blessing in disguise

maybe my little injury was a good thing, if only for the reason that it has gotten peter and me back in the pool together. he swims. I "run" at an extremely slow pace. it's fun times.

today was an interesting time at fairmont. first of all, who knew there is a water aerobics class going on at 6pm. and then who knew that there was a masters swim team at 7pm! they only had one lane open for lap swimming during the shallow-end water aerobics, so I got to have the whole deep end to my little pool running self. well, besides having to avoid the kid who was having swim lessons. man, was he ever thrashing about!

some lady showed up with a film crew. I use the term lady loosely because I think she was really a man. or used to be one at one point. I wonder why they were filming her. she swam like two laps and then they packed it up, I think. watch for it on the local news, maybe you'll see me pool running in the background or something.

30 minute pool run

marketing scheme

well we all know how I love the GU energy gels. especially vanilla bean. a week or two ago I stumbled across their Stash Your Trash program. at first I was a little confused. were they going to collect all these sticky, used gu packets and then recycle them? or were they just going to throw them away in the end, just like I could throw them away without all the hassle of mailing them in?

so it turns out they just throw them away too. but with the incentive of free gu {5 packets for every 50 empties; and free schwag for 200+ empties!} I've started my own sticky, used gu collection. I know throwing them away myself is just easier + cleaner, but who doesn't love free gu?!

***gladly accepting all sticky, used gu packet donations***

monday:

45 minute pool run.

I always feel like everyone is watching me, wondering what it is I'm doing. have they never seen an injured person--though from the looks of me, I don't think you'd be able to tell I was injured--run in water before? sometimes I wonder if they think I can't swim, like I'm afraid of the water or something. especially when I walk on the deck with my cap + goggles (just in case*) and my geriatric floaty belt. it's pretty awesome.


*fyi - I am not doing my pool running with the cap and goggles on my face. I bring them just in case there are no lanes to do the pool running, since it requires deep water. in that event, I revert to lap swimming.

the update

okay, I'm sure everyone has been dying to know about the injury situation.  I had a consult with the good doctor {aka bro-inlaw, PhD) tonight and after examining my foot he gave me the go ahead to run the marathon.  yes, the go ahead to run the marathon!  

he did all his little tests, all the poking and prodding, twisting and turning.  well, your foot is stable, he says.  he thinks it's my fascia.  he told me to keep doing the pool running to stay fit, wear one of those boots at night--the plantar fasciitis ones that keep your foot stretched--and to roll my foot with a tennis ball during the day.  in a week or two I can try and do some short runs, but if there is pain I should stop.  but no matter what, I can run the marathon.  you might be in pain, but yes, you can run the marathon, he says after about the twenty-seventh time I've re-capped everything he has just told me.  

he kept reiterating that there would probably be pain involved.  but that it's not going to do any long-termdamage.  I can deal with pain.  I feel that just being an endurance athlete means you have a better ability to manage pain than the average person.  I can do it.  

I will have about three solid weeks off the foot.  even if I have a stress fracture (which is possible, but the extreme pain in my ankle/foot could also be from the connective tissue pulling on each other--or whatever) that is enough time to get it healed.  at least mostly.  

he did tell me that I shouldn't run for four to six weeks after.  that's okay, I said.  once I was done with this marathon, I was going to focus more on biking more anyway!  he gave me this look.  that, are you kidding me? look.  no biking.  I can swim and pool run.  okay, I can deal with that.  I'll just focus on swimteam.  

but I can run the marathon.  and that's all that matters.  

and I can try and run it at a good pace, if I want.  I can still try and qualify for boston.  we'll see if I can hang with the 3:40 pace group crowd.  hopefully the pain isn't out of control.  hopefully I haven't lost too much fitness.  we'll see.  and if nothing else, it's always another state.  and that's really the overall goal anyway.  

the weekly recap

wednesday:  rest

thursday:  rest

friday:  45 minute pool run

saturday:  30 minute easy spin + 2 hour pool run  [note to self:  don't ever try and go to steiner on a saturday morning.  especially during the hours of 8 to 9:30am.  masters will inevitably take every lane in the pool.  every single lane.  and even after your thirty minute warm up via the stationary bike, you'll find a lane but will have to share it with the minnows swimteam.  eight year old kids splashing all over the place does not a fun pool run make.  and then you'll just end up getting kicked out of your lane anyway, because they'll have to set up for the water polo practice.  next week I'm hitting the pool at 6am.  hopefully my luck will be better.]

just trying to hold on

remember how my foot was hurting on friday? well, technically it probably hurt a little on previous runs too. . . but friday it was pretty apparent.

since I didn't run on saturday (but I did ride my bike along the salt lake marathon's course a bit) or sunday, I figured my foot would start to feel better. it hasn't. I'm over three weeks out to my race. this cannot be happening to me! the thought of not being able to run it just tears me up inside. I have worked so hard, and devoted my life to this and my goal of qualifying for boston.

so I'm trying to stay positive. I'm trying to focus on the things I actually have control over. the things I can do to help the situation. and hopefully, in the end, make it better. make it work.

so I'm going to implement rest. I'm going to also be implementing active rest -- aka cross training. which pretty much means I will be spending the rest of my life in the pool. I tried water running yesterday for the first time in my life. it's interesting, but if it can keep me fit without being able to do much else I'll take it! I mean, who doesn't love to wear the geriatric floaty belt? love it!

I also think swimming will be okay.

so everyone send some good, positive vibes my way. I'm going to need them. this is just one more road block I'll have to work through for this thing. trust me, this isn't the first time during this training season that I've felt like it's all been totally hopeless. and then I usually come back stronger than ever. pray for me!

nineteen

I ran my long run today because my friend, scotty, is running the salt lake city marathon tomorrow and we need to be his cheering section. {he's trained for this thing solely on a treadmill. I can't even imagine.} I mean, the race route goes right by my house, so why not?

so today's run didn't really feel that great. which is okay. I felt pretty sick when I went to bed last night. like I was going to puke or something, and was scared I'd actually be sick and running wouldn't seem so appealing. I felt relatively fine this morning, though. so that's good.

I felt tight in the early miles. I loosened up midway through. by mile 10 or so I started getting tight again. if you look at the elevation profile I was running uphill for a few miles. it felt like I was just crawling up that last push. but it probably wasn't really that slow. maybe just kinda slow.

the way down that hill (that very little steep section--it was only about a block, really) kinda pounded my legs.

my left foot really started to hurt. hopefully that is a pain that does not linger with me for any amount of time.

I had salty face. it started getting in my eyes near the end. I usually wear my visor, which helps soak the sweat up. but I did wear shorts and I had no problem with the chub rub. thank you, bodyglide! though the past couple runs the bodyglide on my feet doesn't feel like it's been working like it used to. no actual blisters yet, but I feel hot spots forming. no beuno.

I am glad the long run is done and out of the way. I can enjoy the rest of the weekend! yesterday it was one month exactly to the big day. next week is my longest run. then I'll taper and hopefully be ready for the journey ahead. hopefully I'm physically and mentally ready for the challenge at hand.

19 miles; 6th east/south temple/11th east/21st south/wasatch dr

baby baby bike

so I wanted to go on a ride tonight. but by the time peter got home I was in the middle of doing the biggest pile of dishes you have ever seen. and my carbo-loading extreme dinner had not even been started yet. . . and we were both starving. so as I finished up the dishes peter so nicely went out to the storage and got my bike. then he pumped up my tires. isn't he sweet?

so while he slaved over a hot stove, I was out on my first "ride" of the season. it was pretty baby. I just rode over to liberty park and did a few laps. I wasn't even gone that long. it was just a get-to-know-you type ride. me and my bike haven't seen each other in a long time. it's nice to get reacquainted. you know, take it slow.

the good news was that pete had the delicious dinner ready to go when I got home. hurrah!

baby swim

I didn't really have time for a full workout today. I hate those days when you're so busy working out isn't really feasible. but today I made time for it, even if it was just thirty minutes in the pool.

the workout wasn't really anything special. probably not even worth mentioning, but I'll mention it anyway. I did a 500 warmup. a quick 100 IM. then I did some 100's, mostly freestyle. I don't even know how many. I just sort of swam.

monday + tuesday

monday, april 14th:
I did a 4.5 mile loop. it was good fargo practice--windy! the temperature was really warm, though. when I got home I didn't really have time to stretch and ice like I had wanted to. I had an appointment come up. I had this really random twitch going on in my left buttocks for a few hours afterward. pretty random and slightly annoying.

tuesday, april 15th:
I went up to steiner to do a speed workout on the tready. the track was a no go a) because I had to do it in the afternoon after work -- you know, high school track season and all. and b) because it was a rainy/snowy/sloshy cold mess outside by the afternoon. spring to the extreme! so I opted for the indoors where my pace can more easily be controlled. I did a one mile warmup. and then alternated between a half mile at 7:19 with a couple minutes of walking. I did 5 800's (800 equals the half mile, peeps). I did a 1.5 mile cooldown so the total running distance would be an even five miles. yeah, I'm OCD like that. I tried to stretch pretty well afterwards. and then I took an ice bath to cover all my bases in one, quick shot. my legs felt pretty beat up. today will be an easy, recovery day for sure.

eighteen

I made myself a little route on friday night. I got pretty into it because after I printed out the map (below) I wrote out where my aid stations were going to be (aka which street corners I would stash my little water bottles) and where my turnaround point was, et cetera. I even placed my little gu's on the appropriate mile markers. I thought it was really cute. pete didn't seem to appreciate it as much.


on saturday morning, after driving the course and placing all my baby waters and poweraids, I set off on my little eighteen miler. the first half mile my legs felt a bit like dead weight. by my first aid station (mile two) I had loosened up quite a bit. most of the run put me snaking through the avenues. and if you know the avenues, you know that it's always a hilly run. I was either going uphill or coming downhill. not much in the way of just flat.

but I ran through it all and kept a good pace. my legs started getting pretty tight around mile 14 or so, but it wasn't enough to make me want to stop running. I still felt strong. strong enough to run through any discomfort I was feeling. strong enough that when it was all over I still felt that if I had had to, I could've pulled another two miles. that's a good place to be mentally.

oh, and the weather was beautiful. just perfect for a saturday morning long run.

{p.s. if you want to analyze the bizarre dream I had before waking up and going running, go HERE. it involves qualifying for boston and cleaning tomkat's toilet. you could even win a prize.}

18 miles; avenues

plyo

I went to steiner yesterday to get a plyo workout in. seriously, I swear by these. they make you a faster runner without much effort. every runner's dream!

I warmed up for two miles on the treadmill.
did my plyo jump rope routine for ten mintes (unfortunately I had to do 1 minute intervals instead of 30 second intervals. totally forgot the man-watch and had to go by the time on the digital clock above the ice sheet)
ran a half mile cool down on the treadmill.

I stretched afterwards and came home and iced some key areas that were kinda feelin' it. I think today will just be a rest day as I gear up for the 18 miler tomorrow.

the pm swim

I am torn between the am swimteam and the pm swimteam. I love being able to get my swim workout in before the rest of my day starts (that is if I can wake up for it); it just feels so good. but I like the wednesday night swim coach and the people that swim in my lane better. I just feel like I fit more in the pm swimteam. but this is the kicker: I hate getting home at 8 o'clock.

with that being said I made it to the pm swimteam tonight. it had been a while. the old familiar faces were all there. we swam hard in our little slow lane. I felt good. I always feel good after swimming. it is such a fantastic workout.

500 warmup (300 free, 200 stroke)

8 X 50 kick (odds butterfly, evens freestyle)

8 X 50 drill IM

3X:
200 moderate free
100 fast IM
50 easy recovery free

2 X 75 (50 easy, 25 fast; 25 fast, 50 easy)

cooldown

some speed and also a little look back

I did some speed work today. I ran my little self over to the highland high track and did some fun repeats. the yasso 800's. basically you're supposed to run a set of repeats at the same time in minutes as your goal time for the marathon. thus my 800's were supposed to be run in three minutes and forty seconds. since this is my first week of the yasso 800's, I only did four. I'll keep adding more repeats as the weeks progress. (okay, so I'll only actually do these a few more times before I'm into taper and it's almost my race! yikes!!)

so with that being said, I ran all four of my under three minutes and thirty seconds. my first one was 3:19! now let's get one thing straight: I will not be running my marathon in under three hours and thirty minutes! I was obviously running way too fast. with each repeat I kept telling myself, okay you can run slower. . . it just wasn't happening. I think it was the fear of not making it in time. and it's not like I was all out sprinting in these 800's or anything, but my feet were certainly moving!

my legs felt awesome during the first two. as in my hamstrings weren't bugging me at all. I was surprised and quite relieved. the third time around I could feel it in my left hip flexor. the fourth time my hamstrings were starting to complain a bit.

then I had the run home. all in all I think I ran about six to six-and-a-half miles today. my hamstrings were not loving me when I got home. I took an ice bath just so I could get all the major muscles groups in one shot. some days I just don't feel like dealing with all the frozen corn bags.

* * *

I hadn't been back to that track since the early days. the days where uncertainty and a sense of untested confidence ran strong. it was during that time that I started to see myself for what I was: a runner. a girl with strong legs, a strong heart and a strong sense of what she wanted.

it was during those spring evenings that I met with them. told what I could achieve if I just put in the work now. I learned that I was able. I learned that I was strong. I learned that I was ready, though I had no real idea what lay ahead.

two weeks before my first marathon: slow down. you don't need to go fast. you've put in the work. you're ready. and he was right; I was ready.

stepping once again onto that track brought everything back. the warm faces on those warm evenings; sunlight fading, long golden light. we were all working toward the same goal, each at our own pace. there was encouragement. there was laughter. there was sweat. there was a bond that brought us together.

we are still held by that bond, even though we have not stayed in touch.

I miss my friends.

I wish I could tell you my stories, of all that I have accomplished and are setting out to do. I wish I could hear yours. I know we have all done amazing things. running was just the beginning.

recovery

yesterday morning I was at the gym running on a treadmill before the sun even came up. dedication, I know. I had to get my recovery run in before work. four slow, easy miles. my hamstrings have been really tight since the race on saturday. I was hoping the run would loosen them up a bit. during the run they were starting to feel better. but as I went about the rest of my day, they were still sore.

on monday's I've been getting some sports massage therapy. I think it's helping greatly. I'll keep getting them after my long runs into the taper phase of my training. after the massage yesterday, I could almost immediately feel the difference. my hamstrings felt so much better. though, they do feel a little sore; I'm hoping today's run helps sort things out further.

thirteen point one: provo city half marathon

ah yes, the provo city half marathon. I'm not sure I'd really recommend it to anyone. I mean, it wasn't really that bad. and it was the inaugural running of the race. so they still have time to work out the kinks. but it really wasn't that great, either.

basically I felt the mile markers were a little off--if they even had mile markers at all. oh, and they said aid stations at mile 2, 6, 8, 10, 12 but seemed to have them in random places. so I'd get to one and have to wonder what mile I was actually at. as a runner, it's pretty important to know where you are during the race, if only for the mental game and your sanity.

the run along the provo river was pretty nice. until you got out by utah lake. wind. wind. wind. with nothing to block it. yikes! that was a tough spot in the race for me. strong headwind equals a not so fast and a slightly more tired anna jo. it could've been worse, though, I guess. it could've been raining and a strong headwind. let's all be grateful the weather held this morning.*

okay, back to business. though I didn't love the course, this race was actually pretty good for me. I told peter before I started that this was my game plan: relax. and cruise. yesterday I had made three goals for how I wanted the run to turn out. you know, the super awesome goal time I'd be totally stoked on, the good goal time I'd be totally happy with, and the everything-went-wrong-but-I'll-take-it goal time. they were respectively: 1:40, 1:50 and 2:00.

I'm happy to report that I made it directly in between my first and second goal times. 1:45. I couldn't be happier with it. this has definitely been a confidence booster on this whole road to boston thing. I mean, I am on track to actually being able to keep the pace I'll need to qualify! it could be a reality if everything goes alright on race day. and that makes me happy.

if I remember correctly, I came in 63rd overall and 16th for females. something like that. who knows.

one thing I will say for this race was that it probably closely resembles conditions I might be facing in north dakota. a mostly flat course with wind and chillier temps. (I'm praying for chillier temps! if they have some sort of freak heat wave on may 17th that will totally be uncool. no pun intended.) let's just hope that I don't have to run over any overpasses. I was not expecting it, and my heart sank when I realized I had to run up and over it.

oh, and one more thing I will say about this race was that the tech tees were pretty cute!


* so yesterday afternoon someone told me it was supposed to rain all morning. maybe even snow. yep, all the weather reports confirmed it. so can you imagine how hard it was to dress for the run?! I think peter was thoroughly annoyed by all my questions and indecision. I just didn't want to be overdressed and I didn't want to be underdressed. that's a tight line to tow. but don't worry, the weather abated (except for the wind) and nothing ever really came down on us. my outfit decision turned out okay in the end as well. except for pete's watch. remind me never to wear a huge man-watch in a race if I have not trained with it for a while. I was not used to the weight and it started making my whole arm hurt! so I took it off about mile three and stashed it in the vest pocket where it proceeded to bounce around for ten more miles. annoying!

and it went a little something like this:

monday: ran on the tready before work. I did four miles. for a recovery run, I think I pushed it a little too hard for part of the run. my right hamstring hated me the rest of the day. that evening I had another massage, which seemed to work a lot of the kinks out.

tuesday: I ran two miles on the treadmill and then did some plyo. the ten minute jump rope routine. this time I was able to do it on the floor with the big mat, so it was easier on my joints, etc. and my calves weren't tight afterwards. bonus. afterward I did about a half mile cool down on the treadmill, I think.

wednesday: I had planned on going to early AM masters, but opted out of that to go with my cute husband instead. well, we both slept in too long and he wasn't feeling well anyway, so I ended up going after work. bad idea. there was a high school water polo game going on. which means fewer lanes to lap swim. which also means the girls warming up for the next game will swim in your lane. but they won't swim full laps. they'll just do these half lap things or just sit at the wall and generally just get in your way. now out of all three lap swimming lanes did they have to choose mine? I will never know. . . here is what I remember of the workout I made up in my head as I went:
500 warmup
some pull buoy action (until I noticed my left shoulder hurting... then I stopped and stretched)
200 reverse IM order (50's of each stroke)
100 (25 hard, 25 easy, 25 hard, 25 easy)
100 (50 hard, 50 easy)
100 (75 hard, 25 easy)
100 (hard)
100 (75 h, 25 e)
100 (50 h, 50 e)
100 (25 h, 25 e, 25 h, 25 e)
200 IM
cooldown

thursday: ran around liberty park. I was starving, but I had to go. so I did. I felt pretty good for literally running on empty. I ran the perimeter of the park.

friday: well, I haven't really done anything today and I think I'll keep it that way. I'm taking it as a rest day. I've got a big race tomorrow. the provo city half marathon. yep, I decided to do it and registered yesterday. I figure I might as well pay someone else to plan the course, place the water + gatorade and give me a tshirt! you can never go wrong with that.

sixteen

my long run yesterday was good. I felt strong.

going into it I wasn't sure what the weather would bring. they had been forecasting snow and/or showers all week. not something I necessarily want to run in, but will run in if needs be. the only problem was I didn't quite know how to dress for the run. it had currently been clear with temps in the low forties. would that hold? would I be out there when things changed suddenly and drastically?

I had thought about doing the baby pug tree run for that reason. if things turned for the worse I could run home and put on some additional layers, or change out of wet ones. but I didn't really want to do the baby pug tree. I am a little over it.

peter generously offered to go place some water bottles out for me. just like last week I did the 14 miler zoo/wasatch run. I just added two extra miles in the beginning to make it 16 miles total. I did a quick western run of the baby pug tree and then was off on the rest of the run.

can I just tell you how much better I felt at each point of the run over last week? and that was with two additional miles already under my feet! I didn't really start getting tight until about mile 12 or so. this is a good sign.

I felt strong.

pete rode the course on his bike and dropped off the water bottles in our designated spots. I met him soon after he had turned around. he was surprised I was already to that point; I must have been cruising! also, my outfit choice was perfect, just in case you were wondering. and I know you were. layered long sleeve tee's with my vest, tights, beanie, snot-gloves. I'm so glad I opted for the vest because it gave me a place to stash the beanie and gloves when I didn't need them. there were a few times where I had to pull them out of the pockets because it got windy and the temps dropped. thankfully no rain or snow. just a fierce headwind for the last three-fourths of the run.

I'm feeling good about where things are right now and where they are going. I am so much farther along than I was last year at this time. cramming in my training after an injury is no fun and really affects your body. I'm so glad that this year I have remained relatively injury free--just those chronic annoyances--and have had time to get that solid base under me. this year should prove drastically different from last years marathon. and I'm so excited to see it all play out.

16 miles; baby pug tree west, zoo/wasatch

the weekly rundown

oh my goodness, I'm sure having a hard time remembering what I ran this past week. I can barely even remember my run on friday, and that was two days ago! sorry this is a little spotty, but here goes. . .

monday, march twenty-fourth:
4 miles; the big loop?

tuesday, march twenty-fifth:
3.5 miles; through liberty, then around liberty and back home. . .

wednesday, march twenty-sixth:
got a sports massage. . . there is much to be worked on on the body of anna jo. . .

thursday, march twenty-eighth:
3 miles; around the perimeter of liberty. . . okay, I can't really remember if this is what I actually ran on thursday, but I think so. I do remember my legs feeling like dead weight.

friday, march twenty-ninth:
3 miles; liberty. for some reason it felt like there was a huge ball stuck inside my left glute. I don't know if it was from something I did the day before, but there was a knot and I could totally feel it with every step! I do think it lessened as time went on. it didn't really stick around for the long run the next day, so that was good. it was bizarre, though.

fourteen

I ditched the baby pug tree run. though it is super convenient, it gets a little old. so very, very old. I did that one fourteen mile run I did last year. {I did change a few things up, though. instead of running along 9th east and up 8th south, I just took 17th all the way up to 15th east and over. I think it was a huge improvement.} it's a good route. it will now be my fourteen mile standby.

man, the first couple miles I felt awesome. by the middle my legs were starting to tighten up a bit. but even though they were tight, I still felt strong. near my turnaround I passed these two guys--I just felt like my little legs were just totally flying past these guys. it was a good feeling. yeah, the end of the run ended with that tight but strong feeling. I took an ice bath when I got home. (after stretching of course) I feel pretty good about my running right now. even though I'm constantly battling my right hamstring, I'm trying to take care of it and I feel so much stronger than I did last year at this time. I will be so much more prepared for this marathon than the last. and that's all I can ask for.

14 miles; the zoo/wasatch run

running at the morgue

thursday: march 20.
I did some plyo. I ran a two mile warmup on the treadmill. then did my little ten minute jumprope routine. it's killer. the next day (and the day after that. . .) my calves were totally feelin' it. I did a .25 mile cooldown, because that's all I really had time for.

I was a little annoyed, though, because I wanted to do the jumping of the rope on the rubbery workout area inside the ice skating rink section. but stupid trainer-guy was working out two figure skaters. lame. I just went over to the other side and did my routine on the hard concrete floor. not as fun. by the way, my mother told me the other day that if there was ever a huge disaster here in salt lake city, utah. the ice sheets at steiner were going to be the morgue. yeah, better believe that's all I could think about when I was there. I was just picturing myself on the treadmill looking out over a sea of corpses. um, I'd rather be watching the pee-wee hockey league for sure!

friday: march 21.
I was going to do some yoga or something. but as usual, if I don't make the effort to go running or do something else like the elliptical at the gym, the day seems to slip away and I get too busy to do that yoga I keep meaning to do. so it was a rest day. which is okay too, I guess.

the liquid love

once again, the pool and I have reignited our love affair. I am happy to say that I made it to early morning swimteam. finally. it has been far too long.

that being said, todays workout totally kicked my slacker butt. though I didn't feel like my body forgot how to swim, actually swimming was very tiring. I hung in there, though. we did a lot of IM sets. our coach wanted to torture us today by putting IM sets back to back with reverse IM sets, pretty much making us swim the fly twice in a row. brutal. but that also meant that sometimes we would be swimming freestyle twice in a row, kinda like a holiday. (or so I pretended) anyway, it felt good to be back in the water. even if it was at six am. even if my muscles were screaming. it is so good for me. plus I love smelling like chlorine.


500 warmup

6 100's (50 kick/50 drill; the odds - freestyle, the evens - fly, back, breast)

100 IM
200 free
2X100 IM (IM, reverse IM)
200 free
3X100 IM (IM, reverse IM, IM)
200 free
4X100 IM (IM, reverse IM, IM, reverse IM)
200 free

100 cooldown

tuesday, march 18th

I changed things up a bit. instead of doing the usual tempo run on the treadmill, I headed outside to appreciate the fantastic running weather. I did a hillier route a la sugarhouse park. my hamstrings seemed to hold up pretty well. I tried to be conservative on the hills as not to further aggravate anything.

since the weather was so freaking nice I got to wear shorts + a tee + a long sleeve shirt. well, after I warmed up I ditched the long sleeves. I didn't realize I had put my tee on backwards. and it was a totally obvious backwards too because the front neckline scoops down a bit lower. plus that whole nike logo that is obviously on. the. front. totally embarrassing! I'm sure all the people running behind me thought I was some kind of spaz who can't even dress herself. classic.

4+ miles; 17th to 15th east + the sugarhouse loop

monday, march 17th

I did a short run. around liberty park, on the outer perimeter dirt path. I ran home via 8th east. I felt pretty good, if I remember correctly.

3 miles; liberty

between the shadows of injury and illness

it's been a rough two weeks for my running. let me recap.

monday, march 3rd: a three mile run? something like that. I don't remember now if anything significant happened or how I even felt. I think overall things went ok and I might have even felt pretty good. oh! I do remember now. I did a short run around liberty park with peter. that's right. joint run team.

tuesday, march 4th: a five mile tempo run. I remember feeling a bit tired. like my legs just didn't have as much in them. I did a mile warmup, a mile at 8:20, a mile at 7:45, a mile at 8:20 and then my last mile was a cool down. even though I felt a little sluggish, I didn't really notice anything abnormal with the state of my hamstring.

later that night I went with my little church girls to learn some hip hop dance moves from this chick in our ward. we were really groovin'. not only did I almost break my wrists off (she was teaching us some sweet stall moves), but I must have done something to my right hamstring. like re-pulled it. like this is not good pulled it. total set back. I'm still not sure if it was the run, the hip hop, or a combination of both.

wednesday, march 5th: I'm pretty sure I did a 40 (or 60?) minute yoga for inflexible people leg series.

thursday, march 6th: I was going to do yoga, but I don't think I ever got around to it.

friday, march 7th: went night boarding. man, oh man! now I remember why I like to ski. my butt and wrists were totally feeling it by the end of the night! good thing snowboarding stresses your quads (at least when you plow down the mountain) more than your hamstrings. I would have been hating my life if I had tried to tele that night.

saturday, march 8th: I was scheduled for a 15 mile run. since my hamstring was in disrepair I settled on the side of caution and just did eight. I figure I have enough room in my training schedule to move things around a bit.

oh, and I woke up that morning feeling sick.

monday, march 10th: well, that little feeling of getting the cold hit me. and boy did it hit me hard! I didn't go to church on sunday, I didn't go to work on monday. I did find some time during the day to do a very slow three mile run around liberty park.

tuesday, march 11th: again, didn't go to work. this cold was taking over my life! no energy, sore throat, stuffy nose. I took this as a total rest day.

wednesday, march 12th: I felt bad for not going into work on monday and tuesday so I sucked it up and went in. bad idea. it totally wiped me out for the rest of the day. I didn't go running.

thursday, march 13th: again, I was feeling pretty low energy. I don't think I even stepped outside of my house.

friday, march 14th: I was feeling well enough for a half day at work. but no running.

saturday, march 15th: in efforts to reclaim my life I did a long run. I had 12 miles scheduled, so I was determined to get it all in. even if it was at a painfully slow pace. it actually wasn't too bad. I hocked a few logies there in the beginning, and a lot of snot rockets throughout. I tried to get plenty of fluids every two miles. my legs did start getting pretty tight around mile 7 or 8, but I just pushed through and did my twelve.

it felt good to have some normalcy back.

ten miler

I got to pull my mileage back this week. ten miles. no big deal, right? well, in theory it's no big deal. but the wind seemed to kill me today. I swear, no matter which direction I was actually running it always felt like a head wind. what's up with that? around mile eight I got pretty tight again.

the good news is it was warm enough to run without tights this morning (but I will have you know it's been snowing all evening). I got my first true run with the skirt. verdict: I love it. it's just like wearing shorts except you don't have all that pesky riding up. plus you get to feel a little flirty out there. who doesn't want to run while feeling like the cutest thing on the block? the only drawback is when I'm stretching out I feel like I may be showing the world my goods. but after the run I tested things out in front of the mirror and in all actuality I'm probably showing off the same amount of skin as I would be in my running shorts. so I'll just have to get over it.

the outside of my right foot hurt during the first mile. that seems to happen when trying to break these specific shoes in. with my last pair this went away completely, so I'm not worried. like I said before, I was tight in the later miles. I think I'm going to start practicing a pre-race warmup so I can get a little routine down for the day of the marathon. it will be good to be a little warmed up and stretched out before I head into this thing. usually I just use the first few miles as a warmup, but I know my race strategy will be completely different for this thing. it will be like I'm actually racing it, not just running it. basically my race day strategy is this: stay with that 3:40 pace group even if it kills me. so I figure being loosened up going into it will only make that goal that much easier.

10 miles; baby pug tree south, west, north, east, west

spring-like run

I ran outside this morning even though the air was a little yucky. I'm sorry, I just can't be stuck inside all the time. especially when it's been so nice outside this week. I did a four mile loop. halfway through the run I realized I was originally going to do another four mile route that would have taken me through sugarhouse park instead of liberty park. whoops. maybe next time.

I felt a little sluggish in the middle of the run. but then started feeling faster at the end. I stretched out pretty well when I got home and then iced while I watched rachael ray. it hasn't been that great of a day for eating, though. I really need to go to the grocery store. we seriously have nothing. {except chocolate, it seams!}

4 miles; through liberty to 4th south to 8th east

these days

monday: I did the three mile liberty park route. it was the first time the new shoes have been on a dirt trail. they were lovin' it. I actually felt pretty good. my legs--mostly my quads and calves--had been tight since the long run. it was really good to get them out there again. it definitely loosened them up. I had to keep pulling myself back because I felt I was running too fast. monday's run didn't need to be fast. that's what the next day's tempo run was for. oh, and I did a twenty minute leg yoga routine on the dvd. (read below for more specifics on said dvd)

tuesday: tempo run. it was five miles total. on the treadmill. (the treadmill seems the easiest way to do temp runs right now. I set the pace and just keep it for x amount of miles. maybe when the weather starts getting really nice I'll have to get the old garmin out and take it the streets and/or track.) I did a one mile warm up. one mile goal pace. two miles tempo pace. half mile goal pace with the last half mile easing back into a cool down pace. it felt pretty good. definitely worked me. but I was able to keep the pace. and my hamstring didn't really bother me. it's been pretty under control lately. I feel it minimally.

wednesday: since yesterday's workout was pretty hard, I just took today as an easy cross-training day. I did yoga. I stole my mom's yoga for inflexible people dvd and did a 45 minute session. it was pretty good. nothing like hot yoga. normal yoga just seems to move so slowly. but I did it because I need it. and this dvd is not too bad because it has like sixty different workouts. I likes me some variety in my life.

fourteen

I love this cold weather running. it really doesn't matter how late I get out there. I can sleep in a little and not feel guilty, not be hating my life because I'm running in the heat. it's a beautiful thing.

I was going to do a fourteen mile route I ran last year, but decided to just do the baby pug tree so I could switch into my new shoes late in my run. it worked like a charm.

I'm glad to say I felt pretty good for the first half of the run; not as glad to say that during mile eight my legs started cramping. I was very tight the rest of the run. seriously, what's up with that? at mile ten I switched into the new shoes. they might take a little getting used to because with those insoles I feel a lot higher (because they're thicker than the insoles that come with the shoes). it's kinda crazy. but hopefully they will save my legs in the end.

the weather was pretty nice. slightly rainy and drizzly, but no downpour. it would switch from misty rain, to sunshine, to slushy-snow rain, back to sunshine, then misty rain again all in the matter of minutes. I love weather.

when I got home I stretched. made some french toast. {perfect blend of protein + carbs, right?} then the beloved ice bath. for those wondering, ice baths are good after long runs because you're muscles are torn from all the use. putting heat on them is a bad idea(like sitting in a hot tub--sounds nice, but really not so good immediately after a run.) because you want to restrict blood flow into your muscles to aid in repair and it will also lesson the soreness later on. so I suffer through a tub full of cold water + ice cubes for twelve minutes and call it good. it gets all my major muscle groups in one shot--no need to mess around with my bags of frozen corn. and after your feet go numb, it's really not all that bad.

14 miles; baby pug tree south, west, north, east, north, east, west

the elliptical

I ellipticalled while reading real simple magazine today. what a treat. I also programmed in the wrong cross-country route (I had switched machines quickly when one with the swinging handle bars became available, and hadn't noticed that they weren't the same routes) which kind of sucked, but I didn't really bother changing it. (probably because I noticed half-way through) and then at the very end of my workout the machine went on the fritz and all my info was lost. so I have no idea how far I went, how many calories burned. nothing. I'm devastated. okay, so not really devastated. I could not actually care less about my calories, and miles on the elliptical? what does that even mean to me? I'm just happy I worked out for forty-five minutes. that's all.

I exercised before work. I haven't been able to squelch my hunger since. and I've been eating good, healthy choices spread out throughout the whole day. I guess this is what happens when your metabolism gets going early on.

45 minutes; steiner; elliptical

finally, new shoes!

okay, I have logged my first three miles on my new shoes. I ended up with the same pair of mizuno's, I do believe. but I splurged and went for the insoles. we'll see if that helps with anything.

after one mile the sides of my feet started hurting. I remember that happening as I broke in my old pair last year. so I'm not too worried. actually, after stopping and stretching they didn't bug me for the remaining two miles.

3 miles; steiner

tempo

okay, okay. so tuesday the air quality was not so good. I had decided I couldn't run outside because it was so gross. but I couldn't really go up to steiner either because I didn't have the car that day. what is a girl to do?

well, I almost did some pilates and an upper body strength workout for runners (though I don't really have any hand weights anyway) on this great little thing called excercise tv. but you don't have any special channels, anna? how did you watch exercise tv? you're right, I don't and I didn't. but you can watch some of the workouts in full length for free on their website. and I hear you can download the other workouts for, like, a buck-ninety-nine. {thanks, becca, for the hot tip!} but you almost did these workouts? what's the deal? yes, you heard me right. I almost did them. even despite the fact that I came home from work and ate a cheesy quesadilla, I was going to work out anyway. but then some neighborhood girls came over and pretty much foiled all my plans. blast! so tuesday was taken as a rest day, I suppose. kind of a bummer, but what can ya do?

so on to my workout yesterday. the tempo run. again the air quality was bad. really bad. so bad I couldn't even see the mountains. (that's the test) of course I went up to steiner to do a little treadmill love. right as I got on the thing I thought to myself, hey I should do a little tempo run! really get a sweat going. so I did. I warmed up for a mile at a slow pace. stretched. then cranked up the speed and held it for two miles. then I did a half mile at a slower pace. then I stretched. it felt really good. I'm going to have to start adding more of those workouts in. plus hill workouts. plus strength training. plus plyo. let's get serious about this marathon training! I love it.

the greatest part about it was that my knees and hamstrings didn't really freak out on me. today I can kinda feel my right hamstring, but it's not too major.

anyway, I think I'm going to go buy me some running shoes today before work. I'll even get a nice easy run in them to start the break-in process. very exciting.

the monday run

it was a really nice day today. well, except for the bad air. I ran outside anyway. I mean, it was forty degrees. how could you not?!

my legs felt great for most of it. a little sluggish in the middle of the run for no apparent reason. and at one time I had a random shooting of pain in my upper thigh/hip area. that was weird. it kind of felt like someone had stuck a syringe in my leg. it was just a quick pain, though, and then went away completely. bizarre.

my hamstring and my knees felt fine, I'm happy to report.

right before my run I looked at the clock and noticed it was 4:30pm. hot yoga was starting. I thought of all the people doing the warm-up breathing exercise and got a little sad in my heart. hot yoga how I miss you already. . .

4 miles; 6th east to 4th south to 8th east

twelve

I woke up on saturday morning to find I had no gu's in the house. not a good thing with a twelve mile run ahead of me. so I did what any self respecting runner would do, create a route that involved the running store. it was a brilliant idea. not only did I get my gu's, but I had a change of scenery as well. I bought like eight even though I really only needed one. they were all bouncing around the pockets of my fleece vest. it was a little out of control, but I dumped the rest off once I got back to the baby pug tree to finish out the miles. it all worked out like a charm.

the weather was a little cold, and though I may have been slightly underdressed it wasn't intolerable. my legs did okay until the last few miles. they started to cramp up, but that wasn't intolerable either. and really I should've expected it--or worse--since again I had such a low mile running week due to all the fabulous hot yoga. all in all, it was a great run. I've really been enjoying the long runs lately.

12 miles; baby pug tree north, 17th to 11th/highland, baby pug tree south, baby pug tree west

the week in review

monday: ran 3 miles. outside. around the park. it was one of those perfect days for running outside. the air was just so clean and crisp.

tuesday: hot yoga.

wednesday: hot yoga.

thursday: ran 2 miles. treadmill. and hot yoga. I made a breakthrough. I was able to do a full back-bend from a kneeling position. I've never been able to to do that before. ever. and I was doing the pose the teacher said, "anna, you're so close. just reach back and try to touch your heels. good. now the other. you're there! now just push out your hips!" it was amazing. I felt like a yoga superstar.

friday: hot yoga. it was the last class of the yoga blitz. I am so, so sad about that. it turns out I really like hot yoga a lot. and it's the only yoga I've found that I don' t get totally bored with ten minutes into it. {maybe I need to give other types of yoga another chance. . .} but it also turns out that hot yoga is extremely expensive. so unless someone wants to sponsor my hot yoga, it looks like if I'm doing any yoga at all it will be free yoga (at my gym or through my yogi friend, athena or something). ahh, such is life. I do feel it has helped rehabilitate my legs a little bit. which was the purpose. so that's good.

the happy birthday ten miler

yesterday was my birthday, and I had the joy of running ten miles. (that's me holding up fingers for how many miles I ran. right by my pile of presents and right by my surprise birthday breakfast, the german pancake.) the weather was nice. my body held up pretty well. just the usual aches + pains. I should probably get new shoes sometime this week, though. I just tried to take it slowly since I had only logged 3 running miles during the week. I'm going to try and do hot yoga and get some smaller runs in next week. we'll see how I feel.

10 miles; baby pug tree: south, west, north, east, west

friday's hot yoga

I went to hot yoga after work on friday. this time around it was a little harder--I don't know if I was fully present. sometimes that heat is overwhelming. it's good though. all that sweat really does feel cleansing in a way. I didn't do any of the poses where I had to bend down on my knees. I think I might have a little residual problem from that kayaking accident a year ago. so I don't want to further the problem by squatting down all the time. but hot yoga was good. I'm taking a break from it yesterday and today, but plan to go full force again through next week. I have until friday.

yoga blitz

okay, okay. I haven't ran since monday. tuesday was an easy ride on the stationary bike. wednesday + thursday--the yoga blitz!

I've signed up for a ten day bikram yoga deal at a local studio. man oh man, I loves me the hot yoga.

I'm going to do as much yoga as I can over the next ten days in hopes of loosening up a bit. getting rid of some of the kinks. then afterward I am exploring some free yoga options, which unfortunately aren't as fun as hot yoga. but dang, yoga is pricey. I'll just do it at my gym or from my friend who teaches. because I should continue in the practice on a regular bases through my training. I can only imagine it doing good things for me.

so if you're in the slc area, you should join the hot yoga craze. at least for the ten days. you can't beat it for twenty bucks.

a quickie

I wanted to run at least four miles tonight, but I didn't really have time for that. so I ran a quick three miler.

I ran around liberty, and pushed it a little. then I took 8th east home.

3 miles; liberty loop

saturday's eight

okay, okay here is my long run report.

I was a little worried about saturday's run because ever since I ran on stie's treadmill, it seems like my right hip started hurting and feeling out of sorts. (I don't know if it was caused by stie's treadmill, I just noticed it right around this time) and my knees have been acting all wonky lately. I think it might be time for new shoes. . . that might help things. I should tally up how many miles I've actually run on them.

I don't really remember my hip bothering me. my knees randomly had their moments, each one taking her turn. but overall it wasn't bad. it didn't make me cut the run short or anything, so that was good.

overall I think I felt pretty strong. it was only eight miles. next week will be ten. the next twelve. and so on. I'm out of my base phase and getting into more serious training. my mileage will be pushing upward. it's kind of exciting. at the end of each run I like to think to myself, I could do more. but I won't. it's like I'm training myself mentally, but saving my body. it's a good mental game.

8 miles; baby pug tree south, west, north, east

the friday swim

I didn't feel like running yesterday, and the water was calling my name. I just did my own workout, but think I really need to get back to the early wednesday morning masters class. it would probably be good for me.

I did the usual 500 warmup. some kicking drills. I did some sets of 100 IM's. my fly did not feel as good as it did this day. oh well. I also did some longer sets before doing a couple quick no breather 25's to end the workout. okay, so the 25's weren't exactly no breathers. I usually took about one breath. it was a good hypoxic set to end the swim. then I cooled down. fantastic workout.

swim; 1 hour

trying to remember...

monday, januray 21: worked late. went on a hot date to cocoa caffe with the lewis'. no time for running.

tuesday, january 22: 3 miles treadmill.

wednesday, january 23: 3 miles treadmill. (I think I was going to do 4, but my knee started hurting so I cut it short.)

thursday, january 24: 3.5 miles treadmill.

friday, january 25: didn't run. sat on a plane all day. but I did play hot foot with three energetic kids + one bro-inlaw. it involves a lot of running around a basement throwing boxing gloves at each other. it was quite a workout to say the least!

saturday, january 26: 6 miles treadmill. level 2 incline. (stie's treadmill is stuck and won't go any lower)

monday, january 28: 4 miles treadmill. again, level 2 incline.

tuesday, january 29: ski day!

wednesday, january 30: 3 miles. around liberty and then back via 8th east.

thursday, january 31: 4+ miles. up 17th and over to sugarhouse park via 15th east. one loop then back the way I came.

the week went as follows:

monday | run | four miles | out on the streets. did a four mile loop from the casa. felt pretty good, if I recall. maybe until the end. don't really remember.

tuesday | run | three miles | ran the liberty park loop. oh, picked up my stick from salt lake running company. I think this is going to revolutionize my life. I will end this cycle of tight muscles once and for all--I'm determined.

wednesday | ummm. . . | zero anything | okay, so I was planning on going to yoga. but then I got talked into going to a party instead. what's a girl to do? so yeah, it turned into a good quality rest day.

thursday | run | four miles | treadmill. I think it went well. can't remember anything specific.

friday | run | three miles | treadmill. kinda "raced" the girl next to me. sometimes I hate my competitive tendencies. really, it was just because she is one of those really good fast swimmers at masters, and I wanted to at least be better at her at running. needless to say I did have my treadmill cranked up higher than hers, and I wasn't even pushing it too fast, so that made me feel good about myself. I guess. like it really matters in the end, though. right?

saturday | run | ten miles | ten miles and I'm feeling great! seriously, I did not have as much of the usual aches/pains/tightness I usually do. ten miles was nothing. mentally, I think I'm right on track. and my body is following close behind. hopefully I can get it to the point where I can really push myself so as to reach that certain goal. it's kind of exciting. and scary. and I know there will be a lot of hard work involved. but maybe, just maybe I can do it.

eight

I felt good when I woke up yesterday morning. {I should have, I slept for almost twelve hours.} I felt good on the first part of my run. it was still pretty icy so I had to be careful and slow the pace a little. there was one little slip that could've been bad, but fortunately it was just sliding without the falling or even the pulling of muscles. there were a few times during the run that I didn't feel as great. I felt tight, et cetera. but then I'd feel good again. and then tight again. and then good. as always, though, it was a great time for thinking. and the weather was nice, not so cold, so it wasn't a bad run at all.

when I got home I stretched. then I took an ice bath. yikes! those are pretty intense. I filled up my bathtub with the coldest water from the tap, then poured in all of the ice cubes that we have. the hardest part about the ice bath is the pain in your feet. but once they get a little numb, it's not so bad. {that generally takes about two minutes or so.} I like to try and keep my core body temp as high I can by wearing a beanie and wrapping a towel around my shoulders. and yesterday I held my little rice bag that I heat up in the microwave for added warmth. that seemed to work nicely. you know, it kept the convulsions down to a minimum.

8 miles; baby pug tree south, west, north, east

friday

I did the elliptical. for thirty minutes. did the cross country workout. went a relatively slow pace. jammed to the juno soundtrack the whole time. loved it.

eliptical; 30 mintues; 3 miles

thankfully I remembered the ipod

I ran an easy four miles on the treadmill today. I feel a cold on the verge so I didn't want to overdo anything. I'll probably just take tomorrow as a rest day {or just an extremely easy day} and then do my long run on saturday as planned.

4 miles; steiner

the potpourri swim

I have been dreaming lately of effortless gliding through water. each time I'm swimming the backstroke. my kick feels great and releases pent up energy. the rhythm of my rotation in my stroke is both relaxing + rejuvenating. maybe my mind was trying to tell me something: my body wants to swim. {though I'm still not sure why it was calling for the backstroke. that seems random}

[does anyone else do cross training on wednesdays? I don't know why, but I've always done it on wednesdays. maybe it's just a cross training sort of day, what with it being in the middle of the week and all. tuesdays are always scheduled as speed days. is my training too predictable?]

so what with it being wednesday and all, I knew I needed to do something other than run. I also knew that my body was craving the pool. and since I didn't wake up ridiculously early this morning for masters, I was left to do it on my own.

I had no plan going into it, so I just swam whatever I felt like at the moment. I did the 500 warm up, some kicking, a few sprint 25's, some longer sets, a splattering of laps other than freestyle, I did some build: descending + ascending. . . it was a little bit of everything.

what I am most excited about is ironically not my backstroke. I mean, that felt okay, but my butterfly--oh, my butterfly! I was able to swim it! I mean, really swim it! {okay, so I wasn't doing endless laps and laps of the fly or anything. actually I did some 100 IM sets. but I was able to make it all the way without resorting to a drill. I felt fantastic, though I'm sure I still looked like a flopping fish} there's something in the rhythm of this stroke. the kicks + arm movements. maybe I'm finally feeling how it's supposed to be. how that little extra kick right before you come out of the water to breathe helps propel you forward, not upward. I don't know what it was, but it felt good. just about as good as the backstroke felt in my dreams.

swimming; steiner; 1 hour

monday | tuesday

monday: short run around liberty park. the run around the park was completely icy. out of the park, while running home, I did a little fartlek, speed play. had to be careful, though, because there were some slushy-ice patches.

tuesday: ran on the treadmill up at steiner. forgot the ipod, but was miraculously okay without it. the miles didn't drag on. I guess I was just lost in my thoughts. lost among the whirring white noise of the treadmills. lost in the darkening sky as it snuck across the valley. it was a good four mile run. I felt pretty strong. cranked that baby up a bit.

the year {so far} in review

monday, december 31st: hiked over six miles in telemark ski boots on a snowy trail. oh yeah, in the dark. {this will hopefully be another story for another day for another blog}

tuesday, january 1st: hiked over six miles in telemark ski boots on a snowy trail. this time in the daylight. it must be hard to hike in telemark ski boots for so long, because my legs were sore in slightly random places the next day.

wednesday, january 2nd: ran on the treadmill due to poor air quality. did about a 3 mile "hill" workout. tried to push myself. first time running in just the skirt. felt a little exposed while stretching, note to self.

thursday, january 3rd: took a rest day because my body was a little tired and feeling out of sorts.

friday, january 4th: did my long run so I could ski with the husband on saturday. six miles. my legs felt tired + tight.

saturday, january 5th: didn't ski because the canyon was closed until the afternoon due to heavy snow and avalanche control.

beautifully sunny winter run

I was only planning on only doing about five miles today--you know, since I didn't run much this week--but it turned out be something more like 7.5 (according to map my run, anyway).

the beauty of the whole situation is that I felt good. I mean, good for most of the run. it wasn't until the very end that my legs started cramping up a bit. that pesky hamstring almost didn't even make an appearance! I think I'm getting stronger and am ready to start the slow build of the marathon push. hurrah!

7.5 miles; 6th east, liberty loop, through the park to south temple, 8th east to bryan ave (quick detour to look at a house), 10th east to 17th south

my week:

monday: the holiday ski

tuesday: the HBJ 5K

wednesday: ice skating (with kids, so you know it's a workout what with the clinging and the pushing/pulling and the picking them up and all)

thursday: snowshoe (again, with kids)

friday: cross country ski (yes, once again with the children. I love my job!)

saturday: long run

HBJ 5K

the course is not officially marked, it's not officially timed, it's not officially sponsored, and it's definitely not USATF certified.


it's the HBJ 5K, the best christmas day run around.

thank you oatmunchers for letting me participate long distance, via the blog. I know this is a little late in coming, but I wanted to submit a photo of myself running the HBJ 5K in hopes to win a prize. I'm going for the cutest new running digs award. thank you, peter, for the sassiest new running skirt around! I absolutely love, love, love it! (enough to pull it on over the tights for the inaugural run) peter and I had a fabulous relatively 3.1 mile run through a beautiful winter wonderland. it was like a christmas miracle.

the Happy Birthday Jesus 5K
tuesday, december 25th 2K7

post scipt:

today I did some holiday ski with the husband.

telemark love, free-heeling it down the mountain.

my quads are killin' me.

saturday long run

saturday was a short long run. six miles. it was cold. my legs never felt like they warmed up properly. I didn't have time to ice afterwards. but since they were like icicles the whole time anyway I didn't really see the point...

it was a good run, the same old same old.

6 miles; baby pug tree west, north, east

biathlon team

back in the day when I used to go to masters in the evenings at steiner, my cutest husband would come too and do his own little biathlon team. he'd swim first and then go run on the treadmill. it worked out perfectly.

today I wanted to try my own little biathlon team. I reversed the order, because it just makes more sense to me to end in the pool. I just wanted a short, easy run and to see if my shoulder still hurts while I swim. (I haven't been back to early AM swim team since it really started hurting)

after a quick two mile warm up on the treadmill, I headed down to the pool. I did a lot of slow laps. my shoulder felt okay. (my flip turns felt fantastic, btw) I did one length of the pool at a fast pace, and my shoulder totally felt it.

it felt so nice to be back in the pool; I miss it.

2 mile run; 30 minute swim; steiner

you know you're competetive when. . .

I was hoping this statement would prove true last night: I am faster than weather. seriously. it turns out that statement is false. when you try and race weather, you're sure to lose. (unless you're really fast, which I am obviously not)

the run started out nice enough. the sun was out, there was a slight wind. I was layered in tights, shirt, long sleeve tee, windbreaker, beanie, mini gloves. almost midway through the run I had to ditch the windbreaker because I was overheating. (ahh, the beauty of layers) a few blocks after my turn around, I noticed something behind me. the darkest grey sky you have ever seen. this is when the race was on. I was going to beat weather.

I don't know if anyone else out there has ever experienced this, the feeling of being totally enveloped by darkness. {I'm glad it was literal darkness--the daylight fading coupled with the ominous darkness right on my heels--not a metaphor for my life. my life is not darkness, but bright sunshine with the feeling of warmth on my cheeks.} it's a strange feeling. my mantra became, I can beat weather. I can beat weather.

I tried. I failed. the rain started to lightly fall. then the wind became chillier. back on went the windbreaker. (again, the beauty of layers) then the cold, pelting hail started. man, it got a little intense at the end. hail in the face is not a fun feeling. actually, it hurts. a lot. I had to run with my hand near my face to sheild myself. to be honest, though, I did feel quite hardcore out there. (and we all know how I like to feel hardcore, even if I'm not hardcore) after the hail came the lightning + thunder (how often does that happen in a winter storm?!). then the snow.

all in all it was an exciting run. me and weather, a fight to the end.

3.5 miles; 6th east to 6th south to 8th east

not so cold, but dark

yesterday I did the same quick loop. tuesdays are always so jam packed with fun and excitement I barely have time to breathe, let alone run. so it had to be quick. and unfortunately in the dark. (no time to go up to steiner for the tready) so I pulled on my layers, but made sure the white long sleeve tee was on over my fleece. you know, for added visibility. I was out the door.

my turnover was pretty quick again. I was cruisin' until I started to feel it in my left hamstring, so I listened to my body and slowed down a bit. problem solved.

when I got home I only had time to stretch a little bit. definitely no time for ice. oh well.

3 miles; liberty park loop

cold run

I have a problem. I need multiple meals throughout the day to live. I eat breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, et cetera. lately, though, I've been going without the afternoon snack. either a) because I'm too busy, or 2) because I'm not feeling hungry enough to take a break at work. usually in the latter situation, okay both of the situations, I end up feeling suddenly starved but by this time it's too late to eat anything because I'm almost off work and will be going running immediately after. and we all know how I have a wacky thing with food and exercising. I need at least a few hours in between. (usually. I find I'm getting better.) so by the time I actually get to my run, I'm so hungry I could gnaw off my leg. not a fun thing. I should probably just force myself to eat in the afternoon, even if it is just a little bit, to avoid these situations.

I did the quick three miler today. (you know, as opposed to the long three miler.) I was too hungry for anything else. and it was cold. my legs could feel it through the tights. maybe I should've doubled up. I felt pretty good out there, though. nice quick turnover.

I stretched a little when I got back. (I didn't start stretching right away because my muscles were so cold.) and then I forced myself to ice. I almost didn't. but then I did.

just so you know: when I got home I had half a banana with some peanut butter. (why half a banana? I'm still not sure. maybe I was thinking I was going to be eating dinner soon and didn't want to ruin my appetite. as if that could happen.) I was planning on making baked potatoes for dinner, but since we had roasted red potatoes in our dinner last night and then leftovers today, I didn't really want to eat more potatoes. but I did have a hankering for some treaty cornbread. so I made that. and then I had nothing else to really go with it so I ended up (after eating half the pan--peter helped and it was just a little pan) having some honeycombs and bites of the beef pete was making for his burritos. oh, and the other half of the banana. it was a very nutritious meal, as you can see.

3 miles; liberty park loop

eight

friday I was too busy to run. or swim. or anything. I took it as a rest day.

saturday I did my long run.

it was chilly when I woke up. something like fifteen degrees outside. I waited to go out until it was more like twenty-six degrees. I bundled up in all my little techy layers and braved the winter temps. it wasn't bad.

I did the baby pug tree run. it really is such a great run for it's convenience and simplicity. and it's water availability. {if you don't want to carry water, but want water every two miles or so, try a directional run. super easy. go out one mile in one direction turn around and come back. drink water. go a mile out in another direction, and so forth. water every two miles. it's a beautiful thing.}

my hamstrings started feeling a little tight midway through. otherwise I felt pretty good. this is the longest I've ran in this marathon push. I'm still building my base. eight miles didn't seem bad at all. my mind was totally there, and my body was close behind. I just need to keep working on my hamstrings and I think I'll be okay. {like being diligent about stretching + icing. ice is key.}

I rather enjoyed my run.

8 miles; baby pug tree south, west, north, east

run 4 your life

okay, so I was back at steiner again today. on the treadmill. it was okay. I don't know how people can run long distances on those things. but four miles really isn't too bad. I think six is the max. anyway, I digress.

I felt pretty good today. I ran two miles, put the machine on pause to stretch and by the time I was done stretching everything had been reset. good thing I don't care about my time or my caloric burn (does the treadmill tell you that? I know the eliptical does...), 'cause then I'd be pretty upset with mr treadmill. I just hopped back on and went another two miles. no biggie.

my hamstrings were behaving, though tight. and you know, the usual random aches and pains that come and go. nothing out of the ordinary.

4 miles; steiner

treadmill

I didn't run yesterday because I really had no time for that. (though I did almost wake up early and go to the gym before work. but yeah... that didn't actually happen.) I did go ice skating. which wasn't much of a workout. but it was something active. (and when you try to skate with two pre-teen girls hanging on the back of your jacket, it's actually quite a workout for your quads.)

today I opted out of swimteam. I made the decision last night, and neglected to set the alarm. for anything. yeah, I was slightly late for work this morning.

after work, though, I went up to steiner to run on the treadmill, since it was getting dark. (man, I'm so safe these days!) I did three miles. about halfway through I was thinking to myself how great it was that neither of my hamstrings hurt. about five seconds later I started feeling it in my right hammy. I guess I thought too soon.

3 miles; steiner

bum shoulder

I think I hurt my shoulder in swimming this morning. I don't really know what I did exactly, because it didn't even start hurting until I got to work. and then working just aggrivated it more. (you know, because of all the manual labor I do.) I hope this isn't something that sticks with me. I want to be able to keep swimming regularly.

I think this is the first time I've ever actually remembered my time intervals. (they're posted below with the sets) it was just me in the lane so I had to be very good about keeping track of laps + my times. sometimes I struggle with that; it's just so easy to lose count. I was having a hard time hitting the intervals for the 100's. the 50's were okay until the end. I pushed myself hard, though. (maybe that's why I now have a bum shoulder?) I was able to get the whole workout in. (okay, so I only had a 300 warmup. sometimes I show up a few minutes late...) so even if I'm slow, I'm still proud of myself.

500 warmup

4 X 75 drill (IM order)
4X 50 kick (IM order)
4X 25 swim (IM order)

2 X 100 (1:45)
4X 50 (1:05)
2 X 100 (1:45)
4 X 50 (1:00)
2X 100 (1:45)
4 X 50 (:55)
2 X 100 (1:45)
4 X 50 (:50)
2 X 100 (1:45)

100 cooldown

five in the snow

it did indeed snow today. but I couldn't bear the thought of running on the treadmill. so I braved the conditions and took it to the street.

it was pretty rough out there. it had snowed most of the night, and it was still coming down during the whole run. most people hadn't even shoveled yet. I was running through snow banks, dodging big slushy puddles, and trying not to slip or get hit by a car as I crossed the street. it was like a war zone out there.

I had to run slowly for the aforementioned reasons. conditions were far from ideal. I'm sure it didn't help my hamstring (what with the uneven, slippery surface I was running on), which still hurts, btw. I must have done something to it on thursday's treadmill run. my right hamstring didn't bother me a bit. I hope the left one doesn't become a chronic pain in my you-know-what.

I had originally planned a six or seven mile route (I had conjured up a few different options), but decided to cut it down to five. it wasn't worth risking severe damage to the hamstring or risking my life out there on the snowy streets.

I stretched and iced when I got home.

5 miles; baby pug tree west, baby pug tree north + the liberty park loop

wednesday | thursday | friday

wednesday: swim
don't worry, I was able to wake up ridiculously early on wednesday. I did not miss my swim workout.

when I got to the pool the last lane was empty and there was a guy about to jump into the next lane. I always have a hard time deciding which one I should swim in. if nobody else is in it, I'll take the second to last one and let things just work themselves out. but one of those super fast chicks had just arrived too, and was going to get in the lane with the fast-looking guy. so I opted for my own personal slow lane.

as I was warming up that one guy--the guy that usually swims in my lane, the one who showed up with about ten minutes left of the workout one time--got in and started swimming with me. then my friend karla came. (she is a lot slower than me, and we kept passing her up. it leads me to my theory about swimming: I am a better runner than my friend tori, but she is by far a better swimmer. karla is a better runner than me, but I'm faster than her in the pool. so maybe good runners make slower swimmers. but then I think my theory is shot all to pieces when I look at those chicks in the super fast lanes who I know must be supper awesome runners too. they're probably kickin' butt and taking names at all the local triathlons. they'd kick my butt on the bike as well, I'm sure. anyway, I digress.) so yeah. we were all in the lane together.

now I don't remember what the workout was exactly. I do remember they were all really short sets. nothing farther than a 100 was swam at any one time. it was a really good workout, though. and the coach was worried my lane (meaning myself and the guy, karla kinda had her own little modified workout) wouldn't be able to finish it all in time. but we did, even with a minute or two for a cooldown. I felt very good about that. we swam our little hearts out that morning.

thursday: run
since I split my time between backcountry and youth ed on thursdays, I sometimes like to go up to steiner to workout since I'm going up by the U anyway.

it was a treadmill run. has anyone else noticed that they run differently on a treadmill? (and does this affect the ability to analyze your foot type and pronation at the running store? I've always been a little suspicious for this reason) I seam to take longer strides and my feet aren't as under me as I'd like them to be. maybe I'm just crazy. I don't know.

I ran 4 miles. I tried to push the pace without pushing it too much that my hamstring would go into fits. I had to keep reminding myself that I have time to work on speed. this marathon business is often a lesson in patience, isn't it? I guess you could say it was a good run, though. my right knee did start hurting for no reason at all at mile two. we're talking the whole knee was hurting. not just the outside or anything, but the whole knee cap. I stopped and stretched and that seemed to take care of the problem. it was kinda weird.

I stretched afterward, but obviously no ice because I was at the community rec center where bags of frozen corn are not readily available.

friday: run
I wanted a shorter run to stretch and get the kinks out. both my hamstrings are feeling it today. they are TIGHT. I did the liberty park loop at a pretty slow pace. I stretched briefly mid-run, then again when I got home. I iced. they still feel tight. so, so tight. hopefully I'll be able to work it out on my long run tomorrow. and by long run I mean I'll probably only go 6-7 miles. we'll see.

on a weather related note, it was slightly raining during my run. gotta love rain in the eyes. tomorrow it will most likely be snowing. I'd rather run while it's snowing as opposed to raining. it's less wet that way. so hopefully there's not a foot of snow on the ground when I wake up. if that's the case, I might be moving my run indoors. and I do not want to do that.

my run + a recipe

the temperature was relatively warm'ish this afternoon, so it made everything all melty. I ran the perimeter of liberty because the south side (I approach it from the south) had no snow on the path. I hoped this would be the case all the way around. it wasn't. pretty much the rest of the run around the park was through grey mushy snow. either that or I was slogging through muddy patches of dead grass. it was pretty fun.

it felt pretty good to be out there. just the normal random aches + pains. I almost didn't ice after I stretched. but then I made myself do it.

I also wanted to have my new favorite post-run food. . . the power smoothie. . . but the blender was still sitting in the sink from yesterday's post-run power smoothie. . . so it was a no go. I was totally bumming.

okay, okay. here's the recipe for the power smoothie already (it's really quite simple):

power smoothie
assorted berries of your choice
banana
peanut butter
milk

01. place a handful of berries into the blender.
02. cut up the banana and put in the blender with the berries.
03. blend a little
04. add a scoop of peanut butter
05. blend some more
06. add milk until desired consistency
07. blend
08. pour
09. enjoy

3 miles; liberty park perimeter loop

it's official

so I guess I'm committed. my snail mail registration finally went through. fargo, north dakota here I come!

ditch swimteam? check. ditch work? check! ditch my run? no way!

I slept through swimteam today. this is the first time that has happened since I've started going to the early AM masters. man, I suck. but in my defense I had a really hard time sleeping last night. even with my sunday afternoon nap limited to thirty minutes, I still could not fall asleep for the life of me. slightly frustrating. let's just hope this was an isolated incident.

so I just ditched work instead and ran in the early afternoon. it was perfect.

my hamstring didn't bug me too much, I don't think. overall, it was a pretty nice run.

I even stretched and iced when I got home. I am so good.

4 miles; 6th east/8th east loop, via 4th south

movement without moving

we woke up to a blizzard this morning. so much snow that peter was worried I'd slip and hurt myself or worse, get hit by a snowplow if I ran outside. so I obliged and we both went up to steiner for joint treadmill team.

I have decided that if I was given the choice of jammin' to music or having the feeling of actually going somewhere, I'd choose going somewhere every time. see, that's what I hate most about the treadmill. I run and run and my little legs are really going somewhere but I am not. I hate the feeling of movement without really moving. I want to see the world pass by me. plus, I need a better running play list.

okay, I'll be honest. I don't really have a running play list. I set the ipod on shuffle and just let it go. some songs, I discovered, aren't so conducive to moving fast. I need to work on that. {any suggestions out there? eye of the tiger obviously. but what else?}

I think I'll be spending a little more time on the treadmill in the coming months. {though I hate to say it} on days when air quality is poor or the road conditions aren't ideal, I don't want to risk it. I'll suck it up and do what's best for my overall health. (this is so far from my old running self who was do or die run outside) plus I think it will be easier to do workouts where I want to target my tempo or goal pace for a certain number of miles. I'll be able to gauge speed + distance. but don't get me wrong. I will spend time on the roads as well. I cannot run much more than six miles on a treadmill. I think I just might kill myself if I have to resort to that.

the run was pretty good. it's nice to see how far off my target pace I am. I was sitting at about a 9:22 minute mile for most of the run. I pushed it below 9 minutes for a bit. I am trying to be conservative and not push too hard too soon. I have time to get my pace + endurance where they need to be.

6 miles; steiner

the gloves in question

here is the text message conversation I had with my husband this afternoon after I frantically (okay, so not so frantically) looked all over the house for my favorite running mini gloves.

{me} do you have the mini gloves?

{peter} yes!

{me} oh man! I ned them to go running... plus I wiped snot all over them on my last run. sorry.

{peter} yes

so as you can see, my husband is very secure in his manhood (come on, red 'n pink striped mini gloves!) and is not afraid of a little snot. all good things.

needless to say, I went on the run sans gloves. I just pulled my little sleeves over my fists and went for it. it was a little chilly, but I eventually got over it.

I felt good. I felt pretty fast. (that's all relative, because who knows how fast I was actually going.) I stretched and iced when I got home. I was supposed to have another massage tonight, but my massage therapist is sickly. {get better, becky!} we'll give it a go next week for sure.

3 miles; liberty park perimeter loop

slow.

man, oh man, today was hard. I don't know what it was. for a split second, I thought about ditching swimteam and just staying in my cozy bed. maybe I should've. I rolled in to the pool a few minutes late. I only got a 200 warmup in. there were two other girls already in my lane. (and, just so you know, it wasn't the slowest lane) this is where things started to go downhill. with each length of the pool I saw myself slipping farther and farther behind. these girls didn't seem like they were that fast. was I just really that slow? at one point, while I was waiting at the wall to start my next set (the other girls had already left the wall before I got there), the coach came over and said, "you're doing great!" as if to say, hang in there, even if you're slow you're still swimming hard. yeah. it was a tough workout for me. maybe I was just tired. I don't know.

even though it sucked and I was trying so hard to catch/keep up (and failing) I know it was good for me. it was a tough workout and it kept me humble.


500 warmup

4 150's (50 kick, 50 drill, 50 swim)

400 moderate free

4 25's fast

2 200's build

4 50's fast

4 100's (1-4 descending)

4 75's fast

100 cool down

let it snow

I left my house this morning to the most beautiful sunrise. the temperature was unseasonably warm, and I thought to myself what a perfect moment this would be to be running. sadly, I hopped in my car and drove to work.

this afternoon the scene had changed drastically. the storm blew in. it was snowing. yes, that's right. it finally happened. my first run in the snow for the season. but despite the cold and the wet, it was still a perfect moment for a run.

you see, I love winter running. I get to put on my tights, pull on some layers on top, wear the beannie + mini gloves. while I was running up 17th I saw my reflection in a shop window. she looked so hardcore looking back at me, as if she was saying: you were born for this. man, oh man, what a feeling. the snowflakes fluttering into your eyes. the snot rockets. the cold air in the lungs. not to mention the world is transformed into something so quiet and beautiful when it's snowing.

it was a good run.

3 miles; 8th east (17th - 6th)