I thought my legs felt pretty good...until I started running on them. Yeah, I'm sore. My calves, mainly. It felt good to do a little shake out run on the treadmill though. I would have gone outside but it was -8 degrees in Boulder this morning. The forecast for today is "a high of 0 degrees." Isn't that kind-of an oxymoron?
After a nice run and a bunch of dynamic stretching I picked my kids up in child care and we had a snack together before heading to Ali's gymnastics class. I had a blast in gymnastics playing with Ali. We stayed for the "free play" time after her class and played tag, practiced our forward rolls and bar flips, and ran and jumped around the room together. This song came on over the iPod speakers...I think it is physically impossible NOT to dance to this song whenever I hear it. Reminds me of being in 5th grade cruising around town in our old 1976 Chevy Nova with my Sister who had just turned 16. My sister had that same exact hairstyle too, by the way.
Wow, its amazing what a little rest and easy running can do. My soreness has rapidly improved since Sunday. I was even a little antsy to push the pace a little this morning. Did 6X30 second strides after a few miles. This run was on the treadmill since we are still experiencing record cold here in Boulder. It think the temp was in the negatives all morning. Its deceiving though because it is SO sunny and nice outside! Today is supposed to be the last day of cold and then we'll get back up to our usual mid-40s for February.
I saw a funny scene in the women's locker room this morning. A woman who must have been in her late 60s, very thin and healthy looking in her birthday suit, stepped on the scale and gasped "WHAAAAAT??!" As if to say, "I gained weight?!?!" Then quickly commented afterwards, "Oh yeah, I forgot that I ate breakfast this morning." Hahahaha....maybe you had to be there but I almost laughed out loud because she was just talking to herself but to me passing by it sounded hilarious. Maybe after menopause you can pretty much plateau on your weight and predict within .1 lb what you will weigh each day, but I personally fluctuate 3-4 lbs on a daily basis, which is why I rarely weigh myself. If I slowly start to notice my jeans fitting tighter, I eat healthier. If I have to cinch the belt buckle another hole tighter, I figure I must be eating a little too healthy and I should bake a cake. That's my weight management plan.
One more run on the treadmill at FAC this morning since the temp was still pretty low (7 degrees) and I figured I'd get a better workout inside. My legs are feeling GREAT!! I think I'm almost completely recovered from the race and ready to rock and roll again.
P.M. 4 miles in 7:00 pace
Went outside for this run. It was a gorgeous 33 degrees and snowing!! Felt like I was in Hawaii after those few days with negative temps. Looking forward to getting back up into the high 40 degree temps here soon.
We took the kids to see Jeff Kagen and Paige Doughty (I love how their website is so Boulder-esque) last night and a good time was had by all. It was nice to meet Jeff and Paige and introduce our kids to them. They sure do a great job entertaining kids. And the best part...their concert was FREE! Can't get better than that!!
I was going to venture off the treadmill for the second time this week but it just looked super slick and icy everywhere still. Decided one more day on the treadmill was okay. I downloaded some new songs for my iPod before heading to FAC to help mix things up a bit.
20 minute warm up, stretching, strides
6X3 minutes at 5:45-5:50 pace with 90 seconds easy between each.
10 minute cool down
Felt pretty fabulous! I'm really pleased with how well my legs have recovered!!
For our date night tonight, Aaron and I are shopping for a new mattress. You all would be disgusted if you knew how old our current mattress is. In fact, I don't even know how old it is. Quite possibly older than me....it was a hand-me-down. Gross, I know. It has served us well and now its time for it to hit the curb. Anyone have a brand of mattress they love and would recommend? I'm pretty enticed by the Tempupedic. I mean, who wouldn't be enticed by by THIS..
Got my miles in early so I could attend the Boulder Stake Women's Conference this morning. It was a fabulous program where the highlight speaker was one of my favorite LDS women, Sheri Dew. Sister Dew spoke about being an influential person (helping others), keeping our focus on Jesus Christ and not being distracted by things that don't matter. She also spoke about choosing to be happy amidst less than ideal circumstances, and seeking God's help in performing our individual "missions" here on Earth. I took 7 (SEVEN!) pages of notes and couldn't stop nodding in agreement with everything she was saying...it was awesome!! My favorite part was when she said, "As we try desperately to do what we were sent here to do, we will be fulfilled and happy. God will give us what we need to accomplish what we were sent here to do." I believe this with all my heart and I also join her in the conviction that true peace, happiness, and fulfillment in life comes through following Jesus Christ. After the program I went over to meet Sheri and thank her for her thoughts and wisdom. What an awesome lady!!
Up at 6 a.m. for snow shoveling and car scraping. We got dumped on last night so I opted to do this workout on the treadmill at FAC instead of meeting the group at East Boulder Community Park. I even talked Aaron into joining me at FAC and forever tainted his deeply held anti-treadmill conviction.
20 minute warm up, stretching, strides
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Fartlek with 60 seconds easy between 1 & 2 minute intervals, 90 seconds easy between the 3 minute intervals, and 2 minutes easy between the 4 & 5 minute intervals. 1 & 2 minute intervals were 5:30-5:35 pace (last one faster) and 3, 4, & 5 minute intervals were 5:42-5:50 pace. Did that make any sense at all? Well it was a good workout.
10 minute cool down
Dynamic stretching with Aaron in the yoga room afterwards.
Showered, ate a half a bagel with a yoplait yogurt, drank a water bottle full of Ultragen, and got bundled up again to go back out in the 6 degree snow storm.
Saw Coach D in the foyer of FAC as we were leaving and chatted for a few minutes but had to leave for my massage appointment at 9 a.m. and it was already 9:10 a.m. The massage directly after the hard workout was genius. I think I'm going to do that more often.
Had a nice visit with my good friend Tread Mill this morning. Of course we didn't have much to say to each other since I had just visited him yesterday morning. Fan, who is generally kind and enjoyable company, was being unusually crude and unpleasant. I can't blame her for at least trying to keep it clean despite the sweaty, stinky man blocking our path. Just as I was waving goodbye to FAC, Sunshine overbearingly attacked me and I had to quickly get a hold of Ms. Sun Glass, who is always a nice buffer. Mr. Temperature is still repressing us with his negative morning temper, but at least we can count on good ol' Sunshine to warm Temperature's mood a little. Its also nice to see Sunshine working so persistently at inviting Icy Path and Snow Bank to kindly leave. Forecast told me last night that Mr. Temperature should be in a better mood by the weekend, thank goodness!
Went to Abe's class Valentine's Day breakfast at 8 a.m. and enjoyed chatting with and getting to know many of the other parent's and children in his class as well as his fun and friendly teachers. The breakfast was pot luck and there were lots of yummy things on the table. I tried not to overdo it since I was heading straight to FAC for my workout afterwards, but I have to admit, I took my plate with a few extra things on it to eat after my workout.
Went to FAC and finally got the girls checked in and myself dressed and ready to run by 9:40 a.m.
20 minute warm up, stretching, strides
4X8 minutes w/odds at 5:50 pace and evens at 5:40 pace. 2 minutes jog between each.
4 minute cool down
I would have liked to jog a little longer of a cool down but I was pressed for time to get Ali to her gymnastics class on time so I opted for a few minutes of stretching rather than my full 10 minute jog cool down. Then I very quickly showered and dressed and as I was leaving I saw Coach D and Mary (RRB teammate) chatting in the foyer so of course I had to stop and say Hi. Needless to say, I didn't get Ali to gymnastics on time. No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to get Ali and Bre to gymnastics on time. I really need to plan better and just give myself more time at FAC. Okay, new resolution starting now...I WILL get Ali and Bre to their gymnastics class on time!! Except for when I don't. Because sometimes I wont. C'est la vie.
Anyway, while Ali did her gymnastics class, Bre and I went to get some bagel sandwiches in the sandwich shop next door and came back to eat them while we watched Ali, who scarfed her sandwich directly after class. A good time was had by all.
This afternoon after picking Abe up from school I dropped him off at home to play with his sisters while Aaron worked (which turned out to be the type of work that includes cleaning up blood nose mess, consoling bawling children, and cuddling with recently woken up children). I went back to FAC to meet Colleen for a session in the weight room. She incorporated many new lifts/movements I had never done before and I was pretty pumped (you know, that arm trembling feeling) afterwards. The best part about my sessions with Colleen though is simply the fact that I get to hang out and chat with rock star and running legend Colleen De Reuck for an hour. Pretty fun and inspiring if you ask me.
Well, that was NOT the most fun I have ever had on a long run. It started out pretty awesome in the gorgeous 43 degree sunshine. My legs were somewhat tired from yesterday's workout and weights, but they loosened up after a couple of miles. I got into a groove early and felt confident that the run would go well. Aaron and the kids drove out to mile 8 (seeing my smiling family was the highlight of my run) and gave me a bottle of EFS electrolyte drink, so I drank about 100 calories of that at mile 8. I went out to the 10.5 mile turn around and stopped briefly to visit the bushes. Stopped again on my way back at mile 13 to take in a strawberry Clif Shot and the other 100 calories of EFS.
My energy felt great, legs felt strong, mental tenacity was pushing me right along. And then, right around mile 15 my stomach started twisting into knots and my head and back of my neck started tingling. I had to stop to fertilize the trees two more times in the final six miles.
At mile 16 I forced down another few calories of liquid shot and some water but my stomach was NOT happy with me. I didn't pick up the pace at all in the final few miles, I was lucky to hold on to 6:50 pace as I brainstormed what could possibly be the cause of this annoying stomach and head problem.
At first I wanted to blame it on the 25 mg of caffeine in the Clif Shot I had taken at mile 13. Then I thought maybe it was the fact that I ate too much cheese with my dinner last night. I'm coming to the conclusion lately that cheese and my stomach are not terribly good friends. Then with a mile to go I started thinking about my kids and husband back home and I remembered yesterday evening and the hour or so of time spent with my Son, Abe giving him a back rub to help comfort him through his own stomachache and headache. Over the past 24 hours I've had lots of close contact with him, washed his stinky sheets, given him a bath, and wiped his bloody/snotty nose many times. And now that I'm finished with my run and I'm sitting here with a rumbling tummy unable to eat anything more than chicken noodle soup and Emergen-C, its clear to me what the problem was in those final 5 miles...good ol' fashion stomach bug.
We've called off all our plans for today and Abe and I both will be taking naps and resting ih hopes that we can recover and feel better by tomorrow.
7 a.m. Met some RRB-ers, some Boulder Striders, and Coach D at FAC. It was a nice group of 10-12 runners out on a gorgeous, sunny (slightly windy) 47 degree morning.
22 minute warm up, stretching, uphill strides
6X4 minutes steady controlled hill repeats (2:05 up/1:55 down) Lehigh Street with 1:45 recovery between each. The last 2 minutes down was actually 4.5 minutes down because Coach told us to keep going all the way back down past our stretching spot. My pace was between 5:47-6:11 pace on the ups and 4:56-5:13 pace on the downs.
A nice 18 minute cool down with Katie. Quick shower and a massage with Erin afterwards. She focussed on my lower legs and my right ankle which seemed to be tight in the workout.
Now I'm home and I just checked my email to see the interview by Peter Gambaccini is already finished and posted. He called me yesterday morning just after I finished cleaning the entire house and had to put Ali in time out for not letting me change her poopy diaper. I told him I would have to call him back after my 2 yo stopped screaming and let me change her diaper. I was a little distracted on the phone with a sulking 2 yo following me around but Peter did a great job cutting out any of my extra meaningless blab and captured the essence of my responses quite well.
What I do remember about today was that I got two very well received boxes of Nike clothing/gear on my doorstep via Fed Ex. Courtesy of Mr. Bob Gordon (my agent). Thanks Bobby!
I was supposed to run 14 miles today. Couldn't do it. I spent the morning playing in the pool and hot tub with the kids, getting the kids bathed, dressed, fed, and driving to the finish line for the Red Hot 50K to cheer Aaron in. Watched the race finishers and chatted with Cody's wife, Bethany for about an hour until Aaron and Cody came in and we took some pics. The kids were climbing all around the red rock and having a grand old time. I finally left for my run at 2 p.m. and planned to run from the finish area back to our hotel and then add on. Started off feeling pretty good. Got into a groovy pace and felt a little tail wind for the first 5 miles or so. Then I turned onto the highway that leads south into Moab and it was a death march from there on in. 30-40 mph headwind, light rain, and my sudden realization that I should have eaten more and drank a LOT more water during my busy morning. The hot tub was probably the major contributor to my energy zap and dehydration problem. I stopped at around mile 8 to guzzle water from the sink in a Denny's restaurant. I thought about asking them for a cup of Coke to get me home but chickened out. By the time I got to my hotel my mileage was at 11 miles for the day and I was finished. Spent. Kaput. So I called it at day.
The good news is that despite the wind and rain, Aaron ROCKED his race!!! Big PR and nice finish place too!
Slept in (7 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.), played games with the kids, went to church, had a nice lunch, took the kids to Arches National Park, and enjoyed a peaceful day together.
Parachute run. Its official. February is "month of wind."
True story: Last week I made a new friend at a Relief Society meeting (I know, hard to believe.) She is from Oklahoma and claims to "love" wind. "Really???" I asked her. "You love wind? WHY???" "Oh, I don't know, it just makes me feel alive!" "Reminds me of home."
Wow. I must need an attitude change then because wind makes me feel like laying down and dying.
Easy recovery run from FAC. Busy day today taking care of odds and ends...oil change, shipping boxes of things to various people, laundry, and finishing cleaning up the dishes and kitchen from yesterday's cookfest (I made pork barbacoa burritos AND cinnamon rolls for Aaron on his birthday yesterday and it left my kitchen so messy I just didn't have the energy to clean it all last night).
A.M. Coach called me at 7:30 a.m. to change the workout spot from Fairview track (which is covered in snow) to the treadmills at FAC. I was happy to oblige since going out to the track all alone in a 19 degree snowstorm sounded much less enticing than meeting Darren, Colleen, and Simon at FAC for a 68 degree shorts run.
As it turns out, the "dreadmill" is much less dreadfull when you have a.) friends to run with, b.) interval work to break up the mundane pace, and c.) an upbeat song on your iPod to push you through challenging moments. Luckily for me, I had all three of these things this morning and my workout (which could have been very challenging on my own), went quite well.
I finally got dressed and running by 8:20 a.m. and saw Kristen Fryburg-Zaits so I jumped on the mill next to her. We had a nice chat through my warm up as she finished up her run. She is getting back into base training again after PRing in the Houston Marathon and taking two weeks off.
I stretched and did my strides as Kristen finished up her run and Colleen jumped on her mill, with Simon next to her. As I started my first set of intervals, Coach D came up to say Hi, watch my foot strike (since I just got new orthotics), and give me some "coaching." Simon gave me some of his usual trash talk, something about how he's so easily keeping up with me yet his heart rate is SO much lower, lol. 11 mph vs. 8 mph does usually induce a difference in heart rate, Simon.
The workout went well. Challenging at times, but I got through it.
3 X (800M, 1600M, 800M) 90 seconds easy after the first 800, 2 minutes easy after the mile, 3 minutes easy between sets.
First 800 M of each set was at 5:33 pace, mile was at 5:33-5:36 pace, and second 800 M was at 5:18 pace. Essentially, 6 miles of 5:18-5:36 paced running. The final 800 M may have been slightly faster as I bumped up the pace for the final couple of minutes.
10 minute cool down chat with Colleen, dynamic stretching, cold bottle of Ultragen, and a Luna Bar. Drove home to relieve our sitter, load the kids in the van, and take Ali to Gymnastics class. Got lunch with Abe and Bre at Big Daddy's Bagel and ate it while we watched Ali.
Tired legs, but mental energy, stomach, and stamina felt good. I stopped by Fairview track on my way home just as the RRBers were finishing up their cool down. It was fun to say hi to some RRBers as I finished up my run. Ever since Coach D moved my workout to Friday and long run to Saturday I miss catching up with my RRB friends on Saturdays. At least I still get to see them all on Tuesdays and I get to work out with Simon, Collen, Katie, and sometimes others on Fridays.
On another note, last night here in Boulder, Aaron and I attended a nutrition seminar put on by Robert Kunz, head genius at First Endruance. I learned a TON about the proper use of all their products and was enlightened by the potential benefits of other products I have not been using. Robert is a sports nutrition expert and has been the dietitian and nutrition advisor for some of the world's best triathletes and cyclists (Alberto Contador, for example.)
The products that First Endurance have created are based on years of research sudies and feedback from pro athletes. They are very picky about their manufacturing and insure that all of their products are 100% USADA approved. While their products currently cater somewhat to cyclists, triathletes, and ultra runners, I have become hooked and reaped benefits of using them as well. Today I used the EFS electrolyte drink at three points in my run. I had mixed one of my drink flasks with about a third of a scoop of pre-race powder and drank that flask at mile 8 to boost me for the second half of my long run. It worked GREAT!! My stomach felt great and I noticed sustained energy throughout the final miles of my run as I completed my biggest mileage week EVER!! I finally eclipsed the 75 miles in a week mark! I couldn't have done it without lots of sleep (took a nap 5 different days), ice, dynamic stretching, and two massages this week but hey, if thats what it takes to keep my legs working properly and energy level up...bring it on.
