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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I Like Big Butts

 And I cannot lie. Because usually, the fact that my backside has more oomph than my front is totally fine with me, but yesterday, the supposedly "cushioning" booty failed me in a B.I.G. way. Despite my junk in the trunk, I have always had a bony backside, and you can bet that I came to a whole new understanding of just how true this was about 45 minutes into my 1 and a half hour bike trainer ride last night. No matter how much I shifted, I could not get comfortable on the seat after that, and every inch I moved seemed to make my tailbone come in even more direct contact with the seat. So, when I plopped down on the tile at the pool this morning to get my swim cap on, I. WAS. SORE.
Yeah, our thighs were that big. It's
actually a medical condition:
field hockey thighitis. Look
it up.
    Sure, in field hockey our butts were constantly sore from all the pushing off, bending over, squating, and drills that we had to do, but it was muscle sore, not bone sore. Right now, my tailbone wants a nice big bag of ice and a pillow, and considering I don't really have anything to do today besides call the UDel Admissions Office about my major, go to the pool with my girl Sarah, and do a track workout, I am seriously contemplating crawling back into bed and sitting on a pillow until, say, one o'clock...

   Despite the full-body soreness from Saturday's race, Sunday's ride, and last night's trainer ride + 20 minute brick run, I was able to push through a 4200 yd swim workout this morning. All the 100 kicks kind of kicked me in the butt (ha), but I was pretty happy that I was able to make it through the whole thing. Then my coach told me that tomorrow I can choose between a recovery day or the hardest workout of my life. [Wait, so today wasn't a hard workout?!] He obviously has not realized just how ridiculous and competitve I am, and that uttering the phrase "hardest workout of your life" makes me want to dance a jig and grab my Endurolytes and hit the ground running/ pool swimming. If you don't hear from me for more than a week, blame him.

   On a side note, I contacted the Masters swim coach at UDel about how rigorous their program is. I mentioned where I swim now, and what our usual weekly routine is, and he told me that the Club Swim team would be a better fit for me. Huh?! I mean, I guess that way I'll meet more crazies like me and get to be even more competitve since I'll get to do meets and such, but how will I get in these long workouts in the hour-long practices they have?! Huh?! HOW?! Plus they swim at 9:30 at night and that's basically when my body shuts down and tells me to go grab the foam roller, some Powerade, and a few episodes of House and call it a night.

 

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Knots and Nuts

   So this morning I was greeting with a rumbling tummy and a SUPERTIGHT left IT band. It is official: I.Can't.Do.Flat.Courses. Not only are they boring as all get-out, but they are really hard on my joints. There is no reprieve from the pounding that downhills and inclines can offer, which also means there is no chance for me to chick people up the hills, which happens to be one of my favorite things to do in races. Not that I am competitve or anything....

   Coach SuperW had me down for an hour long, hilly ride today, and I really wanted to get out on my Trek Lexa to
a. get acquainted with the beautiful piece of machinery and
b. enjoy some more Vitamin D, since I obviously did not get enough during the 8 hours I spent outside yesterday. I did the actual ride on the spin bike, since I wasn't sure how competent I would be on the outside ride and wanted to make sure I got the workout in, but then I got another 30 or 40 minutes outside with my Dad. IT.WAS.AWESOME.Well, lies actually, since the first 10 minutes sucked as I had to become accustomed to braking with my hand brakes, not my foot pedals, and had to remember how to turn. But once that happened, IT.WAS.AWESOME. I am still getting used to gear shifting, but man, I LOVE CYCLING. Going fast, powering up hills, and being able to actually feel a breeze in the 85 degree weather while doing it?! Sign me up!
    Going up the inclines was definitely my favorite part, second only to flying back down them. I am now definitely set in my decision to join the Cycling club once I get to school. I just need to get some padded cycling shorts first because Oh. Boy. will I be sore after those 60 mile rides.
   Other workouts today included cleaning most of the second floor of our house, swimming 3000 short-course yds because the Y lies about the distance of their lap lanes, and some core work. My shoulders are now sore, as is my back from my late-night core workout yesterday (No excuses. If I'm up, and it ain't done, you can bet your bottom dollar I am doing ab circles with my medicine ball while watching Failure to Launch), and I think I am going to pretend the dishes aren't waiting for me in the sink so I can go upstairs and collapse into my nice, freshly-laundered sheets. And then wake up and enjoy my FIRST DAY OF HIGH-SCHOOL FREE EXISTENCE.
   

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Burned, Bitten, But not Belittled!

Recap of this week:
Wednesday: Swimming in the morning with a 50yd PR, what what!!! 37.3 seconds, baby! My goal is sub 37 by the end of the summer, but I'm really hoping for a 35. That would be A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I also had to kick my own butt in a solo spin class because I had YET ANOTHER work meeting that evening. Luckily, it was only a half-hour long, so I got in my weekly venting run-walk session with my friend Morgan. Our pace is always super slow and we often walk at least 1 mile of the total of 4 we do each week, but it's a chance for us to scream out our frustrations and make each other laugh 'til we pee ourselves while everyone on the campus we run around stares at us. What could be better!?
 
   Thursday: Full body weights in the morning, core in the evening, 20 minutes of yoga (who am I? Doing yoga willingly?!), 4 miles of what was supposed to be an 8-miler. Half-done, you say? Slackin' off!?! Well, unbeknownst to me, it was 95 degrees outside. Somehow, the sweat that had been dripping down my back all day didn't strike me as an indication that perhaps I should run inside and escape the soupy air that surrounded my hometown. Luckily, my good running buddy Michele knew better, and saw me on the run and proceeded to berate me for being insane and then drive me home, after talking races and running for 20 minutes. Honestly, that was way more enjoyable than the other 6.5 miles I had left would have been, plus I got to go home and run another 2.5 while watching The Hills. AND I did another 4 and more lifting when I got home from my Senior Awards Ceremony! At 9 o'clock! With TCBY fresh in my belly! AND I FELT AMAZING.
  
  Friday: I went to swim practice and asked my coach for an easier workout since I was racing the next day. He responded with laughter. Then he gave me a pull buoy. So, I did 5x 500 with "fast" portions done with the pull buoy and "smooth" portions done with normal freestyle. Not too bad, but the underwater speakers weren't loud enough so I couldn't totally jam out like I normally do with long sets. The rest of the day was SO. HECTIC. You would think that with high school ending, I would have less to do, but oh no, I think Friday was possibly the busiest day of my life.
Breakdown:
-Senior Breakfast
-Senior Slideshow
-Grad Rehearsal
-Pick-up for Grad. Tickets
-Drive to country club to fill out lifeguard forms (oh yeah.. I now have three jobs...)
-Drive home, eat lunch
-Drive back to school, pick up painting and painting supplies
-Drive home, pack for Chestertown
-Check emails from Coach/Boss
-Nap
-Leave for C-town

 Driving to Chestertown invovled me yelling at my Dad's GPS because it did not understand that we DID NOT want to go through multiple states during what was supposed to be a one and a half hour trip. I named it Linda because I figured it would be easier to yell at an inanimate object if it has a name. "YOU SUCK, LINDA" sounds a lot more forceful than "YOU SUCK, MAGELLAN GPS."

Today:
Wake-up at 5:40 to screeching violin music. My Dad loves him some classical music, and usually I do, too, but HOLY CRAP WAS THAT STUFF ANNOYING. I may have been a bit cranky and slapped the radio until it turned off... Then I got up and enjoyed the B-fast of Champs, aka Chicks that PR in 85 degree weather: 2 Shot Bloks and 1 Mountain Blackberry Hammer Gel, with some Orange-Vanilla Perpetuem to wash it all down.
(Yes, you read that correctly, PR BABY. BY THREE MINUTES. AND SECOND IN MY AGE GROUP.). side note: came in at almost the same time as my old Bio teacher. Who is like 34. I still take pride in this..
  The race itself was awesome, if not so flat I wanted to slap myself in the face for yet again not choosing something with some declines to give the ol' legs a break. It was a loop around the town, with ample amounts of farmland. Which I am so sick of. Third race in a row with farmland as the main scenery. Upside? It smelled like honeysuckle for 5 miles. Downside: Almost. No. Hills.
   Probably the best part, though, was running with my Dad for the first mile and a half. He did the 5k, and I was giddy just running next to him. My Dad is my running inspiration: he is 53, can go weeks without running, and come home after running 3 miles at an 8:30 pace and make it look easy-peasy.
   Also awesome? Beating the other redhead who ran neck-and-neck with me the last mile. Not that I am competitive or anything...

The rest of the day we picked up my award, walked around town, bought my Mom some belated b-day gifts (garden gnome and iridescent freshater pearl necklace. Winning combination), ate lunch, got more food for the way home because after races I turn into a bottomless pit, then hit the road because OH HEY I HAD TO WORK AT FOUR. Hope the other guards didn't mind that I hadn't had a full shower since Thursday... I mean, I washed off in the bushes after the race.. that counts, right???


  Now, because I am a genius and washed off all my sunscreen, I am sitting here, sunburned with 2 different distinct tan lines, and I have a huge mosquito bite ON MY FOREHEAD from eating rice pudding outside after work. I think I'll go foam roll and pretend my arms aren't the same color as my hair.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Track is Whack. Also, Biking What?!

So I did it.
4x200s with 200 recovery, 1x400 with 400 recovery, 1x800 with 800 recovery, 1x400 with 400 recovery, 4x200 with 200 recovery.
   I didn't hit all the times Coach SuperW wanted me to, but I think this was due to a combination of heat/lack of motivation (I had to do the workout by myself, so there was no one to race against). I managed to hit my 200 times on the second set, which made me want to dance around a little, but my second 400 time and my 800 time were a little off- GRRR.
  Plus side? It is actually a struggle for me to keep the pace above an 8:30. Like my legs WANT to run at 8:00 speed normally. HEY HEY ANOTHER PR ON SATURDAY?!?!?! I feel one comin' on.

In other news: I am picking up my bike tomorrow. Super freaked out to actually learn how to change gears, work the pedals, etc. I don't think I am going to buy the clips and shoes right away- I kind of want to just get to know the bike before I add in the whole clipped-in-cannot-make-a-quick-getaway kind of thing. I plan to spend all of Thursday riding around a local parking lot getting to know the good ol' thing. Hopefully by the end of the day I will at least not look like quite as much of a noob on it, especially since I have a 1 and a half hour ride on Sunday!??!?!

Spaghetti Arms

Short post. So sore. Tired. Arms hurt. Need sleep. Must get to school before 4th period.


Sunday: 1:20 on bike, 3 mile run after. Run was A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Sub 8 pace? Helloo  PR in my 10-mile race this weekend!
PM: Core workout (cue extreme OW the next morning)

Monday: 3750m at Master's. Swam with the fast group! Result? Massive shoulder soreness that was obviously the cause of my 2 hour afternoon nap. Definitely not because I stayed up all night reading...
PM: Spin, more core work. Again, ouch.

Tuesday: 2900 at Master's. Major pull work. Shoulder=ow.
Pm: Will be doing track workout from hell. By my lonesome. Because I have a work meeting at 6. And therefore have to do the workout myself after school. Because I didn't do it this morning after Master's like I told myself I would. And instead went home and made pancakes. Will power, where are you?!?!?!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Leg Pains and Heatstroke

Hotter than the surface of the sun. Possibly.
I am not sure if I have ever mentioned this in the blog, but where I live, from May-October, IT IS HOT. Like, so hot that there are a few "code orange" days each summer where you aren't really supposed to go outside and they set up "cooling areas" all over the city with free water and AC. Yeah. That hot. I, however, love this about my hometown, since I am constantly cold and also happen to enjoy warm weather a lot more than snow, ice, rain, etc. Yesterday, however?


 

  I. WAS. DYIN'.

Coach SuperW,(who is also now Coach SuperTriW as she metaphorically holds my hand on my journey to my first Half-Iron), had told me to do a 10 miler followed by an easy 40 minutes of spinning. She said to push the pace on the ten-miler if I wanted to, since she found out Tuesday night at the track workout that I am actually a lot faster that I say... (running on the dreadmill for 4 months apparently skews your times. 1:35 400 hard on the 'mill? Outside I can hit 1:30s like they're my job. Not to be cocky or anything....). So I set out hoping to keep up a pretty good clip, around 8:20 or so. BUT it seems my brain had other plans.

  6:05: Cell phone alarm goes off. Press "snooze"
  6:15: Normal alarm goes off. Press "sleep"
  6:30: Both alarms have gone off, and I am still not out of bed. I decided that since I was sick on Thursday and Friday with a cold, this is probably my body's way of telling me I need rest, and I decide to obey and go running at 8.
 8:38: When I actually wake up. I don't really freak out, since working out is really the only thing I *have* to do that day, so I take a GU and a Shot Blok in lieu of b-fast, slap on some sunscreen and a sportsbra and hit the pavement.
   

   3.5 miles later......
Internal Organs: "HOLY $#!#!@!@ IT IS HOT! WE ARE DYING AND NEED MORE POWERADE AND AN ENDUROLYTE!
Me: (take endurolyte tablet, chug purple sludge)
   2 minutes later....
*cue horrific heat cramp*
Brain: What the heck?! You just ran 16 miles a couple of weekends ago and now you're struggling to do 10? We have a race next weekend, woman! And a half-iron which means you will be running farther than this AFTER swimming almost a mile and biking 56. SUCK IT UP.

Internal Organs: Get us to a cool place aka your treadmill before we burst and bubble like that purple sludge in your water bottle. And next time, don't be an IDIOT and wait until 8:45 to run, because it is already 80 degrees and feels like 100.

  
(see left for an example of the level of fizzyness goin' on in my Ultimate Direction bottle)

Can you guess the end of this story? I had to suck it up and trudge home to the 'mill after 5 miles outside. It was a beautiful day and I wanted nothing more than to stay outside and roam the neighborhood on feet, but I was near fainting and I knew I needed to get this workout IN. THE. BAG.

  5 horrifically boring miles on the treadmill that involved a few breaks to get my heart rate down to normal workout rate and to refill the sludge were following by that trip to the gym for an easy spin. I read Kara Goucher's new book while I spun, but I have to say, I wasn't really all that impressed... kinda seemed like every other running book I have ever read (this could be a sign that I have simply read too many). On the plus side of the entire workout, with both the outside and inside running included, my pace for the 10 miles was right around 8:30, which isn't awful given the heat, but now that I know I am a lot faster than I thought I was  (outside, my recovery runs are around 8:10; inside, doing 8:30 some days is a struggle), I was really hoping to kill it on this run.

    The rest of the day was spent watching the Glee Marathon on Oxygen, and going to swim practice at 4. I didn't actually get in the pool until 4:15, since I was the only triathlete there, and my coach and I thought that baking in the sun sounded a lot better than cranking out the 2200 yds of drills that I ended up doing. Gotta say, though, as tired as I was, swimming was still so enjoyable. I love the feeling of gliding through the water and feeling weightless... and listening to Eminem on the underwater speakers. That helps, too.




Last night, though, my legs were KILLING. ME. I felt like I was 8 again and was experiencing the extreme leg pains I used to get when I had my growth spurts. It felt like someone was stretching my tendons out or something... not fun. The only thing that seemed to help was elevating them, so obviously I took that as an opportunity to lay on the couch with my feet up for 2 hours while I watched 10 different Lady Gaga videos on Fuse and finished the book Running on Faith by Jason Lester. If you are ever having a bad training day, just look up this guy online. He is actually a Superhero.  UltraIronman with a half-paralyzed arm? H.E.R.O.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Diamondgirl


Yes, you are reading the picture correctly. This blogger has just signed up for the Delaware Diamondman Half Ironman in September.

Why?

Because I love running. And swimming. And biking. And I love a challenge.

Is it gonna be hard? You betcha.
Are some swims, runs, and rides gonna be tough and possible even disappointing? Duh.

Am I up for the challenge? Is that even a question...??


Goals for summer training and beyond:
-Swim the same intervals as the seasoned triathletes in my Masters Swim
-Run my 400's at 1:25 (currently doing them at 1:30)
-Bike my long rides at 20 mph
-Swim the 2-mile Purple Swim in August
-Run the Baltimore Marathon in October in 3:35 or less


Side note:
                            <---- not my legs. yet.It is official. I have the beginnings of cyclist-calves. One of the guys I sit with at lunch informed me I have ginormous calves. My mom confirmed they have gotten bigger. Cons: No more tight boots. Pros: HELLO HILLS, MEET YOUR MAKER.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Sweat-Fest '11

This weekend was a sweaty one.
  Saturday, I woke up way late (well, 7:45, which is ridiculously late for me...) and my legs were SCREAMING for a run. I had to wait for my boss to call, though, which took until 11 o'clock, then I had to get my graduation dress altered, go pick up my brother from the train station, and then suddenly it was 5 o'clock???
  I still got a workout in- 6 miles of hills on the treadmill with some Arc training and some lifting- but it wasn't my normal Saturday intensity. I try and make my workouts longer on the weekends, ranging from 3.5-4 hours total each day, but I figured that this week is kind of a step-back week anyways as I navigate my way back into training after my injury.
  Sunday was a nice, easy 11 miles in the morning. I ran with my friend Jon and we both forgot our watches, which ended up being a good thing. We were able to just run by feel and enjoy the time outside on the trails. Only problem? SO. HOT. and MUGGY. Don't get me wrong, I love me some hot weather, but I was not dressed properly. I could have gone without the shirt and definitely could have used more Powerade than I brought (I may have taken some water from the Team in Training table set up on the trail... they offered!!!).
   That evening, my family was going out to dinner, so again, the total workout for the day was abbreviated: no cardio in the PM, but I got a good 55 minutes of leg weights in... which made this morning's workout SO. HARD.
Gluten-free blueberry pancakes post-long run. SO. GOOD.


  Over 3200 meters after a 17 mile weekend??? I think I actually felt myself sweating in the water...

Friday, May 13, 2011

Pain in My Rump

So workout last night was awesomeee.
  Pain in my left glute the day after? Not so much. 30 minutes with the foam roller ironed it all out, but I still really loathe that thing. Mine is huge and can be kind of hard to use when I am just trying to get a small area- perhaps a smaller one is in order?
Yeah. Mine is this ginormous.
  Other news:
Had a job interview today and... GOT. THE. JOB. I will be a swimming instructor for a local day camp and I cannot wait! The hours allow me to sub-lifeguard and babysit on the side, and I don't have to go in until 10! That leaves nap-time possibilities post-Masters practice!!!
  Also, I AM OFFICIALLY DONE WITH ALL OF MY AP TESTS!!!
     Be prepared for some awesome food pictures tomorrow. I know I haven't posted pictures in forever (thanks APs for taking over my life) but I just had to get up some pics of the Almond Gluten-Free pancakes I made...

   Might run a local 5k tomorrow depedning on the weather. Rain: stay home and run my 12 miles. Sunshine: Do race-day registration and blow my old PR outta the water!!!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Dead Arm

6x100 @ 1:45.... Fastest? 1:27.5

this was along with 2000m of other stuff... AKA
I. Cannot. Move. My. Arms.

**Note to self: NEVER LIFT THE NIGHT BEFORE A SWIM WORKOUT.

In other lameness, I am an idiot and did not stretch after my riciculously hard swim workout and then took a nap (hello resulting soreness because I always get tight when I get extra shut-eye) and then sat in the same position for 2 hours straight during my AP test... this= me having to move my track workout back ANOTHER day because the good ol' psoas is being a royal pain in my tush. Not actually... more like a pain in my hip, but you get the picture. Angry me on the elliptical after spin where I took it so easy I barely broke a sweat (not. normal.). Only thing that made it better? My wonderful friend Morgan distracting me from the minutes tickin' by on the old Arc. Too bad my workout tomorrow is solo.

4x800 @ 3:45? As EMZ says, I'VE. FREAKING. GOT. THIS.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

ONLY TWO APS LEFT


Yes, my life revolves around these tests. Why? Because they are so mentally draining that I literally can't think for days afterwards (read: can't add up my meters in swim practice, can't correctly calculate mileage, can't remember what day it is). So obviously I am SUPER excited that my 2nd to last one is tomorrow. More exciting is the fact that it is at 12 o'clock aka I get to go to a full swim practice AND not rush into the shower AND come home and sleep/eat/yoga it up and laugh at all my peers who are snoozing their way through another lame school day.
  I can only hope that my love for academics returns when I start college... Right now, me + school=more sleeping than learning (aka I slept through two class periods today. Don't worry- all I missed was the middle of Iron Man and an entire free period).

   In other news, I SWAM A 3:08 200 in practice today!!!!! It's official:
I love swimming AS MUCH AS running. Spinning a close second... I don't know about you, but to me, this spells T-R-I-A-T-H-L-E-T-E. Plus, my coach was telling me about how the other guy at practice does Ironmans and does half marathons and marathons as training runs and I actually almost started drueling at the thought of races as training runs.... I know. I am weirdo. I am okay with it.
Today's workout:
Swim 2400 or 2500m (couldn't remember which, due to AP brain)
Hour and 5 minutes (hopefully plus another 10 minutes if I go do abs in front of la tele) of arms and abs.

Tomorrow:
AM:swim
PM: Spin, track workout 4 x 800 @ 3:35

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go wrestle my compression sleeves out of my bag to wear so I don't die in practice tomorrow, which is supposed to contain more distance and shorter intervals. Just what I like at 6 in the morning (note: this is not sarcasm. See above "weirdo" comment).
** Compression sleeves can be used as socks!!! I am so happy about this- now I can keep the medium sized ones I bought at the Charlottesville Expo!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mama's Day

Dear Mom,
Thank you for always being there for me through the rough spots. You've been there through countless field hockey games, track meets, field trips, and have always been one of my biggest supporters!! Thanks for being there with tea and a hug in the afternoon after a hard school day, for texting me during class when the teacher is lame, for waking up at ungodly hours to see me race, and thanks for always being at the finish line to cheer me on and hand me a chocolate milk. You are the most caring, gracious, selfless person I know, and I can only hope to one day be able to do half the things that you do in a day. You are an amazing woman, and I am so glad to be your daughter.
     Love you Bunches!!!!!







If you have not done so already today, go tell your Mom thanks for being there to cheer you on, because without her, you wouldn't be crossing that finish line!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

When You are Too Tired to Eat PB Crackers

   So. Tired. 1900m swim Friday AM, 1 hour on Arc Trainer and 45 minutes of arm weights in the PM. Then, this morning.....
I miss you.
 10 mile run at 8:45ish pace. Wam. Bam. Thank You Ma'am. I did the first 3 miles with my friend Morgan, then she turned back to finish up her 6-miler and I kept on keepin' on for another 2 miles before turning around. After parting with Morgan I was doing an 8:45ish pace, but once I turned around I was suddenly flying down the trail at 8:15!!! And the insane thing??? I kept it there.... for almost the rest of the run! At least a quarter of each mile was actually around 8:05... Oh. Yeah. Only problem: rumbling stomach and dehydrated muscles.

The Cause: I haven't been drinking as much water and Powerade this week due to all the APs. I don't drink as much during testing, and when I get home I usually sleep for a couple hours, read, then go work out, so I am not hydrating a whole lot then, either. Plus, in the morning during swim practice, I rarely sip anything, as opposed to running in the morning where I down an entire bottle of water in 45 minutes.
  Also, I have been having such bad stomach problems during my runs, I decided to try out Hammer Nutrition's Perpetuem Drink.  I got the Orange Vanilla Flavor packet, because it was all the local running store had. Verdict: Mildly Nasty. Tasted like a creamsicle, and I don't particularly like creamsicles...

I was STARVING by 4 miles into the race, so I took a GU and later on ate a Clif Shot Blok... then went home and proceeded to devour an omelette and some gluten-free bread and waffles.
 And after that, a snack, dinner, and a post-dinner snack, I am STILL. HUNGRY.

Please excuse me while I crawl to the kitchen and forage for food. Or just collapse there for the night. I love the feeling of fatigued muscles, don't get me wrong, but I hate workout appetite. All I want to do is eat my entire PB jar. Perhaps I will.....

Thursday, May 5, 2011

12 hours of testing, 9 miles of running=Falling asleep watching Law&Order:SVU

According to my Dad, mental fatigue can be just as debilitating as physical fatigue. After shutting my eyes for "20 minutes" today and waking up two hours later, and then falling asleep again (collapsed on a footrest in front of the TV...) after going to the gym today,I most definitely concur.

3 AP tests, 225 multiple choice,9 essays, and I.AM.SO.POOPED.

Plus side????
-watching The Hills everday
-being able to make my lunch at home each day (and going out for Indian food with Dad!!!)
-hanging out with my Mom and watching House
-reading blogs
-reading BOOKS AGAIN. Promised myself I wouldn't read any more novels until I had finished studying for APs, and it is awesome to be able to crack open a good novel again
-napping
-and.... RUNNING.


Yes, bloggies, you read it right. Running!!! Finally I can walk around without shooting pains. Yeah, there is still tightness, but compared to what is was weeks ago... this is nothing.
  Last night, my friend Morgan came with me to spin and then we went to a local college campus to run. It was a run-walk type of thing, but 4 miles is four miles. And tonight... FIVE MILES with the Papa. Tightness non-existent by mile 3, and my stride opened up mile 4 and I hit my normal pace again. It feels so good to get outside and hit the pavement instead of the treadmill, and finally, running is fun again. I can't believe that 5 miles still feels like a milestone after a year filled with halves, a full, countless weeks of high mileage, and more long runs than I can count, but when you and running haven't been on a date in 3 days... four-milers and five-milers feel super boss.

  So what to do from here on out? Run less, Run faster, do my local running store's marathon training group again so I have some structure, and no more 60 mile weeks. 50 max, and you can bet your bottom dollar I will be spending way more time on cross training. I plan on being like the older woman who passed me, yes, PASSED ME, during my half last weekend. I am going to be running til they have to restrain me to the retirement home bed.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Spinning, Crying, and General AP Awesomeness

Way to suck.
Ah, there is nothing like not rocking your goal race that turned into your let's-have-fun race after your PR then your let's-go-for-it half during the first 3 miles then your let's-finish-without-an-IV race after mile 6, freaking out about college, and taking 2 AP tests in two days to make a girl want to RUN HER BUTT OFF. Except ohhh waitt.... that ain't gonna happen because....


Psoas on Sunday: Girl, I hate you.
Me: Let's walk on the treadmill and be active!
Psoas: (cue shooting pains in groin)

Psoas on Monday: Woo, spin feels great!
Me: Woo, spin feels great!
Psoas, one hour later: Girl, I hate you.

WHY MUST
YOU TAUNT ME?!
This lead to me awkwardly stretching my groin before swim practice, but oddly, afterwards, no pain!!!! until..... Later today. It seems if I am sedentary for a while, it tightens up, and I was working for a couple of hours on art and English projects and didn't get up a whole lot, so by 5 o'clock I was tighter than compression socks. Coach SuperW said no running 'til tomorrow anyway, but I got my Runner's World and made the mistake of taking it with me when I went to spin solo today, which led to massive amounts of run-envy and race-induced drueling.



However, today the groin decided to be normal and not tighten up after working out, so I am hoping I can run tomorrow, especially since I promised my friend Morgan a spin class + a track workout, and who am I to skip out on sweating, since I seem to be so good at it??


In other news, this break from running has given me time to re-evaluate my running and contemplate low mileage with more cross-training and purposeful workouts vs. high-mileage. What's your opinion? Which one will make me more of a speed demon?

Also, new exercise goal, inspired by my serious love of spinning and Masters swimming: TRIATHLONS, BABY. Outdoors.

3 sports. More intensity. Let's do it.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Needing an IV in the Worst Way

So Saturday's race.. how to describe it...


Start:                 Middle:           End:
-Cold                                -Lonely                       -Exciting
-Sunny                              -Painful                        -Long
-Crowded                         -Hot                            -Confusing
-Enjoyable!                       -Sunny                         -Cloudy


Finish time?? A disappointing 1:50. What happened, you ask? Gluten, a bad pre-race dinner, a poor night's rest, and a lack of electrolytes happened.
Gluten: I have been having stomach issues for a while now, and not eating bread seemed to clear it up. The carbo-loading I did on Thursday and Friday completely tore up my stomach, leaving me queasy, cramped, tired, and bloated.
Lack of rest: I only got around 7 hours Thursday night, and much less Friday night. Our hotel room was quite hot, and there were a lot of people outside the room, which was on the ground-floor facing outside, who made noise into the wee hours of the morning... well, morning for me, aka 12 am.
Bad Pre-Race dinner: I had wanted some pasta or other carbolicious Italian food, and so we called a friend of ours that owns a house in OC and frequents all the local restaurants. The "Italian" place she told us to go to had no Italian food... and gave me the most disgusting sandwich I have ever eaten. I basically just ate sweet potato fries, chips (for the salt), a crab quesadilla, and some yogurt and fruit. Not the greatest pre-race meal....
Lack of electrolytes: During the school day, I always have my water right in front of me, so I automatically drink out of it every couple of mintues. When I am off of school or traveling? Not so much.

Basically, the first 3 miles were complete bliss; I was running consistent, pain-free 7:45 minute miles, but at mile 4, my stomach cramped and I had to make an emergency pit-stop. From then on, my pace vacillated between 8:00 and 8:15, but within a few miles I was feeling the dehydration creep into my inner thighs and I watched in horror as my pace decreased to 8:30. There was nothing I could do, and though I seriously contemplated a DNF, I knew that I just had to make it to the finish and then I could cry all I wanted and collapse into my parents' arms (yeah, I was having that rough of a time). At mile 8, I saw an race-affiliated ambulance and thought of dropping out and getting an IV; I was so thirsty that every minute I wondered where the water station was. I started chugging Gatorade at each aid station, and turned up my music even louder and just tried to enjoy the scenery, abandoning my goal of 1:45 and going instead with anything under 1:50. The last mile brought the only hill of the race, and while I tried my best to power through it, my legs were D.E.A.D.


Legendary Yellow Baller Shades.
 The course ended up being a little longer than 13.1, which left me literally searching for the finish once my Garmin hit that number. That extra .1 was the least enjoyable finish I have ever experienced, but once again my AWESOME parents were right near the finish line audibly cheering me on. I got compliments on my yellow sunglasses that come with me to every race, the race director shook my head, and I put the race behind me.

  What did OC teach me?
-That with every race, I grow a little. Each mile brings new challenges, both mental and physical, and with the end comes the realization that I have once again become a little healthier, a little stronger, a little more experienced, and a little closer to reaching my ultimate goal: 1:15.
-That the half-marathon is truly my favorite race. The mileage is perfect: broken up into 3s, the race is really just 4 drops in the bucket plus an extra mile, and once I hit mile 4, the miles tick off quickly
-That even when I have been injured, have only run 5 miles during the taper, and have taken a 2-minute BR break, I can still hit a respectable time... and if you subtract my potty time, I got a 1:48, so 8:16ish pace.. not bad all things considered!
-That 8 minutes is a comfortably hard pace that I think, hopefully, I can sustain for a longer distance, perhaps even 26.2
-That I really don't need more than one GU or Hammer Gel per race
-That Chocolate Milk is absolutely the most perfect post-race recovery drink
-That an omelette is way better than pancakes when calories need to be replenished
-That every run is a gift, and when the time starts to slip and the pain sets in, thinking about my family, my friends, my future, and my surroundings really can be my saving grace


Did I beat myself up a little bit? Yeah. Did I also let it go and enjoy the day with the fam.? HECK yeah. And...Did I go gluten-free? Duh.