the early AM swim

well, it's official. I have become that early morning exerciser. phase one is in full effect.

today I dragged my butt out of bed at 5:45 AM to go hit the pool. I've decided that I need to swim master's again, but I didn't really want to do it in the evenings anymore. so perfect solution. swim at six in the morning.

now if you know me in the morning, you'll remember I'm probably not the funnest person to be around. my only word of advise: if I'm not willingly talking to you, don't ask me any questions or try to talk to me. it will be certain death. and unpleasant feelings for both of us. trust me. but a curious thing has been happening as of late. I'm able to wake up early. (maybe it's because I go to bed at ten?) It's really not so hard. so I'm taking full advantage. let's hope this trend continues, because if I work out in the early AM, I won't have to do it after work when I'd rather just focus on getting something healthy and yummy on the table.

so the workout. I haven't swam in almost six months. it was good to be back in the water, but my body could feel it. my arms were tired after the first fifty! (though I was surprised how effortlessly I was breathing on my left side. usually I only breath on the right--a bad habit I'm trying to break!--and when I do try and breath on the left my whole body is thrown outta whack. today it was so much better. I just did it. without even thinking. it was like it was natural or something!) we did a lot of stroke. my butterfly is in a sad state. as if it was ever in anything but. when I did the set of breaststroke, I started to feel it in my right hamstring. I still cheat on the backstroke. my lower back started hurting, with all the flip-turns. I'm so glad to be back in the pool!

masters; fairmont; 1 hour

saturday AM run

I wanted to go running, pete wanted to go swimming. we both wanted to end up at the hot tub. so what do you do?

since running six miles on the treadmill didn't sound too incredibly appealing, I opted for taking a route out on the streets. I planned it out in such a way that I would end back up at steiner where I would reconnect with pete in the pool.

I threw in a baby pug tree at the beginning of the run--north, through the park and back. then headed back over to 17th south (instead of running back on 6th east, I chose 7th east so I could hit up the drinking fountain. it was my only chance for water out on the run, so I thought I'd take advantage.) I ran up 17th to 15th, which btw is one of my favorite streets to run on in slc. I did a loop in sugarhouse park (does anyone know the interior road distance of that park?) and then back out to 15th. it was pretty much a straight shot to steiner after that. well, after getting up to gaurdsman, at least.

it was such a pretty morning for a run. it had rained a little, so the gunk in the air was all cleared out. the morning sun + mountain views were amazing yesterday. the valley was beautiful. the temp perfect.

my legs felt overall good. I was surprised at how well they held up. near the end they did start to feel a little tight. my left knee was hurting at random times. that's not good. but my right hamstring held up.

when I got to steiner pete was still in the pool. I left him to go stretch. now usually I like to ice after a run, we all know that. but yesterday I did the complete opposite--heat. the hot tub felt good, though. nice and warm (hot) + cozy. after about ten minutes of that we got out. we had a whole fun day ahead of us, which included going up to alta to get our ski passes and getting guitar hero! hurrah!!

~6 miles; baby pug tree north, up 17th to 15th, sugarhouse loop, over to steiner

thoughts on my running on a random wednesday afternoon

the plan
phase I
phase II
Phase III

switch up AM workouts w/ spin class sometimes

adapt

throw in elliptical or anything else as I see fit

listen to my body

balance

commitment

support

work on core everyday

hydrate

rest
adequate sleep + easy days

eat well
healthy on-the-go breakfasts
raw veggies
proteins
complex carbs
variety
fish
juicing (wheat grass?)

periodization
train smart
research training plans

find out what sports drink fargo will have, train with it!

visualization

inspiration

why I run. . .

stay movtivated

stay focused

give back to the running community

back for a second time this week

I went back to steiner for some more elliptical. I figured I'd be over that way anyway, and the air wasn't that great, so working out inside wasn't a bad idea.

it was a good workout. I had forgot my ipod + a few other key items so I just grabbed a fitness mag and ellipticalled my little heart out in front of the figure skaters. time flew by. I was sweating up a storm. it felt great. my legs are now all the better for it.

elliptical; steiner; 35 minutes, 4.30 distance, 403 calories burned

a good day for a run

I'm sitting here eating milk + cookies (just one, don't worry) as I ice and type. man, this is multi-tasking to the extreme! it's a peanut butter cookie, does that count for my post run carb + protein? {I used this cookie as a reward for going running today--not that I didn't want to run and needed an incentive, rather the cookie has been staring me in the face for a whole day now and I needed a good excuse to eat it. food as reward, is that bad? maybe next time I'll just give myself the excuse to go shopping.}

I've had a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head about running today. I find it's the best time to think about other things while at work. and running usually pops up a lot in those thoughts. but today was an especially good day. more to come on that later, I'm sure.

the first few steps out on my run today I could feel my hamstring. it lessened as I ran and loosened up. by the end of the run it wasn't really bugging me and I felt good. it was just a beautiful time of day (and year) to be out there on the streets. I ran around liberty. the leaves are falling in abundance. the perimeter dirt path was mostly covered. the air was cool, but not so much so that I needed more than shorts and a tee. the afternoon light was slanting. I was caught up in the moment. it was just me out there. I didn't think of the other runners. I didn't try to race anyone. it was just me. my body. step for step. this is why I love running.

3.25 miles; liberty park perimeter loop, 8th east

tuesday: elliptical

since my legs are so crazy lately, I decided to head up to steiner yesterday after work to do something a little more low-impact. I took on the elliptical. I love the elliptical. it's by far my favorite peice of gym equipment.

I did a cross country route. my legs felt pretty good. my hamstring didn't bug me too much. I stretched afterwards, and then when I got home I iced.

my legs have felt pretty good today (I only kinda feel the hamstring) and I feel like I had a lot of energy last night instead of feeling beat. I think it was a good switch.

elliptical; steiner; 35 minutes, 4.2 distance, 400'ish calories burned

et cetera

I'm trying to juggle my working self with my training self with my housewife self. since I go to work so stinkin' early these days I'm off by 3:30, so I can come home and get a run in before making dinner. I think it's all going to work out okay. my sweetest husband even said I didn't have to work as much when my training kicks into full gear. I'm going to take him up on that. I'm envisioning two-a-days, both am and pm workouts of sorts on select days. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to fit everything in.

actually, I'm still trying to figure out my training plan in general. I thought I had it figured out, but I think it depends on my level of fitness and general health (you know, if my hamstring, IT bands, ankles are cooperating). I did decide today that I need to get back in the pool. I think swimming really helps your endurance. and since pete renewed our passes to steiner, I should really take advantage of the master's swim class. I miss it.

so the weather is still really nice. I ran today in shorts and a long sleeved tee. I really could've gotten away with short sleeves. my hamstring was bugging me a little. especially when I had to bust past the scooter gang of kids (okay, two kids on a scooter and one kid on a bike). I think they were speeding up too, just to piss me off. my left knee really started hurting too. IT band? I'm not exactly sure. and my ankles have been feeling a little weird lately. very reminiscent of my spring 2006 training. my ankles got so messed up I couldn't run the famous idaho potato marathon in boise (don't worry, I got to run it this year). I haven't really had a problem with them this year, so I'm hoping things won't get out of control. I'm sure it will be okay. maybe I just need new shoes. when did I get my last pair? how many miles have I run in them?

3.5 miles; baby pug tree run: west and north (to 13th east and up to 8th east and over to 17th south, home)

situation: rectified.

friday: went running. the usual liberty park loop. I know, I know. the same old thing again? yes. it's quick and easy and I know (basically) how far I'm running. I did go up to 8th east on my way home to make the run slightly more exciting. even that's getting a little old. oh well. I don't quite remember how I felt, but I know I didn't ice. probably should've iced.

3 miles; liberty park


saturday: since I only ran two other days this week I decided to go easy on the saturday run. I went through the park to 4th south, up to 8th east and home. I remember feeling really good the first few miles. like incredibly good. it was just a perfect day to be out there. I could've gotten away with shorts and a tee, but my yoga capris and long sleeves (pulled up, of course) weren't too bad either. the autumn leaves are really pretty. anyway, I started feeling my right hamstring near the end of the run. I should've iced after I stretched when I got home, but didn't. I'll be better next week, I swear.

4 miles; 6th east - 4th south - 8th east - 17th south

rectifying the situation

I hadn't gone running since last saturday until about 30 minutes ago. I really hate it when my life gets overly busy and my running is the thing I have to sacrifice. I guess I could try harder to make the time, but I'm not into running at ten pm as much anymore. in my non-running defense, though, I did go on three different hikes (they were kinda baby hikes, but hikes nonetheless) over monday and tuesday, and yesterday I took a walk. (okay, so that was only about a mile. it was nice to be in the sunshine, though. yesterday was a fantastic day.)

I should be able to get a run in tomorrow. (it is another strangely busy day--in fact, it's been a strangely busy week, and it continues right on through the weekend.)

and saturday I'm hoping to get a short (shorter than last week's?!) long run in.

wish me luck.

short long run

I woke up this morning and did the usual long run routine. I don't know by this distance if you could call it a long run, per se, but it's the longest I've actually run in a long time. and I'm still working up my base. so needless to say after I ate my pre-long run toast I laced up and hit the road.

it was a little chilly this morning. in the low to mid forties. soon I'm going to need to get myself a pair of those cheep little gloves. or find a pair I already own, I guess. I started thinking about winter running with snow on the ground, etc. I can't believe we're almost there.

the run was pretty good. the first four miles I felt pretty tight. I started loosening up in those last two miles. it made me feel good, even if my legs were still a little tight by the end. mile five was uphill, and I didn't even think about stopping and walking. I just plodded on. that felt good.

overall it was a good run. we'll hover around this distance for a couple weeks and then maybe push it up a little.

6 miles; baby pug tree run: west, north, east

a quickie

I did a quick run before work. I just wanted to get out there. I probably needed it more after work to relieve some stress, but I did not have time for that. so whatever. I ran through the park, up 9th south to 8th east and just ran home. nothing too major. my legs still feel tight.

I iced and then somehow tweaked my hamstring a little bit. I really don't know what I did. it kind of bugged throughout the rest of the day. oh well, what can you do?

2.5 miles; 6th east to 9th south to 8th east to my casa

confessions

okay, so I didn't go to yoga last night. if you really want to know, I was sitting at home shoving my face full of food. that's the problem with not going to the store for over a week. when you've finally made dinner after starving all day, you really can't help but eat everything in sight. and just so you know, we still haven't gone to the store yet. we're holding out until at least next week. I mean, with family parties and such we've at least got dinners covered through the weekend.

but I did go running after work again. today I wasn't as hungry. more thirsty. {how could I not be adequately hydrated after drinking fifty nalgenes at work?!} but I felt a lot stronger. my quads (well, right above my knees, is that something more specific than my quads?) still took a beating. I made sure to target that muscle group when I iced. maybe that dirt/grass trail just isn't that soft. and speaking of that path, those dead, fallen leaves were out to get me. or at least catch a ride home in my shoe. I needed some serious gaiters to avoid all the stowaways.

one of my favorite things about running the dirt paths at the park is racing the runners on the inner sidewalk. it makes me feel cool when I can run up ahead of them on the outside because I have so much more distance to cover. it doesn't really make a difference if they're old and slow. I still feel hardcore anyway. {just so you know, they're usually old and slow.}

3 miles; liberty park perimeter dirt path

almost perfection

I ran this afternoon after work. my goodness was I ever hungry. {it's never a good sign when you've pretty much eaten all the food you brought to eat for the day by 12:30pm} and my legs seemed pretty tight/sore. other than that it was a gorgeous autumn running day. you know it's perfection when you can be out there in shorts and a long-sleeve tee.

I did the outside perimeter loop at liberty. even on the softer (though let's be honest, is the grass/dirt around here really that much softer?) surface, it still felt like my legs were taking a slight beating.

you better believe I stretched and iced when I got home. I'll be doing yoga tomorrow.

3 miles; liberty park

forgot to mention. . .

about my run yesterday. see, I purposefully didn't post about it because I was going to add a PM swim to my AM run. the swim never happened because I have this cold just teetering on the verge. I figured I wouldn't overwork my body with two a days until I was in the clear--if I ever am in the clear. this thing is just sort of hovering around my head without getting better, or worse, really. slightly annoying.

anyway, I did do a three mile run in the morning. my hamstring was okay. I came home, stretched and iced. not really an eventful run, I guess. (I'm sure I would have had more details to say about it yesterday, but whatever)

in other news, I mapped out my training schedule for the marathon. I pulled it off runnersworld and it seems pretty intense. {it's the intermediate plan} I very well might die, but I want to put in a good effort towards qualifying for boston. so putting myself through pure hell might be the only way of getting there. I just have to get my body ready for pure hell first. good thing the intense training doesn't start until february.

3 miles; liberty park loop and home via 8th east

saturday run

I almost didn't go running today. good thing pete was at swimteam when I got back from the boutique because I might not have gotten out the door otherwise.

the weather had cleared up a bit, though. and I knew I had to go; I'd hate myself if I didn't.

for some reason I wanted to run up to 15th east and run along that street, but the hill getting up to 15th east didn't sound too appealing. so I did the usual run (6th east, through the park, and up to 4th south) but ran all the way to south temple instead of turning around at 4th south. I ran back along 8th east as well (with a minor emergency bathroom break at the maverik on 3rd south and 9th east. yikes.). it turned out to be a beautiful day for a run. I only got hailed on a little bit. it wasn't too cold. there was blue sky peaking out of grey clouds to the west.

my hamstring was feelin' it, though. I'm icing right now. hopefully that helps the situation.

my stomach was also feelin' it. that vegetable chili I ate for lunch was sitting a little heavy. I love my stomach.

oh, but I was in luck. when I got home pete was back. this is a good thing because I had locked myself out.

5 miles; 6th east - south temple - 8th east - 17th south

yogi

athena|tree pose, modified via waterbottle on head

thankfully I was able to go to my yoga class tonight. it was fantastic. I know my body needs this. I noticed how tight my IT bands were. and how inflexible I am. but it actually felt better than the last yoga class I took. so maybe I'm making improvements on my strength + flexibility.

chilly morning run

I woke up at seven-thirty this morning. it was still dark. I thought to myself, hey maybe I should go running. now usually I don't go running when it's dark outside. okay, I take that back. I will run in the night time darkness any day of the week. but that morning darkness? I don't know. I guess I always feel more unsettled about it.

but by the time I pulled on my running tights + jacket et cetera it was getting light outside. no worries.

I just wanted to do something quick, so I ran the usual liberty park loop. my left knee was hurting a little bit again today. I don't know if it has something to do with my IT band or a residual problem from that kayaking accident last year. (sometimes I feel it acting up) my hips kinda hurt today too. maybe it was from all that elliptical yesterday.

I think I need yoga in my life. good thing athena (my costa rican traveling partner friend) teaches a free yoga class every wednesday night. hopefully I can make it. I think it all depends on my eating situation. yes, everything in my life is dependent on and revolves around eating.

3 miles; liberty park loop

the gym

I don't know why I did it exactly, but I passed up a perfectly good autumn running day to go to the gym. maybe it was for the pure joy of jammin' to the ipod (I am strictly against this while road running. hey, a girl's got to watch out for herself). maybe it was to get my elliptical fix. maybe it was to rest my legs a bit. maybe it was just to see if my membership is still current (it is! I think it expires next month, though). regardless, I went up to steiner to do some elliptical workout fun. and what fun it was.

I decided to go for an hour. I set the machine on a lovely little cross country circuit, grabbed some health + nutrition mags, plugged in and jammed out. it was fabulous.

yesterday a little while after my run my left knee started to hurt. it was very random because the pain came out of nowhere. I could also feel my left hamstring this morning. yikes! I really should've stretched and iced yesterday. I did stretch a lot better today. still no ice, though.

5.56 elliptical distance (~530 calories burned); steiner

autumn run

well, after a week of doing THIS {okay, so it was really just two days of doing THIS, plus more days of playing in the jungle} I finally went running again. even though the oatmeal was still sitting a little heavy in my stomach (and tried to derail me of my plans) I stuck to my guns and ran the route I was planning on. nope, no running around liberty park. this time it was through liberty park. and then on to 4th south where I turned east two blocks and rome home via 8th east. one nice big loop.

I ran it pretty slowly, sure. but the route was longer than the usually loop through the park and back. my hamstring didn't really bother me. I did have a pretty random pain in my left knee about halfway through. it was in between the outside and the front the of the knee. kinda weird. but it didn't stay with me too long. or I just stopped noticing it. not sure. either way, it was a very nice run on a beautiful fall day.

I'm a slacker, though. I got home and pretty much neglected my legs. didn't stretch very well and certainly didn't ice. that will probably come back to bite me.

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

my run

I found out some very exciting news at work today that gave me the urge to go running. I won't divulge what that is just yet. I'm working on building suspense via the blog. I'm waiting for everything to come through and be official.

so when I got home, I did just that. went running. I've still got this cold kickin' around, but I'm overall feeling much better. almost one hundred percent. perhaps ninety-two percent healthy? plus or minus five? (I've got to account for this headache that snuck up on me this afternoon)

I did the usual three miles. you know, liberty park and all that. I ran the outside perimeter dirt path. there was a couple running a ways ahead of me that I was making significant gains on. eventually the chick ditched the guy to go run on the inside sidewalk. in my heart of hearts I wanted to pass them so badly. it was my inner kenyan coming out. and when it was just the guy, I wanted to pass him even more. but since this was my first time back out there in a while, I didn't want to push it too fast. I figured if I could just find a fast enough speed that was sustainable, I'd make my attack. I didn't. I mean, I closed the gap somewhat, but he was always just a little out of reach. I'd like to think that if I was in shape and it wasn't hot {okay, I'm going to be a little running princess for a moment. it was freaking seventy degrees outside and I'm still complaining about it being too hot. it wasn't too hot, unless you were in direct sunlight. the shade was just perfect.} that I would've been able to kick this guys trash. I really think I could have.

basically during the whole run I felt the yogurt/granola I had eaten at work. it wasn't the greatest feeling in the world. maybe I should've waited a little longer. I felt a little sluggish too. on the way home, running up 13th south to 8th east I felt pretty tired. but the rest of the way wasn't too bad.

I didn't really stretch very well when I got home. I did some and then just laid there on the floor. then I hopped in the shower so I could get dinner ready before pete got home from work.

speaking of, I wish he'd get home from his run soon so we could eat!

3 miles; liberty + 8th east