Lulu's Challenge... rise from the ashes

July 2007

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Location:

La,USA

Member Since:

Jul 09, 2007

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Half Marathon Finish

Short-Term Running Goals:

1. To run six days a week consistently

2. To run more than 40 miles a week.

3. To run from the stress of my work situation.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
44.9021.213.000.000.0069.11
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Rest day. Hopefully Jeff is resting too.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Three miles today. This is a recovery week. But I can't record it! Jeff decided that we need to start on Sunday July 15th. So here is a little background on the situation:

I met Jeff on my first day of work over 8 years ago. He's been one of my best friends ever since. He showed up at my office pushing one of his colleagues in her office chair! They were so excited that someone close to their age had been hired. Jeff fixed my computer that day and invited me to lunch with some folks. We've been great friends ever since. He even traveled more than 1400 miles to attend my wedding. Jeff and I have many common interests. We spend time talking about good nutrition and anything related to that. We also spend a lot of time trying to figure out why people we know act the way they do, and then we end up in philisophical discussions on the nature of people. He also spends a lot of time telling me that I am addicted to chocolate! Yeah, but it is really GOOD chocolate.

Jeff thinks I am crazy. He doesn't see how anyone can run as much as I do. He and my husband spend some of  their time together discussing how crazy Lulu is! Jeff exercises, but not super consistently, I think. He needed some motivation. He needed a challenge. I needed to know that I had to complete my scheduled runs. I am training for Chicago marathon in October. I will also be cycling a metric century race the week before and the week after the marathon. I need to be fit!

So here's how the challenge went down. Jeff and I met for lunch last Friday. I handed him a postcard that read "You suck, Love, Lulu" on one side. On the other side, I wrote up the challenge. Whoever gets to 750 miles (probably around Jan 15, 2008) first wins. We haven't come up with a prize yet, but it will probably be dinner or a gift certificate to the local running apparel and shoes store. The catch is I have to run all the miles I log. Jeff can cover them by walking or cycling. My cycling won't count.

Jeff thought about the challenge over the weekend and has officially accepted. I've told him that he "sucks." He knows it. Actually, what he really needs is encouragement to beat me! So please get on the blog and comment to encourage him. He is supposed to set up his own blog, and we will figure out how to link them here.

Let the challenge begin July 15, 2007!

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Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Ran 6.5 miles this morning (not in the mileage field because the challenge hasn't started yet). It was difficult to do the whole run, and it was not because it was 5am and hot and humid. I found out why when I got home and weighed myself. I lost more than 3 pounds during the run. I usually weigh myself before and after runs to determine how much I need to replenish. >3 pounds is excessive and accounts for how I felt. I will spend today rehydrating for tomorrow.

Jeff is getting excited about the challenge.

4 days until the challenge officially starts!

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Ran 4 miles on a 4.3 mile course. The last 0.3 miles I often cool down and do plyometrics. This is a recovery week so it was an easy run. I lost about 2.5 pounds during this run, but felt ok. The water is just pouring off of me when I am out there and when I get home. This is what they mean when they say it is the dog days of summer.

I now have two things to think about when I run: the marathon I am training for (Chicago) and the Challenge. Today I spent most of the run thinking about the marathon which is less than three months away. I wonder how fit I will be as there are so many variables. I didn't think much about the challenge, even though it is less than 3 days away!

3 days until Lulu and Jeff's Friendly Fitness Challenge Starts!

Got my Nike + Ipod kit today. It is very cool all the stuff that little device will do. I also got a new camelbak. Jeff is going to feel like he has a mountain to climb when he starts seeing my mileage entries.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.000.000.000.000.000.00

Today is a rest day. If Jeff does any walking or biking today, he will be ahead.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.300.000.000.000.004.30

Ran 4.3 miles with some plyometrics (skipping, bounding etc). Last week's recovery schedule did the job for my legs. They feel good. It is good to start the challenge when my legs aren't "trashed"! Watch out Jeff!

Running plans for the rest of the week (so Jeff knows what to expect):

1 easy day: this week there is 4 miles scheduled. This day is fexible but probably will be Tuesday.

Wednesday: 8 miles with 6 Yassos. What are Yassos? Well, I love these things - maybe not when I am doing them, but the results are amazing. Bart Yasso came up with this idea a number of years ago that if you take your goal marathon time in hours and minutes (say 4 hours, no minutes - 4:00:00), and convert it directly to minutes and seconds (so it would be 4 minutes, no seconds - 4:00) and use that to run 800m intervals (so 1 800 in 4:00) and you do 10 of these with an equal rest interval (4:00) three weeks or so before your marathon, that it is a strong predictor of your actual marathon time. I have successfully used these in the past, and I say he is right! Incidentally, I ran my second fastest marathon (fastest in the last 18 years) at Houston in 2005 after doing these Yassos and the modified Higdon workouts described below. Yeah, so what you say? I had appendicitis during that marathon! I had emergency surgery soon after. Ok about the Yassos: I take it a bit further in that about two months ago, I started with 1 800m interval and have now built to six. These make for a tough workout, but the results are going to be there for me in Chicago in October. In mid September, I will be able to do ten 800m intervals with appropriate rest within a 10 mile run. This will predict my marathon finish time, very accurately.

Thursday: rest or cross train.

Friday: 8 mile pace run. A run at marathon pace.

Saturday: 14 miles with the first 10 about a minute slower than planned marathon pace and the last 4 miles close to marathon pace if I feel good. This long run following the "pace run" the day before is following methods set by Hal Higdon. I believe the idea is to get the body to run 20+ miles within 24 hours to properly teach the body to run when it is tired. It works!

I'll probably ride my bike in the hills on Sunday which provides me a great recovery but doesn't count for the challenge.

So I talked with Jeff on the phone today and he reported that he had biked 4.3 miles! I thought "Wow, what a coincidence! We did the same mileage today." Oh no, that was for yesterday. And, he had already done some biking today and would probably do some more tonight. This challenge has certainly ensured that I get out of bed in the morning and put in the miles. This morning I really thought about changing my alarm and running this evening. But, I thought, what happens if there is an afternoon storm with lightning? I'll run when it is pouring rain, but I don't run in lightning. So I dragged myself out of bed and ran. Thanks Jeff!

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Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.500.000.000.000.004.50

Ran 4.5 this morning. Calibrated my Nike+ shoe pod. This device is very cool. I won't have to wear a watch when I have my Ipod with me. The shoe doodad communicates with my Ipod and shows me how far I have gone and my pace. I was thinking about getting a GPS and now I don't have to. Best $30 my Mom has spent on running gear for me (B'day present).

I must be getting used to the heat and humidity finally. I am still losing a couple of pounds per run but not as bad. Also I am getting used to the TICKLE of all that sweat running off of all parts of me.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
5.000.003.000.000.008.00

6 Yassos (800 m) within a 8 mile run. These 6 seemed easier than when I had to do 4. Last one was one of the fastest.

I almost put these off until the evening. I woke up and turned on the weather channel to see if I would be promised good weather later in the day. No promises of good weather so I dragged myself out there. I knew that Jeff was potentially ahead of me in mileage so I got it done. I am glad. 

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Today is a rest day.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.006.000.000.000.006.00

Ran a 6 mile pace run this morning. I was supposed to run 8 but I started too late. I had time run 7 but I chose to run 6. I will try to do two more tonight. I figured I had a higher chance of going out and running two miles tonight than one. That's why I ran 6 instead of 7. We'll see. Maybe I will decide six is good enough. Tomorrow is my long run -- 14 miles. My legs feel great. Recovery week last week did the job. It is amazing how much fitness I gain during a recovery week.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
14.000.000.000.000.0014.00

Ran 14 miles this morning. I felt great until the last half mile. It was a bit of a struggle but it wasn't anything that a little bit of concentration couldn't overcome. I am gaining fitness.

I never ran the last two from yesterday. I didn't feel that great.

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Rode my bike about 38 miles in the hills today. This is a great way for me to recover from a long run. About 7 miles into the ride, I was ready to hammer, and I did! Legs feel great. Looking forward to this week's training. I know this mileage doesn't count for the challenge. But it is fun anyway!

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I had 4 miles on my schedule, but this turned out to be a rest day. Bubbles (my daughter) was running a fever, and I had a major headache.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.300.000.000.000.004.30

Ran 4.3. Well, I really ran 4 miles and did 0.3 miles of plyometrics. The plyometrics are getting easier. Tomorrow I am supposed to run 7 Yassos during an 8 mile run. I should feel good enough. I could not have done them this morning. By the end of today's run, my legs felt much better. I had some sore places. Friday is a pace run and Saturday I run 15 miles.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.002.000.000.000.006.00

This morning's workout was supposed to be 8 miles with 7 Yassos (800m repeats). Obviously, that did not happen. In the first mile it was very apparent that the Yassos were not going to happen. I was very hungry. So I immediately abandoned the idea of the 800m repeats and thought I would do some "quality" miles and still run the full 8 miles. As the run continued, I got hungrier. I normally will eat something right before I run, but I was running a few minutes late this morning and wanted to get in all 7 Yassos and all 8 miles. Also, the speed of the Yassos tend to make me queasy if I eat too much before or eat between the repeats. For me, nutrition is a huge part of my running. My metabolism is so fast I have to eat before almost any run and also during any run over 6 or 7 miles. I should have known there was no way what I tried to do this morning was going to work.

At the 4 mile turn-around point I felt okay. By 5.2 miles I was suffering and dizzy. I had already figured out that I also probably did not eat enough yesterday (duh!). I ran to 6 miles and cut the course short and walked home. I drank a recovery drink and felt fine. I usually don't run without breakfast, much less 8 miles with speed work. Lesson learned.

I will probably move my pace run to tomorrow morning. I normally do it on Friday, the day before my long run. However, Friday I have to fast after 9:30pm Thursday for a nutrition study in which I am participating. I know that after today trying to run a pace run with no breakfast would be a disaster. Also afterward, without being able to refuel, I would probably take someone's head off! The 15 miler the next day would suffer. I really did learn something this morning!

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
3.502.000.000.000.005.50

BONK!

I don't have much to say. I need to eat more today and tomorrow. I was supposed to run 8. I had to cut the course short and walk home. I thought I ate well yesterday, but I realize now I should have eaten more. I was quite distracted as someone stole my bank card number and cleaned out my checking account yesterday. That made my adrenaline run all day.

Tomorrow is another day. I need to prepare carefully for 15 Saturday.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
1.003.210.000.000.004.21

Ran four mile pace run this morning. Considering that I fasted for a nutrition study overnight (so no breakfast before the run) and my previous two days' bonks, I ran well. However, I am considering doing an eight mile pace run tomorrow and save the 15 miler for Sunday. Our church has a service Saturday evening so running Sunday morning, I won't miss anything. Several reasons for this change: I have to be home early tomorrow so my husband can leave the house by 8am, make sure my nutrient stores are right after bonking twice this week and then fasting for about 16 hours for the nutrition study, and this would give me the correct distance pace run before the 15 miler to maximize the training affect.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.008.000.000.000.008.00

Finally back on track! Pace run today felt great. I was a bit thirsty at the end. Will run 15 tomorrow.

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I was planning to run 15 this morning but didn't. Bubbles is still quite sick and needed her Mommy. Also, my throat felt a little funny early this morning and then fine a couple of hours later. I sat funny reading the paper last night, as my husband pointed out when I was doing it. He said "Honey, does your back hurt?" I said, "no, why?" Then he pointed out that he thought I was sitting like it hurt. Yeah, well my sciatic hurt when I got up. My piriformis was very tight and it affected my whole left leg. I used my electrostim machine and soaked in Epsom salts and felt better. It was still a little tingling this morning. All reasons not to run a big run. My body was talking to me and I listened.

I will adjust the schedule this week based on all the weird stuff that happened this last week. The changes and today's rest should make for a good week of training.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.300.000.000.000.004.30

Ran 4.3 easy with Bubbles in her Chariot this evening. It is easy to run a nice mellow workout with her. It does require a bit of extra work on the part of my hamstrings, but her company is nice. No Ipod, no watch, just Bubbles, the Chariot, and me. Usually she falls asleep somewhere between the first and second mile and at some point I realize I have been chatting with a sleeping baby for the last half mile :-). Today, I finally bamboozled her at about 3 miles. She is still quite sick, but I think the fresh air was good for her. She was very happy when we finished. Tomorrow, we see the doc to make sure it is just a stomach virus that has been hanging on for more than a week.  Anyway, this run felt GREAT!

This week I have 7 Yassos, a five or six mile pace run and the 15 mile run I was suppposed to run last weekend. I hope it is enough to stay ahead of Jeff. He's really starting to put in the miles.

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Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
44.9021.213.000.000.0069.11
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