Thursday, May 31, 2007

Zippy Run Swimwich

This week is going by fast, gotta love that! In the last two days I've done two swims with a run squished in between.

Yesterday, I swam 1000 meters in 25 minutes. I threw in a few "fast" laps- specifically every fifth lap plus the last 5 laps were fast, fast, slow, fast, fast. I'm not talking about all out sprint, but defintely quicker than usual and my heart really gets a-pumpin.

Then, last night:

5.50 miles/46:57/8:32 average pace

Went to the group again, and did the Graveyard course. Flat first two miles, BIG hill about a mile long, then two miles of downhill (weee!) then flat to the finish. Check out my fantastic splits:

9:17 (warming up)
8:51 (la la la)
8:53 (that's going UP the ginormous hill!)
8:16 (doooooown)
7:47 (weeeeeeeeee!)
3:51 (7:42 pace) for the last half mile.

It was a fun run, and as usual Zach challenged me to push my pace. It felt great. In fact, my legs are feeling 100% this week, which is a relief after a couple weeks of super sore shins.

Then, this morning, back to the pool,

I swam 1000 meters again and I did it in a new record time: 24 minutes! This time I tried to maintain a slightly faster pace the entire time. It felt great. :)

So that's two fast-ish swims and a fast run. Yay! Now to mix it up a bit, I am heading to the ice rink at lunch. My coworker takes lessons over there and has convinced me to go skate around while she practices her turns and jumps. It's been a WHILE since I've laced up the ice skates, so this should be interesting.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Time, it flies

Holy memorial day weekend! I can't believe it's been a week since I updated... this is going to be tough. I'll have to edit in my times later since I don't have anything in front of me here.



What a fun weekend!! I was in Pasadena Thursday and Friday for work, and it was lovely. The long weekend was relaxing and fun, with lots of time with family and friends, plus a few fun workouts, a bit of shopping, and lots of reading (Harry Potter). Let me go through this by day, starting last Tuesday before I left town:






Tuesday 10.1 miles bike ride/44:33/13.6 MPH average

This was the first time we went out and tried to keep a fast pace. Our overall pace isn't too quick because it includes peddling casually through the park, but for the most part we were really cruising along. We had a short stretch at 19 mph and probably cruised at 15 mph or so for most of the ride. It was HARD. I am looking forward to building up my leg strength and becoming a better cyclist because that was just too tough. I cannot imagine running after that, and it was only 10 miles! Whew.





Wednesday 6.0 miles/55:04/9:11 average pace

Group run with Zach and Maritza, fun as always. Maritza and I discussed taking a pilates class together Thursday nights- that will be cool!




Thursday - in Pasadena. I swam 1000 meters at a weird pool. The 24 hour fitness in downtown Pasadena is largely in a basement, including the pool. It was dark, the water was warm and cloudy, and it was just weird. At some points the water was so cloudy and the room was so dim I couldn't really see where I was going. So bizarre. It was a good swim though, took 27 minutes.




Friday 6.0 miles/54:22/9:04 average pace

A run along the neighborhood streets near by hotel. Warm and sunny but I took it easy (as I've been doing basically for every run lately).




Saturday 8.0 miles/1:11:35/8:57 average pace

Zach and I got up early and ran because we had a date to help a friend move. That went surprisingly quick, and we had a full day after that. We went on a casual-ish 9 mile bike ride in the evening (about 45 minutes).




Sunday 1200 meters in 35 minutes. This was super fun- we drove up to Walnut Creek and swam in the outdoor 50 meter pool. It was very different to be outside and to be swimming 50 meter lengths. It was totally opposite of the murky, creepy, basement pool in Pasadena- it was BRIGHT and clear and you could see forever under the water! I really liked that, we'll definitely be going back.




So, a little break here to report TOTAL miles for last week: 26

PLUS: 3200 meters swimming, including in 2 new pools!

and 19 miles cycling

No weight training, oh well.



Then, yesterday

Monday 8.0 miles/1:12:46/9:06 average pace

Zach decided to use his "get out of running free" card so I loaded up my iPod and ran solo. It was already kinda warm, and I was a bit groggy but in the end, very glad to already have a solid run in for this week. Here is my plan for the rest of this week:

Monday: 8 miles (done)
Tuesday: pm: bike ride and/or weights
Wednesday: am: swim (cause I skipped it this morning) and pm: 6 miles
Thursday: am: swim and pm: bike ride and/or weights (pilates won't start for a couple more weeks)
Friday: am: 6 miles
Saturday: 10-12 miles in Santa Rosa (we're going up north for the weekend, so we'll hit up this beautiful running spot on the way)
Sunday: hike

Total miles planned: 30-32
Plus, all that other stuff :)

Have a great week!

And CONGRATS to Miranda on her amazing finish at the Bayshore Marathon this weekend! I can't wait to read her report. Great job Miranda!! :)

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Two workouts and Race Plans

Monday 6.0 miles/53:59/9:00 average pace

Zach couldn't join me last night so I had a nice easy solo run. I felt great the whole time - never too tired. I listened to This American Life podcast, which is really entertaining. Since I've started running more with Zach and the group, I don't rely as much on my podcasts, but they are fun to listen to. I also love Steve Runner's Phedippidations, and the Simply Stu triathlon podcast. After 5 easy miles I picked it up for a few strides in the last mile. It was hard, and my legs felt heavy at first, but they quickly remembered the drill and by the end they felt light and fast.

This morning I got up and went swimming. I did 1000 meters in 25 minutes. I decided to mix it up a bit by swimming every fifth lap hard. I only timed a couple of the fast laps, and the last one only took me 52 seconds!! That's an improvement. Otherwise I continued to focus on my rolling side to side, plus extending before each pull (the Total Immersion book calls it "winding up," like you would for a golf swing or a tennis swing). When I do it right (I think), I can really feel this. In my "wind up" I'm storing power in my entire body, and slowly release it with a strong arm pull. I want to look into lessons now, because I think I am comfortable enough to understand what they're talking about, but I don't want to continue swimming wrong. I know I need a lot of work because sometimes I find myself wondering "what am I supposed to be doing with this other arm right now?" for example. It's crazy how hard swimming really is!

So, I don't think I've specifically mentioned my upcoming race goals lately.

First, I'm focusing on running a Half Marathon on July 15th. This is the Wine Country half, which I did two years ago as my first ever half marathon. It's a flat course, and I'm going to train for a PR (current PR is 1:44:54). Zach is doing this too, his first ever long-distance race! :) Maritza is also registered and will incorporate this into her early training for the NYC Marathon. How cool is that?

Next, triathlon... Zach and I are going to do the "Tri for Fun" race which is a local race for newby triathletes. It's a non-competitive (whatever that means) and friendly environment for people who are new to the sport. That's me! I admit I'm completely intimidated and nervous by the whole idea, so this will be perfect. They hold three of these races throughout the summer, and we'll do the third, which is in August. That will be about one month before the Mission Bay Tri, which we plan on doing too. That's definitely a "real" tri, so it will be nice to have some experience going in.

I have a lot of work to do before the tri- mostly on the bike- but for now I'm focusing on training for the half marathon and getting in a few swims and bikes each week too. After the half, I will follow a specific triathlon training program to prepare. I'm really excited for all of this!!

Finally, I do plan on running a fall marathon. I'm thinking I'll do CIM again, this time running with the 3:35 pace group which would be a big PR for me. This is a ways off, but I may as well throw it out there. :)

Monday, May 21, 2007

Watta Weekend

Saturday 10.0 miles/1:31:00/9:06 average pace

I had another great run where my pace felt easy and my breathing was under control. Zach and I ran on the Alameda Creek trail and kept a very consistent pace. I was talking the whole time which Zach said must mean I'm feeling good. And I was. Yay!

Later Saturday, we decided to go run an errand on our bikes, which turned into longer ride with a few more stops. We ended up riding almost 11 miles total and stopped for a yummy BBQ dinner. We made it back just before dark and crashed.

Sunday, we got up and went swimming. We didn't make it to the outdoor pool though. I wanted to try a longer distance swim again, so I completed 30 laps = 1500 meters! It took me just about 40 minutes. It was a slow pace but I felt good and focused on rolling side to side, and reaching with each stroke. I counted strokes too, and tried to keep it about 18 per length although when I get tired that number can jump up a few counts. I hardly took any rests and Zach commented that I looked comfortable and smooth. :)

Besides all that, we also attended a jazz show at Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland, where I enjoyed my fair share of Yoshi's Red Apple Martinis. I also spent a couple of hours in a used book store that was going out of business, and watched a dozen episodes of Family Guy. But really, It was a very active weekend, although I more than made up for the activity with food (ahem, onion rings) and slept like 10 hours each night too. So I'm surprisingly not tired or sore today beyond the normal Monday tiredness.

Soooo TOTAL miles for the week: 26!

PLUS: 3000 meters swimming
2x weight lifting
11 miles easy bike ride

Here is my plan for this week:

Monday: 4 miles with Strides
Tuesday: swim am, weights (and bike?) pm
Wednesday: 6 miles group run
Thursday: swim and maybe weights (Travelling to LA for work)
Friday: 8 miles? (LA)
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: swim (outdoor pool)
(monday, holiday: long bike ride)

total miles planned: 26 again :)

Friday, May 18, 2007

Five on Friday

Friday 5.0 miles/46:39/9:20 average pace

I finally had a good run! :) The difference is that I took this morning's run s l o w. I was groggy and a bit sore, so I didn't push the pace at all. And I didn't have a certain tall cute bearded guy running next to me, challenging my pace. Yes, I love that Zach is a good runner, and I know I'll improve because of him, but dang it felt good just to slog along. :) Tomorrow we're going for a run together so I am hopeful my tired legs will be fresh from today's easy run and ready to roll.

Lillie had a good point that my legs might still be tired from Boston Marathon. While it defintely feels like it was ages ago, I think my legs are still recovering. They say it takes a day to recover for every mile raced, so the marathon takes just about a month for recovery. Well, it has been a bit over a month, but everyone is different. I think I'll cut myself a couple more weeks worth o' slack and keep plugging along. At least I'm getting miles in! And I'm very glad I don't have any injuries. Plus this gives me one more chance to talk about Boston. :P

Last night we went to the gym and lifted weights. It's been a while and I can feel it today. We did dumbbell chest press (I used the 25 lb weights), front shoulder raises (10 lbs), bicep curls with barbell (30 lbs), cable tricep pulls, lower back extentions, and crunches (I could hear Bob's advice echoing in my head! Gotta work that core.)

I am so glad the weekend is here! Tonight we're going to see Regina Carter at Yoshi's Jazz and sushi club at Jack London Square in Oakland. Tomorrow we're going for a run (somewhere cool, tbd), then Sunday I think we're going to go swim at an outdoor pool up in Walnut Creek. And we'll hopefully get in a bike ride too. :) Have a great weekend!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

wednesday & thursday

Wednesday 6.0 miles/52:01/8:40 average pace

A nice afternoon run in the sun with Zach. This loop includes a big hill which was not fun. Actually, the whole run was not that fun. Lately I've felt kinda sore and tired, and also mentally I have to work really hard to keep going. I know I've had this kind of "slump" before so I'll get through it. And on the bright side, I was fast - even on the hill! :)

This morning I got up and went swimming. I actually had enough time for once to do a real workout and get ready without being late for work. Yay me! I swam 1000 meters in 25 minutes. Tonight we are going to the gym to lift weights. We've been skipping this a lot, but tonight it shall occur!!!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Getting my money's worth at the gym

Tuesday 5.0 miles/44:26/8:53 average pace

I couldn't get any motivation yesterday evening, so I skipped the run and made it up this morning on the treadmill. After my run, I figured I may as well get the weights workout overwith since I'm already at the gym (supposed to go after work), so I did a short session with some bicep curls, shoulder stuff, and crunches. Then, I did a shortened version of what I was supposed to be doing this morning, swimming. I did 500 meters in just under 15 minutes (no surprise I was slow after all that!). Whew.

Monday, May 14, 2007

weekend summary and the week to come

Saturday 8.0 miles/1:11:11/8:54 average pace

Zach and I ran up in Danville, where we usually run with the group, while his parents walked around the downtown shops and farmers market. I felt pretty good besides a right calf cramp thing that comes and goes. By the end of the run it was gone and I felt ok. We hurried into SF and went on a sightseeing tour, then walked around the city and made our way home.

Sunday we went for a hike, about 5 miles with a few steep hills. It was a very busy and fun weekend, but I think I could sleep all day today if I didn't have to be at work!

TOTAL miles for the week: 22 Not bad!
PLUS 1750 m. swimming (no weights, and no cycling besides to work)

My rough plan for this week:

monday: run 6 miles
tuesday: swim in am, weights in pm
wednesday: run 6 miles (group)
thursday: swim in am, weights in pm
friday: run 4 miles
saturday: run 8 miles
sunday: bike and swim

Ugh, from my current Monday-morning perspective, that sounds so exhausting. I guess I'll take it a day at a time.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Truant

Friday 5.0 miles/45:23/9:05 average pace

I took the day off work today, so I slept in and just went for my run about 10:00 am. It's nice and cool out today and the run felt easy. I'm heading into SF later today to hang out with my best friend who's visiting from Phoenix, and then later meet up with my in-laws, who are visiting from Montana. Should be a fun weekend!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Graveyard

Wednesday 6.0 miles/56:39/9:27 average pace

Group run with Maritza and Zach. We did an alternate route they call "the graveyard" which is not so much because there is a graveyard (there is) but because the hills are so big and nonstop that you want to die. :) But we made it! It was a pretty fun run actually, and I do like hills in a sick way, so we'll be back again.

This morning I got up and swam 1000 meters in just under 25 minutes. There was hardly anyone in the pool- I was actually the only one for a good portion of my swim. That's fun. I like to pretend it's my own private Swimatorium.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Our neighbor the sun


Monday 3.0 miles/24:16/8:06 average pace

I was smart to cut this run short, as it was about 95 degrees outside. My actual reason was that the sharks game started at 6:00 and I was short on time, but it all worked out. Except for the sharks, of course. Their season fizzled out last night, but what a season it was. I can't wait to see how far they can go next year. :) Red Wings are such a good team, I hope they go all the way.

Oh, ya, running. So I was really hot and tired and thirsty. I ran my first mile in 8:22, second mile in 8:14, and cranked out the last mile in 7:39. No wonder I felt like I was going to pass out! I was ok though, nothing a cold beer couldn't fix. :)



This morning I got up and swam 15 laps = 750 meters in about 20 minutes. Weeee!

Monday, May 07, 2007

Weekend roundup

Saturday 6.2 miles/55:36/8:58 average pace

The two short runs I'd done earlier in the week felt so good I had no hesitation running a little longer this weekend. Again, my legs felt great! It was hard though, and I took a few walking breaks to let my heart rate come down. I'm still only 3 weeks post-marathon so I know my exhaustion level was normal. I should be back to normal pretty soon.

Sunday we went to REI for some serious Anniversary Sale shopping. For our bikes, we each got locks, lights, and padded gloves. I bought a nice pair of padded cycling capris and a North Face running shirt too. We spent a lot of time looking at bike racks for the car but decided to wait.


Sunday evening we went for a nice bike ride after it cooled down a little bit (it was in the 90's earlier) and explored a new route. The unexplored area happened to include a BIG hill but it was kind of fun. On the way home we were going pretty fast but overall it was a pretty casual ride. 8.75 miles total. Oh I forgot to get a picture with my bike, but here's a photo from online. It's a Trek 7.2 hybrid bike in snazzy silver. Zach got his Saturday and has been nice enough to stay with me for the most part when he could have been just a speck on the horizon. Seriously, with his lighter bike and stronger body he is much faster. But sadly, no bell.







So, last week's TOTALS:


12.2 mile run PLUS

1750 meters swim

16.5 miles bike

1x weight lifting (plus a weenie home lift)




My plan for this week:


(in addition to the schedule below, ride or walk to work M, W, and F. My ride to work is less than 2 miles. The ride to the gym is about 5.5 miles so 11 miles round trip.)


monday: 4 mile run- pm (although it's going to be really hot so I should have gone this morning)


tuesday: swim- am, bike to gym and lift -pm


wednesday: 6 mile run- pm (group)


thursday: swim- am, bike to gym and lift- pm


friday: 4 mile run- am


saturday: 7 mile run


sunday: bike or swim or hike?




Also happening this week: Sharks must-win game tonight v. Detroit, and then game 7 on Wednesday. Zach's parents are coming to stay with us this weekend. :)

Friday, May 04, 2007

Cycling: the new frontier/ Or, Ouch, my arse

My first time riding more than a few minutes on a bike in the past oh, 4 years, and I survived!

I want to post my distance/speed but no laughing!

I have to preface this with WOW, all you cyclists amaze me. *bows down* Seriously, you guys are fast. I thought a lot about that yesterday as my speed read "9.6 mph" and I felt like I was really zooming along :D. 15 mph are you kidding me?! 20 mph??? Wow. Wow-a-rama. I can't wait to see some improvement but I'm certainly not expecting to be in that league for a WHILE. Although I know Zach will really push me, and as I ride a few more times I"ll get more confidence (I admit I was a little freaked out a couple of times). I'm not exactly a need-for-speed kinda girl. I'm the girl that cries "slow down" when riding on the back of a motorcycle/jet ski/anything else with a motor. Let's face it, I'm a wuss. That's gotta change.

So, here it is: my first bike ride stats

7.76 miles/42:30/11.0 mph

:)

Oh, and we skipped the gym last night but did curls/rows at home with heavy weights and called it good. Then watched the Warriors win their 1st-round playoff series(Maritza was THERE)and watched Anaheim clinch their round-2 series against Vancouver. Which means we have to play them in the Western Conference Finals. That's pretty cool. If by some miracle Detroit wins our series ;) I hope they cream those f#@!*ing ducks.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

multisporten

Wednesday 3.0 miles/25:34/8:32 average pace

Zach and I went to the group run in Danville, at Forward Motion Sports and ran with Maritza and her boyfriend Matt. I haven't been to this weekly run since probably.... last September ish? Which is too bad, because it's really pretty fun. They have a mileage tracker and you win prizes for achieving certain milestones. Maritza and I have a goal of hitting 500.. which may take another year but we're committed. We want that fleece vest (or whatever it is)! It was awesome running in our little pack 'o four- getting caught up and pushing each other a little. Legs felt great.

Also yesterday, I picked up my bike at the bike shop and rode it home. I definitely need to get my bike-legs, but it was way fun. The best part is the bike came with a bell. Ha ha! I was riding along smiling like a fool dinging my little bell when no one was around. I'm an immense dork. I forgot how fun it was to ride a bike. I also forgot how uncomfortable those seats are, ouch! I needs me some bike shorts.

Then, to complete the trifecta, I got up and swam this morning. I did 15 laps = 750 meters in 20 minutes.

Tonight it's back to the gym for weights with Zach and tomorrow will be a rest day.

Unfortunately, the Sharks couldn't pull off the win over Detroit last night... but they play again Saturday and will come back hard and a little smarter I hope.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

busy girl

Thanks again for all the comments on the Boston stuff! I got my marathonfoto order in the mail (thanks mom!!) and will add that to my wall of glory, haha. But seriously, I have one.

And Phil, I met Bill Rodgers at the marathon Expo, which is also where I met Grete Waitz, Carrie Tollefson, Sarah Slattery, and Amy Rudolph. I met Kathy Switzer at Bill Rodger's Running Store the day after the marathon. :)



So I have been a busy girl! I took a solid week OFF after Boston, doing nothing. I didn't even go to work. :) The following week I did some light stuff... swimming, walked to work, elliptical, but NO running. This week, I'm back in action!



Sunday: 30 laps = 1500 meters swim in just under 40 minutes.



Wow- that's far! Nearly a mile! Who am I??? Needless to say, that's a swimming distance record for me. :)



Monday: 3.0 miles/27:41/9:14 average pace



Aw yea, Aw yea, I ran, I ran! Felt fantastical. No pain whatsoever. Yay! Also, walked to work this day.



Tuesday: 20 laps = 1000 meters swim in 25 minutes in morning, Weights with Zach in the evening.



I am really doing great in the pool and don't need to rest practically at all. I'm still pretty slow, but that's fine. I think I've got good form and that's what matters. As for the weights, OW, I am sore today.



And now, the rest of the week:



Wednesday: Group run 3 miles (YAY group!! It has been months!), plus I walked to work (in the rain, luckily I wore my Boston jacket and it protected me)



Thursday: swim in morning



Friday: off?



Saturday: 5 or so mile run with Zach



Sunday: swim



Also, Saturday or Sunday: BIKE! My bike is ready - I visited it yesterday- but Zach's won't be ready till the weekend. Then we're ready to roll. I'll definitely post pictures.



Also,



GO SHARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!