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.