Mon: 7-miles elliptical
Tues: 1-mile treadmill; 6-miles elliptical
Wed: off
Thurs: 7-miles elliptical
Fri: 7-miles elliptical
Sat: 2000yd swim (5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull w/ 50yd cooldown)
Sun: 2500yd swim (6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull w/ 100yd cooldown); 2-miles elliptical/stairmaster hybrid (aka I don't know what to call it, but it was on an end so I didn't have to deal with people... wow I'm getting bitter!)
I was super proud of myself for managing 1-mile at an 8min pace, but it was everything I could do to keep running and not scream. It hurt.
I went to the chiropractor again on Saturday. What she did last time seemed to help, and I hadn't done any more damage, but I am still super tight. So, headed in the right direction, which is better than I was 2 weeks ago.
The weekend workouts were lacking. I found out 10 days ago that we needed to write a paper by today (the deadline was extended to Thursday because we got new data). And, this paper is "for school" (even though I graduated 2 years ago) and not "for work", which means I need to write it after work. Also, by write a paper, I mean do the analysis, which resulted in me pulling out my thesis for the second time in a matter of weeks. That's never a good idea. I just kind of want to black the last two years of grad school out. Ugh. And this was the stuff I spent the majority of that last two years doing. Wicked Ugh!
Also, I haven't been sleeping well owing to being more than a little stressed out about this paper. I have tried to get my mind off of it by watching TV before I go to bed (the night I tried to just close my laptop and go to sleep resulted in a midnight-1PM bout of what if I try this...). But, I really can't focus on anything that requires even the slightest bit of thought, which includes reruns of The West Wing, which is pretty pathetic. So, we've been watching reruns of RuPaul's Drag Race... Star Search meets Survivor with drag queens... reality TV doesn't get much better!
Monday, July 20, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Week 6 of Un-Marathon Training
Mon: 7-miles elliptical
Tues: 7-miles elliptical
Wed: off
Thurs: 7-miles elliptical
Fri: 7-miles elliptical
Sat: off
Sun: off
I went to the chiropractor on Wednesday... my legs and back are super tight, and apparently that is the problem. So, good news I guess. Stretch, stretch, stretch, foam roll, foam roll, foam roll... run again someday!
I also went to a wedding in Charleston over the weekend, which was super fun. I even managed to drag Matt onto the dance floor. For this, I owe him 1 million (said in your best Dr. Evil voice) hugs. I'm an engineer. I hate hugs. But, it was worth it.
Tues: 7-miles elliptical
Wed: off
Thurs: 7-miles elliptical
Fri: 7-miles elliptical
Sat: off
Sun: off
I went to the chiropractor on Wednesday... my legs and back are super tight, and apparently that is the problem. So, good news I guess. Stretch, stretch, stretch, foam roll, foam roll, foam roll... run again someday!
I also went to a wedding in Charleston over the weekend, which was super fun. I even managed to drag Matt onto the dance floor. For this, I owe him 1 million (said in your best Dr. Evil voice) hugs. I'm an engineer. I hate hugs. But, it was worth it.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Weeks 4 and 5 of Un-marathon Training
Decided to combine them since my parents were in town for half of week 4 and I wanted to spend time with them. Cross training takes a stupid amount of time. Also, this is officially the longest I haven't run for. In fact, I think I crossed the threshold at week 3. AGGHH!
Mon: 7-miles elliptical
Tues: 7-miles elliptical
Wed: 0.25-miles treadmill; 6.75-miles elliptical
Thurs: off
Fri: off
Sat: off
Sun: off
Mon: off
Tues: 7-miles elliptical
Wed: 7-miles elliptical
Thurs: 7-miles elliptical
Fri: 6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 100yd cooldown
Sat: 3-mile "run"; 5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 100yd cooldown
Sun: 6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 100yd cooldown; 3-miles elliptical
I attempted to run on two days. Wednesday of the first week was supposed to read "3.5-miles treadmill; 3.5-miles elliptical. Step 1 hurt, and step 2, and pretty much all of the steps I took during those 0.25-miles. I adjusted the pace faster, and then slower, and nothing. Being that I was pretty much limping after 0.25-miles, I stopped and stomped my way over to the elliptical. Have you ever tried "limp running" on a treadmill? It's not that easy.
I attempted to "run" again on July 4th. Everyone else was doing 5k's or 4-milers, so I was bound and determined to do a "fun run" from my house. It was not fun. Well, it was fun to actually use my Garmin again, although it took forever to find satellites. But, pretty much every step after I found satellites killed. My left knee hurts, but worse than that, my right hip (well, really, whole right side) really freaking hurts. However, I decided to see if things would get better as the run progressed, so I didn't turn around at the end of the street. I really can't drive my right leg up all that well, and landing on my left leg hurts my knee, so I was pretty much running using only my calfs. I'm actually semi-impressed that I held up for 3-miles doing that, a testament to my former triple jumping days I guess. Anyways, it was pretty miserable and I'm not going to attempt running again until I see someone and figure out what the heck I've managed to screw up!
On a positive note, swimming is going better, and I only miss the wall on about 1/3 of my flip turns now...
Mon: 7-miles elliptical
Tues: 7-miles elliptical
Wed: 0.25-miles treadmill; 6.75-miles elliptical
Thurs: off
Fri: off
Sat: off
Sun: off
Mon: off
Tues: 7-miles elliptical
Wed: 7-miles elliptical
Thurs: 7-miles elliptical
Fri: 6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 100yd cooldown
Sat: 3-mile "run"; 5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 100yd cooldown
Sun: 6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 100yd cooldown; 3-miles elliptical
I attempted to run on two days. Wednesday of the first week was supposed to read "3.5-miles treadmill; 3.5-miles elliptical. Step 1 hurt, and step 2, and pretty much all of the steps I took during those 0.25-miles. I adjusted the pace faster, and then slower, and nothing. Being that I was pretty much limping after 0.25-miles, I stopped and stomped my way over to the elliptical. Have you ever tried "limp running" on a treadmill? It's not that easy.
I attempted to "run" again on July 4th. Everyone else was doing 5k's or 4-milers, so I was bound and determined to do a "fun run" from my house. It was not fun. Well, it was fun to actually use my Garmin again, although it took forever to find satellites. But, pretty much every step after I found satellites killed. My left knee hurts, but worse than that, my right hip (well, really, whole right side) really freaking hurts. However, I decided to see if things would get better as the run progressed, so I didn't turn around at the end of the street. I really can't drive my right leg up all that well, and landing on my left leg hurts my knee, so I was pretty much running using only my calfs. I'm actually semi-impressed that I held up for 3-miles doing that, a testament to my former triple jumping days I guess. Anyways, it was pretty miserable and I'm not going to attempt running again until I see someone and figure out what the heck I've managed to screw up!
On a positive note, swimming is going better, and I only miss the wall on about 1/3 of my flip turns now...
Monday, June 22, 2015
Week 3 of Un-Marathon Training
Mon: 5.5-miles on elliptical
Tues: 7-miles on elliptical (hill)
Wed: off
Thurs: 7-miles on elliptical (random)
Fri: 7-miles on elliptical (hill)
Sat: epic 35-mile bike ride
Sun: 2500 yd swim (200yd swim / 200yd pull; 100yd cooldown)
Ok, so the gym was really crowded on Tuesday, forcing me to use the *scary* Life Fitness elliptical with the *shoulder dislocating* arm things that move back and forth. Turns out, neither of my shoulders got dislocated, and I actually liked it better than the other elliptical because it felt closer to running. It gives you your pace in mph like a treadmill, and it stays at one incline level and just changes the resistance to make things harder. An 8-min pace feels like an 8-min pace, but it's taken me a while to wrap my head around faster being easier (aka the resistance is lower). My arms do hurt, so I've stopped that for a bit and put myself into an *aero position* holding on to the stationary hand grips.
Which brings me to Saturday's epic bike ride. I've ridden my bike one other time this year... last weekend... 12-miles on the greenway. Last year, I optimistically completed a handful of 15-20 mile rides, and same with the two years previous to that. So clearly it makes good sense to blatantly ignore the *10% rule* so you can ride with your running friends and get awesome brunch at Guglhupf. In all fairness, it was supposed to be 30-miles, and I don't know, but I somehow convinced myself that 15-miles was only 3-miles more than I had ridden last week, so doubling that should be ok. Problem is, the difference needed to be doubled as well, bringing it to 6-miles (aka half of last week's ride) on top of twice of last week's ride. Math is a !@#$%. Anyways, it was totally worth it and I need to ride my bike more!
My back and legs were pretty tight on Sunday, so no running for at least Monday and Tuesday. I might attempt a short run on Wednesday or Thursday... legs are starting to feel better!
Tues: 7-miles on elliptical (hill)
Wed: off
Thurs: 7-miles on elliptical (random)
Fri: 7-miles on elliptical (hill)
Sat: epic 35-mile bike ride
Sun: 2500 yd swim (200yd swim / 200yd pull; 100yd cooldown)
Ok, so the gym was really crowded on Tuesday, forcing me to use the *scary* Life Fitness elliptical with the *shoulder dislocating* arm things that move back and forth. Turns out, neither of my shoulders got dislocated, and I actually liked it better than the other elliptical because it felt closer to running. It gives you your pace in mph like a treadmill, and it stays at one incline level and just changes the resistance to make things harder. An 8-min pace feels like an 8-min pace, but it's taken me a while to wrap my head around faster being easier (aka the resistance is lower). My arms do hurt, so I've stopped that for a bit and put myself into an *aero position* holding on to the stationary hand grips.
Which brings me to Saturday's epic bike ride. I've ridden my bike one other time this year... last weekend... 12-miles on the greenway. Last year, I optimistically completed a handful of 15-20 mile rides, and same with the two years previous to that. So clearly it makes good sense to blatantly ignore the *10% rule* so you can ride with your running friends and get awesome brunch at Guglhupf. In all fairness, it was supposed to be 30-miles, and I don't know, but I somehow convinced myself that 15-miles was only 3-miles more than I had ridden last week, so doubling that should be ok. Problem is, the difference needed to be doubled as well, bringing it to 6-miles (aka half of last week's ride) on top of twice of last week's ride. Math is a !@#$%. Anyways, it was totally worth it and I need to ride my bike more!
My back and legs were pretty tight on Sunday, so no running for at least Monday and Tuesday. I might attempt a short run on Wednesday or Thursday... legs are starting to feel better!
Monday, June 15, 2015
Week 2 of Un-marathon Training
Monday: 6-miles. I could walk up and down the stairs like a normal person, and Monday is essentially the only day I run with other people, so I decided to give it a go. Still not fixed. The first 3 miles were ok, but I could tell my legs were really tight, especially my right. The last 3 miles were not so ok, especially the mile long hill.
Tuesday: 5.5-miles elliptical.
Wednesday: 5.5-miles elliptical.
Thursday: 5.5-miles elliptical.
Friday: 5.5-miles elliptical. I tried one of the pre-programed workouts. I felt like I may have been working a little harder sometimes, and it at least made the time go by quicker.
Saturday: 2500yds swim (50-100-200-300-400-300-200-100-50yds with 100yd pull in between sets). The 400yd felt easier this week.
Sunday: 12-mile bile ride. 2500yd swim (6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 100yd cooldown).
So I haven't really been on a bike since last year. The first bike ride or two back is always a little terrifying for me because I need to remember which side I un-clip on, etc. This ride was no exception. And I had little kids and dogs to worry about on the greenway. But, my bike shifts a lot better now that it has new cables, a new derailleur, and a full tune-up. The guy at the bike store looked really concerned when I brought it in and asked if I had ridden it lately. I hadn't, not off of the trainer at least, and my assessment that it was skipping a few gears was an understatement! Oh, and it has new awesome orange handlebar tape per the guy at the bike shops suggestion (aka he called me out on how awful the 5-year old white tape looked).
Tuesday: 5.5-miles elliptical.
Wednesday: 5.5-miles elliptical.
Thursday: 5.5-miles elliptical.
Friday: 5.5-miles elliptical. I tried one of the pre-programed workouts. I felt like I may have been working a little harder sometimes, and it at least made the time go by quicker.
Saturday: 2500yds swim (50-100-200-300-400-300-200-100-50yds with 100yd pull in between sets). The 400yd felt easier this week.
Sunday: 12-mile bile ride. 2500yd swim (6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 100yd cooldown).
So I haven't really been on a bike since last year. The first bike ride or two back is always a little terrifying for me because I need to remember which side I un-clip on, etc. This ride was no exception. And I had little kids and dogs to worry about on the greenway. But, my bike shifts a lot better now that it has new cables, a new derailleur, and a full tune-up. The guy at the bike store looked really concerned when I brought it in and asked if I had ridden it lately. I hadn't, not off of the trainer at least, and my assessment that it was skipping a few gears was an understatement! Oh, and it has new awesome orange handlebar tape per the guy at the bike shops suggestion (aka he called me out on how awful the 5-year old white tape looked).
Saturday, June 13, 2015
The Pros and Cons of Solo Run
So, as I've previously mentioned, I've missed running with my "running friends". I do run with a group of people on Monday around where I work, which is awesome, and I catch some other runs here and there. But, I figured I'd share the pros and cons of learning to run by myself.
On a positive note, I've gotten better at not getting lost. I've been able to successfully run a handful of different out-and-back and lollipop routes from my house. This is not trivial. I have an awful sense of direction. It took a few months, and a couple of failed attempts, like the time I run out 3-miles and wound up with 7.5-miles for the day, but I'm checking it off.
I've also mostly gotten over my fear of dogs. I can coexist on the same side of the street with them. And, one day when I was running, there was an SPCA or APS or some rescue animal fundraising event going on, and I managed to run that 3-mile section of my run WITH dogs around. Now, most weren't the people-eating breed (yes, this is a legit dog breed in my head), but I'm checking it off and giving myself a smiley face.
On the negative side of things, intersections are still kind of a problem for me, and I can't see snakes until I'm right next to them. Also, and this is the most ridiculous, drainage ditches. Yes. So, there are drainage ditches on either side of the greenway around where I work. Right after the time change in the fall, I was running with my crappy headlamp on, and I was actually feeling pretty good. Suddenly there was nothing under my right foot. And, then, there was nothing under my left foot. HOLY CRAP. What was I falling into? How deep was it? What was going to be at the bottom? It is amazing how many thoughts can go through your head in a short amount of time. I got to the bottom uninjured, but completely freaking out. It wasn't that deep, but it wasn't that shallow either. It was over my head, but I could climb out, which must have looked pretty silly to the people driving by.
So, to recap, I can find my way back home and I'm not as afraid of dogs, but I'm still a spaz.
On a positive note, I've gotten better at not getting lost. I've been able to successfully run a handful of different out-and-back and lollipop routes from my house. This is not trivial. I have an awful sense of direction. It took a few months, and a couple of failed attempts, like the time I run out 3-miles and wound up with 7.5-miles for the day, but I'm checking it off.
I've also mostly gotten over my fear of dogs. I can coexist on the same side of the street with them. And, one day when I was running, there was an SPCA or APS or some rescue animal fundraising event going on, and I managed to run that 3-mile section of my run WITH dogs around. Now, most weren't the people-eating breed (yes, this is a legit dog breed in my head), but I'm checking it off and giving myself a smiley face.
On the negative side of things, intersections are still kind of a problem for me, and I can't see snakes until I'm right next to them. Also, and this is the most ridiculous, drainage ditches. Yes. So, there are drainage ditches on either side of the greenway around where I work. Right after the time change in the fall, I was running with my crappy headlamp on, and I was actually feeling pretty good. Suddenly there was nothing under my right foot. And, then, there was nothing under my left foot. HOLY CRAP. What was I falling into? How deep was it? What was going to be at the bottom? It is amazing how many thoughts can go through your head in a short amount of time. I got to the bottom uninjured, but completely freaking out. It wasn't that deep, but it wasn't that shallow either. It was over my head, but I could climb out, which must have looked pretty silly to the people driving by.
So, to recap, I can find my way back home and I'm not as afraid of dogs, but I'm still a spaz.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Week 1 of Un-marathon Training
Monday: off... I need to ease into this whole un-training program.
Tuesday: 60min exercise bike while reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. Reading is my way of showing everyone else at the gym (who I know couldn't care less) that I would rather be running. That, and I can really only read something other than papers for any length of time while on the exercise bike or plane.
Wednesday: 5-miles. Screw this, I'm not not running on National Running Day. Yes. Double negative. I don't want to over-commit to saying that I ran because I usually draw the line for easy runs on days other than Friday at 6-miles. Wow, that's nuts now that I write it.
Thursday: 5-miles elliptical. This started out as 45min, but then I switched over from stride/min to distance and realized that I was at 4.6something miles with a minute to go. 5-miles is so much cleaner, so clearly I had to keep ellipticalling. I kept the resistance at a level that didn't hurt my knees to work against it, but didn't jar my leg on the upswing. I also picked an incline that didn't engage my calf and tried to stay at 180+ strides/min.
Friday: 5-miles elliptical (same as Thursday). This time, I remembered my glasses so that I could see the TV, even if I don't listen to it (I would much rather listen to music). Apparently some basketball player hurt his knee. I watched him limp for nearly 1/2 of the slightly more than 45min of ellipticalling. The US men's soccer team also beat the Netherlands, which they only showed like 3min of, but I would have much preferred to watch repeatedly than someone getting hurt.
Saturday: 2500yd swim (6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull; 100yd cooldown). I swam at the Edison Johnson Aquatics Center, which is like a mile away from my house... really nice pool.
Sunday: 2500yd swim (50-100-200-300-400-300-200-100-50 w/ 100yd pull in between repeats). 400yds is long!
Ok, here's the long and short of it. I didn't feel like I did much of anything on Tuesday, most likely because I didn't actually do much of anything. I mean, it's not like I'm going to get a solid workout in while reading. Wednesday hurt. Turns out, two days off didn't cure me, but it was a hypothesis worth testing. In the name of science. What type of scientist would I be if I didn't? Thursday and Friday were a little better. I still didn't feel like I got the same workout as if I ran 5-miles, but it didn't hurt nearly as much either. Eventually, I could probably figure out some sort of interval arrangement once my knees feel better. Anyways, swimming went well even though I haven't swam since it was too icy to run outside. Again, not as hard as running, but I was definitely tired at the end and it didn't hurt. I also went on a walk with Matt Friday, Saturday, and Sunday because it's soooo nice outside and being outside is one of the things that I really miss about running.
Tuesday: 60min exercise bike while reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. Reading is my way of showing everyone else at the gym (who I know couldn't care less) that I would rather be running. That, and I can really only read something other than papers for any length of time while on the exercise bike or plane.
Wednesday: 5-miles. Screw this, I'm not not running on National Running Day. Yes. Double negative. I don't want to over-commit to saying that I ran because I usually draw the line for easy runs on days other than Friday at 6-miles. Wow, that's nuts now that I write it.
Thursday: 5-miles elliptical. This started out as 45min, but then I switched over from stride/min to distance and realized that I was at 4.6something miles with a minute to go. 5-miles is so much cleaner, so clearly I had to keep ellipticalling. I kept the resistance at a level that didn't hurt my knees to work against it, but didn't jar my leg on the upswing. I also picked an incline that didn't engage my calf and tried to stay at 180+ strides/min.
Friday: 5-miles elliptical (same as Thursday). This time, I remembered my glasses so that I could see the TV, even if I don't listen to it (I would much rather listen to music). Apparently some basketball player hurt his knee. I watched him limp for nearly 1/2 of the slightly more than 45min of ellipticalling. The US men's soccer team also beat the Netherlands, which they only showed like 3min of, but I would have much preferred to watch repeatedly than someone getting hurt.
Saturday: 2500yd swim (6 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull; 100yd cooldown). I swam at the Edison Johnson Aquatics Center, which is like a mile away from my house... really nice pool.
Sunday: 2500yd swim (50-100-200-300-400-300-200-100-50 w/ 100yd pull in between repeats). 400yds is long!
Ok, here's the long and short of it. I didn't feel like I did much of anything on Tuesday, most likely because I didn't actually do much of anything. I mean, it's not like I'm going to get a solid workout in while reading. Wednesday hurt. Turns out, two days off didn't cure me, but it was a hypothesis worth testing. In the name of science. What type of scientist would I be if I didn't? Thursday and Friday were a little better. I still didn't feel like I got the same workout as if I ran 5-miles, but it didn't hurt nearly as much either. Eventually, I could probably figure out some sort of interval arrangement once my knees feel better. Anyways, swimming went well even though I haven't swam since it was too icy to run outside. Again, not as hard as running, but I was definitely tired at the end and it didn't hurt. I also went on a walk with Matt Friday, Saturday, and Sunday because it's soooo nice outside and being outside is one of the things that I really miss about running.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
On Running
I like running. Yes. On a side note, I still am. I know I haven't seen my "running friends" at the track since January, and I don't think I've run in Umstead since the day before the Super Bowl, but I've kept chugging along. I've mostly been running alone (except for Mondays, which I really look forward to) because I don't feel that I've put in 2 weeks of "good" training since probably August. Basically, I need to get back into shape so that I can train.
Running alone has left me a lot of time to talk to myself about running. And, since I don't have to say the words aloud, I can talk really fast. So, 10s into the run, I've covered the fact that I really do like running. All I have to do is think about doing something else, and no. Actually, to fill up some time, I've started playing a fun game of would I rather...
1. Not run or have to run in the cold and rain for the rest of my life
2. Not run or have to run in a pink frilly running skort for the rest of my life
3. Not run or run uphill for the rest of my life
4. Not run or run on a treadmill for the rest of my life
... cold and rain, pink frilly skort (begrudgingly), uphill (actually currently hurts less), and I'm sure I'd learn to find running on a treadmill fun
I've also been thinking about how I really like racing, and how I really miss it. I've been playing around with the idea of "racing for fun". Racing has always been fun for me after I get past the whole not breathing thing. But, I'm way out of racing shape. So, either I need to get back into shape, or I need to race and not care about my time. Seems logical.
There's just one tiny problem. I've been trying very hard to get back into shape. But, about every 2 weeks or so, some injury flares up, or I get sick, or both. So, I can not care about my time and just have fun. But, there's another tiny problem, I do care. I've been trying to make myself not, but I can't do the mental gymnastics. I'm not that flexible, both metaphorically speaking and as in I think I can about touch my knees now.
So, alas, marathon to couch is the current training plan. Not really. I have no intention of doing nothing because the sequel to that would be couch to mental institution. But, I think I might need to cut back on running and start actually cross training so that I can train for running again.
Running alone has left me a lot of time to talk to myself about running. And, since I don't have to say the words aloud, I can talk really fast. So, 10s into the run, I've covered the fact that I really do like running. All I have to do is think about doing something else, and no. Actually, to fill up some time, I've started playing a fun game of would I rather...
1. Not run or have to run in the cold and rain for the rest of my life
2. Not run or have to run in a pink frilly running skort for the rest of my life
3. Not run or run uphill for the rest of my life
4. Not run or run on a treadmill for the rest of my life
... cold and rain, pink frilly skort (begrudgingly), uphill (actually currently hurts less), and I'm sure I'd learn to find running on a treadmill fun
I've also been thinking about how I really like racing, and how I really miss it. I've been playing around with the idea of "racing for fun". Racing has always been fun for me after I get past the whole not breathing thing. But, I'm way out of racing shape. So, either I need to get back into shape, or I need to race and not care about my time. Seems logical.
There's just one tiny problem. I've been trying very hard to get back into shape. But, about every 2 weeks or so, some injury flares up, or I get sick, or both. So, I can not care about my time and just have fun. But, there's another tiny problem, I do care. I've been trying to make myself not, but I can't do the mental gymnastics. I'm not that flexible, both metaphorically speaking and as in I think I can about touch my knees now.
So, alas, marathon to couch is the current training plan. Not really. I have no intention of doing nothing because the sequel to that would be couch to mental institution. But, I think I might need to cut back on running and start actually cross training so that I can train for running again.
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