Week 2ish

Some workout notes:

• Last weekend's long run was kind of a bust.  Developed a stitch that wouldn't go away around mile 3.  Spent a lot of time walking and jogging slowly; got to the point where it was bearable but I could still feel it.  I was a little bummed but things had been going so smoothly and sometimes you just need to be reminded that you are not in control; your body has needs and it will tell you whether you like it or not.  On the plus side, I did make it to 7 miles and my time wasn't completely awful.
• My Tuesday workout this week was speed intervals.  5+5 warmup as usual, and then starting at 5.5 mph, alternate 45 seconds of faster running with 30-45 seconds of slower pace (for me, 5mph).  Work up slowly with each interval until you can't do it anymore.  For me this was around 7.2 mph (I kind of did a big burst at the end and slowed down gradually).  The workout this is based on is supposed to alternate walking with running but it's too hard to do that transition gracefully on many treadmills.  I then ran for another 10 minutes at about 5.5 mph and was happy to feel that I had quite a bit of energy left.  Also I was proud of myself for doing this all after a day of work and a choir rehearsal.
• Yesterday I did 8 miles.  I started at 11:30 and slowly worked my way up to 10:30.  This may have been pushing it a bit as around 7.2 miles my breathing got rough and I suddenly felt overworked.  Not sure how much of this has to do with some asthma issues that I'm working out, but I finished the run and feel pretty good today so I'm not too concerned.  I'll just take it a little slower next time.  It's so hard to maintain a slower pace on the treadmill because I find I get so frigging bored (the TVs are too high for me to look at comfortably and I'm enough of a klutz that this could lead to falling and injury), but I think it's good practice for the grueling psychological task of finishing a marathon.
• I was a little lazy about strength last weekend, but then on Wednesday although my arms felt tired, my pushups and crunches improved.

I can feel improvement in everything.  I know the changes won't be quite as dramatic going forward, but just working out consistently and having a plan has put me right back on track after months of laziness.

Yesterday we bought a used Aeropilates machine from craigslist.  I had never heard of these things and I was trying to see if I could score some cheap resistance bands on CL when I came across it.  There seems to be a pretty big range in machines from $300 to $2000, but they are all geared towards doing a Pilates workout in a guided, controlled, comfy way. I saw nothing but rave reviews on all levels of machine, both from beginners and long-time Pilates fans.  I also noticed a lot of people who have back problems and other pain issues got a lot of benefit from it, so I figured it would be a safe way to build up some good whole-body strength.  We haven't tried it yet but I'm pretty psyched.

I have also been thinking a lot about how I got into running, and remembering what it was like to discover my inner long-distance athlete.  It reminds me how far I've come and how much I've learned.  Life is amazing.

Week 1

I'm calling this week 1 even though it's not, because it's Week 1 of me writing about what I did/am doing for the week.

Sunday/Wednesday - Strength:

• Squats, straight-arm raises, shoulder thrust, pull-down, tricep extensions, all with 5 lb weights
• Rows, bicep curls, wide-leg squats, fly, chest press, all with 8 lb weights
• Calf raises, side lunges, modified pushups, crunches, bridges, streeeetch
• When I was in this routine before, I was using mostly 8 and 10 lb weights, so I'd like to at least get back to that before I start changing the routine

Monday - Low impact: Did 50 minutes on elliptical that's not an elliptical at the gym.  "Weight loss" program, level 4 I think, kept heart rate at least 150.

Tuesday - Challenge workout: 5 mins walking, 5 mins warmup at 5mph. 2 mins 4% incline alternating w/ 1 min 0% at 5mph, repeat for 30 mins.  1 extra min at 5mph, then 15 mins at speed up to 6.5 mph (gradual increase with speedy burst at the end).  1 min 5mph and 5 mins walking to cool down.

Thursday - "Easy" run: Not sure I'll make it but if I do, prob 5 min walking, 5 min at 5mph, then 3 miles at least 11:00 min/mile pace.

Saturday - Long run: After 5/5 warmup, 7 miles averaging 11:00 min/mile (start a little slower, gradually speed up).

Out of caution regarding tiring out too fast or pushing my heart too hard, I've been doing the first parts of my runs slower, leading to an unintentional negative split even in long runs.  I think this is probably an overall good thing to get used to because it will feel more natural for me to hold myself back when everyone's bolting at the beginning of the race and I will be used to pouring it on at the end.

The Plan

I thought I should write a little about what I'm doing, mostly because writing things down makes them more official.


The basic schedule, a week in the life of a marathoner wannabe, goes something like this:

• Sunday - Strength training, full-body
• Monday - Low-impact cardio (bike, elliptical), about 45 mins
• Tuesday - Running workout (hills, speed, etc.), basically I have to push myself in some way, usually end by a mile or so of medium-effort running to shake out the tension
• Wednesday - Strength training, full-body
• Thursday - "Easy run" of around 3 miles.  I've been starting these out pretty easy and then pushing up the intensity for a while at some point.
• Friday - Off, and hypothetically to bed at a reasonable time
• Saturday - Long run, increase by a mile or so per week

All of this is currently being done at the gym (cardio) or at my house (strength).  As I get closer to the race and the weather gets better, I'll probably mix it up with some long bike rides, and hikes, and recovery cardio on Sundays.  As for strength training, I'm following a routine I established last summer, just because I don't have to think too hard about it.  Since I've been a slacker about that stuff for months, it's still difficult and new enough to be useful.  I'll start changing it up in a few weeks.

In addition to all of this, I have a couple of non-race goals.  I want to lose 17 pounds and change my body composition to the "healthy" range.  I am sort of astounded that my body composition appears to be out of whack, but it's a good overall health goal.  I have one of those hand-held thingies coming in the mail and while I realize they're not super accurate, they tend to be consistent so I can at least track the change if not know the exact number.  I know that this is more realistic than the weight loss (most people maintain or gain during endurance training because their bodies keep demanding fuel, and they quite rightly supply), but I am pretty chill about the weight thing.  I'm following a calorie intake that should result in less than a pound of loss per week, which means that I'm eating quite a bit.  I am also keeping better track of what I eat, both substance and balance of carbs/protein/fat.  I have stopped packing a big lunch and instead pack a series of snacks so I eat 100-200 calories/hour all day. 

Right now everything feels awesome.  I always forget how exhilarating the transition from inactive to active is.  Let's see how well I keep it up!

New Year, New Races

Alright, kids. So here's the deal.

Ever since I finished the Nike Women's Marathon, I've been thinking "hey that was an amazing experience that I will never forget, but I sure as hell am never going to repeat it." All I could remember was the pain and the feeling that I was subjecting my body to an enormous strain that was verging on the unhealthy. So over the last couple of years I've focused on shorter races - 5k, 7k, half marathon, and even a 10-mile. Occasionally I'd daydream about doing another marathon, but 99% of said daydreams involved the part where I would cross the finish line. But in the past week or two, something surfaced. The past couple of months have involved the usual descent into winter: increasing intake of unhealthy food coupled with decreasing activity. It's flipping cold here in Minnesota, and holiday foods are delicious. Suddenly I realized that doing another marathon was not only the key to restoring my focus at the very time I need it most, but it was also something I should do again so I could do it right. Because frankly, I shouldn't have done it the last time around.

To be fair: Under the circumstances, I prepared pretty well. I mean, first I was in New York City during the most miserably hot months one can be there, working at an internship that was stressing the crap out of me, living on next to nothing. I had never followed any kind of structured exercise plan and suddenly I was preparing for an endurance event? After New York, I then severed all ties to my running support and went back to law school, which is pretty much like trying to work out while tied to a chair. I finished preparation and went out to San Francisco by myself, ran the race with thousands of strangers, and celebrated alone. By the time I had physically recovered, I kind of lost the overall momentum. And it's no wonder it took so much out of me: I learned how to run, yes, but I didn't prepare my body adequately. I didn't monitor my nutrition, and I didn't work particularly hard at conditioning anything but my running legs.

So now I'm going to do it again. This time, I have pretty solid base already. I have both been there and done that, and I know what to expect. I am registered for a triple 7k (basically a half marathon) round about St. Patty's Day. I am following a pretty strict workout schedule. And I am thinking thinking thinking. And it will be awesome!

Aaaaand I'm Back!

After spending the months between October 2008 and now saying I'd never run another marathon, I just registered for the Minneapolis Marathon taking place in June. Here we go again...

6.3 miles at an 11:30 pace today. after running last night too.
i will do dexter-aa. i will.

Racing Again

It's been a while, I know. But I'm back in action!

The 5k of a couple of weeks ago, along with my ability to stick to a workout schedule, gave me the confidence to do a half marathon yesterday. I know it would be a scenic route (through a park in Dearborn), plus the theme was AWESOME (Martians! http://www.martianmarathon.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1), so I figured that even if I had to walk half of it, it would be worth it.

Kate and I got up at 5am and pulled on some layers. It got down to the 30s on Saturday night, and it was still chilly. We drove to Dearborn and parked the car, then hurried, shivering, to the building where the expo was being held.

I felt a strange combination of excitement and nervousness. I was almost worried by how I wasn't really that concerned with what I was about to do: run a half marathon after almost no training since October. It made me realize how much my mindset has changed over the past year. It was a good feeling, but I was worried that I was too confident.

Finally the race started, and Kate soon left me behind. I intentionally kept a very slow, steady pace. My runs lately have mostly been faster than I intended, and I wanted to be sure I had a fair shot at getting some distance before my muscles gave out. At the halfway mark I started to feel tired, but I kept telling myself "ok just one more mile and then you can walk." Instead of stopping at mile 9, I just ran the whole frigging thing. In 2:44, which gave me a pace of 12:33. Which is faster than I was doing training runs of this distance last fall. What. The. Eff. I'm starting to wonder if taking a long break was exactly what I needed. While I've definitely gotten squishier and heavier than I'd like, clearly my strength is not an issue.

So now I'm contemplating registering for the Dexter-Ann Arbor half. Pros: cool medal (http://www.dexterannarborrun.com/halfmarathon.htm), nice run, something to keep me going, part of my fee will get picked up by the grad school program. Cons: 12 min pace minimum or they chase you off the course. Kate thinks I can do it. I think it's hypothetically possible, but finals, graduation, moving, and vacation occur between now and then.....