OK so I am swamped so this will be short and lame!
After the step back week I ramped the running miles up a bit. Definitely did not hit the biking or swimming that I would have liked, but not bad on the running front. The weather is supposed to warm up towards the end of the week and hopefully I can pick up some nice outside bike mileage then. Oh yeah, and I will be running the Youngstown 1/2 marathon Sunday. My plan is to run a nice solid run, hopefully PR my half (which would be a good accomplishment on that course) and not totally run myself into the ground.
Monday 2/23 - Slept in past AM workout, lunch run with LP 7.25 Miles
Tuesday 2/24 - Freezing cold run with BM and CV 6.5 miles; lunch run with E & LP 7.5 miles, 2 hour indoor cycling class....HUGE DAY!
Wednesday 2/25 - EZ Run with JC, E, & LP -7 miles
Thursday 2/26 - 7 Mile Run with E & LP, 3 hour mtn bikin fun at Rays
Friday 2/27 - Core and Upper Body Workout (Legs Rest Day but it is Monday now and my arms and core are still sore)
Saturday 2/28 - 20 Miles with VR (8:35 pace with some good hills and elevation changes)
Sunday 3/1 - 11.5 Mile Run with SERC (8:40 pace)
Totals
Core / Upper Body - 1 workout
Bike - 2 hour trainer indoor cycling workout, 3 hour mtn bike at Rays
Run - 66.75 Miles (this is my biggest week in awhile, maybe ever)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Mad Monday Update 2/23
I am so over winter by the way....
Last week was busy and cold and so I will chalk it up as an unintentional, but probably much needed step back week.
M 2/16 - 7.5 M Run with LP (8:25 Pace)
T 2/17 - 2 Hour Indoor Cycling Class at Team Energetics...BTW, this is such a great workout!
W 2/18 - 2.5 Hours at Rays Indoor Mtn Bike Park
R 2/19 - AM 9.5 Miles Ran, 5 Miles at Lunch (AM run included 4.5 miles at 7:03 pace...took a break at 2.5 to drink and again at 3.5)
F 2/20 - 4 Miles EZ on treadmill
S 2/21 - 1 hour on trainer, watched Xterra Championship and followed Tuesday program loosely
S 2/22 - 12 Miles with SERC (first 7 averaged 7:38 pace and then slowed through the hills with sketchy footing) I gave up at 12 as I just wanted to curl up on the ground and give up bc I was sooo cold. It was everything I could do to get my key out of my glove to open my car and go inside. I AM OVER WINTER!
Weekly Totals-
Ran- 38 Miles
Biked 3 hours trainer, 2.5 hours (Rays)
You don't want to know about the swim :-(
Someone make me start getting my butt out of bed in the mornings! I need my summer morning sunshine!
Last week was busy and cold and so I will chalk it up as an unintentional, but probably much needed step back week.
M 2/16 - 7.5 M Run with LP (8:25 Pace)
T 2/17 - 2 Hour Indoor Cycling Class at Team Energetics...BTW, this is such a great workout!
W 2/18 - 2.5 Hours at Rays Indoor Mtn Bike Park
R 2/19 - AM 9.5 Miles Ran, 5 Miles at Lunch (AM run included 4.5 miles at 7:03 pace...took a break at 2.5 to drink and again at 3.5)
F 2/20 - 4 Miles EZ on treadmill
S 2/21 - 1 hour on trainer, watched Xterra Championship and followed Tuesday program loosely
S 2/22 - 12 Miles with SERC (first 7 averaged 7:38 pace and then slowed through the hills with sketchy footing) I gave up at 12 as I just wanted to curl up on the ground and give up bc I was sooo cold. It was everything I could do to get my key out of my glove to open my car and go inside. I AM OVER WINTER!
Weekly Totals-
Ran- 38 Miles
Biked 3 hours trainer, 2.5 hours (Rays)
You don't want to know about the swim :-(
Someone make me start getting my butt out of bed in the mornings! I need my summer morning sunshine!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Mad Monday Update 2/16/09 & Chili Bowl Report
So Saturday ran the Chili Bowl which has been on the schedule for several years now. The last several years the course has changed so the times are not really comparable but this year was my fastest time yet and my guess would be that it was the slowest course.
The drive up to the race was sheer madness. The roads were slick as could be and there were 11 separate accidents I passed. Relieved that I finally had made it downtown, I grabbed my stuff and after dropping it in my car headed out on a warm-up with CV. The roads were sort of slick and snow-covered and I definitely noted that I would need to be a little careful. It was windy and snowing a bit and during the warm-up I thought about diverting to my car to get my yellow lens glasses. However I did not want to take the time and that ended up being a bad call.
After lining up for the start we were off. The first mile has a slight downhill to Saint Clair before another downhill on W3rd. I hit the first mile at 6:10 and while normally I might consider it fast, with the downhill, it was hard to judge. There were two girls in front and I was just trying to run in a zone I could maintain. Once we turned onto Marginal, I started to feel really miserable as my eyes were watering so bad I felt like I was crying due to the snow and wind. I could barely see and was sort of miserable. My eyes are overly sensitive which I think is due to the 3 eye surgeries I have had. As I made the turn I knew I was going to have to work hard to hold off JC in 4th as she is so strong. Mile 2-6:44. Mile 3 was going to be a challenge, up the W3rd hill and the uphill grade after 6th and some slick footing. I was slowing and the acid started filling my legs on the hill and JC passed with authority and while I tried to hang on, it was not happening. Mile 3-7:07.
I struggled to recover quick after the hill and hit the finish line in 20:39 (6:39 pace) for 4th Overall Female and 1st in AG. Not a bad way to start off the road race season in those conditions.
Despite not really feeling like it, I went out for a cooldown with E, CV (who was just behind me and had a good race), JC and RL. I enjoyed the warm-down and felt much better afterwards.
Then it was time for the fun! I got to see lots of friends out at the race and hang with everyone over chili and some awards. The Tower City Bar was a nice venue for the awards party and it made for a really enjoyable morning.
Monday 2/9 - AM P90X with CV---lots of pushups and other chest, tri and shoulder exercises
- noon- 0.3 miles on treadmill before giving up to do 20 min easy on recumbent bike, stretching (legs tired from weekend)
Tuesday 2/10 - AM 8.2 Miles with BM and CV
- PM 2 hour indoor cycling class
Wednesday 2/11 - 20 miles outside bicycle
Thursday 2/12 - OFF
Friday 2/13 - 6 miles easy outside with E, Rode 6 miles on bike outside before work called
Saturday 2/14 - 6.5 miles including Chili Bowl 5K
Sunday 2/15- 17 miles with SERC 8:07 avg pace (last 4 dropped pace 7:41, 7:36, 7:30; 7:36)
-2550 meter swim (I know about time I made it back to the pool. Started a little rough but it came back)
Totals
Biked - 61 Miles
Ran - 38 Miles (much lower than the 50 average that had been planned)
Swam - 2550 Meters (only got in one w/o of the 3 scheduled)
Core - 1
Thoughts- I need to do a better job planning my workouts and with the structure of them. Still to random and not getting in all of the key ones but in general fitness feeling like it is improving.
The drive up to the race was sheer madness. The roads were slick as could be and there were 11 separate accidents I passed. Relieved that I finally had made it downtown, I grabbed my stuff and after dropping it in my car headed out on a warm-up with CV. The roads were sort of slick and snow-covered and I definitely noted that I would need to be a little careful. It was windy and snowing a bit and during the warm-up I thought about diverting to my car to get my yellow lens glasses. However I did not want to take the time and that ended up being a bad call.
After lining up for the start we were off. The first mile has a slight downhill to Saint Clair before another downhill on W3rd. I hit the first mile at 6:10 and while normally I might consider it fast, with the downhill, it was hard to judge. There were two girls in front and I was just trying to run in a zone I could maintain. Once we turned onto Marginal, I started to feel really miserable as my eyes were watering so bad I felt like I was crying due to the snow and wind. I could barely see and was sort of miserable. My eyes are overly sensitive which I think is due to the 3 eye surgeries I have had. As I made the turn I knew I was going to have to work hard to hold off JC in 4th as she is so strong. Mile 2-6:44. Mile 3 was going to be a challenge, up the W3rd hill and the uphill grade after 6th and some slick footing. I was slowing and the acid started filling my legs on the hill and JC passed with authority and while I tried to hang on, it was not happening. Mile 3-7:07.
I struggled to recover quick after the hill and hit the finish line in 20:39 (6:39 pace) for 4th Overall Female and 1st in AG. Not a bad way to start off the road race season in those conditions.
Despite not really feeling like it, I went out for a cooldown with E, CV (who was just behind me and had a good race), JC and RL. I enjoyed the warm-down and felt much better afterwards.
Then it was time for the fun! I got to see lots of friends out at the race and hang with everyone over chili and some awards. The Tower City Bar was a nice venue for the awards party and it made for a really enjoyable morning.
Monday 2/9 - AM P90X with CV---lots of pushups and other chest, tri and shoulder exercises
- noon- 0.3 miles on treadmill before giving up to do 20 min easy on recumbent bike, stretching (legs tired from weekend)
Tuesday 2/10 - AM 8.2 Miles with BM and CV
- PM 2 hour indoor cycling class
Wednesday 2/11 - 20 miles outside bicycle
Thursday 2/12 - OFF
Friday 2/13 - 6 miles easy outside with E, Rode 6 miles on bike outside before work called
Saturday 2/14 - 6.5 miles including Chili Bowl 5K
Sunday 2/15- 17 miles with SERC 8:07 avg pace (last 4 dropped pace 7:41, 7:36, 7:30; 7:36)
-2550 meter swim (I know about time I made it back to the pool. Started a little rough but it came back)
Totals
Biked - 61 Miles
Ran - 38 Miles (much lower than the 50 average that had been planned)
Swam - 2550 Meters (only got in one w/o of the 3 scheduled)
Core - 1
Thoughts- I need to do a better job planning my workouts and with the structure of them. Still to random and not getting in all of the key ones but in general fitness feeling like it is improving.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Mad Monday Update 2/9 & DD Report
OK, so I had to modify my original "lame" post which only had the weekly numbers that BB called me out on. So now it actually includes a RR for DD....
Saturday I ran the Dirty Dog 10K which is pretty close to me (relatively) and I have had the pleasure of running for several years in a row now! This race is held out at Mosquito Lake in Cortland, OH. The last 2 years it has been below 10 degrees at the start so since it was in the 40's it actually felt pretty darn warm, despite a cool breeze.
I rode down in the mini van with BL and his normal posse and arrived to the race. I had an interesting dive into the woods over a huge snowpile to go to the bathroom prerace as there were not any facilities for that (B, did I not mention it wb a good idea to stop at BK on the way to go?. Guess it was no big thing for the boys!)
I grabbed a few pics, saw some familiar faces and peeled off a couple layers to run in just one long sleeve shirt (gasp!) which was a first for this race! We started on the lake (and no I was not worried about falling in or getting stranded like a bunch of silly fishermen)! Actually with the snow on the lake, it was much better traction than past years on an icy parking lot.
I went out by EG and MD (who were both taking it easy that day). I was a little nervous as I had not hit my inhaler and did not even have it so I wanted to make sure I kept my breathing within reason. The course was gorgeous as we trudged through that park offering wintery views of the lake and trees. The main paths had been packed down by snowmobiles or 4 wheelers and were not too bad. However whenever we would duck off the main path the pace slowed and everyone had to work a little harder.
I had not seen any girls up front and was content to just stay in my comfort zone staying in the vicinity of the little group I had started with. As I passed one guy he said I should save some energy for the stretch by the road coming up and he was right! As we turned onto the once-grassy field by ST RT 46, the snow was deep. I would guess 6 to 8 inches of snow the that front runners had broke through. I tried to perform the tire drill to stay in their footsteps but oftentimes it did not happen with my shorter stride. The stretch was tiring and I did manage to hold a steady pace, passing one runner while feeling the burn in my legs...definitely a strength training session in that stretch!
As we headed up the hill and looped back around to the water stop I noticed I had a shoe untied and I ran with it that way for awhile thinking perhaps I could run the last 2 miles like that. But after a quarter mile or so I finally stopped to tie not one but both shoes. I figured if I lost one in the snow it would cost me even more time!
As we made our way back I was still feeling good and was just keeping things in check. I always seem to think I am closer to the end than I actually am and we kept winding around and I kept thinking the finish was near. In addition to the winding turns, my garmin was also trying to trick me as it read 6.35 miles at the end, so I kept thinking that I would be stopping sooner than it turned out! Finally I could see the clock and I pushed it in a bit to finish in 54:25. 14/95 Overall, 1st Overall Female. All and all, a decent effort but not what I would call race pace which was in check with what I wanted to do there. I would venture to guess that most people were about 4 minutes slower this year just due to the snowy conditions verses last year.
A huge thumbs up to the RD and his wife for the work in putting on this race. They do a nice job, provide some really awesome random goodies in the bags (in our van alone, P got a nice running jacket, J got a ls wicking running shirt, b got a full face mask) and it is just a nice course to run that will challenge everyone a bit while offering some gorgeous scenery!
I think this is right....
Monday 2/2- Lunch, ran 4 miles, full body exercises (pushups, drips, pullups)
Tuesday 2/3- 7 Miles AM Ran, 2 hour Indoor Cycling Class (~30 miles)
Wednesday 2/4 - 5 miles eazy treadmill
Thursday 2/5 - 3 Miles Treadmill lunch, UBWO, DOT 5 mile run
Friday 2/6 - 3 miles ez treadmill, 10 miles mtn biked at Rays
Saturday 2/7 - 6.4 mile (ran Dirty Dog 10K trail run)
Sunday 2/8 - 16.6 mile run (~8:20 pace)
Core -2 sessions
Bike- 30 (Road), 10 (Mtn)
Ran- 53 Miles
Swim 0 :-(
Monday, February 02, 2009
Mad Monday Update 2/2
Prior week was a nice recovery week and last week was just getting back to it.
M 1/26 - AM -2.5 Mile Run Treadmill, 5 Miles Biked (Got to gym late and sulked because I was too late for spin class)
T 1/27 - AM -8.6 Mile Run with Downtown Group,
LUNCH -9 miles stationary bike, UBWO
W 1/28 - 3 Miles Treadmill (snowed in, was going to do track workout but skipped out on that in favor of getting in tempo on R)
R 1/29 - AM swim 1000 m, lunch tempo run (7 miles) with E on snowy roads, 2 hr 5 seasons indoor cycling (31 miles)
F 1/30 - 4 miles ran easy on treadmill at lunch (short on time)
S 1/31 - 14.5 miles ran with VR (8:30 pace), 28 miles biked (ran through cycle w/o with TB)
S 2/1 - 2650 yds swam at Reddy's clinic (included 20 minutes time trial and swam 1000 yards)
Totals
Swam: 3650 + yards
Ran: 39.6 Miles
Biked: 73 Miiles
In general, I am feeling recovered from BT50K.
On the swimming front from the one who has always neglected swimming totally and was doing awesome to get in 4000 meters a month past years.......
I can't say enough about how much more I have been enjoying swimming this year and am so glad I signed up for the Reddy clinic. Swimming in the group setting is much more enjoyable and I have been fortunate enough to have had some buddies joining me more regularly in my pool which has been fun. Furthermore, swimming actual workouts that I can check off works for me too. Critique yesterday included making sure my thumbs entered water first, keeping arms down center line by chin instead of out to the side and pulling all the way through. I swim so much better on short stuff and during the 20 minute I just felt all my bad habits come right back. Still not swimming as much as I should be, but this year is far above where I have ever been so I will take it! Oh my lane mate and regular swim buddy, BH, is a perfect swim partner for me!
Next race Saturday--Dirty Dog 10K! Should be some fun footing but I should be used to that!
M 1/26 - AM -2.5 Mile Run Treadmill, 5 Miles Biked (Got to gym late and sulked because I was too late for spin class)
T 1/27 - AM -8.6 Mile Run with Downtown Group,
LUNCH -9 miles stationary bike, UBWO
W 1/28 - 3 Miles Treadmill (snowed in, was going to do track workout but skipped out on that in favor of getting in tempo on R)
R 1/29 - AM swim 1000 m, lunch tempo run (7 miles) with E on snowy roads, 2 hr 5 seasons indoor cycling (31 miles)
F 1/30 - 4 miles ran easy on treadmill at lunch (short on time)
S 1/31 - 14.5 miles ran with VR (8:30 pace), 28 miles biked (ran through cycle w/o with TB)
S 2/1 - 2650 yds swam at Reddy's clinic (included 20 minutes time trial and swam 1000 yards)
Totals
Swam: 3650 + yards
Ran: 39.6 Miles
Biked: 73 Miiles
In general, I am feeling recovered from BT50K.
On the swimming front from the one who has always neglected swimming totally and was doing awesome to get in 4000 meters a month past years.......
I can't say enough about how much more I have been enjoying swimming this year and am so glad I signed up for the Reddy clinic. Swimming in the group setting is much more enjoyable and I have been fortunate enough to have had some buddies joining me more regularly in my pool which has been fun. Furthermore, swimming actual workouts that I can check off works for me too. Critique yesterday included making sure my thumbs entered water first, keeping arms down center line by chin instead of out to the side and pulling all the way through. I swim so much better on short stuff and during the 20 minute I just felt all my bad habits come right back. Still not swimming as much as I should be, but this year is far above where I have ever been so I will take it! Oh my lane mate and regular swim buddy, BH, is a perfect swim partner for me!
Next race Saturday--Dirty Dog 10K! Should be some fun footing but I should be used to that!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
New Year, New Teams!
So I really have been wanting to spend some time updating the blog layout lately with some new links and information but there is just not enough time in my day. So since I don't have time to tinker with my template I will just blog about it!
I will give a quick plug to the only link I have updated in 2009 which is for Treadmills Guru which provides a guide to buying a treadmill for home fitness purposes. Lord knows a lot of us have been considering buying one of those if we did not already have one given us this year's lovely weather! One of these days here soon, I will actually get some more links that belong in the sidebar over there but for now, that will have to wait!
Anways, the big news which I am very excited about for 2009 is joining Team Lake Effect (TLE), a hard core cycling team. Guess I am going to have to work on my cycling game this year to fit in with this bunch!
Also, Bike Authority and Fleet Feet joined forces to put together a multi-sport team (which many TLE members are also on and now I am a member of that team as well! So 2009 should afford me lots of new training partners between these new teams! You can read more about More info here! www.clevelandtri.com
The beginning of the year has been so busy with meetings and some responsibilities to my little recreational groups which now include: Team Lake Effect, BAFF MultiSport Team, Cleveland Triathlon Club, Southeast Running Club and Cleveland Touring Club.
I will give a quick plug to the only link I have updated in 2009 which is for Treadmills Guru which provides a guide to buying a treadmill for home fitness purposes. Lord knows a lot of us have been considering buying one of those if we did not already have one given us this year's lovely weather! One of these days here soon, I will actually get some more links that belong in the sidebar over there but for now, that will have to wait!
Anways, the big news which I am very excited about for 2009 is joining Team Lake Effect (TLE), a hard core cycling team. Guess I am going to have to work on my cycling game this year to fit in with this bunch!
Also, Bike Authority and Fleet Feet joined forces to put together a multi-sport team (which many TLE members are also on and now I am a member of that team as well! So 2009 should afford me lots of new training partners between these new teams! You can read more about More info here! www.clevelandtri.com
The beginning of the year has been so busy with meetings and some responsibilities to my little recreational groups which now include: Team Lake Effect, BAFF MultiSport Team, Cleveland Triathlon Club, Southeast Running Club and Cleveland Touring Club.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Mad Monday update 1/26
A day early!
So after the 50 Sunday...
M 1/19-10 mile easy spin followed by nice hot salt bath
T 1/20-off
W 1/21-1900 meter swim
R 1/22- 8 mile hilly run (7:48 pace) Good to be back running!
F 1/23- same 8 mile hilly run (7:50 pace - Just running what felt good in some mild conditions
S 1/24 - 2 hr Excel Cycling (31 miles)
S 1/25- 11.5 miles with SERC, showed up late and ran 7:55 first 6 and backed it off through the hills to average 8:13 pace
-2000 meter swim with BH and AH
Totals
Road Bike -41 Miles
Ran-27.5
Swam-3900 Meters
Feeling pretty well recovered and ready to start training plan for Pittsburgh mary this week with 3 key runs per week. Plan is to start focusing more on the bike.
---------------------------------
Since a few asked, the Dirty Dog run is out in Cortland Ohio on Saturday Feb 7
http://www.teampr.info/dirtydog.htm. I highly recommend it!!! It is gorgeous out by Mosquito Lake with a mix of terrain. Don't come out thinking you are going to set any 10K PRs as the course is not fast. As a sidenote, I have never done this race on anything but a bitterly cold morning and still there is always a ton of wonderful volunteers, support and enthusiastic racers. It is a great way to open the season. And lastly for anyone interested as we have done in years past, whoever wants to can join me in Parkman or Middlefield for breakfast afterwards is welcome!
So after the 50 Sunday...
M 1/19-10 mile easy spin followed by nice hot salt bath
T 1/20-off
W 1/21-1900 meter swim
R 1/22- 8 mile hilly run (7:48 pace) Good to be back running!
F 1/23- same 8 mile hilly run (7:50 pace - Just running what felt good in some mild conditions
S 1/24 - 2 hr Excel Cycling (31 miles)
S 1/25- 11.5 miles with SERC, showed up late and ran 7:55 first 6 and backed it off through the hills to average 8:13 pace
-2000 meter swim with BH and AH
Totals
Road Bike -41 Miles
Ran-27.5
Swam-3900 Meters
Feeling pretty well recovered and ready to start training plan for Pittsburgh mary this week with 3 key runs per week. Plan is to start focusing more on the bike.
---------------------------------
Since a few asked, the Dirty Dog run is out in Cortland Ohio on Saturday Feb 7
http://www.teampr.info/dirtydog.htm. I highly recommend it!!! It is gorgeous out by Mosquito Lake with a mix of terrain. Don't come out thinking you are going to set any 10K PRs as the course is not fast. As a sidenote, I have never done this race on anything but a bitterly cold morning and still there is always a ton of wonderful volunteers, support and enthusiastic racers. It is a great way to open the season. And lastly for anyone interested as we have done in years past, whoever wants to can join me in Parkman or Middlefield for breakfast afterwards is welcome!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Recovering...
So I was pretty beat up after the 50K. My legs were very tired. My blood blisters on my caluses were aggitating me. I just felt LAZY! I probably did not do anything helpful after the race by resorting to junk food and beer, but I was inclined to let things slide that day!
Fortunately I was off for MLK day and so I slept in and was pretty lazy most the day. I popped my stupid blood blisters to relieve some of the pressure on my feet which was an improvement for sure (Yeah probably TMI but it had to be done!). Finally I forced my weary self onto my bicycle which was set into the trainer in my workout room. It was time for an easy spin to try to clear away the lactic acid and the soreness. With very low resistance I spinned away at around 90 rpm with a few easy buils to 110. My speed was low but I was not concerned. I was just watching NCIS, which for some reason has become one of the shows I find myself really enjoying these days. 10 miles later I hopped off, feeling better already. Then downstairs to a nice hot epsom salt bath where I massaged my leg muscles and stretched out while I sat in the tub. As hard as it was to make myself do the spin and the soak, it was all worth it.
Monday night for some reason I had trouble sleeping so I skipped the Tuesday morning workout in favor of some extra Zzzz's and spent the day in a desk chair without a break for a workout. Oh well, so much for my nice easy run that I had planned. I always give myself a little leeway after big events which I think keeps me healthy.
Wednesday, I got in a nice long swim. The first couple hundred meters, I was not feeling 100% but I kept on swimming. By the time I finished the 1900 meter workout I was a bit tired but the muscles were feeling terrific. For years I have HATED the swimming part. This winter I had decided for once and for all I was going to commit to working on this whole swimming thing. Between RR swim clinics, swimming actual workouts and swimming with some good friends (BH, EH, TR) on a regular basis, I am actually beginning to really enjoy this whole swimming thing. Weird...there may be hope yet!
Next up, Dirty Dog 10K on 2/7. Less than 15 weeks to Pittsburgh Mary!
Fortunately I was off for MLK day and so I slept in and was pretty lazy most the day. I popped my stupid blood blisters to relieve some of the pressure on my feet which was an improvement for sure (Yeah probably TMI but it had to be done!). Finally I forced my weary self onto my bicycle which was set into the trainer in my workout room. It was time for an easy spin to try to clear away the lactic acid and the soreness. With very low resistance I spinned away at around 90 rpm with a few easy buils to 110. My speed was low but I was not concerned. I was just watching NCIS, which for some reason has become one of the shows I find myself really enjoying these days. 10 miles later I hopped off, feeling better already. Then downstairs to a nice hot epsom salt bath where I massaged my leg muscles and stretched out while I sat in the tub. As hard as it was to make myself do the spin and the soak, it was all worth it.
Monday night for some reason I had trouble sleeping so I skipped the Tuesday morning workout in favor of some extra Zzzz's and spent the day in a desk chair without a break for a workout. Oh well, so much for my nice easy run that I had planned. I always give myself a little leeway after big events which I think keeps me healthy.
Wednesday, I got in a nice long swim. The first couple hundred meters, I was not feeling 100% but I kept on swimming. By the time I finished the 1900 meter workout I was a bit tired but the muscles were feeling terrific. For years I have HATED the swimming part. This winter I had decided for once and for all I was going to commit to working on this whole swimming thing. Between RR swim clinics, swimming actual workouts and swimming with some good friends (BH, EH, TR) on a regular basis, I am actually beginning to really enjoy this whole swimming thing. Weird...there may be hope yet!
Next up, Dirty Dog 10K on 2/7. Less than 15 weeks to Pittsburgh Mary!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Winter Buckeye Trail 50K Report
So starting from the beginning, I felt like I had prepared pretty well for the race and have been feeling better running than I had in a long time. Then mother nature dumped a ton of snow on northeast Ohio so I was not sure what to expect as far as trail conditions.
I had a decent taper and took it pretty easy over the last several days and pasta preloaded both Friday and Saturday night!
Sunday I woke up ready to go after a decent nights sleep and got into my car early. The roads were awful. They must have had 3 inches of snow on them for the first 17 miles or so and it was one of those days where I knew driving in these conditions was a little stupid. But darn it, I had places to be! Fortunately when I got onto the turnpike, all was good and the roads were in much better shape!
I arrived early and got my stuff ready. It was a balmy 26 degrees so I opted to remove a layer up top and go with just my under armor shirt and then my asics coat with pockets and only 1 pair of tights. I had two pairs of socks, one being the my wicking running socks and the other being my sweet new smart wool socks. (My feet were my only problem area feeling cold and numb for much of the run.)
After hanging out for awhile in the garage and catching up with friends, it was time for the fun to begin.
Me, TriSara, and TriEric
I headed out behind a group of guys trying who were blazing a path through the snow. Single file was pretty much the rule of the day. The packs started to quickly separate and while I ran up the majority of the hills, I know I walked some of steps at the top which were pretty vertical. Perhaps one of the hardest parts of the day was when other runners were coming in the opposite direction and you had to move out of the way into the really deep snow. It often totally messed up your momentum and often resulted in almost going down.
I had started running with Todd for awhile on the way back to Boston store (where I had some water) and he followed me out to Pine Lane. I fell down somehow on this section but thankfully it doesn't hurt in the snow! Not even 6 miles into the race and I had already started complaining to him that the caluses on the inside balls of my feet were killing me on account of everytime I set them down, they would slide out to the sides. It was pretty evident very early on that this event was really going to be tough on the body in these conditions as my muscles and feet were already getting worked over.
Poor Feet
By the time I hit the Pine Lane station I was ready for my first gel and some water. Oh and to back up I had a coffee, some water and a banana pre-race. We had a little group which had gotten together, so it was nice to hear the boys talking about some 7.5 mile Potomac River swim (WOW!) coming up and some other events. R, a local 14 yr old studdette, who I had seen running trails a few times was now with us and she was looking strong. The snow continued to fall and sometimes the wind picked up which was not making things any more comfortable.
Miles clicked off and back to Boston store where I had some more water and back out to Brandywine. R and I stuck together make some talk and it was a good laugh when the passing guys would say nice job girls which would result in the guy behind us repeating over and over that he was not a girl. It is really the little things sometimes on the trail that make you smile! Had a gel out at Brandwine and my muscle soreness from the trails was really setting in. The only thing that made me feel better was it seemed that everyone around me also felt the same way.
At Boston store (18 miles in), KM helped me out getting me some pain reliever which helped some. TG!! I think that was one of the low points knowing I still had another 13 and was sooo sore. We made the slow journey up the first two long climbs and started counting down the miles looking forward to each aide station. The big hill down after about 3 miles was so sketchy, it really felt like you were just skiing down it. Then it was a game to keep my feet dry at the water crossing (even though I am certain they had been soaking wet for many miles). It was impossible to get decent footing and even the small stretch of towpath seemed like some of the worst footing. However we kept plugging along very steadily, sometimes Rachel leading, sometimes me. I was relieved to hit Pine Lane and start heading back after a yummy Tropical Blast Hammer gel, some water and some coke! I did hit my inhaler a few times out there thoughout the course during some of the big climbs and I am not sure if it was more mental or more that I actually needed it, but it seemed to help!
Back at Boston store I took a quick swig of my Fruit Punch Rockstar which tasted divine and I was off. I was hoping to pick it up the last loop and get the win. The way back out to Brandwine was painful up the hills but I pushed along, relieved to be on the final loop. I thought about not stopping at the aide station but I was tired and thought another gel and some coke may be worth the extra time. R was hot on my heels. On the return trip I flew down the first big down hill and walked the steps of the final climb while running the last half of the hill to the top. I was trying to drop the pace but R was sticking tight and it was obvious she wanted 1st as badly as I did. My calfs were screaming as I pushed on, afraid they may just fully seize at any minute as it felt like my legs were just cramping. We made the turn onto the towpath and I was hurting and pushing it in as best I could. With about 1/3 mile to go, R surged and passed. I had nothing left to answer back and trotted in for the 2nd place finish with a time of 6:09 behind her.
It is all good though. She really pushed me to work hard out there on the course and just finishing that race in those conditions! My body was pretty fatigued after the race and I am sure I was pretty dehydrated as I did not go to the bathroom the whole time (even though I thought I had to right at the start!).
The times on a whole were so much slower this year. Last yr, DP who placed 3rd ran a 4:47. This year he won it with a time of 5:35 (I think). Last year I ran a 5:37 compared to my 6:09 this year which felt like so much more work! From what I heard (which I could be wrong as I am not sure) only 55 people finished of the 100+ that had signed up for the 50K. It was one tough day out there for all!
Here are the garmin stats-
29.79 total miles-6:01.08 total time, 12.07 avg pace,6707 ft climb, mile paces-
1 9.38
2 13.10
3 11.51
4 9.35
5 11.53
6 11.40
7 11.12
8 11.48
9 11.55
10 13.39
11 11.08
12 11.48
13 10.40
14 12.50
15 12.44
16 13.04
17 11.19
18 14.08
19 12.50
20 11.31
21 14.33
22 13.00
23 14.10
24 12.24
25 13.30
26 10.49
27 13.07
28 12.30
29 10.43
30 9.54
Afterwards, I hit Winking Lizard with a bunch of other hard core runners and I ate and drank whatever I wanted to the rest of the day!
Nice job to all the other racers out there who braved those conditions! Even those who may not have attained their goal, all worked hard out there. Thanks to the awesome volunteers for helping us out in the cold weather. I really appreciated everything they all did whether it was getting me some coke or opening a gel that I just could not seem to handle doing on my own as the day wore on! Oh and thanks to VR and TC for a great race and the awesome jacket!!!
Now it is time to recover well!!!
I had a decent taper and took it pretty easy over the last several days and pasta preloaded both Friday and Saturday night!
Sunday I woke up ready to go after a decent nights sleep and got into my car early. The roads were awful. They must have had 3 inches of snow on them for the first 17 miles or so and it was one of those days where I knew driving in these conditions was a little stupid. But darn it, I had places to be! Fortunately when I got onto the turnpike, all was good and the roads were in much better shape!
I arrived early and got my stuff ready. It was a balmy 26 degrees so I opted to remove a layer up top and go with just my under armor shirt and then my asics coat with pockets and only 1 pair of tights. I had two pairs of socks, one being the my wicking running socks and the other being my sweet new smart wool socks. (My feet were my only problem area feeling cold and numb for much of the run.)
After hanging out for awhile in the garage and catching up with friends, it was time for the fun to begin.
Me, TriSara, and TriEric
I headed out behind a group of guys trying who were blazing a path through the snow. Single file was pretty much the rule of the day. The packs started to quickly separate and while I ran up the majority of the hills, I know I walked some of steps at the top which were pretty vertical. Perhaps one of the hardest parts of the day was when other runners were coming in the opposite direction and you had to move out of the way into the really deep snow. It often totally messed up your momentum and often resulted in almost going down.
I had started running with Todd for awhile on the way back to Boston store (where I had some water) and he followed me out to Pine Lane. I fell down somehow on this section but thankfully it doesn't hurt in the snow! Not even 6 miles into the race and I had already started complaining to him that the caluses on the inside balls of my feet were killing me on account of everytime I set them down, they would slide out to the sides. It was pretty evident very early on that this event was really going to be tough on the body in these conditions as my muscles and feet were already getting worked over.
Poor Feet
By the time I hit the Pine Lane station I was ready for my first gel and some water. Oh and to back up I had a coffee, some water and a banana pre-race. We had a little group which had gotten together, so it was nice to hear the boys talking about some 7.5 mile Potomac River swim (WOW!) coming up and some other events. R, a local 14 yr old studdette, who I had seen running trails a few times was now with us and she was looking strong. The snow continued to fall and sometimes the wind picked up which was not making things any more comfortable.
Miles clicked off and back to Boston store where I had some more water and back out to Brandywine. R and I stuck together make some talk and it was a good laugh when the passing guys would say nice job girls which would result in the guy behind us repeating over and over that he was not a girl. It is really the little things sometimes on the trail that make you smile! Had a gel out at Brandwine and my muscle soreness from the trails was really setting in. The only thing that made me feel better was it seemed that everyone around me also felt the same way.
At Boston store (18 miles in), KM helped me out getting me some pain reliever which helped some. TG!! I think that was one of the low points knowing I still had another 13 and was sooo sore. We made the slow journey up the first two long climbs and started counting down the miles looking forward to each aide station. The big hill down after about 3 miles was so sketchy, it really felt like you were just skiing down it. Then it was a game to keep my feet dry at the water crossing (even though I am certain they had been soaking wet for many miles). It was impossible to get decent footing and even the small stretch of towpath seemed like some of the worst footing. However we kept plugging along very steadily, sometimes Rachel leading, sometimes me. I was relieved to hit Pine Lane and start heading back after a yummy Tropical Blast Hammer gel, some water and some coke! I did hit my inhaler a few times out there thoughout the course during some of the big climbs and I am not sure if it was more mental or more that I actually needed it, but it seemed to help!
Back at Boston store I took a quick swig of my Fruit Punch Rockstar which tasted divine and I was off. I was hoping to pick it up the last loop and get the win. The way back out to Brandwine was painful up the hills but I pushed along, relieved to be on the final loop. I thought about not stopping at the aide station but I was tired and thought another gel and some coke may be worth the extra time. R was hot on my heels. On the return trip I flew down the first big down hill and walked the steps of the final climb while running the last half of the hill to the top. I was trying to drop the pace but R was sticking tight and it was obvious she wanted 1st as badly as I did. My calfs were screaming as I pushed on, afraid they may just fully seize at any minute as it felt like my legs were just cramping. We made the turn onto the towpath and I was hurting and pushing it in as best I could. With about 1/3 mile to go, R surged and passed. I had nothing left to answer back and trotted in for the 2nd place finish with a time of 6:09 behind her.
It is all good though. She really pushed me to work hard out there on the course and just finishing that race in those conditions! My body was pretty fatigued after the race and I am sure I was pretty dehydrated as I did not go to the bathroom the whole time (even though I thought I had to right at the start!).
The times on a whole were so much slower this year. Last yr, DP who placed 3rd ran a 4:47. This year he won it with a time of 5:35 (I think). Last year I ran a 5:37 compared to my 6:09 this year which felt like so much more work! From what I heard (which I could be wrong as I am not sure) only 55 people finished of the 100+ that had signed up for the 50K. It was one tough day out there for all!
Here are the garmin stats-
29.79 total miles-6:01.08 total time, 12.07 avg pace,6707 ft climb, mile paces-
1 9.38
2 13.10
3 11.51
4 9.35
5 11.53
6 11.40
7 11.12
8 11.48
9 11.55
10 13.39
11 11.08
12 11.48
13 10.40
14 12.50
15 12.44
16 13.04
17 11.19
18 14.08
19 12.50
20 11.31
21 14.33
22 13.00
23 14.10
24 12.24
25 13.30
26 10.49
27 13.07
28 12.30
29 10.43
30 9.54
Afterwards, I hit Winking Lizard with a bunch of other hard core runners and I ate and drank whatever I wanted to the rest of the day!
Nice job to all the other racers out there who braved those conditions! Even those who may not have attained their goal, all worked hard out there. Thanks to the awesome volunteers for helping us out in the cold weather. I really appreciated everything they all did whether it was getting me some coke or opening a gel that I just could not seem to handle doing on my own as the day wore on! Oh and thanks to VR and TC for a great race and the awesome jacket!!!
Now it is time to recover well!!!
Mad Monday 1/19
Mon 1/12- 6 miles ran, 48:03
Tues 1/13- 4 miles ran on treadmill easy, 60 minute indoor spin (mtn bike wrkt dvd)
Wed 1/14 -3 miles ran on treadmill, lots of full body exercises (60 pullups with assist, dips, pushups, pike-ups, lifted upperbody, swam 2050 meters with BH and MT
Thurs 1/15 - Swam 1950 meters with BH and TR
Friday 1/16 -rest
Sat 1/17 - ran 2 miles easy with some 25 second strides
Sun 1/18 -BT 50 K Race
Biked - 15 miles
Ran - 46 miles
Swam-4000 meters
Lifted -1 session
Tues 1/13- 4 miles ran on treadmill easy, 60 minute indoor spin (mtn bike wrkt dvd)
Wed 1/14 -3 miles ran on treadmill, lots of full body exercises (60 pullups with assist, dips, pushups, pike-ups, lifted upperbody, swam 2050 meters with BH and MT
Thurs 1/15 - Swam 1950 meters with BH and TR
Friday 1/16 -rest
Sat 1/17 - ran 2 miles easy with some 25 second strides
Sun 1/18 -BT 50 K Race
Biked - 15 miles
Ran - 46 miles
Swam-4000 meters
Lifted -1 session
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tips & Thoughts on the Winter Buckeye 50K
This post is dedicated to triguyjt as he will be making his debut 50K performance at this weekend's Winter Buckeye 50K.
Now first off, I am hardly an expert. I have only ran two 50K's, the winter and summer buckeye 50Ks. I am just going to post my thoughts and what I was planning to do thinking maybe it will help someone else AND more importantly if anyone else has other advice or thinks I should rethink something, I would love the feedback.
So, going back to last year's Winter 50K, I was doing it just to finish and had not put any pressure on myself as to my time or place. That was a really nice way to approach the race mentally. This year, I feel like I have put more time in on the trails, feel more comfortable with the distance and should do better....EXCEPT, for the fact that there is now a ton of snow on the ground, more that is still coming and there is no likelihood of any of it going away anytime soon. So I am not sure time-wise how this snow will all figure in, other than to mentally prepare for the fact that I am going to have to work a lot harder this year. It will be interesting to see how much the trails get packed down over the course of the day with all of the runners out there.
My first piece of advice (which I hope everyone does not read) is to get there early as close parking is going to be very limited. Race starts at 7:15 and I would like to be there by 6:15. Last year, I spent a bunch of time debating last minute stuff and I like having the extra time, PLUS this affords me extra social time!
My second piece of advice is to race how you train, but be prepared for things not to work out. Last year, I always ran with a waist camelback. I loved it. The morning of the race, I filled it with water in the garage. The next thing I know, water is everywhere and it was soaking wet as I had not put the lid on right. Thank goodness I had a spare waste water bottle holder for back-up that was not soaking wet or I would have been cold and wet right from the start and it was cold last year too!
With regard to the camelback, handheld, fuel belt debate, again I would go with how you train. (My guess though is that many fuel belt wearers may have issues with the little bottles freezing in the cold temps.) This season, I usually planted water and just drank at the stops, which is the route I plan to take Sunday (not carrying and drinking plenty at the aide stations). CLEARLY THIS WOULD NOT WORK FOR MOST, but I feel comfortable with this since it is how I trained. I do plan to put both my handheld and my waist water bottle in my special needs bag, in case I change my mind. I do plan to carry my inhaler, pain reliever, gels, and anything else that I may think of in my coat.
While we are talking about special needs, last year I dropped stuff I might want on the Boston store porch and I would assume that it will not be a problem to do that again this year. Things I will put there include-extra pair of shoes, socks-2, extra clothes, gloves, hat, pain reliever, hand & toe warmers, band-aids, pepto pills, salt pills, an energy drink (FRUIT PUNCH ROCKSTAR, DUH!) and whatever else I dream up between now and then. What am I missing???
I have never worn yaktrax or anything else in the snow besides my trail shoes. While I wish I would have tried some different things out, I am hesitant to do anything different now. So I will probably just go with the regular trail shoes. I may see about putting screws in my back up pair but I am not sure how much they will help.
I will wear my normal running socks with a pair of smart wool socks and a heavy pair of mittens. My hands and feet are always problem areas for me. I will have hand and toe warmers on hand for sure because ya never know, but in my warm socks and mittens I have never needed them yet. I am leaning towards a hat to keep the heat in, but generally I like the headbands as they tend to cover my ears better, so I still need to decide that one!
I am thinking two pairs of running tights, long sleeve wicking layer, light wicking jacket and Asics lined windbreaker (which was the top half of an awesome, light-weight, very warm, two piece suit that I picked up last year to run in for when temps got crazy cold).
My plan for the 50K is to run the first half easy to conserve energy for the long day. I think it should feel like I am border-line almost going too slow. However, if it is anything like last year, I know that it will pay off in the end and I should have ample energy to go the distance and perhaps even pick up the pace. My plan is also to enjoy the race, my company out there and the volunteers. That said, I would not be totally honest if I did not admit that I am planning to work hard and hopefully put in a solid effort and performance.
Also along those lines, thank you volunteers in advance for coming out in this bitter cold to make this all possible.
After running the 31 miles, I plan to have some chili and then go to Winking Lizard for a well-deserved beer, or two!!! Oh yeah, and I definitely plan to take a bunch of pics after the race of all of us who rocked the course! Best of luck to all my peeps that will out there running with me!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Mad Monday Update 1/12
Week one of taper and I slacked a bit!
1/5- off
1/6- 10 miles ran through hilly chagrin with TR, 1600 meters swam
1/7- 35 min (11 miles) spinerval DVD on trainer, upper body workout
1/8- 2 hour indoor cycling class (31 Miles)
1/9- off
1/10 - 7 miles treadmill with 40 second strides
1/11- 12 miles with SERC, 1750 meters swam
Totals
Ran- 29 Miles
Biked-42 Miles
Swam- 3350 Meters
Strength-1 UBWO
1/5- off
1/6- 10 miles ran through hilly chagrin with TR, 1600 meters swam
1/7- 35 min (11 miles) spinerval DVD on trainer, upper body workout
1/8- 2 hour indoor cycling class (31 Miles)
1/9- off
1/10 - 7 miles treadmill with 40 second strides
1/11- 12 miles with SERC, 1750 meters swam
Totals
Ran- 29 Miles
Biked-42 Miles
Swam- 3350 Meters
Strength-1 UBWO
Monday, January 05, 2009
Mad Monday Update 1/5
12/29 - 6.2 Miles with E at Lunch
12/30 - AM - 7 Miles with BM, E, & CV
- 1600 yards swam
12/31 - 13.25 snowy miles with SERC in Bedford
1/1 - off (watched polar bear swim and hit a couple parties)
1/2 - 5 miles ran with AS & MT, 1 hour spin class
- 10.5 miles mtn biked at Rays
1/3 -24.25 miles ran on Buckeye Trail
1/4 -8 miles ran with SERC
- 2000 yard swam with E
Weekly Totals
Ran - 63.7 Miles
Biked-30 (19.5 spin / 10.5 mtn)
Swam - 3600 yards
Taper time until 50 K in less than 2 weeks.
So one resolution for the new year is to start inputting all my mileage into a log that tracks my mileage for me. My question to everyone out there is the following. What do you use and what do you like? I want to start this right away. It needs to be one I can use for multisport and FREE.
12/30 - AM - 7 Miles with BM, E, & CV
- 1600 yards swam
12/31 - 13.25 snowy miles with SERC in Bedford
1/1 - off (watched polar bear swim and hit a couple parties)
1/2 - 5 miles ran with AS & MT, 1 hour spin class
- 10.5 miles mtn biked at Rays
1/3 -24.25 miles ran on Buckeye Trail
1/4 -8 miles ran with SERC
- 2000 yard swam with E
Weekly Totals
Ran - 63.7 Miles
Biked-30 (19.5 spin / 10.5 mtn)
Swam - 3600 yards
Taper time until 50 K in less than 2 weeks.
So one resolution for the new year is to start inputting all my mileage into a log that tracks my mileage for me. My question to everyone out there is the following. What do you use and what do you like? I want to start this right away. It needs to be one I can use for multisport and FREE.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Mad Monday Update 12/29
The last few days of rolling with it.....
Yes, I know some people are not big on the New Years Resolutions but I have always found it to be a perfect time to refocus my energy on what matters to me. It is a time to think about my nutrition and my training and to start gearing up for the many events of the new year. This week I sat down with my 2009 calendar and started plotting out what 2009 may hold. Strangely, I feel like this 2009 schedule is rather bare at this point, but I have this feeling that it will fill up in no time.
Notable events that are definitely on the calendar for the first part of the year include-
* Winter Buckeye 50K Run (1/18)
* Youngstown 1/2 Marathon (3/8)
* Pittsburgh Marathon (5/3)
* Mohican Mtn Bike 100K (5/30)
* Xterra One (7/19)
Other than that, I am tenatively planning to add in some 5K's to keep the speed up, a couple bicycle races, a couple more Xterra's (XTERRA Torn Shirt MI 6/21, XTERRA M2Xtreme NY 8/21/08), a couple mtn bike races, some centuries and of course a few more tri's (maybe another half). Oh yeah and perhaps some more du's and runs (starting with Dirty Dog 10K, Chili Bowl 5 K, St Malachi....!).
So in rolling with it, things were not exactly where I wanted them to be, but during the holidays I will let it slide!
M 12/22-
Lunch-5 Miles Run
Eve-11 Miles Mtn Biked at Rays (Felt great and did about a zillion loops on the pump track. The thing I like about Rays is there is always something new to play on or try)
T 12/23 - OFF, busy
W 12/24 - 12.5 Miles Ran with SERC on some very icy roads
R 12/25 - OFF for XMAS!
F 12/26 - Swam 900 yards (zoomers blistered toe, cut workout short to hit spin class), Spin Class (70 min, at least 20 miles covered I'd assume), Ran 2 miles, abs
S 12/27 - 15.25 Miles Ran on VERY muddy Buckeye Trail on Vertical Runnner Waterfalls Group Run, 24 miles biked on road with hubby (Omigoodness, I was a waterlogged, dirty, sweaty, muddy mess all day. With the warm temps, my asthma flared and killed my chest so I cut the run a bit short...one of these days I will learn to carry my inhaler!)
S 12/28 - 11.5 Miles Ran with SERC
Week Totals--
Swam - 900 Yards :-(
Mtn Biked - 11 Miles
Road / Spin - 44 Miles
Ran - 46.25 Miles
Some pics from the last week!
The VR Run included lots of very cold water crossings!
I think the ski resort workers thought we were nuts when our muddy feet emerged from the woods!
Group Shot at Blue Hen Falls
Group Shot at Buttermilk Falls
Yes, it was a bit muddy!
Needless to say, the waterfalls run was a blast!
This one was Christmas at my hubby's moms. She has 10 of these lil 5 week old fluff balls at her house and I just wanted to bring this lil guy home with me!
Yes, I know some people are not big on the New Years Resolutions but I have always found it to be a perfect time to refocus my energy on what matters to me. It is a time to think about my nutrition and my training and to start gearing up for the many events of the new year. This week I sat down with my 2009 calendar and started plotting out what 2009 may hold. Strangely, I feel like this 2009 schedule is rather bare at this point, but I have this feeling that it will fill up in no time.
Notable events that are definitely on the calendar for the first part of the year include-
* Winter Buckeye 50K Run (1/18)
* Youngstown 1/2 Marathon (3/8)
* Pittsburgh Marathon (5/3)
* Mohican Mtn Bike 100K (5/30)
* Xterra One (7/19)
Other than that, I am tenatively planning to add in some 5K's to keep the speed up, a couple bicycle races, a couple more Xterra's (XTERRA Torn Shirt MI 6/21, XTERRA M2Xtreme NY 8/21/08), a couple mtn bike races, some centuries and of course a few more tri's (maybe another half). Oh yeah and perhaps some more du's and runs (starting with Dirty Dog 10K, Chili Bowl 5 K, St Malachi....!).
So in rolling with it, things were not exactly where I wanted them to be, but during the holidays I will let it slide!
M 12/22-
Lunch-5 Miles Run
Eve-11 Miles Mtn Biked at Rays (Felt great and did about a zillion loops on the pump track. The thing I like about Rays is there is always something new to play on or try)
T 12/23 - OFF, busy
W 12/24 - 12.5 Miles Ran with SERC on some very icy roads
R 12/25 - OFF for XMAS!
F 12/26 - Swam 900 yards (zoomers blistered toe, cut workout short to hit spin class), Spin Class (70 min, at least 20 miles covered I'd assume), Ran 2 miles, abs
S 12/27 - 15.25 Miles Ran on VERY muddy Buckeye Trail on Vertical Runnner Waterfalls Group Run, 24 miles biked on road with hubby (Omigoodness, I was a waterlogged, dirty, sweaty, muddy mess all day. With the warm temps, my asthma flared and killed my chest so I cut the run a bit short...one of these days I will learn to carry my inhaler!)
S 12/28 - 11.5 Miles Ran with SERC
Week Totals--
Swam - 900 Yards :-(
Mtn Biked - 11 Miles
Road / Spin - 44 Miles
Ran - 46.25 Miles
Some pics from the last week!
The VR Run included lots of very cold water crossings!
I think the ski resort workers thought we were nuts when our muddy feet emerged from the woods!
Group Shot at Blue Hen Falls
Group Shot at Buttermilk Falls
Yes, it was a bit muddy!
Needless to say, the waterfalls run was a blast!
This one was Christmas at my hubby's moms. She has 10 of these lil 5 week old fluff balls at her house and I just wanted to bring this lil guy home with me!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Mad Monday Update 12/22
Dashing through the snow....
Yes, another week in the books. I have now officially made it to winter and it feels like it!!! Thank goodness days will now be getting longer!
This week old man winter treated me to a cold which sidelined me for a couple days. However sometimes I find that the best thing I can do when I am sick is to get some exercise and I start to feel more normal again as I sweat out the poisons.
Mon 12/15 - 5 miles treadmill ladders ~38:30, lifted bi's, tri's, chest
Tues 12/16- AM 7 Mile Run with BM & CV, noon 5 mile Run with E
W 12/17 & R 12/18 - OFF, felt like crap
F 12/19 - 6 Miles Ran on treadmill as it was nasty outside(forced myself to get going, almost quit after a mile and then again after two, but kept going and eventually felt better)
S 12/20 - 21 Mile Trail Run on Buckeye Trail- Still not feeling 100% and aerobic system definitely seemed to overload easier and take a little more time to recover, but just happy to get it in!
S 12/21 - Reddy Swim Clinic (no idea on the yards but definitely dig these clinics!)
- 10 Miles Mtn Biked. Yeah my dumb self decided since it was actually sunny that we should go ride outside. It was 12 outside but who knows how cold it actually was with the wind chill.
Totals (A little lighter than planned with the off days and being sick)
Ran - 44 Miles
Biked - 10 Miles (Mtn)
Swam - 2000 Yards??
Yes, another week in the books. I have now officially made it to winter and it feels like it!!! Thank goodness days will now be getting longer!
This week old man winter treated me to a cold which sidelined me for a couple days. However sometimes I find that the best thing I can do when I am sick is to get some exercise and I start to feel more normal again as I sweat out the poisons.
Mon 12/15 - 5 miles treadmill ladders ~38:30, lifted bi's, tri's, chest
Tues 12/16- AM 7 Mile Run with BM & CV, noon 5 mile Run with E
W 12/17 & R 12/18 - OFF, felt like crap
F 12/19 - 6 Miles Ran on treadmill as it was nasty outside(forced myself to get going, almost quit after a mile and then again after two, but kept going and eventually felt better)
S 12/20 - 21 Mile Trail Run on Buckeye Trail- Still not feeling 100% and aerobic system definitely seemed to overload easier and take a little more time to recover, but just happy to get it in!
S 12/21 - Reddy Swim Clinic (no idea on the yards but definitely dig these clinics!)
- 10 Miles Mtn Biked. Yeah my dumb self decided since it was actually sunny that we should go ride outside. It was 12 outside but who knows how cold it actually was with the wind chill.
Totals (A little lighter than planned with the off days and being sick)
Ran - 44 Miles
Biked - 10 Miles (Mtn)
Swam - 2000 Yards??
Monday, December 15, 2008
Mad Monday 12/15
Thankfully the flat tire incident is behind me. The last week seems like it was a whirlwind and I have not had a minute where I was not late for something and leaving something else early. I can't wait for things to slow down and feel that I am ahead instead of forever behind the 8 ball.
Monday - off, got the tires fixed and rested!
Tuesday - 7 Miles AM
Wednesday - 6.75 Miles
Thursday - 7.2 Miles
Friday - 11.1 Miles
Saturday - 11.2 Miles on Buckeye Trail
Sunday - 11.5 Miles with SERC (8:30 pace)
Miles Ran - 54.75 Miles
For now, I am still taking a relaxed approach to the training (besides making sure my running miles are where they need to be for January's 50K) and come the first of the year, the plan is to buckle down and really add in the base miles (especially focusing on the bike) while trying to get in plenty of cross training (weights, swimming, & mtn biking).
Monday - off, got the tires fixed and rested!
Tuesday - 7 Miles AM
Wednesday - 6.75 Miles
Thursday - 7.2 Miles
Friday - 11.1 Miles
Saturday - 11.2 Miles on Buckeye Trail
Sunday - 11.5 Miles with SERC (8:30 pace)
Miles Ran - 54.75 Miles
For now, I am still taking a relaxed approach to the training (besides making sure my running miles are where they need to be for January's 50K) and come the first of the year, the plan is to buckle down and really add in the base miles (especially focusing on the bike) while trying to get in plenty of cross training (weights, swimming, & mtn biking).
Monday, December 08, 2008
Monday Madness 12/8
I feel like I have been caught in some sort of bad dream lately. Well suffice it to say, I work in the investment industry so times are tough. Went shopping the day after Thanksgiving and ended up losing a large amount of cash. Still haven't figured out how that happened except to know that it must have happened at lunch. Then last night we had the fun Clev Tri Club banquet and my hubby and I went to leave at 10PM. Within the mile, something felt wrong with the car and my husband pulled over and got out to look. Front flat tire. Walked around the car...make that two front flat tires. WTF? We had not hit anything. So again as it does every single year my AAA card came in handy and I made the call for a tow.
Tow was said to be an hour and a half so I decide to call a friend, BM, that lived close to wait it out. Bet he is wondering why he took that call now. We waited nearly 2 hours and finally they called to say help should be there so BM drove us to the car about midnight. Only AAA had sent a service vehicle who thought he would just fix a flat. Aghhh, that was not going to help. So another call to AAA and supposedly another 45 minutes. We got a little scenic tour around the city and waited with BM (up for good samaritan award of the year in my book). Finally about 2, the tow truck came. After getting loaded up, we were finally on the way our to Joey's parents house in Garrettsville. Unloaded the car, stole one of his parents cars and finally made it home about 3:15 AM.
Ended up texting the boss I would work remotely on Monday as this scenario was going to take some sorting out. Did I mention that I bought 4 brand new tires less th an a month ago which cost me over $800? Anyway after prying myself out of bed, the hubby got the tires off and we cannot seem to find anything to cause the issue. Now I am sitting at Borders as the tire place tries to figure out the dealio. Somebody please wake me up from this stupid annoying dream. Did I mention I am SOOO tired and I went to bed over 5 hours past my bed time? Please tell me that this is not going to cost me to fix this on top of this all. My poor hubby has been so good through all this and really is not enjoying me including him in my bad dream. Life can be a beeach soome times.
Anyways, today is looking like an off day. Last week went as such-
M-off
T - 6.5 mile run with BM
W - 4.5 mile run with MJ & E
R - 6 mile treadmill run with CV (47)
F- 6.7 mile run with E, 6 miles Mtn Biked at Rays
S -5.5 miles ran including reindeer run 5K, 5K time 21:16 (6:52 pace). Went out feeling fine and after a mile my legs again tightened up terribly causing me to slow down quite a bit. Got 1st in AG, but couldn't help to be a little disappointed. Need to figure out why this has happended the last 2 races.
S-18.5 miles ran on BT with AS and BS
Totals-
Ran-47 miles
Mtn Bike-6
Swim-- 0 - :-( mornings were not happening, I will get back on the ball this week.
Tow was said to be an hour and a half so I decide to call a friend, BM, that lived close to wait it out. Bet he is wondering why he took that call now. We waited nearly 2 hours and finally they called to say help should be there so BM drove us to the car about midnight. Only AAA had sent a service vehicle who thought he would just fix a flat. Aghhh, that was not going to help. So another call to AAA and supposedly another 45 minutes. We got a little scenic tour around the city and waited with BM (up for good samaritan award of the year in my book). Finally about 2, the tow truck came. After getting loaded up, we were finally on the way our to Joey's parents house in Garrettsville. Unloaded the car, stole one of his parents cars and finally made it home about 3:15 AM.
Ended up texting the boss I would work remotely on Monday as this scenario was going to take some sorting out. Did I mention that I bought 4 brand new tires less th an a month ago which cost me over $800? Anyway after prying myself out of bed, the hubby got the tires off and we cannot seem to find anything to cause the issue. Now I am sitting at Borders as the tire place tries to figure out the dealio. Somebody please wake me up from this stupid annoying dream. Did I mention I am SOOO tired and I went to bed over 5 hours past my bed time? Please tell me that this is not going to cost me to fix this on top of this all. My poor hubby has been so good through all this and really is not enjoying me including him in my bad dream. Life can be a beeach soome times.
Anyways, today is looking like an off day. Last week went as such-
M-off
T - 6.5 mile run with BM
W - 4.5 mile run with MJ & E
R - 6 mile treadmill run with CV (47)
F- 6.7 mile run with E, 6 miles Mtn Biked at Rays
S -5.5 miles ran including reindeer run 5K, 5K time 21:16 (6:52 pace). Went out feeling fine and after a mile my legs again tightened up terribly causing me to slow down quite a bit. Got 1st in AG, but couldn't help to be a little disappointed. Need to figure out why this has happended the last 2 races.
S-18.5 miles ran on BT with AS and BS
Totals-
Ran-47 miles
Mtn Bike-6
Swim-- 0 - :-( mornings were not happening, I will get back on the ball this week.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Mad Monday Report a couple days late & TT Report
Things definitely got shook up with the holiday but it is the off season, right?
Monday 11/24
AM - Reddy Swim Workout-1100 yards
Noon-1 mile Run (ankles feel wrecked from Sundays long icy towpath run), 30 min stationary bike (9.75 Miles)
Tuesday - 6x400's ran 4.5 miles total
Wednesday - 14 mile mtn biked at Rays
Thurs - 1.5 mile warmup, turkey trot (6.5 Miles)
Friday (off, shopped!)
Saturday-18 mile Buckeye Trail Run with A&B, 24 mie road bike ride with hubby (TIRING DAY)
Sunday-8.25 M Run with Bob & Jim
Weekly Totals
Swam-1100 yards
Mtn Biked-14 Miles
Road / Stationary Bike-33.75
Ran -42.75
TT Report
Well I must say again that I did not perform up to my expectations. I am going to use the excuse that it was my legs. I was not sure if it was the mtn biking the evening before, the cold or what. Whatever the case about 2 miles from the end they just filled with lactic acid and hurt terribly, especially up the West 3rd hill.
After chatting with friends at the expo and warming up with CV, I lined up ready to go. Since E was not there to yell at me (just kidding) I pulled my headphones over my ears ready to rock out to a new playlist. With the start I was off. I was jockeying for position left and right with the mob of people rocking out to Crue's Shout at the Devil. I was feeling good and just running my own race. Mile 1 6:35
I wondered if it was too fast for a 5 miler as this was not a 5K. Oh well, I felt fine. Around the city and down the hill I ran settling into my pace. Mile 2 6:32, Still feeling good.
I hate the middle part of the race when you realize just how much further you have to go and I was starting to wish it was just a 5K. My legs started to feel worse and I knew I was slowing. Mile 3 7:01
Then my leg muscles starated to really tighten. Every muscle felt tight as could be. One girl in the Hermes series in my age group passed but I let her go on, knowing I still had the hill and I was secretly hoping I could catch her after the hill. Mile 4-7:30 At this point I refused to look at my watch knowing it would make me mad.
I was suffering that last mile. Aerobically I think I felt fine but my legs were quite another situation. The hill was painful and I felt like I was barely moving! CV passed and I dug as deep as I could to pick it up. At the top I was surprised to see that we were already heading into the finish instead of looping around. I tried to close the gap on CV. She must have known I was coming because before long we were both near a full sprint. Again she got me by an hair and I was lucky she helped push me to work a little harder. Mile 5 7:49, 3rd ag, total time 34.21.
Going into the race I wanted to break 34. No dice there. I was SOOO SORE after this race. I could not believe how wrecked my legs were R,F, S, S and just started to feel better Monday. One race left for 2008. Time to lay in on the line and finish the year off right.
I guess if there is a silver lining, I have raced the turkey trot for years now and even with my legs shutting down, it was still my fastest trot. Now I want my fastest Reindeer Run!
06-36:13
07-34:56
08-34:21!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Mad Monday Update 11/24...Hello Winter!
FIRST and foremost, congratulatins to my girl, Beth, who is heading to BOSTON!!! SHE ROCKS and I knew she was going to do it! She kicked butt at the Philly mary and has had quite a breakthrough year! So sending a huge HOODIHOO to her!
So winter has arrived in Cleveland to the tune of over a foot of snow at my house. It appears the snow and lingering chilly temperatures are here to stay. I miss my warm sunshine so much already!
Yet, one special fella in my house seems rather excited about this change in seasons. Oh how he loves the snow and chasing snowballs and biting snow. The one drawback is he needs an area shoved to take a squat as he will not go when the snow is super high!
I am still not hitting the targets I want to hit so I need to plan out my workouts a little better I think. My salvation is that I tell myself this is my off season so it is OK to miss some stuff and do what I want.
Monday- 5 miles 39:30, upper body workout
Tuesday- 1000 yard AM swim, 3 hours at Rays Mtn Bike Park (~12 miles)
Wednesday- 55 minute spin class, abs, 7 miles on treadmill (5 X 1000's at 6:07 pace)~57:30
Thursday - 1600 yard AM swim, 4 Miles treadmill
Friday - 3 hours at Rays Mtn Bike Park (~12 miles)
Saturday - 4.5 miles (Pigskin Run)
Sunday - 15.7 Miles on Buckeye Trail
Weekly Totals
Road / Spin Bike - 17 Miles
Mtn Bike - 24 Miles
Ran - 36.2 Miles
Core - Upper Body (1), Abs (2)
Swam - 2600 Yards (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??)
Pigskin Run
Ran my first 5K in a couple months. Lesson learned was that I need to rely more on myself than other runners. I felt like I was really holding back the first 1.5 miles and did not taken full advantage of the downhill and wind at my back. Then when I tried to close the gap on the 6 ladies in front of me (3 of whom were ages 15,15 & 16) it was in to the wind and uphill and just too late! Even though the course is far from a PR couse I was a bit disappointed in my time and will need to work harder next time. I will call it a draw though as I beat my time from last year and was the first female from the RR series so that is good for my standing.
Mile 1 6:17
Mile 2 6:39
Mile 3 7:15 (W3rd hill)
Total Time: 21:04, 6:49 pace
I am running the 5 mile Turkey Trot in Cleveland Thursday and I think my goal will be hold that pace for 5 and hopefully break 34.
Other Tidbits-
After an incident over the weekend, I am planning to carry my cell phone on a regular basis while training outdoors. You just never know what may happen and it is better to be safe.
For my spring marathon, I am moving forward with planning to run the Pittsbugh Marathon and am pretty excited about it!
So winter has arrived in Cleveland to the tune of over a foot of snow at my house. It appears the snow and lingering chilly temperatures are here to stay. I miss my warm sunshine so much already!
Yet, one special fella in my house seems rather excited about this change in seasons. Oh how he loves the snow and chasing snowballs and biting snow. The one drawback is he needs an area shoved to take a squat as he will not go when the snow is super high!
I am still not hitting the targets I want to hit so I need to plan out my workouts a little better I think. My salvation is that I tell myself this is my off season so it is OK to miss some stuff and do what I want.
Monday- 5 miles 39:30, upper body workout
Tuesday- 1000 yard AM swim, 3 hours at Rays Mtn Bike Park (~12 miles)
Wednesday- 55 minute spin class, abs, 7 miles on treadmill (5 X 1000's at 6:07 pace)~57:30
Thursday - 1600 yard AM swim, 4 Miles treadmill
Friday - 3 hours at Rays Mtn Bike Park (~12 miles)
Saturday - 4.5 miles (Pigskin Run)
Sunday - 15.7 Miles on Buckeye Trail
Weekly Totals
Road / Spin Bike - 17 Miles
Mtn Bike - 24 Miles
Ran - 36.2 Miles
Core - Upper Body (1), Abs (2)
Swam - 2600 Yards (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??)
Pigskin Run
Ran my first 5K in a couple months. Lesson learned was that I need to rely more on myself than other runners. I felt like I was really holding back the first 1.5 miles and did not taken full advantage of the downhill and wind at my back. Then when I tried to close the gap on the 6 ladies in front of me (3 of whom were ages 15,15 & 16) it was in to the wind and uphill and just too late! Even though the course is far from a PR couse I was a bit disappointed in my time and will need to work harder next time. I will call it a draw though as I beat my time from last year and was the first female from the RR series so that is good for my standing.
Mile 1 6:17
Mile 2 6:39
Mile 3 7:15 (W3rd hill)
Total Time: 21:04, 6:49 pace
I am running the 5 mile Turkey Trot in Cleveland Thursday and I think my goal will be hold that pace for 5 and hopefully break 34.
Other Tidbits-
After an incident over the weekend, I am planning to carry my cell phone on a regular basis while training outdoors. You just never know what may happen and it is better to be safe.
For my spring marathon, I am moving forward with planning to run the Pittsbugh Marathon and am pretty excited about it!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Dang Rob & Big
So my husband hates reality tv. Yet we have discovered this new show that is totally messing up my sleep schedule, Rob and Big. I just can't seem to go to sleep when this is on. I sit there and laugh non-stop at the things they come up with like netting spider man, miny horse, special buddies cereal, world record breaking and more. I can't take it. It is too addictive and I keep staying up way past my bed time and mornings are torture. Oh well, at least I am still getting up in time for my AM workouts! And thank goodenss for Rockstar and coffee!
Speaking of AM workouts (maybe you should sit down) I have already got in two swim workouts this week!!! Tuesday and Thursday morning. I am struggling with deciding where to fit in my 3rd one that I am supposed to do. I guess I will need to cut back to two spin classes (M/W) if I am going to get in that third swim. Unfortunately I definitely prefer the spin class.
Other fun lately has included Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park. I am now clearing some of the jumps and having tons of fun!!! The only bad thing is my legs are just bruised up and down. Finally I broke down and bought some shin & knee guards after a nice smack to my knee on the bruise from last week when I jumped into the foam pit Tuesday.
Despite all my bruises, this PLACE RULES!In other training news, I was pleased with my track workout (or should I say treadmill workout?) on the yesterday. I felt as strong as I have on my 1000's, which for those who know me, know that I don't like longer intervals. I think this was due in part to the fact that work has been stressing me out and banging out a hard workout helps me to work through what is on my mind.
Almost Friday............thank goodness!
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