Back to work(out)

Hi girls

I've been absent for quite a while but we're back on (the) track. This is the third day we've gone running after the nearly two-month intermission and it feels nice. I've found out that it's much nicer to run in the cooler weather than in the awfully hot weather we had in the summer. I'm getting there, although little by little. As usual when we're starting, we walk one mile and then we run one more mile. The first day we ran the mile in 9:45 minutes, I think, the second day we forgot the watch, and today our mark improved (9:00). We've been going every two days, but I hope we'll start making it daily, maybe resting one day a week. The plan is continuing running a mile until next Monday that we'll increase to two miles. I'll keep you girls posted.

Update . . .

So, I swam last Wednesday (1,200 yds - 4 x 50 in there) and I ran on Thursday (3.5 miles, thought I should do more . . . but didn't). Then the baby got sick on Friday, then there was the weekend and now I'm sick so I doubt I'll workout until after Christmas. Feeling like crap. Over and out.

frigid

As my hand almost froze solid while I was pumping gas this morning, I wondered how on earth I would endure a run. We're now at 5 degrees (with the windchill factor). It isn't snowing but it's really freakin' cold. I deliberated for a while and wondered if it would really be so wrong if I just sat in my lab and ate cookies. Finally, I decided it was too cold to run without a hat so I vowed to find a good hat that will cover my ears in future runs but, today, I just went for a walk (with my super warm winter coat - my face almost totally covered by the hood).

1.5 mile walk (about 25 minutes). I stupidly did not wear long underwear today so my legs were pretty cold by the time I was done.

snow, snow, snow

It isn't very cold today (24 degrees) but it is snowing (a wet snow that won't stick much) and a little bit windy. I didn't want to leave my desk. Did NOT want to. But, I did.

3.5 miles (give or take), up to the nature preserve and back down to campus via the trail on the eastern edge - had to alter my course to avoid the goose nation - then 3 laps on the track. I didn't feel particularly great until I got on the track (which was covered in a light but stable coat of snow). I could have run longer but I needed to get back.

I have to give up all grandiose notions of training and just focus on getting my butt out there everyday (or almost everyday). I'll run tomorrow and definitely swim on Wednesday.

cold cold cold

12/9/10 - 5 miles at 20 degrees fahrenheit. No wind, no snow, not so bad.
12/10/10 - 3.4 miles at 27 degrees fahrenheit. Wind, snow, not so fun.

the runs

12/6/10 - About 3.5 miles, including a mile or so in the nature preserve. It was beautiful with all the snow, and best of all I didn't sprain my ankle on the slippery, snowy trail.

12/7/10 - About 5 miles (two brains followed by tooling around on the track and near by campus paths). When I looked at the track from a distance I thought it had been plowed and that surprised me. But when I got there I realized that it was not plowed but windswept (snowy in some places, bare in others). Windswept from WIND. You'd of thought I'd find somewhere else run, but no. Got some pain in my right knee in the last 100 yds or so of the run.

back in the pool

I really didn't feel like it. Was working on the "I have a headache" excuse. (Of course, I no longer actually need to convince my mother or the school nurse that I am too infirm to function - but I still work up the excuse). But hubbie urged me to go ahead and do it - as we'd probably be enjoying junk food tonight. So, I did. Here's the workout:

800yd warm up (slower than usual - like 17 minutes)
25 yd fly (for fun)
25 yd breast stroke (to recover from fun)
10 x 50 yd - the first two were like 45 s with 25 s rests. The next 8 were 50 s with 15 s rests (as per my swimming cousin-in-law's suggestion).
250yd cool down
Total = 1,600 yds

My hands were hurting a little. I ignored them and hoped the pain would go away.

run run run run

I didn't swim yesterday because of work stuff but I'm back on the horse (or sneaker as it were) today.

5 miles (including Murray Hill Road - the .5 mile hill)

My motto these days is "make that extra little push" so, when I got back to campus instead of just going back the way I came, I completed the campus loop (adding about a mile). 5 miles. Not bad. I'm tired. It was pretty cold (I kept my fleece jacket on the whole time).

Intervals!!!

O.K., so I went a little nuts on the track today. I almost didn't run at all because it was raining but then around 1:30 the rain stopped so I had no excuse. I wanted to do intervals but I was feeling reluctant and lazy but then once I got started, well, see below.

800 yd warm up
4 x 400 yds (with 100 yd rest - walking - I didn't include the rests in the overall distance)
400 yds brisk job
4 x 400 yds (with 100 yds rest - walking)
400 yd cool down.
Total: 3 miles

8 400s: I'm beat.

Back at it . . . again

Well, I didn't work out at all in the past week because I was sick the week before Thanksgiving and then there was Thanksgiving (a three day orgy of gluttony). Now, I'm more or less better and back on the exercise regiment.

11/29/10 - 43 mile run (apx. 4.5 miles). I did a brain and then ran around near my building. I ended up on Bunn Hill road so I did the first installment of the hill (and nearly passed out). I've decided that every time I run I'm going to do at least one big hill (in preparation for Tough Mudder).

log entry

11/16/10 - 30 minute run (about 3.5 miles) Ran to the nature preserve and did the marsh trail. Lots of hills and mud.

1/17/10 - 1 mile swim
1200 yds brisk (there was a fast guy in my lane so I swam faster, not that I kept up with him. It was all about face. Whatever. I didn't keep track of the time.)
4 x 50 (44, 46, 46, 46 - not bad really. On Friday I'm going to what's the fastest 50 I can possibly do).
200 yd cool down.

Update

Yeah, I've been a bit remiss in updating the blog. So, here are my recent workouts, as well as I can remember.

11/9/10 - 35 minutes of walk/running. Started our running but had some serious pain in my left knee after about 5 minutes.

11/10/10 - 1,200 yds in the pool.

11/11/10 - 45 minute walk/run. I was worried about my knee so I planned to walk but I ended up running for about 15 minutes. I'm hoping that the knee pain is a passing phase.

11/12/10 - 1 mile swim, 33 minutes

11/15/10 - 1 mile swim
400 yd (sort of brisk - about 8 minutes, I forget exactly)
2 x 200 (3:32 and 3:35 - I was shooting for 55 second 50s so I'm pleased)
4 x 50 (47, 49, 47, 49 - I'm pretty impressed given that I was tired. Getting a bit faster!).
600 yd cool down (100 of breast stroke thrown in)
14 oz of coffee to make it through the rest of the day.

Run Polly, run

Log entry:

4.25 miles, 35 minutes. That's apx. 8.25 minute miles. It felt a lot faster - probably because I did the first 2.8 miles in 20 minutes (7.15 minute miles). Apparently I slowed down for the last 1.5 or so. I was pretty beat in that last mile.

The lost week

Well, I missed a whole week of training. One day because I was lazy, 2 days because little son was sick and 2 days because I was sick. Anyway, I'm back at it today. And feeling better already. There was just an article in the NY Times about how people who exercise regularly are less likely to suffer from clinical depression. I believe it!

11/1/10 - 3 miles. It was pretty cold and I forgot my long pants. Brrrr!!

Double dose

So, today was unusual because I worked out twice. My running partner is moving away so today was our last run together. It was a slow easy run. But the pool is open on Friday and I felt the impulse to swim too. Then I realized that I've accumulated like 10 days of leave time that I'll lose when I stop working at the university so I figured I'd use an hour or two of it today. So, I went to the pool!

Here's the rundown:

10:00 am - 3.00 mile run (nice and easy)
12:20 pm - 1,200 yd pool workout

800 yd freestyle (medium pace - comfortable but not slow)
4 x 50 with like 45 secs rest in between.
-I wanted to see if I could do them in 45 secs or better, so I did them as fast as I could possibly go and gave myself a lot of rest in between. Here are my splits for the four: 0:42, 0:43, 0:44, 0:45.
200 yd cool down

Long time no see

Hello!

I decided to post a quick report today, to let you guys know how we're doing south of the border. So we've been running every week, but we've been a bit more sporadic -- some days we just decide to sleep in (that's what cold mornings do for you). Also, because Kip has been working later and we go to bed later too... anyway, we try to make it there at least 3 times a week and I think we have succeded. These days our default running distance is 2 miles, which we tend to run in a bit less than 18 minutes (except for today which for some reason was particularly hard and we ran 2 miles in 18:30 aproximately) -- days like today I focus more on finishing the run than going faster, since in the past I've had the tendency to stop before completing the distance. I was happy I succeeded, yay!

On Sunday we ran 1 mile, since we slept in and got lazy. It wasn't too bad, I think we ran it in 8:15. Not my best mark, but still quite good.

And that's pretty much it for now. We'll try to go for 3-miles runs in the near future and make that the default distance. Let's see how that goes... today wasn't too nice while trying to finish a 2 mile run...

I'll keep you guys posted.

The Lost Week(end)

So, I haven't done diddly-squat this week in regards to training. I have a valid excuse though! I really have been feeling unwell the past few days with something that I think I passed on to the husband. It's always nice to share! I have high hopes for the weekend-I plan to go do a nice long run on Saturday and perhaps some intervals on Sunday. Then, it's back to the pool next week. As I mentioned in a previous post, I signed up for swimming lessons at the Y so I can actually create some structured workouts. Lessons start on 11/03. That's about it for now- kudos to Pats for being a badass! Hills--woohoooo! I bow to thee, oh speedy one!

Hills hills hills

So, this wasn't much of a week in terms of training.

10/19/10 didn't workout because I'm a lame loser.

10/20/10 couldn't workout because kiddo was home sick. I did take a brisk one mile walk after husband came home from work. Carried 23 pound kiddo around which turned what had been a little twinge in my right shoulder into a full on ache. Not sure what to do about that. Oh, yeah, I'm going to ignore it!

10/21/10 kicked my butt on some hills.
.25 warm up
10 hills (with down hill as rest)
1 mile run/cool down
Apx. 3 miles total

And now I'm waiting for my appetite to come back so I can EAT!!!

Pool pool pool

So, I got into the pool yesterday and did the following:

600 yd warm up (tried to focus on form)
5 x 100 yds (with 30-40 sec rests, probably too long)
-My times were 1:40, 1:42, 1:45, 1:45, 1:44. I really had to push on the last one. This tells me my 50 times should be faster - if I can do two consecutive laps at basically the same speed. Augh.
300 yd cool down (gasping for air and all)
Total: 1,400 yds.
-I decided to make the swim a full 30 minutes. I made 1,200 yds at about 27 so I did a few more (and ended up swimming for like 31 minutes or something).

Today I run!!!

North Branch Tri- Wyalusing,PA

Now the race report (feel free to chime in Pats and include anything I forgot!). Pats and I signed up for the North Branch Tri in lovely Wyalusing, PA. We entered as a relay team (appropriately dubbed the Sweaty Darlings) and divvied up the racing like this : Pats-running, Pats and I-kayaking (!), me-cycling. Yes, I said kayaking-more on that in a moment. We left Patsy's flat bright and early last Saturday AM- and it was a good thing she's compulsively early because on our way to the race we got detoured on some empty country roads with absolutely no cell service. We drove around for a while until, finally, something opened and we were able to get a cheesy map and some vague directions from a well-intentioned but not very helpful young lady at a convenience store. We got to the start much later than we had planned so we picked up our timing chip and dropped Pats off at the race start. We then headed over to the bike transition area to set up my bike with the hope that we could make it back to the start of the race in time. We quickly got everything set up and rocketed back to the start. Pats took off like the greyhound that she is while I made my way to the boat launch. I must have lingered too long in the start area because no sooner had I arrived at the boat launch did I hear someone yelling "runners coming!!" A moment of panic ensued because I hadn't even found our kayak yet! After some senseless running around and questioning of people who looked like they had a clue, I found the boat and stuffed myself into my life preserver. I saw Pats come charging into the transition area (first female to get there, by the way!) and I started waving her over. She ran over and said "here's the chip!" and flung the timing chip at me in exchange for a life preserver. All the while I was yelling "wait until we get in the boat!" which caused some confusion because the next thing I see is Pats jumping into the kayak. Unfortunately, we were nowhere near the boat ramp and I had to say "Uh, Pats, I think we need to get this thing into the water!" After some nervous giggling we dragged the kayak to the launch and suddenly found ourselves afloat in the Susquehanna River. It didn't take long for the lead that Pats had gotten us to be completely squandered because of our inability to steer the kayak-I watched other, more skilled people passing us and thought "damn! I wish we knew what we were doing!" We sort of zig-zagged our way down the river, occasionally wreaking havoc by ramming the competition. By some miracle we did not tip the boat and I even managed to get a little birding in. Our river sojourn was quickly over and the next thing I knew we were scrambling up an incredibly muddy river bank into the bike transition area. I took too long pulling off my wet stuff and getting into my bike shoes, etc and managed to waste more time. Finally, after the longest transition on record I jumped aboard my bike and started off. I had done some homework on the route and the GPS said that the ride would be a long, steady climb out and mostly downhill on the way back. Well, it was. Sort of. It was evil and I felt like crap most of the way. I had been getting over a cold and felt dehydrated from the outset. I hit a nasty hill about five miles out and thought that I would either die or throw up (whichever came first) but before I knew it I was at the turnaround point. Psychologically, this was all the motivation I needed to stand up and start hammering my way back to the finish. I had passed a few people on the way to the turnaround but was essentially by myself on the whole ride back. I even managed to do some more birding (saw turkey vultures riding the thermals probably waiting for dead cyclists to snack on). I came around the final bend and saw Pats enthusiastically jumping up and down. I made for the line, dismounted and ran for the groovy blue pads that beep when you run across them. Woohoooo! I survived my first multi-sport event! The cherry on top was the fact that we actually placed! We came in second in our team division- go Sweaty Darlings! Pic here. All in all a fun experience that I hope to repeat in the very near future! The hubby deserves a big shout out for his help with the transitions and for ferrying us back and forth. Thank you Phil! He was also the official SD photog for the day and he got some amusing pics of our river antics.

I feel like a bum- no posting, minimal training. I'm trying to get back on track but have been distracted lately. Pats and I just did a relay tri last week so I'm feeling refreshed and re-inspired. I'll include the race report in the next post.

First for the workouts: I've been doing some swimming at the Y. I signed up for a full year membership and will start taking intermediate lessons in a few weeks. I've been trying to go 2-3 times a week but it's so dark outside when I get up in the mornings that sometimes I just wuss out. Same with the running--I've been going later and later in the AM (which means shorter runs) because of the gloom outside. I'm so lame. Tried doing some intervals this morning a la Patsy.

Here's what I did:

1km warm up

400 meters x 3 w/200 meter rest in between

.75km cool down

I must have been doing them right because I felt like throwing up when I was done. They kicked my ass and will hopefully (in time) kick my ass into shape!

Log entry

10/14/10 - Track workout!

.75 mile warm-up
4 x 400 yd (with 200 yd rest)
2 x 200 yd (with 200 yd rest)
.25 cool down
= 3 miles

I pushed the 400s. I don't time them but they hurt a lot so I may have been going faster than usual.

10/15/10 - Swim workout
100 yds freestyle
2 x (25 fly followed by 25 limping freestyle)
50 brisk breast stroke (both the fly and breast stroke are intended to build muscle mass)
150 freestyle
3 x 200 yds (with 30 second rests). The first two were like 3:45-3:50. I tried to push on the last one and it was 3:37. I'm not used to that interval length so I don't know how to pace myself. It's a learning process.
100 yds cool down. Thought about doing more, but then I got out of the pool.

Workout Log

I'm really going to make an effort to workout and log the workouts. So, here's the run-down for this week:

Monday 10/10/10 1,200 yd swim
600 yd warm-up
10 x 50 yd sprints (median time 50 seconds. I was very pleased - that's down 2-4 seconds from the last time I did this. I did them all with 20 seconds of rest in between).
100 yd cool down (once I'd caught my breath)

Tuesday 10/11/10 - forgot my running sneakers and shirt so I didn't run. Did some crunches in the living room while watching Dexter. Tried to do a few yoga poses but my hands are just saying "no".

Wednesday 10/12/10 - 4.1 mile run.
Inspired by an e-mail from Saff and the desire not to die in the tough mudder race in April, I went out and did a pretty hilly run. I actually ran up (endless) Murray Hill Road which used to be part of my bike route and it is as horrible on foot as it was on a bike. The run was a little longer than I'm used to so I was glad. I can't increase length too much more because of time constraints so I will have to focus in increasing difficulty. I'm inspired.

Me too, I'm back (or at least trying)

Hello girls

Like P, I've been absent for a while. Not completely absent from training, although I haven't posted because, as far as I am concerned, I don't recall making any big accomplishment (in the sense of doing a very cool mark) -- or maybe I got depressed after Patsy's incredible running marks, hehe... (and this also counts for Kip, hehe). Anyway, I'm back reporting. Still feeling jealous of people of those hanging out at the swimming pool... the good news is I'm waiting for my health card and I'll be able to go to the doctor very soon, get a check-up and sign up for the swimming pool!

Now I'm going to report our work (lately). So September has been erratic because I was in Guadalajara for about a week (and I didn't work out while there), then we spent a week here and then we traveled to Tucson (we stayed about 3 days there). So we've been going running twice a week sometimes... probably an average of 3 times a week. We've done 1-mile runs most of the time, basically because we got there latish and we found it was too hot (also because we didn't feel prepared to run more because of feeling out of shape). Out average mile has been 8:30 minutes approximately. Last week we did one two-mile run which was nice. I don't remember the times. On Sunday we went for 1 mile and it was again about 8:30. Today we went for 3 miles but I didn't feel in a very good shape and I stopped up when there were about 700 meters left to finish. I felt disappointed and so did Kip, but oh well... he said that maybe we shouldn't try for 3 miles yet but I think I want to keep trying. I have run 3 miles in the past. I know I am able to do it. I'll try again tomorrow :)

Laziness

Well, I haven't been very disciplined about posting. Or about working out lately. So, here is the rundown, as well as I remember:

Tuesday 9/28/10 - Ran 5K with Stacie
Friday 10/1/10 - 3 mile workout, including 4 x 400 on the track.
Tuesday 10/5/10 - 2.5 mile workout, including 5 hills

I'm hoping to go swimming tomorrow. The weather is starting to turn crappy so I'm going to have to get serious and really push myself in order to keep my training up.

I'm back

Hi there. Well, I've slacked off on my obsessive fitness-related blogging. Let me just say that my workouts were spotty for the past few weeks due to preparations for my big interview. The week of my interview (9/13-9/17), I didn't workout at all. The two weeks before I think I worked out 2-3 days per week. Last week, I got three workouts in. So, this week I'm back to daily workouts (of course, it's only Tuesday). The pool opened last week so I did go swimming on Friday but aside from that, it's been running only for over a month.

So, to get the log rolling again, here's yesterday's swim workout:

300 yd warm-up
10 x 50 yds (the first was 46 seconds (!), after that the rest were between 48-53 secs)
200 yd cool down

Total: 1,000 yds.

Today I run!

A(nother) week of (just) running

I miss my cross training a lot. Anyway, here's the quick recap:

Wednesday 8/25/10 - 3 miles (two brains & change)
Thursday 8/26/10 - Track workout and hills
-800yd warm up
-4 x 200 (with 200 rest)
-400 recuperation
-5 hills (with downhill as rest)
-400 cool down
About 3 miles in total. The 200s really kick my butt.

Friday 8/27/10 - 2.5 miles. I did a route that I thought was 3 miles, but I mapped it afterward and it turned out to be 2.5 oh well. I didn't feel like running much anyhow.

I REALLY WISH THE POOL WOULD OPEN!!

Beached

No swimming for me for the next two weeks. The pool is closed and I'm marooned on dry land. I'll focus on running for now-although after reading Patsy's 5K report it's tempting to just throw in the towel and start stuffing my face in earnest with chocolate eclairs and Cheez-its. I will never, ever be able to do 5k at a pace anywhere close to hers. I can accept this (generally speaking) but every now and then I question why I'm torturing myself. I could, after all just stick to low impact stuff, like cycling or yoga. I guess the masochist in me just likes to suffer. Ever onward...
Ran this AM. Did a quick (for me) 2 miles in the misty, cool morning air. 8'30" miles and for me that's practically sprinting! That's about it since the last time I checked in. Haven't been feeling great, so I've not been as diligent about training. Cheers for now sweetie, darlings.

Back at it (quick recap)

Hey Ladies, As promised I took Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. I also took yesterday off because Alex was sick and couldn't go to daycare. But today I did workout. Here's the recap:

400 yd warm up
4 x 400 (with 200 yd rest)
2 x 800 (with 200 yd rest)
400 yd cool down

The first three 400s felt great and I realized it was due to the lack of sun and heat. Now, I must work!

5K

So, I took Monday and Tuesday off. I ran an easy 2 miles on Wednesday and then I did a 5K race last night. Based on my performance in the 5K in the tri, I was expecting to be able to do it in less than 23 minutes and maybe beat my all time record (22:15). I did both! I owe it all to strategy (and all those interval workouts probably help too). I was determined not to start out too fast and blow it. So, I started slow and sped up to a pace I knew I could maintain for 5K. And, as I went, I sped up without consciously trying to (my body just does it in a race). I didn't really start pushing hard until the last half mile or so. The last mile of a 5K is always hell, and this race was no exception. But, I took comfort in the fact that my suffering would soon be over. I finished strong - not sprinting but striding the last 200 yds or so. I passed a 20-something right at the finish line.

My time was 21:43. I am so pleased with myself. I feel stronger than ever and apparently, I am. I hope I can continue to run/tri/do sports for many decades to come. I'm a lot less annoyed about turning 40 now.

Oh, and I'm taking a 3 day weekend from working out (gotta give those almost-40-year-old joints a break!). I'll be back at it on Monday!

Quick report

Well, after Patsy's report on her and her mom's tri, this is a very modest update but I wanted to post it because today was great for my personal record.

We didn't go running yesterday (I just walked back home from work -- about 40 minutes) but we did go running today -- it was kind of late and the air was quite sticky so we decided to go for the 1 mile run. I was feeling good so I decided that I had to push as hard as I could. We started at our fastest pace. I could feel we were running quite fast for what I'm used to but I didn't feel I was tiring myself out and since it was just 1 mile I didn't think it really mattered. Midway I started feeling tiredness but I had to keep pushing. I noticed I slowed down at some points, though. Breathing was becoming tough at times. But I keep pushing. By the end I started picking up again because I knew I could make it. I couldn't speed up too much at the end though, but hey, we did it, I made a new record for myself 8:03, which I'm very proud of. Now I know that it can be painful, but I can go under 8:00, which is the new goal :)

Changing topics... after two days teaching my undergrads I like it :)

Cazenovia Triathlon!

O.K. Here is the race report. I’m going to be typing a little fast so please excuse any typos.

Cazenovia Sprint Tri – 800 yd swim, 14 mile bike ride, 5K run
So, packet pick-up and body marking were from 6:30 to 7:30 am. Mom and I started driving at 4:45 to make sure we got to Cazenovia, NY, in time. We are equally neurotic about being on time (no coincidence) so she had no problem getting up at 4:30. The trip was about 1.5 hours (on mapquest) and I wanted to build in time for getting lost and stopping for coffee.

So, we got there before 7:00, picked up our packets, Tshirts and timing chips. The timing chips were worn around the ankles (not on shoe laces like in running races). It was a normal timing chip on a band like the bracelets you get when you’re admitted to the hospital. Anyway, we set up our transition area. I made two last minute wardrobe adjustments. I decided (1) to swim in my bikini bottoms and not my biking shorts (I was worried about sitting on wet padding) and (2) to wear my running sneakers for the biking (I had been training with my soccer sneakers which are smaller but I found I could get my Sauconies in the toe cages). The transition are had these rack things – essentially a horizontal bar which we hung our bikes from. Some people hung their bikes by the handle bars (with the back tire on the ground) others (like us) hung them from the seat with the front tire on the ground. I thought this was a clever of getting all the bikes in an upright position.
We meandered around for a while until the pre-race meeting in which we ascertained exactly where we’d be entering and exiting the transition area for each event (the transition area was long field). Then we decided to go down and watch the intermediate (Olympic) tri swimmers start. My mother was freaking out about the swim. She was so scared of the cold water. I was a little nervous too but I was trying not to get to obsessed. We could see that even the people fastest swim heats (i.e. the very experienced triathletes) had trouble staying on course in the lake. What chance would we have??? We went back to the transition area and got suited up for the swim (caps on, goggles at the ready, shoes and pants off).

I was in the 7th heat for the sprint tri and my mother was in the 9th and final heat. The heats were six minutes apart. The first heat went at 8:40. Around 8:50 we went down to the lake thinking we had tons of time but then a race official saw my orange cap (which indicated which heat I was in) and called me over to the orange cap holding pen. Orange caps were ladies in the 40-59 age range, I learned. So, we were in the holding pen for like 15 minutes. My mom was on the other side of the fence so we were talking and watching the swimmers. Then at T-minus 5 minutes, they released us into the water so we could get wet (and cold) and get our goggles on properly. The water wasn’t as cold as I’d feared but the air was cold enough that I didn’t want to get my whole body wet and stand there shivering. I just waded in about waist deep. After a while, I got my arms wet but it was just a nervous gesture. Finally, the official, after giving us instructions on where to get out of the lake, told us to start.

There was such a fray that I just waited a moment until the others in my group had started. This didn’t end up being the best strategy because I caught up with the pack almost immediately (I was whacking their feet with my hands). So, I made some lateral movements and got to a position where I was swimming between two women who were going at about my pace. After the first few strokes I felt great! I was surprised at how well I could see the other swimmers. Of course I could only see the ones right next to me but still I was aware of their paces and what strokes they were doing. There were two downsides to the swim: (1) the bouys delineating the course were orange and I was in the orange cap heat so when I couldn’t just glance up to catch sight of something orange. I had to really stop and get my head out of the water to see the bouy. And (2) there was some wind so the water was very choppy at times so I missed a few breaths and got some water in the mouth occasionally. But, overall, I felt great during the swim. I stayed on course until the last leg when I realized I had veered off a bit. There was a little bottle neck as 3-4 swimmers converged on the exit location (and I got a little knocked around by a swimmer on my left) and then we were out!

I ran to my transition area, got my shorts, socks, shoes, shirt and helmet on. I had to sit down to get my socks and shoes on (a bit wobbly after the swim). I grabbed my bike and ran towards the exit. There was a sign that said “mount” where we were allowed to get on the bike but the first like 30 yards of the course (basically exiting the park) was a steep hill so I just ran the bike up and got on after getting on the main road. O.K. so the description of the course on the website said one steep hill at the beginning followed by rolling hills. That is a LIE!!!! It was 14 miles of steep hills. I’d crest one and see another beyond. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. There was one downhill (massive and terrifying – I braked the whole way). It was hell. I couldn’t believe how many hills there were. And, given that I was on a mountain bike and I’m not a great cyclist to begin with, I was getting passed left and right. Go ahead, pass me, I thought, I’ll catch you on the run.

When the horrible, horrible bike ride was finally over, I managed to extricate my body from the bike at the “dismount” line and I returned to the transition area. I hung it back up, took off my helmet and headed toward the appropriate exit. That exit was at least 50 yards from my transition area so I did the grape vine and the thing where you run and kick your butt in order to loosen up my legs. Then I started the 5K. I felt really, really good. I think my loosening up tactic worked because I didn’t have wobbly legs or cement legs (and I expected to have both after that bike ride). I had a little calf pain for a while and my legs did feel tired but that was it. I felt super strong and, indeed, I was passing all those people who had passed me on the bike like they were standing still (they were clearly suffering from cement legs). The 5k course only had one hill before I knew it I was at the turn around point. Woo hoo. I picked up the pace a little on the way back but I wasn’t in the mood to really push it. I did push a little in the last quarter of a mile or so – and I did a strong fast finish. I felt great.

I went back to the transition area and saw that Mom’s bike was still gone so I went out to the road to wait for her. She came in and I screamed like crazy. I met her at the transition. She had had the same horrifying experience on the bike ride as I did. She was going on about how bad she felt and how she almost died and all. I felt pretty good so I decided to do the 5K with her. It helped her to have me along to talk to, especially since I knew the course – and that it wasn’t that bad. So, we did the 5K and towards the end I was getting kind of tired and thinking I really needed to get something to eat. We separated when she reentered the park (I didn’t want to go through the finish line again) and I met her after she finished. She said she had a great time but she’ll never do this tri again – too many hills!!!
I didn’t place in my age group but Mom did! I was so happy. We had a great time!

As for my times, the results were posted today:

Swim 23:09 (way slower than I thought but whatever – it was my first time) – 5th in my age division

Bike 1:05:14 (now this really surprised me because in the Binghamton tri the course was 10 miles and I did it in like 53 minutes – so as bad as I felt I was doing O.K.) – 12th in my age division

Run 23:40 (fanfriggintastic – I can’t believe it!!!!) – 1st in my age division, 1st woman overall!!!!!!

Overall, I was 7th in my age division (that’s out of 14 women). I’m very pleased with my performance and with the experience. It was so much fun!!!!

Week and weekend update

Hi! I've been silent for quite a while (don't remember last time I posted). I guess the reason has been that I've started going to the office right after working out and I have to blame it on Kip that was always putting time pressure on me (he also had to go to his teaching training).

So Kip and I are back running together. Despite the fact that we've been busy lately (especially him), we've gone running almost every day of the week. We have made 2miles our standard running distance, at an average pace of 9'10''. I can't really believe it as I write. Anyway, the first times I ran the two miles with Kip were kind of painful, because twice I had been running in a bad mood so I didn't feel motivated enough to make it to the end. I sucked and I stopped before completing the two miles. But that was just two days. Then I started behaving again and I completed my miles, despite the fact that I had to run at a different pace than I was used to when I ran by myself. While I tended to slightly switch paces when I ran by myself, Kip enjoys keeping the same pace, which was harder for me. But I'm glad I could follow, yay!

For two days last week we just ran a mile. It was quite hot and we didn't have much time to spare. I'm happy with our times, because the second day we ran the mile we did it faster than the first day. The first day we ran the mile in about 8'45'' which is good, but the second day we ran it in 8'15'', my best mile ever. I remember I pushed hard in that one, so much that I could feel those needles in my skin that Kip had told me about a couple times.

After that day we didn't go running in two days (basically not wanting to get up at 5:30AM and Kip being busy). To make up for that I walked to school, which is always an adventure (very hot!)

Today we went running. It was great because it has been raining these last two days so the weather is again perfect (no sun and breeze -- this is paradise for the desert dwellers). So I asked Kip whether we could run the 3 miles. I wasn't sure we would make it but we did! It helped that we didn't see the sun at all (just briefly at the end of the second mile). I thought then that we wouldn't be able to make it with the sun but then it went away again and it was perfect. I didn't know whether I felt tired or not. I was in that state that you don't quite feel your body but you want to keep going. I was feeling pretty good, actually. I felt better during the third mile than I felt during the second mile. At the end of the mile we sped up a bit and beat a new record: 28'49''

Tomorrow... don't know... it's my first day teaching so we'll have to bring the distance down two 2 miles...

Crazy week recap

It's been a truly hideous week at work (Calgon....take me away!) hence no reports. It's somewhat quieter today so I will try to sum up my week.

Sunday 8/08- LSD with the hubby. It was hot out and after we got to around 3 miles he started to feel a bit lightheaded, so we stopped and walked the rest of the way (about another 1/2 mile) to the farmer's market where we refueled with some juice. We went to an event in Astoria Park that afternoon and then instead of taking the train home, we decided to walk- which was another 3 miles or so.

Monday 8/09-2.5 miles by myself. Kept it around 9:30 min. miles. I was tired and probably should have eaten before I ran.

Tuesday 8/10- I was tired and couldn't motivate myself to do anything, so I didn't.

Wednesday 8/11-Got up at 4 AM (insomnia) and was totally bored so I went swimming at 6:30. Did laps for about 45 minutes. Didn't have the pool to myself like last week, but it wasn't too crowded. Felt really good while swimming, but was lightheaded afterward (and I made sure I ate a light breakfast before I went).

Thursday 8/12-another lazy day. I felt so drained from my horrible week at work that I didn't have the motivation to get out the door in time to do anything physical. I suck.

Friday 8/13-Friday the 13th!!!! Went swimming this AM and was treated to a mostly empty pool. Felt good this AM, but now I'm starting to drag (and it's only 9:30A!). Can't wait until 5PM!!

Good luck to you this weekend Pats (and your Mom)! I'm chanting for you sweeties!

Last update before the Tri

So, here's the rundown:

Tuesday 8/10/10 - Walking/callesthenics (how the fuck do you spell that word???). I think my distance was about a mile. I had a funny feeling in my hip so I didn't push myself. I did a bunch of lunges, some stair climbing and crunches.

Wednesday 8/11/10 - 3 miles with Stacy

I'm taking today off so I won't be working out again until Sunday (race day!). I need to leave work early so I won't be taking a lunch hour. I haven't really begun to get nervous about the race. I know I'll be giddy and dazed on Sunday morning. I'm most worried about the bike ride because I'm so afraid of getting a flat tire (or having some other kind of mechanical failure). Saff, my mother will be riding my old Specialized Hardrock - remember that? I gave it to her a few years back (she was getting in to mountain biking but didn't have a bike and had to borrow one - I was living in Queens and not using my bike so I gave it to her). Anyway, I'll give you guys a full race report on Monday!

Kiss kiss!

Pats

Quick update

No time for full account but here's a quick update before I forget:

8/4/10 wednesday - half mile warm up, 4 x 200 on the track, tried to run more on the track but felt crappy, realized it was very hot out and I was probably getting heat stroke, ran to nearby shady area (a hill naturally), did 4 hills, ran back to lab. 2.5-3.0 workout.

8/5/10 was so friggin sore from the 200s that I took a day off.

8/6/10 5 miles with Stacie

8/9/10 track workout - .5 mile warm up, 2 x 800, 4 x 200. With all warming up, rests and cooling down it was a 3 mile workout.

They say the pool will open on Thursday - fingers crossed!!

Happy Friday!

What a divine morning! Today must be a holiday that no one bothered to tell me about- the pools at the Y were both completely empty this morning! A YMCA first for me. I came out of the locker room and saw one person in the lap pool. I have never seen one person in the lap pool. I seized the opportunity to jump in and have an entire lane to myself. Thank god it was empty-my goggles fogged up so badly that I literally saw nada. And yes, I spit in them. They weren't leaking (as far as I could tell) so that leaves the likelihood that I am just one hot momma and the heat from my face created a big enough temperature difference with the water to completely fog up the lenses. My solution was to go jump in the other, much warmer pool (aka 'the bathtub'). Woohoo! had that one all to myself too! I felt like Flipper just swimming back and forth, heedless of lane markers, geriatrics with bad swim etiquette or any of the other daily hazards of swimming at the Y. It felt like the best Friday morning ever! That said, I am now at work where it is waaaay too stressful for my own well being. Again, it's Friday and I have the weekend to look forward to, so all is well. Right now I'm planning another of my bi-weekly trips to Jamaica Bay NWR on Saturday. I'm gathering data for a study being done by NYC Audubon and NJ Audubon on the foraging habits of egrets that are nesting in NY Harbor. We're also right in the middle of peak shorebird migration right now which is very exciting-some very lost birds have a habit of turning up in Jamaica Bay. Bad for the birds, good for birders. Last week there was a black-bellied whistling duck that someone found. Their normal northern range is usually no further than S. Texas (ie not much beyond the Rio Grande) so what this bird was doing in NY is beyond me. In fact m..., you probably have them near where you live. Sunday is yoga, a visit to our local farmer's market, and a free concert in our local park. Have a great weekend ladies!

Oh, slothfullness

Greeting ladies, my apologizes for being absent from our blog. I've been so busy at work that I haven't had a chance to check in and update you on my athletic adventures. Of course, I could always do this from home but I get more satisfaction from doing it at work. It reminds me that I actually have a life beyond my career. Anyway, I can't actually recall when I last posted an entry (probably right after the aborted tri) so I'll just try to back track.
Swam this AM ( I really have to start paying closer attention to distances and times). Mostly I just get in the water and swim back and forth for 30-40 minutes or so. The pool was actually really nice this AM- it was about 5 degrees cooler than usual which made it feel less like a bathtub. Unfortunately, I noticed a sign on the wall saying that the pools would be closed for 2 weeks while they did maintenance and cleaning at the end of the month. Bummer. They open back up the day my membership to the Y expires. Now I have to figure out what I want to do...keep the membership or try somewhere else. Something to ponder as I swim back and forth for the next two weeks.
Went running on Monday 8/2, Sunday 8/1 and Tuesday 7/27. Nothing too fast or too far. Phil came with me (since he can't bike) so we tend to go a little slower to allow for the fact that I've got two months worth of training on him.
Swam again on 7/28- had the pool to myself for the first half hour which was great! Felt good and sped back and forth like Aquawoman.
I'm still planning to do a duathlon at the end of the month. what I really need to do is get back on my bike and get some miles in my legs. It's not a terribly demanding bike ride for the du- 12 miles and flat, flat, flat! But I still need to get reacquainted with the clipless pedals and the gearing on my bike. I may try to go this weekend but I know that it's going to drive Phil nuts if I ride my bike while he can't ride his. Ugh- I hope his hand heals up nicely and that he won't need surgery. He's a very unhappy camper when he can't ride!
Well, ladies, I will try to be more diligent about posting (work permitting of course). I think you're both doing great! Patsy you're more deserving of the name Aquawoman than I am. I may start referring to you as such. M... you may need to be renamed Ironwoman for your steadfast resolve and resistance to nicotine addiction. Hats off to both of you for kicking some serious ass!

Oh sweatiness

I've just come back from a run. I found out that the pool will be closed all week (there's some kind of mechanical problem) so I'll just be running. Here's the recap:

Friday, 7/30 - 1,200 yd workout in the pool. I did a timed 800 and finished in 15:10 (a personal best, though the last time I did a timed 800 I had bowling ball Alex bouncing around in my vicera). I'm psyched about the time. I don't know if I can replicate it the open water though!

Tuesday 8/3/10 34 minute run (with a couple little sprints at the end). I'm not sure how far I went, probably close to 4 miles but I don't know. I ran for about a mile on grass which always scares me because I worry about twisting my ankle. I did it deliberately today to strengthen my ankles in preparation for the tri (in hopes of combating hte post-bike wobbly leg syndrome).

O.K. Got to work!

An update

I'm back to this blog after more than a week without visiting. I didn't even talk about Kip's race... well, the race went quite well, I think. He was super nervous all day, though. When we got there it was packed with people. He got his T-shirt and his foot bracelet to measure his timing. He did some warming up and then went to the starting line. They left. He told me that he started next to a slow group and had some trouble to finally pass them. Somehow he got stuck with them for a while. I've never run a race so I'm not very sure how that works. He also told me that at some point he had to stop to tie his shoelace that went loose somehow. I saw him midway and he was looking good. He said he could also grab some water and drink at some point of the race. For some time he was running next to a little girl. Apparently the girl was pretty good and he was feeling a bit embarrassed that he couldn't pass her for a while. But then he did pass her at the end. Actually when I saw him at the end of the race he was running superfast! he says that means that he should have gone faster earlier if he has all that energy to give at the end. He loved the fact that everybody was screaming out for him. What's sure is that he hurt his feet and he hasn't been running ever since. He thinks he can go back to running tomorrow. When he got there he was cute, not being able to talk because he had to get his breath back. His results are here: http://timetrack.com.mx/index.php?menu=resultados&evento=37 (Kip Pfaff).

He says he won't be running a race in a while until he's sure his ankles can handle it.

As for me, I've been running the whole week, but by myself. I've been feeling pretty good, also because it has rained and for a few days the weather has been great. On Friday I could even run in the middle of the day, which is a luxury here. So basically I've been training for making my runs longer. Now I can run 2 miles easily in normal days. But first I started trying to better my 1-mile times. Two days after Kip's race, I made my best 1-mile time with 8:23. Today I ran just one mile after a while running longer distances and I didn't run faster than that time, although it was pretty good (8:28).

But on Tuesday last week I started running 2 miles as the standard distance. I started with a time of 18:40, 9:14 the first lap, 9:26 the second lap. Then on Tuesday I did two miles again and this time I did a bit worse, 18:55, with a first lap of 9:40 and a second lap of 9:15. Then the day after I went for my first 3-mile run, which I did in 29:43, starting with a first lap of 9:13, a second lap completed in 19:40 total and then the last lap. Kip said it was pretty good. I felt pretty good that I could run 3 miles with not so much trouble, but it can't be as hot as it was today, though. And then on Saturday I went for the 2 miles again and I did it in 18:41, which was better again, so this is what I'm after these days: bettering my running times. Tomorrow I'll go running with Kip again, so we'll probably do 2 miles. I'll let you girls know.

The most important thing: we're still not smoking :)

Again, Quick Update

Hi Ladies. Here's a quick log update:

Monday 7/26/10 - Swim!

800yds - I discovered I was doing 60 second 50s and wanted to see if I could keep that pace for 800yds. I did and I even got faster towards the end. Next time I swim, I want to do a timed 800 (the race distance).

4 x 50 with like 35 seconds rest. I did the 50s at 45 seconds. I was so impressed after the first one that I decided to give myself a long rest in order to see if I could do it again.

1 lap kick, 3 cool down laps. Later, my hand felt a little stiff, but I'm not sure if that was from the swimming or from wringing out my bathing suit afterward.

Tuesday 7/27/10 - Run: 34 minute run. Lots of hills, hot, boring.
Wednesday 7/28/10 - 25 minutes of kicking in the pool (I was resting my hand). Very boring, and I think I'm not kicking the right way. Will find out the proper form and try to adopt it.

Today I think I'll run. That's it!

Quick report

Thanks, girls! and thanks for the tips on running in the heat. I am concerned with the heat, especially here, because the sun seems harder than it was in Tucson.

We went running at a later time today (Kip didn't run again, it was just me) and it was awfully hot (and the breeze was almost non-existent). Even so, I went running and I did 8'44'', so I'm glad I kept it under 9. We gotta start getting up earlier again, though, because I find it rather uncomfortable to run in this absurd heat.

I think both Kip and I succeeded quitting smoking, because the cravings are almost not there and I really enjoy the feeling of not being dependent on tobacco. me too. (That was my little gossip one). 'cause I read over her shoulder. Exactly, he said it. Now he's gone, probably offended. I hope Kip does a good job today. He's feeling very nervous because he hasn't been competing ever since he was a kid (well, not that long ago, haha), and because of this problem with his foot. I know he'll do great.

My treat for my accomplishments this week: I have an appointment with a new hair place today. Crossing fingers!

Cheers and good weekend to both!

Swim!

Here's my workout:

400 yd warm-up
50 kick
5 x 50 - brisk (52 seconds on average)with 10 second rests in between. I could do 10 second rests very well at this pace.
50 kick
5 x 50 - a little faster (49 seconds) with 20 second rests. I decided to try to push harder and give myself a longer break. I was a little disappointed that I only came down 3 seconds, but it's only 50 yards. I now believe it is very unlikely that I swam a 42 second 50 - it must have been 52 aferall, I'm just in better shape now.
50 yd kick
200 yd cool down
Total 1,250 yds

that's all for now. I have to read syntax papers!!!

And, yes, m..., we expect a full race report!

O Friday, how I love thee...

I don't know why, but this seemed like an especially long week. I guess without the immediate threat of a triathlon looming in front of me, I've refocused on how much my job is stressing me out. I'm trying to focus on the duathlon, but the running/riding thing just isn't as worrisome as the swimming thing. Anyway, I went swimming this AM and it felt really good. Had the pool to myself for a good half an hour so I just did laps-nice and slow and relaxed. Hey! Did you guys see the video with the right whale that breached right on top of a sailboat? How bizarre was that? What are the odds? Sorry for the non sequitor, but I kept thinking about that whale this morning as I was swimming in the pool. You're right, Pats. Swimming can be incredibly boring. Well, it's going to be a scorcher here in NYC this weekend so I don't know if I'll make it out to run. I'll try to drag myself out of bed super early and hit the streets--have a great weekend and good luck to Kip in the 5K! We'll be expecting a full race report from you on Monday m...!

a small victory

We didn't go running yesterday. Kip's ankle was bad and we decided to take a break. Instead we stayed home, pigged out and have arguments. That's what quitting smoking with no exercise does for you. We ended the day watching the twilight saga on video, drinking beer and eating unhealthy snacks... but even when we both really wanted to smoke yesterday we didn't. It was clear to us that no matter what a cigarette wasn't part of the plan.

Today Kip decided not to run. We went to bed quite late yesterday so we slept in. If you sleep in in other parts of the world you may still be able to go running. Today we were kind of lucky because you can't really expect to be able to go running if you get up later than 7 AM. It gets absurdly hot and the sun is really aggressive. We had a storm last night, though, so the weather was nice this morning. We got up at 8, but we decided that we could go to the track, so we did. The plan was I would run, Kip would walk with me for warming up and cooling down. So we did the warming up. It was pretty hot and sunny but there was some nice breeze. At the end of the warming up stage I debated whether I wanted to run at all because it got super hot. At that point there was no body in the track. I decided that I would run with a hat. Kip asked me to try to run faster despite the heat. To try to beat 9 minutes (the plan was to run a mile only because it was too hot to expect more). So I did. I decided that running faster was also a good plan to be under the heat for less time, so I started at a fast pace. I managed to maintain a fastish pace for the entire mile, only slowing down when I had the wind against me. Then I picked up again. I was breathing heavy and it hurt in my throat when I breathed but I continued feeling the air in and out. I increased the speed for the last 100 meters or so. Kip was there cheering for me. 8'33''. I could believe it because I knew I had gone faster. It felt great. Now I have to try to be under 9' from now on...

Quick update

Here's today's track workout:

.5 mile warm-up/cool down (running to and from the track)
400 yd jog
4 x 400 yd with 200 yd rest - I did the first 3 at a brisk pace, speeding up in the last 100 yds. On the last one I decided to try to do it at a race pace ('course I haven't done a 400 in a race since highschool) and I pushed myself (I had to walk for a while after that one).
400 yd jog
1 x 800 yd (brisk, non-race pace - those long intervals are tough)
400 yd jog

And, yeah, the hand is feeling better!! Yay! I still need to be careful but it's definitely improving steadily.

Finallly, I'm back

O.K. Before I start explaining what all happened last weekend, let me recap my workouts:

Thursday 7/15/10 (day of the very sad hand): 75 yards freestyle before my hand threatened to fall off, 600 yds with the kick board (hand wasn't thrilled but managed to find a sort of comfortable position).

Friday 7/16/10 (day of the slightly less sad hand): 200yds freestyle, 600yds with the kickboard (the kick board is so boring - and painful!!)

Monday 7/19/10: 300 yds freestyle, 15-20 minutes with the kickboard (I forgot).

Tuesday 7/20/10: 5 mile run with Stacie

Wednesday 7/21/10: 400 yd freestyle, 50 yd breast stroke, 5 x 50 yds brisk, 100 yds freestyle, 100 yds kickboard. My brisk 50s were about 52 second each and I could do that with only a 10 second break. That seemed very fast and I was surprised that I could do it. When I swam my "fastest 50" ever a while back, I thought it was 52 but maybe I was deranged from fatigue and it was actually 42. ANYWAY, I'm back baby. Hopefully by the end of next week I'll be doing my 1600yd workouts again.

O.K., so last Friday - at the precise moment that we (Saffy, Saffy's Hubbie and I) would have been doing our practice ride in Whitney Point - the baby abruptly broke out in hives. We went to our beloved local walk-in clinic and were told that he was having an allergic reaction to his antibiotics (he was being treated for an ear infection). So, we got new antibiotics and went home. It is so freakin' unnerving when something like that happens. So, Saff, if we had been riding when I got the call, I would have tried to achieve warp 6 in order to get back to the car and the probably would have been a visit to the less loved local walk-in (the ER). Then, the next day, around 12:00, I came down with a fever and, though there were times when I felt O.K., I was pretty sick all day. I had a little sore throat but no congestion or cough. My fever reached 102 in the afternoon. Finally the next morning around 9:00, it broke. So, Saff, if you and Papas had come I'd have been feeling extra crappy instead of spending time with you, I'd have been laying in bed shivering. That's it! We'll have better luck next time!

Oh, and M..., I wanted to tell you to tell Kip not to start out the race too fast. That's the classic mistake (I really try hard not to do it but occasionally I still do). He should start at a pace he knows he can maintain for the race distance - hecan always speed up as he goes. Tell him I said good luck!

O.K. Hand can't take anymore. Ta ta sweetie darlings!!

Day 6 with no smokes, 2 miles

Today Kip and I didn't run together, but each of us ran at different paces, because he has to train for his race on Friday and he's a bit nervous about it. If you're curious about his experience today, check this other blog http://paperclipsaresafer.blogspot.com/

He went ahead of me although I was surprised to see that I could see him the whole time running a bit ahead of me during the whole first mile. I thought 'hmm' either he's not pushing a lot or I am going fast today. Unfortunately, he had the watch so I couldn't time my minutes. I didn't stop when I finished my mile, but I continued running. Today the goal was to complete two miles without stopping, so I was determined to complete that distance. And I did. The first mile was quite easy to run. The second was harder, although I never felt like I was dying, so it looks I'm getting ready to go on to the third mile non-stop. I am very excited about that. Today there was a bit of a breeze, which was the most noticeable when we reached the half mile. When I was running my second mile, I decided to take as much of that wind as I could so I would breathe with my mouth sucking as much air as I could. I felt great and energized to keep going. Then, when there were 500 meters left I felt like I was getting a bit more tired so I started counting meters and cheering for myself telling myself, come on, just 300 meters, etc. It was great. When I had 100 meters left I ran faster which gave me a lot of energy. When I finished I felt great. I suppose Kip didn't cross the mile line a lot ahead of me because I could walk almost a whole mile before meeting him again (after he was done with his 3 miles). He ran his 3 miles in 23':46'', I think, which is less than what he was expecting, so both felt quite accomplished today.

In order to celebrate, we had a Sonoran hot dog after the run, hehe. Yes, very unusual of me to have sausages, especially if they are wrapped in bacon! I normally tell them to remove the bacon, but today I decided to give it a try. I decided that I enjoy it better without the bacon, because so many years without eating meat (just here and there in rare occasions) educate your body to reject very meaty stuff. Otherwise the hot dog was very delicious.

As for the smokes, we're still good, and I believe we'll continue being good because the cravings are almost gone. Physically, I believe, they are gone. Psychologically, they're still there, but less and less. Yay! what an accomplishment!

Anyway, more accomplishments tomorrow.

Tri and du

After shelving the tri, I decided to make myself feel better by looking for other races to train for. I found a duathlon at the end of August on Staten Island (1 mile run, 12 mile bike ride, 4 mile run). Sounds painful, so naturally I signed up. There's also a tri in Dutchess Cty that (hopefully!) Pats and I will be able to do. Keeping my fingers crossed....

So, training-wise I decided to run yesterday. I was initially going to ride my bike in and do some laps in Central Park, but hubby hurt his back and was not up to it. It was hot as Hades, so I went nice and slow- did 2.5 miles in around 35 minutes with hubby riding his bike/support vehicle next to me. It's immensely helpful to have someone handing you ice cold bottles of water on a 95F degree day as you're plodding along. I highly recommend it.

This AM I woke up with the thought that I would go swimming. But as I was laying there, luxuriating in the modern marvel that is air conditioning I came to the conclusion that it would be a much better idea to just turn over and go back to sleep. So I did.

I'll go running tomorrow to make up for my sloth-like behavior.

Smoke-free Day 3 and starting 2 mile runs

I didn't post yesterday and Kip reminded me today that I had to post today. Also, he got so disappointed that I didn't mention his marks the other day that I'll mention them today. Ok, so two days ago he tried his first mile by himself, without me slowing him down. He's kind of disappointed, I don't know why, because he did it in 6'30'', which I think is great (I know I won't ever get there, although I'm not Kip). Anyway, I think it's great and that he can only get better than that. He has his first 5k in a week from now, I think. He thinks he'll be one of the slowest runners there (in his category, of course), but I don't know why that has to be the case. I can't wait till the race.

As I said in my previous posting, I didn't sign up this time because I think it's too early for me. I'll do it next time. This week, my goal is to keep being away from cigarettes, which we both have succeeded in doing, very painfully so: I didn't know it could lead to moments of depression and pessimism but it does! yesterday there we were, both of us, lamenting our new life in Mexico, how this place sucks, etc etc. Today is better, I actually thought that we gotta learn how to love this place, but I had that thought right when we were coming back from running, all happy and accomplished.

So yesterday was cool. Kip ran with me and we ran 2 miles, walking half a mile in between the two. He asked me to run a little slower than usual, but I ended up making a better time in my first mile: 9.04, which is pretty cool. In the second one I did 9.14, I think, because I could really feel the pain in that one, because it was warmer than during the first mile and because a very strong wind started to blow against us during an important part of the mile. That wind really took all our strength, but we did it, which is what matters.

Today we ran together again because he's recovering from some pain he has in his knee. I decided that I had to try whether I was able to run two miles non-stop, so I set up that goal for the day. I did, although i think I was going slower today (we forgot the watch so we couldn't time our running). I felt great during the first mile, which is really cool. I felt pretty good during part of the second mile, but then I started feeling super warm (we slept in today), so it was harder to continue. Even so we did finish the two miles with no recovery time in between which is really cool.

And as for the cigarettes, it's been good so far today. Well, we're really trying to keep busy, cleaning the house, mostly. What I need to pay attention to now is not overeating, which I have the feeling I'm doing, not as result of running but the lack of cigarettes. Luckily, I really like tomato and vegetable juice, so I tend to drink a lot of that. And trying not to eat more than 3 meals a day... we'll see how it goes!

Good weekend to both!

No tri this time

Patsy's post may have given you a hint that the tri didn't happen this weekend. At least not for us. I was in a total panic over the open water swim and when I got Patsy's email on Thursday that her wrist/hand was messed up, I was (not so) secretly relieved. Of course, I wish her hand didn't hurt, but I took it as an omen from the Tri Goddesses that I should wait and do some formal training with a swim coach. While extremely (and surprisingly) disappointed, I think this was the right decision. That said, I found a duathlon on Staten Island at the end of August that I'm going to enter and I also found a tri in Dutchess Co. that looks like a good one. What do you think, Pats?

new blogger, running and quitting smoking

I'm new to this blog and I'm looking forward to getting started. I'm really behind in getting healthy, as compared with my co-bloggers, with whom I'm so impressed, but, in a very modest way, I'm on my way to a renewed me. Yes!

Last week I started running again after about 6 years since I had last run. Yes, I blame it on linguistics. Not that I left the field, but I finished my dissertation, so now I need to do something for my body. Also, because I moved to a Mexican town that isn't precisely the example to follow if you want to be healthy: extremely greasy food, nobody has the habit to walk to places, traffic is absurdly busy and reckless (meaning way more pollution than I've ever seen), the stress of being starting a career... I still walk to school but I wanted to do something else. My husband, Kip, and I started running when we were staying at my mom's in Spain, this winter. But then we had to come back to America, for my defense, then to start my job... we didn't go running after leaving Spain... until now. I really needed a new start. I'm having a hard start in my new job and I need something that helps me feel better with myself. Since running has always been hard for me, I thought it was the perfect thing to do. Also because access to swimming pools seems difficult in this town. In the summer they're available, but I'm not sure about the availability at other seasons. Also, you need a medical certificate to get a swimming pass and I still have to work out my medical insurance.

Anyway: last week we went running every morning we could. We normally go every morning as long as we went to bed at a reasonable time the night before. I think we went running everyday except for the day after Spain won the semi-finals against Germany and the day they won the World Cup, for obvious reasons :)

This week, we've gone running every day except for Monday. We started walking a mile (warm up), running a mile and walking a mile (cool down). Kip is quite athletic but I'm not, so we had to start easy with me. So far I've been working on getting faster in my mile. Yesterday i made my best mark (9.7 minutes, I think). I'm working on bettering this mark. I didn't time it today because Kip and I had a little argument while running (the effects of quitting smoking for both). But I did run a slightly longer distance than other days (more than a mile, although I'm not sure how much longer). It felt like I was faster too (I needed it since I feel more anxious today). I'll try to go as fast tomorrow, although it also depends on the weather. These days it's been excessively humid, which makes it very hard to breathe at times.

Yesterday I smoked twice only, with not much pain. Today I haven't smoked at all and it's hurting. I'm feeling the physical effects, which I wasn't feeling yesterday or last time I quit, which I did gradually. Today I'm feeling like smoking at many times, which didn't happen that other time either. Kip is the same, although he's not smoking too. Gotta be strong although I would really smoke a cigarette right now!

I'm beached

I tried to swim and found that I can't swim. Or rather, I won't be able to swim until my hand heals. Major bummer. I swam 100 yards freestyle in order to make the determination. I tried the breast stroke (very bad) and then finished that lap with backstroke (pretty bad too). So I did the following with the kickboard.

4 x (2 laps free, 1 lab breast stroke kick)

It always surprises me how physically demanding (and excruciatingly boring) it is working with the kickboard. That's all I'll be able to do until my stupid hand heals so I'd better get used to it.

Oh, yeah, and there'll be no race on Saturday.

run, run, run, run

I'm sitting here at my desk, sweating all over my papers once again. In an effort to avoid destroying my library books, I'll spend a couple minutes writing here - and maybe when I'm finished I'll have stopped sweating (not likely). Anyway, I'm having a spotty training week. As most readers know, I'm nursing a weird injury to my left hand. I don't know how I did it, but my left hand just hurts. I bought one of those hand braces (very similar to my much cherished ankle of two years ago) and I wear it all the time. I look like an old lady getting ready to knit some socks but oh well. I've only been wearing it a day so I don't know if it's working. Because of the hand issue, I've stayed away from the bike. I'm going to try to swim tomorrow but I'm not sure how well I'll do. If by Saturday my hand is too sore to ride a bike I'll have to bail on the tri. Bummer, but I'm getting used to the idea. Here's the recap:

Saturday - 3 miles in the neighborhood (fast)
Monday 3.6 miles near campus (also fast)
Wednesday - about 3 miles (2 miles (warm-up/cool down), 3 x 400 yds, with 200 yd rest - brisk but not real interval speed.

I'll keep you posted about the hand.

Countdown to Saturday!

I'm in a state of calm before the inevitable storm. I've been fretting almost continuously about this event but for the past day or two, I've felt strangely calm. Of course, that may be because I'm trying really hard not to think about it too much...
Anyway, I've been continuing to focus on the swimming. It's somewhat better than a few weeks ago, but I'm still concerned about whether or not I can do the distance in open water (just this morning I was contemplating whether or not I can sneak an inflatable flotation device along with me. I also decided to practice treading water in case I need to give the lifeguards time to reach me). Haven't run since last Monday when I decided to do a 'brick' session. Rode my bike 20 miles and then went for a run. I actually felt better than I thought I would (the ride warms you up) but it was so unbearably hot (85F at 9AM) that I only ran for 2 miles. I don't think I'll have a chance to get anymore bricks in before the event. Too bad. I thought it was actually pretty useful. The cycling has been fairly casual-ie just here and there to stay accustomed to being on a bike. I think it will be fine (assuming of course, that I make it through the swimming bit).

A river of sweat

The title describes my current state. Well, since the pool is closed all week at the time I can swim, I'm taking lunch-time runs. Maybe tomorrow I'll bike for a change - but maybe not because we might be having stormy weather. Since it is crazy hot outside, I decided to run in the shady trails of the nature preserve. So, yesterday and today I ran to the nature preserve and did the Forest Trail and then a tiny bit of the Marsh Trail, just to add a few minutes to the run (and then I ran back to the office). The forest trail is about a mile I think but it has a very steep ascent (I had to walk some of it yesterday - my heart was racing), followed by some treacherous descents. Trail running is fun. I haven't done it a lot since highschool.

7/7/10 & 7/8/10 - 30 minute runs (on campus and nature preserve).

Happy Fourth

So, I'm working today. I have to stay home tomorrow because my son's daycare is closed so I'm working today (and hubbie is home with little boy). I took advantage of the fact that campus is deserted and I did loops on the brain - 7 in all, making a grand total of 10 miles. I didn't time it (wasn't feeling optimistic about the results). I worked the hills and flats, didn't crash on the down hills, didn't crash when I got out of the toe cages. Success. And now the weekly bike ride is out of the way. Tomorrow I swim!

Feeling better

So, as I mentioned in my comment on your most recent post, Saff, I've also running a little low on energy lately. This week we have had a total change in routine in my house and it took until today to get used to it. Today, though, I only slept about 6 hours tops and the baby did wake up at 5:15 am, I feel a lot more refreshed. Monday-Wednesday, I could barely function at work. The only time I felt peppy was right after a work out - which actually was the primary motivation for working out (as my trusty caffeine was failing me). So, here are the stats:

6/30/10 - I ran about 3.5 miles. I ran about a mile, then did five hills (with down hill as the rest), then did a mile on the track, then ran back to my building. I felt O.K. until the hills were done but after that it took me a long time to recover. I forced myself to continue (because that's what I do) but I felt really, really tired.

7/1/10 - Today I went to the pool. I've finally found the right position and tension with my goggles so I don't suffer excruciating pain upon removal (and look like Frankenstein for the rest of the day) - and I'm very happy about this. I just got my haircut and I know understand why people wear swim caps. Not only could I not see but my hair kept getting in the way when I tried to breathe. Must buy swim cap at Target this weekend. As for the actual workout, here's what I did:

200yd warm up
800yd swim - I figured I'd try the race distance. I did it in 15:25 which, if I'm not mistaken, is a personal best for that distance (from the three times I raced it in 2008). If we were racing in a pool I'd shoot for 15:00 but in the open water, who the hell knows. I don't have any expectations timewise for the race - I just want to feel good.
100 yd rest (50 backstroke, 50 free)
4x50 (around 00:50 each)
300 cool down (I tried to work on form but I had hair in my mouth all the time so it was hard).

And now I feel pretty good. I hope that I'm over this slump.

Running out of energy....

I don't think I'm getting enough sleep. I've been getting up at 4:30 every morning (not totally on purpose- my alarm is actually set for 5) because our apartment is so unbelievably hot. I went for a run this AM and even though it was about 15 degrees cooler than it's been in the past few days, I still felt like I had nothing in my legs. I did a lame 2 1/4 miles and felt like crap afterward. I swam yesterday morning and felt like crap. I'm sure that if I got on my bike that I'd feel like crap after that, too. I guess this is the part where I get discouraged and mad at my body for not cooperating. Not a good idea, but I can't seem to help it. Anyway, I'm going to dinner with a friend tonight and then home to bed. Then it's back to the Y in the morning for more swimming! (BTW, the chlorine is actually starting to take a toll on my hair. I was frizzy to start with and now I'm even frizzier with a faint eau de chlorine thrown in. Joy.).

I'm back?

Well, after a fortnight of spotty workouts, I'm back this week. We're all on our new schedule (Hubby working, child in day care) and I'm a bit tired - and not feeling so creative about designing my workouts. So, I'm adjusting this week - and I'm going to cut myself some (more) slack. But next week I really want to give it my all (we'll see).

So, here's the training log:

6/28/10 - 6.5 mile bike ride (how lame is that?). I just didn't feel like it. Forced myself onto the bike. Got a phone call on the first hill and managed to get out of the pedal cages and answer it without crashing. I tried to push on the hills and flats. Got pretty out of breath so I guess I did exert myself.

6/29/10 - 36 minute run on campus and in the nature preserve (very nice). I hadn't done any trail running in a long, long time (knees and ankles weren't so sure about it all). Now I'm very sweaty.

Tomorrow I swim!!

I've been bad....

...about posting. But at least I've been continuing to train! I've been just busy enough to make posting (or writing in my training log) unlikely. I've haven't done much biking- mostly just casual rides around town. I have been running 2-3 times a week (sometimes with the hubby in tow) and I've been swimming 3-4 times a week. I'm really trying to focus on improving my total lack of swimming skills (the only way to go is up!). My workouts are not nearly as organized as Patsy's (warmup? sprints?). Mostly I just try to swim for a given period of time- 30mins, 45 mins, etc. I still have some grave reservations about whether or not I can even manage the swim part of this event, but I'll keep at it and see where I am in 2 weeks. Pray for me, sweetie. And resist the pop-tart therapy. You can do it!

Weekend recap

So, I left work early on Friday but did end up running 3.5 miles (fast - but I didnt' time it), which is amazing given all that was going on on Friday (primarily, buying our second used car in a week's time). And, on Saturday I ran 3.0 miles (also fast, also didn't time). I rested yesterday. If the weather is O.K. today I'll bike, but I think I'll end up swimming or running because it's kind of rainy out. We'll see what it looks like at 12:00. Left the baby at daycare this morning. Poor boo boo will be there all day long. Mommy is trying to resist pop-tart therapy.

Swimming for real (sort of)

So, I tried to do a workout prescribed by my super-serious-swimmer cousin in-law. I made it through the first chunk of intervals and flaked on the second. I'm having a little trouble with motivation this week. Nevertheless, I know if I just keep at it (and do something - even if it isn't the optimal training workout) I'll be O.K.

So, here's what I did:

400yd warm up
1 50 - as fast as I could (42 seconds)
1 50 backstroke to catch my breath
10 x 50 These were supposed to be my fast 50 time plus 15 seconds (57 seconds) but they were all in the 48-52 range which means I was doing it wrong (and that's why it was so hard). I did my best to stick to the 10 second rests (but sometimes I took 15 - O.K., a few times I took 20)
200 yards of recovery laps
400 yard swim (I tried to do the negative split thing - meaning the second half would be faster than the first - but I forgot to note my start time so who knows if I succeeded).

So, next time maybe I'll try again and get the pacing thing right.

Back from the long weekend

So, as promised, I didn't work out over the weekend. I walked about two miles everyday with Alex but that can hardly be considered working out. Still, I did move around a little. I also ate very badly, I'm sorry to say. So, today, actually as of right now (because I had a greasy diner breakfast for reasons I'll explain later), I'm back on the healthy living regiment.

I'm just back from a fast three miles (23 minutes). I didn't feel like doing anything more complicated than that. And, as for eating, I'm on a new campaign to eat more fruits and vegetables. Next week, hubby goes back to work and I'll be in charge of dinners (which will, henceforth, be healthy and almost always vegetarian).

Since hubby is going back to work, young son will have to start daycare. We found a place that we like and we took him there for a "visit" this morning. The teachers suggested we leave him there for a few hours a few times before he actually starts so he can get used to it. Poor boo boo. We took him into his classroom, said good-bye and left. He was hysterical. I managed not to let him see me cry. Hubby was prevented from crying by the man code. And then I ate a cheesy omlette with homefries and toast dripping with butter (or a butter like substance - who knows). It didn't make me feel better.

Weak week

So, due to some twists and turns in my schedule, I was unable to train yesterday. And, today I woke up with a sore throat (the baby has been sick, I suppose it was only a matter of time). I'm not going to train today and, depending how I feel, I may take off tomorrow and Sunday. Not sure yet. The baby has a doctor's appt on Monday so that might be out too. So, come hell or high water, I'll be back in full training mode on Tuesday. I hate to miss workouts but it happens sometimes. They say rest is good . . . I hope they're right. I know I've done this in the past and still performed well so I'm trying not to get too obsessive about it (too late!). Anyway, ta ta! Til Tuesday, sweeties.

All of a kind swim workout

Well, I got into the pool today. I checked workouts on-line but didn't settle on one. So, I got there and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. This is what I ended up doing:

300 yd warm up
2 x 200 fast (for me: 3:40) with 50 yd rest (25 back stroke, 25 breast stroke) after each.
2 x 100 fast (for me: 1:40)
100 yd rest (50 back, 50 breast)
50 yd fly
50 yd free
400 yds (8:20) I tried to do the negative split thing. I hadn't planned on it but when I got to lap 6, I was like only two more, I can make them fast! I think I'll try that in earnest next time.

The 200s were hard, really freakin' hard. I pushed on the 100s too. The 50 fly - oh my god, I didn't think I'd finish. By the end, I looked more like a potato bug than a butterfly. I was trying to shake it up a bit and do some different strokes because I read that was good for overall fitness and strength. I need a coach!

Well, I guess tomorrow I ride. I need a coach for that too.

LSD

Saff, do you remember that Mr. Fischer (our track coach in 7th grade) used to call long slow distance LSD? Well,I did some LSD on Saturday. I ran for 70 minutes in hopes of doing 7 miles but when I checked it on mapmyrun.com this morning it turned out that the route was almost 8 miles. I deviated from my normal twisty turny, repetitive route around my neighborhood by taking a 2-3 mile detour down Riverside Drive (more noise and cars but it was worth it). I didn't work-out on Sunday and I probably won't today because I don't feel very good. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow and take the baby out for a run in the afternoon.

Before I forget

But how could I forget intervals??? Yes, I went back to the track today. Here's the workout:

400 yd warm up
5 hills (with down hill as a cool down) = 1000yds
-I tried to take the hill fast. I kept telling myself, you're only doing 5! Make 'em count!
5 x 400 intervals (with 200 yd rest for each) = 2400 yds
-O.K. Painful. Again, I tried to make them count. I specifically tried to "kick it in" in the last 100 yds. I had to walk the rest each time. I think these were the best 400s I've done yet (in my post high-school life, anyway).
1000 yd cool down
Total distance 4,800yds (3 miles)

This was a good, hard work-out. Gain with pain. I'll probably run tomorrow and/or Sunday.

Zzzzzzzzz......

I'm soooooo tired this morning.....a draining week between work, home and the sudden increase in physical activity. There will be no sleeping in this weekend, either. I'm going on an overnight field trip to look for breeding birds around Doodletown (a ghost town near Bear Mtn), Bashakill and the Shawagunks. I'm looking forward to the trip but these things always involve early morning running around and being outside from sunup to sundown (and beyond if you want to see owls). Since I'll be away this weekend I thought I would try to push my run a little longer this AM so I did 3 miles at what I think was a 10-min mile pace (I'm not sure since my watch died about 5 minutes into my run). I'm going to try to do some swimming tomorrow since it should be pretty hot out and the hotel we're staying in has a pool. See you next week!

Clip and crash

So, yesterday I got on the bike and rode about 9 miles. I chose a road that I knew has a lot of hills but it has the virtue of little traffic and no stop signs. So, I was either climbing or coasting down the whole time (as usual), which is really getting old. I think next time I ride I'll do the tri route which still has a lot of hills but also has flats (and lots of cars and stop signs).

And, to finish up the ride I took a toe-clip induced spill (but we know I don't actually have clips but rather the strappy cage things). I was getting close to an intersection where I needed to make a left turn. There were cars coming and I was sort of idling, trying to go slow and not have to stop before turning, but the vehicles were coming so slowly. I realized one of them was some kind of golf cart landscaping work vehicle and it was going about 10 miles per hour. At that point, I couldn't idle anymore - this realization must have come to me suddenly. I took my right foot out but the left foot remained happily nestled and I feel over on my left side. Scrape on the knee, sore elbow, I'm fine. A tad embarrassing.

So, not the best bike ride. I need to make a change.

Dash and Splash

So, here's the latest:

Tuesday - 3 mile run with the stroller
Wednesday - 1,600 swim workout
400 yds warm-up
5 x 100 brisk
100 yd rest
5 x 100 brisk
100 yd cool-down

I didn't think I could do all of those hundreds. I did the first five, took a rest and said, well, just do one more, well just do another, how about one more, well you've done eight, why don't you just make it 10? And, voila, I had done 10. Wow, it felt good (when it was over). My breathing was feeling good. My flip turn quality deteriorated over time but I was getting tired.

Today, if the weather holds, I'll be taking the bike out for a quick romp. If it's raining, I'll be heading back to the pool. I'm feeling good!

Maiden voyage

So I went swimming this morning and let's just say that it was....educational. I have learned that I really need to learn how to swim if I have any intentions of doing this tri. I really didn't have much of a problem going back and forth in the pool for 30 minutes ( I hesitate to call them laps) but I did have problems with the whole breathing thing. I either get water up my nose (even though I was trying to do the continuous positive pressure thing) or I hold my breath and end up gasping. Sheesh. What I wouldn't give to have been allowed to go to the Rath Park pool like all the other little kids in my neighborhood. Instead, my parents (in their infinite wisdom) took me see Jaws-an experience which left me terrified of all things aquatic. It was so bad that at one point I used to seriously worry about a great white somehow coming up through the toilet and making short work of me. I'm happy to report that, 35 years later, I'm not overly concerned about being bitten in half by a maniacal shark anymore (I've gotten over the toilet thing) but I am certainly not a natural in the water. Aside from that, the Y is awesome! Since it looks like it might rain tomorrow, I think I'll take advantage of their weight room and either "swim" some more or go for a run on the indoor track (remember indoor track, Pats? That was fun!). Anyway, if you have a prayer list, pls put me on it. I'll take any help I can get!

I am now a pedestrian.

Sold my car last night *sniff sniff*. While part of me is thrilled that I was able to sell it so easily and to a seemingly good home, another part of me feels slightly naked and adrift. The irony here is that I actually paid more for my bicycle than I actually got for the car. Well, it was 15 years old after all. Anyway....this is supposed to be a training log so, here goes:
Monday 6/07- woke up feeling kind of blah. I didn't sleep all that well the night before so I decided to deep-six the run and just lift weights. I focused on shoulders and triceps-muscles which I know will come in handy for the swimming. Speaking of which, I signed up at the YMCA (and actually got an incredibly reasonable deal on a short-term summer membership-woohoo!). The facility is beautiful-six floors with 2 pools, spinning room, free weights, martial arts, meditation/yoga space, handball courts, indoor track, sauna and steam rooms, etc, etc. I can't wait to try it out!
Tuesday 6/08- Did a quick 2-mile run this AM. I had originally intended to go to the Y, but since I sold my car last night I thought it best to get myself to the DMV and turn in my plates. So, mission accomplished with that. Tomorrow's plan is to find out if I can swim or not!

Business and Slacking

Oh Saff, dear, I'm sorry to have been so unresponsive. I ended up having a weird few days due to stuff going on at home and being busy at work. So, here's my run down:

Friday 6/4/10 - Ran 3.5 miles after the baby went to sleep. Didn't keep track of the time but it felt fast.

Saturday 6/5/10 - Ran about 5 miles after the baby went to sleep. Got out a little later this time and, apparently, 15-20 minutes really makes a difference in my neighborhood. I'd intended on running a slow and circuitous 7 miles but some weird catcalls inspired me to curtail the distance and keep the route close to home. Bummer. I was feeling a little creaky in the joints anyway (which I'm really not psyched about).

Sunday 6/6/10 - Ate 6 scones, took a couple strolls with the baby.

Today I couldn't do my lunch time work-out because I had the baby for a while at work while Husband took care of something. But, I had a great time with the baby so I don't mind. I'll either run with the stroller tonight or after baby goes to bed. Tomorrow I swim!!!

North County Trailway

Bike- 85K. Went on a longish ride up in Westchester yesterday on an old railway line that's been converted to a multi-use trail (think Rails-to-Trails Conservancy). It's been one of our favorite rides for the past couple of years now. Traditionally, we drive up to the trail but since we were meeting some other people and are looking to sell our car, we decided to do it the car-free way. We started the day by riding from Qns over the 59th St. Bridge to Grand Central where we took the train to Tarrytown. There's an evil hill that you have to go up on the way to the trailhead but once you're past there it's smooth sailing on a lovely paved path through the (much cooler) woods. Managed get some anaerobic work in on a long straightaway that's on the street (Rte 100). Then it was back to the train and Grand Central then over the bridge to Qns. An otherwise lovely day was marred by a very unfortunate run-in with a doomed chipmunk. I won't elaborate beyond that.

Today will focus more on rest and recovery. Yoga this afternoon followed by some time on the bike trainer will round out my day.

TGIF!

Took it easy yesterday-did some weights in the AM for shoulders and triceps. I'm a little sore today, but nothing debilitating. When I got home yesterday afternoon I had a package from Patsy waiting for me. Woohoo! My first pair of swim goggles! (not counting the scuba mask I had when I was a kid, that is). Anyway, I'm psyched to start swimming and have finally settled on a membership at the Y. It will be on the expensive side, but I can't argue with convenience. If I can get there early enough in the AM I'll even be able to do some brick workouts before I go to work. This AM I ran 2 miles-again much faster than I should have. I really just can't seem to pace myself as well as I'd like to. I need the DH to run with me. He's great at pacing-- the man is like a metronome (probably comes from being a musician). Anyway, he got a new pair of shoes at Jack Rabbit the other night too, so maybe he'll be joining me soon.

Swim! Swim! Swim!

So, on Wednesday (6/2/10) I went to the pool and swam one mile. After the mile, my body was ready for more but I had to go back to work. I decided that next time I'd do a real workout. And, it just so happens, that I swam yesterday (Thursday 6/3/10) also. I looked up swim workouts on-line (it's been so long since my one season on the swim team that I've forgotten what all goes into a real swim workout) and fixed upon the following:

400 yd warm up (I focused on proper head/neck position and the thumb/thigh thing)

20 x 50 yd sprints (well, I did 'em briskly - fast enough to hurt but I don't know if I'd call them sprints. The plan was for 10 second rests between 50s - I took 15).

200 yd cool down

I felt good while I was doing it and I felt very, very tired for the rest of the day. Mission accomplished. Today, I ride my bike somewhere (the route/distance will depend on how productive my morning is).

Good morning, starshine!

The earth says hello and my legs say "ouch!" Well, not as much as yesterday. Picked up some new shoes last night at Jack Rabbit. It's a pretty neat place- they put you on a treadmill that has a webcam set up behind it to record your gait. Then they can replay it slowly and you can watch what your feet and legs do as you move through your stride. Nothing like a little biomechanical analysis to help you choose your shoes. So, I tried them out this AM on a 2 mile run (at a saner pace this time, dearie) and they seem OK so far. I may need a little more cushioning for my hobbit feet. The people at the store said "take 'em out for a few miles and if you don't like 'em, come on back and we'll give you store credit!" Gotta love that! So anyway, either weights tonight or yoga. I'll see how perky I am when I get home from work.

An involuntary rest day

Just read my co-trainee's post and actually felt envious. I can't get a workout in today (between meetings, appts and the like) so I'll just have to live vicariously through Patsy. Wait- I'm fibbing. I did do some yoga this AM with plenty of cat-cow to stretch out my back and some pigeon pose for the sciatica that is sure to come. I plan to visit Jack Rabbit Sports on the way home tonight to get a new pair of running shoes. The ones I have now are squashed down to near uselessness and have left me with arch pain after only one run! If I'm feeling perky by the time I get home, I'll do some weights for my upper body. And for a little insurance, I've asked a few friends to put me on their prayer lists.

Sweaty darling (Intervals!)

So, I was going to go to the pool today but, since it was a nice overcast day, I decided to go the the track instead. I did the following 3.5 mile work-out:

800 yd warm-up
2 400s
1 800
2 400s
1 800
(each interval was followed by a 200 yd rest)
400 yard cool down

I felt pretty good during the 400s. I seemed to get my stride in the 3rd, and was able to push the pace without feeling like I was going to die. The 800s were both O.K. but I don't think I went very fast. I need a coach to verbally abuse me.

And then I sweat approximately 2 liters.

A mere 10K

Today I took advantage of the fact that campus is deserted today (a holiday in summertime) and, instead of heading out into the wilds southeast of campus, I rode the brain (the loop around the main campus) 7 times. That made about 10 miles. I decided to do this because I'm a little sore from yesterdays run and I didn't feel like wagging war on the Murry Hill Road and the like (vertical climb!, well, almost). The brain has a some inclines and descents but it's as close to level as I can get (without a stop sign every ten feet). Also, I figured I'd try to do work on speed and technique on the less hostile terrain. It took me 42 minutes! Not bad for an amateur on a mountain bike.

When I got back to the building, I realized I'd forgotten my key to the outer door (which was locked because today is holiday). Fortunately, Stacie was in the building and she came down to let me in. Thank the Gods for cell phones.

I was thinking of Saffy and her impressive 50K. I've never biked 50K in my life. Perhaps after coercing Saffy to do the tri, Saffy can coerce me into doing some mad cycling event.

Once again, Patsy is my inspiration.

Patsy's done it again. I don't know what it is, but after every one of her visits I find myself sweating a lot and getting in much better shape. Somehow, I'm doing what I truly never thought would happen-- training for a tri! I hate running! I can't swim! What am I doing? I have no idea, but the way Pats described her first tri experience was truly inspiring. As always, she impresses the hell out of me and manages to motivate me in a way none of my other friends can. Thanks for that, sweetie!

Thus, having only seven weeks to get my fat rump in shape, I've chosen to jump right in. Yesterday I rode in to Central Park and did a couple of laps with my DH/de facto cycling coach. We worked on climbing techniques and some spinning. Yikes have I got a long way to go! Managed to crank out 50k for my trouble but sheesh! last summer I was doing metric centuries without too much difficulty. Nothing like a little reality check, eh, folks? So, 50k on the bike yesterday, and a very painful 2 mile run today. I really do hate running especially when it feels like I have a small person sitting on my chest the whole way. DH was invaluable as he rode his bike alongside me with cold water bottles and lots of encouragement. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so I won't have time for much other than some yoga and some weights. I still have to find a pool to swim in- I'm thinking West Side Y (conveniently located but expensive!) or perhaps the aquatic center at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (not quite as convenient but 1/15th the price of the Y). We shall see. Cheers for now!

Recap - running

I ran a hilly 5 miles with Stacie on Friday and then a hilly 6.5 by myself on Sunday. Both runs were with my new (amazing) sneakers. Today I'm planning to take a bike ride. That's all I got to report.

Another quick update

Here's the log:

Monday 5/24/10 - 6 mile bike ride (short but painful - very uphill for 4 miles, followed by a terrifying descent).

Tuesday 5/25/10 - 1,200 swim, including 8 50 yd springs (time between 47-52 seconds). I'm swimming in a fancier pool now (they're renovating the building I used to swim in) which has digital clocks all over the place so now I can get an idea of my pace.

Wednesday 5/26/10 - 2 mile walking/callisthenics work out including stairs, lunges, squat thrusts, crunches, push-ups and other miscellanea.

I'm still waiting for my new running sneakers to arrive so I can't run (even walking in the old ones was iffy). I've also been busier at work so I'm really trying to get as much cardiovascular intensity as I can in a 25-30 minute workout.