i reached for a long sleeve shirt today...and my 3/4 length tights. i haven't needed them in awhile. the cool morning lent itself well to a little fartlek. it's by far my favorite form of speed work, totally suited for my preference of loose structure.
last week whilst showing off my handiwork to my sister-in-law i managed to strain my back...the right lat...it didn't interfere with running and seemed to calm down after a few days of ice and heat and motrin.
i re-aggravated it yesterday pulling out portable oxygen tanks at work...twisting and lifting, very bad body mechanics!!!!...i had to pull over with an ice pack for a bit before resuming work. i seem to have a knack for non-athletic injuries. my short run this morning didn't seem phased by it luckily, it actually felt better afterwards ...so did the hot shower...shoulda followed that with ice...hmmm.
i'm loving this weather right now...if this can just hold out until after my race i may actually have decent time (for me) out there:) i still haven't checked out the last 6 miles of the course. i want to get out there this weekend.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Sunday, September 09, 2007
piecing it all together
training is going well. i had to switch things around here and there but for the most part i'm feeling pretty good about things. i started things off easy with a pre-work 5 miler on monday. i had a great run on wednesday, a double scoop of Strawberry Canyon, for a total of 14+ hilly miles in 3:26. yesterday i got about 16 seconds into my run when the garmins battery died. it must've got knocked off the charger while M was rocking out to Rhianna's "Breaking Dishes" on itunes.
i was unenthusiastic about a 20 miler to begin with and when the battery died i immediately started coming up with excuses to shorten my run. i know better than to decide too early how far i'm going to go...especially when i'm feeling lazy. i gave myself permission to "see what happens".
i found my groove somewhere between miles 4 and 5 and passed through the cattle gate at the end of Nimitz and continued on towards san pablo ridge then wildcat canyon. this eventually looped back top my car . i know this route well and it's 11 miles. i finished in 2:46.
this morning the weather was PERFECTION. i slept well but still had a hard time mustering up much enthusiasm for that overdue 20 miler. with my cup o'courage in one hand i jumped on the internet for blogspiration. i am remiss to omit the blog credit here but sara of hooked on trails and jack of running with jack both gave me a good dose of "get your ass out there and get in done" like sara my marathon is mere weeks away and like jack i didn't care how fast i was going i just needed to get twenty miles in.
i refuelled every 4 miles and felt pretty good the whole time. by mile 16 i was looking 3:26 it suddenly dawned on me that i was well under 5 hours i had given myself for this run. i pulled off 20 miles in 4:13. yeah, i know road miles are faster than trail miles but still it was a boost to my confidence for sure and a major deposit in the golden hills account. boo ya!
on the quilting front i am super happy with how M's quilt is coming along. over the labor day weekend i finished the quilt top and have it sandwiched. my fingers are still a little tender from all the pinning involved as this is by far the biggest project i've ever tackled. i know i know, pictures would be nice. i still need to get the cd rom looked at but i'm so disgusted with this computer i'm secretly holding out for a notebook....i
description: mostly flat paved urban trail, sandy along bayside section,
not allot of traffic
the route: BART trail to richmond
richmond to home
home to ceaser chavez park,
ceasar chavez(1 loop)to bayside trail
bayside trail to chevy's
chevy's to home
b
i was unenthusiastic about a 20 miler to begin with and when the battery died i immediately started coming up with excuses to shorten my run. i know better than to decide too early how far i'm going to go...especially when i'm feeling lazy. i gave myself permission to "see what happens".
i found my groove somewhere between miles 4 and 5 and passed through the cattle gate at the end of Nimitz and continued on towards san pablo ridge then wildcat canyon. this eventually looped back top my car . i know this route well and it's 11 miles. i finished in 2:46.
this morning the weather was PERFECTION. i slept well but still had a hard time mustering up much enthusiasm for that overdue 20 miler. with my cup o'courage in one hand i jumped on the internet for blogspiration. i am remiss to omit the blog credit here but sara of hooked on trails and jack of running with jack both gave me a good dose of "get your ass out there and get in done" like sara my marathon is mere weeks away and like jack i didn't care how fast i was going i just needed to get twenty miles in.
i refuelled every 4 miles and felt pretty good the whole time. by mile 16 i was looking 3:26 it suddenly dawned on me that i was well under 5 hours i had given myself for this run. i pulled off 20 miles in 4:13. yeah, i know road miles are faster than trail miles but still it was a boost to my confidence for sure and a major deposit in the golden hills account. boo ya!
on the quilting front i am super happy with how M's quilt is coming along. over the labor day weekend i finished the quilt top and have it sandwiched. my fingers are still a little tender from all the pinning involved as this is by far the biggest project i've ever tackled. i know i know, pictures would be nice. i still need to get the cd rom looked at but i'm so disgusted with this computer i'm secretly holding out for a notebook....i
description: mostly flat paved urban trail, sandy along bayside section,
not allot of traffic
the route: BART trail to richmond
richmond to home
home to ceaser chavez park,
ceasar chavez(1 loop)to bayside trail
bayside trail to chevy's
chevy's to home
b
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Un-Labor Day Weekend
a minute or two ago i was contemplating attending the 9 am Pilates class at the Y....i'm now sitting here eating eggs and spam ...clearly Hawaii continues to wreak havoc on my "training".
truth be told i actually logged 30 plus miles during the trip. being a runner adds so much to travel. most of the my personal highlights of the trip were spent exploring red dirt roads and black lava rock coasts. pictures are forthcoming as soon as i can figure out why the cd-rom is jacked up...again.
T and M are off to Nevada for the weekend and i have the whole house and most importantly the remote to myself...
long run on the schedule tommorow
truth be told i actually logged 30 plus miles during the trip. being a runner adds so much to travel. most of the my personal highlights of the trip were spent exploring red dirt roads and black lava rock coasts. pictures are forthcoming as soon as i can figure out why the cd-rom is jacked up...again.
T and M are off to Nevada for the weekend and i have the whole house and most importantly the remote to myself...
long run on the schedule tommorow
Sunday, August 05, 2007
A Really Long Run
Firstly. big shout out to Mia and Tommy....you guy's rock and we had the BEST time yesterday at Marine World. Oh, and let it be known that Mia is Cut-Throat on the Go Cart race track. we heart you guy's!
i've had one solid track session and several decent runs since my last post. i did everything right...mind you that's not the same as fast but i was happy and felt much more positive afterwards.
i'm starting to get back into the groove with my running. i stammered and struggled to explain to mia yesterday where my heads been with running lately. i've been a bit lax...for the last oh, month and really swamped by my life and my tendency to compare myself with people ... people typically way out of my league.
i got to bed so late last night and i was really dreading my long run today but i knew there was no getting out of it especially after blowing off yesterday's 6 miler.
it was kinda weird getting ready this morning...it's been so long since i ran on trails that i couldn't find my Montrails, it took me awhile to remember where they were. the schedule called for 9 miles plus the 6 i missed yesterday but secretly, i had another distance in mind and one look outside at the cool grey weather i knew today i just might hit 20 miles.
i decided to run my race route. i tried running a mile then walking but got annoyed as it would have me running hills and walking flats so i improvised. i had a plan and i was determined to get to Redwood with enough gas in the tank to get back.
i haven't been out here in awhile and i even got off course following some girl we both realized we got off track( it was really foggy up on the ridge) and backtracked up to the main trail about a 1/4 mile. we chatted briefly, i got the impression she preferred her own company...just as well she was moving faster than i was, running all the hills. i felt that twinge to try to keep up but i kept to my plan.
as i entered Huckleberry Botanical Preserve i remembered that this was were i got stung by that mean fly lastime. well i was a little freaked when i got to the narrow single track and had to brush up against allot of foliage, it was then i felt a sharp pain..in my left quad. was it the stinging nettle that flanked both sides of the narrow trail or was it a bite? i didn't stick around to investigate and got the hell out of there fast. looking at my thigh now there does appear to be a small bite of some kind but it's a minor annoyance compared to the BEE STING i acquired later on down the path.
no shit, i arrive at Redwood all happy and pumped up about my progress so far when while farting around with my pack i feel another sharp sensation on the back of my neck...high up on the hair line. luckily i had my gloves on and i was able to pull the little fucker out of my hair without actually having to touch it. i then removed my gloves to pull out the stinger. that's when i made the decision to deviate from the route and i ran on Skyline until i got to Sibley again.
so a combination of good weather and strategic planning (wink wink) and some 5 hours and 21 minutes later this gal rocked her first 20 miler (20.70 for the record)
i think things are starting to turn around. woohoo!!
i've had one solid track session and several decent runs since my last post. i did everything right...mind you that's not the same as fast but i was happy and felt much more positive afterwards.
i'm starting to get back into the groove with my running. i stammered and struggled to explain to mia yesterday where my heads been with running lately. i've been a bit lax...for the last oh, month and really swamped by my life and my tendency to compare myself with people ... people typically way out of my league.
i got to bed so late last night and i was really dreading my long run today but i knew there was no getting out of it especially after blowing off yesterday's 6 miler.
it was kinda weird getting ready this morning...it's been so long since i ran on trails that i couldn't find my Montrails, it took me awhile to remember where they were. the schedule called for 9 miles plus the 6 i missed yesterday but secretly, i had another distance in mind and one look outside at the cool grey weather i knew today i just might hit 20 miles.
i decided to run my race route. i tried running a mile then walking but got annoyed as it would have me running hills and walking flats so i improvised. i had a plan and i was determined to get to Redwood with enough gas in the tank to get back.
i haven't been out here in awhile and i even got off course following some girl we both realized we got off track( it was really foggy up on the ridge) and backtracked up to the main trail about a 1/4 mile. we chatted briefly, i got the impression she preferred her own company...just as well she was moving faster than i was, running all the hills. i felt that twinge to try to keep up but i kept to my plan.
as i entered Huckleberry Botanical Preserve i remembered that this was were i got stung by that mean fly lastime. well i was a little freaked when i got to the narrow single track and had to brush up against allot of foliage, it was then i felt a sharp pain..in my left quad. was it the stinging nettle that flanked both sides of the narrow trail or was it a bite? i didn't stick around to investigate and got the hell out of there fast. looking at my thigh now there does appear to be a small bite of some kind but it's a minor annoyance compared to the BEE STING i acquired later on down the path.
no shit, i arrive at Redwood all happy and pumped up about my progress so far when while farting around with my pack i feel another sharp sensation on the back of my neck...high up on the hair line. luckily i had my gloves on and i was able to pull the little fucker out of my hair without actually having to touch it. i then removed my gloves to pull out the stinger. that's when i made the decision to deviate from the route and i ran on Skyline until i got to Sibley again.
so a combination of good weather and strategic planning (wink wink) and some 5 hours and 21 minutes later this gal rocked her first 20 miler (20.70 for the record)
i think things are starting to turn around. woohoo!!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Taking a Break
i'm seriously beginning to question the wisdom of planning a vacation at the height of my "training"...if you could even call it that these days. i've been working ALOT...in fact going in today for a few hours to help pay for this trip and it's leaving precious little time for much else...training is suffering.
i'm also questioning the helpfulness of this blog. in fact it's become more a source of irritation than inspiration. i find the act of writing to be helpful when sorting out my thoughts that hasn't changed. i just don't know if i need to do it here.
it's no coincidence that as my training started to stall so did my enthusiasm for blogging.
a training buddy would be helpful but apparently it's just not in the cards for me.
maybe my expectations are too high. maybe i have some serious social flaws that i am oblivious of. maybe i have bad breath. beats the hell out of me but i'm just so over trying to connect with people who can't commit. so sick of doing all the work.
if i sound a little bitter...i am.
so i will be taking a break for awhile. try to regain some of my training momentum and get through the next couple of weeks of working overtime with the Kona Coast as my inspiration.
i'm also questioning the helpfulness of this blog. in fact it's become more a source of irritation than inspiration. i find the act of writing to be helpful when sorting out my thoughts that hasn't changed. i just don't know if i need to do it here.
it's no coincidence that as my training started to stall so did my enthusiasm for blogging.
a training buddy would be helpful but apparently it's just not in the cards for me.
maybe my expectations are too high. maybe i have some serious social flaws that i am oblivious of. maybe i have bad breath. beats the hell out of me but i'm just so over trying to connect with people who can't commit. so sick of doing all the work.
if i sound a little bitter...i am.
so i will be taking a break for awhile. try to regain some of my training momentum and get through the next couple of weeks of working overtime with the Kona Coast as my inspiration.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
I'm in transition
i'm a little stiff from yesterday's misguided track work-out. seems i need glasses. the (8) 100 meter "sprints" in reality should've of been "strides" followed up by 200 t0 400 meter intervals at my 5k race pace (ideally 9 mm)....
oh well, i got a little taste of the track...it's been awhile....despite my moaning and groaning about it...there is something about the track that makes your training more legit. it definitely get's you out of your comfort zone...and misguided as it was yesterday's effort wasn't a total bust...i've got a taste for it now. there is definitely a methodology to it.
i hit the books lastnight (runners world book of running for women) and it was a good touchstone for reality...i tend to be impulsive with my speedwork...too much too infrequently...if i approached runnning that way i'd still be wondering why running never sticks.
making the transition from mindless recreational runner to becoming more concentrated on what i'm doing will take patience and time...i'm not as far along as i "ought" to be but hell, i'm basically a self-taught runner. as with quilting, mostly self taught...no experienced family member to guide me...i'm a trial and error kin've learner and while it may (usually does) take me longer the satisfaction of learning and finishing is just as profound.
my trainig has been far from stellar, i've lacked serious focus and have mostly focused on endurance rather than speed...which is fine as i have no illusions of "racing" in october. i understand the need for track work at race pace as it pertains to shorter races, i'm not so sure how it relates to a trail marathon, the the terrain is so much more erratic.
i'm curious how much time trail runners spend on speedwork.
oh well, i got a little taste of the track...it's been awhile....despite my moaning and groaning about it...there is something about the track that makes your training more legit. it definitely get's you out of your comfort zone...and misguided as it was yesterday's effort wasn't a total bust...i've got a taste for it now. there is definitely a methodology to it.
i hit the books lastnight (runners world book of running for women) and it was a good touchstone for reality...i tend to be impulsive with my speedwork...too much too infrequently...if i approached runnning that way i'd still be wondering why running never sticks.
making the transition from mindless recreational runner to becoming more concentrated on what i'm doing will take patience and time...i'm not as far along as i "ought" to be but hell, i'm basically a self-taught runner. as with quilting, mostly self taught...no experienced family member to guide me...i'm a trial and error kin've learner and while it may (usually does) take me longer the satisfaction of learning and finishing is just as profound.
my trainig has been far from stellar, i've lacked serious focus and have mostly focused on endurance rather than speed...which is fine as i have no illusions of "racing" in october. i understand the need for track work at race pace as it pertains to shorter races, i'm not so sure how it relates to a trail marathon, the the terrain is so much more erratic.
i'm curious how much time trail runners spend on speedwork.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
need for speed
1:36 mi warm-up
100 meter sprints x 8
1:36 mi cool-down
i've been struggling with the speedworkouts...i decided to scale back and found this work-out to be challenging without killing myself.
it's not much to write about but for the first time i feel hopeful as opposed to deflated. makes sense to ease into speedwork . i have with everything else.
100 meter sprints x 8
1:36 mi cool-down
i've been struggling with the speedworkouts...i decided to scale back and found this work-out to be challenging without killing myself.
it's not much to write about but for the first time i feel hopeful as opposed to deflated. makes sense to ease into speedwork . i have with everything else.
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