track fan

44:49. I am feeling so good. Flexibility in my hip and lower back is so much better ... lots of extra time to stretch and the ART therapy has done wonders. One of the things I am planning to work on in the next couple months is getting better leg extension. Because I have problems with my right ankle (my foot points out, both when I run and walk - a function of poor biomechanics and tight hip flexors -- due mostly to the fact that I tore all the ligaments in my ankle when I was 18, it hurt really really bad) my right leg has all sorts of issues and I can't fully extend my leg - and this is why I have problems with PF and my quad. Anyway -- I feel better than have since my last mesocycle of training, and am really looking forward to starting fresh again! I will work on some bounding exercises and am looking for a good way to measure leg extension before and after some strength work ... I was thinking of putting some baking powder on a flat stretch of grass ~ 100 meters long -- and sprinting on it. Then I can measure the distance between strides. I can then do it again in about a month, and again in another month ... to see if the exercises are working. For a good article on hill bounding read this - I prefer to do these on grassy hills, but Dean doesn't think it matters much.

Last night I made a new pasta ... it was very light and tasty. I found this recipe in a magazine at the doctors office, luckily I found it online too (since I left the journal article I was reading at the time, on the role of K-Ras mutation and colon cancer ;-), and where I wrote the recipe, at the office!). Anyway - here it is - herbed veggie and artichoke pasta
(I used fresh beans and canned artichoke hearts, in water)

Have a wonderful Sunday bloggers!

22 miles on my bike (to work and back). UPDATE: Wow, biking is fun. I have to say that I could go much faster than I thought I could, but it took a little longer than I had thought it would (54` each way - for a little longer than 11 miles). When I got off the bike my legs were a little rubbery, but cardiovascularly it was generally easier than running. I say generally because uphill and especially uphill into a headwind was much harder than running. And, can you say "ouch", running can cause pain, but man, almost two hours on a bike seat causes very specific and very point tender pain that is hard to describe -- they don't call it saddlesore for 'nuthing.

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Happy Memorial Day bloggers. 

Today is my scheduled day off (no goose-egg day).  I went for a 60` bike ride.   Mainly because the only way I am going to get "rid" of this saddle sore stuff is by consistent riding ... blah blah blah, Dean says ... blah blah blah (this one is for you Lucia!).  But, he really does know since he had a girlfriend who was a professional bike-racer (he was the team driver for a summer - they just went all over the country racing in stage races).  Anyway ... I got out there.  I have decided that the reason I can go so fast is 1) because I have a nice bike and 2) because I am an obsessive runner who isn't working out unless she is sweating/breathing hard.  

(130.0) 

1:12:46.  Trail run in the Catalina mountains.  I met the group that was introduced to me by the woman that I met in the doctors office last week.  A very nice group of people.   Diverse in terms of running (e.g., marathoners, ultramarathoners, fun runners) and in general.  I was one of the youngest people there (there was one college student that was much younger than the rest of us).  

The trail was pretty nice, a few steep parts, but nice footing (single track with little stones).  Weird things were that we ran up some "stairs" (long hiking path type of stairs) and some of the people walked after the steepest climb (which I didn't really like since we only had 15 mins of the run left), but it was still nice to have company and get to know the trails.

Have a great day bloggers.

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little longer than 4, but not quite 4.5 (37:48). Ran "Dean's loop" today - it is a nice dirt "path" next to a "lush" wash, by Arizona standards. Very pretty out. Funny thing -- I came around a blind corner and seriously - I nearly tripped over a coyote. I swear he looks like the one I saw the other day (from a much further distance) -- I am pretty sure it just that they all look the same to me ;-). I saw this guy with his dog and told them that the coyote was up ahead, he said, "thanks, we are pretty used to them, we just throw rocks -- there are a bunch of them right in here". I can't wait until I see the javelinas!

 I ended up drinking about 2 gallons of water yesterday - I am pretty dehydrated.  In retrospect, the 33 miles I rode on the bike was an interesting lesson -- you actually really have to watch your hydration.  It is so dry here (even dryer than Utah), and when you bike the sweat evaporates as soon as it hits your skin.  You don't feel it - and unlike with running I am not as conscience of drinking - but it catches up with you.  I think the severe muscle craps that I have been having (reference discussion board topic) were really just issues with dehydration.  I am learning! 
 

50:58.  12 x :30 @ faster than 5K effort w/1` recovery.  Felt good to get some leg turnover.  Pretty easy for the first 10 or so (basically a little longer than 100m so more like doing strides really).  I felt much better today than yesterday, I think it is that I am just getting warmed up at 40`  ;-)

Happy Thursday bloggers.  I can't wait until I get this grant finished, no sleep, pretty much very high stress levels all the time, and no running have made me a very jittery person of late!!! 

22 miles on my bike.  I did not realize until last weekend that I did in fact have 2 days scheduled off this week.  I can't say I was happy about it ... but it is ok, I rode my bike (to work and will ride it home) so I burned about 600 calories and it was actually pretty pleasant! I am just excited I have a long run this weekend, yippee.

Have a great day and a good weekend bloggers.

45:50. I don't know exactly how long this run was (well, I don't really know how long any of my runs are except my track workouts and long run) -- it was longer than 5, of that I am sure.  I started off on my "usual" 5 mile route and detoured at the end - it was cool, I found another wash that takes me back to where the other wash begins  ... it meant that I got to run on dirt for about a mile that I would normally have to run on the road.  

So, I have something to tell you about, it is kind of embarrassing.  On Monday I will be interviewed by someone from Runners World on my training.  I guess Greg is writing an article with this woman about different training styles and I am an example of someone who worked (for years) on developing their 5K/10K and half-marathon times before tackling the marathon. 

Happy weekend bloggers.

(my bike ride yesterday was 1:50:25 round trip).