Eat A Sandwich?!

This week started out with a  bit of a scare. After last saturday’s run I was just a little scared that I had injured my IT band again. I went ahead and took Tuesday (track day – speed work) off. This was not an easy choice, but it was made easier as my alarm did not go off at all to wake me up! I woke with a start at 5 am on Tuesday (to get to track on time I have to get up at 4 am) and I thought…oh well, everything happens for a reason. So I went back to sleep for a half hour.

This whole week I took extra time stretching in the evenings and rolling my IT and legs hoping to prevent injury.

Wednesday I tried an after work run. I prepped for this run by devouring a whole package of trail mix and most of a package of pistachio nuts. I also downed about three cans of La Croix (I like the lemon flavor). I started out at 4:15 pm. Upon starting out I realized that it was REALLY HOT! My plan was to go about 6 miles. The first three miles were not too bad, but the way back was beastly miserable. At one point I even thought WHO can I call out here to come pick me up if I get into real trouble. I did not run any faster or harder than usual but my heart rate stated in zone 5 for the entire run! That is about 174 for me. I think that it had to do with how miserably hot it was. When I finally got back to work I checked the temperature and it was 91 degrees F! If only I were training for Badwater! haha. I don’t know if I will do that again anytime soon…but I do live in Florida and perhaps I should get out there in the heat a bit more and try to get my body used to it. All in all it was not a completely bad run…other than it being really hot I did run without any kind of glasses or contacts so there was a run in with a rose bush that did not fare so well for my legs.

I was also told today, for the second time this week, that I need to “eat a sandwich!” Apparently I look emaciated?! I don’t think so. I mean I have lost weight since I started running last August ( from 155 to 148ish). My weight has pretty much stabilized for the last few months at around 148 and I am fine with that. I would not want to be any less than that though. When I carb load I get up to about 152. I was even asked if I was sick with something! What folks don’t understand is all I do is eat. If it is in front of me I will devour it! I do eat healthy, don’t get me wrong, but I will eat anything and everything otherwise.

Thursday I went with the group on our “Winter Park Hill Run.” We did some hill repeats. It started out kind of tough but once I got good and warmed up things went better.

Friday was a rest day. I got sick! It started out as a sore throat and kind of in my ears…some coughing.

Saturday was to be a short run day of about 16 miles, some folks were going to go 22.

Carb Loading: Friday night I carb loaded at Nagoya Sushi in Winter Garden with two of my favorite rolls: Mango Tango, and corral reef. I also had two orders of octopus sashimi. Finally I asked for a big bowl of white rice! YUM! This was an experiment because I have not tried carb loading in this manner. I also confessed my secret goal to Kristin this night. I told her I wanted to run 35 miles on my 35th birthday. She just smiled (which was a positive response in my book!) and I asked if she would run in the last few miles with me. She said she would consider it. YAY!

Pre-run fuel: I also tried something different for pre-run, I had an egg bagel and a banana.

Run: I started out on our first loop, 6 miles, and the first three were crazy arduous. I kept telling myself I am just going to do the 6 and go home because I feel so bad and I am sick. Getting back to the start we added people to our group and I was feeling pretty good so I thought Ill go ahead with the 10 more. This felt great! Great conversations and friends. Getting back again to the start point and mile 16 I decided I would just go ahead out with the group of three others doing a full 22. This was the best part of the run! After mile 20 it just kept feeling better. Overall a very successful run and it made me ultimately feel better!

During run fuel: I have finally found my perfect nutrition for running long, at least for running a marathon length. I have been doing one GU chomp for every two miles (considering changing to 3….but why when this works so well) with a sip of water. I also eat at two points in the run a stinger waffle. This was the same thing I did last week and it again worked like a charm. I carried one bottle of water and one bottle of chia drink.

Post run: I stretched my legs a bit before jumping back in the car. Drank a muscle milk on the way home (I tried a new flavor, Malt, and it was OK….im going to stick with the chocolate). When I got home I filled the tub with cold water and this time bought 3 bags of ice for the ice bath. As the tub filled up I stretched a bit more and rolled my legs and IT band. Got some coffee, put on my sweater, got a good book, and soaked in the cold icy water for 20 minutes.

 

After the ice bath I made some breakfast. Two egg bagels with Polaner All Fruit Preserves. I found blubbery which made me VERY happy.  I had a second cup of coffee and also another muscle milk (this time chocolate!).

Now I am off to clean the house and do laundry! Happy Easter everyone! and keep running!

Weird Week!

This is spring break for me! YAY!

The plan for the week: Monday rest, Tuesday Marathonfest, Wednesday Clermont 10 mile dirt loop, Thursday Marathonfest, Friday rest, Saturday long run 20 miles, Sunday easy run with Krisitin and Kristi

Monday: Rest (went well!)

1. Deep water swimming at the Winter Park YMCA: 45 minutes of 1 minute intervals.

Tuesday: Track – Descending Ladder:

1. 2×1200, 1000, 2×800, 600, 2×400
   1. Kind of a grueling session and I don’t know why!

Wednesday: Clermont 10 mile dirt loop

1. Slept in, didn’t go….Slept 12 hours that night!
   1. This day was all about hibernation! I got up for lunch with a  friend and then came home and got back on the couch and slept the rest of the day! I then went to bed around 8:30 pm and got up feeling fresh for marathonfest the next day!

Thursday: Winter Park Tempo Run

1. We did a faster than marathon pace run to Fairbanks and back followed by 400 around the track at 5k pace.
   1. This felt great!~ I guess I just really needed the sleep from the previous day!

Thursday: Winter Park YMCA Strength Training (65 minutes)

1. Single leg Seated leg curl – 20 x 3/10
2. Single Leg Leg extension – 30 x 3/10
3. Hip abductor – 80 x 3/10
4. Hip adductor – 80 x 3/10
5. Back extension – 90 x 3/10
6. Dead lifts – 30 x 3/10 (use arm barbell)
7. Single leg Step-ups – 10 x 3/10 ???
8. Side step-up w/ kick – 10 x 3/10 ???
9. Push up/ balance ball thing 25
10. Balance board squats – 3/10
11. Planks – 3/1:10
12. Stretch REALLY WELL! (did about 60 minutes in addition to the hour of weights)
    1. Ham String
    2. Piriformus
    3. Back
    4. quads/achilies

The ?? marks indicate I will do that weight one more time and then possibly increase the weight for the next visit.

Friday I am sure my rest day will go well so long I can make it a rest day and not get the running bug!

Saturday was going to be a Cady Way long run but after talking with the group this morning I think a small contingent are going to break away from the pack and go to Apopka and do 3x a 7 mile loop of hills which will give us a 21 mile long run. Ill have to let you know how it goes.

In all this has been a great week. I have discovered that the fuel I use before my morning runs is beginning to get a bit boring and not enjoyable for me. So now I am on a quest to find something easy like bananas that is gentle on the stomach, quick on the go, and provides enough energy for my morning runs. Suggestions are welcome! I have already tried cliff bars and those just don’t sit well in my stomach before a run.

I am also participating in another blogger’s 7 day green smoothie challenge. I learned about the challenge from the blog “DrinkRunYoga” and then followed her link to the originator “Peanut Butter Runner” and read all about it! I was lucky to read this post in enough time and get the ingredients together and start on Monday with everyone else. It has been a lot of fun, but Kristin has since said that I am “completely gone” and thinks I have gone off the deep end of the nutrition train. I don’t think so, I think I am just working to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle. Has a lot changed….perhaps…but in the long run (insert pun here) I think I will be better off for it.

Here are some pictures from my, day 3, 7 day green smoothie challenge:

I used the Peanut Butter Runner’s basic set up and have added the chia seeds, a table spoon of natural peanut butter, frozen raspberries and blueberries,  and greek yogurt. In the future I’d like to find a good protein powder supplement to add too.

Some other notes about this week. I took my bike into the shop to get it tuned up. I think I mentioned in a previous post that the gears were slipping and it was just running really rough. I am getting it back on Friday after $135 dollar tune up, cleaning, and new break pads. They also mentioned that the wheels needed to be trued up. I hope that it rides like a dream!

I am also experiencing a little hip issue. I have had this problem for a long time now, a few years…but when ever i get out of the car i feel this little pop, feels muscular in nature, and then I am fine.  It has not hurt on runs or anything…but the problem persists and I also think that it is getting worse. I have NO clue what the issue is…and don’t really know where to start to find out a solution. Guess it is time for a googling.

 

 

Week in Review

This was a very busy week for me with my job and I really did not get much chance to reflect, in a written fashion, on my running at all. I am beginning to wonder if I need to find some kind of physical log book instead of just relying on this on-line journal.

1st does anyone know how to create some sort of table on these things? I was hoping that I could make some kind of template post that would be a simple data entry spot for my posts.

Monday

As stated in my last post was a  great 15 mile bike ride and strength training day. Sometimes I feel as if strength training makes me worry and stress that I am going to injure myself because I am pushing my body so hard. I have all these little aches and pains through the week and then I run on top of this which is crazy. But my Saturday run was amazing and all I can think about was that the strength training is really just helping out.

Tuesday – 7.72 miles

• 2.27 mile warm up run @ 10:27 pace.
• 5.45 mile speed work @ 8:20 pace.
  • two sets of 7 x 400 @ 5k pace
  • Great workout, pushed myself moderate-high

Wednesday – Rest

Unintentional rest day. As I mentioned earlier this was a crazy work week so my Wondering Wednesday did not quite happen. Instead I was at a friend’s middle school working with her orchestra as we are all preparing for performance assessments done by the state.

Thursday – 9.03 miles

• 2.19 mile warm up @ 10:33 pace
• 6.84 mile hill work @ 8:55 pace
• pushed myself high
  • Our hill work is about a 3 mile loop and we complete two repeats.
  • The group did one set together and then our pace leader said he was going to cut out one of the miles and just hit the hills. I had it all set in my mind that I was going to complete both complete hill loops so I decided to venture out on my own and do just that. When I do this I tend to start doubting myself because I feel as if I am still really new to all of this and that I am not being good to my body. That the coach should be followed completely without deviation or you risk injury. Well, I did just what I had planned and started out on my own! Noticing the time I also amped up my speed! Looking at my splits with the group we were going at about 9:10 pace and then on my own it was about 8:45 pace! When I got finished I just hoped and prayed that I had not over done!

Friday – Rest

and stressing about Saturday’s 18 mile run! Was I injured? I have been feeling just a little knee pain from my right inside knee. It feels more like a muscular thing than anything else…like muscle fatigue.  Most everyone in my group was running  5, 10 or 15 miles. I was thinking at this point humm…again, am I pushing my body too hard. I decided, at 15 I would reassess my situation and go from there.

Carb-loading for tomorrow’s run did not happen. Plan was to eat sushi, instead we went to a fast food restaurant (more of a beatnik place…) and I had a turkey wrap and fries.

Saturday – 18.08

• 18.08 long run @ 9:47 pace
  • Ate a banana, half a glass of chia gel, and a little chia drink (chia with a dash of lemon and honey) pre run.
  • during the run I had one GU chomps (peach tea) every two miles with water.
  • at mile 15 I ate a Stinger Waffle with water.
  • This run was absolutely amazing! I felt great the entire time! There were some moments around mile 13 when I felt strange and out of bodyesque….but that subsided once I ate a GU. At mile 15 I found that many people who were running were in fact doing all 18 so that made me happy that I had others to run with.
  • After the run I came home and drank my endurox recovery drink (orange flavor), made pancakes bacon and eggs and had coffee. I also finished what was left in my support bottles (left over chia drink, nuun, and water). I had tons of energy for the rest of the day. I even cleaned the house.

Where am I going with all of this?

Currently I do not have  a full marathon for which I am training. But I did sign up for the Swamphouse Half Marathon, which looks really exciting! The medal is actually a bottle opener! My fiancee, who is now struggling with her own running enjoyment, is going to run with me and I am excited to have gotten her to do this. I don’t know exactly why she is feeling a lack of motivation for running all of a sudden but it is a very big bummer!

My marathonfest training is going to start whittling down, as taper will begin shortly, their weekly long run millage…but I am of the idea I may keep just increasing millage and seeing where that takes me. I am getting more and more of a feeling that I am going to have to start keeping this part of my running a secret. I am getting the feeling that people are going to start to look at me a bit funny when I tell them I am going to run for a certain distance just because. Before saturday, I would tell a few what my plan was and some of them asked why and some asked oh, which race are you training for…both questions don’t really have a good answer. I am even to the point of removing my posts about my distance from Facebook and just having it on Twitter. But I do find a few motivating people who help me get through this when I post too….it is a double edged sword.

Next week is a short base run of 10 miles and then after that is a 22 miler. Id like to get the 22 miler in but that is also the same weekend as the Swamphouse and because my fiancé is running it with me I don’t think I can do any kind of pre or post run to get that milage in….unless I do it when I get home….hum…that might be something I consider.

Training Starting to Take Shape

Slowly things are starting to take shape with my running routine.

A goal is to up my weekly milage. Currently it looks like my average mile per week has gone from 20 to 30 since I started marathonfest. I am very happy with this current amount.

Mondays – Rest (yoga day)

Tuesdays – Speed work (averaging 8 miles)

Wednesdays – (Have to come up with a name for this day….you’ll see why later in this post)

Thursdays – Speed work or Tempo run (averaging 8 miles)

Friday – Rest

Saturday or Sunday – Long run and Cross Training (one on each day not both on both days)

Back to the Wednesday thing. I was not going to run on wednesday this week, but I got home from work and just had this major itch to get out. I did not want to run a certain milage or a pace so instead I decided I would run for a length of time. I set my timer for 30 minutes and began running away from home. When the timer rang I turned around. This was one of the most liberating experiences I have had on my runs in a while. I really enjoyed just running as far as I could in the 30 minute time frame without any other goal but to run. It turned out that I ran for 1 hour (my initial goal) at a 9:15 pace per mile! and logged 6.76 miles! I was very pleased with the result and there was no goal other than to run for an hour. The speed work really has paid off. I had no fatigue during this run at all.

My goal for Wednesdays will be to maintain or add 1 or two minutes to my going out time. So next week I’ll run away from the house for either 31 or 32 minuets. So now for a name….I need a name for my Wednesdays that has some poetry to it. I was thinking Wandering Wednesdays or Where do I get Wednesdays, or WDW (where’s david wednesdays)…

On my Wednesday run I also tried a Chia drink mixture. This could have helped with the whole fatigue issue. It is great stuff. I could feel the instant energy boost. The only downside to drinking the mixture was that it also kept me up all night because it was so late when I drank it. I am excited to try the drink out again tomorrow for my 10 mile Saturday run. My plan is to mix the drink before the run. Drink all 10 oz before heading out and seeing what it does.Thursday’s tempo run was about 5 miles and turned out to be about a 9:09 pace per mile. Again, here I did not feel as if I was pushing my self very hard to make this pace. I was just keeping up with the group and could hold nice conversations the whole time. I think I need to start pushing my self a little more on the speed work days and see if I can cut out another minute from my easy runs. But I also don’t want to push things too much!

Sunday there is a 5 mile trail run that I would love to do, but I don’t know if I should add those miles to my week and I don’t really have an old pair of shoes to wear and get ruined. So the jury is still out on attending that run.

Runner’s Log Stardate 2/14/12

It is valentine’s day….happy valentines day!

This morning I decided to push my limits a bit more. I logged a total of 8 miles at around an 8 minute pace.

Our speed work consisted of three sets of 1200, 800, @ 10k pace and then 400 @ 5k pace. After each set I felt like I was going to die…but starting the next set I was all like OH this is easy!  haha.  The last two sets our coach, Ed, said to run as fast as you could without hurting yourself. I did just that (without hurting myself). My inspiration for running so fast was Denny. He is a fast, fast man! While I did not beat him, I did keep up with him most of the way through the 400. It was at the very end that he took me. It is not about the race…but it is about the friendship and the motivation and support. I am not competitive per say….but I like to take my body to its limits.

After that workout this morning my day was absolutely amazing! I was full of energy and inspired to do the best I could in my job. I love feeling that way!  I even brought a 5 hour energy drink, and didn’t even need it, with me to work after the day I had on Monday. It was just very unmotivating….

After work I took my first trip to the Whole Foods Market. I bought eggs and ham (trying to get more protein in my diet) to make an omelet for dinner. I also bought Chia Seeds. I read about these in the book Born to Run, by C. McDougall, and wanted to try them out for my self. Apparently they are a great source of energy for long distance running. I’ll let you know how that goes. I’m thinking I may try them on a non run day at first just to see what happens to my gut before I try them in training or on a long run just so I don’t get an unexpected surprise! Here is another link to a chia seed recipe for a drink. I am going to try the 10 oz of water to 1 tbsp of seeds and see what that does for me.

As a side note I tried Yoga for the first time on Monday. It was nice! I am hoping to gain some flexibility and core stability.

Thursday is a tempo run! This will be my first tempo run with the group. We are planning on running at 30 seconds per mile faster than our goal pace for about 6 miles. I should be able to log 8 miles total again because of a 2 mile warm up run.