I run about thirty miles most weeks and touch wood I haven't had any injuries. I am not vigilant about changing out my running shoes (maybe once a year if I'm lucky) and I pretty much avoid stretching - it bores me. Yoga happens maybe once every other month, and only then grudgingly (although I'm pleased to announce that I have finally conquered the headstand). But all of these things I intermittently feel guilty about. At least, that is, until I read 'Born to Run'.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thursday, October 7, 2010
slowly surfacing...
OK so it's been a while. Almost long enough to be reaching that point where I am too embarrassed to get back on here and write, but. Oh well - here goes.
The last long run I did was on the beach in Rio, kind of lost my will otherwise to go for hours. This one was a good one though, from Copacabana to the end of Ipanema and back, probably about a 8 miler in total so doesn't really qualify as a long run but between dodging street vendors and the kids that weave down from the favelas with their withered flowers and dated candy to sell, it felt something like an obstacle course ripped straight out of 'City of God'. A few nagging aches and things with lower backs, nothing prohibitive, but they've been good to hide behind.
So, back to it then. Do I even have time to make it for Honolulu? And there's the added complication of the conference that I'm meant to speak at the day after the marathon, which is just plain ridiculous.
I have a house guest too at the moment, a great friend from high school from Australia, but I have to make sure I don't use that as an alibi to avoid the gym.
Did I mention it's getting cold?
Can anyone else think of any other reasons to avoid getting back in there???~~~!!!
The last long run I did was on the beach in Rio, kind of lost my will otherwise to go for hours. This one was a good one though, from Copacabana to the end of Ipanema and back, probably about a 8 miler in total so doesn't really qualify as a long run but between dodging street vendors and the kids that weave down from the favelas with their withered flowers and dated candy to sell, it felt something like an obstacle course ripped straight out of 'City of God'. A few nagging aches and things with lower backs, nothing prohibitive, but they've been good to hide behind.
So, back to it then. Do I even have time to make it for Honolulu? And there's the added complication of the conference that I'm meant to speak at the day after the marathon, which is just plain ridiculous.
I have a house guest too at the moment, a great friend from high school from Australia, but I have to make sure I don't use that as an alibi to avoid the gym.
Did I mention it's getting cold?
Can anyone else think of any other reasons to avoid getting back in there???~~~!!!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
18 miles complete this evening!
Ran almost entirely to angry hip hop and at 6.7mph except for the last mile which was 6.9-7.5.
I ran the first 6 miles on the Washington and Old Dominion trail (yes with my trusty GPS/heart rate monitor so I could check pace and make sure I wasn't about to choke in the oppressive heat), but it gets dark pretty quickly after 7pm and since I started a bit late I ran the rest at my gym.
Was kind of disappointed that the woman who I met two weeks ago wasn't at the gym tonight. I don't think I wrote about her when it happened but when I ran the 17 miler last time, at about mile 14 this woman comes into the gym and starts talking at the side of my head. I politely tell her I can't hear her because I'm listening to music. She keeps talking despite this, little gobules of spittle forming at the side of her mouth and I accept that she won't move until I hear what she has to say so I reluctantly take my headphones off and she's asking me how long I'm going to be on the treadmill.
She climbs onto the treadmill next to me, awaiting my response.
I tell her I'm not sure - probably just less than a half hour as I have 3 miles to go. No response. I put my headphones back on and focus back on my run.
A few minutes pass, and she's talking at the side of my face again. Flecks of spit, not sweat (she's going 4.5 mph) alert me to this. I stare at her incredulously and remove my headphones.
She's lecturing me on how long I've been on the treadmill. It's inconsiderate. Unacceptable.
Note - she's on the other treadmill and there is no one else at the gym.
She continues - I'm not the only person living in this complex. The world does not revolve around me. I can't hog the treadmill.
What does she want from me? I'm now at 15 miles, feet pounding. I know the other treadmill's TV doesn't work perfectly, so I figure maybe that's it. I mean, she doesn't have headphones but maybe she wants to lipread The Bachelorette or Biggest Loser.
I tell her we can chat all about it after the run, headphones back in. She keeps talking but I really can't hear her now. I crank Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing in the Name of' and somehow being cranky helps me run harder and I do my fastest long run ever, closing it out with a grueling grade increase combined with speed increases until I get up to about 8 miles/hour.
I hit 17 miles and slow down to a walk. During my cool down I asked if she wanted to swap machines. She smugly refuses, and mocking my Australian accent says 'I'm sorry love, I can't hear you I'm listening to music and trying to lose weight while I throw some shrimp on the barby!!'
Oh boy. That's funny. She's been agonizing over that one liner now for 25 minutes.
She's very lucky that I am completely juiced on endorphins, which make you happy. Happy people don't slap people in communal gyms, even if they're mean and do the worst Australian accents ever. They just don't.
She continues to tell me that any workout that is over 30 minutes is inconsiderate to other people and she needs me to acknowledge this. She's pushing my buttons. I've promised myself not to bite - in moments of crisis, you have to revert to your higher self.
Then I say something bad.
I tell her that if she truly believes that, then that is probably why she's a porker. Oh dear. Factually correct, yes - but decidedly not what I had meant to come out of my mouth. It just kind of slipped...
Well anyway, needless to say the gloves came off then and she started cussing me out something impressive. I did apologize for the porker comment (even though I was pretty mad by now it was unkind and I hate when I stoop, and besides, there's just something intrinsically satisfying about repeating the word 'porker') but she wouldn't have it. Eventually I became worried that she might eat me so I went home shortly thereafter...
And haven't seen her since.
Luckily I'm moving back to New York soon so hopefully that was the last of it...!
Ah - the perils of training for your second marathon in a gated community in Reston....doh!
I ran the first 6 miles on the Washington and Old Dominion trail (yes with my trusty GPS/heart rate monitor so I could check pace and make sure I wasn't about to choke in the oppressive heat), but it gets dark pretty quickly after 7pm and since I started a bit late I ran the rest at my gym.
Was kind of disappointed that the woman who I met two weeks ago wasn't at the gym tonight. I don't think I wrote about her when it happened but when I ran the 17 miler last time, at about mile 14 this woman comes into the gym and starts talking at the side of my head. I politely tell her I can't hear her because I'm listening to music. She keeps talking despite this, little gobules of spittle forming at the side of her mouth and I accept that she won't move until I hear what she has to say so I reluctantly take my headphones off and she's asking me how long I'm going to be on the treadmill.
She climbs onto the treadmill next to me, awaiting my response.
I tell her I'm not sure - probably just less than a half hour as I have 3 miles to go. No response. I put my headphones back on and focus back on my run.
A few minutes pass, and she's talking at the side of my face again. Flecks of spit, not sweat (she's going 4.5 mph) alert me to this. I stare at her incredulously and remove my headphones.
She's lecturing me on how long I've been on the treadmill. It's inconsiderate. Unacceptable.
Note - she's on the other treadmill and there is no one else at the gym.
She continues - I'm not the only person living in this complex. The world does not revolve around me. I can't hog the treadmill.
What does she want from me? I'm now at 15 miles, feet pounding. I know the other treadmill's TV doesn't work perfectly, so I figure maybe that's it. I mean, she doesn't have headphones but maybe she wants to lipread The Bachelorette or Biggest Loser.
I tell her we can chat all about it after the run, headphones back in. She keeps talking but I really can't hear her now. I crank Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing in the Name of' and somehow being cranky helps me run harder and I do my fastest long run ever, closing it out with a grueling grade increase combined with speed increases until I get up to about 8 miles/hour.
I hit 17 miles and slow down to a walk. During my cool down I asked if she wanted to swap machines. She smugly refuses, and mocking my Australian accent says 'I'm sorry love, I can't hear you I'm listening to music and trying to lose weight while I throw some shrimp on the barby!!'
Oh boy. That's funny. She's been agonizing over that one liner now for 25 minutes.
She's very lucky that I am completely juiced on endorphins, which make you happy. Happy people don't slap people in communal gyms, even if they're mean and do the worst Australian accents ever. They just don't.
She continues to tell me that any workout that is over 30 minutes is inconsiderate to other people and she needs me to acknowledge this. She's pushing my buttons. I've promised myself not to bite - in moments of crisis, you have to revert to your higher self.
Then I say something bad.
I tell her that if she truly believes that, then that is probably why she's a porker. Oh dear. Factually correct, yes - but decidedly not what I had meant to come out of my mouth. It just kind of slipped...
Well anyway, needless to say the gloves came off then and she started cussing me out something impressive. I did apologize for the porker comment (even though I was pretty mad by now it was unkind and I hate when I stoop, and besides, there's just something intrinsically satisfying about repeating the word 'porker') but she wouldn't have it. Eventually I became worried that she might eat me so I went home shortly thereafter...
And haven't seen her since.
Luckily I'm moving back to New York soon so hopefully that was the last of it...!
Ah - the perils of training for your second marathon in a gated community in Reston....doh!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Week 10 plan - the glorious week of catch up (?)
I need to complete 4 runs this week to bring myself back on schedule.
Monday: Workout 1 (catch up) - 18 miler (run at 6.7mph, this will take 2 hours 42 mins)
Tuesday - swim
Wednesday - Workout 2 - speed work - 8x800m
Thursday - break/cross train/weights
Friday - Workout 3 - mid run - 5miles (run this at 7 mph)
Saturday - weights/break
Sunday - Workout 4 - long run - 15 miles (run this at 6.7 mph)
Monday: Workout 1 (catch up) - 18 miler (run at 6.7mph, this will take 2 hours 42 mins)
Tuesday - swim
Wednesday - Workout 2 - speed work - 8x800m
Thursday - break/cross train/weights
Friday - Workout 3 - mid run - 5miles (run this at 7 mph)
Saturday - weights/break
Sunday - Workout 4 - long run - 15 miles (run this at 6.7 mph)
week 9 mid run
Completed this afternoon (on the treadmill, too too hot outside!) with the following speeds:
7mph for mile 1, flat
7 mph for mile 2, 0.5 grade
Mile 2-2.5 0.1 speed increases (so 7.1-7.5)
then last half a mile with 0.5 grade increases finishing at 7.5mph and 2.0 grade.
Generally, I've found a good way to increase the difficulty and mix up the workout is to vary things for the last mile either by speed or grade, or both.
As confidence increases, it is OK to start varying the grade and speed earlier in the run, but particularly for longer runs you don't want to push yourself with too much variance up front and psych yourself out. I've fallen into this trap a few times, where you 'cheat' yourself during the run by upping the challenge too much too soon, and then I find it difficult to get back into a good workout for a few days.
The balance? Hard enough so that you are genuinely working out, not so hard that you psych yourself out of future workouts at that level.
7mph for mile 1, flat
7 mph for mile 2, 0.5 grade
Mile 2-2.5 0.1 speed increases (so 7.1-7.5)
then last half a mile with 0.5 grade increases finishing at 7.5mph and 2.0 grade.
Generally, I've found a good way to increase the difficulty and mix up the workout is to vary things for the last mile either by speed or grade, or both.
As confidence increases, it is OK to start varying the grade and speed earlier in the run, but particularly for longer runs you don't want to push yourself with too much variance up front and psych yourself out. I've fallen into this trap a few times, where you 'cheat' yourself during the run by upping the challenge too much too soon, and then I find it difficult to get back into a good workout for a few days.
The balance? Hard enough so that you are genuinely working out, not so hard that you psych yourself out of future workouts at that level.
Week 9's running plan (last week, catch up week number 3)
Workout 1 - 12 x 400m (.25m) - complete on Friday at 8mph
Workout 2 - 3 miles (run this at 7mph, Sunday)
Workout 3 - 18 miles (6.7 mph, run this on Monday)
Note - these three workouts should have happened Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday but I'm still behind. The plan is to run workout 3 on Monday, and then pick Week 10's schedule up Wednesday/Friday/Sunday to be back on track.
Seriously!!
Workout 2 - 3 miles (run this at 7mph, Sunday)
Workout 3 - 18 miles (6.7 mph, run this on Monday)
Note - these three workouts should have happened Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday but I'm still behind. The plan is to run workout 3 on Monday, and then pick Week 10's schedule up Wednesday/Friday/Sunday to be back on track.
Seriously!!
Playing catch up now for two weeks running (weeks 7-8)
Since my July 4th weekend trip to Vieques where I skipped my Sunday long run (didn't have it in me to run the 17 miles indoors, in a resort on Independence Day!), I am still playing catch up. The good news is I haven't slipped any further behind. The bad news is I haven't managed to catch up either!! Running sites always tell you not to sweat missed workouts, so I am going against popular wisdom and trying to catch up, will see how it all goes...
I ran my 17 miler from week 7 on the Tuesday after getting back from my holiday.
Week 8's running plan was this:
Workout 1 - 3x1600m (ran at 7.5-8mph on Thursday)
Workout 2 - 10 miles (ran at 6.8 and 6.9 to end, but not run until Sunday)
Workout 3 - 13 miles (ran at 6.7 and 7 to end, on Tuesday of the following week)
I have been swimming in between but for some reason really struggling to catch up. Had a massive work milestone (a 2 years-in-the-planning product relaunch) on Wednesday of last week, which involved a couple of very very late nights in the office. Still. Giddy-Up GIRLIE and GET BACK ON TRACK!!!!!
I ran my 17 miler from week 7 on the Tuesday after getting back from my holiday.
Week 8's running plan was this:
Workout 1 - 3x1600m (ran at 7.5-8mph on Thursday)
Workout 2 - 10 miles (ran at 6.8 and 6.9 to end, but not run until Sunday)
Workout 3 - 13 miles (ran at 6.7 and 7 to end, on Tuesday of the following week)
I have been swimming in between but for some reason really struggling to catch up. Had a massive work milestone (a 2 years-in-the-planning product relaunch) on Wednesday of last week, which involved a couple of very very late nights in the office. Still. Giddy-Up GIRLIE and GET BACK ON TRACK!!!!!
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