Royal Wedding, Stat Tests, and Swim Practice

So who watched the Royal Wedding?? Not this kid...
  I was actually really sad that I was going to miss it, but pre-race sleep> watching Kate steal the man of my dreams (not... I actually like Harry more. Ginger love.). Instead, I got up at 5:30, slurped down some oatmeal, and scooted my butt over to swim practice... only to have the coach not be there. WHAT. YOU ARE SAYING I COULD HAVE STAYED HOME AND EATEN OATMEAL ON THE COUCH WITH A BLANKET IN MY PJ's WHILE WATCHING WILLY AND KATE TIE THE KNOT?!?!?

No rotation. FAIL.

  After I got over the .5 seconds of rage, I actually enjoyed swim practice. I told the other coach to take it easy on my since I have my 13.1 tomorrow, so I did mostly skills-based stuff and realized ohhh heyy I forgot how to swim since I stopped swim team at age 10. Rotating for each stroke? Forgot. Hip placement? Huh? Seems that for the next couple weeks, I will repeat swim seasons 1-4 of my life and re-learn how to swim like a normal person instead of a flailing mad-woman. How did I even swim 100 on Wednesday?!?! HOW.

And now, I am off to make a delicious tortilla-egg thing with lots of salsa because for once I am actually home for lunch! Plus, I still have to pack...  Countdown to I2I Half Marathon= 21 hours. GET PUMPED.

Short and Sweet

As stated in the title, I am keeping this post short and sweet because
1. I need my rest since my race is in TWO. DAYS.
2. I have to finish watching  The Queen I suppose it's on to fit in with all the Royal Wedding hub-ub? Regardless, Helen Miren is one of my favorite actresses, so when I saw the movie was on, foam rolling got 10x more fun.
3. I need to go set my alarm so I can watch the Royal Wedding/ wake up and walk to the tv room and promptly fall asleep until swim practice starts.

 Swimming?!?!?! Before a race??! Am I crazy? Um, no, but my butt is and unless it loosens up I am not runing until Saturday, so swimming will be my form of a shake-out run. Plus, it gives me an excuse not to shower tomorrow morning... Because yes, I consider going to Starbucks for coffee to be more important than showering off the chlorine so my Stat class doesn't huff chemicals for 45 minutes. Skinny Vanilla Latte with Splenda? Here. I. COME.

Tighter than the Tin Man

That is really the only way to describe how my hip/groin area feels. It's like it needs to be oiled, let out, stretched, iced, massaged, all at once, which given my tendency to ignore my foam roller and do minimal stretching doesn't seem too possible.
  BUT I am going to be a smart runner and actually listen to what my coach, parents, and massage therapist told me and give the ol' groin a break. Except for the 5 miler I did tonight... but it was run-walking, so does that count as rest????

   I guess this week is actually good for me, taper-wise, since my legs will be super fresh for Saturday's half... Hopefully. I don't have much of a time goal since who knows how the hip will go, but I figured I would give myself a "range" to get in by:
1:43-1:50. Hopefully closer to 1:45ish, but who knows how race day will treat me. I am just going to enjoy the views, since it's basically ocean views for 13.1 straight miles, and soak up some serious sun since right now I am the color of this guy ----->

On a side note, remember how I said that I wanted exercise to be fun again? Day One of this goal=accomplished! Woke up at 5:30 (so late for me... I usually wake up at 5!!), grabbed my suit, and headed to the pool for 100 laps of pure awesomeness. I felt energized, refreshed, and really enjoyed my time gettin' wet. And today's run-walk? Though it was wrought with tightness and a little discomfort, it was still amazing. As soon as I took the pressure off of running, it turned right back into the instinctive, rhythmic exercise I loved. I alternated walking on an incline and running slower and then increasing the speed, and every minute of that run was complete BLISS. Plus, the incline reminded me of how much I LOVVVEEEE hills. Last summer I found a workout from Runner's World that had you run up to 12% incline at a slow pace in a ladder; so so hard but I am now totally craving that workout. I cannot wait to see what the coming weeks' runs bring me; finally, running and exercising are fun again (and yes, I did lift weights while watching the Hills again. Spencer and Heidi's drama is a total motivator)! So trashy. But So. Addicting.

Power Yoga=Power Ow-ga

     There is nothing like waking up to your first day after vacation, realizing you have slept through your alarm, grabbing all your stuff and getting in the car to go to the gym because you slept through Masters Swim practice, only to realize you have lost your phone, run back in the house frantically searching for it, break down crying because your hip hurts, have your parents help you tear up the house so you can find said phone, cry some more, be handed your phone by your wonderful mother who found it under your pool towel on your car seat, and not get a shower because it was one of those mornings when hygiene took the back seat. Yuck.

 Thankfully, my wonderful parents calmed me down, helped me see how cookoo-bananas I was being, and reminded me not to walk out of the house in my PJs, which I actually probably would have done.
        After talking to them, contemplation over our conversation continued throughout the day, mostly in Econ because that is my "homework" class where I ignore the teacher's incessant ramblings and instead do other homework/look at stuff on my Wifi. I realized  part of the reason for my breakdown, other than my hip, is feeling tethered to running. For so long I ran because I truly loved it; last summer I would get up, run an easy 8 either outside or at the gym while the World Cup was on, and feel refreshed and invigorated. Ever since I got a coach, though, my running has started to feel more like a chore than a love. The 50 mile weeks I was doing for fun turned into drudgery, and I began waking up in the morning dreading getting on the treadmill.
   After Saturday's half, I have decided to re-vamp the running schedule. No more mileage markers, no more set workouts, nada. I am running when and where I feel like it. I am sick of getting up dreading my workout. My goal is to have fun being sweaty again! I'll do weights when I want to, tempos when I feel like it, long runs when my legs tell me to do so, and spin when my body craves it. I already started today- did weights for an hour while watching The Hills (officially re-addicted to that show), then did an hour and a half of pilates and yoga, since the hip was saying NO WAY to running. Exercise is what I love, and I don't want to turn it into something I hate.

Opposite Ends of the Magnet: The Positives and Negatives of the Last Monday of Break

Positives:                                                                                                  Negatives:
-lots of vegan Easter cake eaten                                                              -lots of vegan Easter cake eaten
-Beautiful weather this morning when I woke up!                                     -90 degree weather and a gym with
-an issue of Southern Living to accompany my Chocolate Oats                  no AC
-watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians with my Mom                    -screaming expletives at the family
-50 minute nap                                                                                        laptop when 10 minutes into
-watching the Hills from 3-4 and reminiscing about my 13 year                 Netflix Vinyasa Yoga it shut off
old self who watched the episodes the first time around                           -studying AP Environmental while
-sitting on the patio outside, under the umbrella, soaking up some             soaking up said sun
"safe" sun                                                                                           -having to do 2 ellip. sessions because
-sweating like a pig on the elliptical                                                         my hip is tighter than spandex
-making up a semi-new running schedule                                                -seeing everyone and their brother
                                                                                                                  out running

All in all, a good day, but I really hate it when it is perfect, if a little hot, weather and I can't lace up my Mizunos. Sure, I loved that the gym was empty-ish for once and I got to hog the Arc trainer, but I would have rather been out getting sweaty on the pavement.

  Since my psoas is being persnickety, today's sweat session involved yes, 2 hours of arc training, along with some arm weights and abs and pushups. Luckily, the sessions were split up, and luckily, I can zone out on that thing the same way I do on the treadmill, but the entire time I was on it, I was doing race-visualiztions, scheduling, and generally just torturing myself with running thoughts. GUESS WHAT?!

I did 50 pushups. Okay, 30 in one set and 20 in another, but helloooo biceps

My goal is one hundred in a row by my last day of school, in 4 weeks. It. Will. Happen.

In other news, I am in a running rut. Say that 5 times fast.

running rut running rut running rut running rut running rut

Don't get me wrong- I LOVEEEEE running. Love the mileage, love the pain, love the fatigue, love it. However, I love it even more when I am not sleep-deprived and my muscles are not screaming, as is often the case in the morning. The solution? I am making use of my Masters Swimming membership 3-4 times a week and am going to do 3-4 easy in the morning, then Swim! Then, in the afternoon, either a workout or another easy jaunt. That way, I still get the miles in, I get my swim on, and I mix it up a bit. I hate feeling tethered to the same routine and being afraid to break out of it, but as long as I keep up the mileage and the workouts, I think this plan will make me a happier camper.

Happy Campers!

And now, I have to go make my oatmeal for the car ride to school tomorrow, because I am wakin' up, hitting the 'mill for an easy 4, swimming, heading to school, and spending the afternoon doing an 8 mile tempo and weights while I watch the Hills and Paula Deen. Yes, I am extending my vacationy-feel as long as possible!

 

Compression Socks, Trails, and a Demented Hip

Some days I really just want to detach my legs from my body. You know, give 'em a break while I go hop around for a while...NOT. I really just want to detach my left leg, the one that basically just drags behind me as I try desperately to make it run, walk, jump, and lift the way I want it to.
        I went on an interesting run yesterday morning with my friend, Jon. We headed up to a local, flat, crushed-rock trail, thinking of going for an easy 8 miles. We were both kind of gimps since my psoas is still tight, and he is trying minimalist shoes and stepped on a rock in them the other day, subsequently bruising his instep, so we thought we would just go nice and slow. Fast forward to 5 miles in and I am not any less tight than I was when we started, and we are both drenched in sweat because OH HEY IT IS SEVENTY FIVE DEGREES OUTSIDE. I had forgotten to start my watch after the turnaround, so I had no idea what pace we were going, but Jon looked down at his watch and informed us that we were running.... 9:50 pace! YIKES. That is a full minute and a half slower than I run my maintenance runs!!!!Fail.
   We finished the 8, and Jon informed me that I am walking with a limp... great. I am really trying to do the stretches and the strength exercises, but that darn little psoas just does not want to loosen up! It is really aggravating, because I don't want to take more time off, and I also don't necessarily think it would help, but I also don't want to injure myself. Decisions, decisions... perhaps I should do some yoga today?

The 'mill pre-run.

      The hip was mostly okay during my 16 mile progression run on Saturday, done inside because it was pouring (but then cleared up immediately after I finished-ugh!). I stopped a couple times to stretch it when I got more Powerade,  took a GU, then later a shot Blok. How many GUs do you all take when you do your long runs? I always read that you need 100 calories an hour, but I just can't stomach that!

Pre-run. Cluelessly smiling
before the pain sets in!!!

      The run was pretty good, though the last few miles were really tough, both mentally and physically. I haven't run more than 15 miles since November when I was training for my marathon, so I was a little nervous about finally go over that distance and hitting 16. I did the first 10 minutes of the run at 2% incline, with a pace of about 8:45, and then for the next 90 minutes, ran at 2.5% and deviated between an 8:45 and 8:55 pace, since at some points my legs got a little tired. I originally planned on switching up the incline every few minutes, but got overly competitive and thought "Hey, let's see how long I can last at this incline!" Smart one.
    The last 40 minutes were the toughest 40 minutes of any run I have ever done, excluding races, because all I really wanted to do was collapse into the shower with an ice bag over my legs. I increased the speed, though, and kept doing so until I did the last .5 at 8:00 pace, and then immediately after I finished, I literally collapsed in a heap on the treadmill. Okay, not really, but I did through my arms over the thing and take a breather.

Thankfully, we had tomato sauce and spinach in the fridge, which =pita pizzas! Perfect way to replenish carbs and make this sore, gimpy girl a happy camper. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go enjoy my last day of spring break, contemplate a tempo run vs. easy run, and try not to feel guilty for eating the vegan cake we had for Easter as my mid-morning "snack" 1/2 hour after breakfast...

Heinous Lameness: Epic Tales of an Electrolyte-Starved Ginger

So I get up, my hip feels good, and I am all excited to run. I write some more of my research paper (71% done, baby!!!!), clean out my closet and drawers in preparation for some Spring shopping next weekend, and made some lunch, with the intention of running after lunch. After lunch came AP studying, then a nap, then a snack, then another nap (???). I was SO tired today, and it could be because I didn't nap yesterday, but I don't know..

 I have read so much of this book and taken so many diagnostic tests that if I did blow chunks on the 'mill today, it probably would have just been APES facts. Ew.

After watching my favorite pizza-eating contest of Man Vs. Food (I could soooo beat Adam Richmond in a pizza-eating throwdown. I may not have eaten it in a year, but back when I didn't have to watch how much white flour I ate, I used to down entire pizzas BY MYSELF. It helped that I had reallly high testosterone levels that gave me the metabolism of a 14 year old boy. Ah, the good times),  I finally got to the gym around 4:30, and hit the elliptical with the hopes of meeting up with a buddy for a run around 7. Alas, he couldn't go, so I did an hour on the ellip., then hit the treadmill.

Adam, can I marry you? I promise it isn't
just for your food connections. I also
dig your pork-belly ;)

Advice: NEVER GO FOR A RUN ON THE TREADMILL WHEN YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE AN HOUR ON THE ARC TRAINER AT 10 PERCENT INCLINE ON LEVEL 100 WHEN YOUR GYM DOESN'T HAVE ITS AC ON YET AND IT WAS EIGHTY DEGREES TODAY.

Seriously fools, I actually nearly fainted. I got 3 miles in and my heart was beating out of control and I felt like I was in the desert with absolutely no wind and my stomach was going tipsy turvy like a sailboat in the wind(yes, you really needed to read all of those metaphors. I do have a Literature AP coming up, people). I sucked down my entire water bottle during the 5 miler, and was super bummed that the mileage total was that low. Then, I realized ohhh hey I AM AN IDIOT and should never try to run for 8 miles after going balls to the wall on the Arc. I got a little carried away because I hadn't exercised yet and had a lot of pent-up energy and... yeah. Way to go me.<----How can I have electrolyte problems when I down at least one of these babies every day?!?!

  After the run, I went back on the arc for a cool-down, but my HR was outta sight and I had to choose between fainting on that thing or going and doing some core. I chose core, because no one likes a fainter. I ended up getting in a final 43 minutes on the Arc after a med. ball workout, but I am so tired I am contemplating taking my nightly rest at the computer because no way can I haul myself up a flight of stairs right now.

Hopefully tomorrow I can do some hills or speed to make up for today.