Indoor -cough cough- Track -hack!-

It always sounds like a good idea to run on the indoor track. Avoid the cold! The laps go by so quickly! Bacon!* But it usually ends in me saying "I should have just ran outside".

I went Wednesday night, after telling myself how awesome it would be. It was sooooo hot and dry. Heat rises and the track is on the second floor around the gyms and climbing wall, overlooking the pool on one side. I noticed there was a stairwell door propped open, probably trying to get some cold air flowing in.

I don't know how many laps of insanity = 1 mile, so I just ran for time. My first lap was about 1:10. So then I'd figure out when I would be done with my next lap (2:20...3:30...etc) and check in when I crossed where I started. I was trying to be consistent and steady and give myself something to think about. But I think it made it worse. I sped up and that also threw off my simple addition distraction.

Here is a drawing of what the GPS data could have looked like. Those random loops that seem to go off the path are where I go around people. I was the fastest person on the track! (Never mind I was the only person running).

I made it 20 minutes before I thought my lungs were going to disintegrate into a pile of dust. Then I changed out of my sweaty shirt into a new shirt (which promptly got sweaty from my Already There Sweat) and did some machines.

I did the assisted weight machine in three different positions. The over arm pull-ups, hands rotated perpendicular pull-ups, and dips. I need to come up with better names for these exercises. I just did 1 set of 10 for each. I didn't want to overdo it since I swam farther that morning. It was the perfect amount - sore the next day, but not too bad.

I also did the ab thing where you prop yourself up in the air and lift your legs until you want to puke. Then I did some sit-ups on the incline bench, 15 reps each side of the twisty ab machine, and some planks and stretching.

Thursday after work I ran with R again. We met at Fleet Feet in Blue Ash, and this time it was his turn to fight traffic unfortunately. It was really really cold, but not raining like last week. We tip-toed through the icy and snowy spots for 3 miles. It was an easy 10:30 pace that really couldn't have been any faster since the sidewalks are still snowy/icy.

Saturday morning is the Jingle Bell run! It is going to be cold, and probably snowing. Snow will be great. Ice not so much. I hope the weather holds out!




* Bacon is not actually in any way affiliated with the indoor track (unfortunately).

Swimmin'

Today's swim workout was a bit longer than I have been doing, especially considering that I only swam once last week. 1700 yards.

250 yard warmup
6 x 25 pull drills. I should learn some more drills.
4 x 150 (50 build, 25 descend, 50 build, 25 descend). These were all around 3:35. I rested about :30.
4 x 25 kicks
6 x 50 sprints. These were about :57 each. I rested about :40 - :45 between each, except 3 and 4...I took a bigger break there. The last one was my fastest.
4 x 25 kicks
200 cool down - freestyle and breast stroke. Because I hate cooling down and do anything to make it more interesting.

I looked into swimming lessons. It looks like there is an Intermediate small group class that I may try which starts in January. They are only a half hour long and have about 4 people in the class. I know I must be doing a lot wrong and don't want to get in too many bad habits. Hopefully this will help. They also have private lessons, but I think I'll try the group first.

I'm about to head over to the Community Center for some fun, dry, boring indoor track fun! I have to work and I'm sure the sidewalks are treacherous still, so R and I are running tomorrow evening.

Then on Saturday is the Jingle Bell run on my birthday! Woohoo!

A New Week

Last week was pretty weak in consistency terms. I had some weird work stuff come up and also succumbed to cold dreary days. It was a really easy week. I swam, I biked (spinning) and I ran (hilly hills again). But all just once each. Suck.

Sooooo I'm happy for the new week. Today I did an easy base interval swim session:
Warmed up 250
6 x 25 pull drills (which really were not too great - I was all out of balance)
4 x 100 with a LOT of rest in between (:30 - 1:00, ug)
8 x 25 kicks
2 x 25 fast
200 cool down

I was still sore from our go-karting session on Saturday evening, but thought the swimming would help loosen me up, and it did. My breathing wasn't too stellar - the 4 x 100s were really tough. I think I've lost my endurance in the pool, and maybe everywhere.

Tonight after work I ran. I was supposed to do 34 minutes with 14 x :30 all out with :30 recovery in between. I warmed up a mile then started on them. It was dark, but with all of the snow on the ground, I thought it would be light enough. It was light enough to run and see where I was going, but eventually I couldn't see my watch anymore. And no, it doesn't have a light. It's a cheap-o Armitron that has recently come back from the dead after fizzling out Thanksgiving day. After about 7 of the intervals, I just started counting to the rhythm of my breaths up to 45. I figured my breaths were a bit quicker than a second apart, so 45 was the adjustment. This was MUCH better since I didn't have to struggle to see in the dark while bouncing. I did something around 14; I kept losing track, but I'm sure I did at least 14. Then I ran easy for the remainder of the time to 30 minutes. I decided I couldn't see well enough anymore, and there were plenty of patches of wet road that had turned to ice...4 minutes wasn't worth sliding.

Now I am utterly beat. I don't know what has been going on with me lately, but I am always tired. I know I'm not sleeping too well, so maybe that's part of it. It feels like I'm sick, that same worn out feeling...but I'm not. Who knows, maybe it's just the weather.

Tomorrow is spinning and I really really really hope it's an hour on the bike and no stupid abs. I'll do abs and arms afterwords though. I'm excited to get back to the strength routine that I started...um...last Saturday.

The State of the Muscles Address

During my Thanksgiving Break Reflection Time (TBRT), I came to the conclusion that I do in fact need to do strength work. I am a confessed weakling.

Me: "Hi, my name is Steph. I'm trying to do triathlons, but I can't do a pushup."
Audience: "Hi, Ste– bwaaaaaahahahahahaahahaha!!!"


Last Saturday I lifted. I found some machines and non-machines that seemed to work the same areas as swimming muscles and I did a little bit, or what I thought was a little bit. But it turns out I am really starting at the bottom and I still am so sore. It is three days later and I tried to lift again after spinning this morning. I couldn't do much more than look at the machines though. I tried and it was no good. So I just looked at the machines a little longer, had some nice words with the assisted dip/pull-up machine ("today I'm going to set it to ALL my weight and just take a little ride, mmk?") and went home.

I'm pretty excited though. I can only get stronger if I stick with it! Maybe I'll try again Thursday.

Thanksgiving Week

The week was, as I expected, hit and miss with workouts and chock full of eating :)  But it's ok. The previous week wasn't much of a recovery week thanks to my hilly long run with the Dav-Huffs. I'm actually fine with how it's gone this week. I feel like I've learned a bunch these past 5 weeks and am excited for December.

Some things I've learned:
1. Eating and Hunger. My appetite has been through the roof. This week I finally felt like I wasn't hungry a lot...but I also only did a few workouts, so I guess that's why. I'm not gaining weight, but I'm not losing anymore either. I guess I'll need to cut back some more calories.

2. Swimming. It continues to be a struggle. However, I know where I need to get stronger before I start worrying about never getting better at swimming. My core and upper body is so very weak.

3. Biking. I am cruising through biking ok right now. Nothing is changing here at the moment and that's ok. I've settled into the Tuesday spinning class and alternating Saturdays with spinning or riding at home with a run afterwords when I feel like it.

4. Running. It was rough running with E and R through the hilly neighborhoods. I got pretty down about my fitness, but realized I had no business thinking I'd be suddenly good out of nowhere when I haven't been working on running all that much. I think that's going to come in December.

5. Overall Strength. I am so weak. I have endurance, but I don't have strength or power. I've decided in December I'm going to work on weights and building some power. I think it will be fun!


So...December is going to be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing some improvements and feeling good! When it gets crazy around the holidays, so be it. I'll do what I can. But first is the Jingle Bell run on my birthday! It's hard to say how it will go. I would be elated with 9s. We'll see, it will be fun to run no matter what.

Spinning + an eventual run

The end of the week again got difficult. I think for a while I'm just going to roll with this. I have no problem swimming on Friday mornings, but getting a run in has been challenging for some reason. I've changed things up by moving the run to Saturday instead (when I also bike).

The first time I did that, it was a true "brick," where I changed as fast as I could after an hour on my trainer and started running on weird after-biking legs. This past Saturday it was more of just a bike....(doobie-doooooo)....then a run. I went to the gym for a spinning class. I cooled down in the class, stretched with everyone, etc. Then after I cleaned off my bike, I went down to my locker and changed into my running shoes, walked back upstairs, and ran on the indoor track for 20 minutes. It was interesting how much the time break made a difference with how my legs felt. I was a little tired from the class, but I didn't feel so disconnected with my legs. I guess this is just proof for how important the brick exercise is to get yourself used to pushing right after the bike.

The class Saturday morning was a good one...and crowded! I counted 35 people in the mirror. It was like a big Saturday morning group ride, except stinky. We did a "running" class, where all of our intervals involved a lot of running and pushing in position 2. I liked how short the intervals were. It wasn't easy, but it was nice to change what we were doing so often.

As mentioned above, I ran after the class. The indoor track is, I don't know, a tenth of a mile per lap? It can get pretty mind-numbing, but I still prefer it to the treadmill. It was a few laps before I settled in to a pace. Half of the track was cool (the part around the climbing wall and big atrium area) and the other half back by the basketball courts was HOT. It felt like I was running by a heater blasting hot air, and maybe that was the case since the track is up high near the court ceilings. It was a strange sensation.

This morning I haven't done anything yet because I'm getting some invoicing done. I'm going to brave the pool crowd at 11. And then I suppose I will go shopping for Thanksgiving! Running today is going to be really chilly and I'm dreading it.

Hills and hills (and hills)

Wednesday evening I met some friends in Oakley and we ran through that area and Hyde Park. Um....hills. So many of them. Long ones, tall ones, steep ones, neat ones.  It was supposedly about a 4.5 mile route...but we ran for 56 minutes and I am pretty certain we didn't go that slow.

I did slow down a lot on the hills though. It just takes everything out of me and I can't breathe. It was a great wakeup call to the fact that my usual terrain is not very challenging at all.

It was difficult to not feel very disappointed with how hard the run was. After all, I've been "working out all the time" according to people that mostly see what I do on Facebook. I think I had a false sense of fitness, that I was going to tromp all over those hills like they were nuthin'. I'm getting stronger, yes. But in reality, I haven't been training that distance nor that kind of terrain. And I'm already not a gifted runner. So, patience and more work, young grasshopper.

I am certainly feeling it in my legs. Quads and inside my thighs. No achilles pain though, so that's great!
Thursday I didn't do anything. Figured it wouldn't hurt to take a day off. Friday I swam, but am going to cram some running and biking into Saturday morning again. It's really hard to do a workout Friday afternoon, I'm learning. Maybe the accumulation of the week both physically and mentally.

I'm so anxious to run more miles. I want to get out to Miami Whitewater and do the 8 mile loop. Soon. Soon.