Archive for January, 2011

Two weeks to Carlsbad and there’s some major changing of the schedule.  It initially started due to weather considerations but morphed into a purposefully steeper, more traditional taper.  For the Philadelphia Half, I only took a one-week taper.  This time, I’m going for a 2-week cut with approx. 25% less mileage this week:

Mon: off
Tues: 10
Wed: off
Thurs: 10 w/ strides
Fri: 5
Sat: 15 tempo sandwich (1wu, 3tempo, 7easy, 3 tempo, 1cd)
Sun: off or 5, not sure
Total: 40 or 45 depending on Sun.

I’m glad to be trying a different approach and think that in this case, Less = More.

Treadmill?
After my 2-week break, I’m considering joining a gym (for a month or two at a time) so in the midst of the worst seasons, I can do the workouts I need to without worrying about it.  I posted something about this on FB yesterday and got a couple expected puffed-chest “man-up” replies but those guys missed the point entirely; it’s nothing to do with weather wussiness.

If you do a weekly tempo and interval session plus a LR, there are only so many days you can switch, you need those recovery days between.  I’m really tired of having to switch or dumb-down important workouts due to bad wind (which we have all.the.time, especially since I run at the river), slippery snow or 90 degree days with suck% dewpoint (which we also had all.the.time. last summer).

When I look at the forecast and see that the week will require some major finagling to get the workouts in, maybe cutting long intervals to short or skipping something entirely…it makes me tense.  I don’t like added difficulty, I’m a laid back type of chick.  Not to mention it could be useful for long hill reps without having to run 4.5 miles to Smile Hill and back when I’d done.

Now, this is all in  my head right now because the few times I’ve been on a treadmill have been truly tortuous but I only did easy runs (no workout changes to break up the monotony) and they were just me and the treadmill in unpopulated locales.  Since I’m a huge people-watcher, I’m thinking a busy gym might also provide some stellar entertainment value.  If not, and it turns out to be as hellish as ever, then forget about it, I’ll keep on keeping on outside.

Any treadmill thoughts from you guys?  If so…share.  Like, did you learn to like it better the more you used it?

Today’s a rest day and this afternoon I’ve got a long voiceover job about the workings of The Brain.  It’s pretty interesting stuff.  Shame that my old pot-addled mind won’t retain a syllable of it.  If I absorbed half the shit I narrate, I’d be a much smarter person with guaranteed loads of sparkling conversation.  Since that’s not the case, let’s talk about running…

I had a good workout on Friday, 12x200s as planned.  No drama or head trips, I had fun with it.  Saturday was a beautiful slow recovery run thanks to the snow.  Then yesterday sucked.

It was only a 13-miler but I was so tired, it felt like a 20 when all was said and done.  I was tired because the girl upstairs (who spent the whole of December out of town so I was able to sleep straight through the night for 4 blessed weeks) is now back and waking up between 4:30 and 6am, so that means I do, too.  I go back to sleep, but it’s fitful and I have to use that stupid white-noise machine.  Part of it is my fault as well, since my bedtime has climbed to 1:30am lately – a habit I need to get under control.

Anyway, I was sluggish as hell, it was super cold and windy and they did a weird job of clearing the bike path, leaving large swaths of slippery snow.  After the first few miles, I almost changed it to be a run for time instead of distance but it eventually cleared out for the bulk of the run.

One thing is for sure, I cannot wait for California.  On yesterday’s run, I was doing a checklist of all the stuff I won’t need to bring, as in jacket, gloves, tights, hat, etc.  Just 2 weeks now!  Not feeling much for the race, but I’m super excited to see my friends and go somewhere I’ve never been, even for a few short days.

As for the race, my workouts have been inconsistent these last weeks that to expect to magically hit this one hard seems naive.  I’m fine with it though, especially since the whole subject of taking a real break is on the forefront and probably 2 years overdue.  That said, I hope this is the last race for a very long while that needs the preface “It won’t be my best, but I’m cool with that”.

So here’s to an excess of teeth-gnashing, PR-grabbing, competitive energy building within the next few months, for me and any of you who could also use a shot.  Say it with me now: “Grrrrrrrr”<—-practice daily for future race kill.

That’s it for this thrill-a-rama.  Have a happy Monday, folks!

Now that the idea is in my head, I can tell how badly I need it.  I’m seriously tired, tired of huffing and puffing through tempo runs and interval sessions and working the effort envelope.

Today was a troublesome speed session on the heels of two subpar 6mi tempos within the last couple weeks.  The speed session was supposed to be 5xmi@15k pace w/1min recoveries.  Halfway through the 2nd rep, I was thinking “I have a tempo run in just 2 days but this feels like I’m in the midst of one already and I just did one the other day…too much, I don’t wanna!”  It wasn’t good.

I was shooting for 7:00s, but couldn’t get past 7:05s  and the idea of continuing on for 3 more reps seemed a hellish prospect, so after the 2nd mile, I ditched the long intervals and switched it to 8 x .25miles w/1min rec’s.  In the end, I got 4 miles of fast out of it (total run was 9.75 mi) which is certainly worthwhile, but I feel ragged.  In response, Adam has kindly rejiggered this week’s tempo into 12×200 for which I am eternally grateful.

It’s crazy how without an injury to say “you must stop now” we really don’t have a clue when it comes to limits.  Sure, there are solid symptoms for overtraining, they concern sleep patterns, weight loss, not wanting to run among other things, but when it comes to the phase before that, overreaching, it’s your best guess.  And it’s frustratingly like that for so many areas of this sport.

Tapering, for instance: what’s the best taper for you?  How can you tell?  Even if you have a great race, could have been one thing during the taper period that made it that way, etc.  The only way to truly know what works for you is by many trials, errors and successes to reach that final “Aha!”  Or you can simply keep wearing your lucky red sports bra and say that was it.

Anyway, it continues to be a revealing learning process and despite the number of times I’ve thrown my hands up in the air out of utter frustration, I’m happy that there are still doors to unlock and secrets yet to uncover.  So I bitch, moan, whine and want to lay down to take a month-long nap, but in the end, I remain positive.

That said, Carlsbad may be more “fun run” than race for me.  We’ll see.

Food
With the holiday season, I relaxed a bit and had a little junk, but also, on the good front, I pulled out the long-ignored crockpot.  I love my crockpot but always thought of it as a two-or-more-to-feed appliance.  Well, in an effort to be a better mommy to myself, I’ve started making some wonderful cozy stews and mish-mashes of things that feed me for a few days or I freeze portions.  Today I made this Provençale Chicken: super duper easy – because cooking ain’t my thang – really healthy and yummy, too.  Shove the stuff in the pot, turn it on and go away.  That’s my kind of cooking.

(used 3 skinless breasts though, as per the reviews)

Foot
Went off ibuprofen on Saturday night, had a 17miler on Sunday (started sleeting and I wasn’t dressed for it, so a progression), a 6miler on Mon and an 8 yesterday.  My big toe knuckle was back to smarting on Monday and full-fledged hurting yesterday.  This was freaking me out, however, I think I found the cure!  I’d been using moleskin padding but it wasn’t that thick.   So I cut out a couple pieces from my foam yoga mat (one of those purple jobbers) and taped that around the bad spot…wow! it was like having a cushy pillow on the top of my foot.  That knuckle didn’t bark at all today!  I couldn’t believe it.  It’s been a downer to deal with all this last month, how lovely if it finally gets the boot.

A few weeks ago, Coach A muse/Adam asked when was the last time I had 2 weeks off from running.  I took a glance through my logs and the answer was…never.  Almost 4 years of running and the most I’ve taken off is a couple one-week breaks: May 2008 to tend to an ankle injury and this last June after the collapse/hospital stay.

This has positive implications; I’ve been able keep at it thanks to my body behaving admirably – a lucky thing for such a late-starting couch potato.  But when Adam said he thought I should take a few weeks off after Carlsbad, a feeling of nervousness came over me and I dismissed the idea entirely.  A few weeks?  Such a long time!  I’m not a cross-training gal – I’ll lose all my fitness and turn into a fat pig.

That said, I’ve been mulling it over this last week.  It does seem slightly twisted that I’ve been in training cycles almost non-stop since 2007.  What’s a couple weeks in the scheme of things?  When I came back from the week off in June, I felt no difference at all, so two weeks off can’t be that drastically different.

Then a few days ago, I read this cool thread in LetsRun, which asks What was the most important thing you did in training before a big breakthrough?  A couple people spoke of taking time off (more than 2 weeks, one took 10) and coming back faster than ever.  I bookmarked the thread.

Today, checking in with Adam, he again brought up taking time off and said he couldn’t think of too many serious runners who didn’t take real breaks, saying “Paul Tergat was adamant about it”.   So I told him yes, I’d do it.  I asked if I could do some short runs during this time (because it’s scary to go into this uncharted territory) and he said he didn’t see the point.

As if I needed more confirmation (I don’t, Adam is the voice of reason) I just opened Jack Daniels’ Running Formula to read the section on Planned Breaks which says “Runners should take a few weeks off occasionally as scheduled breaks from training” and “Although runners are often reluctant to take breaks, most breaks are beneficial in terms of overall development.  A break gives both the body and the mind some time to regroup.”  “Sometimes, a couple of two-week breaks fit into an annual schedule quite well, but eventually a more prolonged break (four to six weeks) is probably a good idea.”

Obviously, I could use some regrouping, probably more in my head than body, but both will surely benefit. So this should be interesting, a new experience in this running adventure which turns out to be Not Running.  I won’t be doing any real aerobic activity though I might pull out some pilates and yoga DVDs, maybe take some walks by the river, keep a few push-ups and a little core work to keep the guilt away.  It’ll be good for me, no matter what.

Btw, Joe sent out an email to a few of us last week for ideas on the next Runners Round Table podcast.  Since this has been on my mind, I said I’d like to hear about it in an episode and much to my delight, that’ll be it: Rest, recovery, and aging.  It’s on for this Wednesday at 8pm.  I’m not participating in it, btw, since this is something I don’t have experience in, but am looking forward to hearing more seasoned runners discuss the subject.

Nothing like a huge expanse of new year ahead to make you feel like anything’s possible.

I didn’t hate 2010, though running-wise it had its challenges: two race collapses, one resultant hospital stay and a seemingly endless performance plateau did not make for a huge amount of happy posting, but on the other hand, it was a solid year of running – 2819 miles worth.

The mileage total surprised me since I never set yearly mileage goals or pay attention to how it’s adding, being a week-by-week kinda gal.  It’s about 300 miles less than I ran in 2009 but I’m pleased with it.  Shifting focus to shorter racing after the Boston marathon didn’t make a huge lot of difference in the mileage scheme of things.

I am also hopeful that the consistency (as opposed to bumping up mileage for a cycle or two) will show itself in the next year or so.  February will mark my 4th year at the sport and from what I read, it seems that part of becoming a strong runner is gained by years of doing it, cumulative miles having an important impact.  So while 2010 had more than its share of frustrations and “is this as good as it’s gonna get?” moments, the saner part of me is pretty sure that as long as I keep on it, 2011 has the potential to be a growing year.

Goals for 2011 are a sub20 5k, a sub 1:32 Half (this one will take the entire year) and caring less on the micro level, keeping my focus on the big picture.

Ibuprofen bloat
I wasn’t kidding when I say it makes me retain water.  For the benefit of Chris who asked in jest how many pounds we could blame it for (so as not to confuse it with his peanut butter fudge holiday extravaganza), I went up 6lbs.  How do I know I’m bloated and it’s not “real” weight? Besides the fact that I didn’t go crazy food-wise…

1. I look pregnant.  It’s highly unlikely I actually am, since it would have to be an immaculate conception.  Considering I’m athiest and make fun of Jesus sometimes, that’s an unlikely scenario.

2. My rings have shrunk.  Or rather, my fingers got way fat.  If I wanted to take off my rings now, it would require soaping up and much cussing.  I like cussing, so that isn’t really a problem, but the rings aren’t moving.

I’ll stick with it one more day, all good on the foot front so far.  Yay.

Netflix Streaming
Now that I have two beautiful new screens, my big-ass monitor and the fab laptop located in my 2nd office (the one with fluffy pillows and a down comforter) I finally got Netflix streaming.  It’s way cool, especially since I’ve been so bad with movie-watching the past few years, there are tons of things I haven’t seen.

One thing I was thrilled to put in my queue is Michael Apted’s 42 Up and 49 Up.  Don’t know if you guys know the Up series of films, but it’s insanely wonderful: a British documentary where they followed a handful of kids starting at age 7, asking them their dreams for the future and every 7 years went back to see how their lives had changed (and are still changing now).  It’s hilarious, heartbreaking, shocking and always surprising.  If you check it out, start with the first one, 7 Up and work your way up (14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and now 49).

He’s also got a marriage one, Married In America, where 9 couples are interviewed before they get married and then in Part 2, interviewed again 5 years later, so I’ve got Part2 in my queue, too.  Fun stuff ahead!  Gotta love seeing how people change over time.  It’s us – you and me sisters and brothers!  We are one big pot of humankind and man, do I love seeing how our similarities and differences play out through the years.

On that all-encompassing note, here’s to 2011 giving us many positive changes with as little heartbreak as possible.  It’s only a year, let’s make it a great one.