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Baby It's Cold Outside

January 22, 2011 by Kristy 8 Comments

1/22/11

17 miles

2:37:59

9:17 avg pace

The good old training plan called for 17 miles at 9:30 pace. I try and do my long runs a little faster and run based on how I feel. It wasn’t as fast as last week’s long run but it was almost 20 degrees colder. Yup, the “feels like” temp was about 3 degrees when I started running this morning. Brrrr. It took me almost 10 minutes to get dressed. I had on 2 pairs of socks, running tights with running pants over top, a tank, the wonderful Lululemon Run: Alpine Pullover, and a mid-weight windbreaker over that. On my head I wore a Dri-FIT baseball hat with a fleece headband. I felt like Randy (little brother) from A Christmas Story. But I was so comfortable the entire time – not too hot and not too cold. All in all, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I even had a running buddy for the first 10.5 miles! My neighbor, Maximus, joined me. His name isn’t really Maximus. I asked him to come up with an alias for the blog and that’s what he said. Maximus is a triathlete (he does Half Ironmans) who can run circles around me. He started tagging along on my long runs last summer to get his mileage up. He’s a great running buddy because (1) he does most of the talking and tells entertaining stories and (2) he let’s me set the pace and just comes along for the ride. Thanks “Maximus” for braving the elements today!

Splits:

M1 – 9:32
M2 – 9:40
M3 – 9:10
M4 – 9:19
M5 – 9:15 –> Shot Blok #1 (frozen solid, very interesting to eat)!
M6 – 9:23
M7 – 9:14
M8 – 9:27
M9 – 9:12
M10 – 9:12 –> Shot Blok #2
M11 – 9:18
M12 – 9:23
M13 – 9:13
M14 – 9:09 –> Shot Blok #3
M15 – 9:11
M16 – 9:16
M17 – 8:56

After the run, I did a little of this to thaw out. Hawk was more than happy to join me by the heater. Please ignore my red, chapped face. The wind was a little brutal today.

We are in the midst of painting…that orange stripe in the background is not permanent.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite moments from Glee. This is one of my favorite Christmas songs…and it’s very fitting for today!

The Importance of Rest and Recovery

January 21, 2011 by Kristy 4 Comments

Today is a rest day for me. I’ve got a 17-miler to do tomorrow and some easy miles on Sunday.

I get asked all the time if I run every day. I don’t and I don’t recommend it. I’ve always ran 5 days per week with 2 rest days. For this training cycle, I’m running 4 days per week with 2 days of yoga. That still leaves me with 1 day of rest. Figuring out what is right for you takes some trial and error. Whatever you decide, having a day of rest is crucial both mentally and physically.

After a hard speed workout or long run are you stronger? A better runner? The answer is no. Hard training takes a toll on your body – glycogen depletion, tissue breakdown, fatigue…just to name a few. Training provides a stimulus for your body to adapt, but recovery is when you allow your body to adapt and improve (source). Ah, makes sense, right? That is why training plans follow the hard/easy principle: 1 or more hard days should be followed by 1 or more easy days. An easy day could be an easy run, cross-training, or complete rest. Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule. In certain circumstances it may make sense to do 2 hard days back-to-back. Say you plan on doing a half marathon as a tune-up race during training. You may want to taper a bit before the race so your legs are fresh. It would make sense in this scenario to do 2 hard days back-to-back to allow yourself a day of rest or 2 before the race.

Why follow the hard/easy principle? To prevent glycogen depletion (talked about here in an earlier post), illness, and to minimize DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)(source). DOMS is caused by microscopic muscle damage, which leads to inflammation and then soreness. Doing a hard workout when you have a case of the DOMS will not only be miserable, but likely won’t be intense enough to improve fitness.

I expect a case of the DOMS after my 17-miler tomorrow. The “feels like” temp is supposed to be 3 degrees. Does that mean I can skip the ice bath post-run? ! 🙂

3 in 1

January 20, 2011 by Kristy 7 Comments

Workout #1

4 miles speed work

Since thinking at 5am can be challenging, I taped my scheduled speed work to my treadmill the night before.

RI = rest interval

I was short on time so I cut the cool down a bit short and only ended up with 4 miles. When I’m training for a marathon, I like to hit at least 5 miles for a shorter run. When I’m not actively training, at least 3 miles will suffice.

The 800s were definitely challenging but went by quickly. Watching the season premier of Teen Mom 2 helps.

(Mini) Workout #2

2 miles easy

I really wanted to hit 6 miles this morning with my speed work. All day long I kept thinking about it and couldn’t just let it go so I hopped back on the treadmill for 2 miles after work. Truth be told, I really wanted to finish the Teen Mom 2 episode I started in the morning.

After I was sufficiently sweaty, I headed to a yoga class…

Workout #3

Power yoga – 60 min

All I could think of is power hour (ah, college)! This power hour was quite different from those back in the day.

The room was heated and the instructor was so-so. There are a couple of different instructors that teach power yoga at RYAH so I plan on going to all of their classes to see which one I like best. What I found funny is that this class was heavy on the leg work…lots of squats and lunges. My legs were tired from this morning’s speed session and were practically shaking from the get go. It’s usually my upper body and core that gets the workout.

The half moon pose always scares the crap out of me. Something about balancing on one leg and hand and then twisting and looking the other way.

(source)

I did not look like that tonight. Even with using a block, I was a mess. Practice makes perfect, right?

Namaste

January 18, 2011 by Kristy 4 Comments

1/18/11

Yoga – 75 min

I did it. I got my butt to an actual yoga class. I went to RYAH‘s 75-minute Vinyasa class. I loved it! It was just what I needed to ease myself back into yoga – a nice, easy (but not too easy) class. The instructor, Candace, was wonderful and kept going walking around the room correcting everyone. She corrected me quite a few times. And holy pigeon pose! My hips are so tight from running and that felt oh so good. It feels so great to return to yoga. A few years ago, I used to go once or twice a week without fail. I realize now how much I miss it.

No running today but I do have a hysterical YouTube video for you, courtesy of my friend (and marathoner) Amanda. I’ve watched it a few times already and still cry from laughter each time. At around 1:50 it gets personal for me as the guy describes his day. Yup, that’s me. I’m sure many of you can relate…please assure me I’m not the only running nerd.

On deck tomorrow…speed work!

Week 2 Recap + Tempo

January 17, 2011 by Kristy 7 Comments

1/17/11

7 miles tempo

1:00:54

8:42 avg pace

The plan called for 1 mile easy, 5 miles tempo at 8:45 pace, and 1 mile easy. I felt good again and went for it.

Splits:

1 mi easy: 9:21

5 mi tempo: 8:26, 8:17, 8:19, 8:25, 8:24

1 mi easy: 9:39

Yeah! It must have been all those Swedish Fish I ate last night 🙂

Week 2 Recap

Since I started training 1 week early, I modified this week’s schedule a bit…meaning I ditched the speed work.

MON: rest
TUE: 8 mi tempo
WED: 4 mi easy
THU: rest
FRI: 7 mi easy
SAT: 15 mi long
SUN: rest

A total of 34 miles. Seems I had a few too many rest days and no yoga (not even Yoga On Demand!). Hmm…that will be fixed this week. I all ready have my yoga plan mapped out so I don’t fall off the wagon again!

Redemption Run

January 15, 2011 by Kristy 6 Comments

1/15/11

15 miles

2:15

9:00 avg pace

I’m calling this run the Redemption Run after last week’s disastrous 13-miler. It’s amazing what a change in perception can do. Running is very much mind over matter. If you think and believe you can do it, you can. If you let doubt and negative thoughts take over, you won’t achieve your goal no matter how hard you trained. A few years ago during a run I overheard another runner say “if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”. So very true. If only it were that easy. Another great line (from Elizabeth’s blog): it takes years of practice to solidify your head. I’m definitely still working on that one.

My training plan called for 15 miles at 9:31 pace. I felt great so I went with it. I had miles and miles of plowed trails…I was downright giddy 🙂 I was out running a little before 8:00 and it was cold! But there was very little wind so it was bearable. There were also a bunch of like-minded (i.e., crazy) runners out too. Misery loves company.

Splits:

M1 – 9:22

M2 – 9:17

M3 – 9:05

M4 – 9:07

M5 – 9:08 (Shot Blok #1)

M6 – 9:10

M7 – 9:05

M8 – 9:11

M9 – 8:55

M10 – 8:53 (Shot Blok #2…swapped my wet, cold gloves for dry ones – I was a happy camper after that)

M11 – 8:54

M12 – 8:52

M13 – 8:51

M14 – 8:50

M15 – 8:53

I like to see that I sped up during the last 5 miles (must have been the warm, dry gloves at Mile 10).

It was a really pretty run. It’s funny how nice the Schuylkill River looks frozen.

IMG00050-20110115-0930 — I couldn't resist...GO HAWKS!

Next up – a recovery nap followed by some Saturday night shenanigans (partially kidding…I’m old and fast asleep before any shenanigans occur). It’s my friend Steve’s 30th birthday and we are going out to celebrate. It’s nice to know I still have 1 friend that’s turning 30…it makes me feel young!