...where's that fork!
Posted by jessie at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)